Rounded up to 5 because I felt really happy at the end.

Some books you read and have no word to describe them except delightful. That's this.

Emily is feeling the pressure from her mother to get married, and constantly being pushed in the direction of Mark Chan. Both 1st gen children of immigrant parents, they have unique relationships and expectations within their families. Their first meeting doesn't go well, but life (or mom) puts them in front of each other again and what better way to solve the problem than to...fake a relationship. And like every great fake dating book, the fall from show to real feelings is so sweet.

Emily is a solid character - balancing her love for her family and her sense of duty with the need to be true to herself, and have the work that she does be recognized by those around her. She's got good friends, a family she has a positive if at times dysfunctional relationship with, and dreams that she wants to achieve. Her humor was fun as well, and once she finally gives in to all that is Mark Chan, it's adorable.

Mark Chan is stern. No nonsense. Practical. Scheduled. And finds himself attracted to women who are different than him. I enjoyed him - he's going between frustrated and flabbergasted so often, but also overcomes some of his walls and protective coping skills to go after what he wants. He also uses that sternness during spicy time which had me giggling and kicking my feet.

I was delighted, I loved every minute of reading this, and was completely charmed by the world of the story and the characters.

There is something to be said for an author that can redeem a book or character. The first half of this book is a thought for thought single pov; however, the second half is a dual pov that I feel much improved the overall book. The ending and the switch to dual pov is what added a fourth start for me. I’m glad the ending and second half helped me to like Emily’s character more, and her family grew on me more as well. Overall, it was a quick read that sucked me in even though I was struggling to like our main character in the beginning.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy to review.

“I wish I didn’t care about what others think, but I’ve never completely mastered that skill. I’ve made choices despite those feelings, yet I haven’t avoided being a little uneasy with my decisions.”

Love, Lies and Cherry Pie is a romance novel about two adult children whose parents have made them feel as though their choices are wrong. So wrong, in fact, that the two decide fake dating for the benefit of their parents is the only option.

While the plot centers around this pretend relationship and whether it will become more, this novel covers more, including friendship and relationships within our families.

“He’s upset, but he doesn’t want people to know; when he was young, he was taught that it wasn’t safe to show people his feelings.”

The section of the book above is extremely relatable. While my family has outward similarities with the Hung family, it’s the family’s inner world that is different. At the same time I do have friends where similar extreme set ups do occur and the portrayal of the Hungs rang true. When things go down at the end and Emily must face her parents, the outcome is a relief for the reader as well.

I am a fan of the author and this is another great novel to add to the library. I especially appreciated that the novelist main character shared the same profession as the author, and included a glimpse into the inner life of writers.

I love Jackie Lau's books! This one is a fake dating romance, and to be totally honest, I was worried for a bit that it was too similar to some of her previous books (especially Not My Valentine, which has a similar "let's fake date to get our overinvolved Asian parents off our backs" premise). But Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie ended up being its own thing, and I ended up liking it even more! Like Lau's other books, this one features Asian MCs living in Toronto, dealing with contemporary Canadian life while juggling family and work commitments. The family relationships are always strong in her books, and this was no exception.

This book features Emily as the FMC, and she's an author. Yes, there are plenty (too many?) books featuring author main characters, but this one really engages with the practical side of the industry. Emily is a published author, but she worries about things like her editor leaving her publishing house, how to market herself on social media, and lots of other "book issues." (This feels "ripped from the headlines" but in a fun way, like when Lau starts every chapter with a little snippet of "writing advice" from more established authors.) There are also plenty of "meta" references to romance novels - for example, Emily thinks about POV in her books, and specifically about how fun it is to get a dual POV romance. Up until that moment, this book, like most of Lau's other books, was in first person, single POV. But the next chapter starts from Mark's POV, and we get to see why in the world he agreed to fake date in the first place.

This is a good one!!!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. I was worried that the mother was going to be unbearable, (and sometimes she was too much), but in the end it turned out okay. Mark and Emily were well matched, yet when she'd brush him off, it made me feel sorry for him. Her inner dialogue was quite lengthy, however we got to know her because of it. Her thoughts made her seem younger than she was.
I did like that they had chemistry, and the family issues with Emily's sister were solved by the end of the story.

