"Super Fake Love Song" by David Yoon follows the story of Sunny Dae and his transition from nerd to music front man. When Sunny meets a new girl in school, she mistakenly thinks that he is a musician and Sunny falls into the trap of lying to her so she'll think he's cool. The book tells the tale of this lying rabbit hole and how identity wraps around everyone so tightly, is it even possible to change?

I love the premise of this book. The themes are right on the money for young adults, and this book would be a great fit for that audience. As an older reader, I felt somewhat lost at times due to specific items or phrases that might mean something more to a teenager. Jamal at one point said something that I had to re-read several times to decode. Overall though, the theme in the book of nervousness and identity and being who you were meant to be... it is timeless and the novel explored these things well and in depth. Plus, the ending left me feeling hopeful, happy and definitely pleased with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and engaging book! I enjoyed David Yoon’s previous book and this one did not disappoint. The characters were fleshed out, and the plot was entertaining. It’s not the weightiest book I’ve ever read but if you want an enjoyable, easy read with an interesting but sometimes frustrating protagonist, this might be a good one for you.

I loved Frankly in Love by David Yoon, so I was very excited to download and read Super Fake Love Song. Unfortunately, this novel just didn't draw me in the same way Frankly in Love did. I couldn't connect with the characters and felt like the book was missing some of the depth that I loved in Yoon's previous work. For me, this was not my favorite.

This book had a really awesome premise where a high schooler named Sunny pretends to be in a band to impress the girl who just moved to town named Cirrus. Sunny is anything but a rockstar which makes the lie even more complicated. The book has a very funny romcom style to it that I can definitely see being made into a Netflix movie! Unfortunately I don’t think this was the book for me. I really wanted to like it! I absolute love the cover and the premise sounded amazing but I had a hard time getting past the nerd stereotyping and the bullying from the jock which the coach let happen. I also don’t listen to heavy metal or screamo music and that is what Sunny is pretending he’s interested in and plays and I was under the impression it would be more of a rockstar and rock music vibe. But I did really enjoy his friendships with Jamal and Milo!! But despite not hitting it off with this book I still think it would make the BEST Netflix romcom movie because it has the perfect vibe for that.

Thanks so much to Penguin Teen for the ARC of Super Fake Love Song! I was thrilled to have access to such a highly anticipated book. As a book and food blogger, this story went straight to my heart and stomach because I discovered some delicious food surprises in the story that just might make it into my next posts!

The story centers on Sunny Dae, a consistently bullied and chastised "nerd" who now takes on that persona, despite how he feels about that word . Sunny and his friends love all things fantasy, LARP, and creating their fantasy content. They are happy together. However, new girl Cirrus Soh walks into Sunny's world, and everything flips upside down as a terrified and nervous Sunny accidentally takes on the persona of his older brother and finds himself in a web of lies that might just lead to self-discovery.

The first reason I loved this book is how the importance and tenderness in young male friendships is highlighted. Sunny and his two friends Jamal and Milo are very close. They share words of affirmation, they say they love each other, and they support each other no matter. I was really blown away by their dedication to each other, and how important it is for young men to see that they can partake in big friendships. I haven't read too many books with such loving male characters, usually I find male relationships fraught with trauma. I think it is monumental for young male and male identifying readers to see that loving your friends and telling them so is perfectly respectable and encouraged. Readers should pick Yoon's latest book because it will open your minds to more acceptance and compassion.

Another thing that struck me was even though Sunny follows the thread of a gigantic lie and there will always be repercussions, he discovers news things about himself in the process. Sunny learned that he does not have to be ONE thing. He can be multi-faceted. He doesn't just have to be a self-proclaimed nerd and stick to what is familiar to him. He can be himself, the glorious nerd he loves, while experiencing new relationships, new activities, and new thoughts. Overall, Super Fake Love Song leaves readers with the message that you can be true to yourself and take risks. You never know what you might gain.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Super Fake Love Song is a fun YA rom com about Sunny Dae a self-proclaimed nerd who pretends to be the frontman of a rock band to impress the new girl in school, Cirrus Soh.

