Fake Dates and Mooncakes was a light and heartwarming read. It follows the story of Dylan Tang, who works at Wok Warriors, the busy but struggling takeout joint owned by his aunt Jade. Dylan and his mother had discussed participating in a neighborhood mooncake-making competition before her death. He intends to participate in a mooncake-making competition for the Mid-Autumn Festival to get attention and draw in new customers. Theo Sommers, a stunning young man born into enormous riches, enters Dylan's life. To avenge his family, Theo persuades Dylan to attend his cousin's wedding as his pretend date. While Dylan must constantly remind himself that none of this is genuine. Sometimes the way Theo acts makes their date seem very real. Dylan finds himself getting involved in Theo's family issues. Though, Dylan cannot allow himself to become preoccupied with his competition.

I enjoy watching the drama and antics of wealthy folks. It's a cross between Crazy Rich Asians and Heartstopper. I adored how much emphasis the books placed on family and how we saw two distinct family structures. The entire family Dylan was adorable. I cherished seeing how consistently they stood for one another. Theo's connection with his family, especially his father, is strained. Theo and Dylan share comparable experiences with heartbreak and loss while coming from different worlds. Theo and Dylan had such a wonderful romance, and their personalities were endearing. My favorite parts of this book were the narratives of all the delicious foods and Chinese culture. Yes, it was quite generic and expected. Both the romance and its concepts might have been developed more. Overall, this was so sweet, and I recommend it.

Thank you TBRandBeyond Tours and PRH International for my gifted e-arc in an exchange for an honest review.

If you’re reading this, you probably know that I love romances centered around food. I was immediately intrigued by the title of Fake Dates and Mooncakes. I wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me.

The publisher’s summary compares Fake Dates and Mooncakes to Heartstopper and Crazy Rich Asians, and I do understand where those comparisons come from. However, the book doesn’t have the charm of the Heartstopper series or the compelling storyline of the Crazy Rich Asian series.

The story as a whole felt rushed to me. Theo and Dylan went from fake dating to real dating too quickly. I didn’t feel the build up of their relationship that I expected. It is too obvious from the beginning that they like each other, that the “fake dating” feels a little silly. Their romance falls apart and comes back together too quickly as well. Without spoiling too much, I will say that their break up and reunion while hasty, involved so much drama that the moments lost me as well.

Dylan and Theo are both likable characters, but I had trouble investing myself in their relationship. It is clear that they care about one another. I appreciate that Theo wants to help Dylan save his aunt’s restaurant and encourages Dylan to find a way to balance his dreams while honoring his mother’s legacy. Dylan also helps Theo connect with his Asian heritage and helps him navigate difficult family situations. There is just a spark missing from their relationship that kept me from connecting to their story.

I loved the dynamics of Dylan’s family. Dylan lost his mom, but it is clear that he would do anything for his aunt. Of course, he helps out in her restaurant and even does deliveries, but he is even willing to lose his relationship with Theo if it would harm his aunt. I liked the characters of his cousins too, but I wish we got just a little bit more of them.

I enjoyed learning about mooncake making as well. Fake Dates and Mooncakes describes the intricate process in detail, including how they use a butterfly pea plant to turn the mooncake skin blue. The book also features all different kinds of mooncakes made using different flavors and different techniques. I also learned (as does Theo) how restaurants get soup into xiao long bao. I won’t spoil it for you, but it was interesting to learn about the cooking techniques Dylan and his family use. I’ve said for a long time that I want to learn how to make bao, and I feel more inpsired than ever to do that now.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a quick and enjoyable enough read, but it doesn’t have the spark I was hoping for.

I love it when a book matches its pitch! Fake Dates & Mooncakes had the sweet love story of Heartstopper and the lavish, ostentatious backdrop of Crazy Rich Asians. This is the type of book you devour in one sitting! I read the e-arc, but I have pre-ordered a copy because it’s a new comfort-read and I know I’ll want to return to it again.

