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This Feast of a Life
From the author of IF YOU STILL RECOGNISE ME comes a delicious story of two people brought together by a shared love of food as they figure out themselves and each other.
Auden is finding different ways to be themself. The first - using their new chosen name, which feels most authentically them. The second - starting a food blog where they can share their passion for food, through family recipes and the stories behind them. And when the blog brings them Valerie, they discover more than they'd ever expected.
It's been over a year since Valerie lost her mum - her beautiful, vibrant mum who loved cooking. Since her mum's death, Valerie and her dad have drifted further and further apart, the kitchen left cold and empty, until Valerie finds Auden's blog. The blog (and its writer) spark something in Valerie. Could she have found a recipe for happiness?
Auden is finding different ways to be themself. The first - using their new chosen name, which feels most authentically them. The second - starting a food blog where they can share their passion for food, through family recipes and the stories behind them. And when the blog brings them Valerie, they discover more than they'd ever expected.
It's been over a year since Valerie lost her mum - her beautiful, vibrant mum who loved cooking. Since her mum's death, Valerie and her dad have drifted further and further apart, the kitchen left cold and empty, until Valerie finds Auden's blog. The blog (and its writer) spark something in Valerie. Could she have found a recipe for happiness?
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2025
11 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia So
6 books220 followersCynthia So is the author of If You Still Recognise Me, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the YA Book Prize in 2023. They were one of the new voices in Proud, an anthology of LGBTQ+ YA stories, poems, and art by LGBTQ+ creators, published in 2019. Their short fiction and poetry have also appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Anathema, among others. Cynthia was born in Hong Kong and lives in London with their wife.
Their second novel, This Feast of a Life, will be out on 9 January 2025.
Their second novel, This Feast of a Life, will be out on 9 January 2025.
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January 18, 2025Review coming soon!
January 2, 2025
If You Still Recognise Me was my favourite book of 2022, and it's one of my favourite books in general. Which set the bar really high for This Feast of a Life. But I definitely have another favourite on my hands with this one, it's SO good as well.
This story builds up slowly but steadily with two perspectives that eventually cross paths. Both characters are immediately interesting, and only become more so as the story progresses. I loved how they are both fleshed out and have their own journeys outside of the romance, almost making me feel like I was reading two books in one package.
On the one hand, we have Auden, who is on a journey of growing into their non-binary identity. On the other hand, there's Valerie, who has lost her mum a year prior and is figuring out what life looks like without her. Both storylines are very touching and I love how along the way, they help each other find their footing in life.
This was honestly the perfect book to start the year with, since at its heart is the message of how your future is wide open and you always need to keep looking for the joys in life, despite the bad things that will always happen.
This story builds up slowly but steadily with two perspectives that eventually cross paths. Both characters are immediately interesting, and only become more so as the story progresses. I loved how they are both fleshed out and have their own journeys outside of the romance, almost making me feel like I was reading two books in one package.
On the one hand, we have Auden, who is on a journey of growing into their non-binary identity. On the other hand, there's Valerie, who has lost her mum a year prior and is figuring out what life looks like without her. Both storylines are very touching and I love how along the way, they help each other find their footing in life.
This was honestly the perfect book to start the year with, since at its heart is the message of how your future is wide open and you always need to keep looking for the joys in life, despite the bad things that will always happen.
June 16, 2025
Cynthia So writes the most perfect YA contemporary books. I love how they are not predictable and how multifaceted all the characters are. My only criticism of this is that I wanted more of Audan’s lovely brother but I will manifest his own book instead 🙈🙈
I think the book could have stood to be a tiny bit longer. It juggled a really big cast of characters and there wasn’t quite room enough for closure for everyone by the end of the book. This might feel like this to me because it’s a YA book and I don’t really read or relate much to YA anymore.
That being said, I really liked the timeline of the book and thought it worked really well, especially in making the main relationship and character journeys feel super authentic. Valerie’s relationship with her dad was super emotional to read. The hints at both Audan and Valerie’s discomfort with how they experience their culture in comparison to other people from the same background was sooooo real and personally super relatable. Feeling separated from a culture you *should* be a part of can feel like the most impossible thing in the world to address, let alone bridge, and the ways the MCs experienced feeling this way was incredibly realistic in a way that I could go on about for ages!!
Pre review:
2025 = new Cynthia So book = joy
I think the book could have stood to be a tiny bit longer. It juggled a really big cast of characters and there wasn’t quite room enough for closure for everyone by the end of the book. This might feel like this to me because it’s a YA book and I don’t really read or relate much to YA anymore.
That being said, I really liked the timeline of the book and thought it worked really well, especially in making the main relationship and character journeys feel super authentic. Valerie’s relationship with her dad was super emotional to read. The hints at both Audan and Valerie’s discomfort with how they experience their culture in comparison to other people from the same background was sooooo real and personally super relatable. Feeling separated from a culture you *should* be a part of can feel like the most impossible thing in the world to address, let alone bridge, and the ways the MCs experienced feeling this way was incredibly realistic in a way that I could go on about for ages!!
Pre review:
2025 = new Cynthia So book = joy
January 19, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was very well written and easy to read, but I wish we had focused more on the coming of age aspect of the story compared to the romance. Auden and Valerie were sweet together, but they were much stronger individually. Auden is discovering who they are and figuring out their gender identity, as well as where they want to go in life, while Valerie is learning how to cope with life after the death of her mum. I think both of these experiences are incredibly important to include in YA novels, and Cynthia So did a great job at balancing both; I'm just not sure the romance was necessary on top of all that? In case, this is a beautiful story, and I'm so excited to see what's to come from Cynthia So.
This was very well written and easy to read, but I wish we had focused more on the coming of age aspect of the story compared to the romance. Auden and Valerie were sweet together, but they were much stronger individually. Auden is discovering who they are and figuring out their gender identity, as well as where they want to go in life, while Valerie is learning how to cope with life after the death of her mum. I think both of these experiences are incredibly important to include in YA novels, and Cynthia So did a great job at balancing both; I'm just not sure the romance was necessary on top of all that? In case, this is a beautiful story, and I'm so excited to see what's to come from Cynthia So.
October 18, 2024
I devoured this delicious banquet of a novel. This is the non-binary coming of age story I needed as a teenager.
January 26, 2025
If this book is called 'This Feast of a Life', then prepare yourself for this roast of a review.
Many of the reviews have been positive or at worst lukewarm and mediocre, and I appreciate that people probably don't want to give a poor review to books that are seen as representing marginalised experiences, especially if they're not from that specific intersection. However, as someone who is queer, trans and Asian it is fully within my rights to examine this book and criticise its many shortcomings. There are two major categories that my issues with the book for fall into: firstly, how it represents the queer Asian experience and secondly the writing and plot itself. And of course, at many points, these issues are tangled and intertwined.
The queer and trans experience is reduced to getting pronouns and labels correctly. It's so productive and superficial that it makes the book something that Republicans would laugh at. It reduces the complexity and vastness of the trans/queer experience to something as boring and simple as just getting pronouns correct. And it's weird how everybody just announces their pronouns or knows to ask about pronouns and use the correct ones. Like even cishet millennials don't automatically know the right thing to do in real life, but everyone in the book immediately knows to ask for pronouns?
Some examples:
- after declaring that they are not a girl and that they are non-binary, Auden's brother immediately asked them what their preferred name is
- after coming out, their asian dad is super chill because he has a colleague who recently came out as using they/them pronouns, which is super real unrealistic for an Asian dad, by the way
-near the end of the book, they encounter a queer Asian couple, and the strangers introduce themselves by saying, "my name is ... and my pronouns are ...", which is a super unrealistic and robotic way of introducing yourself, and even as a trans person I'm not going to go around giving my pronouns to strangers!
(The author works in DEI and that probably explains why the characters speak so robotically about pronouns as if they've all just come out of a diversity and inclusion training session and got their little tick marks and badges.)
