Not Your Valentine is the perfect anti-Valentine's Day/Valentine's Day romance.

Written in first person, from Helen's point of view, this novella checks all the boxes—grumpy/sunshine, friends-to-lovers, fake dating, fabulous food, and a healthy dose of steam! (This is an open door romance.) Also refreshing is Lau's leading lady. Helen is intelligent, self-sufficient, and feisty.

After a viral breakup, Helen is feeling anti-romance and all things Valentine's Day. She's also trying to balance pleasing her family and friends who are concerned about her love life, or rather lack of one. So what's a gal to do? Why get a fake boyfriend, of course. The only problem is that Taylor is too good at being the perfect pretend beau which causes Helen to start fantasizing about him and his forearms. Lau ratchets up the "is he into me, or isn't he?" tension perfectly—she's also a master at witty banter.

Set in Toronto over Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day, Not Your Valentine is as decadent as a heart-shaped chocolate cake (with or without sprinkles).

Thanks NetGalley and Kobo Originals for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date January 24, 2023.

I’ve been on a romance kick and with Valentine’s Day coming up I thought that this would be the perfect book… NOPE.

* The book lacked character
* Main characters had no personality which made it hard to get attached to them
* Predictable but not in a good way
* No real conflict other than the usual 85% breakup which even then was just lack of communication

The only reason it didn’t end up on my DNF list is because it was 136 pages long and I couldn’t get myself to not finish it.

Not Your Valentine is a modern masterpiece, a powerful novel that can be read on its own. This novel is written by Jackie Lau. She is a true storyteller, and Not Your Valentine is her best book. It is an epic tale of family, secrets, loss, marriage, betrayal, friendships, laughter, and regrets. Not Your Valentine is a heartfelt novel written with compassion and hope, reconciling the past to pave a road to happiness and second chances. The characters in this novel bring life and heart to this story, each with a distinct voice and personality. They made readers love them, they made readers sad, they made readers angry, they made readers laugh, they made readers cry, and they made readers believe in the promise of love and home.

3.5 rounded up

Helen hates Valentine’s Day. She was publicly dumped on V-Day the year before and became a viral sensation. She’s given up on love…but her friends and fam won’t leave her be to become a weird spinster. So she comes up with a plan: get a fake boyfriend so everyone will get off her back. Simple.

She asks Taylor, her friend of over 15 years, to do the job, and since he’s a sweetheart he accepts. But suddenly all the mushy stuff she used to hate doesn’t seem so repulsive. Our girl Helen turns from grump to cinnamon roll in this fun, slow-burn, spicy novella.

I enjoyed the openness around self-pleasure and the random sex dreams/fantasies (so many ones surrounding bowling 🎳).

TW/CW: racism, abandonment

Heat Factor: “We’ll just bang it out, and then I’ll have it out of my system.” Always a solid plan.
Character Chemistry: They do things to make the other one happy.
Plot: Helen asks her long-time friend to be her fake boyfriend so everyone will stop feeling sorry for her after her last break-up goes viral
Overall: So cute. And now I want an anatomically correct heart cake. And a charcuterie chalet.

For me, Jackie Lau’s style works really well in her novellas and short novels. Her writing is tight and the stories are focused on the central budding relationship, without a bunch of extraneous subplots. Not Your Valentine, which clocks in at 40,000 words (or 135 pages), is no exception. The plot centers on the interactions between Helen and Taylor—dates, flower deliveries, a hot weekend away—and Helen’s reactions to them. There’s just enough space around the edges to give secondary characters some personality as they interact with Helen (but not enough for them to develop problems of their own). Helen’s mom steals every scene that she’s in.

Like Lau’s other Kobo Original (The Unmatchmakers), but unlike most of her other books, this book is told from a single point of view, and that choice absolutely works for this story. It is patently obvious to the reader what Taylor’s feelings are, and, since this is a romance, we also suspect that he and Helen are having similar angst about whether or not to make their real feelings about this fake relationship known. The single perspective allows Lau to get deeper into Helen’s angst, and avoids the repetition of both characters processing similar feelings.

