Fake Dates and Mooncakes had me at Heartstopper meets a YA Crazy Rich Asians.

I think I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading. It is such a cute, quick read! Dylan and Theo's story was a fun and romantic ride. I loved how Dylan's culture was such a huge part of the story, and how it helped Theo connect to that part of him as well. Not to mention all the food mentioned--I wanted to try everything!

There were some moments and emotions that I wish would have been explored more, but overall I really loved this story! The stark contrast between Dylan and Theo's worlds was entertaining and heartwarming at all the right moments. The importance of family and love truly shined throughout the story.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a fun, heartwarming YA queer romance!

This was the sweet, fluffy, ya romance that I needed. I loved this book immediately. As soon as I started reading, I could tell that this was going to be a new favorite, and it definitely is!

Dylan is working and living at his aunt's restaurant, Wok Warriors, when he has to make a delivery and comes across the rich and handsome Theo. He is talked into fake dating Theo after Theo makes a large donation to his aunt's restaurant. Theo takes Dylan to the Hamptons, but is this fake dating maybe based on a real crush?

Everything about this is kind and simply wonderful. Even just the descriptions of food have been so delicious sounding. (I've been eating dumplings all week bc I can't just read about dumplings without picking some up at my local restaurant). This is such a comfort romcom read!!!!

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Wow! Fake Dates and Mooncakes is such a sweet romance that made me so hungry! Hungry you ask? Dylan not only makes mooncakes (hence the title) but he also works at Wok Warriors and is consistently describing the most mouth watering food he is cooking/eating. I was starving for all of the dishes featured in this book. Yes, the romance was beautiful, but I was mostly interested in reading about the food and mooncakes.

Dylan and Theo are an adorable couple. They started off on the wrong foot due to a delivery gone wrong, but quickly find themselves fake dating in front of Theo's extended family. It is quite a jump of experiences, but I was laughing out loud at the situations they found themselves in. I felt that they truly cared for each other, Theo just has a lot of money which makes things a lot easier. From the start, I was rooting for their relationship.

The plot was sweet and simple. Everything moved forward at a nice pace. I enjoyed what a nice easy read this was. There were moments that made me gasp out loud, mostly when Theo's dad was mentioned, but I recommend this if you want a cute, easy read. This book will make you feel and laugh out loud at times. I gave this book four stars and would definitely pick up anything else by this author (especially if it has the focus on yummy food). You should check Fake Dates and Mooncakes out later this month if you want a sweet teen romance

[Actual 2.25] Fake Dates and Mooncakes immediately appeals to me as the cover is amazing. Not only does it have the main couple on the front, but the dog is adorable, and the colors are enticing. There is grief and economic uncertainty as examples of trigger warnings for this story. They were expected, but I don’t think there was enough exploration into them. There is some telling rather than showing for this story where elements, like grief, do not have the full emotion conveyed to the reader.

This story follows Dylan Tang who wants to help his aunt’s takeout restaurant in Brooklyn. He meets Theo Somers, and they eventually agree to be a fake couple to a family wedding in the Hamptons. Throughout the story, Dylan’s motivations were clear, but I had a little more trouble finding Theo’s purpose aside from being Dylan’s love interest. As the two come from different economic backgrounds with Theo being richer, there is some exploration of Dylan struggling to believe he can fit in with Theo’s family. The two characters have some great moments together, but I did think there was not enough build up.

While mooncakes and the Mid-Autumn Festival are a goal for Dylan, I was surprised that the competition did not play a larger role in the novel. There is still a lot of great descriptions of food and parts of the competition, but a lot of the story stays mostly with the fake dates part of the title. Since both “fake dates” and “mooncakes” are utilized in the story, the title does work, but I just wish that there was a little bit more with the mooncakes. The fake dating part was well-done as there is the “classic” bits where real feelings start appearing as the two don’t know how the other feels. The connection between Dylan and Theo was cute, but I don’t think it was as deep as it could have been.

