1 Sentence Summary: Dylan Tang is planning to enter a mooncake making competition to save his family’s struggling Chinese takeout business, but when a disastrous first meeting with wealthy Theo Somers somehow leads to him being Theo’s fake date at a cousin’s wedding, Dylan starts to fall for Theo; however, their worlds are completely different and Dylan can’t afford any distractions if he wants to win.

My Thoughts: This was so adorable and fun! It’s a perfect lighthearted romance and will definitely get you out of a reading slump. And the food!!!! Warning: this book will make you extremely hungry and crave Asian food. I loved all the Singaporean and Chinese culture too.

It’s marketed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Heartstopper, and that is accurate. The romance was cute and the ending was so heartwarming. My only complaint was that their relationship developed kind of unrealistically fast and seemed very much based on physical attraction.

(Also, can we talk about how gorgeous the cover is???)

Recommend to: fans of cute YA romances that feature cooking and culture.

(Warnings: swearing)

🥮Book Review: Fake Dates and Mooncakes🥮

„The roundness of the full moon represents reunion—not just among family, but also between lovers.“

Book: Fake Dates and Mooncakes
Author: Sher Lee
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance (YA)

When I heard of this book, I immediately thought it was going to be a five star read for me. Fake dating AND they come from two different worlds? Yeah, I was sold! It sadly didn’t totally live up to the hype I’ve created in my head.

Dylan Tang lives with his aunt and his cousin’s ever since his mom passed away last year. His aunt owns an authentic Chinese/Singapore takeout place in Brooklyn, that is on the verge of closing down. Dylan wants to win a mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teens, in order to gain more publicity for the restaurant.
Enter charming, cute and super rich Theo, who always seems to be helping Dylan out. Theo wants only one thing in return. For Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

➕I really enjoyed the dynamic between Dylan and Theo together. The romance seemed very believable and wholesome. That’s the kind of queer romance we need more of.
The wedding was my favorite part of the book. It was so messy, but in the best way possible.
The book made me chuckle a few times, which I don’t do often while reading.
I loved learning about the history of mooncakes and the food descriptions were very detailed and profound.

➖I feel like this book could have really benefited from a dual POV. I felt very disconnected from Theo and he didn’t really have a personality, imo. It would have been great to actually read about his experiences with Dylan's grandparents.
I feel like another 50 pages or so would have been great. The competition was so anticipated and then it was just over in a blink.
All the grownups were extremely cringey, especially Bernard. Their dialogue was just very cringe. I don’t know how else to describe it.😅

Overall, I didn’t absolutely love this book, but I do think it’s very cute and that many young queer readers will benefit from this story.

A big thanks to Sher Lee. #Netgalley and Randomhouse for my eArc in exchange for this honest review.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a cute YA novel full of delicious food descriptions and teenage angst. I enjoyed all the descriptions of the food, and the couple is very cute. However, I think this book was written for a very specific audience, and it definitely was not me. This book delves a lot into Chinese/Singaporean culture and history, and while I thought this was interesting, it was extremely heavy-handed. Additionally, maybe I am just too old for this bc reading the passages with sexual undertones about teenagers who are not even legally adults left me very VERY uncomfortable. So if you are in high school and interested in learning about (SE)asian culture, this book would be a great read.

Getting into the 'educational' aspect of this book, I can clearly tell that Sher is passionate about her culture and wants to spread awareness of it. And don't get me wrong, I absolutely love that and support it, but it was just WAY TOO overdone in this book. Half the conversations are people mansplaining things to each other or just info dumps about why a certain tradition exists or why things are done in a certain way. The way this knowledge is disseminated seems incredibly patronizing, and I didn't enjoy it at all.

On the relationship development, I found this to be wayyy too much of a fast burn. The attraction between these two just blossomed so rapidly and I don't recall reading any concrete events/discussions that would really catalyze their emotional connection. While there never were moments where i could pinpoint 'oh this is where they developed feelings,' there were many cute moments showcasing them as a 'couple.' There was plenty of fake dating angst but I couldn't really understand why Theo and Dylan were so drawn to each other outside of physical attraction, Like maybe Theo liked Dylan bc he helped him connect to his culture and both boys have similar familial circumstances (dead mother + absent father) but it didn't seem anything more concrete.

