This was a tough one to review. Since it's a novella, I had to go in with the understanding that the storyline may be expedited due to the limited number of pages. I thought that both Helen and Taylor were adorable characters - and I genuinely appreciated that they were friends for a very long time first -- but I was very confused about their original friendship, because it seemed like no one else in Helen's life really knew about Taylor or met him. I have friends (both male and female) from every aspect of my life, and they all (at least loosely) know of each other or have even become friends through me -- so to have a long term friend not really be known by anyone is extremely weird.

Helen also moved through the stages of denial and then through a rapid change in how she felt toward Taylor extremely quickly. Again, I know it was a novella, but it seems like she must have had a crush on him from the very beginning, even just subconsciously, to have been able to move the bar on her feelings that far.

Ultimately, I found this very entertaining and cutesy, but it wasn't very memorable, and I'll probably forget the characters a few books from now...

This was so sharp and well-written—I loved the heroine so much. I think Jackie Lau is so talented and is telling some really important stories. I can’t wait to read more from her!

Alright, those cute romance hits a couple tropes: reverse grumpy v sunshine, friends to lovers and fake dating. It’s a bit of a slow burner but is still enjoyable. It take a bit to get to the spice, so hang in there! I now have a new red flag to watch out for: anyone who doesn’t like soup 😒😒 I loved that the main characters liked each other for who they really are and didn’t try to get them to change, even though at first glance they are polar opposites. Overall, a good book.

Helen has sworn off love. Last Valentine’s Day she got dumped publicly and a video of it went viral. But everyone around her is worried about her. When she mentions to her bubble tea guy that she had a boyfriend in passing, she saw the words work their magic. And when a friend from high school gets in contact with her? Taylor might just be the answer, and he seems to actually like being in relationships (and Valentine’s Day! 🤢)

This was such a cute and quick easy read. I was very surprised by the amount of spice a lot more then I ever expected by the looks of the cover. For some reason I never thought cakes would be the pun of the book despite the banking cover hints. I rate this a 4 star as it’s was a cute easy read. Didn’t wow me over the top to be 5 stars. Though if you are looking for a cute easy read with a bit of spice I recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

I’ve read a few books by this author and enjoyed them all but this one wasn’t for me. I found it quite dull and struggled to complete it even though it’s 136 pages. There wasn’t anything that gripped me unfortunately.

Pleasant read for my last book of February 2023 Valentine's readathon. Super sweet novella where deep issues were not avoided to simply get to the romance. Spicy scenes were earned. Expectations were gladly met.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kobo Originals for providing an eARC for an honest review.

I need to start this review by saying my birthday is Valentine's Day so I will GOBBLE up anything that is themed around it. I have read a few of Jackie's novels and thoroughly enjoyed them and this was no exception. I love a good grumpyxsunshine and sprinkled with some fake dating. I know it's totally impractical in real life but I dont care! I loved watching a "I hate love" lead all of sudden progress into a "well maybe love isn't too bad" girlie! This was cute, witty and light and I will totally recommend it to others.

2.5
This was cute and really short. I never really felt for the FMC. I never bought her sudden attraction to Taylor. But I did feel for Taylor. I'm a fan of grumpy sunshine and it was fun to have the FMC be the "grumpy" one.

This was such a cute little novella! It was super fast-paced, which I don’t normally enjoy, but knowing it was a shorter story I let myself overlook the incredibly quick progression of their relationship. It was an easy read with some good spice thrown in, and a short little epilogue to wrap things up. It did feel a little like a Wattpad story, and ultimately I do wish it had been a little longer to give the story more time to develop.

This was a really easy and light read. The main character, Helen Tsang is fairly relatable, and the novel reads like a bubbly good friend telling a story about a guy she met. Unfortunately the plot fell short for me, being predictable from the start and lacking the substance I usually enjoy in character building. A quick, somewhat fluffy read if you’ve had a long day and don’t want to apply your mind too much.

I like a grumpy/sunshine fake dating story as much as the next person, which is why I initially requested this book on Net Galley. However, the writing from the jump put me off to the extent that I stopped reading, a rare feat where I’m concerned. In an attempt to clear my net galley backlog, I picked this book back up and buoyed by the description after reading it again, I resolved to make it further than the first chapter. And while I did ultimately finish it on my second go around, I unfortunately did not really love any of the characters or the main relationship, and the hyper conversational writing style did not grow on me.

This is funny, spicy, and one of the best depictions of friends to lovers I've encountered. Perfectly bite sized but... Greedily, I wish I could have spent more time with Helen and Taylor - or at least Mrs. Tsang!

I was excited to read this book as reading the blurb, but quickly found myself losing interest. Unfortunately, this book was just a miss for me. It felt very flat and almost one-dimensional. I didn't connect with the characters at all.

Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau

Helen hates Valentines day she had a major break-up on Valentines day that went viral on the internet. She has friends that care about her and a family that does as well but she feel pressure from all of them for her to get back out on the dating block. Her best friend who she has known since high school agrees to be her fake boyfriend.

