A Bánh Mì for Two / Trinity Nguyen / Book Review

A BÁNH MÌ FOR TWO

Lan knows she needs to be the perfect daughter, always dependable and always there for her mother. She's all her mother has left, now that her father is gone. Any dreams of college, of travel, of her food blog really taking off as she explores the world outside Sài Gòn are on hold. Her mother needs her to stay around and help run the family food truck.

Vivi's parents want her to see the world... except for Việt Nam. Her parents don't talk about their homeland and whatever memories drove them from that place, but Vivi wants to know. No, she needs to know, whether they want that or not. So if that means telling them she's studying abroad in Singapore to get them off her back, so be it. Singapore is close enough to the truth, right?

When Vivi and Lan cross paths, Vivi knows who Lan is: the writer behind her favorite food blog. Lan hasn't written anything in a while, but Vivi knows that she can get Lan back into writing. And Lan can offer Vivi something, too: a local's perspective on the city that haunts Vivi's family photographs. And if that means spending more time together, so be it.

THOUGHTS

This book is cute. The romance is soft and sweet, and Trinity Nguyen's love for Sài Gòn comes through on every page.

PROS

Sài Gòn Love	Nugyen clearly loves Sài Gòn. The city as she paints it is vibrant, full of color and life and spectacular food. Explored through the perspective of both a local, who adores her city, and a foreigner come back to reconnect with the city of her mother's birth, the nooks and crannies of this city are replicated on the page with such affection. It is always nice to read a book so strongly rooted in place that you can hear, smell, and taste the city--and that's exactly what Nguyen provides.
Heavy Expectations	Both of these girls have some pretty heavy expectations they're shouldering--expectations that their parents have, yes, but that they've also set for themselves. Vivi wants to know about her heritage, about the Vietnam her parents knew and left behind, and she's willing to skirt her parents' expectations to find that--even when she feels the weight of her lies. Lan wants to be there for her mother, to support her family, to take on the legacy of the family food truck... but she also wants more than that. Both of these girls want so much, and they're not sure of how much they can want, how much they can dream. They wrestle with that, and I appreciate it.
Quest For Heritage	Vivi really wants to know where she comes from, to know her heritage, and she can't get that from her mom. Her mom doesn't want to talk about it--maybe, as Vivi realizes, her mom can't talk about it. But Vivi really does need to know, for herself and her own growth. And I love that this is one of the perspectives used to explore Sài Gòn, because we don't just get to see the wonders of the city through the eyes of a tourist. Vivi is a tourist, but she is a tourist looking to reconnect with her very recent, very tangible heritage. And that love, that longing, bleeds through onto these pages in a really lovely way.

CONS

One of the relationships here that I wanted more of was Vivi's relationship with her mother. It is clear Vivi loves her mom, despite the fact that she's come to Vietnam without her mother's consent (and without her mother even knowing). But it is very frustrating to listen to their conversations, because Vivi gets cut off every time she broaches the subject. And I know this is because of her mom's own baggage when it comes to Vietnam, but... I wish we had explored that more. It does get wrapped up in the end, but so briefly it almost feels like an afterthought. I just really wanted more of this relationship to make it onto the page.	One-Dimensional Mother
So, Vivi's on a study abroad program... but we never actually see her studying or going to class or anything. Which is fine. I get that this is a romance, and that's the main point. But still. Stuff like this bothers me.	Study Abroad?
Dual POV books can be great, and I do think there are a lot of strengths to the two points-of-view here, too. But there's one major drawback here, and that drawback is that Vivi and Lan sound... so similar to each other. When Vivi is still settling into the city, their narratives are different enough that it is easy to distinguish who is speaking. But by the end of the book, if you forget to check the POV at the start of the chapter, well, it can be a little difficult to parse because they both sound the same. Their voices aren't distinct, and in a first-person narrative, they really, truly should be.	Too Similar

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10

Fans of Abigail Hing Wen's Loveboat, Taipei will love jet-setting with Vivi. Those who enjoyed immersing themselves in Sheba Karim's The Marvelous Mirza Girls will love how the love of Sài Gòn bleeds through these pages.

Details Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Date: August 20, 2024 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.