March 18, 2025 / Wednesday Books

Love, family, and food collide in this sparkling Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance.

TLDR: HANGRY HEARTS (out March 2025) is my YA Asian American comedic version of Romeo & Juliet, featuring Randall, a biracial trans Korean boy, and Julie, a Taiwanese girl. They used to be best friends, but their grandmothers had a falling out and now they are enemies. Or are they?

Julie Wu and Randall Hur used to be best friends. Now they only see each other on Saturdays at the Pasadena Farmers Market where their once close families are long-standing rivals.

When Julie and Randall are paired with ultra-rich London Kim for a community-service school project, they are forced to work together for the first time in years. It quickly becomes obvious that London has a major crush on Julie. But Julie can’t stop thinking about Randall. And Randall can’t stop thinking about how London is thinking about Julie. Soon, prompted by a little jealousy and years of missing each other, school project meetings turn into pseudo dates at their favorite Taiwanese breakfast shop and then secret kisses at the beach—far from the watchful eyes of their families.

Just as they’re finally feeling brave enough to tell their grandmas, the two matriarchs rehash their old fight and Julie and Randall get caught in the middle and Julie’s brother finds out they are dating. Their families are heartbroken.

But it’s the Year of the Dragon, an auspicious time to resolve disagreements and start anew, and Randall isn’t going down without fighting for what—and who—they love. Could the Lunar New Year provide not only a second chance for Randall and Julie, but for their families as well?

Hangry Hearts is a funny, big-hearted 🏳️‍⚧️ romance about friendship, family, and first love—and being brave enough to have it all.

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