First Love Language

A swoon-worthy romantic dramedy about finding love and reconnecting with your culture in the most surprising ways--now in paperback.

Taiwanese American Catie Carlson has never fit in with her white family. As much as she loves her stepmom and stepsister, she yearns to understand more about her culture and find her biological mother.

So Catie is shocked when an opportunity comes knocking on her door: Her summer spa coworker, Toby, says he'll teach her Mandarin. In exchange, she needs to teach him how to date so he can finally work up the courage to ask out his crush. The only problem is that Catie doesn't actually have any dating experience. But she can fake it.

With her late father's copy of The Five Love Languages and all his annotated notes, Catie becomes the perfect dating coach. Or so she thinks. As she gets dangerously close to Toby and to finding out what really happened to her biological mom, she realizes that learning the language of love might be tougher than she thought.

Stefany Valentine's debut novel is both a fresh, fun romance as well as a profound, luminous story about grief, family, transracial adoption, and what it means to truly follow your heart.

Author: Stefany Valentine
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Published: 01/13/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9798217142927
BISAC Categories:
- Young Adult Fiction | Romance | Romantic Comedy
- Young Adult Fiction | Family | Blended Families
- Young Adult Fiction | Social Themes | Death, Grief, Bereavement

About the Author
Stefany Valentine is an emerging young adult author. Her first publication is featured in the adoptee anthology, When We Became Ours, and her sophomore title, Love Makes Mochi, is expected to release with Joy Revolution in 2026. Follow her for updates on TikTok and Instagram @BooksByStefany and on her website, stefanyvalentine.wordpress.com.