The hard-working Dylan meets rich boy Theo while delivering food and cue the most adorable romance! I loved their dynamic; Dylan is reserved and slightly anxious while Theo is charming and daring. I thought both characters were well fleshed out as they were likeable, but not without flaws. It was heart-warming to see them grow closer, connecting through their shared culture and shared loss. Their relationship growth felt realistic, which is refreshing. Trust me when I say it will feed your fake date trope cravings. Don’t be fooled by the sweet-looking cover though! The unresolved tension will give you butterflies, and WE LOVE TO SEE IT.

While you’ll mostly swoon and laugh, there are parts in this book that’ll rip your heart out. Sher Lee explores grief so well! I really felt for Dylan, who was taking on the huge task of saving his aunt’s Chinese takeout business. And Theo, having to deal with a somewhat estranged relationship with his father.

There was a big emphasis on family and food. Chinese culture was infused into this book so well, and I learned so much from the little tidbits of history and culture that were expertly integrated into the pages. I never understood people’s fixation on food in books until I read Fake Dates & Mooncakes. My mouth was watering! I think it worked so well here because you can feel the characters’ love for the food. I adored so many of the side characters (Dylan’s aunt is the MVP!) I was surprised how multi-dimensional they were. Whether from a working-class or rich background, there was something to be treasured about every family dynamic here.
You’re missing out if you don’t pick this up! And you’ll be missing out if you don’t check out Sher Lee’s next book (A Magic Steeped In Poison x the queer romance of Dark Rise ??? HELLOOO)

Thank you to the author, Random House Children's Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Touched on heavier topics like grief very well, made me extremely hungry with the mentions of xiao long bao and other food. The relationship was so cute and I loved the ending.

3.75 ⭐️

❝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 book is as cute and sweet as the gorgeous cover suggests. Dylan and Theo are the kinds of relatable characters that make you root for them no-matter-what. Especially Dylan is so adorable that I felt the irresistible urge to hug him more than once.
I loved seeing Chinese culture and culinary traditions explored — even though now I’m craving Singaporean food! Plus, I really appreciated how Lee managed to talk about important themes such as family bonds, grief and dealing with cultural heritage in a very delicate way.

I just have a couple of quibbles:
1. the relationship between Theo and Dylan felt pretty much insta-love. An instant connection/attraction is okay, but I need to see it developed into something stronger, deeper over time to actually like it. Otherwise, the romance always feels a bit hurried to me;
2. at times the story was quite predictable and the ending was a bit rushed. I’d loved to see more of the mooncake competition but it just came up at the very end, playing a minor part in the overall story.

All in all, if you’re looking for a quick, heart-warming read with strong Crazy Rich Asians vibes, this book is for you!

Many thanks to the Author and @tbrbeyondtours for the ARC!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes was such a heartwarming story. Dylan was such a shy and awkward teen who makes you blush along with him, alongside crushing on Theo big time as he helped 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 encapsulated grief so delicately and perfectly, leaving remembrance and the shared family grief to be an undercurrent of the whole book which added some emotional depth. I really enjoyed reading this and I can't wait to see what this author does next.

I have mixed feelings on this, but not necessarily in a bad way. Overall, I thought it was cute, but I still hate reading about rich people not thinking about their connections and the consequences of their actions. I didn't really connect with the characters a lot while reading, so although I appreciated their journeys and relationships, I just wasn't super invested. Would I immediately recommend this? Not really, but I wouldn't attempt to stop someone at all.

I thought this was a very cute and fun gay YA romance! Dylan and Theo are very sweet characters that are easy to root for.

I'm very hit or miss with YA and with romance, but something about this one made me very interested. This book does go through the motions of the usual romance tropes, but they didn't bother me the way use of those tropes usually do. There were some moments where I had to suspend my disbelief, but this book is fiction and maybe some of it can be written off as that's just how rich people are.

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

I just love a queer novel no matter what. So cute! I also love that it was not just another white gay novel!

