When You Wish Upon a Lantern

Liya and Kai have grown up together as best friends, but an embarrassing misunderstanding splits them. Liya is still grieving over the death of her beloved grandmother so decides to continue secretly granting wishes in their small Chinatown community to keep her memory alive. Liya explains this to Kai after they start hanging out again, and he is a great help and moderator to her plans. Then Liya discovers her family store is at risk, so takes it upon herself to save it. First step: hold a successful lantern festival. When their fathers see them together at the event, innocently searching for stars (though there could be more there), the family feud erupts, and they both say things they shouldn’t. Alone again, they both have things to work through before even thinking of saving their friendship.

The characters are written more as middle school kids than high school, so it’s jarring when more mature thoughts come through. However, their emerging romance is sweet, especially with their shared Chinese and pop cultures and past experiences bringing them together. Liya’s aversion to germs and constant consideration of what she said/did make her different and real. A sweet read.