This book was so cute!! It was such a fun read and was fast paced. I couldn’t put it down. This author is defo on my “to watch” list!

THIS WAS SO CUTE.

“Fake Dates and Mooncakes” follows Dylan and Theo. Dylan works at his aunts Chinese takeout place, and while running a delivery he meets Theo, a rich guy who instantly he finds attractive. After meeting a few times, Theo asks Dylan to be his fake date to his cousin’s wedding, this starts the kindling of their relationship. Additionally while this is happening, Dylan is working on a Mooncake recipe (hence the name Fake Dates and Mooncakes) so he can enter a competition.

This story was honestly just so sweet and warm. It was pretty light outside of a few mentions of family deaths and DUI’s. Dylan and Theo were so sweet together and the book overall was just a bundle of joy. It honestly made my teeth hurt. Definitely recommend!!!

Adorable meet cute story that will leave you googling where to find mooncakes near you. Dylan and his family were adorable.

I loved the vibe of Crazy Rich Asians! Dylan and Theo are just adorable, just look at the cover! Dylan wants to win the Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake competition, but is distracted when Theo shows up. Theo convinces him to be his fake date at a family wedding and yes there’s too many “fake date tropes”, but this one is so much fun! Thank you to the publisher for a copy.

This was a cute rom com that was easy to read and very enjoyable. I usually am not a fan of instalove but I really did like each of these characters and the relationship between them. I really enjoyed getting to learn about the food we see throughout the story and how that added to the main plot.

First thoughts: this was a really cute read! As a Chinese-American, I loved reading about the food that my family eats on the regular. I enjoyed being able to relate to the main character. My family also owns a Chinese restaurant and I could see the similarities. One thing I would say was that I was expecting a little more out of the mooncake contest - like a bit more development. I would love to have read a couple more pages about the mooncake contest. Other than that, this book was rich in history about food and China which I very much appreciated. Other all, this was an enjoyable book!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is an adorable romance. I love the characters, especially Theo. He may be rich but is also all heart. I am from the Hamptons so I thought it was a lot of fun that it takes place nearby. The difference between the real problems of Dylan and the fake problems of the rich is interesting.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes was so cute! I loved the representation in this book! I thought the fake dating plot line was so fun and I loved the theme of family throughout the book! Insta-love isn’t usually my favorite but I didn’t mind it in this book! I didn’t like Adrians character at all and found him to be unnecessary. The food was so fun to read about!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review!

I love the Singaporean representation!! The focus on mooncakes is so cute. A very fun quick rom-com!

Thank you to Random House Children's, Underlined and Netgalley for the ARC.

I’m not normally a fan of instalove but this one was super cute!! I just wish we had gotten to see the MCs relationship develop a little more. The pacing of the book was also a little funky, it felt like everything yet nothing was happening at once. But overall, very cute read and definitely not something you want to start on an empty stomach!

In Fake Dates and Mooncakes aspiring chef Dylan Tang hopes to save his Auntie Jade's Singaporean Chinese takeout, the Wok Warriors, from eviction by entering a mooncake-making contest. The prize is exposure on a famous Malaysian chef's cooking show. While he is preparing for the contest, Dylan meet the wealthy charming Theo Sommers whose friend is rude to Dylan during a food delivery. Theo shows up at Wok Warriors and raves over their xiao long bao and flirts with Dylan. When he finds out about the restaurant's financial woes, he sends $5,000 to Auntie Jade from a fake grant program. Dylan confronts him and Theo says he can repay him by being his fake date to a wedding in the Hamptons. The familiar fake-dating rom/com trope is developed in a delightfully unique setting as Dylan navigates first-love and family issues. Witty dialogue, Chinese cultural references and delicious cuisine make this a sweet read.

When I started Fake Dates and Mooncakes, all I knew was the information one might glean from the title and cover. I've been pretty tired of reading about rich people, so I was disappointed to find that the love interest and his family are very wealthy. But Dylan and Theo's romance and some of the lovely side characters won me over for the most part.

I loved the aspects of the story that focused on Dylan's quest to make winning mooncakes to honor his late mother and gain publicity for his aunt's restaurant. I was less excited about Theo and his rich, obnoxious family. Theo has some moments, especially at the beginning, where I wanted to shake him, but he did grow on me. By the end I was rooting for Dylan and Theo. This wasn't a new favorite, but it was a solid book that I don't regret reading, and I will keep an eye out for future books from Sher Lee!

