Jackie Lau never disappoints! This was a cute, fun great read. Worth picking up on Valentine’s Day or any other day of the year!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau.

I am giving Not Your Valentine a 3.75 star rating. I thought this book was a cute and fun read with a happy ending after everything that happened to Helen Tsang. This is similar to other cute romance books where one of the main characters ask a friend to be their "fake date/fake bf/gf".

I enjoyed this book. It was the first one I read of Jackie lau and won't be the last. I recommend to anyone looking for a quick read.

Quick read about an anti-Valentine’s Day FMC who turns into a sappy love found for her bestie. Fake dating tropes get me, but friends to lovers is something I try to stay away from since it’s so predictable for me! But, Taylor was great, Helen was okay, and honestly not much to say other than charcuterie chalet - lord, if that was mentioned ONE MORE TIME!! Once is fine, but goodness. That’s what the story became about. Otherwise - quick and easy to read!

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Sadly this was a DNF for me. I couldn't connect in any way with any of the characters. I found them lacking.

enjoyed this book i love reverse grumpy sunshine. i also totally relate to the fmc and enjoyed the book a lot :) thanks netgalley for the e arc

We follow Helen, who had a horrible Valentine’s day the past year due to a public breakup gone viral. So this year Helen decides to ask his friend to be her fake boyfriend to stop the pity looks.

This was such a fun little read! I loved grumpy Helen and chill Taylor and seeing them come together and figure things out.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book, but mostly a love-hate relationship with the main characters. Helen is frustrating and has the potential to ruin it, but Taylor is fantastic and has the potential to make it great. Their friends-to-lovers relationship could have been SO much more, but Helen was honestly just so anti-love that it ruined the first half of the story. That being said, the writing style was good and some of the characters were likeable, so I would definately read another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this rom-com about a woman who says she's not looking for love, especially after being dumped on Valentines Day in a very public way. To get people off her back about getting back into the dating scene , she creates a situation with her high school friend to pose as her fake boyfriend and get her through the next year's Valentine's Day. Little does she know her friend has loved her from afar for years . What will Helen think and what will happen when Helen find this out and puts her feelings and his to the test.


Short, easy read. Sweet ending.

Also reviewed on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5795436713

Jackie Lau delivers another delightful dose of romance with "Not Your Valentine." The fake dating scenario between Helen and Taylor, filled with Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day charm, adds a unique touch to this Asian-Canadian contemporary novella. Lau expertly captures the uncertainty of budding romance from Helen's perspective, making for a short and sweet read that's hard to put down. A perfect blend of tried-and-true tropes and refreshing twists. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I LOVE Jackie Lau so I was excited to get this ARC. She did not disappoint. A cute romcom - an easy read which gives you all the feels. A definite read if you love romcoms - and Canadian authors!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This novella was ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! I always enjoy Jackie Lau's writing, and the characters in this story are just delightful. I loved how she brought in the grumpy/ sunshine trope, but Helen (FMC) is the grump, and Taylor (MMC) is the happy, positive, people-person. I thought the fake dating scheme worked well here, and the relationship still evolved in a natural way. I think my favorite thing about this story, though, is the body positivity. Taylor isn't super tall or muscular, but Helen thinks that's perfect. She has some insecurities about certain body parts, and hearing all of these things be normalized is so refreshing! I would definitely recommend this to friends!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the E-arc.

Helen had a terrible breakup that was recorded and that went viral on Valentine's Day. Since that day she has sworn off love and relationships.
A year later, Helen's family and friends were very concerned about her relationship status.
For New Years, as most people do, her friends were setting new years resolutions. When asked what what her resolutions would be, Helen was adamant that she would not go searching for love.
To ward off any unnecessary attention and looks of pity, she decides to ask her friend if he would consider being her fake boyfriend.

I loved how the story was set in Toronto, the characters using local transit, the delays that only Torontoians can relate to and local eats.
We definitely need to see more stories set in Toronto!!

Helen and Taylor had a cute 'fake' relationship and there was plenty of steam!! From cute heart shaped cakes to bubble tea and wonton soup, this book was a fun read.

I love books that take place in areas I'm familiar wit.
Imagine my delight that this takes place in Toronto, a place I know well.
Taylor and the supporting characters are wonderful and added so much to this shorty of a book.
I didn't really care for Helen most of the time though.
There were moments when I really liked her, and others when I wanted to shake her and yell "what is wrong with you!".
The spice levels in here are off the charts without being too much for a short book, hard to do.
Very deceiving with that cutie of a cover.
Overall I would recommend it to anyone who likes romancey books.
Much love to NetGalley & Kobo Originals for my ARC.

This book was not very memorable, and it was almost too cheesy for my taste. I expected a lot more, especially being a short book.

This was a very quick cozy read! I love how there wasn’t a super angry breakup 3rd act scene. The characters are very relatable and I love how Taylor is not a stereotypical man like most romance books have!

I would definitely recommend this to any romance readers! It’s not too long and it’s a sweet story!

I love love love fake dating. It is one of my favorite tropes, so I was intrigued by the description alone. Helen as an MC was unexpectedly delightful and I loved her grumpy attitude, especially regarding Valentine's Day. I think it was an excellent short read, but wish there was just a little more "oomph" for the book overall, but the plot was good and it kept me entertained through the read. 3/5

If I had nosy family members and friends like Helen did, I too would call up my old friend and suggested a fake relationship to get them off my back lmao

Jackie Lau's food descriptions always make me hungry and very keen to visit Canada now now now

Very entertained by this book.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and Kobo Original for granting this e-ARC.

A short and light book to read, consisting of 130ish pages. Tells about Helen that want her family to shut up about her not dating and decided to ask her best frien, Taylor, into fake dating her. such a cute story about fake dating! aside the sweetness, the book has a little spicy to it. I enjoyed reading it.