Book Review: A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen

The Great British Bake Off is one of my all-time favorite competition shows. I love how friendly and uplifting all the contestants are, the beauty of the bakes, and the general comfy vibe the show always provides. On the flip side, I also love The Bachelor franchise. While I don't believe this show is a way to find lasting love, it is a way to enjoy other people's drama and ridiculousness. Plus we all get to wonder what "not here for the right reasons" even means when we all know everyone is there to boost their social media following. However, when you put these two very different shows together, you get A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen.

This Pride and Prejudice retelling follows Liza Yang, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants who run the Yin & Yang Restaurant and Bakery (with Yin being her mother's maiden name, it's a cute inside joke within the family). Liza's mom has been frantically setting her up with just about any Asian boy she can find around her daughter's age, much to Liza's annoyance. However, in an act of desperation after letting Liza judge her annual baking competition, every contestant was chosen with an ulterior motive: to apply to be Liza's boyfriend.

Obviously, there are a lot of concepts at work in this novel: The Great British Bake Off callbacks, the Bachelor comparisons, Pride and Prejudice, and on top of all that, there's a lot of nuances of growing up in an immigrant household and balancing a family who tries to hold on to their traditions versus trying to become your own person. Jennifer Yen can balance all of these in a masterclass way and I feel like a less skilled author would not have been able to do. None of these outshine the others, and each fits together to create a puzzle of a beautiful plot and character arc for Liza.

I also appreciated how the theme of "identity' was woven throughout the novel. Multiple characters are struggling with the concept of who they want to be. Since this is YA and the main characters were all teenagers, I appreciated how it was shown differently across different characters. Liza had to fight against the box her mother was trying to put her into, before learning how to accept all parts of herself. Her older sister Jeannie, learned following other people's plans for your life won't bring you happiness and sometimes you have to figure out what will make you happy. James, the book's Mr. Darcy, learns it is okay not to have everything figured out after high school - and it's okay to accept that about yourself. All of these lessons, I feel are essential for teenagers. They are also presented in the novel in a very relatable way, which should make it easier for teens to start having these conversations with their families and themselves.

In addition to being a masterclass in how to have a fun plot and engaging themes, A Taste for Love also has a very witty writing style that's full of fun pop culture references. Liza's voice shines through every single word, in a way that captures the Gen Z voice while still being fun for older readers to understand.

"I try my best to get through the rest of the day, but I'm as good at dodging gossip as Tom Holland is with spoilers. "

- Jennifer Yen, A Taste for Love Chapter 6

This Tom Holland joke, also had me laughing off and on for about five minutes. I think that the fact she is so willing to embrace pop culture is another one of the author's strengths, as it adds to the realism of these teenagers.

A Taste for Love is a perfect fluffy YA romance, and even though it takes its cues from Pride and Prejudice, it truly stands on its own. It's a fun and fast read, and I will admit, it made me finally curious enough to want to try boba tea. And I think Liza would be proud that is her legacy.

A Taste for Love is available through Penguin Random House