The premise of this book is lovely: we follow Dylan, a young man who lives with his aunt and helps her with her takeout. He is very passionate about cooking and enters a mooncake making competition in his mother's honour. There's also love along the way - after an unfortunate delivery incident Dylan finds himself wrapped up in the life of Theo, a very handsome guy from a very wealthy background. Cue fake dating and fun cutesy antics.

This was a lovely little read that was overflowing with culture and I loved that! I learned so much more about Chinese and Singaporean culture than I knew before picking up this book and I also have massive cravings for Chinese-Singaporean cuisine!

However, despite this book being filled with so much culture and heart, it fell a little bit short for me. I felt like the relationship between Dylan and Theo didn't have much development at all and I didn't really get to KNOW them well throughout the story. The competition took a backseat in the plot which I found odd, as it felt like it was supposed to be important. And sadly, the fake dating seemed a bit pointless, it would have made more sense if Theo had just asked Dylan to be his actual date rather than pretending to be together for no good reason at all. The plot was unfortunately extremely predictable which was a shame.

Overall however I really enjoyed this book and the characters were very lovable! The culture references were fantastic and I'd like to experience more of that in books I read. This book gets 3 stars from me, because despite the faults it was so full of heart and I'm very fond of Dylan and his family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this novel for an honest review!

Man. Oh man. Where do I begin?

To start off this was my first queer read and all I can say was I am NOT disappointed.
Is it possible for me to have a favourite author? Yes, well now it's Sher Lee. 💛
Her writing style was so addictive and easy to follow. I was clearly able to understand both Theo's POV and Dylan's POV throughout the book.

The cover to the book was absolutely stunning!

Meg quickly became my favourite character. Her personality was so loveable. Dylan, she's my friend now. Close second would be Terri. Maybe they may become more than friends...and we can have a book two 👀 I would totally be there for it 🙋🏽‍♀️

I was all there for the culture lessons. Came into the book uncultured, came out with phrases that will be forever engrained into my head. The stories were beautiful to read too.

I haven't done my tiktok review yet but that will come shortly, thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC. I will 100% be wanting the physical copy.

Will also post on both Amazon UK and US when the book has been published.

A super cute, heartwarming rom-com, which plays out in your mind exactly like the classic happily ever after films of the past.

After his mom's death, Dylan moved in with his aunt, two cousins and Clover the dog, above their failing Singaporean Chinese takeout. Trying to help save their home and business, he decided to enter the mooncake competition, which he planned to do with his mom before she got sick, the trouble is it's with a recipe his mom accidentally took to the grave. When the delivery driver gets a flat Dylan grabs his bike and rides quickly into the posh part of Brooklyn, where a chance meeting with rich boy Theo happens. After an incident with a botched delivery, Theo turns up at their shop to apologise, they begin to bond over Dylan's cooking and their grief of both of them losing their mothers. Dylan opens up about how much this incident from the previous night could harm the already troubled business and a mysterious grant they never applied for then turns up. In return, Dylan is asked to be Theo's fake boyfriend at a family wedding and is accidentally thrust into all the rich people drama Theo's family entails, including his powerful absent father.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is such a heartwarming story. Dylan is such a shy and awkward teen who makes you blush along with him, alongside crushing on Theo big time he also helps him reconnect with his mother's side by sharing all his love of Asian culture, history and traditions. The descriptions of all the food in this book will leave your mouth watering and super hungry! The author encapsulates grief so delicately and perfectly, leaving remembrance and the shared family grief to be an undercurrent of the whole book. I truly loved reading this and I can't wait to see what this author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy of this book.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is about Dylan and Theo who come from very different walks of life. Dylan works in his family's restaurant and whilst the food is great, him and his family are at risk of being evicted and winning a mooncake making competition could be their chance to save the restaurant. On the other hand, Theo is the son of a rich businessman and meets Dylan when he is delivering food to his apartment. I don't want to give too much away but the title is extremely accurate as to what happens in the book, does what it says on the tin!