This one was a fun one. I related to the general premise at the start of the book - arranged marriages or a noisy mother who wants her daughter married off. Emily is an author (I do like a story with characters who are authors) - who is single and just managing the role of a daughter of an asian family. She's set up with Mark - and ends up actually falling for him. Their relationship dynamics were interesting. The family backstory was interesting. Mark was a very unique character - the way he spoke and shared his thoughts. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A super cute fake dating romance that felt very realistic (in so much as a fake dating romance can do that)! There were many cute moments as Emily struggles to convince her family that she and Mark are actually dating, and convince herself that she doesn't actually like Mark. I also really enjoyed Emily's perspective on what millennial life and trying to have a writing career. There was a Pride and Prejudice but with immigrant families vibe to the story that made for a fun, breezy read.

This book really took me by surprise with how much I enjoyed it! It took me a minute to really settle into the story, but once I did, it was hard to put down. The romance was very sweet and Mark and Emily had great chemistry, but the best part of this book for me was the complicated family dynamics. Emily’s mother absolutely drove me nuts at first, but once she and Emily really sit down and communicated with each other, some really beautiful connections happened and her behavior made a whole lot of sense. Emily herself was such a great character. Seeing her confidence grow as a writer and also an adult was really lovely. Mark was wonderful as well and I loved getting his POV in the second half of the book. I definitely would have liked it in the first, but it made sense why it was written that way. I highly recommend this one for fans of the fake dating trope and messy family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Meddling mothers, fake dating, and a realization that sometimes what’s best for you has been staring you in the face all along are all aspects of a romance that makes me fall in love so fast. Emily’s tired of hearing about Mark, a match her mother feels would be perfect for her, so of course she does the only thing to get her family to back off: she pretends to be in a relationship with him. What she soon realizes is that the man who she doubted may just be the love she’s been missing.

I really loved Emily’s family, Mark’s quiet but dominate way of existing in their relationship, and the general way in which their cultural dynamics were beautifully woven into the story to help understand the motivations and behaviors of all of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau. This book was a sweet treat -- lovable characters, a tad of spice, fake dating, family drama, and one of my favorite tropes -- writers writing about writing. It's a quick read if you're looking for a laugh-out-loud rom-com.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is a super cute fake dating romance! It follows Emily who feels like she can never live up to her parent's expectations despite being a published author and Mark who her mother is desperate to set her up with. Since Emily is the last unmarried Hung sister at 33, she feels all her mother's attention on her. She and Mark decide to start fake dating to get Emily's mother off her back. I found this to be a fast-paced romance with a focus on relationships with parents and siblings. I will say that the first half of the book was not my favorite because while Emily and Mark were fake dating, they didn't go on dates they just made up stories. I felt like we knew absolutely nothing about Mark because they had only exchanged a few sentences so it was hard to believe when Emily decided she had feelings for him. However, the second half really turned around because we got Mark's POV. This helped in developing his character which I appreciated. At this point, I could also see how much Emily liked having him in her life so all those interactions were really sweet. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will say that yes, cherry pie is an important theme in the book!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

This was such a fun, cute fake dating romance.

Emily Hung is the last single Hung sister and with her sisters all married and providing her mom with grandchildren Emily is the sole focus of her mother's matchmaking. When Emily finally meets "The Mark Chan" she is definitely less than impressed. Her mother has been non stop talking about all things Mark Chan and she will be damned if she'll fall for the guy her mother thinks is the one.

Now, if fake dating Mark Chan gets her mother off her back then that's a win in Emily's books. Seriously, what could go wrong? A few fake dates, maybe be seen in public and boom the heat of mama Hung is gone. That is until she starts catching feelings when she starts to see the real Mark and not who she wrongly assumed he was.

First read by the author and it most definitely will not be the last.

**Received ARc through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

Fake dating! In this we have some high pressure from family to be married which leads to some fake dating with the guy Mother set her up with.
It was cute.
I love some dual pov romance and at first with this it wasn’t and I was like… fine it’s still cute but in the second half it turns to dual pov and I really enjoyed it. I love some dual pov when one (or more) is pining hard.
I think the best part for me was the mother daughter relationship and the talks they had. 😭

Thanks to netgalley and Atria for an eARC.

