Amazing Romance Novels by Asian North American Writers

I love a good fake-dating romance, and Jackie Lau has delivered in droves with Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie. Emily Hung is 33 years old, and now that both of her younger sisters are married, her mother’s determined to set her up. Does it matter that the guy she wants Emily to date/marry is a grumpy, boring, rude engineer? Not even a little bit. Mark Chan agrees to a fake relationship to get their families off their cases…but their friends and family are hard to deceive. As the pair steps up their pretend dating, Emily starts to realize Mark’s not as obnoxious or dull as she thought he was. True to form, Lau’s latest novel manages to be both funny and steamy!

Julie Tieu’s latest romance follows two characters in the peripheries of three weddings (none of which is theirs). Elise Ngo is a florist who’s working hard to get her business off the ground, and she’s hopeful that the connections she’ll make through her friends’ weddings will lead to more clients. Of course, when she discovers that one of those friends’ brothers, Ben, is a caterer working the same wedding circuit, the comedy and sparks begin to fly. At times painfully awkward and at others times delightfully funny, the pair’s budding romance is set against the larger political backdrop of Ben’s family’s circle.

Zoey Fong is trying so hard to live the life she designed for herself years ago. She’s a successful scientist trying to find a cure for a rare form of cancer her sister survived, but in the process, she’s moving further and further away from everything that brings her joy. Enter Davy Hsieh, former teen heartthrob and current recluse attempting to get an animal sanctuary up and running on his private island. They’re near-total opposites, and they’re also exactly what each other needs. Their romance catches both of them by surprise, and it’s a fun and satisfying journey for the reader.

If you’re looking for a little romantasy, Roselle Lim’s latest book may be just the thing. I found myself rooting for long-time exes Camille Buhay and Ward Dunbar right from the start when they run into each other in London years after their relationship fell apart. They may have gone their separate ways, but when they both get jobs at the same company (Camille working nights, Ward working days) they decide to try again. Unfortunately for them, the gods aren’t as agreeable to this—literally. They’ve made Camille and Ward pawns in their epic game to determine whether the Eastern Faction or the Western Faction will emerge as the winner. The clever communications between the former lovers make this a fascinating and enjoyable read.

The premise of How to End a Love Story doesn’t exactly seem like the stuff of romance novels. Helen Zhang is a successful writer and a struggling human, having lived in the shadow of her older sister’s suicide since high school. When her successful YA book series is optioned for TV, she decides to participate in the adaptation process. The hitch? Grant Shepard was one of the popular football players she went to school with, but he’s also how Helen’s sister killed herself: by stepping in front of his truck. And he’s one of the lead writers in the room. Somehow, Kuang turns a story full of hard emotions into a thoughtful and believable romance (with plenty of sexy moments along the way). This one surprised me in the very best of ways.

Slated for release in late summer 2024, I couldn’t leave Trinity Nguyen’s novel off this list! The book takes its title from Lan’s food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two. After her father’s passing, Sài Gòn foodie Lan has stopped updating the blog, but when Vivi studies abroad in the city in an attempt to figure out why her parents left Việt Nam, their paths cross and the two women decide to help each other out. As Vivi helps Lan with her writing and Lan helps Vivi delve into her family’s history, they find more than they were looking for as they begin to fall in love.