Romance Books With Asian-American Characters
From The Kiss Quotient to The Ex Talk, Here Are 11 Asian-American Love Stories to Read
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The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon ($14) tells the story of Shay Goldstein, who is a producer at a struggling public radio station. When Shay pitches a show idea in which two exes dish out relationship advice on air, she never expects her boss to recruit her colleague and work nemesis, Dominic Yun, to be her cohost — a tricky situation considering they never actually dated each other.
In general, this was one of the most diverse and inclusive stories I've ever read. Dominic is Korean-American. Shay is Jewish with a Nigerian-American stepfather and stepsiblings, an Indian-American best friend, and a bisexual Chinese-American work friend. Plus, Shay is older than Dominic, which I thought lent a unique dynamic to the story. Overall, it's a well-rounded read: funny and emotional with smart dialogue (the podcast transcripts were my favourite) and sizzling scenes.