This was super cute and I pretty much read this in one sitting. I really enjoyed the characters and seeing their relationship develop. I've been reading a lot of "fake dating" books recently and this was definitely one of the better ones!

Love the premise of the book, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, so I was super excited to get into this one, but I felt no chemistry between the couple. Mark and Emily were bland and there was no tension that I was looking for.

Overall, it was a cute book, but not one I’d want to reread.

The fake dating scheme to keep her mom away from meddling was pretty good, even though the mom still meddled with spies all over the city keeping track of her dates with Mark Chan. Eventually had to go on real dates to have proof of her dates which led to having feelings for Mark Chan. Emily’s niece finding her a husband in a father in laws older brother brought in some humor. I was turned off with Emily’s constant complaints of her age, at one point she called herself a senior citizen, she’s 33. It was funny when her niece called her old, but when Emily does it feels like she’s putting herself down and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the storylines. The main plot is her mom finding her a husband because Emily is the only daughter who is in her thirties and unmarried. While Emily is pulling a muscle trying to reach a top shelf and slipping on ice and can’t get up I am so old.

A new favorite from Canadian author Jackie Lau! This enemies to lovers, fake dating, dual POV, Pride & Prejudice retelling was utterly charming and unputdownable!! I loved all the family drama, the Bridget Jones/Jane Austen vibes and the chemistry between writer Emily and staid, buttoned up Mark, whom Emily's mother tries to set her up with.

While Emily and Mark get off to a rocky start at Emily's sister's wedding, they eventually make a fake dating agreement to make their mothers happy and start to develop real feelings. The first half of the book is strictly Emily's POV but I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Mark's thoughts when he gets some of his own chapters in the second half.

Highly recommended and perfect for fans of authors like Jayci Lee or Sonali Dev. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and physical ARC copy that I was lucky enough to get signed by the author. If you're looking for a light-hearted read featuring a loveable Asian Canadian Toronto family with a little Sex in the City vibes, definitely give this one a chance!

Steam level: open door, mild details

How did I love this? Let me count the ways. I have read and enjoyed Jackie Lau in the past, but I think she's achieved another level with this one. This book takes the fake dating trope and creates something so rich and layered...oof. Mark is exactly the starchy, repressed, Darcy-type hero I love. Emily is vulnerable and imperfect, with a loving yet complicated family that so many of us can relate to. The romance that blossoms between the two of them is delicate and real and so so so delicious. And the cat! I went in with high expectations, and they were blown out of the water. I could not recommend this book more highly. 5 bright, glowing stars!

(3.5 Stars) This set in Toronto, fake dating romance, starts out strong. Emily Hung’s mother keeps talking up Mark Chan and then tricks her into having brunch with him. To get mom off back Emily suggests fake dating to Mark and he reluctantly agrees. It is too complicated to keep up the ruse with all of mom’s check in and it turns out it is easier to actually date instead.

Emily is a writer who has sold her first book and works as a barista to pay the bills. She often comes off whiny complaining about being 33 and still needing to have a roommate. She doesn’t feel her family respects her career choice. She and Mark are both first generation children of Asian immigrants and that puts extra pressure on them. Mark is actually very kind and is genuinely interested in Emily once they get past first impressions.

The story loses humor in the second half when they are actually dating. I like that this is open door and they are adults. But it is more cringe than funny to me when they go away for a weekend together with her family and her mom is expecting them to be intimate. And the almost break up near the end is very contrived. The author, who is new to me, does tie up things more completely than I expected. But I wish Emily saw and understood Mark as much as he does her. And I would have liked Mark to stand up to her family for her but maybe that isn’t culturally done. Overall a good read but a couple of bumps along the road for me.

This had some serious Pride and Prejudice/Bridget Jones vibes and I was here for it. Mark Chan is all Emily hears about. Her family is ready for her to settle down and so they are pushing her into the arms of Mark. Mark has it all together, or so it seems. His first impression of Emily isn't a great one, but when she comes up with a fake dating scheme to get her mom off her back, he reluctantly agrees. Because, you see, Mark is just a little bit intrigued by Emily and if this is the way he can get to know her, he takes it.
With all the fake dates and getting to know the real Mark, Emily isn't so sure her family is wrong about him being perfect for her. When I tell you that Mark is the sweetest, I mean it. Even though he was supposed to be fake dating Emily, he was all in and you could tell. I loved the fact that we got some of Marks POV in this, it helped tremendously to see where he was at.
I really love this series and I am so happy this had a bit of P&P vibes because that will always draw me in.
Thanks to Atria, Netgalley and Jackie Lau for an early copy.

Love Lies and Cherry Pie is a slow burn, fake dating romance that—shocker—turns all too real. Jackie Lau’s story is much more, though, and features family and cultural dynamics, along with a satisfying romance and a starchy yet sweet hero.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writer Emily Hung is frustrated. Her mother seems to dismiss her non traditional career, and keeps trying to play matchmaker for her. Lately she keeps mentioning good looking but seemingly stuffy Mark Chen. After being forced together one too many times, Emily suggests they tell their parents they are dating just to get them to stop, and Mark agrees. But with family spies appearing all over Toronto, their pretend dates start to become real. But as Emily’s feelings grow, can she trust that Mark is interested, or is he still just playing along?

I ended up enjoying this one! I love the perspective of Emily’s Chinese family, and her life as a working writer. It’s interesting to see how family expectations play a large role in both Emily and Mark’s lives. And despite the images both of them show the world, neither is as confident as they seem.

Emily took me a while to warm up to. While she justifiably loses patience with her mother’s comments about marrying her off, she also laments being “so old” in her early 30s. It wasn’t until the second half of the book, when it switches from Emily’s single point of view to alternating with chapters from Mark, that I was able to sit back and enjoy both characters. Mark is awkward and adorable, and it was great to finally see Emily from his perspective. And, I adore Mark’s cat Ms. Muffins, and would totally follow her on Instagram.

Love Lies and Cherry Pie is an enjoyable fake dating romance. Emily and Mark start out forced together, and eventually figure out that they bring out the best in each other. If you are a fan of opposites attract with a starchy hero, along with lots of extended family, you’ll have a good time with this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie started off great! I was instantly intrigued by the main character and her fake dating scheme. Unfortunately, I lost interest half-way through the story. At first, I enjoyed Emily's inner monologies. I liked her tone and relatable quips about being a millennial. The author lost me when she started including long monologues and repetitive thoughts about publishing and the housing market into every chapter. I also found the "if this were a book" comments too meta. I thought it was an interesting choice to include Mark's POV 60% into the story. By that point, it really didn't add much to the overall storyline. I still left the book not feeling connected to Mark's character. I did like how the author concluded Emily and her mom's relationship. The mom grew on me towards the end. Overall, this was an okay read. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC.

This fake-dating romance sparkles, with plenty of humor, great chemistry, and interesting takes on mother-daughter relationships and family expectations. The central romance is quite cute, and I enjoyed the main characters' dynamic very much. A fast, engaging, make-you-laugh treat.

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.