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Hangry Hearts
Love, family, and food collide in this sparkling Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance.
Julie Wu and Randall Hur used to be best friends. Now they only see each other on Saturdays at the Pasadena Farmers Market where their once close families are long-standing rivals.
When Julie and Randall are paired with ultra-rich London Kim for a community-service school project, they are forced to work together for the first time in years. It quickly becomes obvious that London has a major crush on Julie. But Julie can’t stop thinking about Randall. And Randall can’t stop thinking about how London is thinking about Julie. Soon, prompted by a little jealousy and years of missing each other, school project meetings turn into pseudo dates at their favorite Taiwanese breakfast shop and then secret kisses at the beach—far from the watchful eyes of their families.
Just as they’re finally feeling brave enough to tell their grandmas, the two matriarchs rehash their old fight and Julie and Randall get caught in the middle and Julie’s brother finds out they are dating. Their families are heartbroken.
But it’s the Year of the Dragon, an auspicious time to resolve disagreements and start anew, and Randall isn’t going down without fighting for what—and who—they love. Could the Lunar New Year provide not only a second chance for Randall and Julie, but for their families as well?
Jennifer Chen’s Hangry Hearts is a funny, big-hearted romance about friendship, family, and first love—and being brave enough to have it all.
Julie Wu and Randall Hur used to be best friends. Now they only see each other on Saturdays at the Pasadena Farmers Market where their once close families are long-standing rivals.
When Julie and Randall are paired with ultra-rich London Kim for a community-service school project, they are forced to work together for the first time in years. It quickly becomes obvious that London has a major crush on Julie. But Julie can’t stop thinking about Randall. And Randall can’t stop thinking about how London is thinking about Julie. Soon, prompted by a little jealousy and years of missing each other, school project meetings turn into pseudo dates at their favorite Taiwanese breakfast shop and then secret kisses at the beach—far from the watchful eyes of their families.
Just as they’re finally feeling brave enough to tell their grandmas, the two matriarchs rehash their old fight and Julie and Randall get caught in the middle and Julie’s brother finds out they are dating. Their families are heartbroken.
But it’s the Year of the Dragon, an auspicious time to resolve disagreements and start anew, and Randall isn’t going down without fighting for what—and who—they love. Could the Lunar New Year provide not only a second chance for Randall and Julie, but for their families as well?
Jennifer Chen’s Hangry Hearts is a funny, big-hearted romance about friendship, family, and first love—and being brave enough to have it all.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2025
15 people are currently reading
18.4k people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Chen
3 books187 followersJennifer Chen is a freelance journalist who has written for print and online, including pieces in the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, and Bust. She earned an MFA and BFA in dramatic writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is a proud alumnae of Hedgebrook, a women’s writing residency. She lives in Los Angeles with her TV writer husband, twins, two pugs, and a smoky black cat named Gremlin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
March 17, 2025
3 stars
I was excited to read this YA 'Romeo & Juliet' inspired romance. When I started 'Hangry Hearts' I thought it had so much promise. Then after a while the pacing felt off and I started to skim. Unfortunately it just didn't hold my attention like I'd hoped.
I was excited to read this YA 'Romeo & Juliet' inspired romance. When I started 'Hangry Hearts' I thought it had so much promise. Then after a while the pacing felt off and I started to skim. Unfortunately it just didn't hold my attention like I'd hoped.
December 27, 2024
**ARC of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
After fabulous Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food I wanted to stay in the realm of Asian food a bit longer and fortunately I got an ARC of this book so I jumped right in. As a warning I will just mention that this is a YA story and I am aggressively middle aged so take my review with a grain of salt.
The plot. It was pretty underwhelming. Main plotline from the blurb (community service school project) is done within first 100 pages. It's resolved without any conclusion and never to be mentioned again. It is also very difficult to get into because of the weird time jumps - you end one chapter and the next will follow the story couple weeks later even when it makes sense to continue with descriptions of what happened the next day, how the characters reacted to what just happened. I hoped we will get to observe how the love between Julie and Randall develops but because of the time jumps it happens kind of off screen which for a romance book is pretty disappointing. There is even one point in the book when Randall asks Julie for a month of break because he needs to process what is happening and the next chapter picks up the story after one month. You get couple sentences about how they were missing each other but that's it.
The food. I hoped we will get great descriptions of Taiwanese and Korean delicacies since both families are food vendors but main focus was on mandu and fan tuan with couple dishes mentioned briefly here and there. With the progression of the book the descriptions of food started shifting towards the growing produce aspect of it and I did not enjoy it all that much.
Pet-peeves galore:
- There are multiple instances in this book where certain information is given immediately before it gets relevant;
- The family feud is resolved in a deux ex machina scenario and not because of actions of protagonists;
- The drama would be cut in half if author remembered that the lovebirds can text each other anytime they want;
- Julie punches someone in the face because after one self-defense class her "instincts are kicking in";
- The story feels like random scenes were taken from different versions of this book and haphazardly thrown together so there are moments when something feels important but in the end have no impact and is not mentioned again;
- The story goes on for longer than it needs to;
Despite all the problems its a fast read and the representation is pretty good. Author has this light writing style that feels effortless and makes this book easy to digest. But it lacks severely in the storytelling and chemistry departments hence 2 stars.
After fabulous Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food I wanted to stay in the realm of Asian food a bit longer and fortunately I got an ARC of this book so I jumped right in. As a warning I will just mention that this is a YA story and I am aggressively middle aged so take my review with a grain of salt.
The plot. It was pretty underwhelming. Main plotline from the blurb (community service school project) is done within first 100 pages. It's resolved without any conclusion and never to be mentioned again. It is also very difficult to get into because of the weird time jumps - you end one chapter and the next will follow the story couple weeks later even when it makes sense to continue with descriptions of what happened the next day, how the characters reacted to what just happened. I hoped we will get to observe how the love between Julie and Randall develops but because of the time jumps it happens kind of off screen which for a romance book is pretty disappointing. There is even one point in the book when Randall asks Julie for a month of break because he needs to process what is happening and the next chapter picks up the story after one month. You get couple sentences about how they were missing each other but that's it.