In line with this lack of relationship development, the book didn't flow very well for me. Some parts dragged while others moved so quickly it was hard to connect the sequence of events. I understand that Lee had certain things she wanted to emphasize so the rest of the issues seemed to be just brushed under the carpet. Like how Theo is welcomed back to his estranged family for playing the violin as his cousin walks down the aisle,,, I do get that is incredibly nice and touching and a beautiful sentiment, but I don't see how that one act can fix years of tension and familial issues.

Also Bernard.....I have absolutely no idea where he came from...popped into the story as a pivotal character and then immediately dropped back into the background. His entire character seemed to be made entirely to push plot...there is no consistency in his character and no consequences for his actions. He is portrayed as Theo's de facto father, barely appears in the beginning (til the point where he reemerges at the end I had no idea who he was) and then suddenly acts like a Gossip Girl teenager, before rapidly returning to obscurity.

And note: this book is written in first person present tense, which I normally don't like, but I didn't mind here. This writing style made you feel incredibly immersed in the book and you felt what Dylan was feeling in the moment.

This book has the makings to be good, and Sher Lee definitely has potential as a writer, I just found the execution to be a bit lacking. I absolutely adore the concept, I just felt like Lee only wanted to focus on the things she found interesting and every side plot was tied together with a neat little bow 'for Romance Reasons.'

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Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75/5 ⭐️

This was really adorable! Dylan and Theo’s relationship was so wholesome and sweet. The fake dating to real dating timeline was really well done and felt really natural. You could tell they had chemistry from the moment they met. Dylan’s relationship with his family was also adorable. They loved, cared, and supported one another no matter what and the moment they realized Theo was important to Dylan they treated him like family.

My main critique is the pacing in the beginning, it felt very rushed. It was go go go from the beginning. It made it hard to connect with the characters and they didn’t feel as fleshed out as they could be. Once I got about 35% in the pacing got way better and I enjoyed the story and the characters a lot more.

Overall, if you love fake dating and wholesome relationships keep an eye out for when this comes out in May!

this was a fast read but really cute! I adore the dog in it. I didn't always like the love interest but like how it was all fixed at the end.

I loved reading this. There were so many lines, dialogue and thoughts, that made me giggle. The writing is stunning in that it is the exact blend of real but zany at the same time. The characters often say what we're all thinking, or tease in the way we all would, and it comes across so authentically it charmed my socks right off.

The romance is adorable and the tension sizzles off the page. The author does an incredible job of baiting romantic moments, of teasing the kisses and then yanking the rug out from underneath the characters- and the reader!

I highly recommend for those looking for hilarious dialogue and a movie worthy rom-com.

This was a sweet little love story. There was surprisingly A LOT of drama for a YA romance, and it gave me some SERIOUS “Gossip Girl” vibes. This book offered a sort of immersion into Chinese culture, and I loved how authentic it was and just how much culture was there.
The love story was general pretty low angst (like I said, lots of drama elsewhere) and it was a pretty quick and easy read.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Random House Children’s. All opinions are my own.

This book is so sweet!! It gave me immediate Heartstopper vibes.
I love the inclusion of LGBQT, diversity, and so much more education and knowledge that was in this book.
It is a fake dating trope which is always a fav. It’s quick, easy, lighthearted, and truly just fell in love with the characters💕

This book was SO different from books I’ve read before, specifically with the inclusion of culture so seamlessly. I learned so much about the history of mooncakes, which I just HAD to put more research into after finishing the book. I loved the story, I loved the premise. I loved the characters.

Adorable book. Quick read fake dating troupe Insta love. Makes you look at things in someone else’s shoes. Couldn’t put it down loved it!

I absolutely adore LGBTQIA+ romances and this one did not disappoint.

The cover is adorable, the writing is amazing, the storylines are great. I have no notes. I can't wait for everyone to read this book!!!

Sher Lee's Fake Dates and Mooncakes offered the best of both worlds, as well as food! It was also a pleasure to meet all the characters.

Absolutely loved this book! This book should come with a warning, because all the descriptions of the food made me so hungry. Also, as a Blink, I loved all the mentions of Blackpink

One of my favourite things about the book was how much the characters family was involved in the story. I feel a lot of times YA books just focus on the two love interests and the family disappears into the background, however this book gave us time mostly with Dylan's family, but a peek into Theo's family during a wedding.