The timeline for the story goes from the characters meeting to the fake dating, and then the mooncakes. Each piece is not bad, but I do wish that they were integrated more. I loved the inclusion of culture and food into the story and the main couple were cute together. There are interesting conflicts with some expected and some not which provided a nice mix throughout the story. The pacing was quick, and it was an easy read to do in a single sitting. This novel is very difficult to land on a rating and review as it was both great and not at the same time. I think the concept was interesting, but the execution missed the mark a little. Overall, this was a decent debut novel. While I may not reread this one anytime soon, I would check out more from the author in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Random House Children’s, Underlined, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This book was so cute! I mean, not only is the cover adorable but the story inside had the same vibes as the cover - soft, fluffy and romantic!❣️✨ I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't the cover that caught my eye at first, but that blurb sealed the deal! A fake-dating foodie romance with a mooncake making competition? Sounds pretty much perfect!😍 And it really was!

We have Dylan Tang, a high school senior who has been living with his aunt and cousins after losing his mom. He helps his aunt out at her Chinese takeout business in Brooklyn and while delivering an order he meets Theo Somers in an unexpected way. Despite their rocky start, Theo ends up helping them out when they need it and when Theo asks him to be his fake date to a family wedding in the Hamptons, Dylan agrees. Though they come from different worlds, as they spend more time together, Dylan finds himself falling for him!

Dylan was such a cutie - sweet, caring and hardworking! I loved his family too - Aunt Jade, Megan and Tim were such amazing characters and I loved how they always had each other's backs! And we shouldn't forget Dylan's corgi - Clover too!😍

“Because every story can have a different ending.” Aunt Jade’s expression is meaningful. “It all depends on which one you want to believe in.”

If you didn't already know fake dating is a favorite trope of mine, and I loved watching Dylan and Theo fake a relationship as they slowly got to know each other better!😉 The attraction between them was present from the very first meeting itself and Theo is quite charming too, but they have many things to figure out. And the wedding that they attend and Theo's family brings in a little bit of drama - but in an entertaining way! I felt sorry for Theo at times and I loved and hated some of his family members. But as Theo and Dylan grew closer, I loved how protective they got about each other and they truly encouraged each other to be their best at what they love to do! I also loved the fact that Theo was very clear that he'd never let anyone give Dylan a hard time. And the grand gesture in the last few chapters *swoons*

And don't get me started on those food descriptions! I wished I could eat all the xiao long baos and the mooncakes that Dylan had made but oh never mind I'll just order it😂 Anyway, I pretty much loved everything about this book and the characters, and I'd definitely recommend this one if you're looking for an adorable queer YA romance with fake dating!❣️✨

This was delightful! Fake Dates and Mooncakes made me laugh, tear up, and wish I had all the delicious food described in front of me. Heartwarming and satisfying, this is perfectly cozy m/m contemporary YA romance you won't want to miss.

𝙁𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 is sooo adorable! Loved Crazy Rich Asians but wanted it gay?? Look no further than this sweet/cozy YA! This story has a lot of heart and familial love.

𝙁𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 by Sher Lee (2023)
OUT MAY 16TH ★★★★.5

Dylan is a working class boy whose mum passed last year, he helps his Aunt in her Singaporean takeout restaurant, Wok Warriors. He not-meet-cutes Theo during a delivery and Dylan is entranced even if the delivery itself was embarrassing. Dylan’s attractive with abs that could cut diamonds? ✔️

Theo and Dylan are from completely different walks of life. Theo is ridiculously wealthy, well, his father is. Dylan works in a takeout restaurant and goes to public school.
Dylan has all but written Theo off as unobtainable, but Theo keeps showing up… and needs a date for a family wedding in the Hamptons. But are they truly faking it??

Such a cute, fluffy read that had me smiling and rooting for Dylan and Theo! I loved how Sher Lee wrote Asian heritage and culture into the story, so I learned about various traditions and of course Mooncakes! The writing just flowed and before I knew it, the book was over. It’s a fairytale and unrealistic, but sometimes it’s just nice to dream for a bit.