Despite me giving this a lower rating of three stars (if I could give half stars I'd give it a 3.5), I don't mean to do this in a negative way, more in a constructive way. This book has a lot of heart, Dylan is a likeable and endearing narrator with a sweet family and the positive representation of Asian culture throughout is delightful and educational, I can't help but feel as though as a whole this book felt a little surface level? I feel as though Theo wasn't nearly as developed and well rounded as Dylan and despite the scenes with Dylan and Theo being sweet and lovely, I feel like there needed to be more to it as a whole to give them depth and chemistry. Parts of this felt a little rushed like the fake dating part of the book is quite short. The characters and world are all lovely but I can't help but think I wanted to stay in moments for a bit longer and the story to feel more developed.

Despite all this, I definitely see this book having an audience. Even though I don't see many similarities to Heartstopper plot wise I think it will appeal to the same young audience who enjoy cute and wholesome LGBT stories. The cover of this book is absolutely stunning as well.

A really sweet young adult rom-com.

It was to easy to read, filled with tasty food descriptions and had a lovely romance.

Great to see more queer young adult books being published where the drama doesn’t come from sexuality or coming out. That wasn’t an issue here, at all, and that’s so refreshing. Instead we see Dylan and Theo having to navigate the obstacles that a class and wealth divide bring. They were from very different upbringings, yet found lots to bond over. I particularly enjoyed Theo being able to learn more about his cultural background through Dylan.

I was actually expecting the mooncake competition to be more of a feature. It’s discussed and prepared for, but the actual competition is a very small part. Would maybe have liked more focus on that.

A good and uplifting read. I think I would have connected a bit more emotionally if it had been longer and gone into some parts in more depth. Felt like a couple of things weren’t fully resolved.
However, I enjoyed it and as a teenager I was desperate for reads like this. I hope lots of teens will get a lot out of reading it!

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Fake Dates and Mooncakes
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Sher Lee
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: LGBT YA Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 25th May 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5

”I shrug. “He lives in a huge mansion and drives a Ferrari. I ride a bike with a squeaky front wheel. Our worlds are as far apart as the sun and the moon.”
“They align every now and then,” Aunt Jade points out. “Eclipses are pretty memorable.””

This was exactly the kind of light and breezy read I needed right now.

Fake Dates and Moon Cakes is so heartwarming and sweet, it provoked real smiles and real tears from me. I consumed this in a matter of hours.

Talking of consumption, this book is steeped in Asian culture. I’ve said this before in my reviews of Daughter of The Moon Goddess and A Magic Steeped in Poison but I do genuinely feel that Asian mythology is some of the most beautiful in the world. Not only does this book have that, but Sher Lee also introduces me to so much Asian culture that I’ve never been exposed to before and couldn’t help but fall in love with. The history of mooncakes themselves was a cultural wonder that I had been in ignorance of and absolutely loved learning about.

There wasn’t just mooncakes that were the focus of the story though. Dylan’s Aunt Jade owns a takeout that specializes in Singaporean dishes, so I finished this book in a haze of contrasting dichotomy: I was satisfied how the story was baked and served, and yet I finished the story absolutely starving.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is described as Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians. I’ve never read Heartstopper, but I have read Crazy Rich Asians and I can definitely see the likeness between the two novels.

There were different tropes available in this book. I enjoyed the fake dating trope with Dylan trying to pretend to date rich and wealthy Theo but also pretend that he doesn’t fancy him as much as he does. There was also the element of Dylan and Theo being a different social class. This aspect is what made me see the similarities between this book and Crazy Rich Asians as not only is Dylan getting to know his fake boyfriend, he’s also getting to know this whole new world of one percent wealth.

This book also explores the meaning of family and the—albeit slightly weaker—theme of grief is also present. I liked the found family vibe that warmed my heart, but I have to say that I think grief was used as a plot point rather than an insightful exploration. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though as it just demonstrates how this book focuses on the positive, sweetness, and light of life, keeping its focus on family rather than grief is a choice that avoids any heaviness that might have tampered with the pacing of the story.

This really is one of those books that meets every expectation from first impressions. The title and front cover depicts a cute story that promises Chinese culture, an achingly sweet romance, and a corgi side character, and that is exactly what is delivered.

𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited for this, but it turned out just okay, sadly.

I liked the explanations of Asian culture throughout, and it’s very obvious that those topics were the author’s strengths. I also loved the secondary characters and family members of Dylan and Theo, specifically Terri and Aunt Jade.

It definitely gives debut. The prose is choppy and the dialogue feels unnatural, especially near the beginning of the novel. There is humor in the narration but it’s over the top in a way that’s cringey, not funny. For example:

“I’ll have to wok back. Megan hates my bad puns.”

The romance was… eh. Theo definitely does not feel like a high schooler, and he and Dylan have instalove that’s ridiculously unbelievable. I honestly don’t even know why they like each other besides their physical attractiveness.

For a book about Dylan wanting to save his aunt’s takeout with the competition, the competition took up very little space. Additionally, the stakes were practically nonexistent. The book was predictable and I knew the entire plot within the first few chapters.

RTC

Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee is an enjoyable young adult romance novel that explores themes of culture, family, and grief. The story follows Dylan, an aspiring chef who helps run his family's Chinese takeout business in Brooklyn. When he meets wealthy and charming Theo, the two embark on a fake-dating scheme that leads to unexpected feelings and complications.

The strength of the novel appears to lie in the chemistry and development of the two main characters, with Dylan's shyness and Theo's flirtatiousness providing a fun and authentic dynamic. Additionally, the exploration of Chinese culture and food seems to be a significant aspect of the story, adding depth and authenticity to the characters and setting. The side characters, particularly Megan and Aunt Jade, are also noted as strong and well-developed.

Overall, Fake Dates and Mooncakes appears to be a heartwarming and engaging romance novel that would appeal to readers who enjoy a combination of romantic tropes, cultural exploration, and family themes. The accessible writing style and digestible pacing also make it a quick and enjoyable read.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee is a heartwarming and delightful YA contemporary romance novel that blends tropes like fake-dating, supportive family members, and cultural traditions to create an engaging and enjoyable story. The protagonist, Dylan, is an aspiring chef who is determined to win a mooncake-making competition in memory of his mom and to help his aunt's struggling Chinese takeout business in Brooklyn. When he meets Theo, a charming and wealthy customer with whom he develops an immediate connection, the two decide to fake-date for a family wedding in the Hamptons. What follows is a romance that feels both authentic and endearing, as the two boys navigate their cultural and class differences while falling for each other.

One of the standout features of Fake Dates and Mooncakes is the representation of queer characters. Dylan and Theo are both fully-formed, flawed individuals who are shaped by their experiences, upbringings, and heritages. The book explores Chinese culture in an open and authentic way, weaving Eastern values, morals, and traditions throughout the story. The use of food, particularly mooncakes, as a way of connecting the characters and their culture is particularly effective and adds depth to the story.

The side characters are also well-developed, with Aunt Jade and Megan standing out as particularly strong and memorable. The emphasis on family and grief adds another layer of depth to the story, and the writing style is accessible and easy to read. Overall, Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a delightful, fun, and heartwarming read that will leave readers swooning and hungry for more. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a charming and tropey romance with a queer and culturally diverse cast of characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for this ARC🫶🏼

Synopsis:

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.

Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?

I literally saw the cover and instantly needed to read this and i’m so glad i did because it was such an adorable read!!

I instantly loved all the characters, the dynamic between Dylan’s family was so sweet.

There is definitely a lot of cheese in this but it’s worth it for such a light fluffy read. I definitely think this is a really good read for inbetween big fantasy novels.

This book touches on some sensitive subjects so well and you really feel like you’re learning how to deal with these sensitive situations.

Absolutely loved this super sweet, diverse rom-com, exploring family, culture, privilege, love, belonging, grief and of course, food! It's a warm and fascinating novel that gave me all the feels, and made me very hungry along the way!

Focusing on a teen LGBTQIA+ romance, ideal for YA rom-com readers, and exploring Asian American culture and East-Asian heritage, with all sorts of cuisine, folklore and traditions. The witty writing had me smiling throughout, but there were plenty of emotional moments and relatable characters that moved me at each point.

It does have some harder themes, such as mentions of alcoholism, rehab, the passing of a parent, bullying, grief and trauma, but they are explored with sensitivity and honesty, even with the somewhat idealised meet-cute of the super-rich and the working class. Family is a central theme, and I loved the dynamics and relationships of the characters.

I'm not usually a romance reader, so this wouldn't have been on my radar, but I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for this author from now on :) just don't read this on an empty stomach, because the food descriptions are just delicious!

