First Love Language

November 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Taiwanese American teen Catie Carlson has been raised by a white family, and despite how much she loves her adoptive mother, she still doesn't feel like she fits in. She's desperate to know more about her biological mother and her Taiwanese heritage, and when her coworker Toby offers to teach her Mandarin in exchange for dating advice, she jumps at the chance and doesn't let her lack of knowledge about dating get in her way. To fulfill her end of the bargain, Catie uses her late father's copy of The Five Love Languages to help Toby, and their relationship leavens the story with cheeky moments. But Valentine also fills her debut with lots of emotional depth as she tackles the topic of transracial adoption, including the challenges Catie faces in learning about her background and how deeply her culture and identity are embedded in her heart. Brave, curious, and determined Catie is a protagonist to root for throughout her experience of love and heartbreak in this stirring, beautifully written story.

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October 14, 2024
A white and Taiwanese American adoptee reconnects with her roots and experiences first love in Valentine’s romantic and profound debut. Seventeen-year-old Catie Carlson doesn’t remember much about her biological mother. Following her parents’ separation when Catie was five, she and her white father moved to the U.S.; the traumatic situation is made worse when her dad dies of cancer. Now living with her white stepfamily, Catie yearns to know more about her Taiwanese heritage. But living in Mormon Utah presents its challenges—microaggressions and stereotypes surrounding
her ancestry abound—until she meets 19-year-old Korean and “Blackanese” Toby. Though the teens’ first encounter is messy, it proves beneficial for them both: in exchange for Mandarin lessons from Toby, Catie will teach him how to date so he can ask his crush out. As Catie’s Mandarin improves—and as she begins reconnecting with her mother—she finds herself increasingly drawn to Toby. Humorous moments of joy and connection—facilitated by the love interests’ shared cultural appreciation and deepening attraction, as well as Catie’s desire to broaden her understanding of her personal history—deftly buoy sensitively rendered depictions of heavy topics surrounding grief and transracial adoption. Ages 12–up.

November 15, 2024
A 17-year-old juggles a search for her origins with an unexpected role as a dating coach. Biracial (white and Taiwanese American) Catie Carlson yearns to find her biological mother, Ya-Fang. They lost touch after her parents divorced when she was 5; Catie's late father brought her to America from Taiwan, and now she lives with her white adoptive mom, Andrea, and stepsister, Mavis, also 17. Since Andrea's lost her job, they're leaving San Diego for Salt Lake City to stay with Joanna, Andrea's sister who's a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their more progressive family, especially pansexual Mavis, dreads the change. Catie finds a summer job at a salon and meets co-worker Toby Yoon-Hanson, 19, who's Korean and Blackanese. They strike a deal: Toby, who just spent a year abroad at the University of Taipei, will teach Catie Mandarin if she'll teach him how to talk to his intimidatingly perfect longtime crush, Nichole Yung. But Catie doesn't tell him she's never even had a boyfriend--a deception that comes to haunt her as their feelings for one another grow. Meanwhile, genealogical records at Aunt Joanna's church provide Catie with hope of finding the answers she seeks. Valentine deftly interweaves themes about identity, trust, tolerance, trauma, and forgiveness throughout the story. An engaging plot and details of daily life provide glimpses into the diversity within LDS and adoptive family cultures. A sweet, thoughtfully developed romance with some unusual twists and layers. (author's note)(Romance. 12-18)

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