“𝒀𝒐̌𝒖 𝒚𝒖𝒂́𝒏 𝒒𝒊𝒂̄𝒏 𝒍𝒊̌ 𝒍𝒂́𝒊 𝒙𝒊𝒂̄𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒖𝒊̀
𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔.”

Thanks to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.

'Fake Dates and Mooncakes' is a delightfully queer, Not-So-Meet-Cute in the vein of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

Dylan is a quiet, hard working guy who's struggling to preserve his connection with his late mother and the culture he grew up in, while trying to balance school and helping to save his aunt's Chinese takeout. Surrounded by his loving, supportive family.. for the most part, life is pretty good.

Theo seemingly has it all. He's gorgeous, wealthy, and worldly for his age. There's a kindness to him that Dylan finds almost suspicious. So, when he talks Dylan into being his fake boyfriend for a family wedding, Dylan spends the weekend sort of waiting for the catch and trying to remind himself that none of it's real.

The pair are both lovely and I really enjoyed the slow, inevitable way they were drawn to each other initially. Though they met under strange, even uncomfortable circumstances, I found myself really wanting to see things go well for them.

While Dylan's family is great, Theo's leaves a little something to be desired. For the most part, they're inherently self-absorbed, unpleasant people.. with just a few exceptions.

The romance was sweet, not overdone at all and I love that Lee did not just jump them right into physical intimacy. I also really enjoyed the glimpses of Dylan's heritage through the proverbs his family had carried with them, the expression of how they conveyed their traditions and feelings through their creation of meals, as well as little anecdotes relating to their spiritual beliefs.

This was a really cute, quick read and I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to seeing more stories from this author and would recommend the book to anyone looking for something relatively light that's filled with hope and joy.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is as optimistic as Heartstopper, as fluffy as A Little Bit Country, and as vivid as Lose You to Find me (Erik J. Brown, not out yet). When I started reading, a smile grew on my face. Butterflies whirled through my belly when Dylan and Theo were in The Hamptons, and that first smile never left my face. Those two boys were so adorable together! I loved Dylan's bond with his family, but my heart ached at times because of Theo’s relationship with his dad. I wanted to hug him at those moments and I was so happy Dylan’s family welcomed Theo so warmly. What made this story extra special was the presence of Chinese culture, especially the food. All those descriptions made me drool!

This was a pretty cute, tropey romance. It was one of your classic working-class-hero-enjoys-attention-of-the-wealthy fantasies, which is huge in adult romance, but is an uncommon one for the YA audience. It's not my favorite sort of trope personally (eat the rich) but this story had enough interesting details (cute leads; romance developing from cultural connection; family ties; competitions; food!) to get away with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a story about Dylan and Theo. Dylan’s aunt owns a take-out restaurant on the verge of closing down and wants to enter a mooncake competition in the hope of saving it. Enter Theo, a wealthy boy who keeps coming to the take-out. After donating money to the take-out, Dylan returns the favor by being his fake date to a family wedding.

“'Yŏu yuán qiān lĭ lái xiāng huì,’ I say. ‘We have the destiny to meet across a thousand miles.’ ”

I’m part of the release tour for this book, but it has been on my radar for quite come time! I kept hearing many good and loving things about this book and I can say with full confidence, all of it was true!!

The plot itself was quite straightforward, but very engaging and funny. I had so many times that I was laughing out loud at what the characters said (humor was ON POINT!), smiling like a fool because of what the characters said and so on! I was fully emerged in the story and invested in wanting the best for these wonderful characters!

I really enjoyed the writing itself. It was so easily to follow along and lose myself in the words written! They just sucked me right in and didn’t let go until I finished the book. That paired with the little bits of story and history added in the story was so much fun! You don’t even notice that you learn all kinds of new things haha.