This was a delight. It was the perfect book for me when I needed something fresh, light, and airy. It's filled to the brim with tropes from the romcom genera, and that might be a negative to some people, but to me it just made me feel comfortable and at home. The ending felt like it fell right out of the script for a late 90s teen romcom, and I loved it. You could tell what was coming from a mile away, but not every book needs to surprise you and have you reeling on your feet.

Sometime you just need some comfort food.

On the topic of food, this book made me hungry every single time I picked it up. The descriptions of the food were mouthwatering, and I want to eat it all.

Overall, this was a wonderful little book that didn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't need to. It's filled with lovable characters, and a rich appreciation for the culture of them all and it was a delightful read.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes filled me with sparkle, joy and hope. This is a pure ray of sunshine that I hope everyone picks up.

This book reminded me of the joy you can get from YA romances. It was just so full of heart, love and brilliant characters. The dynamic and dialogue between Dylan and Theo was sizzling and from their very first (slightly disastrous) meet-cute, I knew I would be rooting for them until the end. Lee does not let their romance just plainly sail though, with plenty of trials and tribulations along the way. Dylan as a character has my entire heart. He was so driven and determined to save his family’s livelihood, while also wanting to pay homage to his mum. That grief has deeply marked him and the raw vulnerability hit home so hard for me.

Of course, I adored all of the food as well. These are such lush and evocative descriptions that had me salivating over my pages. I loved how creative the recipes were and also how tied into familial and cultural understandings of life. Food often connects us to a specific moment in time and allows us to re-experience happy memories. It also is a joyous celebration of culture and Lee leans into this heavily, with it as a key way for Dylan to remember his mum and Theo connect with a culture he was scared of losing.

At its core, this is a pure tonic of hope and happiness against the odds. It just brings so much joy and sunshine into your life and I highly commend that.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes epitomises the brilliance of YA contemporary romance. It weaves sensitive themes, normalised representation, so much food and the type of love that makes you all gooey inside.

Do I even need to say I loved this book? I mean come on this book is on everyone's TBR for a reason! This is adorable and I just couldn't put this book down cause it brought me so much joy! Please do yourself a favor and read this!

This was a light, fun romantic comedy featuring a cute couple and an even cuter corgi. Theo and Dylan's story was fun to read & I rooted for them through everything.

I deduced a star from my reading because of how heavily the author uses tropes to further the plot. Until nearly 70% the only way the plot moved forward was by use of a rom-com trope. I may be in the minority, but I feel tropes should be used sparingly to make the story sweeter not as the sole plot developer. I would have liked to see Theo and Dylan grow as a couple naturally vs constantly overcoming this and that trope.

***Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's in exchange for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. ***

Not just another repetition of the “fake dating” trope, Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee blew me away!!! There is such a lack of LGBT contemporary romances, and this perfectly fills that gap. Dylan is the type of character that makes you want to cry and laugh and hug him and punch him all at the same time. Theo is his opposite, someone who never would have expected to enter into a fake-dating scheme with someone like Dylan.

Definitely give this book a read, it’s the perfect addition to any summer reading list!!

I received this book as a bookseller from NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been following this book for awhile because I am obsessed with the cover. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed by this one, For me, the fake dating trope only works of the couple doesn’t have feelings for each other yet (which in this case, they clearly do) and if the novel is dual POV (I would have loved to get Theo’s thoughts and feelings because he felt very flat to me otherwise). I loved learning about Chinese food culture and I wish that would have been a bigger part of this book.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is so stinkin cute!! I absolutely loved all of the characters - Theo being my favorite because he’s so sweet, but even Dylan’s family seemed wonderful! I don’t read a whole lot of YA books anymore, but I am so glad I took a chance on this one. I really think anybody could enjoy reading this book.

I would recommend to anyone!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

This is a cute YA novel about Dylan, a teenager who is focused on helping his family's restaurant from going under, and Theo, a phenomenally rich and privileged young man who's struggling to find where exactly he belongs. Theo and Dylan have a meet ugly, which then progresses to a number of meet-cutes until eventually turning into a fake dating situation that ends up with real feelings.