My favorite part of this book, hands down, is Helen. I loved that she was a grumpy misanthrope who hates sprinkles and cinnamon hearts and probably also rainbows and unicorns. I loved that Taylor was a true sunshine hero, who just unabashedly likes these same things, along with talking to people and trying new things. There is a bit of the dynamic where the sunshine coaxes joy into the grump’s life with their unabashed enthusiasm—but it never veers into manic pixie territory. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic was great, but I especially loved being in Helen’s head as she recoils in horror at the thought of cakes covered in sprinkles (while also thinking that Taylor sending her pictures of them is kind of adorable).

I also really liked that Helen and Taylor’s relationship centers on doing things to make the other person happy. It starts one-sided, with Taylor always planning activities for them to do together that Helen would really enjoy. But the important thing here is that Helen recognizes that this is their dynamic—and appreciates that Taylor is so kind and careful with her. (Of course, this brings up feelings of “How would he treat me if I were *really* his girlfriend?” and all the associated longing that goes with it.) Even more importantly, Helen reciprocates. The scene where they go to the light art installation, which is sooooo not Helen’s jam, and she watches the joy on Taylor’s face and therefore enjoys herself, is a really lovely encapsulation of what mutual care can look like. Plus it’s hella romantic and ends with a hot make out session.

A final note: this book is hot. Turns out Taylor wanting to please Helen also spills over into the bedroom. But the hotness also veers into weird terrority, since Helen has a bunch of sex dreams about Taylor that involve bowling shoes.

😬

This is a fun, fast read. If you’re looking for something light and cute, Not Your Valentine is a great way to while away an afternoon—especially if you’re feeling like a misanthrope about all those pink hearts that are everywhere.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

cute valentiny read! didn’t hit that hard for me and didn’t connect with the characters much. but they were still adorable and i will be on the lookout for more books of the author.

Unfortunately this one wasnt for me. The cover is adorable though so I have to give some major credit there. But friends to lovers isn’t a favorite trope for me, I was bored about 15% in, and had a hard time finishing it.

Thank you NetGalley and Kobo Originals for an ARC of this book! Cute, funny read! I flew through it! This is a great contemporary romance and a perfect read for Valentine's Day!

Very cute friends to lovers novella, and bonus points for being set in Toronto (I'm a sucker for Canadian settings). I love Jackie Lau's prickly heroines - they feed my soul!

First and foremost, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to revive this Arc for review

Helen hates Valentines Day. She hates the hearts, the cakes, the decorations. After being dumped by her ex in the middle of a restaurant and the whole scene being spread across social media, Helen vowed to never fall in love again, to never subject herself to heartbreak.

But when she realizes that being alone at twenty-nine and watching her friends and family fall in love, she devised a plan to fake date her childhood friend, Taylor.

When fake feelings turn into real feelings; Helen is scared to face her family and friends and admit she truly has feelings for Taylor.

The humor was great. I really enjoyed it. I wish the author would have developed Helen’s character a little more before bringing in the fake boyfriend. I also didn’t need such graphic details how she got off with her dildo or the extreme details to their banging(?). It didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the storyline. Overall it was a pretty good book.

I really thought I‘d love this book. I usually love fake dating but it felt too predictable and cliché for some reason.
I also didn’t expect there to be so much sex and thoughts about sex and dreams about sex.
For me personally it was a little too much and especially a little too soon in their fake relationship?

I loved the addition of Lunar New Year and anti-valentine’s day. The book made me buy cheesecake at one point and all the food talk made it more fun than I thought.

I didn’t really enjoy Helen as a character. She was whiny and some things were just cringe for me like this whole obsession about heart shaped things.
I don’t particularly like valentine’s day, but hearts and pink are not exclusively for that one day.

Taylor however was great. Sweet, sensitive and loyal. I would have loved to see his pov as well and get a deeper understanding of him but he seemed so genuine and I loved it.

This book sadly was a miss for me but I will try another book by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review!

