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Buddha Baby: A Funny Romantic Comedy About Love, Family, and Chinese-American Identity in San Francisco's Chinatown
Want to learn a thing or two about a young Chinese-Americanwoman with a penchant for Hello Kitty toys, who could be found squeezing into jeans at Old Navy while being asked for detailed explanations of Yo-Yo Ma's success? Then get ready WHO
Lindsey Owyang, raised on Spaghetti-O'sand Aaron Spelling productions WHAT
Her Secret Asian Man finally proposes! WHERE
Springtime in San Francisco and it's raining stone cold foxes HOW
Lindsey wants to make her peace with Chinatown & country,but will a crotchety Chinese grandmother stand in her way? WHY
Because she never expected her hottie crush fromsixth grade to show up now ... As Lindsey continues her quest for identity, family secrets, and true love, will she find double happiness, or will she be tempted by one last lion dance with a stranger? Ultimately, Lindsey realizes that Chinese girls really wanna have chow fun.
Lindsey Owyang, raised on Spaghetti-O'sand Aaron Spelling productions WHAT
Her Secret Asian Man finally proposes! WHERE
Springtime in San Francisco and it's raining stone cold foxes HOW
Lindsey wants to make her peace with Chinatown & country,but will a crotchety Chinese grandmother stand in her way? WHY
Because she never expected her hottie crush fromsixth grade to show up now ... As Lindsey continues her quest for identity, family secrets, and true love, will she find double happiness, or will she be tempted by one last lion dance with a stranger? Ultimately, Lindsey realizes that Chinese girls really wanna have chow fun.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2005
6 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 4, 2026
Buddha Baby is a witty, energetic, and heartfelt romantic comedy that blends humor with thoughtful exploration of identity, family expectations, and modern love. Kim Wong Keltner brings Lindsey Owyang to life with a sharp, self-aware voice that feels both contemporary and refreshingly honest. Set against the vibrant backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, the novel captures the push and pull between cultural heritage and personal freedom with warmth and charm.
What makes Buddha Baby especially engaging is its balance of laugh out loud moments and deeper emotional insight. The story’s playful tone full of pop culture references, romantic tension, and cultural nuance never overshadows its core themes of belonging and self-discovery. Lindsey’s journey toward love and “double happiness” is relatable, funny, and sincere, making the novel an entertaining and meaningful read for fans of romantic fiction and multicultural storytelling.
What makes Buddha Baby especially engaging is its balance of laugh out loud moments and deeper emotional insight. The story’s playful tone full of pop culture references, romantic tension, and cultural nuance never overshadows its core themes of belonging and self-discovery. Lindsey’s journey toward love and “double happiness” is relatable, funny, and sincere, making the novel an entertaining and meaningful read for fans of romantic fiction and multicultural storytelling.
January 12, 2019
Two years has passed since we last read about Lindsey Owyang in The Dim Sum of All Things. Lindsey continues to offer glimpses into the past and the presents the relationship in Chinese families from the viewpoint of a Chinese-American woman.
Lindsey mentions that she is perceived viewed as being a "bamboo", being hollow inside. This interpretation may be based on the author's background. I've been told that the reference to being a "bamboo" was for a person who is white on the inside and yellow on the outside, which makes more sense.
The references to TV shows and movies from the late 90's and early 2000's are a little heavy handed and winds up making the novel feel outdated. Overall Buddha Baby is still an amusing, easy to read book, but not as good as The Dim Sum of All Things.
Lindsey mentions that she is perceived viewed as being a "bamboo", being hollow inside. This interpretation may be based on the author's background. I've been told that the reference to being a "bamboo" was for a person who is white on the inside and yellow on the outside, which makes more sense.
The references to TV shows and movies from the late 90's and early 2000's are a little heavy handed and winds up making the novel feel outdated. Overall Buddha Baby is still an amusing, easy to read book, but not as good as The Dim Sum of All Things.