At the same time, its portrayal of the queer Asian teenage experience is incredibly unrealistic and even dangerous in how idealistic it is. Everywhere the characters look, there are role models, friends or siblings who are happy, out queer and trans folk. Every time they encounter discomfort or an existential crisis or a fear of not being accepted, they're immediately beamed down with this wonderful and perfect role model who just happens to be around the corner. And that's just not realistic. And yet at time to time, the characters somehow become very worried and discomforted about being queer or trans. When reality in this book, people who are straight or cis are the minority, which is kind of funny.
- an Asian cook and celebrity Auden and Valerie look up to comes out on social media as being queer and non binary. Not even to mention the many layers of difficulty this person must already have a being an Asian celebrity in this predominantly white country, there is so much complexity to famous people coming out this isn't even touched at all and it all treated as jolly and happy, when I imagine there will definitely be some backlash.
- Valerie's best friend's older sister is a out and successful trans woman in a lesbian relationship.
- it turns out Auden's brother is gay! And his flatmate is a they/them the transfemme South Asian! They also bring Auden along with them to pride and a gay house party and connect them with another queer person their age to makeout with.
- when they are crying in Oxford between their interviews, Auden encounters a queer Asian couple who bless them with life advice, about how Oxford is not right for everyone and they should go f=ck their Asian parents and find their own happiness. It's a cute cameo for Cynthia's previous characters, but it also loses its impact because this is like the 10th time that Auden has accidentally found out someone in their life is queer and already has a lot of queer role models.
In reality, being a queer teenager is much more complex. Firstly, my life was not full of role models. I was scavenging the archives of Internet for every queer Asian short film there was and watching the most obscure shows just to get a little drop of representation. I'd go to a lecture on queer Asian diasporas and beg the lecturer to speak more with me and shine light, only to be rejected by a tired and busy lecturer. Whilst I appreciate that being queer is slightly more accessible these days, I am a member of Gen Z so it goes even to show that for someone who is my generation it was still hard. And honestly, a narrative where the characters weren't constantly handed in queer representation and answers to their lives on a silver spoon would have been much more interesting to read. And when I mention my own life, I want to be clear that I'm not expecting the book to depict exactly the same situations but rather I want to show how the book misses many possible layers of complexity and realism.
And a big part of growing up as a queer Asian teenager is the loneliness because there are so few people like you out there, especially not people who are successful or in the public eye. And yes, it was possible to meet friends who were queer and Asian but they were few and far between and it doesn't mean everything went smoothly like how this book portrays. My best friend turned out to be a trans and Asian, but I don't know if our friendship was a blessing or a curse. Sometimes when you are best friends of the only other trans Asian in the school, you find yourself unable to let go of the friendship because you don't know who else will understand you, even if it's really toxic and hurting you both. And there are gay people I didn't get along with. Gay and Asian people. Just because someone else shares an identity it doesn't mean we're going to be besties straight away as this book portrays. It's like people don't have an identity or personality outside of their gender identity and race.
Unlike Steph, my queer Asian best friend was not a beacon of maturity and perfect advice who could dish out the right labels that might suit me to describe my sexuality. Instead, they were in the throes of mental illness and often lashed out at me, denied my queerness and my other Asian friends were also dealing with stressful issues, and often ghosted me. It's not realistic for a 18 year old Korean non-binary to have it all figured out to be dishing out advice to a fellow Hong Kongnese non-binary 18 year-old, as if they don't have any issues of their own.
There is a danger in advertising this book as representation, when it is so unbelievably utopian about what it looks like to be a trans Asian teenager. It doesn't prepare you for the challenges that may come in any way shape or form, and it makes you feel entitled to care and knowledge around your queerness and Asianess that will probably be very difficult for most teenagers to access.
Okay, enough about gender and sexuality. Let me talk about the plot. The first 100 pages were so slow and slice of life that honestly I didn't really feel that I cared about the characters or that I wanted to read on. Around halfway through the book, it introduces a subplot between Auden's ex best friend Ivy and her love interest Isshan. This whole subplot is unnecessary and takes up space from other characters' development that would be much more interesting. It's resolved in such an unrealistic way, with a Auden shoving a fantasy book in Isshan's face to reconnect and Auden reveals to Ivy that they used to be in love with them, Ivy - who is straight - simply responds, "I'm so sorry" - when I imagine this would be quite a heavy and shocking revelation that needs to be given more time to process and work through.
Similarly, Auden feeling pressured to get into OxfordUniversity, and this is introduced at the very start. But then they barely talk about it for 200 pages and suddenly when the book gets to its climax, it's a big deal because Auden is crying at interviews and scared to tell the parents that they've been rejected from Oxford. And honestly, maybe Auden could have gotten in if they didn't spend most of the book prancing around flirting with Valerie and going to expensive restaurants to review the food, which I don't understand how they afford as a teenager. Also whilst Auden is arguing with their mum about why they failed to get in to Oxford, they start lashing out about gender and sexuality??? Like dude you already failed your Asian parents in one important aspect, don't bring up another thing thar might disappoint them! And also being trans isn't an excuse for not getting in lol. Their mum is confused and not the most supportive, and I wished this was explored in more detail and not just present at the very start and end. Like maybe she doesn't know any trans people, maybe she's afraid of what others will think in the Asian community, maybe she's worried about the implications of medical transition. It would have been such s good place to process this kind of complication. And Auden is lucky to have supportive siblings, a chill dad and a fellow NB Asian classmate but they rarely appreciate how lucky they are and seem a bit entitled. Like they don't understand at all why their mum is confused and thinks she should have done a 101 diversity training.
Going back to gender and sexuality now, the way these themes are explored is incredibly poor. Valerie realises her attraction to Auden and reflects on the previous female crushes she held, and comes to the realisation she is bisexual. But this is portrayed in a very superficial light as the author only focuses on talking about how Valerie wants to kiss Auden and how pretty she thinks other girls look. When she comes out as bisexual, there is no reflection about how this changes her identity on a deeper level, how this might change her future or her status within the world.
And, you've probably come to the point that I'm about to explicitly mention now: the author relies way too much on telling and does very little showing, exemplified by the obsession with pronouns and labels, but also pervasive in other ways.
By the end, the author seemed to think that they can add complexity and realism to every character by saying that their personal or romantic life is messy. That's not real character development. You need to show us how it's messy, in maximalist detail. I'm talking about characters like Natalie, who is built up as the perfect heterosexual eldest sister, who reveals she had anxiety disorder when she was at Oxford and cheated on partners. She just emphasises how messy she is and just summarises what happens. And bam, after not being mentioned for 200 pages, she appears to reassure Auden she was never the perfect sister, so they shouldn't worry! There could've been a much more nuanced way of showing that Natalie wasn't the perfect sister and showing how this was a lot of pressure on her. In this conversation, it makes me sad that Auden was so self-obsessed that they never considered their sister's mental health or her romance and just looked at her as a perfect woman and therefore villain. Especially when the sister has been really supportive after finding out about their gender identity.
Similarly, their brother Toby only exists as a foil and fellow queer. Although it's mentioned that Toby is really worried about coming out to the parents because he is the only son and therefore expected to carry on the family line, and also in a friends with benefits situation with an unrequited love interest, these threads are never really expanded on or resolved and I feel really bad for Toby. He only exists to be the gay brother who is supportive and understanding of Auden. Never mind the whole universe of problems that he seems to be dealing with in his own life.
