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.

I got this book as a ARC from Netgalley and I was super excited to read it because it looked adorable.

Dylan works with his aunt at her Chinese takeout restaurant named Wok Warriors in Brooklyn. When his mother passed last year Dylan’s aunt took him in. Before his mom died, she and Dylan talked about entering a local mooncake making contest together. Wok Warriors is struggling financially and Dylan knows that the prize money that could come with winning that competition would both help the takeout stay afloat and be a great way to honor the memory of his mom.

Then Dylan meets Theo Sommers, a gorgeous guy his age born into massive wealth. After a mixup with some takeout Theo convinces Dylan to be his fake date to a fancy party in the Hamptons and Dylan nervously agrees to go with him. Dylan has to keep reminding himself that none of this is real, but the way Theo acts the date feels very real sometimes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, had some actual FEELS moments while reading it and seeing Dylan and Theo working together to overcome obstacles in their way. Some of it does feel a LITTLE far fetched, but honestly, it’s a sweet little romance story and I’m willing to just go with it as long as it doesn’t go too far crazy. And this one doesn’t. I think they did a good job balancing the rich kid wants to buy the poor kid everything and the poor kid says OMG NO, I pay my own way.

When Theo showed up at the competition with the exact right sugar AND the flowers from Dylan's grandmother's garden, I CRIED happy tears. I didn't care one bit that it was so over the top. I love that kind of big romantic gesture (IN FICTION, in reality I would probably be a bit o.O).

My only real critique was that the conflict between Theo and his dad seemed like it worked out WAY too quickly and kind of came out of nowhere, I wish that had been a little more developed.

This story had funny dialog and I liked seeing Dylan and Theo growing together. I learned some neat things about Chinese/Singaporean traditions and that was awesome too. 4 stars of 5.

Thank you netgalley and Random House Childrens for providing a free early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute. I loved Dylan and Theo, their chemistry was so cute. Theo discovering more about his culture and being inspired to be with his family more was really nice to see. I loved the side characters as much or more than the main characters and this book gave you such a nice warm dealing while feeling with difficulties.

So cute but wish there was more Clover.

4.5 rounded down to 4

This book is super cute!! It’s a fun ya romcom involving fake dating and tons of food

CHARACTERS: 10/10
ROMANCE: 10/10
PLOT: 9.5/10

Any story with fake dating (if it’s done well) is going to be a favorite, and this was done perfectly! The reasoning made sense, and Dylan and Theo are great together.

The wedding was very fun to read about, and I’m glad a bunch of time was spent there. However, my only issue with the book is that I expected more of it to take place in the restaurant or at the mooncake competition. I didn’t expect the wedding to be that long, and since the book has the word “mooncake” in it, I thought that it would be bigger and take up more than the few chapters it actually had.

Overall, it was a great book, and I really recommend reading this!!!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes was such a cute and lighthearted fake dating romance! Dylan and Theo are so freaking adorable, and their story gave me all the warm fuzzies!

4.5 stars

All Dylan wants is to win the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake competition for young chefs, in honor of his mom. And to help his Aunt to keep her restuarant. A win could be a big deal for them. Enter: Theo Somers. They first meet at a delivery gone wrong, but Dylan and Theo keep meeting.

Theo convinces Dylan to be his fake date to his cousin’s wedding, to help get back at his family. But even though their relationship is supposed to be fake, Dylan finds himself falling for Theo anyway and being pulled into his family drama. But Dylan can’t afford to be distracted from his competition. So, he has to decide if his feelings for Theo are worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Underlined for an advanced copy of Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee to review! Being pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Heartstopper, I knew I had to read it. I will say, didn’t quite see the Heartstopper connection, but definitely the connection to Crazy Rich Asians. If you love rom-coms with fake dating, centered around baking/cooking, this is definitely the book for you!

This book has a lot of the classic rom-com tropes, and honestly, I loved it. Dylan and Theo are adorable together; from the first moment they meet, you can tell they have chemistry. Fake dating? You know that someone is going to develop feelings. If not both. They had an easy kind of relationship. Plus, food! We get to see a lot of Chinese culture through Dylan, especially with food, and it just makes the book even better in my opinion.

Outside of Dylan and Theo, there are some fantastic secondary characters as well. Especially Dylan’s family. They are so supportive of Theo and his dreams, and we love to see it. We also get to see the contrast in Theo and Dylan’s relationships with their families, even with somewhat similar backgrounds. Honestly, it’s part of the reason they feel so connected.

There’s cuteness, there’s the fluffiness you expect from a rom-com, and it will make a great spring read when it comes out in May!

