Liza Yang is trying to make peace with the fact that her mother will never be proud of her no matter what she does. None of her accomplishments are enough to sway her mom, who is always comparing Liza to her perfect older sister. Neither parent accepts Liza's desire to go to culinary school even though cooking is their livelihood. Her dad makes amazing savory dishes and her mom is the most celebrated baker in Houston's Chinatown. None of that matters. They want her to get a degree in something "stable."
Her mom's matchmaking attempts are the worst, though! She's always after Liza to date an Asian boy. Maybe as a reaction to this, Liza never has. All her boyfriends have been pretty much the opposite of what her mom wants, and she has kept them all a secret to avoid a confrontation. It's not that she's completely against dating Asian guys. It's just that her mom picks all the worst ones to force on her!
Every year her mom hosts a junior baking competition with a local culinary school, and this year Liza decides to volunteer to help out to prove how serious she is about baking. Liza is surprised by her mom's strangely positive reaction until the first day of the competition. Instead of the normal mix of contestants vetting on their baking skills, every single competitor is an Asian male close to Liza's age. Liza is beyond furious! She can't believe her mom would turn the baking competition into a dating competition.
Liza actually recognizes two of the competitors. One is her best friend's new boyfriend, Ben, and the other is Ben's snobby cousin James. Liza's first impression of James is not good, so she's surprised to discover he actually has baking skills and even more surprised to find herself attracted to him.
Will Liza prove to her mom how serious she is about baking and maybe even date a guy her mom approves of? Or will this year's competition be an epic disaster?
Jennifer Yen's debut novel is a cute homage to Pride and Prejudice set in the delicious world of baking. Readers will salivate for all the delicious Asian pastries and food and enjoy the romance and comedic mishaps. Yen is a Houstonian, so there is plenty of authentic local flare here as well. I just wish we could all agree, once and for all, that clumsiness is not a personality trait. It's time to move on from the clumsiness-makes-her-relatable trope. Otherwise, this is a cute and fluffy romance to sit back and enjoy. Recommended for grades 8 and up for some profanity. This may also be more relatable to older readers since Liza and her friends are graduating high school and getting ready for college.
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