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livlovebooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
spenkevich's review against another edition
5.0
Valentine's Day had long been the favorite holiday for Valentina. Named after the day and annually visited by an adorable cupid only she can see, Valentina spent her childhood bringing love to everyone on Valentine’s Day until one year the day brings nothing but stressful surprises that completely upends her life. Now she has one year to prove she can find true love or she must give her heart away to never feel either the joys or pains of love in a faustian deal not with the devil but the ghost of St. Valentine himself. So begins Lunar New Year Love Story, the sweepingly gorgeous and emotional graphic novel from Gene Luen Yang (of [b:American Born Chinese|118944|American Born Chinese|Gene Luen Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317066615l/118944._SX50_.jpg|114515] fame) and brought to life through eye-popping illustrations from LeUyen Pham. This is a beautiful, multi-faceted story that explores much more than romantic love as Valentina confronts family and cultural identity in a story rife with symbolism and dualities. With mesmerizing artwork and a story that is as heartbreaking as it can be heartwarming, Lunar New Year Love Story is an incredible YA coming-of-age graphic novel that will steal your heart (they let me have mine back, don’t worry).
I didn’t always hate Valentine’s Day
One thing I really appreciate in a good graphic novel is when the story is given the room to breathe. This is on the longer side for a YA but it really lets all the nuances and textures of the story have space to flourish and the slower pace lets each frame squeeze out every drop of emotional intensity. There is a large set-up that completely grabbed me and I enjoyed the way it shows how the things we love in childhood start to fade or become a source of embarrassment in teenage years. The shift from loving Valentine’s Day is really heartbreaking here as it descends into a bleakness about the realization opening oneself to love also means being vulnerable to heartbreak and betrayal, perfectly rendered in the eerie moment when her cute cherubic companion melts into a ghastly ghoul of St. Valentine. There is a really extraordinary blend of various cultural spiritualities and customs here showing the way an immigrant family, for instance, may contain multitudes and Val spends much of the story sifting through the interplay of her Vietnamese heritage and grandmother’s christianity. All of this in an attempt to understand herself through her history and hope to break the family curse of being unlucky in love.
Caption: “Our family is unlucky in love”
The dualities here are wonderful, such as how Val’s involvement in the Korean Bukcheong lion dance juxtaposes with the story of christian martyrs facing down the lions, the way life is juxtaposed with death, or the way the two potential love interests—cousins Leslie and Jae—are all placed in proximity to examine the idea of yin and yang.
There is also a really adorable romance going on amidst all the self-discovery of her culture and. We see how Les may make her happy but is not a source of stability or loyalty, a rather heartbreaking lesson to learn. And with Jae we see how grief can cast a long shadow over our lives, but that love can be a light in the darkness. It is a moving story full of both sadness and laughs while the deal over her heart is always haunting her every move.
‘Lions roam the world…majesty and misery…there is no hiding. How good it is, then to find someone with whom you can become the lion.’
This was such an extraordinary graphic novel with a really lovely story, a lot of excellent exploration of culture and heritage, and a art style that was an absolute joy to get lost within. The colors are incredible, movement is wonderfully captured and the art beautifully and seamlessly flows between reality and the metaphysical aspects. Lunar New Years Love Story is a massive success.
5/5
I didn’t always hate Valentine’s Day
One thing I really appreciate in a good graphic novel is when the story is given the room to breathe. This is on the longer side for a YA but it really lets all the nuances and textures of the story have space to flourish and the slower pace lets each frame squeeze out every drop of emotional intensity. There is a large set-up that completely grabbed me and I enjoyed the way it shows how the things we love in childhood start to fade or become a source of embarrassment in teenage years. The shift from loving Valentine’s Day is really heartbreaking here as it descends into a bleakness about the realization opening oneself to love also means being vulnerable to heartbreak and betrayal, perfectly rendered in the eerie moment when her cute cherubic companion melts into a ghastly ghoul of St. Valentine. There is a really extraordinary blend of various cultural spiritualities and customs here showing the way an immigrant family, for instance, may contain multitudes and Val spends much of the story sifting through the interplay of her Vietnamese heritage and grandmother’s christianity. All of this in an attempt to understand herself through her history and hope to break the family curse of being unlucky in love.
Caption: “Our family is unlucky in love”
The dualities here are wonderful, such as how Val’s involvement in the Korean Bukcheong lion dance juxtaposes with the story of christian martyrs facing down the lions, the way life is juxtaposed with death, or the way the two potential love interests—cousins Leslie and Jae—are all placed in proximity to examine the idea of yin and yang.
There is also a really adorable romance going on amidst all the self-discovery of her culture and
Spoiler
the surprise that her mother never died but simply left‘Lions roam the world…majesty and misery…there is no hiding. How good it is, then to find someone with whom you can become the lion.’
This was such an extraordinary graphic novel with a really lovely story, a lot of excellent exploration of culture and heritage, and a art style that was an absolute joy to get lost within. The colors are incredible, movement is wonderfully captured and the art beautifully and seamlessly flows between reality and the metaphysical aspects. Lunar New Years Love Story is a massive success.
5/5
myaajayi_15's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
melbsreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content warnings: death of a parent (in the past), grief, mental health, bullying, alcohol abuse, cancer
Oh, my feelings. This was utterly charming and extremely heartfelt and I loved all of the characters and the way the story played out. The art is gorgeous and I adored how it deals with difficult topics. I feel like I should have more words to say about this given that I've given it 5 stars. But I don't. It's great. Read it.
Oh, my feelings. This was utterly charming and extremely heartfelt and I loved all of the characters and the way the story played out. The art is gorgeous and I adored how it deals with difficult topics. I feel like I should have more words to say about this given that I've given it 5 stars. But I don't. It's great. Read it.
quinnster's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly full of twists! Yang and Pham are a stellar team because everything about this came together nicely.
pizzabanditkat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hecubatohim's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0