And then I'll mention the romance. It's clear that Valerie was horny for Auden throughout the book, Auden seems to be unsure about what they wanted from Valerie and, and acted in ways that were arguably unfair to Valerie. Early on, it is clear that Valerie wants to sleep with Auden or even have a relationship. Auden struggles with their sexual attraction and realises they are demisexual. Near the end, the two spend a lot of time together, but Auden is still hesitant to do more than a few kisses or to say that they are an official couple. Behind her back, Auden has submitted an essay to a competition that is themed around love. Of course, when Valerie finds out, she is surprised and demands to see the essay. And it's confusing for her because how can this person tell her that they're not ready for a relationship whilst writing an award-winning essay on love based on their relationship? Then Valerie pushes Auden away, and this is seen as her being messy and avoidant because of trauma. But honestly, in this context, I feel like it's very understandable.
It felt like their relationship felt a bit forced and the romance/attraction wasn't well written. A lot of repetition about Valerie wanting to kiss Auden, how cute they are, etc. And I don't feel great about the conclusion about them starting to date officially and planning to move abroad when they're relationship hasn't been the healthiest.
When I saw Cynthia was publishing a new book, I wasn't originally intending to read it as I wasn't a fan of the first book. It was messy and unrealistic. But I came across this book in the library, and there weren't many other books I wanted to read. So I picked it up. My only hope was that this book would be a slight improvement on the previous one, and boy, how wrong I turned out to be. At least the first novel was more exciting to read and had heartwarming parts. As for the second, it was so unrealistic and cringe that it felt like a slap in the face to my real experience growing up as a queer Asian.
Finally, I never want to leave my readers with a bad review and nowhere else to turn. When I think about books about messy teenage relationships, my mind is suddenly remembers the manga 'a girl on the shore', which is about a friends with benefits situation between a teenage girl and boy, yet manages to be a million times more interesting and nuanced than this book will ever be. And of course there is always 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' - which for the most part doesn't use the words 'transgender' or 'gay', yet exists as one of the best explorations of gender roles and sexuality created to date. The final scene where Utena is crawling on her knees, trying to move forward with her bruised knuckles against the bare ground after being stabbed in the stomach several times, yet still reaching out to open the door to find her fiancee/roommate is a much more powerful l depiction of the struggle of just trying to /be/ in this world as a queer youth and attempting to reaffirm love in an oppressive world and make ammends in a broken relationship.
Many of the reviews have been positive or at worst lukewarm and mediocre, and I appreciate that people probably don't want to give a poor review to books that are seen as representing marginalised experiences, especially if they're not from that specific intersection. However, as someone who is queer, trans and Asian it is fully within my rights to examine this book and criticise its many shortcomings. There are two major categories that my issues with the book for fall into: firstly, how it represents the queer Asian experience and secondly the writing and plot itself. And of course, at many points, these issues are tangled and intertwined.
The queer and trans experience is reduced to getting pronouns and labels correctly. It's so productive and superficial that it makes the book something that Republicans would laugh at. It reduces the complexity and vastness of the trans/queer experience to something as boring and simple as just getting pronouns correct. And it's weird how everybody just announces their pronouns or knows to ask about pronouns and use the correct ones. Like even cishet millennials don't automatically know the right thing to do in real life, but everyone in the book immediately knows to ask for pronouns?
Some examples:
- after declaring that they are not a girl and that they are non-binary, Auden's brother immediately asked them what their preferred name is
- after coming out, their asian dad is super chill because he has a colleague who recently came out as using they/them pronouns, which is super real unrealistic for an Asian dad, by the way
-near the end of the book, they encounter a queer Asian couple, and the strangers introduce themselves by saying, "my name is ... and my pronouns are ...", which is a super unrealistic and robotic way of introducing yourself, and even as a trans person I'm not going to go around giving my pronouns to strangers!
(The author works in DEI and that probably explains why the characters speak so robotically about pronouns as if they've all just come out of a diversity and inclusion training session and got their little tick marks and badges.)
At the same time, its portrayal of the queer Asian teenage experience is incredibly unrealistic and even dangerous in how idealistic it is. Everywhere the characters look, there are role models, friends or siblings who are happy, out queer and trans folk. Every time they encounter discomfort or an existential crisis or a fear of not being accepted, they're immediately beamed down with this wonderful and perfect role model who just happens to be around the corner. And that's just not realistic. And yet at time to time, the characters somehow become very worried and discomforted about being queer or trans. When reality in this book, people who are straight or cis are the minority, which is kind of funny.
- an Asian cook and celebrity Auden and Valerie look up to comes out on social media as being queer and non binary. Not even to mention the many layers of difficulty this person must already have a being an Asian celebrity in this predominantly white country, there is so much complexity to famous people coming out this isn't even touched at all and it all treated as jolly and happy, when I imagine there will definitely be some backlash.
- Valerie's best friend's older sister is a out and successful trans woman in a lesbian relationship.
- it turns out Auden's brother is gay! And his flatmate is a they/them the transfemme South Asian! They also bring Auden along with them to pride and a gay house party and connect them with another queer person their age to makeout with.
- when they are crying in Oxford between their interviews, Auden encounters a queer Asian couple who bless them with life advice, about how Oxford is not right for everyone and they should go f=ck their Asian parents and find their own happiness. It's a cute cameo for Cynthia's previous characters, but it also loses its impact because this is like the 10th time that Auden has accidentally found out someone in their life is queer and already has a lot of queer role models.
In reality, being a queer teenager is much more complex. Firstly, my life was not full of role models. I was scavenging the archives of Internet for every queer Asian short film there was and watching the most obscure shows just to get a little drop of representation. I'd go to a lecture on queer Asian diasporas and beg the lecturer to speak more with me and shine light, only to be rejected by a tired and busy lecturer. Whilst I appreciate that being queer is slightly more accessible these days, I am a member of Gen Z so it goes even to show that for someone who is my generation it was still hard. And honestly, a narrative where the characters weren't constantly handed in queer representation and answers to their lives on a silver spoon would have been much more interesting to read. And when I mention my own life, I want to be clear that I'm not expecting the book to depict exactly the same situations but rather I want to show how the book misses many possible layers of complexity and realism.
And a big part of growing up as a queer Asian teenager is the loneliness because there are so few people like you out there, especially not people who are successful or in the public eye. And yes, it was possible to meet friends who were queer and Asian but they were few and far between and it doesn't mean everything went smoothly like how this book portrays. My best friend turned out to be a trans and Asian, but I don't know if our friendship was a blessing or a curse. Sometimes when you are best friends of the only other trans Asian in the school, you find yourself unable to let go of the friendship because you don't know who else will understand you, even if it's really toxic and hurting you both. And there are gay people I didn't get along with. Gay and Asian people. Just because someone else shares an identity it doesn't mean we're going to be besties straight away as this book portrays. It's like people don't have an identity or personality outside of their gender identity and race.
Unlike Steph, my queer Asian best friend was not a beacon of maturity and perfect advice who could dish out the right labels that might suit me to describe my sexuality. Instead, they were in the throes of mental illness and often lashed out at me, denied my queerness and my other Asian friends were also dealing with stressful issues, and often ghosted me. It's not realistic for a 18 year old Korean non-binary to have it all figured out to be dishing out advice to a fellow Hong Kongnese non-binary 18 year-old, as if they don't have any issues of their own.
There is a danger in advertising this book as representation, when it is so unbelievably utopian about what it looks like to be a trans Asian teenager. It doesn't prepare you for the challenges that may come in any way shape or form, and it makes you feel entitled to care and knowledge around your queerness and Asianess that will probably be very difficult for most teenagers to access.
Okay, enough about gender and sexuality. Let me talk about the plot. The first 100 pages were so slow and slice of life that honestly I didn't really feel that I cared about the characters or that I wanted to read on. Around halfway through the book, it introduces a subplot between Auden's ex best friend Ivy and her love interest Isshan. This whole subplot is unnecessary and takes up space from other characters' development that would be much more interesting. It's resolved in such an unrealistic way, with a Auden shoving a fantasy book in Isshan's face to reconnect and Auden reveals to Ivy that they used to be in love with them, Ivy - who is straight - simply responds, "I'm so sorry" - when I imagine this would be quite a heavy and shocking revelation that needs to be given more time to process and work through.