January 15, 2018
Felt a little gimmicky - like the author took a bunch of conveniently quirky stories that *could* plausibly have happened to someone and mashed them all together into one character's storyline. Also, why was there so much mention of hot, sticky weather in San Francisco, of all places? I can count on one hand the number of times I've been uncomfortably hot there. I almost didn't believe the author actually lives/lived there.
October 10, 2024
I can’t barely get pass one chapter of a book and this is the second book I had to put down. Mainly because every time the author would put a similarly to this person and that person, I just read a different book that isn’t partaken like this and that book is well written then this. I do enjoy a few things about the first chapter but when will the author stop writing these similarities.. I have no idea with any of these people would be..
February 17, 2022
This book read like I was watching a rom-com movie on Lifetime. Many Asian stereotypes, also too many similes, trying too hard, as if someone told the author that the best writers pack their novels with similes. It became annoying. This was not my type of novel, but I suppose others might find it a fun, light read.
March 18, 2012
My thoughts: The name "Kim Wong Keltner" is not unfamiliar to me. I tried reading her only YA novel, I want Candy, and failed revoltingly because, quite frankly, the details were so sexually explicit that it made me want to vomit. But then I read her very first book, The Dim Sum of All Things, and ended up enjoying it a great deal. Kim's style was so hilarious that I wanted to give the next book--a follow up re-starring her lovable main character, Lindsey Owyang--a must read.
Buddha Baby, like the first book, instantly starts off funny, witty, and smart. I loved the way Lindsey depicted her family, especially her grub-stealing aunt. The author had described a caper similar to How the Grinch stole Christmas, where Lindsey asked her aunt where she was going with their dinner like "Cindy Liu-Hu." Clever and funny!
As pointed out in the first book, Lindsey still doesn't want to be perceived as the silent, no-opinion, money-making Chinese girl like her cousin. In fact, she still makes every attempt to hide her "Chinese-ness." And I totally get the idea of wanting to pursue artistic endeavors and not get stuck in a corporate prison. I guess that's why Lindsey was working two part-time jobs. In fact, she had stated that her career choices were a direct contradiction to her Asian-ness as she was supposed to be banking a great salary and have all this money saved up. But I agree: why can't you enjoy the money now before you get too old and enfeebled to do anything with it?
While reading her story, I often wondered why Lindsey would want to know about her parents and grandparents all of a sudden. To learn more about herself or her Chinese-ness possibly?
Lindsey's boyfriend, Michael--the "you-look-good-without-any-make-up-on" guy--is the kind of guy we girls only dream of. But things go into a rocky turmoil when Lindsey reconnects with an old school crush named Dustin, who seemed to have really connected with Lindsey on all levels, especially with regards to their Asian-ness. They seemed to feel the exact same way, like they were the same person practically--a rare connection nowadays. Most of the time, Dustin was a smoldering hottie; but, other times, he was just plain cocky. And why was he trying to get Lindsey to sleep with him even though he knew she had a boyfriend? I actually wondered if Lindsey would succumb to the tempation of Dustin. Will she give in to her secret desires? Will she ruin all that she had with Michael? I had to keep on reading to find out.
At times, I felt that the author embellished too much on the past and not enough on the present. Most of the scenes from her Catholic school days were sort've dull and, in my opinion, served no real purpose in the story. There was also a constant back-and-forth transition between past and present. I usually don't mind visiting the past every so often, but not in every other chapter!
I liked that that author had an eye and ear for details. You can tell that she has a deep fondness for the city of San Francisco; however, I felt that some of the details were kind of long-winded. Details can be great, especially when they are well-crafted, but, like with anything else in life, too much of anything is never a good thing; and I think that the writer could've cut back a little (a lot, actually.)
I also felt that the story dealt with too much religion. This may come from my own personal taste since I am not a religious person in any kind of sense. But still, is that why it was called Buddha Baby? It was just too pious.