This is where the fun begins he takes her on really nice dates and she starts to fall for friend. This is a really good feel good story where fake dating takes place. Everyone buys it that she is actually dating again Helen takes pictures and posts them on social media of their dates.

I really liked the slow burn and fun Helen had. I did not care for her pushy mom though but in the end she was their for her daughter.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kobo Originals for a free copy of Not Your Valentine for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Valentine's Day + Fake Dating sounded like a match made in sweet, chocolatey heaven, but unfortunately it just wasn’t quite the perfect match for me.

Reading the blurb, I was intrigued by the story that Lau presented, and I still believe that this holds promise for the right audience, I, however, struggled to find myself emotionally invested and believe this plot would have been better suited to more words and space that allowed for the emotions and the tension to develop more intimately and believably.

Helen’s feelings for her friend, Taylor, read more of an instant-love and it felt as though everything just sort of happened, and I craved that delicious build up between them. I longed to dive into these characters and their backstories and to lose myself in the romance simmering between them, but I felt rushed through the pages while the desire for more still lingered by the end.

If, however, you’re looking for a cute, easy read about an anti-valentine heroine, meddling families, and the sweet pining of a friend, then Not Your Valentine might be a match for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kobo Originals for the early copy.

Such a cute lil read, loved this book!! Perfect quick read with a sweet love story. Helen was so relatable

Jackie Lau has once again written a beautiful novel that features Asian characters in Canada who have a passion for food, an aversion to romance and some fun quirky personality sparks! Not Your Valentine is a fun fake relationship story where Quinn has asked her friend Taylor from high school to be her fake boyfriend for a while to convince her female friends and family that she is ok and over her viral breakup from Valentines day nearly a year ago. While she is over the break up she never wants to date again, or at least not at.the present time so she creates a fake relationship. And her fake relationship starts to turn into something that she could see herself enjoying as a real relationship. She enjoys their time together, the sweet flowers, gifts and support he provides her but she also knows that it has to end because she is not his type and he will want to start dating for himself soon.

You'll want to read Not Your Valentine to know what happens between Quinn and Taylor, whether they end up together or with other people and how each feels about it. Does Quinn find herself in yet another viral Valentines video? Take it from me, you'll love this heart shaped, sprinkled chocolate cake Valentines novel just as much as the hot chocolate with marshmallows when it's cold outside! I promise!

Super cute read. Perfect for leading up to Valentine's Day! Character personalities were well developed. A quintessential friends to lovers storyline.

<b> <i>Not Your Valentine</I> by Jackie Lau is an absolute delight!</b>

<b>Tropes:</b>
-Friends-to-Lovers
-Fake Dating
-Cinnamon Roll Hero

<b>Plot at a glance:</b> It’s almost been one year since a video of her ex-boyfriend dumping her on Valentine’s Day went viral, and Helen Tsang is determined to squash the pitying looks and prodding love life questions from her well-meaning friends and family. A fake relationship should do the trick and she has the perfect candidate in mind: her long-time friend Taylor Li. Single for once and eager to help Helen get through her first Valentine’s Day since the viral dumping, Taylor agrees to be her fake boyfriend and does a very convincing job winning over her friends, family and quite possibly her heart.

<b>Review:</b> Jackie Lau has a really voicey writing style (first person POV) that makes you feel like you’ve known Helen your whole life. It also makes the pages fly right by. Helen is a very relatable and easy to root for character, but the real star is Taylor. He’s honestly the <b>sweetest</b> Cinnamon Roll Hero I’ve ever read. Jackie Lau did an impeccable job with the friends-to-lovers and fake dating tropes. Both were completely believable, which is not always the case with fake dating. I especially loved that readers got to witness Helen and Taylor falling for each other in real-time. IMO, too many friends-to-lovers books come in with one MC already being head over heels for the other and that always makes me feel like I’ve been ripped off.

Overall, I highly recommend <i>Not Your Valentine</i> for any romantic comedy fans looking for a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Rakuten Kobo, and Jackie Lau for the chance to read this digital ARC.</i>

Not Your Valentine is an enjoyable and sweet romance. It follows Helen and Taylor, longtime friends and never anything more. When Helen is humiliated on social media in her previous relationship, she swears off the search for love. But when she needs a fake boyfriend to halt the overwhelming pressure to date again, she decides to ask her friend Taylor. Shenanigans ensue!

Jackie Lau books are always very warm and inviting. While reading them, I feel like I’m drinking hot chocolate on a freezing cold night. Lau’s characters are so sweet and adorable to watch as fake dating leads to a question of real dating. I especially loved Taylor and how caring he was! Not Your Valentine is the perfect short and cozy read if you enjoy fake-dating, sunshine/grump energy, and strong heroines.

Not Your Valentine is available now. Thank you to Jackie Lau, Kobo Originals, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Kobo, Storygraph etc