Similarly, Auden feeling pressured to get into OxfordUniversity, and this is introduced at the very start. But then they barely talk about it for 200 pages and suddenly when the book gets to its climax, it's a big deal because Auden is crying at interviews and scared to tell the parents that they've been rejected from Oxford. And honestly, maybe Auden could have gotten in if they didn't spend most of the book prancing around flirting with Valerie and going to expensive restaurants to review the food, which I don't understand how they afford as a teenager. Also whilst Auden is arguing with their mum about why they failed to get in to Oxford, they start lashing out about gender and sexuality??? Like dude you already failed your Asian parents in one important aspect, don't bring up another thing thar might disappoint them! And also being trans isn't an excuse for not getting in lol. Their mum is confused and not the most supportive, and I wished this was explored in more detail and not just present at the very start and end. Like maybe she doesn't know any trans people, maybe she's afraid of what others will think in the Asian community, maybe she's worried about the implications of medical transition. It would have been such s good place to process this kind of complication. And Auden is lucky to have supportive siblings, a chill dad and a fellow NB Asian classmate but they rarely appreciate how lucky they are and seem a bit entitled. Like they don't understand at all why their mum is confused and thinks she should have done a 101 diversity training.
Going back to gender and sexuality now, the way these themes are explored is incredibly poor. Valerie realises her attraction to Auden and reflects on the previous female crushes she held, and comes to the realisation she is bisexual. But this is portrayed in a very superficial light as the author only focuses on talking about how Valerie wants to kiss Auden and how pretty she thinks other girls look. When she comes out as bisexual, there is no reflection about how this changes her identity on a deeper level, how this might change her future or her status within the world.
And, you've probably come to the point that I'm about to explicitly mention now: the author relies way too much on telling and does very little showing, exemplified by the obsession with pronouns and labels, but also pervasive in other ways.
By the end, the author seemed to think that they can add complexity and realism to every character by saying that their personal or romantic life is messy. That's not real character development. You need to show us how it's messy, in maximalist detail. I'm talking about characters like Natalie, who is built up as the perfect heterosexual eldest sister, who reveals she had anxiety disorder when she was at Oxford and cheated on partners. She just emphasises how messy she is and just summarises what happens. And bam, after not being mentioned for 200 pages, she appears to reassure Auden she was never the perfect sister, so they shouldn't worry! There could've been a much more nuanced way of showing that Natalie wasn't the perfect sister and showing how this was a lot of pressure on her. In this conversation, it makes me sad that Auden was so self-obsessed that they never considered their sister's mental health or her romance and just looked at her as a perfect woman and therefore villain. Especially when the sister has been really supportive after finding out about their gender identity.
Similarly, their brother Toby only exists as a foil and fellow queer. Although it's mentioned that Toby is really worried about coming out to the parents because he is the only son and therefore expected to carry on the family line, and also in a friends with benefits situation with an unrequited love interest, these threads are never really expanded on or resolved and I feel really bad for Toby. He only exists to be the gay brother who is supportive and understanding of Auden. Never mind the whole universe of problems that he seems to be dealing with in his own life.
And then I'll mention the romance. It's clear that Valerie was horny for Auden throughout the book, Auden seems to be unsure about what they wanted from Valerie and, and acted in ways that were arguably unfair to Valerie. Early on, it is clear that Valerie wants to sleep with Auden or even have a relationship. Auden struggles with their sexual attraction and realises they are demisexual. Near the end, the two spend a lot of time together, but Auden is still hesitant to do more than a few kisses or to say that they are an official couple. Behind her back, Auden has submitted an essay to a competition that is themed around love. Of course, when Valerie finds out, she is surprised and demands to see the essay. And it's confusing for her because how can this person tell her that they're not ready for a relationship whilst writing an award-winning essay on love based on their relationship? Then Valerie pushes Auden away, and this is seen as her being messy and avoidant because of trauma. But honestly, in this context, I feel like it's very understandable.
It felt like their relationship felt a bit forced and the romance/attraction wasn't well written. A lot of repetition about Valerie wanting to kiss Auden, how cute they are, etc. And I don't feel great about the conclusion about them starting to date officially and planning to move abroad when they're relationship hasn't been the healthiest.
When I saw Cynthia was publishing a new book, I wasn't originally intending to read it as I wasn't a fan of the first book. It was messy and unrealistic. But I came across this book in the library, and there weren't many other books I wanted to read. So I picked it up. My only hope was that this book would be a slight improvement on the previous one, and boy, how wrong I turned out to be. At least the first novel was more exciting to read and had heartwarming parts. As for the second, it was so unrealistic and cringe that it felt like a slap in the face to my real experience growing up as a queer Asian.
Finally, I never want to leave my readers with a bad review and nowhere else to turn. When I think about books about messy teenage relationships, my mind is suddenly remembers the manga 'a girl on the shore', which is about a friends with benefits situation between a teenage girl and boy, yet manages to be a million times more interesting and nuanced than this book will ever be. And of course there is always 'Revolutionary Girl Utena' - which for the most part doesn't use the words 'transgender' or 'gay', yet exists as one of the best explorations of gender roles and sexuality created to date. The final scene where Utena is crawling on her knees, trying to move forward with her bruised knuckles against the bare ground after being stabbed in the stomach several times, yet still reaching out to open the door to find her fiancee/roommate is a much more powerful l depiction of the struggle of just trying to /be/ in this world as a queer youth and attempting to reaffirm love in an oppressive world and make ammends in a broken relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2025
3.75 / 5
This Feast of a Life is a warm, slice-of-life novel that gently follows two characters, Auden and Valerie, as they navigate their evolving relationships, with themselves, their families, each other, and food. The story explores themes of identity and healing: Auden is coming out as non-binary and beginning to explore their place on the asexual spectrum, while Valerie is grappling with grief and working to reconnect with her father who is grieving just as much.
The pacing is quiet and meandering, which isn't what I prefer with contemporary YA stories like this one. While I didn’t feel an urgent need to keep turning the pages, the slower tempo allows space for emotional and slow-burn growth. Watching Auden become more confident in their identity and seeing Valerie find strength through vulnerability were both touching and rewarding arcs.
One aspect I loved but that I wish were talked about more is the book’s handling of asexuality. The tension between Auden, who is realizing they don’t feel desire for sex or kissing (at the moment), and Valerie, who leans toward casual flings due to her knowing what it means to lose someone she loved, is a compelling dynamic. However, I felt this conflict was resolved too quickly and could have used more depth.
As much as I adored both characters, I found myself wondering whether their relationship could truly endure...
This Feast of a Life is a warm, slice-of-life novel that gently follows two characters, Auden and Valerie, as they navigate their evolving relationships, with themselves, their families, each other, and food. The story explores themes of identity and healing: Auden is coming out as non-binary and beginning to explore their place on the asexual spectrum, while Valerie is grappling with grief and working to reconnect with her father who is grieving just as much.
The pacing is quiet and meandering, which isn't what I prefer with contemporary YA stories like this one. While I didn’t feel an urgent need to keep turning the pages, the slower tempo allows space for emotional and slow-burn growth. Watching Auden become more confident in their identity and seeing Valerie find strength through vulnerability were both touching and rewarding arcs.
One aspect I loved but that I wish were talked about more is the book’s handling of asexuality. The tension between Auden, who is realizing they don’t feel desire for sex or kissing (at the moment), and Valerie, who leans toward casual flings due to her knowing what it means to lose someone she loved, is a compelling dynamic. However, I felt this conflict was resolved too quickly and could have used more depth.
As much as I adored both characters, I found myself wondering whether their relationship could truly endure...
February 20, 2025
Cynthia So's other book, "if you still recognise me" is one of my favourite books ever so obviously i had to try this one too when it came out. Reading it a second time i feel like its undoubtably a very ... cute book however it also just seems a bit unrealistic. i also don't love the third person present tense narrative. HOWEVER, its so so wholesome and just altogether comforting so i'd definitely read it again.
