I'm not sure I'm the target audience for this book but I loved it. I'd say it's more aimed at those younger than me.
Auden is bisexual and the book starts just as they are realising they are also non binary. There is a good mix of different sexualities and genders and it feels like a very safe space for their exploration.
It's also about their relationship with Valerie. It's really nice to read a book where a character is exploring these topics without too much of the awful homophobia and transphobia from the real world. It felt like quite a hopeful and positive book. Like how things could be and hopefully will be.

I enjoyed how much both the characters were navigating big stuff and trying to work out what they wanted and communicate that, even when the other person wanted something different. It felt far more accurate than the usual plot-driven barriers that most romance novels contain. And yay for enby representation! I'm always hungry (pardon the pun) for love stories that reflect my life.

I interviewed Cynthia when their first novel IF YOU STILL RECOGNISE ME came out, so was very keen to read their next offering and pleased to see that the premise was completely different while still focusing on young people reflecting on their identities and exploring relationships (friendships, romances, and family). I asked a few new questions:

The parents played a significant role in this story. I really appreciated that they weren’t perfect but also weren’t awful, they felt very real. Did you consider making Auden’s parents more or less supportive?
I did think about making them less supportive, but I know that there’s a desire for something a bit more upbeat when it comes to narratives around trans/nonbinary characters. And I didn’t want dealing with unsupportive parents to be a big focus of the book – and if the parents were less supportive, I felt like that would have to take up too much space within the narrative. That wasn’t the story I was trying to tell.

So I did also consider making them more supportive, but I personally don’t find it very satisfying or easy to write about parents who are wholly supportive – maybe because I don’t actually know anyone whose parents are like that. (If your parents are, then I’m thrilled for you!)
That’s why they ended up more in the middle, and I’m glad they seem real!

I *love* all the food references in THIS FEAST OF A LIFE, do you cook yourself?
Yes, I do! Although I don’t think of myself as a great cook, I can follow a recipe well enough and I cooked for myself for years. My wife Olivia now does the majority of the cooking in our household (she’s incredible at it) but I still cook regularly.

When I asked you about the reaction from teens to IF YOU STILL RECOGNISE ME you hadn’t really had any as it was still brand new…what response from readers has the last couple of years brought you?
Readers who have messaged me about how the book helped them through a tough time, how it felt like a warm hug or made them feel less alone – these are the responses I treasure the most. One teen reader I met in a signing queue said they found me inspirational as a person from a different background discovering their identity, which is something I wrote down word for word in my diary because it moved me so much! I’m really glad my books can be there for queer teens who don’t always feel seen.

Have you started working on a fantasy novel yet or can we expect more beautiful contemporary characters?
Yes, I have started working on a fantasy novel – very slowly! It’s a contemporary fantasy though and I’m especially interested in trying to balance a contemporary narrative that includes my usual elements of queer romance and identity – understanding yourself and figuring out who you want to be in the world – with the fantastical aspects.

Many thanks to Little Tiger Group and Cynthia So for the advanced copy of This Feast of a Life via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.
This delightful book focuses on self-discovery and coming-of-age in various queer spaces. The characters deal with aspects of gender (non binary identity) and sexuality (discussions of asexuality, demisexuality, possible aromanticism) and a queer relationship. On top of this, the subject of parental loss is dealt with sensitively and skillfully.
I would recommend this book to a YA/NA audience. There is a strong element of food and cooking which ties the two protagonists together, which could perhaps have even been expanded upon. Overall, an enjoyable, easy read.
Moods: emotional, hopeful, inspiring, reflective
Tropes: friends to lovers
Pace: slow
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: high
Trigger warnings: Death of a family member, Grief, Misgendering, Transphobia
Rating 3.75, rounded up to 4

What a cute cover this is! I’ve realised that I like books with a heavy food theme, so I think it was a combination of the cover and the clear link to food that made me pick this up.

Auden is getting used to they/them pronouns and the new name that they’ve picked for themselves. To test things out, they start a food blog under the name Auden to see how they like it. Valerie lost her mum recently and since then, she and her dad have drifted apart. When Valerie finds Auden’s food blog, she finds herself re-discovering recipes that her mother used to make while slowly falling for the blog’s author through the comments.