I received Fake Dates & Mooncakes by Sher Lee on NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy! I have been so excited to read this since seeing the cover reveal on Instagram and I am so happy to say that the fantastic cover matches a fantastic story!

Romcoms are my absolute favourite, I fall in love with them every single time and I am so happy that this is another romcom added to my favourites! The chemistry between Theo & Dylan was instant and I loved watching their emerging friendship and blossoming romance. I loved that Theo truly liked being around Dylan for who he was and didn’t try to make him change to fit in with the ‘rich crowds’. He just genuinely wanted to be around him all the time. I also loved how Dylan showed Theo more of their shared culture without judgment and though a love of mooncakes which sounded absolutely delicious!

Fake Dates & Mooncakes is such a sweet and heartwarming story with all of the classic romcom hijinks that I adore! This has become an instant favourite that I immediately want to reread!

This book! The freaking book!!!!!!😍💖💗✨🥺🤍

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Adorable and extremely cinematic!! Warning: don’t read on an empty stomach I was SUFFERING. I loved the story so much and the fake dating at the wedding really took it up a notch. I’d have liked even more of that!! I think the weakest link was the relationship (which still worked since I enjoyed the general plot just as well). I really felt them towards the end, but Dylan was talking about falling in love and stuff so early when I barely even heard them have a long conversation. I also wanted a bit more closure with Adrian because he was such a dick and Theo didn’t do much about it???

2023 LGBTQIA+ Pride Month #5 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

I am making my way through my YA backlog, and while I meant to read this book for AAPI month, it sort of fell through the cracks, so here we are.

Again, you can read the synopsis for yourself, so I won't bore you with that, but this is a sort of youngish Crazy Rich Asians (the book/movie is actually mentioned), but gay. The boys are super cute, obviously, but I could've done with less of Theo's friend Adrian. And his butler. And his dad. And a lot of his family. Rich people problems, am I right?

Dylan is a precious cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs. I'm a terrible Asian American in that I've never had a mooncake, but now I want one. LA recs?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

A young boy must cook like never before to save his family business, but can he save his heart in the process?

This story gives Heartstopper vibes, but without the graphic novel illustrations. Meaning, at the end of the story you are left with the warm fuzzy feelings and craving for something sweet.

goodreads wasn’t kidding when they called “fake dates and mooncakes” a crossover of “heartstopper” and “crazy rich asians!” dylan and theo definitely reminded me of charlie and nick in “heartstopper” because their admiration of each other is heart-warming and full of the best intent. i’m also a big fan of novels that incorporate family relationships into the romantic ones. you can see how much dylan cares about his family by the way he works hard to keep the memory of his mother alive when he practices making mooncakes. i also love how involved his aunt and cousins are in the plot - dylan needs their approval of theo and it’s clear that they all approve of him! it’s also easy to see how much theo longs to have a family like dylan … so it made me so happy whenever he’d be invited to dinner. all in all, i thought this novel was a perfect balance of romance, drama, and witty banter … it’s a must-read!

now, we can’t forget theo’s family’s share of appearances and contributions to his relationship! i thought it was so sweet how some of his cousins bonded with dylan’s cousin and how all of them were rooting for the duo! aside from theo’s father and a handful of his aunts, i’d say his family had the right intentions. theo is easily the king of grand gestures and it was really sweet seeing the lengths he’d go to prove his love for dylan! this plot would make the perfect movie and everyone would fall for dylan and theo!

This was such a cute and fun read! If you’re someone who loves books that have food, you’re going to love this one. The focus on the love, care, and memory that goes into making food was done beautifully. This is a romantic comedy with a really cute budding romance, but it’s also a love letter to those who are gone and those who are part of our family by the preparation and sharing of food.

I really enjoyed reading how Dylan let Theo into his life. I love the fake dating trope and Sher Lee did a great job of having some tension build between the two as they worked out how they felt about one another and how their lives could fit together.

I recommend this one for readers who like sweet rom-com books, queer characters falling in love, and readers who want to look up new recipes because the food sounds so delicious!

This was the perfect cute, fun, and quick rom-com that I was looking for. If you're not an insta-love kind of person, this may not be for you, however, if you can get past that, this is the book for you.