The food. I hoped we will get great descriptions of Taiwanese and Korean delicacies since both families are food vendors but main focus was on mandu and fan tuan with couple dishes mentioned briefly here and there. With the progression of the book the descriptions of food started shifting towards the growing produce aspect of it and I did not enjoy it all that much.
Pet-peeves galore:
- There are multiple instances in this book where certain information is given immediately before it gets relevant;
- The family feud is resolved in a deux ex machina scenario and not because of actions of protagonists;
- The drama would be cut in half if author remembered that the lovebirds can text each other anytime they want;
- Julie punches someone in the face because after one self-defense class her "instincts are kicking in";
- The story feels like random scenes were taken from different versions of this book and haphazardly thrown together so there are moments when something feels important but in the end have no impact and is not mentioned again;
- The story goes on for longer than it needs to;
Despite all the problems its a fast read and the representation is pretty good. Author has this light writing style that feels effortless and makes this book easy to digest. But it lacks severely in the storytelling and chemistry departments hence 2 stars.
January 13, 2025
The cover sucked me in but the story did me dirty.
I am a former chef so any book that deals food I am all in on and want to read. The food descriptions were fantastic. I could taste the shrimp shu mai and fan tuan.
I loved the asian culture and LGTBQ+ rep the author wove thru the story. Learning about some of the asian traditions was great!
I am not a stranger to YA books. Maybe I get lucky and find ones that border YA/NA, but this book I think was a true YA story (leaning more toward the lower age range) and so it just didn't do it for me. It was very Romeo and Juliet on a lower high school level.
The author does have a nice light good pace to her writing so it made for a very quick read.
I am a former chef so any book that deals food I am all in on and want to read. The food descriptions were fantastic. I could taste the shrimp shu mai and fan tuan.
I loved the asian culture and LGTBQ+ rep the author wove thru the story. Learning about some of the asian traditions was great!
I am not a stranger to YA books. Maybe I get lucky and find ones that border YA/NA, but this book I think was a true YA story (leaning more toward the lower age range) and so it just didn't do it for me. It was very Romeo and Juliet on a lower high school level.
The author does have a nice light good pace to her writing so it made for a very quick read.
Want to read
June 9, 2024i'm a simple girl - i see a book with a leni kauffman cover, it goes on my tbr
September 17, 2024
Hanhry Hearts is a fun-loving book. The characters and romance had an easy emotional arc even though it felt somewhat formulaic.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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March 17, 2025There was a lot to like in this "Romeo and Juliet" (ad language for the book) for young adults. Specifically the food descriptions, with dim sun and Korean street food lovingly and deliciously described. I loved the sense of filial piety from traditional custom up against LA's laid-back cultural chaos.
I also liked the idea of many of the characters, and some of the dialogue was fun. But it took me a long time to read the book. Partly that was due to the grammar errors, which I hope were ironed out in the final version, but mostly because the author seemed to be trying to reinvent the omniscient narrator, the result being oddly jerky segments split between POVs, which, interspersed with text messages, could get confusing. The pacing thus seemed off, and the narrative voice would frequently undercut the dialogue by telling crucial bits before we saw the action.
Finally there was a formulaic feel, largely because The Big Incident that caused the families to feud was referred to without being told up front. I found myself impatiently reading for the "why" of all the drama.
So it was a bit of a mixed bag, but with lots of potential. Especially the food! Looking forward to more by this author.
I also liked the idea of many of the characters, and some of the dialogue was fun. But it took me a long time to read the book. Partly that was due to the grammar errors, which I hope were ironed out in the final version, but mostly because the author seemed to be trying to reinvent the omniscient narrator, the result being oddly jerky segments split between POVs, which, interspersed with text messages, could get confusing. The pacing thus seemed off, and the narrative voice would frequently undercut the dialogue by telling crucial bits before we saw the action.
Finally there was a formulaic feel, largely because The Big Incident that caused the families to feud was referred to without being told up front. I found myself impatiently reading for the "why" of all the drama.
So it was a bit of a mixed bag, but with lots of potential. Especially the food! Looking forward to more by this author.
November 14, 2024
2.7
If I disregard the fact that every character in this book had the emotional range of a bao bun, I still have to warn you that the writing has some deeply cringe moments. For example, a third grader is introduced to the reader (from the perspective of a teenage boy) as "a fat red head." Like, wha?
If I disregard the fact that every character in this book had the emotional range of a bao bun, I still have to warn you that the writing has some deeply cringe moments. For example, a third grader is introduced to the reader (from the perspective of a teenage boy) as "a fat red head." Like, wha?
December 4, 2024
Hangry hearts
-omg I love their bickering and banter gobbling it up you can sense that tension from the beginning yummm
-I love a good forced proximity
-I loved being able to learn more about Julie, Randall ,their families and their culture
-all the food talk made my hungry lol
-it’s giving very much modern Romeo and Juliet we can’t be together but want too so badly yesss
-this book was ADORABLE
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-omg I love their bickering and banter gobbling it up you can sense that tension from the beginning yummm
-I love a good forced proximity
-I loved being able to learn more about Julie, Randall ,their families and their culture
-all the food talk made my hungry lol
-it’s giving very much modern Romeo and Juliet we can’t be together but want too so badly yesss
-this book was ADORABLE
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 8, 2024
If you came here cause of a Leni Kauffman cover that’s great (I love an artist moment) but Hangry Hearts is a bumpy novel that fizzles very quickly.
While this book markets itself as a Romeo & Juliet retelling there’s so much more to this book because Julie and Randall's story had so much potential.
If this story was pushed to provide more room for growth, maturity, meaningful dialogue, exposition, and took more time with broader social and cultural themes? It would connect with so many readers that deserve to feel heard and seen in YA. Sadly, I was in shock at times by how elements in this book were handled with such a lack of care.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
While this book markets itself as a Romeo & Juliet retelling there’s so much more to this book because Julie and Randall's story had so much potential.
If this story was pushed to provide more room for growth, maturity, meaningful dialogue, exposition, and took more time with broader social and cultural themes? It would connect with so many readers that deserve to feel heard and seen in YA. Sadly, I was in shock at times by how elements in this book were handled with such a lack of care.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
Shelved as 'dnf'
November 19, 2024dnf @ 32%
This book sounded very promising, I can get down with a YA book, especially with LGBTQ+ rep, but it seems as though the pacing is confusing. There was also a scene where our main character spoke with her mother while asking about her father, and her mother said “when i got pregnant with you, he wasn’t ready for kids” but she has an older brother? There were multiple inconsistencies within the story. I also didn’t enjoy the changing of the POV’s multiple times within the same chapter, it would’ve been better in my opinion to have all of one persons POV, then the next chapter switch to the other characters. Switching mid-chapter really took me out of the story.
This book sounded very promising, I can get down with a YA book, especially with LGBTQ+ rep, but it seems as though the pacing is confusing. There was also a scene where our main character spoke with her mother while asking about her father, and her mother said “when i got pregnant with you, he wasn’t ready for kids” but she has an older brother? There were multiple inconsistencies within the story. I also didn’t enjoy the changing of the POV’s multiple times within the same chapter, it would’ve been better in my opinion to have all of one persons POV, then the next chapter switch to the other characters. Switching mid-chapter really took me out of the story.
Read
October 29, 2024dnf at 22%
due to my religious beliefs, i decided not to finish this book when it was revealed that the mmc was trans. i wish that i had known about the contents of this book before even requesting it, but the blurb failed to mention that this was an lgbt novel.
i appreciated the clever writing and fast pace of the story, but ultimately felt uncomfortable continuing it.
thank you netgalley for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
due to my religious beliefs, i decided not to finish this book when it was revealed that the mmc was trans. i wish that i had known about the contents of this book before even requesting it, but the blurb failed to mention that this was an lgbt novel.
i appreciated the clever writing and fast pace of the story, but ultimately felt uncomfortable continuing it.
thank you netgalley for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
January 12, 2025
This was a cute young adult romance. I liked the overall storyline of this book and how it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling, especially since I haven’t read many. I appreciated the dual povs between Julie and Randall as I followed them throughout the story. The pacing of this book felt a bit rushed at times but overall this was a good read. Heads up that this book had a lot of food references and descriptions that will leave you hungry.
Read this if you like:
📖 Romeo and Juliet
📖 Rivals to lovers
📖 Ex-best friends
📖 Forced proximity
📖 Lgbt reps
Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the gifted arc.
Read this if you like:
📖 Romeo and Juliet
📖 Rivals to lovers
📖 Ex-best friends
📖 Forced proximity
📖 Lgbt reps
Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the gifted arc.
March 10, 2025
Nodnf @ 35%
I was so excited to read this rival food stall families mcs(Korean mmc × Taiwanese fmc) book with friends to enemies to lovers kind of trope, was totally thinking that there was going to be lots of talk about Asian food(street food, Taiwanese and Korean specially) but the writing style is all over the place and just... omg I don't have words to explain... hardly 5 chapters in and I read this...
"Randall, look at how they've grown," cries out Laura, a fat red-haired girl.
mind you this is a teen kid's perspective about a kid who's in third grade... Some things that other characters say don't make any sense at all, the time skips are weird, and who in their sane mind would put multiple POVs in the same chapter...
I just want to read without frowning every two pages.... I totally don't recommend this
I was so excited to read this rival food stall families mcs(Korean mmc × Taiwanese fmc) book with friends to enemies to lovers kind of trope, was totally thinking that there was going to be lots of talk about Asian food(street food, Taiwanese and Korean specially) but the writing style is all over the place and just... omg I don't have words to explain... hardly 5 chapters in and I read this...
"Randall, look at how they've grown," cries out Laura, a fat red-haired girl.
mind you this is a teen kid's perspective about a kid who's in third grade... Some things that other characters say don't make any sense at all, the time skips are weird, and who in their sane mind would put multiple POVs in the same chapter...
I just want to read without frowning every two pages.... I totally don't recommend this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2025
I have slightly conflicting feelings about this book. The concept is super cute and I do think for the most part it was executed well. However, I don't personally think I would call this a Romeo and Juliet inspired story like it is described as. Yes the families are "rivals" but to me describing such a cute wholesome YA book as even inspired by Romeo and Juliet gives the wrong impression. This book however was super good and cute, there were some aspects that I thought were a little strange or out of place (such as the constant mention of random none speaking or very minor roled characters races, to me it did kind of just seem like it was getting included to be like "but we did have diversity" and not as a "this is just a part of everyday life". Maybe that was just me though) I also definitely feel like these characters somehow read as both middle schoolers and 20 years old at the same time when they are supposed to be high schoolers and they didn't feel like high schoolers at all to me
March 21, 2025
I absolutely adored this over the top enemies to lovers YA Romeo and Juliet retelling that has the offspring of two feuding Asian American farmer's market vendors falling in love while forced to work together on a school project.
The FOOD in this book abounds and will have you drooling from start to finish!! It was definitely a highlight for me. I also really liked that there was a trans masc main male character who was wholeheartedly accepted by his nuclear family.
While there was a lot of drama, there was also a ton of heartwarming found family, multigenerational friendships and trans joy. I truly enjoyed this sophomore novel so much and would recommend for fans of books like A pho love story, Bingsu for two, Cafe con lychee or Fake dates and mooncakes.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and finished copy in exchange for my honest review!! This was the perfect start to my #TransRightsReadathon2025 !!! BTW the cover design/illustration by Leni Kauffman is chef's kiss!!!