I’m not even playing when I say I was close to giving this one 5 stars. My heart was so full and happy when I got to the end of this book that I didn’t know how to behave. I pressed my kindle to my chest and let out the loudest AWWWW ever.

The most noteworthy part of this book was definitely the culture. WOW! I actually can say I learned quite a bit from it. As you’re reading, you’re actively learning about Chinese festivals, and mythology, and sayings, and food. I now know, and will forever remember, how Chinese soup dumplings (xiao long bao) are made. And the food descriptions? I was constantly hungry because everything sounded so delicious, especially the mooncakes.

Really, I only have positive things to say about this book. Characters? Cutie pies. Plot? Fun times. Climax/conflict? I can believe it. Ending? So sweet I got a cavity. This is the perfect read for when you’re looking for a palette cleanser between smutty/serious books, or just want a feel-good-high-school romance.

Worth mentioning: Theo and Dylan are my boys because they both listen to epic instrumentals (Two Steps from Hell) and the How to Train your Dragon score.

I thought this book was fantastic for a young adult audience. I love Sher Lee's portrayal of cultural traditions.

Review: 4.5 stars

Quote: You Yuan Qian Li Lai Xian Hui = If two people have the destiny to meet, not even a thousand of miles can keep them apart

A huge shout out to the author, Sher Lee, for a copy of the eARC book upon request. This was one of my anticipated releases, and I couldn't wait to read the book.

The story begins when Dylan, who works in his aunt's takeout place, Wok Warriors, has to help with the food deliveries when they are down a driver. During the delivery, he met Theo. Due to further circumstances, Theo unexpectedly visited Wok Warriors, and he and Dylan hit it off. When he learned about Wok Warriors' struggles, Theo donated the $$$ they needed to stay afloat. In return, he asked Dylan to be his fake date at his cousin's wedding. This leads to a fun load of drama, laughter, trouble and fun moments as they slowly fall for each other.

I adore the writing style and the vividness of how the author pays homage to her Singaporean roots through the descriptions of the food and culture that brings me back to my Malaysian roots, like the term "wok hei"! I'm so glad I was reading this while en route back to my motherland, Malaysia, or I will suffer from intense homesickness just from the mouthwatering food described. And let's talk about the author's way of setting the stage for certain events like the rain scene like "two lovers sharing a moment" typically found in Asian dramas.

This is similar to Crazy Rich Asians, where Theo is from a well-off family, especially with the wedding scenes in the Hamptons. There were also some "filial piety" moments which played a huge role in Asian culture. I like how Dylan uses a Chinese proverb to describe his meeting with Theo, and I love how sweet they were to each other. Their upbringing should put them in total opposites in every way, but yet, they are pretty similar to each other in that they value the importance of family, pay homage to traditions and would always put others first, even at the sacrifice of themselves.

It's so wonderful to see a Queer representation where it is acceptable and how traditions are still ingrained despite it. If you are looking for a light, sweet read similar to Crazy Rich Asian vibes, this book is for you.

Looking for a queer, foodie, fake dating romance that’s about love, family (+ family drama👀), and culture? Then this book is for you!

First of all, look at this cover!😍 It is absolutely gorgeous! Definitely one of my favorite covers of all time. This book made me soooo hungry. I NEED to try a mooncake in real life immediately! I liked the characters so much. Dylan and his whole family, including his puppy Clover, were so lovable! It did take me a minute to warm all the way up to Theo, (maybe because he didn’t have any POV chapters, so I didn’t always understand his decisions) but by the end of the novel, he was just as lovable as the other characters.

There were times throughout the story where I wanted a little more, like I wanted a little more depth. But, in the last 40% of the novel, the depth and pacing were perfect. I was expecting to give it 3 stars before that point, but I had to move it up a star!

I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute romance that will definitely make your mouth water!

Thank you Random House Children’s and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: death of a parent

Such a cute, warm & fuzzy rom com! This story follows Dylan, who works at his aunts takeout restaurant with his cousins. He decides to enter a Mooncake contest to help spread the word about the restaurant and, hopefully, prevent the family from being evicted. Enter Theo, a rich boy who meets Dylan when Dylan is delivering food. They enter an arrangement, with Dylan agreeing to be Theo’s fake date to a family wedding. Things take off from there!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that had a lot of common tropes (fake dating and a little bit of insta-love, to name a couple). I really enjoyed learning more about Chinese culture and customs, especially related to mooncakes.

