Vi?t is the most chaotic neutral person I know. His ears are plugged up, probably to block out the Paris by Night–like soundtrack blasting from the back room, songs on repeat about the Vietnam War, love, war, poverty, war.

On the opposite side, my best friend, Vi?t, goes at the same pace as me. Later, I’m sure I’ll find a few that somehow end up under my socks at the end of each shift. I brush off grains of rice that cling to my apron. I sit down and look ahead at the five booths I still need to wipe clean, but this heat’s unbearable and the main fan, the good fan, died last week. Various relatives from both sides of my family judge me from their water-stained portraits that hang around the restaurant. To be honest, it’s not like the sauce makes our wall look worse it’s just hard to wipe off when it dries. The kid’s parent probably did a double take, snatched the bottle away, then paid the check and left before M? could notice. Today’s latest work is a misshapen star on the wall. We need a sign that says that, because our customers don’t get it. But then, of course, they immediately remember.Ĭan Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories? Excerpt

Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.īut then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.įor years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it.

Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants. “Will leave readers swooning.” - PopSugar

A pho love story book