I devoured this book so quickly, and it left me hoping for a sequel. I wasn't quite ready yet to say goodbye to these characters.

I like how the book balanced light-hearted sweet moments, but also discussions of grief.

Fake dating right in the title? A cooking competition that could save a family business? SIGN ME UP! Fake Dates and Mooncakes did not disappoint. We follow Dylan, a young teen who is living with his aunt and cousins above their struggling Chinese takeout in New York following the death of his mother. He meets wealthy young socialite, Theo, on a delivery that went horribly wrong and from the jump, Theo is very interested in Dylan. While getting to know each other, Theo ends up sending the business a check for $5,000 from a fake Foundation to help them out and when Dylan confronts him, a truce is proposed. Theo wants Dylan to pose as his boyfriend for a family wedding. What could go wrong here?

This was such a sweet story focused on the good bad and ugly of family dynamics, chasing your dreams, and having the confidence to let love find you where you are at.

This id definitely my new favorite MLM YA Romance. SO CUTE!!! I genuinely loved this one so much, there was enough angst to keep you hooked and the plot was written very well! It was so cute and refreshing to read a LGBT romance story where the main conflict doesn't revolve around the characters sexual or gender identity. Ugh im obsessed with them and I cant wait for its release

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this ARC. What a wonderful debut by Sher Lee! I loved this book and Theo and Dylan’s relationship. Everything about Fake Dates and Mooncakes was done so well! I loved the fake dating trope and this was my first time reading it in a male/male relationship so I really enjoyed that.

This was such a delightful read! One of the comparisons was of Crazy Rich Asians which I definitely agree with! The wedding scene was one of my favorites - I loved the chaos of it all. I loved how family was a big theme in the books and how we got to see two very different family dynamics. Dylan has a very close relationship with his family and you can see how much they all care for one another compared to Theo who has a bit of a strained relationship with his family especially his dad.

"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."

But only semi-beef with this book was that I wished Theo was a bit more developed? I felt like I really didn't know him besides the fact that he was Dylan's love interest. I definitely liked his grand gesture at the end but I didn't feel any connection or any strong feelings toward him in general. This book was also only written in Dylan's POV so that could also be why I felt less toward Theo.

*I received and arc from the author through NetGalley and this is my honest review*

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read to & review an ARC of this book!**

Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
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Things I Liked:
-The focus on family & found family.
-The romance! Theo & Dylan are so cute together!
-The way the author highlighted culture & the impact of culture.
-The focus on culturally significant food & the descriptions used to help the readers picture the foods fully.
-The focus on not allowing others to control your life (making decisions that are best for you regardless of what other people may think or them trying to control you).

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-The only thing I can think of would be that I wish there had been a little bit more time spent at the mooncake competition & Mid-Autumn Festival, but that is something pretty minor.

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars.

I was so excited for this book when I heard about it and was even more excited when I got the opportunity to read it before the official release. This was just so stinkin cute! It had one of my favorite tropes: fake dating and everything was centered around food! Dylan and Theo were adorable too and although they came from vastly different backgrounds, they were similar in the ways that truly mattered.

Dylan is just trying to help his Aunt keep the family take-out restaurant afloat, all the while still grieving the recent loss of his mother. Then in walks Theo, handsome, rich, and devastatingly charming; he is the polar opposite of Dylan. Yet, when Theo asks him to be his fake boyfriend for a family wedding, Dylan finds it impossible to refuse. Dylan is quickly thrust into the world of glitz and glamour, cagey relatives, and Theo's distant father who is certain Dylan is nothing but trouble. Not to mention the constant eviction threats from the landlord at the restaurant/apartment Dylan and his family work/reside in. Dylan is certain that him and Theo are destined, but with forces constantly trying to tear them apart, he's not so sure if he's strong enough to hold everything together.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes was a queer romance, relatively low angst, and had lots of feel good vibes. A sweet YA that any teen/young adult could enjoy.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a light, fluffy read for lovers of teen romance. I really liked the writing style; Dylan had a distinctive voice and used inventive, quippy phrases to describe his circumstances and emotions. All of the information mentioned about Chinese and Singaporean culture and cuisine was introduced in a natural, conversational way that flowed with the story, rather than in a heavy-handed, didactic way.