The mother/daughter relationship in this book had me in tears by the end. Apparently I really connected with the whole idea of your parents being proud of you even if you did things a little differently than they'd planned. I loved how their relationship developed throughout the story, and all the family dynamics in general.
I also loved Mark. He was so sweet and understated and had the best cat. I even really enjoyed all of Emily's rants about her publishing career (maybe because I'm a writer too) and Millenial life in general. I found it all really relatable. All around, I enjoyed this book and kept feeling myself being pulled back to it. I definitely recommend it!

Jackie Lau’s books are witty and hilarious. She delves into Asian relationships, especially the mother-daughter relationship. In this book, a fake dating to appease a mother’s nagging turns into a real relationship riddled with doubts and insecurities. Such a fun read,
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A writer with a meddling matchmaking mother insists she has found the perfect guy for her... so she decides to fake date him to get her mom off her back... except she might actually be falling for him. Emily Hung is a writer and a barista, she's chasing her dreams and just trying to get by. She isn't the daughter her parents hoped for and her mother is convinced that if she has a husband/boyfriend, she'll be perfect. Her mother is obsessed with getting Emily to date Mark Chan, the son of her parents's friends who is just so perfect. Emily just wants her mother to stop matchmaking her... so what better way than to get Mark to agree to fake date her after their very awkward first to meet ups. Mark surprisingly agrees, but with Emily's mother watching and having eyes everywhere to see all their dates... Emily and Mark have to actually go on the dates as proof. Yet the more time they spend together, the more Emily is beginning to realize that Mark might actually be the perfect guy (much as she hates to admit that her mother was right). Yet with Emily's family drama, a relationship that started out fake but is beginning to feel very real, and a book to be written, she's got her hands full and something might break. This was an overall pretty cute read. It's an easy read and the drama is fine, I think if you are looking for an easy contemporary romance read, this is for you. Mark is a sweet romance lead, I just was hoping for a bit more from their relationship, and I kinda wish Mark had more depth. Overall, it's a cute and fine read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3.5/5

This was a pretty cute rom com.

I loved the premise- family pressure leads to fake dating. But the FMC was a little hard to like, even though the MMC was incredibly sweet and likeable. And the pacing was kinda slow, which made it hard to stay interested for long periods.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this early.

4.25 stars. The fake dating premise was a lot of fun. I loved the chemistry between the leads. There were some P&P vibes too, with Emily making some wrong assumptions about Mark. It was a very millennial contemporary romance, with Emily joyfully looking up articles to see what millennials “ruined” on any given day, among other things. The structure was also interesting (in a good way!) — the first 50% is told from Emily’s perspective, and the back half told from alternating POV. Finally, and most importantly, there is a cat called Ms. Margaret Muffins.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is a fun story. It's premise is fake dating to ease familiar pressure. It was mildly riminess of Bridget Jones Diary and P&P.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy.

love, lies, and cherry pie was marketed as an enemies to lovers, fake dating romance, which i will have to disagree with in terms of the “enemies to lovers” part. mostly, it’s emily hating mark for silly reasons and kind of turns out as more of an annoyance to lovers, in my opinion. however, despite this, i think that their romance was very sweet; i am a lover of the trope of opposites attract, and this definitely fit the bill.

the strength of this novel really lies in emily, and just how relatable i found her and her struggles of just trying to survive in the world while staying true to herself and her dreams. it kept me hooked when i admittedly might have stopped reading otherwise. i loved the way lau also tied in some complex family dynamics, and the meta commentary on publishing as well, even though at times i feel like too much time was spent speaking on her career instead of developing the romance a bit more or even fleshing out mark’s pov a bit. i got a taste of their romance, but felt as if it could have been really fleshed out if less time had been taken on chapters where she does nothing but talk about how stressful publishing is. it also made the ending feel a bit rushed and out of nowhere since we didn’t see their relationship ship really build too much.

overall, it was a fun read however, and has intrigued me into reading more of lau’s novels.

thank you to atria books and net galley for the arc!