Asian Stories

Last Updated: February 9, 2023

Drizzle, Dreams and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad

Sisters Nidhi, Avani, Sirisha, and Rani experience romance and coming-of-age while working at their family’s inn on Orcas Island.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Frankly in Love
by David Yoon

High school senior Frank Li is caught between his parents’ traditional expectations and his own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance: Date Korean. But Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful– and white. Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. It seems like the perfect plan, until their fake-dating maneuver leaves Frank wondering if he ever really understood love- or himself- at all.

Heiress Apparently by Diana Ma

Heiress Apparently
by Diana Ma

Gemma Huang’s acting career has a big break: she’s asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing. At the airport she is stopped by paparazzi, and realizes she may as well be the twin of Alyssa Chua, one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. It becomes a summer of revelations, as Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from.

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

Himawari House
by Harmony Becker

When Nao returns to Tokyo to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, she books a yearlong stay at the Himawari sharehouse. There she meets Hyejung and Tina, two other girls who came to Japan to freely forge their own paths. The trio live together, share meals, and even attend the same Japanese-language school, which results in them becoming fast friends. But will they be able to hold one another up as life tests them with new loves, old heart breaks, and the everyday challenges of being fish out of water?

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach

Not Here to Be Liked
by Michelle Quach

After losing the editor-in-chief job of the student newspaper to inexperienced newcomer Len, Eliza inadvertently starts a feminist movement in her school, but amid growing tensions within the school, she begins developing feelings for Len.

Strike the Zither by Joan He

Strike the Zither
by Joan He

As three warring fractures try to gain control of the kingdom, orphaned Zephyr, a strategist serving Xin Ren, infiltrates an enemy camp where she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who might just be her match.

Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon

Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions
by Navdeep Singh Dhillon

Left with just a notebook of his brother after he died, Sunny Gill has decided to fill it with rash decisions — starting with upturning all of his prom plans in favor of a more traditional American teen experience. He shows up without beard, turban, or long hair; skips the fandom after party where he should be playing bass with his band; and gets his notebook stolen by Mindii Vang, a girl who is in the middle of some rash decisions of her own.

The Cartographers by Amy Zhang

The Cartographers
by Amy Zhang

Seventeen-year-old Ocean Wu moves to New York City to start college, but she defers her enrollment, keeping it a secret from her immigrant mother, and instead uses the time to deal with her ambivalence about her place in the world.

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim

The Love Match
by Priyanka Taslim

When her mother sets her up with handsome, aloof Harun, eighteen-year-old Bangladeshi American Zahra pretends to date him while she pursues her coworker, Nayim, but she quickly finds herself second-guessing her true feelings.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish
by Trung Le Nguyen

Real life isn’t a fairytale. But Tié̂n still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It’s hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tié̂n, he doesn’t even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he’s going through? Is there a way to tell them he’s gay?