April 2, 2025
oh how i’ve missed staying up to finish a book! i loved this! such a sweet story about queer love and discovery! i’ll read anything cynthia writes
April 9, 2025
an absolutely beautiful book that i couldn't put down. it was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and i already want to start reading it again :)
April 2, 2025
I loved this book! What shone the most through this book was the love of food. The passion Auden felt for their family recipes was palpable. This book was a beautiful story of joy, discovery and it will want you to make the world a more accepting and loving place.
Thankyou to Little Tiger for the review copy.
Thankyou to Little Tiger for the review copy.
April 4, 2025
Ahhhhh!!!
My God! This was amazing!
Okay, so funny story. I didn't actually choose this book.
I went to my local Waterstones, as you do, and decided to try out the Blind Date With A Book thing they've got going on - what a great idea that is, by the way! - and this is what I found under the wrapping paper.
This was the cutest thing ever (aside from Heartstopper, obviously, but that's a whole other review). This Feast Of A Life was a great, adorable, funny read. Both the characters, Auden and Valerie, were lovable and sweet.
I especially liked how food and cookery were key to the story, and that the protagonists kind of communicated through it. It was really cool, actually.
But the big thing that turned this straight to a huge green flag for me was this: The amount of diversity present in this book was fricking incredible. The respect that the cisgender characters showed toward the nonbinary and transgender characters was amazing, and the representation was fantastic.
Auden, as a nonbinary character, constantly faced people calling them by the wrong name, or using the wrong pronouns. Their mother was grappling with the concept of not using the name Adeline, which was Auden's name before they chose their new one near the beginning of the book. Many characters were gay and bi, and many of them made huge efforts not to assume gender or pronouns, something that just fills me with joy. Also, incidentally, not all the characters were slim/skinny. Yay! Particularly in Valerie's case, she starts to wonder if her weight is the reason that Auden doesn't have romantic feelings for her. But she quickly puts the thought out of her head, and here Cynthia wrote something like She was fat, and she was hot. I liked that, because its message was basically, you don't have to be thin to be beautiful.
So, YEAH!! That was great.
As a multi-perspective book, I first found the fact that it was written in the third person quite confusing. But when I got to know the way that Cynthia wrote this book, I understood it more. Just a little note there.
Valerie's separate storyline was heartbreaking and a little sad at times. She had faced the death of her mother just a year before, and her father was pretty much uninvolved and still trapped in time. But slowly, throughout the book, Valerie and her father begin to understand each other more and learn to be comfortable with each other again.
Of course, the cover indicated a love story, and the journey that the two characters make together is wonderful and beautiful. They start out friends online, and slowly they start wanting to be around each other all the time. Auden is worried about kissing Valerie, as they've kissed people twice before and felt nothing. On the other hand, Valerie is impatient and wants Auden now. Two different things, two different people.
But they still manage to make it work! Go, fiction!!
Also, just a little note - yeah, this is a spoiler - THE SCENE WHERE VALERIE'S DAD WALKS IN ON THEM KISSING!! HAHAHAHA!!! Oh my God, that was hilarious!!
Anyway, I should go. I hope you enjoyed my (long and slightly rambling) review!
See you in the next one. X
My God! This was amazing!
Okay, so funny story. I didn't actually choose this book.
I went to my local Waterstones, as you do, and decided to try out the Blind Date With A Book thing they've got going on - what a great idea that is, by the way! - and this is what I found under the wrapping paper.
This was the cutest thing ever (aside from Heartstopper, obviously, but that's a whole other review). This Feast Of A Life was a great, adorable, funny read. Both the characters, Auden and Valerie, were lovable and sweet.
I especially liked how food and cookery were key to the story, and that the protagonists kind of communicated through it. It was really cool, actually.
But the big thing that turned this straight to a huge green flag for me was this: The amount of diversity present in this book was fricking incredible. The respect that the cisgender characters showed toward the nonbinary and transgender characters was amazing, and the representation was fantastic.
Auden, as a nonbinary character, constantly faced people calling them by the wrong name, or using the wrong pronouns. Their mother was grappling with the concept of not using the name Adeline, which was Auden's name before they chose their new one near the beginning of the book. Many characters were gay and bi, and many of them made huge efforts not to assume gender or pronouns, something that just fills me with joy. Also, incidentally, not all the characters were slim/skinny. Yay! Particularly in Valerie's case, she starts to wonder if her weight is the reason that Auden doesn't have romantic feelings for her. But she quickly puts the thought out of her head, and here Cynthia wrote something like She was fat, and she was hot. I liked that, because its message was basically, you don't have to be thin to be beautiful.
So, YEAH!! That was great.
As a multi-perspective book, I first found the fact that it was written in the third person quite confusing. But when I got to know the way that Cynthia wrote this book, I understood it more. Just a little note there.
Valerie's separate storyline was heartbreaking and a little sad at times. She had faced the death of her mother just a year before, and her father was pretty much uninvolved and still trapped in time. But slowly, throughout the book, Valerie and her father begin to understand each other more and learn to be comfortable with each other again.
Of course, the cover indicated a love story, and the journey that the two characters make together is wonderful and beautiful. They start out friends online, and slowly they start wanting to be around each other all the time. Auden is worried about kissing Valerie, as they've kissed people twice before and felt nothing. On the other hand, Valerie is impatient and wants Auden now. Two different things, two different people.
But they still manage to make it work! Go, fiction!!
Also, just a little note - yeah, this is a spoiler - THE SCENE WHERE VALERIE'S DAD WALKS IN ON THEM KISSING!! HAHAHAHA!!! Oh my God, that was hilarious!!
Anyway, I should go. I hope you enjoyed my (long and slightly rambling) review!
See you in the next one. X
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2025
I was sent a copy of this book for review.
Auden is non binary and is coming to terms with their identity, exploring their new name and how to express themselves. They worry how their loving but opinionated family will react to their evolving gender identity and expression.
Valerie is grappling with her sexual identity. She feels strongly that she is not only attracted to men but after meeting Auden she knows it’s not limited to binary genders either. She’s dealing with the death of her mother and her strained relationship with her father. In an effort to protect herself from future heartbreak, she distances herself from the possibility of love.
Auden begins to learn to cook their family’s recipes, they create an online food blog, sharing intimate moments from their personal journey. This draws Valerie’s attention, and they connect through the comments section. The story explores deep emotional themes as both Auden and Valerie confront their personal issues while gradually developing a romantic connection. When their relationship doesn’t unfold as they had hoped, they continue to nurture their friendship, bonding over restaurant reviews and their shared passion for interesting and delicious food.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This book explores the lives of two young people and illustrates how the pressure to meet others’ expectations can hinder personal growth and happiness. It emphasizes the importance of finding someone who allows you to “just be,” significantly shifting your worldview. Valerie and Auden navigate issues like grief, sexuality, gender identity, and loneliness, resonating with anyone who has faced similar struggles. As someone who has lost a parent and dealt with a sexuality crisis the story deeply affected me. A moment that stood out was Valerie mentioning her shift to “practising not assuming strangers’ genders”. It was such a simple yet profoundly important shift in thinking, and if more people could embrace it, the world would undoubtedly be a more compassionate place.
Overall, this story kept me glued to its pages, eager to see how it would end. I highly recommend it.
Auden is non binary and is coming to terms with their identity, exploring their new name and how to express themselves. They worry how their loving but opinionated family will react to their evolving gender identity and expression.
Valerie is grappling with her sexual identity. She feels strongly that she is not only attracted to men but after meeting Auden she knows it’s not limited to binary genders either. She’s dealing with the death of her mother and her strained relationship with her father. In an effort to protect herself from future heartbreak, she distances herself from the possibility of love.