Overall, I didn't quite enjoy this book as much as The Dim Sum of all things, because I guess I couldn't relate to it as much as far as humor and wit were concerned. Really, it was mostly about Lindsey's quest to learn more about her grandparents' history, and her deep pondering regarding the strength and commitment level of her relationship with Michael. If you were to ask my opinion of this book, I'd come back with, "Eh."
Buddha Baby, like the first book, instantly starts off funny, witty, and smart. I loved the way Lindsey depicted her family, especially her grub-stealing aunt. The author had described a caper similar to How the Grinch stole Christmas, where Lindsey asked her aunt where she was going with their dinner like "Cindy Liu-Hu." Clever and funny!
As pointed out in the first book, Lindsey still doesn't want to be perceived as the silent, no-opinion, money-making Chinese girl like her cousin. In fact, she still makes every attempt to hide her "Chinese-ness." And I totally get the idea of wanting to pursue artistic endeavors and not get stuck in a corporate prison. I guess that's why Lindsey was working two part-time jobs. In fact, she had stated that her career choices were a direct contradiction to her Asian-ness as she was supposed to be banking a great salary and have all this money saved up. But I agree: why can't you enjoy the money now before you get too old and enfeebled to do anything with it?
While reading her story, I often wondered why Lindsey would want to know about her parents and grandparents all of a sudden. To learn more about herself or her Chinese-ness possibly?
Lindsey's boyfriend, Michael--the "you-look-good-without-any-make-up-on" guy--is the kind of guy we girls only dream of. But things go into a rocky turmoil when Lindsey reconnects with an old school crush named Dustin, who seemed to have really connected with Lindsey on all levels, especially with regards to their Asian-ness. They seemed to feel the exact same way, like they were the same person practically--a rare connection nowadays. Most of the time, Dustin was a smoldering hottie; but, other times, he was just plain cocky. And why was he trying to get Lindsey to sleep with him even though he knew she had a boyfriend? I actually wondered if Lindsey would succumb to the tempation of Dustin. Will she give in to her secret desires? Will she ruin all that she had with Michael? I had to keep on reading to find out.
At times, I felt that the author embellished too much on the past and not enough on the present. Most of the scenes from her Catholic school days were sort've dull and, in my opinion, served no real purpose in the story. There was also a constant back-and-forth transition between past and present. I usually don't mind visiting the past every so often, but not in every other chapter!
I liked that that author had an eye and ear for details. You can tell that she has a deep fondness for the city of San Francisco; however, I felt that some of the details were kind of long-winded. Details can be great, especially when they are well-crafted, but, like with anything else in life, too much of anything is never a good thing; and I think that the writer could've cut back a little (a lot, actually.)
I also felt that the story dealt with too much religion. This may come from my own personal taste since I am not a religious person in any kind of sense. But still, is that why it was called Buddha Baby? It was just too pious.
Overall, I didn't quite enjoy this book as much as The Dim Sum of all things, because I guess I couldn't relate to it as much as far as humor and wit were concerned. Really, it was mostly about Lindsey's quest to learn more about her grandparents' history, and her deep pondering regarding the strength and commitment level of her relationship with Michael. If you were to ask my opinion of this book, I'd come back with, "Eh."
March 29, 2014
Kim Wong Keltner moves between being a great writer to being a mediocre one. Sometimes her words are beautiful and paint a picture of the moment. At others, she gets wordy and seems to be filling in to keep the story going. That story is about Lindsey Owyang, a Chinese-American woman who loves Hello Kitty as much or more than she does her boyfriend Michael. The plot revolves around Lindsey's everyday life working her part-time jobs (one at her former school) and dealing with her family. We learn that Lindsey feels trapped between being the quintessential Chinese girl and being herself. She's becoming more comfortable in her own skin so to speak, but is then faced with a challenge in the form of her former schoolmate. She teeters between love and lust while part of me wanted to ask how she feels she can honestly think she's ready for marriage. She begins to find out more about her family's history. This seems to happen too quickly. Would I read another of Keltner's books? Yes if just in order to give her a second chance. Would I recommend this book? Not really.