The FOOD in this book abounds and will have you drooling from start to finish!! It was definitely a highlight for me. I also really liked that there was a trans masc main male character who was wholeheartedly accepted by his nuclear family.
While there was a lot of drama, there was also a ton of heartwarming found family, multigenerational friendships and trans joy. I truly enjoyed this sophomore novel so much and would recommend for fans of books like A pho love story, Bingsu for two, Cafe con lychee or Fake dates and mooncakes.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and finished copy in exchange for my honest review!! This was the perfect start to my #TransRightsReadathon2025 !!! BTW the cover design/illustration by Leni Kauffman is chef's kiss!!!
November 8, 2024
This book is firmly young adult, but in a good way! It's a very sweet Romeo and Juliet retelling with good food, gardening, and market stands. This book features dual first person PoVs and forced proximity as our MCs navigate a school project with their rivals.
This is a teenage girl x trans boy romance. There are no dead names used, only mentions of the past when they were both younger and still friends. This is a little like a second chance romance in that they were once really close until their families became bitter rivals. The main characters are very very sweet together, and I enjoyed reading their story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.
This is a teenage girl x trans boy romance. There are no dead names used, only mentions of the past when they were both younger and still friends. This is a little like a second chance romance in that they were once really close until their families became bitter rivals. The main characters are very very sweet together, and I enjoyed reading their story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.
February 25, 2025
The descriptions of the food is why I kept reading. It made me so hungry!
This book had so much potential and I really tried liking it but I could not find myself being able to care for the characters. The writing was absolutely underwhelming and I never knew what month it was because the timeline is all over the place. There is no fluidity between POVs to the point it would change even after just a small paragraph. Everything feels very surface leveled with so much happening behind the scenes that the author doesn’t share with us. I think I would have cared more if she had dove a bit deeper into the characters.
I did love the representation of trans people as well as showing with us the support Randall gets from his family. And I also loved the emphasis on the food.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!
This book had so much potential and I really tried liking it but I could not find myself being able to care for the characters. The writing was absolutely underwhelming and I never knew what month it was because the timeline is all over the place. There is no fluidity between POVs to the point it would change even after just a small paragraph. Everything feels very surface leveled with so much happening behind the scenes that the author doesn’t share with us. I think I would have cared more if she had dove a bit deeper into the characters.
I did love the representation of trans people as well as showing with us the support Randall gets from his family. And I also loved the emphasis on the food.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!
January 13, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday books for the ARC!
this had so much potential but unfortunately just wasn't great... i know i'm not the target audience for YA contemporary but still. i try to go in with an open mind but the weird time skips and lack of development on-page was meh. it felt like so much of the romance developed off page and therefore it didn't feel super believable.
things i did like: the lgbtq rep was a nice surprise especially given it's pure trans joy with a nice romance and family support (we absolutely need more of this!); conversations around traditional Korean/Taiwanese foods and culture was really great
tldr; this was a pretty fast read and the representation was great but the actual storytelling and development of plot/characters was lacking for sure
this had so much potential but unfortunately just wasn't great... i know i'm not the target audience for YA contemporary but still. i try to go in with an open mind but the weird time skips and lack of development on-page was meh. it felt like so much of the romance developed off page and therefore it didn't feel super believable.
things i did like: the lgbtq rep was a nice surprise especially given it's pure trans joy with a nice romance and family support (we absolutely need more of this!); conversations around traditional Korean/Taiwanese foods and culture was really great
tldr; this was a pretty fast read and the representation was great but the actual storytelling and development of plot/characters was lacking for sure
November 11, 2024
Hangry Hearts is a sweet YA romcoms about second chances, family, and first love. Julie and Randall used to be the best of friends. But 5 years ago, a feud began between their families and they've been at odds ever since. Now Julie and Randall are stuck working on a project together at school, so they'll have to call a truce if they expect to make it through.
This was cute and enjoyable story, but it doesn't feel super cohesive. Like the first part of the story is about this school project, but then it was just forgotten. There were several instances like that. But it was still a fun one.
Release Date: 3/18/2025
This was cute and enjoyable story, but it doesn't feel super cohesive. Like the first part of the story is about this school project, but then it was just forgotten. There were several instances like that. But it was still a fun one.
Release Date: 3/18/2025
March 22, 2025
The set up for the community project was over with in the first 30% of the book and I would have enjoyed it lasting longer, it seemed to repeat things after that. The reps and family aspects are very well done, the grandmas were the highlight! All in all, I just don't think this book was for me, but I hope the ones that it is for love it.
Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 28, 2025
such a cute and fast younger YA romance <3
rtc!
3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4!
Thank you to Wednesday Books (St Martin's Press/Macmillan) for the early finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
rtc!
3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4!
Thank you to Wednesday Books (St Martin's Press/Macmillan) for the early finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 31, 2025
*warning: don’t read this on an empty stomach or you will in fact be hangry!
Thank you to Net Galley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!
This dual POV romcom was the perfect read for Lunar New Year weekend! Loved seeing all the Taiwanese and Korean dishes mentioned and learning more about the culture.
It was a quick and easy YA read that focuses on first love, family and friendship. As an Asian American, some aspects did come across a little bit cliche and I also would have loved to see more character development especially with the main characters. However, I am still interested to see Jennifer Chen’s future projects!
Thank you to Net Galley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!
This dual POV romcom was the perfect read for Lunar New Year weekend! Loved seeing all the Taiwanese and Korean dishes mentioned and learning more about the culture.
It was a quick and easy YA read that focuses on first love, family and friendship. As an Asian American, some aspects did come across a little bit cliche and I also would have loved to see more character development especially with the main characters. However, I am still interested to see Jennifer Chen’s future projects!
