Graphic Novel Review: Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Yang, art by Leuyen Pham

Posted on August 15, 2024 at 6:13 am by Gene Ambaum

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Yang, art by Leuyen Pham. First Second, 2024. 9781250908261. 352pp.

Val has a year to find true love, or Saint Valentine wants her heart. (Their friendship started off as an imaginary friend / real friend sort of situation back when he presented as a winged cherub, but later he appears to her as a creepy old spirit). The complications: Val’s sad father, who told her a huge lie; her grandmother, a pushy but hilarious woman who always wants to feed Val and take her to church; and a super cute guy who likes her but doesn’t really seem to want to be her boyfriend. Plus that guy has an awkward cousin, whom she once embarrassed (or something) with a Valentine. Along for the ride is Bernice, Val’s friend who dates lots of boys and draws on her shoes. There’s a ton about lion dancing in the book, which Val gets good at. Scenes of lion dancing, along with the rest of the graphic novel, prove that Pham is one of the best artists working in comics.

I continue to enjoy YA romances occasionally, and this is my favorite of the year, a book I plan to gift to many folks on my list.