A Banh Mi for Two
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this sweet sapphic romance about two foodies in love, Vivi meets Lan while studying abroad in Vietnam and they spend the semester unraveling their families' histories—and eating all the street food in Sài Gòn.
In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father, but has stopped updating since his passing.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam. Her parents rarely even talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She’s determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she’s seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two.
When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother’s story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vietnamese teen Phan Ngọc Lan secretly authors popular food blog A Bánh Mì for Two. But when a bad case of writer's block puts her blog on hiatus, she spends time working at her family's bánh mì stall in Sài Gòn. In the U.S., meanwhile, Vietnamese American college student Vivi Huỳnh feels disconnected from her heritage; she is curious about her mother's childhood in Việt Nam, but her mother refuses to talk about her experiences. Inspired by Lan's blog, Vivi travels to Việt Nam as part of a study abroad program, unbeknownst to her parents. After a chance encounter brings Vivi and Lan together, Vivi encourages Lan to submit a piece about Sài Gòn to a prestigious writing competition. As thanks, Lan helps Vivi track down people who can tell her more about her mom. Driven by a shared passion for Sài Gòn, the two embark on numerous adventures, falling for each other in the process. Explorations of identity, generational history, and trauma are tempered by the girls' sweetly developing romance. Vibrant descriptions of Việt Nam and its culture adorn Nguyen's lively debut, a love story ideal for foodies yearning to travel. Ages 14–up.