November 27, 2024
This was a fun read. I liked the relationships between the 2 families, although things were being alluded to but very vague which was a little frustrating.
The 2 main characters could have been better developed. If you read this book you will see that they have always had some sort of relationship with things once again being alluded too. In this instance I think it should have been discussed more. The way they were discussed just made them seem pretty empty, when you can tell they need and deserve more development.
I’m not a foodie, so I couldn’t really get in to all the foods being discussed but I do know I can get hangry so I thought I would give this book a read. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.
May 9, 2024
An utterly delightful story that should NOT be read while hungry! Loved it!
March 6, 2025
2.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I was initially quite excited to read Hangry Hearts, but I was a bit concerned by a lot of the more critical reviews. However, the review average (at least on NetGalley) was further skewed low by the negative reviews from bigots who didn’t like that this had “surprise” trans rep, so I took it with a grain of salt. Upon reading, I felt it was fine, but not anything to write home about.
As the title suggests, food is central to the narrative, and the references to the various Chinese and Korean dishes were to die for. I also loved the interweaving of cultural traditions, especially with family ties playing such a prominent role in both leads’ lives.
And both Julie and Randall are decent characters, and the tension between them is solid, between their past as former friends, as well as reckoning with now being rivals due to their grandmothers’ enmity for one another. Randall’s transness is decently incorporated, without focus on his identity or “struggle” being a focus of the narrative.
And for what it is, it’s a fairly easy, quick read, so I can’t hold any of the other flaws against it too much, even if the result is a book that I likely won’t remember weeks, or months, down the road.
As for some of those flaws…to start with, some of the decisions with the prose do take some adjusting to. Julie Chen isn’t the best at distinguishing between her two first person POVs, so it’s easy to get lost sometimes as to whose head you’re in, and it’s even worse when it swaps (sometimes clumsily) mid-chapter, sometimes doing so more than once. However, this isn’t the worst execution of this prose/POV style, so it was still fairly readable.
Plot-wise, it was kind of weird, because on the one hand, it didn’t feel like a ton happened, but also, with the pages flying by, I didn’t necessarily notice. It feels more like the issue here is “lack of substantial plot,” as opposed to “lack of things happening,” although the latter did sort of kick in by the last fourth or so, as the grandmothers had resolved their differences. The stakes mostly felt rather low, and more like a “vibes” read. Even the so-called “rivalry” between the families felt easily resolved, making the “Romeo and Juliet” billing feel false, for all that the book tried to expertly position much of the supporting cast as possible in recognizable roles. Obviously, I knew this was going for a more genre romance direction, and that it wasn’t going to be world-ending stakes. But I couldn’t help but find the resolution a little too easy.
Of course, a lot of my criticisms could easily be chocked up to being an adult reading YA, and this skewing toward the younger side of the age demographic. But with many more polarizing reviews than normal (homophobic reviews excepted), I would suggest this is one of those cases where they should be taken into account, but I’d still encourage giving it a chance if you’re in the mood for a fairly light read centering Asian food and cultures and a fairly cute romance.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I was initially quite excited to read Hangry Hearts, but I was a bit concerned by a lot of the more critical reviews. However, the review average (at least on NetGalley) was further skewed low by the negative reviews from bigots who didn’t like that this had “surprise” trans rep, so I took it with a grain of salt. Upon reading, I felt it was fine, but not anything to write home about.
As the title suggests, food is central to the narrative, and the references to the various Chinese and Korean dishes were to die for. I also loved the interweaving of cultural traditions, especially with family ties playing such a prominent role in both leads’ lives.
And both Julie and Randall are decent characters, and the tension between them is solid, between their past as former friends, as well as reckoning with now being rivals due to their grandmothers’ enmity for one another. Randall’s transness is decently incorporated, without focus on his identity or “struggle” being a focus of the narrative.
And for what it is, it’s a fairly easy, quick read, so I can’t hold any of the other flaws against it too much, even if the result is a book that I likely won’t remember weeks, or months, down the road.
As for some of those flaws…to start with, some of the decisions with the prose do take some adjusting to. Julie Chen isn’t the best at distinguishing between her two first person POVs, so it’s easy to get lost sometimes as to whose head you’re in, and it’s even worse when it swaps (sometimes clumsily) mid-chapter, sometimes doing so more than once. However, this isn’t the worst execution of this prose/POV style, so it was still fairly readable.
Plot-wise, it was kind of weird, because on the one hand, it didn’t feel like a ton happened, but also, with the pages flying by, I didn’t necessarily notice. It feels more like the issue here is “lack of substantial plot,” as opposed to “lack of things happening,” although the latter did sort of kick in by the last fourth or so, as the grandmothers had resolved their differences. The stakes mostly felt rather low, and more like a “vibes” read. Even the so-called “rivalry” between the families felt easily resolved, making the “Romeo and Juliet” billing feel false, for all that the book tried to expertly position much of the supporting cast as possible in recognizable roles. Obviously, I knew this was going for a more genre romance direction, and that it wasn’t going to be world-ending stakes. But I couldn’t help but find the resolution a little too easy.
Of course, a lot of my criticisms could easily be chocked up to being an adult reading YA, and this skewing toward the younger side of the age demographic. But with many more polarizing reviews than normal (homophobic reviews excepted), I would suggest this is one of those cases where they should be taken into account, but I’d still encourage giving it a chance if you’re in the mood for a fairly light read centering Asian food and cultures and a fairly cute romance.
March 17, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St.Martin's Publishing for the ARC of 'Hangry Hearts' in exchange for an honest review.
Oh, the food, the food. One of those books where you can hear your stomach rumbling all the through the read. By the time you finish,, you're already waiting for Door Dash or Grubhub to deliver a 10 course Taiwanese-Korean meal.
The book? Very standardized YA Romeo & Juliet/Friends-to-enemies=t0-rivals-to-kissers, all against a backdrop of feuding food truck families. The two kids are duly adorable, destined for boyfriend-girlfriend status and once that's established, proceed to smooch at every opportunity.