Honestly, these characters were EVERYTHING! I just fell in love with Dylan and Theo and they will remain in my heart forever! I love Dylan’s passion for food, but also his love and the bond he has with his family. Theo as well, he is such an open and easygoing character and they brought up the best in each other. I also really loved Megan and Terri, who bring such a funny vibe and contrast to the story. Also, aunt Jade’s wisdom is something else! She gives such good advice!

The romance was just *chef’s kiss*! It was heartwarming and sweet and amazing! I just love Dylan and Theo and will go to the end of the world for them! For me, they really reminded me a bit of Alex and Henry from Red, White and Royal Blue for some reason haha. They would do anything for each other and not let others stand in their way. I also really loved how there was an instant chemistry between the two and how their feelings surely developed into something more. It was done beautifully and in a very believable way.

I also really love how much this story emphasizes the family bonds, how strong they are and can be, but also the grief a family can face when losing a loved one. The discussions of grief that are in the story are so real and true and it was amazingly done.

I just loved how this whole story played out and how it wrapped up in the end. To be honest, it felt like it ended a bit too quickly hahaha. I wished this story would’ve gone on for another thousand miles! I just loved every minute I spent with these characters and will definitely be coming back to them in the future!

Overall, Fake Dates and Mooncakes is an easy, funny and heartwarming book that stole my heart!

This was a super cute M/M, culturally representative read! I love Dylan, he is so sweet and caring. His character really kept me going throughout the book. I wanted more of him, whether with his family, possible boyfriend, or friends. He never once became something he’s not. Which was really a selling point for me.
Theo was also adorable, in his own way. He wasn’t a snob like I thought he would be. Which was refreshing!
Overall their story is precious, if you’re looking for a charming M/M young-adult type romance, this is for you!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
Genre: YA romcom
My rating: 4.5⭐ out of a possible 5⭐

A funny restaurant rom-com that puts the "com" in comedy!

While Twitter has turned into a bit of a sh*tshow since Musk took over, this was one gem that the Twitter algorithm decided I needed to see. A user I follow had retweeted an announcement from Lee where she’d asked for ARC readers for this book and as soon as I saw the cover and the description, I knew I had to have it!

In exchange for his aunt taking him in after his mother’s death, Dylan works in her takeout helping her prepare the orders and keep the family restaurant afloat. Instead of working with UberEats, Doordash, or another delivery service, the restaurant employs their own delivery people, and when one of them calls in sick, it is Dylan who hops on his bicycle to take the food to the customers. And when a rich customer throws food on him for messing up an order, he has a meet-cute with Theo, the resident love interest. A few shenanigans later, Theo has offered to pay off Dylan’s aunt’s debt in exchange for Dylan pretending to be his boyfriend for his aunt’s wedding in the Hamptons. I am not a big fan of fake dating, mostly because I just don’t tend to read those sorts of stories, but it was the doggo and the restaurant setting that drew me into this story–I am doing the “Read Your Shelf” challenge this year over on Storygraph and one of the challenges is to read a book set in a restaurant, so I figured I could use this book for that challenge. And oh, boy, am I glad I did because this was just a really fun read!

First off, can we all show some appreciation for the PUNS this book gives us?
“Which will give our takeout’s name a new meaning, since I’ll have to wok back.”
Or, when Theo and Dylan are at the wedding and each seat has a packet of seeds on it saying “Please have a seed!” I know some people might think these puns are kind of corny, and in fact, Dylan remarks to himself at one point that his family doesn’t appreciate his puns, but I am a sucker for good wordplay and even the corniest of puns makes me chuckle.

One thing I didn’t enjoy as much about this book was that Bernard, who I barely remembered as being Theo’s butler, was an important character when it came to the climax. He hadn’t had enough page-time in the first part of the book before Theo and Dylan left for the wedding, and then he wasn’t mentioned at all during the 45% or so of the book that was set in the Hamptons, so when they returned to the city in the third act and Bernard suddenly became an important character, I had trouble remembering what his deal was or how he tied in to the story. I wish he’d gotten more of a presence, or that we’d gotten a reminder of some sort during the time the two boys were in the Hamptons. For example, while they’re away in the Hamptons, Bernard calls Theo and asks him what he wants for dinner on Sunday when he gets home, etc. Then Theo hangs up the phone and snarks to Dylan jokingly about how Bernard is so protective of him because he basically raised Theo, etc.