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for access to this wonderful ARC, and to Sher Lee for writing it :) my opinions are my own, honest, and freely given.

So. My first response is - THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. And it was. I'm having major 'book hangover' feels, and I wish I could read this all over again. If I had to choose a favourite cuisine, it would absolutely be East/South-East Asian, both to cook (badly, as white westerners are wont to do) and, most importantly, to eat. With that in mind, this book made me HUNGRY. There were sooo many excellent descriptions of food, and all of it sounded delectable. It also had so much heart to it. I really liked getting to know Dylan and his family, and there was just so much love there. I also really liked how little attention was given to sexuality; whilst there is a need for books about the experience of coming out, and the difficulties and trauma that can be involved, there is also a need for books that don't just focus on that, and where queer people can be loved and accepted within whatever families they have found. Initially, I would have said that my main criticism was that money still 'won' - a lot of actually very icky behaviour was somewhat brushed under the carpet because the character's came with cheques to do so. This being said, having taken some time to think about it more, I don't know that this is necessarily an indictment of the book, but more of capitalism. Because, yes, it's nice to talk about in-the-end-all-we-need-is-each-other etc., but sadly that's not the world we live in. I guess my main criticism, then, would have been that the book was a bit more explicit about that: that it talked more directly about the often grey and nuanced role that money plays in family relationships. I also got quite confused by some of the character's motives (particularly someone beginning with a B...) - it did seem quite black and white at times, with actually quite rubbish actions being written off within a page or two. However, this didn't mar my enjoyment - the only thing that really did, in fact, is that it had to end at all.

This is a cute and wholesome YA romcom about two teenagers falling in love with Crazy Rich Asians vibes.
Theo (the love interest) comes from a very wealthy family and Dylan (MC) goes to a wedding with Theo as his fake date - they deal with family drama and social differences whilst navigating their blossoming romance. Dylan's family is also struggling to support their take-away business and Dylan is entering a mooncake making competition to honour his mother and try and gain them publicity.
I loved the heartwarming cultural representation sprinkled through out the book and overall this is a sweet and heartwarming short summer read - 3.75/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian's Childrens Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A cute and enjoyable YA romance with shades of Crazy Rich Asians. I really liked the main characters, and it is always refreshing to see working class experiences reflected in YA. That said, I found the ending a little too neat, with everything tied up in a bow and all of Dylan’s family problems solved.

Still, a fun summer read. 3 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Fake Dates and Mooncakes' by Sher Lee.

This light romance was perfection. The characters? Gorgeous. The plot? Gorgeous. The speed at which I read it? Sheer and utter beauty. Sher Lee's writing style is perfect for this type of genre and I am excited to see future projects.

Such a joyous read! I especially loved the cultural representation throughout the book, such as the mooncake contest, as this isn't something you usually see.

Netgalley approved me for an advanced copy of Fake Dates and Mooncakes, and with a cover like that, why wouldn't I have smashed the request as soon as I saw it?

This book is a three-star read for me. I really enjoyed parts like the mooncake contest, the cultural representation and knowledge, the cooking and, oh lord, the food! I also loved the dynamic between Dylan and his family; they looked out for each other. They were there for each other, and it was beautiful to see Dylan and his Aunt using the mooncake contest to remember and celebrate Dylan's mam, who passed earlier in the year before the book started.

What I didn't like, and this is a big one, was the romance, and since this is a romance book, that isn't great.

I didn't buy Dylan and Theo together. They first met while Dylan was getting chewed out by Theo's best friend, and then three days later, they agreed to go to the Hamptons for the weekend and suddenly were in love, no thank you.
I didn't feel a spark between them, and the book would have been better for me without the romance, which is saying something cause if I don't have romance, I usually won't read it.

Also, I was not too fond of Theo's family, but since they weren't in it that much, I feel like I can let that one slide. So while I did enjoy a lot of this book, what I didn't like outweighs it.

I requested this for the cute corgi, and stayed for the food and family drama this book provided. I originally thought the whole book would be a wholesome baking competition, but that was not the case. The baking aspect was actually a secondary story and the main story was more of a fake dating scheme to help the rich kid with his daddy issues. There were a lot of layers to the story, and a lot of topics that were well handled, it explored grief, family feuds, friendship and provided a lot of cultural history, which I really enjoyed reading about.