I love how Auden’s ancestral language (Cantonese) has no gendered pronouns and I like to think that this is a sign that their long-ago elders wouldn’t have batted an eyelid to Auden coming out as non-binary. I have no idea how many other languages are like this but I have always thought it was odd that in many cases (certainly European languages), words have genders.

Auden’s sister Natalie is getting married and wanted Auden to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. Cynthia So is non-binary themselves and on reading how gendered words made Auden feel, I knew that this must have been first-hand experience from the author. As a cisgendered person, I obviously think nothing of being referred to as female but I’m sure I’d feel pretty strongly if someone referred to me as male. It’s not something I come across often in my cisgendered life, so it was really interesting to be confronted with that discomfort here.

Valerie’s point of view sees her slowly coming to the realisation that she’s queer. I don’t think it’s specifically established what her sexuality is but it obviously doesn’t need to be. Rose is her best friend’s trans sister and Valerie appears to be fascinated with her. She is gorgeous and talented and interesting, so it’s no surprise really but I couldn’t help but grin every time Valerie fantasised about her without fully realising what was happening.

This Feast Of A Life is a lovely, romantic read with a true friendship at its heart. I have no doubts about Auden and Valerie having a long, happy relationship because of the friendship at its foundation. I really enjoyed how the book showcased demisexuality too, which is still a rare occurence in romantic fiction but it was wholly appreciated here. Ironically, I think I would have enjoyed more actual food content. Perhaps some recipes or longer scenes of them cooking together with more vivid sensory descriptions, as I felt that for a story that was centred around a love of food, there weren’t many of these. Overall, a cute, queer love story with some yumminess thrown in!

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 book was so lovely! I have been wanting to pick up more LGBTQ+ romance this year and this was a perfect start. Particularly more representation of non binary characters and relationships and love to see more representation. I am so glad this book exists and would recommend it to lots of people

This was a treat of a book. With delicious descriptions of food and rep for the ace and nonbinary spectrums, it was really fun to read. It didn’t quite capture me as much as If You Still Recognise me, but it was still a really good read.

This book is a celebration of food, especially dishes from Hong Kong. It made me desperately want to try Hong Kong style French Toast, and honestly to just go out and enjoy food! I’m a bit of a foody myself. I enjoy going to restaurants and eating delicious food, so it was really fun to read all the descriptions of the dishes and imagine them in front of me.

The ace rep was also really good. Auden’s journey to find a label that fit honestly, reminded me a lot of my own journey with asexuality. The constant circling questions about whether this fit right or did something else fit better as well as the complications it brings to relationships. It was all very familiar and I felt very seen. I loved that they’d gone through a similar journey with realising they were non-binary too.

Honestly, this was just a great book. I am forever a fan of Cynthia So.

I enjoyed reading this book because I was able to learn more about being non binary or how people nagivate through life to work out where they belong.

I like both main characters. They were quite different from each other and I enjoyed how their stories linked together.

I had hoped there was more food though, which is what I assumed the book was about!

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!

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 how the romance developed in the book, which also follows the growth of the characters themselves, beautiful read.

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.

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.

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.

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!

*4.5 Stars*

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.

this was just amazing, i wish i'd had So's books when i was a teenager figuring things out (and i'm glad i have them now while i'm still figuring things out!). they set the bar high with If You Still Recognise Me, and absolutely did not disappoint with the stunning and lush writing style, especially with the descriptions of food. this book illuminated something i've always wanted to see in queer coming-of-age stories but have missed so far, which is still figuring things out and evolving after deciding on a label. i experienced so much vicarious joy seeing auden learn how they want to be and express themselves as a nonbinary person, and i've never had my experience of sexuality reflected so accurately than with auden's journey in this book. also t4t friendships!! and the cameos when auden was in oxford!!!
equally touching and emotional was valerie's story of processing and learning to live with her grief, and opening up to new love in her life. So created two distinct and complementary narrative voices that intertwined really beautifully, and they are an absolute tour-de-force in the YA genre.

I really enjoyed the way So explored grief in this YA contemporary novel – it felt three-dimensional and raw in a way that makes it feel that much more believable. As with their debut, the characterisation sparkled and Auden and Valerie leapt off the page for me. I also enjoyed the way food played such an integral part, as a way of bringing people together.

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!

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 it just... didn't.

To put this in simple terms, I just 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.