I felt that a lot of the conflict was resolved too easily. Like when someone started meddling in Theo and Dylan’s relationship, they were forgiven almost instantly. It felt a little unrealistic and took away from the story. The story also focuses on grief, with both Theo and Dylan losing their mothers. I wish the author spent a little more time exploring it and showing how the characters felt, rather than telling me how they felt. Overall, a solid 3.5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

I had so much fun reading this book! The characters were lovable. Dylan and Theo reminded my of my teenage self and I absolutely adore them together. The fake dating trope and Dylan's obliviousness to Theo's obvious advances feels SO high school and not forced at all.

I loved the representation, especially seeing Theo learning more about his culture after growing up without his mother. I love any book with food/cooking themes and thought this one incorporated it well. Though it did leave me very hungry.

Another aspect I loved was the family dynamics. Dylan has such a supportive family and they welcome Theo with open arms. Megan and Aunt Jade are such loving side characters and portray asian family dynamics so well. Megan is the perfect combination of cousin and sibling for Dylan. Despite Theo's rough relationship with his dad, he also has strong support from his cousins.

Thank you to Sher Lee, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I immediately added it to my tbr. It has fake dating, mooncakes and Chinese culture. And the romance is spot on!

Dylan wants to win the mooncake contest to help bring in more business for his aunt’s takeout and honor his mom. Theo Somers has it all. The looks, the car, the wealth and a very sweet personality. Theo keeps showing up to the takeout and finally convinces Dylan to be his fake date to a family wedding. And that’s when the drama kicks up to full speed…

I loved this book so freaking much! The characters were amazing and I adored Clover the corgi. Honestly, she kinda stole the spotlight for me. This book deals with loss of a parent and focuses a lot on the family aspect of the story with I loved. Also this book made me hungry so thank you for that!

If you’re looking for a sweet romcom to read for the summer time then I highly recommend picking this one up on May 16th!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Underlined for the e-arc!

AHHHHHHH!!! This was such a cute and charming read. Readers will love the romance between Dylan and Theo, but stay for the beautiful depictions of Asian food and culture. I loved this book so much, and I can't wait for its release.

This is a very cozy read. It’ll make you hungry. It’ll make you happy. It’ll make you long for this kind of sweet romance.

I wanted to read this book from the moment I saw the cover. It's so soft and lovely. The story is also soft and lovely. Dylan and Theo's opposites-attract romance was sweet without being too much. Dylan lives with his aunt and cousins, and he works in the family restaurant, which is barely staying afloat. Theo's super-wealthy but busy and important father has all but abandoned him with a butler and a giant home in Brooklyn with more money than he knows what to do with, but without the loving support Dylan has. When Theo needs a date for an extravagant family wedding, Dylan can't pass up the opportunity to spend a weekend with him, even if it's fake. They learn more about each other and their fake dating arrangement never seems fake. They seem drawn to each other, each providing something the other is missing and they have more in common than they expect. I enjoyed the story, and the characters are likable. Sure, they do dumb things and there are misunderstandings, as you'd expect from teenagers, but they both have heart and they strive to balance the demands of their families, honor their culture, and it doesn't take long for them to admit their relationship is anything but fake.
This book includes rom-com elements alongside the heavier topics of grief and family dynamics. Both boys have people in their lives who care deeply for them, who support them, who root for them and you will too.

I am a big fan of romance, and I have been gobbling up any book that references Chinese culture (pun fully intended). Fake Dates and Mooncakes was a sweet and fun romance with just enough angst and family drama mixed in.

I really loved Dylan’s family and how close they all were. It was so lovely to see how his aunt basically adopted him after his mom’s death. I loved Dylan and his cousin Megan’s brother/sister dynamic. And of course, I could never forget my best girl, Clover 🐶

Theo was a fun love interest. I liked how he pulled Dylan into his world with so much seeming nonchalance, while simultaneously quite obviously (to everyone but Dylan) pining for him. His relationship with his family was a sad foil to Dylan’s family dynamic. It was sweet to watch Dylan pull Theo into his world in return.

I really did enjoy all of the Chinese history and traditions that were sprinkled throughout the story. It made my adoptive China mom heart sing. It was nice to learn more about my daughter’s birth culture.

Overall, I actually found the romance to be a little lacking. I wanted more. I wanted to feel more for these two, but it just fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed the story, but it didn’t floor me.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I gave Fake Dates and Mooncakes 3.5 Stars!

OMG! This book was so cute. Not only did it have the fake dating troupe it also had a beautiful family story as well. As a foodie, I also loved all of the times when the author wrote about food. Cannot recommend this book more.