January 31, 2013
Okay, this was pure fluff, but it was a quick read and a quick detour from the usual mysteries and thrillers....
I find amusement in reading the light Asian lit sprinkled with Americanized spellings of Cantonese terms - trying to see whether I recognize what they mean and contrasting with how I would spell it, given that I am woefully lacking in hearing the intonations, let alone the actual words themselves....
Not quite a young-adults book - too much innuendo for that perhaps - but way light for any real adult....just a quick read for a dose of Chi-Am culture in San Francisco...
I find amusement in reading the light Asian lit sprinkled with Americanized spellings of Cantonese terms - trying to see whether I recognize what they mean and contrasting with how I would spell it, given that I am woefully lacking in hearing the intonations, let alone the actual words themselves....
Not quite a young-adults book - too much innuendo for that perhaps - but way light for any real adult....just a quick read for a dose of Chi-Am culture in San Francisco...
February 9, 2014
This is a funny, light read about a young woman in San Francisco trying to find out about her family history while working two jobs and juggling two equally attractive men. I am not generally into love triangles, but this was more satisfying than most romances, and I thought the characters were intriguing. The author avoided overly simplistic conclusions and there were (thankfully) no true villains. It felt a little more like real life than most books of this genre do, and was entertaining from beginning to end.
September 16, 2007
Funny, cute, look into a Chinese-American girl living in San Francisco going through early adult life. Goes through her story, and she searches to find more about her family. Growing up in an Asian family helps, as there are many references that probably only I would understand, but to really get a view of my childhood, this may be it. Easy to read, like Bridget Jone's Diary with Asian flair and without the day to day format.
January 26, 2012
The book was a completely waste of my time and money! I read her first book "The Dim Sum of All Things" which I found very cute. I bought this book thinking it would be just as good but to my disappointment, I wish I could return it. The story was just ridiculous. There was not much thought into it, more like mumbo jumbo. This book went straight to the recycling bin.
September 3, 2013
Of the three novels by the author that I've read this was the most satisfying. Interwoven in the story is a tale of generations of Chinese people in the SF Bay Area. I wonder whether we will get a tiger mom story next (the author wrote a non-fiction tiger mom story). The descriptions of Chinatown are fun.
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August 5, 2011I liked this book for its portrayal of San Francisco, but didn't enjoy the plot too much. I think its premise of being a Chinese-American caught between the past and present was a good one, but the strange, cliched characters were really distracting.
October 19, 2007
This wasn't as good as the first book.
January 5, 2008
Funny and romantic...with some fond childhood Hello Kitty memories thrown in!
January 18, 2008
Cute book.
March 11, 2008
not as good as Dim Sum but still enjoyable.
May 5, 2008
This is a follow up to the Dim Sum of All Things and Lindsey continues to explore her bicultural identity. It wasn't as good as the first bood, but definitely still a fun and worthwhile read.
May 29, 2008
While Lindsey's boyfriend Michael is away, she finds herself drawn to a classmate from 6th grade. She learns about her grandparent's past and realizes her true love.
May 10, 2009
It was a good light read. However, I got a bit tired of all the pop culture references. It seemed after awhile the book was a big advertisement for the products mentioned.
May 13, 2009
Not quite as funny as her first book, but still very enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading "I Want Candy."
November 4, 2010
Not as great as Dim Sum of All Things... truly just okay.
November 20, 2010
It took me a while to get used to the prose style.
April 1, 2011
2nd in ser
April 16, 2011
I gave up after the first few chapters. I liked her first book "Dim Sum ...", but this one couldn't capture my attention.
April 25, 2012
It was very lol funny in places! But you might have to be Catholic to appreciate some of the humor.
February 10, 2013
Incredibly boring. That's all there is to say. You can tell by how long it took me to finish it. But I gave to somebody who was really excited to read it. :)
June 5, 2010
hilarious chic lit
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews