Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC! I was so excited to get the approval email!

That was pretty much as adorable as you'd expect from that cover.

However, what I didn't expect was for the characters to be 17 years old. I think this set a certain tone, which I would have enjoyed a lot more had I been closer to the characters' age.

And this is completely on me (didn't remember much of the blurb before actually starting the book), but I didn't realise it would be a poor boy x millionaire boy romance. It created a power dynamic between the characters that I didn't like sometimes.

Other than that (and a couple of minor plot choices), I enjoyed the story and the characters. Dylan was a sweetheart with a lovely family and a touching story. Theo was a good person (with questionable taste in friends), with a lot of family drama and a pretty lonely life. I was rooting for them the whole way through, of course, and they were very cute together. Yes, it was extremely cliché and predictable, but it was sweet.

Overall, it would be closer to 3 stars for me, but I'll round it up, because it's partly on me for not realising some things before reading it.

PS: This book made me hungry and I'm still craving mooncakes!

A sweet and heartwarming romance that I'd gladly read again any day.

I'd heard good things about this book before reading it, and was delighted that it did not disappoint in the least. I loved all of the characters - Dylan and Theo, of course, but also Terri and Jade in particular - and every person in the book felt like a full and complete character even if we didn't see much of them at all. Nothing about them fell flat, it was all brilliantly executed, and everything was exactly what I look for in a young adult romance.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of fake dating, family drama and cooking in their romances. I have no doubt you'll enjoy this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

To start, the cover of this book is gorgeous.

This book is your quintessential cheesy teen romance. It’s got the classic trope of fake dating. It’s got Crazy Rich Asians for teens vibes.

Theo felt like he existed just as a love interest and a bank. His personality and life goals weren’t explored as much as the other main character, Dylan’s were.

This was a very cute book of two halves. We have the fake dating at the wedding and the mooncake segment. It made it feel slightly disjointed, that everything happened too fast but it was sweet. I liked Dylan as an MC, I found his struggles relatable and I liked his personality. I also really liked the descriptions of food.

I think because we never Theo’s pov I didn’t understand him as well and he fell a bit flat compared to Dylan. He felt very much like a saviour swooping in, despite the fact Dylan was insistent he never wanted money.

Overall, despite the small flaws, the relationship was very sweet and wholesome and it was a very nice read,

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

There is something so addictive about romcoms that centre around food, I don't know what it is. This was no exception, I absolutely loved the descriptions of the food and the way it brought people together.

Food is such an important aspect in many cultures and I loved the discussions in this book with Dylan trying to recreate an old family recipe in honour of his mother and Theo trying to reconnect with his Asian heritage on his mother's side that he felt lost from.

The relationship between these to was so cute, I like that the fake dating took up a good portion but not so much that we were left without fluffy moments between the two, a perfect balance!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy! It was an incredibly sweet and fun story! I loved how it didn't just focus on romance but also on Dylan and his family. I can only recommend this one!

i have just finished reading this book and I'm not even entirely sure how to put my thoughts into words. the overarching themes of family and loved ones over anything else was extremely wholesome, whilst as times incredibly sad. Weaving Chinese cultures into the story created a very rich tale about two boys falling in love with each other but also each other's families and rebuilding community connections. I spent reading the last few chapters crying because everything turned out alright in the end. This is the kind of arc I want in romance novels, and I'm so please I got to read this.

I've been looking forward to Sher Lee's debut, Fake Dates And Mooncakes, and was delighted when my request was approved.

This queer YA romance fully lived up to my expectations and was an absolute gem to read. It's a sweet romance with fake dating, a cooking competition, and a family wedding in the Hamptons with only one bed and a very prominently placed rain shower. Dylan and Theo both felt truly genuine, and

The story addresses issues such as privilege, navigating dating across social divides, and grief in a sensitive manner. I loved how Dylan dedicated his mooncakes to the memory of his mother, and how he introduced aspects of Eastern culture to Theo, whose upbringing hasn't given him strong cultural roots.
I loved learning about traditional Singaporean foods, and obviously I adored Clover the corgi.

What a delightful read! The romance between Dylan and Theo was so sweet, and the story was filled with heart-warming themes and moments.

The hero of this book is the romance. Dylan and Theo have such a connection from the moment they meet, you can’t help but get invested! It was so lovely to see their romance unfold. There some really nice other touches too, such as how Dylan helped Theo connect with his Chinese heritage. I also really liked how neither of them had a big coming out storyline in the book. They’re both out at the start, and their coming out stories are never really brought up; they are both just living their lives. I had a little excited cheer when Theo comes to save the day towards the end, and the romance as a whole was excellently written.

There is also a great cast of other characters. Both of the leads have a non-traditional family set-up, and it was really great to see their various family and household dynamics. The evolution of Theo’s relationship with his father was especially enjoyable, as they found common ground over the course of the story.

There were a few things that didn’t quite work for me, particularly the way money is handled in the story. Dylan and Theo come from very different financial backgrounds, and while this did cause tension at the start, it sort of petered out without ever really being dealt with. Theo eventually wins Dylan over with a thoughtful but very expensive grand gesture, and I would have liked to see that dynamic explored a little bit more, rather than be written off as wholly romantic. All of Dylan and his family’s achievements at the end can be traced back to Theo’s money, and it felt like that should have affected their relationship more than it did.

Overall though, this was a really fun read, with a couple you can’t help but root for, and all the fake dates and baking competitions you would expect!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one. It was an easy and quick read. I love the cover so much I'm a sucker for an illustration 😍

If I could give this more than 5 stars I absolutely would !
Everything about this book was absolutely my cup of tea , the cover is what initially drew me in and I stayed for the characters and this amazing plot .
It has my absolute favorite trope , fake dating , which sometimes can be tricky to execute but the author did a remarkable job .
The food descriptions were drool worthy and had me looking around shops to see if I could find something similar like when you watch a movie and can almost taste the foods except with this it was only words that had me feeling like this something I cant help but commend .
Is this my favorite book of this year ? most definitely and I have read ALOT of romance books , this really has such a refreshing story and is sure to be a staple for the genre .
Standing ovation for the author and this book !!!
Thank you for this Arc net galley and Macmillan .

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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?

Dylan is incredibly dedicated to his family, doing all he can to support them whilst they do the same in return. You can sense his grief still clings to him after his mother’s death but I really liked that he didn’t allow him to drag him down. Instead, he used his grief to spur himself onwards and do all he could to assist his family whilst his actions were dedicated to the memory of his mother. I really liked Dylan as a character. He’s quirky and nerdy, he’s kind-hearted and fun, he’s gentle and sweet. What’s not to like about him? His interactions with Theo are cute and I really loved how he stood his ground against him when the moment called for it. He’s definitely a well thought out character who is perfectly well-rounded.
Theo is a sweetheart, desperate to prove himself to his family and to show that he belongs. The way he acts with Dylan is honestly the sweetest, you can see the softer edges to him and his actions throughout the story. I almost want to reach in and squish his cheeks and reassure him that he’s doing a good job, that he is more than he believes. I feel like we perhaps could have gotten to know Theo more than we did but I am so happy with what I did get to see of him and his personality.

What a treat this book was to read! When I saw the synopsis, I knew immediately that I wanted to read this. Fake dating? COUNT ME IN! I’m an absolute sucker for that trope and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The romance is so sweet that it practically gave me cavities, the angst just *chef’s kiss*. And I cannot not talk about the descriptions of the food. You certainly don’t want to read this book when you’re hungry because the food sounds so freaking good that I just wanted to reach in and give everything a try! The pacing was fantastic and everything flowed smoothly throughout the course of the book. The ending was absolute perfection and made me feel so warm inside. I genuinely have nothing bad to say about this book! I highly recommend it to everyone!

Overall, Fake Dates and Mooncakes is an adorable story that I truly loved!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Books for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be posted on my blog on release day.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for granting a copy for review!

"fake dates and mooncakes" was a very quick, easy & cute read for me. i enjoyed getting to know theo & dylan, who had a very cute relationship as it developed throughout the story. my favourite thing about reading this was the sheer amount i learnt about asian culture and cuisine, particularly about the mid-autumn festival that they were celebrating & the history and stories behind it. this book made me VERY hungry and VERY excited to try out some new dishes! i also thought the exploration of grief and how it affected dylan and theo differently was sensitive.

my main issue stemmed from how quickly dylan & theo became friends/how quickly dylan developed a crush on theo despite knowing him for what seemed like 5 minutes. i think the book could have benefitted from being a bit longer, with more time given to theo & dylan developing their friendship at the beginning. i also thought it jumped around a bit too quickly, from their meeting to the wedding to the mooncake competition. theo was a very stereotypical "rich" person with a posh car, a big house and a BUTLER, which isn't a problem i just found it funny and it kind of took me out of the story a little bit. i thought the conflict with adrian was interesting as it carried from the start of the book, and i wasn't expecting there to also be conflict with theo's dad! that was fun.

overall i had a good time with this book, though i am not sure i was the right target audience, but i would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy queer YA romance who are looking for something easy and heartwarming.

