A Pho Love Story author Loan Le recommends five YA stories with Asian protagonists

A Pho Love Story author tells us her favorite YA books with Asian protagonists

Growing up, I didn’t see many young adult novels that portrayed parts of my Asian American experience: countless family-packed parties, which often meant involuntary karaoke performances; formidable and forever gossiping Vietnamese women; unlimited sweet and savory foods that parents made, because it was their only sure way of showing affection.

So, like many writers who felt an unfulfilled need, I wrote A Pho Love Story, a heartwarming, sweet romantic-comedy that goes on sale on February 9th. In this novel, two Vietnamese American teenagers navigate their wants and dreams and fall in love with each other, even though their parents’ restaurants have a long-standing rivalry.

A Pho Love Story deals with universal themes like first love and family expectations, but it’s also about being Asian American and being a part of a diasporic community, and often that means balancing what you want with what’s expected of you.

Here are five YA contemporary novels with incredible Asian protagonists and stories.

Shine by Jessica Jung

Yes, I am fully committed to BTS, but I’m still relatively new to K-pop. Even so, I knew who Jessica Jung was because of her Girls’ Generation years. In the soloist’s young adult debut novel, a Korean American idol trainee tries to survive the cut-throat world of K-pop, and she strikes a relationship with her label’s handsome golden star.

It was great to see the underbelly of an industry filled with secrets and scandals, and root for a main character straddling two cultures—Korean and American—as she chased her dreams of debut!

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

I mean, that back cover though! It’s incredibly dynamic, and I just wanted to know everything about these characters and their lives and why was that iced coffee thrown?! Dimple’s a plucky protagonist determined to take over the coding world; nothing will get in her way. But Rishi—oh dorky, lovable Rishi—is trying his hardest, because he believes they should be together. There were so many moments where I laughed out loud, and I saw my parents’ personalities in both Dimple and Rishi’s parents. Highly recommended!

K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

So I might have been on a K-Pop binge when I picked up this book.

But I had no regrets because it had everything I wanted: a shy protagonist with serious vocals, a romance with a dreamy fellow trainee, and a scandal that throws everything in jeopardy? Yes, please.

My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

What a gorgeous cover! And this story is adorable and corny and I loved it. A filmmaker-protagonist discovers her boyfriend had been cheating on her.

Honestly, it wasn’t that she loved him, but she thought they were supposed to be together, so the world as she knows it changes. I loved her character growth and I obsessed over her geeky friend who truly saw both her strengths and flaws. (Perhaps I have a thing for slightly “adorkable” partners.)

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan

Everything about this was astounding—from the title, to the package, to the story. I love writing that’s at once stylish and profoundly moving, and Emily does this well. In this novel, Leigh struggles to come to terms with her mother’s recent suicide. So, tough topics like depression and guilt are tackled, but they’re rendered so honestly that you don’t ever want to look away.

It warms my heart to see that there are so many Asian-focused YA novels coming out this year, and I can’t wait to read all of them. I hope you’ll check out A Pho Love Story, available everywhere on February 9th.

Are you planning to give A Pho Love Story a look this winter? Let us know in the comments.