So many other parts of this book made me smile and/or chuckle, I can’t even list them. Most notably is when Dylan remembers how they came to adopt Clover, their dog. They’d started out by fostering her, and took her on a trip to a pet-friendly bed-and-breakfast in the Hamptons, and Dylan remembers how she ran around in circles in the soft, white sand and how that was when the family decided that she was their dog forever and I was just like D’AAAAAW (literally, my highlight on that page is just a bunch of 😭 emojis) Clover wins the best doggo of the year award and this entire book is just one to make you smile.

Thank you to Sher Lee and Underlined Publishing for this free e-ARC! All opinions expressed in this review are my own and have not been influenced by anyone else. I am so excited for this book to be out in the world and can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking for a fun, fast read with a couple of queer teens falling head-over-heels in love!

This book has one of the prettiest covers ever. I'm obsessed. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the contents.

Some great things about this book. I loved that the author provided a lot of insight into the Asian culinary world and Chinese culture. Lee shared a lot about Chinese culture (which worked well since one of the characters is half Asian, but doesn't know much about the culture) throughout the book, especially when it came to cooking. There were brief history lessons on why this food is used or the reason behind this symbol and so forth. I loved getting more insight into a culture that is not my own in a way that wasn't too informative or dense.

The title of this book was very accurate. The first half of the book focuses on fake dating, and the second half on mooncakes. It was a little more integrated than this with talk of mooncakes at the beginning and some fake dating bleeding into the second half, but that was the gist.

Some things I disliked or feel conflicted about. We jumped into things with Theo very quickly. One minute Dylan is having a brief meet disaster with him, the next their hanging out as best buds. I couldn't figure out why Theo cared so much right off the get-go. It would be easy to say it was because he had a crush, but I needed more to it than that. They were practically strangers and Theo was doing all kinds of stuff for Dylan and his family.

As well, there was a lot of telling in this book. As much as I loved the history lessons, they could sometimes get a little clunky. I needed more flow. Even more than that, it was a lot of Dylan telling what was happening rather than the author showing the reader things.

The ending was wrapped up in a nice bow, but I would have liked a little more substance here. In my opinion, this book would have worked better as a new adult novel where it could have explored its themes a deeper and scratched more than the surface on the romance.

Overall, this will not be the best gay romance book of the year. It has lots of lovely themes about class and remembrance and Chinese culture, but it needed a little more finesse.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is an adorable YA contemporary with a love story that will have you swooning and a cast of characters that will steal your heart! I really enjoyed reading about all of the different aspects of the mooncake-making competition, and I’m a sucker for fake dating schemes. The wedding in the Hamptons, the drama with Theo’s dad and Dylan’s efforts to save his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout made Fake Dates and Mooncakes an entertaining read.

I absolutely adored Fake Dates and Mooncakes. It is a super cute feel good romance that'll be perfect for summer. It's not an overly long book but it still feels complete and well rounded. Dylan and Theo are such wonderful characters. They are both seniors high school so this story isn't so much about figuring out who they are and exploring their sexuality. They already know who they are and never hide it in this story. I loved the differing family dynamics and how supportive Dylans family was. This didn't have the typical long drawn out miscommunication trope that some romances have, which I appreciated. The conflict was more focused on the differences between Dylan and Theo's economic status which gave the story a more real and relatable feeling. This book really did feel like a mix of Heartstopper and Crazy Rich Asians. I also really appreciated the representation of Singaporean, Malaysian, and Chinese culture in this book. Not only was this story a cute romance it's also very informative and included so many wonderful phrases and pieces of history.