I really enjoyed the plot of this book and loved the character growth that Sunny went through to realize who he is and what he truly values. The lengths he went through to convince Cirrus of his rock star status were really funny at times, and I was definitely rooting for him and his friends to succeed in pulling off the show! What ultimately knocked a couple stars off for me was the tone of the narrator and some of the dialogue that felt forced and a bit obnoxious. I can see how it was true to that kind of “try hard teenager”, but I felt like it could’ve been toned down some and the effect still would have been there without being as grating to read at points.

Overall, despite finding some parts a bit cringe-worthy I did enjoy this book and am definitely interested in checking out Frankly in Love, David Yoon’s other YA novel. Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

This story was super cute! And the characters were so silly but 100% lovable and hilarious. I loved how close and adorable the three boys were and a just wanted to be their fourth friend throughout the whole story. There were a few bits that were a little slow and that’s the only thing that kept me from a full 4 stars. But this one was really fun, lots of laughs and awkward giggles! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for my copy.

DNF 43%

The plot of this book sounds straight out of a guilty pleasure Disney Channel movie I’d typically enjoy, but I just could not get past the writing style. This book reads more like middle grade than YA, and overall feels very juvenile. Especially the excessive use of onomatopoeia and the simplistic dialogue. This may be a fault of the main character Sunny’s voice overall, which just comes off as very immature. He does so much telling rather than showing of his nerdiness, and it doesn’t do well to make him likable when he and his friends come off as the bumbling comic relief rather than the protagonists.

I wasn’t going into the story expecting anything revolutionary, and sure enough, skimming through the book tells me the story plays out exactly as you’d expect.
Other readers may enjoy this book as a cute, simple, silly romance with a nice sprinkling of Asian rep, but the overall tone is just not something I can get engrossed in personally.

*I WAS PROVIDED A DIGITAL GALLEY IN RETURN FOR MY HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION*

I was really excited about this book and thought that it'd be a great rom-com with a fun plotline. I was, apparently, wrong.

For one, the main character is over the top and annoying. He was quite rude and just plain disrespectful to his friends and teachers at times (in the beginning of the book, his teacher asked him and his friends what they were doing--as they weren't even participating in the class assignment--and he just shrugged her off and literally shooed her away by being "weird").

Another thing was that the secondary characters throughout this book weren't fleshed out well at all. The parents are like 16-year-olds in adult bodies, and Cirrus felt more like a concept than an actual character.

Along with that, I honestly just did not like the writing style at all. It was overly descriptive, weirdly paced, and I didn't like how "nerds" were stereotyped throughout this book. The author made it seem like nerds were supposed to be weak, LARP-loving people who couldn't give two thoughts about the purpose of sports. We all know that isn't true, so I'm not sure why it was written that way.

Overall, I was severely disappointed. I won't be picking this up for a reread in the future.

This novel was the perfect mood booster for the beginning of gloomy fall. As an infrequent contemporary reader, I was greatly surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. Sunny, our leading man, was extremely likable and a very well written character. However, I found Cirrus to be lacking in her development as a character. I adored their relationship and enjoyed the pacing of their relationship. Overall it was an amazing read!

Sunny meets Cirrus and she thinks he is really cools and they hit it off. Only problem: Cirrus thinks Sunny is in a rock band when Sunny is actually a big nerd.

Sunny has a series of lies and has himself so deep he fears he can’t get out now. He is recognized at school, gets invited to parties, Cirrus likes him... Can he actually pull this off?

Super Fake Love Song was super cute! I love David Yoon's writing style. So many nationalities are represented in this book and I love it! It may be a bit young for me being in my 40's so I am trying to keep this in mind while reading it. This book would be great for a young teen to young adult. It has everything I have grown to love about rom-coms. You get a look at jocks and nerds in this book with a dash of romance. Lets not forget about the family drama! You must read if you are a Yoon fan!

