“Do you what you love. If you do that, it’ll all work out.”

Do you like matcha? To celebrate the release of #ATasteForLove, @penguinteen challenged me to show off my baking skills. Alright, challenge accepted #PenguinTeenPartner. I enlisted my tiny sous-chefs and we used this recipe for Chinese sponge cake. We made one modification and added vanilla bean paste. Yum. Toddler approved! A Taste for Love by @jenyenwrites is available for preorder and released on February 2nd. Tuesday!

The Bachelorette meets (insert favorite binge worthy baking show). High-school senior Liza Yang is the troublemaker of the family. Rule breaker. Poster child for obedient Asian daughters, she is not. Liza’s mom is strict to a fault and more opinionated than a top food critic. The one thing Liza and her traditional mother agree on is baking. Cream runs in their veins. Liza’s family is owner of Houston’s popular Yin & Yang Bakery. The bakery hosts an annual junior baking competition and Liza agrees to help in order to prove to her mom that she is so much more than her rebellious ways. Day one of the bake-off and behind every station is an Asian boy. No one gets between Mrs. Yang and a potential husband for her daughter.

A delightful debut from Jennifer Yen! Readers will devour this story and be inspired to bake! The chapter titles are adorable! I laughed (arguing over which celebrity Chris is the hottest), I swooned (my eyes turned into actual hearts over James Wong), and I salivated (leek dumplings, fudge cake with strawberry filling, milk bread). Young Adult readers need to meet A Taste for Love’s MFEO, sweet-ship (lizames?)!

🧁 READ IF YOU LIKE 🧁:
-baking shows
-enemies 2 lovers
-boba🧋tea & buns (steamed buns, that is)
-laughing 😂
-Broody hero guy (🥰 James- total bae material. Think Ross Butler)

Thank you Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy! 👏🏼 off to the test kitchen! 🍪🥧🧁🍰

🎶 song: Ice Cream by Blackpink ft. Selena Gomez 🎶