There are definitely Crazy Rich Asian vibes to this book. Overall the first person narration felt engaging and immediate, the descriptions of food were splendid, the relationship cute and mostly believable, and the pace decent.

I enjoyed learning about the Chinese and Singaporean cultures/food/traditions. The tight family bonds on Dylan's side were also a plus.

I did have a few quibbles:
it was a pretty insta-like/quick burn as far as the interest in each other, which seemed a bit too fast. Felt a little forced at times, their chemistry not quite what I was expecting. .
the boys share a deep loss and grief over their moms and I think I would have liked more of that explored for both of them, but mostly Theo. He lost his mom and his attachment to his culture.
The family dynamics seemed a bit over the top and it was a bit hard to suspend my belief.
The antagonist characters were very two dimensional and not well fleshed out--mean for the sake of being mean, which made them less interesting.
I know Theo is uber-rich and can basically buy/get/travel to whatever and wherever he wants but it still stretched the limits of my imagination a bit with some of his actions.

Overall an enjoyable book but it stretched the limits of believability in some instances, which took me out of the story. Dylan and Theo are likeable characters overall. Pleasant read, not one I'd go back to.

3.5 stars

Unfortunately, this book just really wasn’t it for me. As a Chinese person myself, I felt like Chinese culture was being spoonfed to me as if I was living under a rock and had no idea what anything meant. I’m also getting a little tired of romances between rich people who are unaware of their privilege and poor people that they’re trying to help. I really wanted to like this book—there are just so, so few queer contemporary YA books about Chinese characters. But unfortunately, I really couldn’t get into this one.

An incredibly sweet YA romance thats low stakes but still packs an emotional punch.

Aspiring teenage chef Dylan Tang enters the Mid-Autumn Festival’s mooncake making contest in an effort to honor his mother’s memory and win money he hopes to use to save his Aunt’s struggling restaurant.

While dropping off takeout to a customer, Dylan has a chance encounter with handsome Theo Somers, who is not at all what Dylan expects from someone who seems like just another spoiled rich kid.

Charming and full of good intentions, Theo is able to convince Dylan to agree to be his fake date to a cousin’s wedding in the Hamptons.

Theo’s world, full of drama coated in glitter and gold, is not at all what Dylan is use to and despite the real feelings he may be developing for Theo, Dylan just doesn’t have time for rich people problems.

But Theo and Dylan’s feelings for him both prove to be very persistent in spite of the many obstacles they encounter along the way.

While I wish some of the themes in this book had been explored a bit more, the story still does a great job of showcasing varied family dynamics and the desire children born of immigrant parents often feel to connect with their parents’ cultural heritage. I really enjoyed it and if you’re in the mood for a quick, sweet romance then definitely check it out when it’s released May 15th!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for this advanced reader copy of Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee to be reviewed.

Please Note: I will post my review on my blog/instagram on the publication date, but it is currently posted on my Goodreads.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Fake Dates and Mooncakes" by Sher Lee
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
✈️ to: New York City
Pub Date: 5/16

"If two people have the destiny to meet, not even a thousand miles can keep them apart."

"Fake Dates and Mooncakes" is a charming YA story about two teenagers -- Dylan and Theo -- who are from very different worlds that unexpectedly intersect. Parts of this book read like Crazy Rich Asians, junior edition, but overall with way less drama and actually only one crazy rich Asian (the rest are your usual crazy rich white people).

My favorite aspect of FDaM was how it talked about the grief of losing a parent and how you honor those who've past and value those still with you. I also learned quite a bit about Chinese traditions and food culture. If I went to Sunset Park in Brooklyn, I feel like the Wok Warriors restaurant would be there.

There's a lot to value in this book, but ultimately I'm only rating it 3.5 stars because, well, I got bored. The plot primarily revolves around Dylan being Theo's fake date to a wedding that wasn't very interesting and then a mooncake baking competition that comes at the very end of the story.