3 stars
~
David Yoon has crafted another adorably cheesy rom-com perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins or Sandhya Menon, though not his best work, it's still worth the read.
This book is unapologetically cheesy and cliché, so if that’s not your cup of tea, it probably isn’t the right read for you. But if you like the cheesy rom-com tropes, I 10/10 think you should pick it up.
Super Fake Love Song was one of my most anticipated releases of fall 2020, and it fell just short of living up to my expectations. I think on it’s own it’s a good book, but Frankly in Love is just ELITE, and so there was really no way SFLS could have held up.
I wasn’t Sunny’s biggest fan. I’m not sure why. He was fine, I just never really connected to him. Cirrus felt very underdeveloped too, although I did really like her character, I just think she needed more. We know only surface level things that felt like they were written to be deep, yet we know very little about her wants, dreams, what she enjoys to do… She had so much potential, but fell flat. I feel like that happened with almost every character. Gray was the only character that I saw as well-developed. The novel revolved too much about Sunny and his melodrama. It got old at times. I wanted so much more of Cirrus, Jamal, Milo, Gunner. The characters felt flat. It was neither a plot-driven or character-driven novel. It felt more like a drama-and-teen-angst-driven novel, which isn’t something I enjoy. It’s realistic, yes, but it can be annoying when not done right, and this just wasn’t done quite right.
In the end, it was good. It had problems, but Sunny and Cirrus’s romance was cute, and if you like angsty teen rom-coms, definitely check this out.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I’m so glad I got to read it early! I definitely would have finished this a whole lot faster if my reading slump hadn’t gotten in the way.

This was just a fun, feel-good book. I love the premise of getting yourself into a mess you created and just faking it til you make it. I definitely think if you get the chance to listen to an audiobook version, it would be so much better that way. The voice was written in a way that was very relatable and easy to read.

One thing I was a bit annoyed by way just the whole “manic pixie dream girl” thing but I felt like the main focus wasn’t really Sunny’s huge crush on Cirrus but more about Sunny wanting to fit in and not be the “loser” he thinks he is and just regain his confidence in himself, I guess.

I did really like his friendship and especially his relationship with his brother. I’m a big sucker for friendships and family so that was great to read. I can definitely just imagine this being such a fun adaptation as a coming of age, finding yourself kind of film.

If you enjoy nerdy friendships, wanting to fit in, accidentally-desperately lying because you want to seem “cool” and getting yourself sucked into a whole ploy about being in a band and now you have to go through with it, and cosplaying and DIY fun, this is for you! I would recommend this to anyone who wants some great sibling dynamics, name puns, and a feel good novel!

I was a little wary of this book at the beginning because some of the dialogue and the actions within the book seemed more middle grade than young adult. However, as the story went on and I got to know the characters better, I started to love the story more and more. I still think that some of the dialogue needs work, specially not using the term bull sparkle, but I really enjoyed the characters and how their relationships progressed over time. I also loved the ending. I knew it was coming, but Yoon was able to do it in a way that it didn't feel too cliche. I think this book would be great for readers 13-16. I think at 21, I am just not really the target audience.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing an ARC of Super Fake Love Song.

I want to start off by saying I do not feel one way or the other about romances where someone is pretending to be someone they're not. That trope doesn't bother me so much, so with this book, it wasn't an issue. I DNF'd this book at 25% and I'm unsure if I am able to give a review that would be applicable to the entire book, but I will review what I read. I love contemporary romances and this being a YA romance was right down my alley. However, at around 4% I noticed that the characters in this book were written in a very cliche way. For example, the "nerds" in this book were often portrayed as weak, unable to do anything that required physical activity, and in turn, were only good for LARP (live action role playing). Another odd cliche was that jocks (particularly football players and cheerleaders) were written to seem "dumb" and were only good for their sports. I had an extremely difficult time with the way the characters are written, and even the main character often seemed condescending to the other characters in the book.