The story construction, however, is another story altogether. Author Jennifer Chen throws in a lot of different elements here, with the intention, I'm supposing, of keeping all these balls in the air at the same time. (Gender transition, generational divides, sibling rivalries, culture assimilation, community outreaches). But somewhere on the way to the expected Happily Ever After for everyone, subplots fade away and disappear, never to be seen or heard from again.
Julie Wu and Randall Hur grew up in warm friendship right along with their two families. But a traumatic event forever affecting both families split them apart into hated enemies and rivals at their separate Farmer's Market food booths. This makes tough going for Randall and Julie, who still nurse lifelong crushes on each other even as their force-of-nature grandmothers (and super chefs) hurl death glares at each other.
A community school project throws our rival cutie-pies together and before you can say 'Wherefore art thou'?' romantic sparks fly. But our feudin' foodies need to keep their non-stop kissing hush-hush lest their unforgiving families smell what's cookin'.
As I mentioned before, the book never keeps a firm grip on all the issues it raised. Randall's gender transition is put out there, but not really dealt with in any depth and seems irrelevant to the main story anyway. The community school project falls to the wayside less than halfway through. And the book resorts to a too perfectly timed easy way out of yet another of its conflicts.
I could accept all of the above flaws but then the book tries something that takes a lot of nerve for an author. By that I mean assuming we've so fallen in love with all the characters that we won't mind hanging out with them even after the main story's been long resolved. I usually can't stand this, but to author Chen's credit, I didn't mind staying in the company of families We and Hur a little bit longer than necessary.
Julie and Randall are indeed the sweetest kids imaginable (as well as their extended families. (Not to mention terrific, dedicated kissers). But YA readers will, I'm sure, make up their own minds if they're charmed enough to spend all that superfluous time with them.
Nothing in this story you haven't read before, but oh that food. Pardon me while I order some to go.......
(and please check out my other reviews at www.thesandyquill.blogspot.com)
Oh, the food, the food. One of those books where you can hear your stomach rumbling all the through the read. By the time you finish,, you're already waiting for Door Dash or Grubhub to deliver a 10 course Taiwanese-Korean meal.
The book? Very standardized YA Romeo & Juliet/Friends-to-enemies=t0-rivals-to-kissers, all against a backdrop of feuding food truck families. The two kids are duly adorable, destined for boyfriend-girlfriend status and once that's established, proceed to smooch at every opportunity.
The story construction, however, is another story altogether. Author Jennifer Chen throws in a lot of different elements here, with the intention, I'm supposing, of keeping all these balls in the air at the same time. (Gender transition, generational divides, sibling rivalries, culture assimilation, community outreaches). But somewhere on the way to the expected Happily Ever After for everyone, subplots fade away and disappear, never to be seen or heard from again.
Julie Wu and Randall Hur grew up in warm friendship right along with their two families. But a traumatic event forever affecting both families split them apart into hated enemies and rivals at their separate Farmer's Market food booths. This makes tough going for Randall and Julie, who still nurse lifelong crushes on each other even as their force-of-nature grandmothers (and super chefs) hurl death glares at each other.
A community school project throws our rival cutie-pies together and before you can say 'Wherefore art thou'?' romantic sparks fly. But our feudin' foodies need to keep their non-stop kissing hush-hush lest their unforgiving families smell what's cookin'.
As I mentioned before, the book never keeps a firm grip on all the issues it raised. Randall's gender transition is put out there, but not really dealt with in any depth and seems irrelevant to the main story anyway. The community school project falls to the wayside less than halfway through. And the book resorts to a too perfectly timed easy way out of yet another of its conflicts.
I could accept all of the above flaws but then the book tries something that takes a lot of nerve for an author. By that I mean assuming we've so fallen in love with all the characters that we won't mind hanging out with them even after the main story's been long resolved. I usually can't stand this, but to author Chen's credit, I didn't mind staying in the company of families We and Hur a little bit longer than necessary.
Julie and Randall are indeed the sweetest kids imaginable (as well as their extended families. (Not to mention terrific, dedicated kissers). But YA readers will, I'm sure, make up their own minds if they're charmed enough to spend all that superfluous time with them.
Nothing in this story you haven't read before, but oh that food. Pardon me while I order some to go.......
(and please check out my other reviews at www.thesandyquill.blogspot.com)
November 2, 2024
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a first person dual-POV YA contemporary romance reimaging of Romeo and Juliet starring a Taiwanese-American female lead and a biracial Korean-American transman lead. Julie and Randall used to be the best of friends until a major argument between their grandmothers tore their family apart. When the two are partnered together for a group project (along with London, who has a big crush on Julie), the two finally start talking again and discover that only do they miss being friends—they have romantic feelings for each other.
The marketing didn’t mention Randall is a transman so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is early on. Julie’s chapters normalize Randall being trans with Julie subtly mentioning it but all of Randall’s experience as a transman is left to Randall’s POV chapters. While Julie and Randall’s grandmother are accepting, unfortunately not everyone in Randall’s life has been and we get glimpses of how coming out did change his life and how life was before he came out. I cannot remember the last time I saw an Asian transman as the love interest and I have absolutely been recommending this book to all of my friends looking for more trans love interests and Asian love romances ever since I finished.
The Romeo and Juliet aspects are more of the set-up and influence the character names rather than a straight retelling with a happy ending. Randall and Julie’s grandmothers are the heads of the household and their grudge against each other influences how the other members of the family act and react. Randall and Tyler, Julie’s older brother, used to be close as well but have quite a bit of tension due to the fallout. Mercy, Randall’s cousin and good friend, is still in contact with Julie and supports a reconciliation even before learning of Randall and Julie’s feelings for each other.
