Hangry Hearts
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When the aftermath of an accidental restaurant fire destroys the friendship between their grandmothers and, by extension, their families, high school juniors Julie Wu and Randall Hur—who are Taiwanese American and Korean American, respectively—consider themselves mortal enemies. Coexisting at the Pasadena farmer's market while helping run the Wus' and Hurs' food carts is difficult enough, but things get even more tense when the teens are paired with wealthy classmate London on a community service project. Upon realizing that London has a crush on Julie, Randall starts to acknowledge his own feelings for her, sparking in a long-awaited and forbidden romance. Over secret dates, they grow closer, updating each other on things they missed when they were apart, such as Randall's coming out as transgender, even as they struggle to hide their budding relationship from their families. Alternating first-person POV chapters allow for a deep understanding of both characters' internality and a well-rounded picture of the pain that lasting grudges can cause. Lush prose describes both food and romance with a vibrancy that sparkles in this quintessential star-crossed-lovers, rival-family-food-chains rom-com. Ages 12–up.