I can't recommend this book enough. It is heartwarming and full of family and love. It's perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Crazy Rich Asians. I can't recommend it enough! Also definitely don't read this book on an empty stomach because the food descriptions will make you very hungry.

Thank you Random House Children's, Underlined, Netgalley and Sher Lee for providing me with an eARC

Dylan and Theo were absolutely adorable together. This is a fairly short book, so it is a little insta-love, but complications or at times poor communication makes it feel less so. This was so funny and it leaned heavily into some really well-loved tropes such as: There is only one bed, fake-dating, different economic classes (Pretty Woman?), and will you zip me up? but with bowties. The conversations were a combination of wholesome and cute too. Also, Theo really went the extra mile for Dylan.

As many of you know by now, I am an absolute sucker for food books. Not only like actual cook books or food micro-histories, but novels that take place in restaurants, bakeries, boba shops, etc. I love foodie characters. I love cooking competitions. I love books with strong food based themes. I also love food, but these things make a book more likely to be successful to me. Reading about the various Singaporean dishes and the different mooncakes made me hungry. Very hungry.

I have to say something I really enjoyed about this is not only were both of the main characters already out to their families, but their families didn’t care. There was no homophobia within their own families or outside of them in this book now that I think about it. I honestly don’t think there was any homophobia in it at all and to me, that’s refreshing. I’ve read several queer “rom-coms” that still had homophobia as a plot point somewhere in it and I love that this one didn’t. Was there a little family disapproval? Yes, but it was classist, not homophobic. There also wasn’t any racism as they were both, at least in part, of Asian descent. Basically, the lack of any of these things just made it sooooooo wholesome.

If you’re looking for a romance with some extra drama, this isn’t really going to be it. This was cute, cozy, wholesome. It wasn’t overly dramatic. There is a bit, but it isn’t enough for me to consider it a main descriptor. Fans of fake-dating, foodie plots, and cinnamon roll boys will be very happy with this. I’m already on the lookout for my next read by Sher Lee.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is Sher Lee's debut novel. This was such a cute and fluffy YA Rom Com. I couldn't stop smiling throughout this whole book. I no longer gravitate toward YA romance books, but I enjoyed this one. Dylan and Theo were so cute together. I loved Dylan's aunt and cousins throughout the book they were funny. Also, I loved seeing the Chinese culture in the story. Thank You Netgalley and Random House Children's for an eARC I'm extremely grateful. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the e-arc!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a fake dating YA rom-com about two teens who grew up in very different lifestyles. Overall, the book was adorable and I absolutely loved the family dynamic between Dylan, his aunt and his cousins. The amount of detail that was put into describing the culture made me appreciate the book that much more and all the talks about food made me very hungry.

That being said, I am disappointed in the fact that the book was so instalovey. I just didn't feel a connection between Theo and Dylan. The meeting felt very forced and the relationship came out of nowhere. Things were just going way too fast and It felt like the book took place in a couple of months rather than a couple of weeks.

I also wish there was more about the Mooncake competition. It was breezed over throughout the whole book and then brought up again at the end even though it seemed to be one of the major plot points in the entire book.

All in all, the book was a fun, super quick read that can keep your attention for a day or two.

First of all, the title and this cover 🤩🤩
You will enjoy this book if you're up for:
•Queer romance
•Fake dating
•Family dynamics and drama!
•Baking competitions
•Food and Singaporean culture
•Opposites attract

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
I love how this book centers around mooncakes and the autumn moon festival! It gives off some Crazy Rich Asian / Love Don't Cost a Thing vibes. I love all the descriptions of food and Dylan's supportive aunt and cousins. I should mention though that I thought Dylan and Theo were older. I think it would have read a little differently if it wasn't YA. (I LOVE YA! But found some of the storylines to be more adult). I would have loved if this had dual points of views - it would have helped me understand Theo better. But overall I enjoyed it and it was a fun read! After reading I literally searched on youtube: how to make mooncakes 😋

Thank you @netgalley for the advance copy in exhange for an honest review! This book is out next month! May 16, 2023 🌝