I felt the story was cute, but overall very rushed. There wasn't much development between the characters, they lacked chemistry, there was nothing to really signify their feelings had changed for each other, and I think that had a lot to do with the shortness of the book. A lot of moments that should have been more present in the story were rushed over, the whole wedding being one of the most significant to me, as it had very little impact, despite it being the main reason they were even fake dating.

Regardless, the book was cute and I learned a lot regarding the history of mooncakes, so I would say it was definitely a needed serotonin boost, and a great first book to welcome in spring.

When I’ve been waiting to read and so excited for a book, one of my biggest fears is that it won’t live up to my expectations. As one of my most anticipated reads for this year, I felt that worry when going into Fake Dates and Mooncakes. I was not disappointed and thankfully, my fears did not come true. To sum up; this book is absolutely incredible and I already know it’ll be in my top books of the year.

We follow the main character and narrator Dylan, a teen cook who works at his Aunt’s small takeaway restaurant. When an order goes wrong and a nasty review gets posted, Dylan’s worries about the business grow more, especially when a final notice rent warning gets posted through their door. Dylan’s only hope is to enter an annual mooncake contest with his Aunt as a sous-chef. Winning the competition means a spot on a top TV cooking programme which would give their business a lot of recognition. Enter Theo, from a wealthy family, feeling guilty about the bad review his friend made, visits the takeaway and a few days later makes an anonymous donation. The donation pays the rent bill but Dylan needs to do something in return; attend a family wedding in the Hamptons as Theo’s fake date. It’s easy, right? Fake date for a weekend, then focus on making mooncakes to save his family’s business. But of course, fake dating always has the potential to turn into real feelings, and Dylan worries Theo’s extravagant upper-class world will not welcome someone like him.

In many first-person narrative books, I find myself getting annoyed with the main character. Seeing their perspective on things all the time can go repetitive, especially when that character is flawed. I loved reading from Dylan’s perspective. Of course he had his moments, but the majority of the time, I was rooting for him, I understood his worries and fears. Most of the time, his worries were valid, and he was right about them. Dylan was a likeable character, he had a goal, and he didn’t want to let anything, or anyone, get in the way of that. He managed to do that most of the time. Whilst his feelings did mean he got a little distracted at times, he never took his eye off the end goal, saving his aunt’s business.

Theo is the typical rich kid with an upper-class family, a huge home and a butler. He was adorable. His overwhelming want to help everyone around him was admirable, even if it meant he didn’t really let anyone help him. I felt sorry for Theo, family feuds are never fun, especially when your closest family members are on the other side of the feud. It was devastating to read about the fact he was left in the house with the butler, barely even thought about by his father unless it came down to the feud.

Their relationship was so sweet. Theo really got invested in the business and the competition and wanted to learn more about the history behind the festival. As an outsider, Dylan felt a little lost walking into the weekend at the Hamptons, but Theo made sure to try and make him as comfortable as possible, always checking with him if he was okay. They go through lots of ups and downs but ultimately come out on top. The ending is adorable, where can I find a man who’ll fly halfway across the world for me please? I also love how Dylan sticks up for himself, he doesn’t hesitate when it comes to picking his family over his boyfriend.

Grief is a topic that crops up within this story as Dylan’s mother passed away in the year prior to the story. The mooncake-making contest was something his mother found, she’d wanted to enter. There is a section near the beginning that got to me, about grief coming up at random moments. It’s true. You can be walking down the street, sitting in bed, watching TV and it’ll just hit you. There were times like that in this book. Of course, Dylan is always thinking of his mother, but it wasn’t a constant ‘I miss her’ bombardment that can get overwhelming. It was buying moulds that remind him of her, using a stand she’d never used, hearing a phrase and thinking of her. It was subtle, but it was real.

I can tell this book is going to be one I want to re-read often. Loveable main characters, an interesting plot with a trope I adore, the importance of family no matter your background, and a wonderful insight into Asian culture. This book is wholesome to the point of crying, hilarious to the point of crying, and heartbreaking to the point of crying. So basically, crying. Or maybe that’s just me. Either way, it’s a perfect story to snuggle up with.