Auden begins to learn to cook their family’s recipes, they create an online food blog, sharing intimate moments from their personal journey. This draws Valerie’s attention, and they connect through the comments section. The story explores deep emotional themes as both Auden and Valerie confront their personal issues while gradually developing a romantic connection. When their relationship doesn’t unfold as they had hoped, they continue to nurture their friendship, bonding over restaurant reviews and their shared passion for interesting and delicious food.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This book explores the lives of two young people and illustrates how the pressure to meet others’ expectations can hinder personal growth and happiness. It emphasizes the importance of finding someone who allows you to “just be,” significantly shifting your worldview. Valerie and Auden navigate issues like grief, sexuality, gender identity, and loneliness, resonating with anyone who has faced similar struggles. As someone who has lost a parent and dealt with a sexuality crisis the story deeply affected me. A moment that stood out was Valerie mentioning her shift to “practising not assuming strangers’ genders”. It was such a simple yet profoundly important shift in thinking, and if more people could embrace it, the world would undoubtedly be a more compassionate place.
Overall, this story kept me glued to its pages, eager to see how it would end. I highly recommend it.
November 28, 2024
First of all, thank you so much to NetGalley - this was, despite its rating, a wonderful read. If I was rating this book based purely on its writing, it would be an easy five star read. I adored the description, the feeling each scene gave me, the unique, lifelike quality to every page... but I didn't like the plot, its lack of direction and genre. It felt... lazy? Maybe a little entitled? Like the author wanted the characters and writing to speak for itself, which they just... didn't.
To put this in simple terms, I wasn't compelled to read on. I'm not sure what it was that was meant to be driving the plot. Characters seemed to drift in and out, developed at random, nonsensical points, and until the thirty percent mark, I couldn't tell if it was going to be a coming-of-age book (which I think it should have been), or a romance. Auden's character was the strongest until, at about halfway, Valerie took centre-stage, and it felt like Auden's character only existed to supplement Valerie's.
I feel like maybe the author had too much creative control with this book, after the success of their first. It was beautifully written, but made simple mistakes I felt like some very sparse developmental editing could fix. Ivy's character? Irrelevant, until all of a sudden vital. Auden's mum? Her understandable confusion and hesitance to Auden's new identity was never really explored. Auden's view on grades, on university, on... life? It felt like they had no idea what on earth they wanted to do with their life, until they met Valerie, and then Valerie became their purpose.
I wasn't overly convinced by the ending, or by their chemistry. I would have probably loved this so much more if it was a story of platonic love.
The last thing I want to touch on has become a bit of a pet peeve in books, especially ones marketed as diverse or LGBTQ+. Sometimes, it feels like characters become... very little more than their identity. I felt that with Auden. Their brain was only really explored in the sense of their non-binary identity, with subsequent questions about their passions, interests, future goals and ideals kind of... brushed over. Valerie felt so fleshed-out compared to Auden, which was a real shame. My image of Auden is still sort of hazy, while Valerie feels so bright and colourful.
I'll definitely be reading Cynthia So's first novel, but this one didn't quite work for me.
To put this in simple terms, I wasn't compelled to read on. I'm not sure what it was that was meant to be driving the plot. Characters seemed to drift in and out, developed at random, nonsensical points, and until the thirty percent mark, I couldn't tell if it was going to be a coming-of-age book (which I think it should have been), or a romance. Auden's character was the strongest until, at about halfway, Valerie took centre-stage, and it felt like Auden's character only existed to supplement Valerie's.
I feel like maybe the author had too much creative control with this book, after the success of their first. It was beautifully written, but made simple mistakes I felt like some very sparse developmental editing could fix. Ivy's character? Irrelevant, until all of a sudden vital. Auden's mum? Her understandable confusion and hesitance to Auden's new identity was never really explored. Auden's view on grades, on university, on... life? It felt like they had no idea what on earth they wanted to do with their life, until they met Valerie, and then Valerie became their purpose.
I wasn't overly convinced by the ending, or by their chemistry. I would have probably loved this so much more if it was a story of platonic love.
The last thing I want to touch on has become a bit of a pet peeve in books, especially ones marketed as diverse or LGBTQ+. Sometimes, it feels like characters become... very little more than their identity. I felt that with Auden. Their brain was only really explored in the sense of their non-binary identity, with subsequent questions about their passions, interests, future goals and ideals kind of... brushed over. Valerie felt so fleshed-out compared to Auden, which was a real shame. My image of Auden is still sort of hazy, while Valerie feels so bright and colourful.
I'll definitely be reading Cynthia So's first novel, but this one didn't quite work for me.
January 1, 2025
I really enjoyed Cynthia So’s previous book, If You Still Recognise Me, so I was excited to read their second novel! It took me a little while to settle into the rhythm of the story, but once I did I was in for an absolute treat.
The story follows two teenagers, Auden and Valerie, who meet online through Auden’s food blog. Each of them is on their own journey: Auden is coming to terms with their non-binary identity, and is navigating academic pressure from their family. Valerie is recovering from the sudden death of her mother. Both of them are exploring their queerness, and over the course of the book they realise what the other one really means to them.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
I found Auden’s story particularly moving – not just their journey with their gender, but also working out where they fit on the asexual spectrum. Their whole arc was written so beautifully and tenderly. I really felt myself go through all those emotions with them, and I couldn’t put the book down because I was so swept up in it.
Valerie and Auden’s relationship unfolded in such a natural, organic way. It felt very true to life, the way things were a little bit messy and the mistakes they made with each other. That made it feel all the more tangible though, and meant the pay-off when they did get together was all the greater.
This is another beautifully written book by Cynthia So, that tugs at the heartstrings but is an ultimately uplifting and heart-warming story.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
The story follows two teenagers, Auden and Valerie, who meet online through Auden’s food blog. Each of them is on their own journey: Auden is coming to terms with their non-binary identity, and is navigating academic pressure from their family. Valerie is recovering from the sudden death of her mother. Both of them are exploring their queerness, and over the course of the book they realise what the other one really means to them.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
I found Auden’s story particularly moving – not just their journey with their gender, but also working out where they fit on the asexual spectrum. Their whole arc was written so beautifully and tenderly. I really felt myself go through all those emotions with them, and I couldn’t put the book down because I was so swept up in it.
Valerie and Auden’s relationship unfolded in such a natural, organic way. It felt very true to life, the way things were a little bit messy and the mistakes they made with each other. That made it feel all the more tangible though, and meant the pay-off when they did get together was all the greater.
This is another beautifully written book by Cynthia So, that tugs at the heartstrings but is an ultimately uplifting and heart-warming story.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
January 1, 2025
I don't usually read many YA books, but I'm glad I read this one!
This Feast of a Life centres around two characters: Auden and Valerie. Auden is figuring out who they are in terms of their gender, and the first very important step they make is to pick a new name, Auden. The chapters from their point of view are so interesting as they are figuring out who they are as a person with us readers. Parallel to their journey, we meet Valerie, who has lost her mother recently and is trying to discover what a life with only her father looks like, after gaining some weight and rediscovering herself in this new body, which she takes comfort in for being similar to how her mother's body had been like. At the centre of this book is food, which is what connects both of these characters at first because Auden starts a page on social media talking about their experience learning to cook with their mother, discussing food and their personal life.
I found the discussion about identity, gender and sexuality really interesting in this book, and I believe it is especially crucial for it to be brought forth in a YA book, given that it's usually during our adolescence that we start to understand and/or want to figure out who we are as people and how we fit into the world. Sometimes the direction the book was going on was a bit confusing, but it seemed to match Auden's own confusion about how they fit into the world.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Little Tiger Group for the e-ARC!
