8 Asian American YA Romances I Wish I Could Have Read in High School

I am a huge fan of Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex series, so picking up her YA writing was a no-brainer. From Little Tokyo, With Love is a modern fairytale about Rika, a biracial teen girl with badass judo skills and a temper. Orphaned after her mother died in childbirth and her father ran off, Rika has been raised by her Japanese aunts and has struggled all her life to feel like she truly belongs. She embarks on a quest around Los Angeles to pursue family secrets with the help of Hank Chen, a young actor who also struggles with biracial identity and bonds with Rika over their shared experience. As an angry teenager myself, so much of Rika’s internal strife really resonated with me. And while I’ve seen and enjoyed plenty of stories that are love letters to my home city of Los Angeles, the focus on the Little Tokyo neighborhood makes this book particularly special.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is not primarily a romance, but does have a significant romantic plot. It is a historical novel, taking place in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1950s amidst the Red Scare, and follows Lily, a queer Chinese American teenager looking for acceptance and belonging in a society that rejects people like her. But when she finds the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar, and meets Kathleen, she finds a safe space, motivation to stay true to herself, and love, despite the chaos and fear in the outside world that threatens the life her family has established.

I, for one, am here for “unlikeable” female characters, and especially so if they’re Asian and defying stereotypes about us being submissive and reserved, and Eliza Quan is just that. So when the results of the election for editor in chief of the school newspaper favor Len — an ex-jock with no experience — over the extremely qualified Eliza, she writes a manifesto calling out the sexism that accidentally gets posted online and quickly sparks a feminist movement. The two are forced to work together as a peace-making gesture, and Eliza finds herself falling for the symbol of the patriarchy she is trying so hard to fight. Beyond being a fantastic enemies to lovers romance, this book is also an incredible discussion of what it means to be a feminist, exploring issues of sexism, internalized misogyny, and intersectionality with race.

One huge piece of Asian and Asian American culture that absolutely cannot be forgotten is the food. So here’s a book that puts food front and center (don’t read it on an empty stomach!). Bao and Linh are two Vietnamese American teenagers whose families run competing pho restaurants. Though the two have long avoided each other, a chance encounter and undeniable sparks lead them to try fostering this new relationship despite complicated family histories.

Skye Shin dreams of being a K-pop star, and seizes her opportunity when a new international talent competition show holds auditions in Los Angeles. She nails the audition, though not without the first of many hiccups due to the rampant fatphobia present in the Korean entertainment industry. But through an intense practice and performance schedule, media scrutiny, and an unexpected connection with fellow competitor Henry Cho, Skye must remain confidently and unapologetically herself if she wants to achieve her dream. The book’s discussion of the extreme beauty standards in Asia really hit home for me, and I also appreciated the lovely queer representation (Skye is bisexual, and there are a number of queer supporting characters as well).

Cara and her mother are cast as the leads on a new reality dating show for single parents. But as if navigating the wild world of reality television wasn’t enough, Cara also begins to develop a crush on Connor, the son of one of the contestants. Bethany Mangle is a Korean American adoptee and disabled author, and both Cara and Connor are characters “straight from [her] heart”. When I first heard about this new release, it felt like hitting the representation jackpot, and I can barely express how excited I am for it.

Pride and Prejudice but make it desi and about high school debate team? Yes, please! Leela is a strong competitor in speech and debate, and she plans to beat Firoze Darcy, a competing debater from an elite private school who she can’t stand. But once the tournament gets under way, Leela realizes not all is quite as she previously thought, especially when it comes to Darcy. Sayantani DasGupta is the author of the bestselling Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series for middle grade readers (and also a literal doctor!), and Debating Darcy will be her YA debut.

One fond memory I do have of high school is of being on the robotics team, so this upcoming release about a Filipina American girl who joins robotics club has definitely secured itself a spot high on my TBR. Not only is it another enemies-to-lovers story (one of my personal favorite romance tropes, clearly), but it also explores the challenges of being a girl (and especially a girl of color) in STEM.