Oh, the sweet whirlwind of parenthood! Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, your little one takes a curious leap into the world of heart-flutters and first crushes. It’s a journey of discovery, both for them and for us.

With the arrival of spring, my daughter has found a new interest, tiptoeing into the romance section of Barnes and Noble during our cozy, post-church Sunday visits. It’s a chapter of her life that’s blooming right before my eyes, and I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nostalgia.

What’s heartwarming is seeing the shelves now adorned with Tween-friendly romance books that reflect the beauty of Asian cultures and characters—a delightful change that I wish had been around in my own youth.

If you’re in the same boat, wondering what magical tales to introduce to your young reader, here are some reads to add to your list!

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In summary, those books were

1. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – Lara-Jean Song’s secret love letters get mailed, forcing her to confront her romantic past.
2. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a coding camp, but Dimple is unaware that Rishi has been arranged to woo her.
3. Anna K by Jenny Lee – A modern retelling of Anna Karenina follows sweet Korean-American Anna K’s romance with bad boy Count Vronsky.
4. I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo – Desi Lee seeks love advice from K-dramas to win over her crush, Luca.
5. Frankly in Love by David Yoo – Korean-American teen Frank Li and his friend pretend to date to secretly pursue their crushes, navigating cultural expectations.
6. American Panda by Gloria Chao – Mei, a Taiwanese-American freshman at MIT, juggles her parents’ plans with her own dreams, including a forbidden romance.
7. Loveboat Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen – Sent to Taiwan to study Mandarin, Ever Wong discovers freedom, love, and herself among fellow teens.
8. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee – Jo Kuan, a maid in 19th-century Atlanta, anonymously starts an advice column, stirring controversy and uncovering secrets.
9. Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo – K-pop star Lucky and tabloid journalist Jada’s romance in Hong Kong is complicated by their false identities.
10. A Pho Love Story by Loan Le – Bao and Linh, whose families own rival pho restaurants, fall in love, challenging their feuding families’ expectations.

And you know what? There are so much more!

There is such a great variety of stories here that no matter what kind of romance your teen or tween is wanting, there is sure to be something here that she will enjoy and the Asian-American flavor of all these works definitely makes this list inclusive!

Happy Reading!

Steph