This Feast of a Life centres around two characters: Auden and Valerie. Auden is figuring out who they are in terms of their gender, and the first very important step they make is to pick a new name, Auden. The chapters from their point of view are so interesting as they are figuring out who they are as a person with us readers. Parallel to their journey, we meet Valerie, who has lost her mother recently and is trying to discover what a life with only her father looks like, after gaining some weight and rediscovering herself in this new body, which she takes comfort in for being similar to how her mother's body had been like. At the centre of this book is food, which is what connects both of these characters at first because Auden starts a page on social media talking about their experience learning to cook with their mother, discussing food and their personal life.
I found the discussion about identity, gender and sexuality really interesting in this book, and I believe it is especially crucial for it to be brought forth in a YA book, given that it's usually during our adolescence that we start to understand and/or want to figure out who we are as people and how we fit into the world. Sometimes the direction the book was going on was a bit confusing, but it seemed to match Auden's own confusion about how they fit into the world.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Little Tiger Group for the e-ARC!
January 25, 2025
THIS FEAST OF A LIFE is a book about figuring things out from yourself to love and relationships to whether you want to go to university to grief.
I loved that it touched on so many things, all the things that - for some reason - society thinks you should know by the age of eighteen but probably don't. These characters have made progress over the course of the book but they've got a long way to go still, which feels so much more relatable than everything somehow worked out.
I loved the range of representation in this book. I loved that Auden is demi sexual, and all the panicking "ugh. What is kissing? Do I want it?" thoughts. I'm so glad we're slowly seeing more acespec representation in books, particularly in contrast to Valerie's very allo nature and desire to kiss everyone immediately.
Auden also felt autistic to me, which was nice. The intense interest in food which made them light up, the reaction to events and people and eye contact. Again, we need more autistic representation in books!
I also really liked that this book took place over a year and a bit. These two don't fall in love immediately (which makes sense as Auden is demi.) I am not a fan of insta love and longer, more protected relationships full of "are we? Do I want to?" spirals feel so much more relatable and realistic to me.
I loved that it touched on so many things, all the things that - for some reason - society thinks you should know by the age of eighteen but probably don't. These characters have made progress over the course of the book but they've got a long way to go still, which feels so much more relatable than everything somehow worked out.
I loved the range of representation in this book. I loved that Auden is demi sexual, and all the panicking "ugh. What is kissing? Do I want it?" thoughts. I'm so glad we're slowly seeing more acespec representation in books, particularly in contrast to Valerie's very allo nature and desire to kiss everyone immediately.
Auden also felt autistic to me, which was nice. The intense interest in food which made them light up, the reaction to events and people and eye contact. Again, we need more autistic representation in books!
I also really liked that this book took place over a year and a bit. These two don't fall in love immediately (which makes sense as Auden is demi.) I am not a fan of insta love and longer, more protected relationships full of "are we? Do I want to?" spirals feel so much more relatable and realistic to me.
December 30, 2025
Thanks to Little Tiger Books for my advanced reader copy!
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
This Feast of A Life was the warmest way to round off a December of great books. I’ve had an ARC on my shelves for more than a year and now I can’t believe this gem was hiding there all along! Auden is on a journey to be their best self: first, using their new chosen name, second, starting a food blog. Valerie is dealing with the loss of a parent, navigating life without her mum is strange and cold – especially in the kitchen.
This novel is gorgeously intricate and intimate, and it was a beautiful coming-of-age story to finish the year with. Filled with self-love and self-discovery, I loved the light touch that So adds to the feelings of teenage confusion and angst. We have all been a confused teenager consumed with mixed emotions. Through both Auden and Valerie, we experience a whole spectrum of queer love and ace representation, something that is hugely underrepresented in YA. What’s more, the food in this book adds a new dimension! Perhaps it’s that the author, the characters and I all have a deep connection to Hong Kong and its palette of flavours, but I felt totally immersed in all facets of this book. You can practically feel the characters blossom and bloom from the pages.
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
This Feast of A Life was the warmest way to round off a December of great books. I’ve had an ARC on my shelves for more than a year and now I can’t believe this gem was hiding there all along! Auden is on a journey to be their best self: first, using their new chosen name, second, starting a food blog. Valerie is dealing with the loss of a parent, navigating life without her mum is strange and cold – especially in the kitchen.
This novel is gorgeously intricate and intimate, and it was a beautiful coming-of-age story to finish the year with. Filled with self-love and self-discovery, I loved the light touch that So adds to the feelings of teenage confusion and angst. We have all been a confused teenager consumed with mixed emotions. Through both Auden and Valerie, we experience a whole spectrum of queer love and ace representation, something that is hugely underrepresented in YA. What’s more, the food in this book adds a new dimension! Perhaps it’s that the author, the characters and I all have a deep connection to Hong Kong and its palette of flavours, but I felt totally immersed in all facets of this book. You can practically feel the characters blossom and bloom from the pages.
January 10, 2025
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I loved Cynthia So's previous novel, so I was very excited to read their newest one. This Feast of a Life is a sweet and reflective coming-of-age novel and queer romance. It focuses on young Auden's journey exploring their gender identity and Valerie's grief for the loss of her mother, alongside their budding romance and everyday life as students in their last year of high school. The two meet via Auden's food blog, leading to the start of a beautiful friendship... and perhaps something more?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, which is beautifully written and keeps the reader interested throughout. Auden's story is compelling, touching and incredibly vibrant - you can feel their turbolent emotions, their doubts and their frustration through the author's words, and I loved that! Valerie's side of the story feels less tangible, but is still powerful. The way they brighten each other's lives by simply being there is beautiful to read, and I couldn't help rooting for them both to be happy, whatever outcome their very romance might have.
At times, the novel felt a bit too slow paced, but I also wish certain situations were explored a little more, so it's a two sided situation! This said, it didn't take away from my enjoyment and I read all of it within a day.
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys queer reads, with self-discovery at the forefront and romance on the side. I look forward to more book by this author!
I loved Cynthia So's previous novel, so I was very excited to read their newest one. This Feast of a Life is a sweet and reflective coming-of-age novel and queer romance. It focuses on young Auden's journey exploring their gender identity and Valerie's grief for the loss of her mother, alongside their budding romance and everyday life as students in their last year of high school. The two meet via Auden's food blog, leading to the start of a beautiful friendship... and perhaps something more?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, which is beautifully written and keeps the reader interested throughout. Auden's story is compelling, touching and incredibly vibrant - you can feel their turbolent emotions, their doubts and their frustration through the author's words, and I loved that! Valerie's side of the story feels less tangible, but is still powerful. The way they brighten each other's lives by simply being there is beautiful to read, and I couldn't help rooting for them both to be happy, whatever outcome their very romance might have.
At times, the novel felt a bit too slow paced, but I also wish certain situations were explored a little more, so it's a two sided situation! This said, it didn't take away from my enjoyment and I read all of it within a day.
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys queer reads, with self-discovery at the forefront and romance on the side. I look forward to more book by this author!
January 12, 2025
Two books into the year and I've already got my first 5⭐️ I honestly didn't expect to love this one as much as I did and I'm so glad I read it.
I will always adore books involving food, especially when it isn't boring English food. There were so many references to delicious Asian food in this and honestly it made me SO hungry (I'm really glad I read this at an all-inclusive resort in Lanzarote and could therefore eat all I wanted 😂)
But I also adored all the queerness in This Feast Of A Life. The inclusion of demisexuality, which is how I feel about men, and the sapphic inclusion (how I identify) meant that I felt so seen by this book. But there were also bisexual people and non-binary, and it was just fantastic. There were introductions with pronouns, people questioning their sexuality and gender, and everything that is needed in books today. Just wow; what a special, impactful and warm book.
I will always adore books involving food, especially when it isn't boring English food. There were so many references to delicious Asian food in this and honestly it made me SO hungry (I'm really glad I read this at an all-inclusive resort in Lanzarote and could therefore eat all I wanted 😂)
But I also adored all the queerness in This Feast Of A Life. The inclusion of demisexuality, which is how I feel about men, and the sapphic inclusion (how I identify) meant that I felt so seen by this book. But there were also bisexual people and non-binary, and it was just fantastic. There were introductions with pronouns, people questioning their sexuality and gender, and everything that is needed in books today. Just wow; what a special, impactful and warm book.
