Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau is a rom-com set in Toronto featuring Emily Hung and Mark Chan. It gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes, with the meddling mother and 4 sisters. It adds the cultural element of being the children of Chinese immigrants and the pressure to be successful because of their parents’ sacrifice and making it “worth it.” Emily concocts a plan to fake date the man her mother wants to set her up with, getting her mom off her back while she continues to write her next book and work her shifts as a barista. The problem starts when the fake dating starts to feel real.
I love the fake dating trope, so I was excited to read Jackie Lau’s take in this book. Emily is a very relatable millennial woman, trying to be herself and not give into the pressures of doing what is expected. I loved how the book was in two parts, the first from Emily’s point of view, and the second from both Emily and Mark’s point of view. I haven’t read a book written quite that way; I liked the mystery of Mark’s thoughts in the first half and the insight it gave to the second half of the book. Overall it was a fun read!

Such interesting characters and family dynamics make Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie, by Jackie Lau a fun fake-date rom-com. I am new to Lau's novels but looking forward to more!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

When it comes to Jackie Lau I'm all in. And Lau didn't disappoint. This has well-developed characters and a relationship arc that so sweet. Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is exactly the kind of book I’m looking for when I’m in the mood for a rom-com.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is cozy romance a subgenre? If it’s not, it should be, and Jackie Lau would be the Queen. Her books are all warm hugs, and this one is no exception. As always, Toronto is a main character in her stories, along with Emily, a writer/barista. She’s the only unmarried one of five sisters, and her mom is pushing her toward Mark, who doesn’t seem like her type at all. But she wants her mom to leave her alone so she asks him to fake-date. But as always, nothing is what it seems, not even her mom’s motivations. Jackie Lau is so consistent, and I love how she writes about food in her stories.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the free e-Arc. The following is my personal review. I am a fan of Jackie Lau she writes such authentic characters and complex relationships with family friends and partners. This none was done so well I loved the cover. Definitely recommend to others

Fun fake dating storyline. Opposites attract. Nosy family. Supportive friends.

Emily’s mom REALLY wants her to date Mark, her friend’s son. But they are total opposites so Emily proposes a fake dating situation. Because, obviously 😉 Fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie to come out May 7, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Thank you to Atria Books for the opportunity to read this before it comes out on May 7th! Emily had me cackling from the beginning. I loved her voice and her narration of what was happening was entertaining to read. Even though I kind of knew how it was all going to play out, I found myself excited to keep reading. I like a wrong first impression, and it was rewarding to see the layers of Mark peeled away to reveal a thoughtful and supportive man. I hate reading on my phone, but I had no problem doing it for this book because I enjoyed it so much. The Asian American cast of characters was a huge plus for me, and I saw aspects of my own family in Emily’s. As someone who used to have a difficult relationship with my own mom, I appreciated the development of Emily and Judy’s relationship. This was a cozy romance that you won’t want to miss out on when it comes out in May!

I love Jackie Lau’s romances, I’ve read most of them and her writing is always funny and fresh and her couples are some of by favorites but this one just didn’t hit for me like her previous ones did. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it and read through it fairly quickly but the plot is too similar to her past romances and while I love the fake dating trope this romance just wasn’t my favorite. It’s still a solid three stars for me though and if you love Lau’s romances, definitely pick this one up!

This book was so fun and cute! I absolutely love the fake dating trope and think this book did it so well!

Learning more about the publishing aspect of writing a book was interesting. I also enjoyed connecting with the main character and her many anxieties

I enjoyed this read, but it took me awhile to really enjoy the MC's. The FMC is abrasive at first and her family kind of sucks to be honest and the MMC doesn't seem fully fledged out. I wish we learned more about him, even after we got his perspective. All in all, it was a cute, quick read and I will definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love Jackie Lau and this is probably my favorite of hers yet! I love the fake dating trope and it’s done so well here. This book is fun and sexy and sweet and has just the right balance of family drama and humor to make a complete story.

This was the absolute sweetest fake dating romance! I loved so much about these characters, but I think what I loved the most was the totally relatable family drama we got on the side. I love fake dating and this one was perfect!

A cute, sexy and quick read. I've really come to enjoy Jackie Lau's books. This is a tad predictable in the best of ways for a contemporary romance .

Loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice, Love, Lies and Cherry Pie is an all-consuming, compelling romance novel with such a delicious fake dating storyline. Primarily told in a single point of view, a second is added for the second part to help provide greater insight into the already intriguing and relatable characters. As a romance, Love, Lies and Cherry Pie is super cute and fun that, despite a slow start, had me curious to find out the end game and HEA.

Meddling mothers? I can relate to that.
Emily and her mom made me laugh and SMH at the same time.
Of course Mother knows best! Always has and always will.
Even I found that out the hard way!
Best Rom com I've read in awhile. I finished in one afternoon. I didn't want this story to end. So very good.
I'd love to read this author's works again. She's very good at making you feel like you're a part of these characters' lives. She will draw you in from beginning until the end.
Emily and her mom will definitely keep you turning the pages to see what happens next! I wasn't disappointed at all!.
The cover of this book will make you drool that's for sure! I loved every minute.
I love cherry pie laugh out loud.
5 stars for making a pleasant afternoon of reading and relaxing. I highly recommend this novel.
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first read from this author and it was very enjoyable. Had a lot of great moments, lots of food, and family doing what family should. Mother always does know best!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book.

I have enjoyed Jackie Lau's previous books so I was excited to read this ARC. It's also great to note that she's a Canadian author and this book is set in Toronto. It was the wonderful fake dating trope (which I love) Emily, the last of 5 daughters to be married, is 32 years old and is always being pressured to get married by her family, especially her mom. Her mom has been pushing a man on her to date so she agrees to 'date' him. She cooks up a plan to 'fake' date him and make up stories of their dates. However she is being tracked (her mother is quite the lady) so they have to go on 'real' dates. A fun romcom with lots of laugh out loud moments and sweet, tender moments too. You root for Emily and feel for her for having to put up with her meddling mother.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is so so so cute. I confess I'm a sucker for a fake dating trope, but only when it's done well. This was done very well. It had just the right amount of nervous energy, and the complications felt realistic and were smartly resolved. Very sweet and fun!

You had me at fake dating. Jackie is a great rom com writer and I loved this book. Lots of family love represented in this book as well. Lots of great moments in this story.

loved this romance that started off fake dating to get the mom off their back. Loved the family and the sisters . Loved that he wasn't what she expected and that he did want to fake date her. Loved his cat and that he talked in a certain voice and had an Instagram account for his cat. Loved the ending.