Lunar New Year Love Story
| Lunar New Year Love Story | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 9, 2024 |
| Page count | 352 pages |
| Publisher | First Second |
| Creative team | |
| Writer | Gene Luen Yang |
| Artist | LeUyen Pham |
| ISBN | 9781250908261 |
Lunar New Year Love Story is a 2025 romance graphic novel written by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. It was widely positively received, including winning three Eisner awards.
Plot
After learning a secret about her allegedly dead mother, Vietnamese American teenager Valentina believes her family is cursed when it comes to love. Her imaginary friend, who previously appeared as Cupid, transforms into a ghostly figure haunting her. However, after a chance encounter with a lion dancer at a Tết Lunar New Year celebration, she enters a relationship.[1][2][3]
Reception
The book received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, the Horn Book, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews.[2][4][5][6] Both Kirkus Reviews and the Horn Book praised the "kinetic" depiction of lion dancers. The Beat commented on Pham’s artwork and the opening sequence.[3]
| Year | Award/Honor | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens | Won | [7][8] |
| Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album – New | |||
| Eisner Award for Best Writer | |||
| American Library Association's Great Graphic Novels for Teens | Top Ten | [9] | |
| Ignyte Award for Outstanding Comics Team | Nominated | [10] | |
| 2024-2025 | Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature - Young Adult Literature | Nominated | [11] |
| 2024 | Harvey Award for Book of the Year | Nominated | [12] |
References
- ↑ Đinh, Thúy (2024-01-11). "'Lunar New Year Love Story' celebrates true love, honors immigrant struggles". NPR. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- 1 2 "Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- 1 2 Quaintance, Zack (2025-02-14). "Graphic Novel Review: LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY is also a great Valentine's Day comic". The Beat. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ Lee, Michelle. "Review of Lunar New Year Love Story". The Horn Book. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ Luen, Yang, Gene. "Lunar New Year Love Story". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ West, Sara Beth (2024-01-09). "Book review of Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, LeUyen Pham". BookPage | Discover your next great book!. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ eddy, d emerson (2025-08-25). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ Staff, S. L. J. "2025 Eisner Awards Announced". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Great Graphic Novels | Young Adult Library Services Association". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ locusmag (2025-10-13). "2025 Ignyte Award Winners". Locus. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
- ↑ "2024-2025 Awards Winners – APALA". Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- ↑ "Harvey Awards Reveal 2024 Nominees". www.harveyawards.com. Retrieved 2026-08-01.