Fake dates and mooncakes is one of the best debut novels I've read and I absolutely love the whole thing
Dylan and Theo compliment eachother so well and none of their chemistry is forced,
The comedy aspect of the story is one of my favourite parts along side the parts where Dylan goes into Chinese history and myths

I recommend this novel to anyone who comes across this review

‘Eclipses don’t last long- but I can’t help wishing this one could go on for a little longer.’

If the cover isn’t enough to entice you, let me tell you that the writing will be!

Dylan and Theo are so adorable together. There’s an ease and casualness to their relationship that often goes amiss in most fake-dating tropes, it’s certainly less awkward but still tension filled! They’re written so well it’s hard to forget that they aren’t real people. I really loved the complexities in their backstories and how well they meld together as a pair.

I was not expecting that plot twist at the end of chapter 24! I love mystery subplots. I laughed, cried (a lot) and squealed while reading this gem of a story.

This was a beautiful tale, I loved learning more about Chinese culture while following the romance. I can’t wait to read more of Sher Lee’s work in the future!

Also an honourable mention for Clover the corgi. The best character by far.

Such an adorable book, I loved every second. I read in one sitting it was that good. I loved the characters and the storyline. Also obsessed with the cover!!
3.5 stars!

This book should come with a warning. Reading this WILL make you hungry.

This is a queer YA rom-com set in Brooklyn and centres around Dylan and Theo. Dylan works in his aunt’s takeout/delivery restaurant ‘Wok Warriors’ and meets Theo by accident when one night, he has to cover for their regular delivery driver.

Theo convinces Dylan to be his fake date to a wedding in the Hamptons where we discover Theo’s seemingly glamourous life isn’t all that it’s made out to be. Meanwhile Dylan has entered the Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake Making Contest that could change his and his family’s life considerably.

This was romantic and funny, as well as providing culinary history around some traditional Chinese/Singaporean dishes. There were also explorations into grief and loneliness that I wasn’t expecting, but were written about in a sensitive and understanding way.

The writing flowed really well and I liked that the chapters were in bitesize portions and paced perfectly. My only critique would be the amount of real-life pop culture references that were included, that would often pull me out of the story (but this is more of a ‘me’ problem than an issue with the writing or story).

Overall it was a fast paced, quick easy read that will make you smile (and your stomach rumble).

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing me with an arc!

I loved Fake Dates and Mooncakes!
The writing was really good and I enjoyed every moment of this book and i couldnt put ot down!
I really did love both Dylan and Theo, their romance was the cutest!
I also love the cover as it's absolutely stunning! 😍
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much. It is just so cute and warm. Full of culture, loss and hope, this book was just the perfect queer YA romcom.

A beautifully written book that made me laugh, cry and cycle through all kinds of emotions.

I really loved our protagonist and his journey as he sets out to honour his recently deceased mother's memory by entering the Mooncakes contest that she wanted to. This book is very much about family, about the lengths we go to for the ones we love, and how, even in the face of devastation, family keeps us going. I really loved Dylan's family and how much they supported him, but also every he was willing to sacrifice and all the effort he puts in to support them too. I also really loved all the references to Singapore/Chinese culture and how much of the food was intigrated into the whole story too.

Fake dating is my all time favourite trope, its always so much fun and I love the barely concealed pining, and I feel like this book did it okay, but it fell a little flat in places. It felt a little rushed and glossed over and like the two protagonists barely discussed the parameters of their fake dating to make it convincing to Theo's family and Theo did just throw Dylan in the deep end by not telling him a single thing about his family and the current legal situation with his Aunt and Father, or his motivations behind wanting to fake date him until it had become a problem™, a problem that could have been avoided if he'd just communicated with Dylan.

I liked the romance, I do think it was sweet, even if it was a tad bit rushed, there were so many sweet moments between the two of them that I absolutely adored.

The last part of the book, primarily the Mooncakes contest and the parts after made me sob uncontrollably until the end. I just thought the whole rembrance and memorial of Dylan's mother was absolutely beautiful, and its so sweet after to see things FINALLY go Aunt Jade's way after all her hard work and all the hardships that had befallen her