YA Books to Make Your Mouth Water

Danyal Jilani doesn't lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy in the room, but he's funny, gorgeous, and going to make a great chef one day. His father doesn't approve of his career choice, but that hardly matters. What does matter is the opinion of Danyal's longtime crush, the perfect-in-all-ways Kaval, and her family, who consider him a less than ideal arranged marriage prospect.

When Danyal gets selected for Renaissance Man, a school-wide academic championship, it's the perfect opportunity to show everyone he's smarter than they think. He recruits the brilliant, totally-uninterested-in-him Bisma to help with the competition, but the more time Danyal spends with her...the more he learns from her...the more he cooks for her...the more he realizes that happiness may be staring him right in his pretty face.

In this young adult debut full of depth and heart, author Syed M. Masood will have readers laughing, sighing, tearing up, and shouting "YES!" at the top of their lungs.

I dare you to read this book without your mouth watering. Spoiler alert: you can’t do it. Both Jocelyn and Will connect with their cultures via food, and it is a delicious ride that will have you drooling. When Jocelyn Wu’s father tells her the family restaurant may be going under, all her wishes for senior year are off. Because her dad has no marketing skill whatsoever, it’s up to Jocelyn and her unlikely new employee Will, to bring A-Plus Chinese Garden into the 21st century. What starts off as a rocky partnership between Jocelyn and Will grows into something more, but family prejudices and the uncertain future of A-Plus threaten to keep Will and Jocelyn apart.

Okay, so this one is kind of cheating because it’s not out yet! But in April 2021, prepare your taste buds for culinary romance that will leave you swooning and hungry! Penelope Prado has always dreamed of becoming a pastry chef and opening a pastelería next to her father’s restaurant, Nacho’s Tacos. But her mom and dad have different plans. Meanwhile, Xander Amaro has been searching for home since he was a little boy. For him, a job at Nacho’s is an opportunity for just that – a chance at a normal life, to settle in at his abuelo’s, and to find the father that left him behind. Together, Pen and Xander must navigate first love and discovering where they belong – both within their families and their fiercely loyal Chicanx community.

Okay, so this one is kind of cheating because it’s not out yet! But in April 2021, prepare your taste buds for culinary romance that will leave you swooning and hungry! Penelope Prado has always dreamed of becoming a pastry chef and opening a pastelería next to her father’s restaurant, Nacho’s Tacos. But her mom and dad have different plans. Meanwhile, Xander Amaro has been searching for home since he was a little boy. For him, a job at Nacho’s is an opportunity for just that – a chance at a normal life, to settle in at his abuelo’s, and to find the father that left him behind. Together, Pen and Xander must navigate first love and discovering where they belong – both within their families and their fiercely loyal Chicanx community.

Okay, so this isn’t a YA book, but it’s so dang cute I couldn’t help but put it on this list! Plus, the food is so delicious. I’ve been dreaming of cloudberry popcorn ever since I read this book, and I’ve not even tasted it. Combine that with an almost magical candy shop, and you can guarantee the food in this book is bound to take your taste buds for an incredible if imaginary ride!

Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test. But Eva only has a pinch of magic. She’ll have to prove to the tranquil coastal town of Auteri that she’s worthy, and that sometimes all it takes is a pinch of magic!

In With the Fire on High, food isn’t just delicious – it’s an escape. Certainly, for Emoni, the kitchen is her one place to let herself go and follow her bliss to delicious food. High school senior Emoni Santiago has to make tough decisions. With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, she knows she doesn’t have time for her school’s new culinary arts class and doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain. And she certainly shouldn’t be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life, once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

How could a romance set in Italy and called Love & Gelato NOT make this list? Come on! As someone who lived in Rome for a short while, I can tell you the food culture, and the gelato in particular, of Italy, is unlike anything else! So go on this imaginary journey of delicious food and even more delicious romance! Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t there for Italy’s famous landscape, sunshine, or food. It was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? When Lina is given a journal that her mom kept while she lived in Italy, Lina begins uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. And alongside the ever-so-charming Ren, she’ll discover a secret that’s been kept for far too long.