4 stars

Not Your Valentine was a short and sweet story of Helen getting over her distaste for romance with her long-time friend Taylor (by getting into a fake relationship with him). The world-building was great, the details in Helen's life made me feel like I was living it. I found the descriptions in the book, in general, pretty intricate, from Helen's friends and family to her feelings. Helen's mom was easily my favourite character in the book. She was a mix of being an oddball and intelligent, making her an enjoyable character to read. Like her mom, Helen had the endearing oddball energy, where she lived in her own world of strange dreams and even stranger imagination, yet she was realistic enough to not drift off to her fantasies.
The two things I did not like about the book were; one, Taylor was really sparse in the book. As in Taylor as a person. He was pretty much everywhere as Helen's fake boyfriend, but his personality was not showcased apart from his role as the said fake boyfriend. The second thing that seemed lacking was the plot. The book was just jumping from one (fake) date to another. Everything revolved around the fake relationship, so much so that there wasn't much about Helen's personal life apart from the romancing bit. But I'm willing to not be too upset about it since this was a short book.

Thank you Netgalley and Kobo Originals for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thank you to netgalley and the author Jackie Lau for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. I really loved this one being from Toronto it's fun to be able to know the exact places and things mentioned In the book like finch station, raccoons, ttc distillery district and so much more. I loved the representation the characters were formed so so good and felt genuine like an old friend telling you what happened. I love jackie work and have her blacklist to read. I have bought an ebook copy and hope this one goes to print.

4.5/5

This was a fun short read perfect for Valentine’s Day coming up. It was predictable, but still a sweet story. I gave this book 4/5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

This was fantastic!
After a mortifying public breakup 💔 that went viral 📱, Helen is trying to get her confidence back while also fending off questions and sympathy from her family and friends. One day while at her favorite bubble tea 🧋 spot and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching (as well as the one year mark of her internet stardom) she invents a fake relationship. The only problem? She has to find a fake boyfriend to go along with her plan! Next thing she knows she enlisting her friend Taylor in her scheme and the rest is history! Full of laughs, cake 🍰, family, soup, spice 🌶️ and love - this friends to lovers romcom is gold! 4/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Kobo Originals for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review.

4🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 18/100
💫Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Rom-Com
📖ARC📖
This was such a fun rom-com read that even had me cracking up through the “spicy scenes” because Helen was a character indeed and loathes Valentine’s Day and for good reasons. Her inner dialogue was hilarious and made me lmao so much. I can relate so much with her walls being up and not being the mushy kind of person people except you to be. All the characters except for Charlie were awesome and added the sprinkle to this story. Fake dating trope with some spice, food, heartbreak, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, family, and laughter made this one a unique story. Do not read this book on an empty stomach 😆 I loved all the food references from charcuterie chalets, wine, cake, cheese trays, pasta, rigatoni, hot chocolate with lots of mini marshmallows, and dark cocoa bars ummmmm yes please include all my faves in this book. I also loved Taylor, and my black hear made of ice wanted to squeeze him maternally and punch his mother too. Only reason I removed a star from this rating were the small grammar errors, and I felt it was a bit too predictable but don’t get me wrong I still loved this book. If you need a good pick-me up read, this will definitely have you laughing your socks off. Best part it’s been released as of January 24,2023 so run and get it y’all. I’m definitely reading more of Jackie Lau’s books!
💫Thank you NetGalley and Kobo Originals Publishing for this amazing and enjoyable read in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #NotYourValentine

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammersunite
#bookreview #booktok #book #books #booksarelife #booksaremagical #bookrecommendations #bookrecommendation #bookclubforintroverts #booklovers #booklover #fictional #fiction #fictionbooks #booknerd #bookworm #bookworms #bibliophile #comtemporaryromance #bookboyfriend #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreader #arcreader #netgalleyarc

Loved this book! A Fun Valentine read that I enjoyed! Funny and a sweet treat with likeable characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book - I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a really sweet and funny, friends to lovers contemporary romance. It hits all the right squeeze your heart spots and Helen and Taylor are a really cute couple. Helen is a little grumpy, which gives her character some depth. Taylor is a cream puff.

Treat yourself to something sweet this Valentines Day.

This book was short, sweet and to the point. I loved the long time friends to lovers theme.

Helen has been embarrassed by her previous breakup so much so that she feels the need to create a fake relationship. Helen and Taylor create a fake relationship to help Helen get everyone off her back.

This story was cute but somewhat predictable. There was friendship, lust and love with a little spice along the way.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to this Read Now story.