Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang is the best graphic novel I’ve ever read.
That is NOT hyperbole.
I’ve read and loved so many graphic novels, but this one is on another level. Even as I’m writing this in January 2024 – a full year ahead of the 2025 Youth Media Awards – I have no doubt this will be a Printz Award and/or Asia/Pacific American Award contender for 2025.
Can a YA book win a Caldecott? The illustrations are seriously stunning.
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Genre: graphic novel, romance
Setting: San Francisco, California and Rome, Italy
Recommended for: Grades 6+
Themes: broken hearts, family curses, Valentine's Day, family problems, family secrets, lion dancing, grandmothers, Lunar New Year, parental death (father), alcoholic parent (mother), Asian culture, lion dancing
Protagonist: teen female, Vietnamese American
Starred reviews: Booklist, SLJ, Horn Book, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly
Pages: 352
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY OF LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY
She was destined for heartbreak. Then fate handed her love.
Val is ready to give up on love. It’s led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she’s pretty sure she’s cursed―no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love.
But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?
THE SHORT VERSION
Best graphic novel I’ve ever read. A MUST for every high school and middle school library.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY
Absolutely everything. The story is intriguing, with multiple plot threads revolving around family dynamics and friendship.
Characters are well-developed, as are their emotions, facial expressions, and problems. There are no simple answers here – family, love, and life are messy.
I love the way relationship confusion is addressed. Protagonist Valentina meets handsome, popular, confident Leslie (aka “Les”). Sparks fly; they both like each other a lot.
But Les is a player. He’s still a good character, but he is a lot like Valentina’s friend Bernice. He isn’t looking for love or a girlfriend.
Valentina wants more, but she isn’t sure that she should want more. She truly believes her family is romantically cursed. Her best friend is also frequent flyer with dating, so she sets the example for teen dating. Les’s noncommittal behavior confuses Valentina, and I think many teens will relate to that.
Jae’s “Old Fart” uncle is so funny that I laughed out loud a few times. “Just watch my body move, teenage boys” with zero sense of irony or shame. He’s a star! Let’s have his story next!
Valentina’s grandmother – I want her in my life! She is a force!
There is a magical realism element to the story, and I found it a unique addition. For Valentina, it’s an imaginary friend, a cherubic Cupid-like figure that helps her design Valentine’s Day cards. He transforms early-on into a malevolent and creepy old man St. Valentine spirit.
Friend and eventual love interest Jae also sees a ghost, and this is how Valentina and Jae eventually bond. Jae’s ghost is his recently-deceased father.
Both these supernatural storylines are important to the overall plot, which is realistic except for the addition of these two spirits.
Saving the very best of the best for last: the illustrations! These are SO GORGEOUS. The facial expressions, the careful attention to detail, the use of the red and blue colors on the lions…just incredible. I have no idea if a YA book is even eligible for a Caldecott, but this book certainly deserves some official kudos for those illustrations.
We really need a new category of Youth Media Awards for graphic novels. It’s long overdue.
I literally cried when I finished this book. Not because it is sad, but because the whole experience of reading it was just so beautiful. I cannot gush enough over this book!
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY
Nothing. I loved every last detail.
DIVERSITY
Most characters are Asian. Valentina, her parents, and her grandmothers are Vietnamese American. Cousins Jae and Leslie and their families are Korean American.
ARTWORK/ILLUSTRATIONS
I think I’ve covered it in the review, but in case you missed it…the illustrations are GORGEOUS. Great use of color, facial expressions, and plenty of detail. Don’t read this book so fast that you forget to savor the details!
Click on each image to see it larger.
LIBRARIANS WILL WANT TO KNOW
Would adults like this book? Oh, YES, absolutely.
Would I buy this for my high school library? 100% YES. A must for every high school library.
Would I buy this for my middle school library? 100% YES. Mature content is listed below, but I think this is just fine for most middle school students.
Would I buy this for my elementary school library? NO. It’s a secondary book, so I would not buy it for the library. Many 5th graders will love this though.
MATURE CONTENT
Language: I don’t remember any language. This is one of those cases where possibly I didn’t notice it because I was so swept up in the story. I cannot search the Overdrive version for specific words since it’s a graphic novel.
Sexuality: some kissing
Violence: a couple of physical assaults – One is funny (uncle punches two nephews – see image above), and one is well-deserved (jerk man pushed into a cake).
Drugs/Alcohol: Jae’s mother is grieving and drinks alcohol to deal with it; Valentina’s father is also grieving and gets drunk once
Other: female side character has a wife