Though I read only to 25%, I read enough to know that the writing style simply was not for me. The idea of the book definitely seemed rather cute, and I'm sure the romance would have been enjoyable, but unfortunately it was so hard to get past the beginning of this book. This was my first David Yoon book, and I am a huge fan of his wife's works. But for me, this was a story that I will not be continuing to read.

I love this so much. There is this underlying theme of poking fun at yourself, feeling like the world is going to end. I loved getting to know Sunny and his friends, Cirrus is great too! But man, Gray!!! I am in LOVE WITH GRAY!! I want a story all about him!

I was really excited to read this book because I really loved David Yoon’s last book. However, I was very let down. The concept of lying about who you are to date someone just isn’t for me, which is strange because I love the fake dating trope. Sunny lying about who he is though, was not a fun plot for me. I also was not a huge fan of the writing. Sunny’s parents were written like 16 year old boys. Lastly, I didn’t care about the main couple at all.

Okay, so I'm going to be honest and say that I 100% requested this because I loved the cover so damn much. Seriously. Just stop and look at it for a bit, the color scheme, the art and the design are just *chef's kiss*.

Super Fake Love Song follows Sunny Dae, a nerd extraordinaire, who panics when he meets the beautiful and cool Cirrus Soh, and lets her believe that the uber cool room she goes in is his own, not his older brother Gray's. Soon his lie turns into pretending that he's in a band with his two geeky best friends, and keeps spinning out of control from there, until he's suddenly practicing to perform on stage in front of people, hanging out with the popular kids and living a completely different life that he didn't think was even a possibility for him before this. Of course, all things must come to an end, and as Sunny's lies dissolve he has to pick up the pieces and figure out who he really is.

I really wasn't sure how I was going to like this book when I first started it. I had been struggling to get into it, and the way Sunny would separate himself from everyone else and talk sometimes reminded me of a John Green character, which was really off putting. Luckily, I got more used to it, and things started to pick up once I hit about the 40% mark. That's when Sunny started becoming more relatable, and the plot started moving forward, rather than just introducing us to his world and diaspora.

David Yoon did such an amazing job with his characters. Every character that appeared in Super Fake Love Song had such a distinct personality, and in a unique twist, they all had a complexity to them that I feel tends to get left out of side characters, especially ones that aren't going to be receiving a spinoff novel of their own. Cirrus and Gray were my two favorites, but by the end of the book I loved them all. Gray and I are currently kind of in the same place in life right now, and it was both weird and kind of relieving to see another character go through the things I'm trying to figure out. In a way, the Sunny at the end of the book was almost reminiscent of my teen self as well, and I'm just so glad I decided to finish things.

There's one complaint I have about this book that I don't want to ignore, but please keep in mind that the version I read was an e-ARC and not a finished copy. Towards the start of the book, Sunny is talking about how there's almost no Asian kids in his school, and then goes on to list being Indian as one of the only other non-white or Asian ethnicities. Which, is uh, really incorrect since India is in fact, part of Asia. I know other reviewers have pointed this out, so I'm really hoping that the finished copy of this will have corrected it.

Overall, Super Fake Love Song was a funny and complex coming of age story, where Sunny learns about who he is, and falls in love along the way. It's nerdy and emotional and definitely something you'll want to pick up if you love contemporaries.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from @NetGalley.

I'm a huge fan of David Yoon's other book: Frankly in Love and I was so excited to receive a copy of his upcoming book, Super Fake Love Song. This book has all the rom-com feels. I did have one issue with it: Sunny is a nerd and is super into LARP. I know someone else also mentioned this in a video that she didn't like the fact that Sunny was portraying the stereotypical nerd. I loved reading about the friendships and romance in this book. I think publishing companies should consider publishing YA books that focus more on friendships than romance. I'd love to read more books like that. Overall, Super Fake Love Song is still pretty good and I think you should consider reading it if you're a fan of YA contemporary.