"First Love Language" by Stefany Valentine, Broken Hearts and Broken Homes–A Different Love Language

Catie tries to learn more about her Taiwanese heritage with the help of a coworker, Toby. When he asks her to be his dating coach in return, Catie hides her own lack of dating experience.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Broken Hearts and Broken Homes–A Different Love Language
The Culture in My Veins–A Flicker of the Past
Beautiful–Conventionally Attractive
One Perpetual Moment–Obvious
Tongue-Tied–Firsts
15 words 204 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. oxymoron
    conjoined contradictory terms
    His body rests at Sunshine Cemetery—which is a bit of an oxymoron, in my opinion.
  2. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    Of course, she can see through my façade.
  3. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    My vision swims as I read and reread the quote on Dad’s headstone—his mantra.
  4. ambience
    the atmosphere of an environment
    Though this house is now my summer home, I get the impression that my T-shirt and pajama pants don’t fit the black-tie ambience.
  5. illogical
    lacking in a correct relation of reason
    How do I tell Mom that I love her, but in some illogical way, I love Ya-Fang too?
  6. quell
    overcome or allay
    I sigh to quell my rising temper, because right now, this is about Mavis.
  7. begrudgingly
    in an unwilling manner
    We buckle up as Mavis begrudgingly pulls out of the driveway.
  8. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    But it’s my blouse that’s taken the brunt of the impact.
  9. ogle
    stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions
    I assume he’s going to ask me why I’m ogling his skin.
  10. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
    Rayleigh agrees, missing Mavis’s cynicism.
  11. socialite
    one who is well known or prominent in fashionable circles
    I’ve never met a Singaporean socialite before, but this girl carries herself like she’s used to being photographed by paparazzi.
  12. interject
    speak abruptly, especially as an interruption
    “I could teach you Mandarin,” Toby interjects just as the thought pops into my mind.
  13. slather
    spread thickly
    Why can’t we be there to slather sunscreen on each other and share rainbow pops?
  14. perceptive
    of or relating to awareness via the senses
    Maybe Mavis is more perceptive than I thought, because she softens and says, “I might download a babysitting app. I’m sure there are tons of people here who need a sitter.”
  15. quip
    witty remark
    Mavis smirks like she’s got a crackly quip on her lips.
Created on Mon Feb 09 08:17:39 EST 2026 (updated Fri Feb 20 17:14:38 EST 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.