The romance arc is very cute. Julie and Randall play Scrabble together, they go on secret dates, and they have a lot of little moments that feel real because they have such a long history of knowing each other. One thing I really liked is how Randall is passionate about gardening and Julie isn’t really. I love to see love interests having hobbies and interests that can link together (such as gardening and cooking) but one partner isn’t as interested in one of those hobbies because that helps flesh out the inner worlds of both characters and gives them stuff to do outside of being attached at the hip, letting them be their own person.
Content warning for mentions of past transphobia
I would recommend this to fans of contemporary romance looking for a trans lead, readers of childhood friends to lovers romances who want a book focusing on Asian love, and those looking for a YA contemporary Romeo and Juliet reimagining
Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen is a first person dual-POV YA contemporary romance reimaging of Romeo and Juliet starring a Taiwanese-American female lead and a biracial Korean-American transman lead. Julie and Randall used to be the best of friends until a major argument between their grandmothers tore their family apart. When the two are partnered together for a group project (along with London, who has a big crush on Julie), the two finally start talking again and discover that only do they miss being friends—they have romantic feelings for each other.
The marketing didn’t mention Randall is a transman so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is early on. Julie’s chapters normalize Randall being trans with Julie subtly mentioning it but all of Randall’s experience as a transman is left to Randall’s POV chapters. While Julie and Randall’s grandmother are accepting, unfortunately not everyone in Randall’s life has been and we get glimpses of how coming out did change his life and how life was before he came out. I cannot remember the last time I saw an Asian transman as the love interest and I have absolutely been recommending this book to all of my friends looking for more trans love interests and Asian love romances ever since I finished.
The Romeo and Juliet aspects are more of the set-up and influence the character names rather than a straight retelling with a happy ending. Randall and Julie’s grandmothers are the heads of the household and their grudge against each other influences how the other members of the family act and react. Randall and Tyler, Julie’s older brother, used to be close as well but have quite a bit of tension due to the fallout. Mercy, Randall’s cousin and good friend, is still in contact with Julie and supports a reconciliation even before learning of Randall and Julie’s feelings for each other.
The romance arc is very cute. Julie and Randall play Scrabble together, they go on secret dates, and they have a lot of little moments that feel real because they have such a long history of knowing each other. One thing I really liked is how Randall is passionate about gardening and Julie isn’t really. I love to see love interests having hobbies and interests that can link together (such as gardening and cooking) but one partner isn’t as interested in one of those hobbies because that helps flesh out the inner worlds of both characters and gives them stuff to do outside of being attached at the hip, letting them be their own person.
Content warning for mentions of past transphobia
I would recommend this to fans of contemporary romance looking for a trans lead, readers of childhood friends to lovers romances who want a book focusing on Asian love, and those looking for a YA contemporary Romeo and Juliet reimagining
November 30, 2024
Thank you to Wednesday Books for a chance to read an arc this book! 🖤
3⭐️ This was REAL familial beef! | tropes: romeo and juliet, rivials to lovers, ex-best friends | ya romance | digital
"Love is crazy and makes you do stupid things. But this, by far, is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done."
characters
🩶 Julie is a type a, tawaniese girl determined to pass her classes and help her family's food stall succeed. You can see how much she loves her family and but she also wanted to be in love and happy.
🩶 Randall is a lively and mischievous korean boy who is determined to save his school's community gardern. The marketing for this book didn't mention that Randall was trans and I liked how it was mentioned throughout the book but it wasn't his main storyline. He got insecure at times but he also didn't want to disappoint his Grandmother because of how
wholeheartedly she has loved and accepted him.
"But if you feel an ounce of what I’m feeling, can you please tell me?"
favorite bits
🖤 The hurt feelings between Julie and Randall are tense from their first interaction but the remnants of their former friendship filter through. They fall quickly but it's built on a mutual understanding and bond that they had for years so you do understand why they love each other so much.
🖤 I also was able to empathize with their feels of telling their families and why it was so difficult. It would have been easy to make their families controlling or bad but their families were wonderful and loving which made the main characters struggle more with the fear of hurting them.
🖤 I like how their grandmothers were humanized. The family break-up wasn't over something dumb but a real crack in the foundation of the relationship of these two women who leaned on each other for years. It made sense why they fell out and why that repair took so long to heal.
🖤 I loved the food in this book! It's what drew me to this book and was wonderful throughout!
issues
❌ Tyler... I tried to understand him and Julie's relationship but it felt lacking at times. I wanted their to be some development in regards to make their relationship better especially after a key event but it was completely ignored.
❌ The pacing did this book no favors. I felt like time was constantly skipping all over the place. I wish more there was more development in the main characters and their relationship after they got together and it focused on them rather than just the drawn our drama with their families. There was room in the narrative for both!
3⭐️ This was REAL familial beef! | tropes: romeo and juliet, rivials to lovers, ex-best friends | ya romance | digital
"Love is crazy and makes you do stupid things. But this, by far, is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done."
characters
🩶 Julie is a type a, tawaniese girl determined to pass her classes and help her family's food stall succeed. You can see how much she loves her family and but she also wanted to be in love and happy.
🩶 Randall is a lively and mischievous korean boy who is determined to save his school's community gardern. The marketing for this book didn't mention that Randall was trans and I liked how it was mentioned throughout the book but it wasn't his main storyline. He got insecure at times but he also didn't want to disappoint his Grandmother because of how
wholeheartedly she has loved and accepted him.
"But if you feel an ounce of what I’m feeling, can you please tell me?"
favorite bits
🖤 The hurt feelings between Julie and Randall are tense from their first interaction but the remnants of their former friendship filter through. They fall quickly but it's built on a mutual understanding and bond that they had for years so you do understand why they love each other so much.
🖤 I also was able to empathize with their feels of telling their families and why it was so difficult. It would have been easy to make their families controlling or bad but their families were wonderful and loving which made the main characters struggle more with the fear of hurting them.