January 5, 2025
This Feast of a Life is full of life. For any foodies, this sapphic romance mentions amazing food in almost every chapter, it's a culinary delight.
I loved the exploration of Auden's gender, starting with the choosing of their name, and how they handled both support and lack of support from their family. Having them discover that their idol Rina was also non-binary and sapphic was a great choice by the author, as seeing yourself represented in the world can be really affirming.
Valerie's story is one of recovery following the loss of her mother, but it's not one that's so fresh that you'd struggle with the pain of it all. But this experience shapes how she sees love.
It's a great book for aspec people, as Auden questions whether they're asexual and Valerie's path seems very aro (though this isn't explicitly brought up).
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
I loved the exploration of Auden's gender, starting with the choosing of their name, and how they handled both support and lack of support from their family. Having them discover that their idol Rina was also non-binary and sapphic was a great choice by the author, as seeing yourself represented in the world can be really affirming.
Valerie's story is one of recovery following the loss of her mother, but it's not one that's so fresh that you'd struggle with the pain of it all. But this experience shapes how she sees love.
It's a great book for aspec people, as Auden questions whether they're asexual and Valerie's path seems very aro (though this isn't explicitly brought up).
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
February 3, 2025
This Feast of a Life by Cynthia So is an engaging read that explores love, identity, and connection in a refreshingly modern way. The story follows Auden, who learns to cook with their mom while navigating university applications and self-discovery. Auden's food blog catches the attention of Valerie, leading to a blossoming friendship and heartfelt romance.
I loved how the online connection between Auden and Valerie felt authentic and current, with text message exchanges adding a relatable touch. The pacing was perfect, allowing the characters to grow naturally, and making the romance feel genuine. Cynthia So's writing is beautifully emotive, making the story deeply relatable and touching.
Overall, This Feast of a Life is a well-paced, emotionally resonant read with compelling characters. Highly recommended!
Thanks to Little Tiger for sending me an early copy.
I loved how the online connection between Auden and Valerie felt authentic and current, with text message exchanges adding a relatable touch. The pacing was perfect, allowing the characters to grow naturally, and making the romance feel genuine. Cynthia So's writing is beautifully emotive, making the story deeply relatable and touching.
Overall, This Feast of a Life is a well-paced, emotionally resonant read with compelling characters. Highly recommended!
Thanks to Little Tiger for sending me an early copy.
November 22, 2024
Before I begin my review, I would like to thank Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Despite my rating there were aspects of the book that I had enjoyed, specifically the depictions of grief with the character Valerie who seemed more developed as a character compared to Auden. Something else that I did enjoy was the familial dynamics between Auden and their siblings.
I personally thought that Auden wasn't as fleshed out as they could've been considering it was meant to be representing LGBTQ themes, it felt that Auden's character was only centred around their label and not around any other things that could flesh them out further.
This book wasn't personally a favourite of mine but I hope that it can find others who love it!
I personally thought that Auden wasn't as fleshed out as they could've been considering it was meant to be representing LGBTQ themes, it felt that Auden's character was only centred around their label and not around any other things that could flesh them out further.
This book wasn't personally a favourite of mine but I hope that it can find others who love it!
November 23, 2024
flourishing with delicious flavours and heartfelt feeling. the writing was so detailed and descriptive, I felt hungry as I was reading and the settings were so fleshed out. I loved seeing my babies Joan and Elsie. The story was simple, there were no big gestures or unrealistic experiences, but that’s what made it real - relatable. I saw parts of myself in both auden and valerie, who were both going through growth, two journeys so different yet they needed eachother. I like how the themes of fandom were bought over from if you still recognise me. the plot was fluid and quiet, the book focused on emotion rather than action. please read this when it comes out!
December 16, 2024
*4.5 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cynthia So's sophomore book was such a good time. I really enjoyed all the food references. It made me soooooooooooo hungry. This was my favorite part honestly.
I also loved both the main character and their journeys with their family. I also found Auden's gender journey and aspec journey quite captivating and emotional.
Basically, this book was quite the little gem, especially for food lovers! But I can't lie, it fell shy, in my opinion, to the author's debut novel which I adored. But this was still extremely good and I cannot wait to read more Cynthia So books.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cynthia So's sophomore book was such a good time. I really enjoyed all the food references. It made me soooooooooooo hungry. This was my favorite part honestly.
I also loved both the main character and their journeys with their family. I also found Auden's gender journey and aspec journey quite captivating and emotional.
Basically, this book was quite the little gem, especially for food lovers! But I can't lie, it fell shy, in my opinion, to the author's debut novel which I adored. But this was still extremely good and I cannot wait to read more Cynthia So books.
May 19, 2025
This was a wonderful book that woven grief, family, relationships, and identity beautifully together. Auden's journey of identifying as nonbinary and figuring out their sexuality and romantic feelings was written so well that I could easily understand their thinking. Valerie's journey of grief was overwhelmingly truthful as she struggled with building and continuing relationships. Their tale was so sweet and I loved the diverse representation of the book details along with the focus on minor characters like Steph and Toby. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for clarity in any of the issues discussed earlier.
January 12, 2025
This was such a beautiful story about finding yourself and finding someone else to do it with!
Auden’s journey of finding what works for them after coming out as non-binary and Valerie’s journey through grief after her mom’s death, worked through with a love of food! And all the food sounded incredible ✨
Another thing I loved was the sub plot of Auden discovering the terminology and understanding being demisexual was just perfectly described and explained, it was such a lovely journey to watch unfold throughout the book
Auden’s journey of finding what works for them after coming out as non-binary and Valerie’s journey through grief after her mom’s death, worked through with a love of food! And all the food sounded incredible ✨
Another thing I loved was the sub plot of Auden discovering the terminology and understanding being demisexual was just perfectly described and explained, it was such a lovely journey to watch unfold throughout the book
May 13, 2025
3.5 stars
My second Cynthia So book! I really enjoyed reading this one, the descriptions of food and the connection the characters had to it spoke to my food-obsessed soul. The characters were fleshed out and deeply human. What bumped this down to 3 instead of rounding up to 4 was the numerous misunderstanding(?) adjacent tropes in the relationship- while I do understand why they happened, given the characters past experiences, it got a little frustrating to read. Nevertheless, this was extremely cozy and comforting, a warm dumpling in the rainy weather sort of book.
My second Cynthia So book! I really enjoyed reading this one, the descriptions of food and the connection the characters had to it spoke to my food-obsessed soul. The characters were fleshed out and deeply human. What bumped this down to 3 instead of rounding up to 4 was the numerous misunderstanding(?) adjacent tropes in the relationship- while I do understand why they happened, given the characters past experiences, it got a little frustrating to read. Nevertheless, this was extremely cozy and comforting, a warm dumpling in the rainy weather sort of book.
January 8, 2025
I expected this to be full of food, considering the title and cover. I adore books about food and competitions. However it was 10% food and the rest was more about the main characters working out who they were.
Not that there is anything wrong with that. It was interesting to read about non binary and discovering sexuality, but not quite what I thought the book was about.
Great writing and an interesting plot but not one I would read again
Not that there is anything wrong with that. It was interesting to read about non binary and discovering sexuality, but not quite what I thought the book was about.
Great writing and an interesting plot but not one I would read again
March 5, 2025
sometimes you just need a cute, wholesome, and easy to read story of queer joy and that’s exactly what this is!
holden’s writing is beautiful, i loved the characters, and this was just such a comforting book. definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel good YA romcom!
[gifted ARC, but all opinions are my own!]
holden’s writing is beautiful, i loved the characters, and this was just such a comforting book. definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel good YA romcom!
[gifted ARC, but all opinions are my own!]
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