🖤 I like how their grandmothers were humanized. The family break-up wasn't over something dumb but a real crack in the foundation of the relationship of these two women who leaned on each other for years. It made sense why they fell out and why that repair took so long to heal.
🖤 I loved the food in this book! It's what drew me to this book and was wonderful throughout!
issues
❌ Tyler... I tried to understand him and Julie's relationship but it felt lacking at times. I wanted their to be some development in regards to make their relationship better especially after a key event but it was completely ignored.
❌ The pacing did this book no favors. I felt like time was constantly skipping all over the place. I wish more there was more development in the main characters and their relationship after they got together and it focused on them rather than just the drawn our drama with their families. There was room in the narrative for both!
March 15, 2025
Don’t read this book if you’re hungry as you will be craving dumplings and all kinds of rice cakes by the need. There was mention of a mango cream mochi that especially made me upset I couldn’t taste it. This book was a sweet story about two families who hated each other and their grandchildren who had a secret love. It is was supposed to be an Asian Romeo & Juliet but it unfortunately lacked the depth that I wanted. There was so much I did appreciate. One family was Korean and their food was discussed in depth. The other was eventually revealed to be Taiwanese. I say eventually as I was not clearly told for quite a bit. The representation of a trans character was very nice and I loved how his grandmother loved him for who he was. I loved how so many loved him. It was a breath of air to see him be in a safe space. I however, wanted more. This person not only went through something big but it’s also even more dramatic to Asians. As an Asian myself I wanted to know more about his thoughts traversing such a change and living authentically while being Asian. I enjoyed his character a lot more than Julie. Julie was a devoted granddaughter but she didn’t have as much conflict as I would expect while doing something that would have made her family so upset. I lived through a similar situation and I was shocked by her actions sometimes. Girl, let’s be more discreet. Let’s be patient. This is deep rooted drama between families and Asians stink at “talking it out”. We like to hide our feelings in a box and put it away while behaving politely. She also felt unkind and annoying at times. She hated kids and always had the wrong footwear. (This is my pet peeve) She gave Randall ultimatums and I actually felt bad for London as she used him as a cover story.
I also felt like the story jumped so quickly over moments that should be lingered on. Time flew so fast and big feelings were happening and not discussed that I was struggling to connect. I enjoyed certain scenes where a hand gripped something, a breath was lost, something crunched, or a smell lingered. I felt like I was so close to the story in those moments and was then shoved out by the next paragraph which had a time skip. I really wanted more from this story but I still feel like stories with these characters should be told more often. This story is YA and it only had some kissing. Very appropriate for teens. I would recommend it just for the cultural and LGBTQI+ rep.
I received this book as an ARC from St. Martin’s Press. The thoughts are all my own.
I also felt like the story jumped so quickly over moments that should be lingered on. Time flew so fast and big feelings were happening and not discussed that I was struggling to connect. I enjoyed certain scenes where a hand gripped something, a breath was lost, something crunched, or a smell lingered. I felt like I was so close to the story in those moments and was then shoved out by the next paragraph which had a time skip. I really wanted more from this story but I still feel like stories with these characters should be told more often. This story is YA and it only had some kissing. Very appropriate for teens. I would recommend it just for the cultural and LGBTQI+ rep.
I received this book as an ARC from St. Martin’s Press. The thoughts are all my own.
February 17, 2025
*Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
I was expecting your typical YA rom-com with international flair in this story, but there is so much more to Hangry Hearts. It took me a few chapters for the story to grab me, but once it did, I was hooked.
This is the story of Julie and Randall. They used to be best friends. Their grandmothers used to be best friends. Now, the families won't speak to each other and are constantly trying to one-up the other one at the weekly farmer's market where they each have food stalls. Of course they get put together for a group project in civics class.
But here is where the plot twist happens and what sets this story apart. Randall is trans. The romance that blooms has all sorts of issues, but I love that the fact that Randall is trans is not one of them. They do have to keep their relationship secret, but only because of the issue that broke the two families 5 years earlier.
This is a love story to food and culture. It highlights the intergenerational stories of both families and looks into what it is like to make it in a new country where you don't know the language. It is also a love story about taking care of the earth, knowing where your food comes from, and teaching the next generation ways to garden, harvest, and cook.
I love that the project the teens are assigned has them coming up with a complete plan that positively impacts their community, complete with a timeline and budget. They have to write a proposal for outside funding and they have to work as a team. One of the few things that bothered me was how frequently the POV changed. There were some areas where a character's section was only a paragraph or two. Small potatoes, but just a personal frustration.
This was a really sweet story that felt incredibly authentic. Great for 12-18 year olds.
I was expecting your typical YA rom-com with international flair in this story, but there is so much more to Hangry Hearts. It took me a few chapters for the story to grab me, but once it did, I was hooked.
This is the story of Julie and Randall. They used to be best friends. Their grandmothers used to be best friends. Now, the families won't speak to each other and are constantly trying to one-up the other one at the weekly farmer's market where they each have food stalls. Of course they get put together for a group project in civics class.
But here is where the plot twist happens and what sets this story apart. Randall is trans. The romance that blooms has all sorts of issues, but I love that the fact that Randall is trans is not one of them. They do have to keep their relationship secret, but only because of the issue that broke the two families 5 years earlier.
This is a love story to food and culture. It highlights the intergenerational stories of both families and looks into what it is like to make it in a new country where you don't know the language. It is also a love story about taking care of the earth, knowing where your food comes from, and teaching the next generation ways to garden, harvest, and cook.
I love that the project the teens are assigned has them coming up with a complete plan that positively impacts their community, complete with a timeline and budget. They have to write a proposal for outside funding and they have to work as a team. One of the few things that bothered me was how frequently the POV changed. There were some areas where a character's section was only a paragraph or two. Small potatoes, but just a personal frustration.
This was a really sweet story that felt incredibly authentic. Great for 12-18 year olds.
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