This book was cute, but it wasn’t my favorite love story. I did enjoy the book and it kept me interested, but it was a very slow burn. I did like the characters and the author did a great job of you being invested in them which helped to keep the book moving along. I did love the aspects of a meddling family and fake dating and those were really fun in this story.

While there were some things I liked about this book, enough at least for me to finish, it missed the mark for me. I didn’t feel any chemistry between Mark and Emily—-it all felt very flat. I also got really tired of Emily’s constant droning about her career as an author. I totally get that it’s hard, but I felt that it overshadowed the romance…..I wanted more personality for Mark and Emily, less complaining.

I absolutely adored this book - Ms. Muffins, fake dating, and Emily's inner monologue had me devouring this book! I will say at first Emily's monologue annoyed me, but I grew to love it. Mark Chan had to win me over to, but once he did I was kicking my feet and giggling like crazy - truly feel in love with him and was sad to end this book. Overall I thought Jackie Lau did an amazing job writing the family dynamics and navigating the dating market in your 30s.

Thank you to Atria Books for an arc!

Emily Hung is tired of hearing about the perfect Mark Chan. It’s all her mother talks about. Emily is desperate to get her mother to leave her alone about Mark. She decides the best course of action is to fake date Mark. At first, Emily can’t stand Mark and lying about going out on dates isn’t enough to appease her nosy mom. So the two begin to go out on actual fake dates. Maybe her mom was onto something with Mark. Can Emily move past her mother’s meddling and acknowledge her growing feelings for Mark?

This is an enemies to lovers story that will keep you laughing and swooning at Mark.

A sweet slow burn romance that also is about families, fitting in and societal and cultural expectations.

Writer Emily Hung is the only one of her sisters that is not married and settled down, never mind the fact that she has a roommate and is working part time at a coffee shop.
She is not living up to her immigrant parent's expectations.
So what if her dream has always been to be a writer and she has one book published? Where is the stability in that?

Enter fake dating, a slow burn romance and learning to trust yourself and who you are and understanding that your growth might just be a little different that everyone else. Also Mark Chan is a real sweetheart of a guy. A cat lover and an artist? There is more to Mister Sweater Vest than meets the eye.

Also Canadian! Second generation Canadian story! It has got so much! A sweet as pie read!

Jackie Lau's books keep pulling me in so much, they're so fun to read. This has all the Bridget Jones vibes, which was so entertaining. I loved Mark as a love interest, and initially felt sad that we didn't get his POV, but then we did get his POV in part 2 of the book, which made up for a lot. This was ab absolute joy to read.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is another fun rom-com from established romance author Jackie Lau. Much like her other books, this one is centers on the modern-day second generation of a Chinese family who emigrated to Canada. Set in Toronto, this tale is about Emily, the last of her five sisters to still be single. As in Lau's other books, the meddling, matchmaking matriarch plays heavily in the plot. Emily is being pushed to date Mark, the successful son of friends of Emily's parents. The pair decide to fake a relationship in order to get Emily's mother to leave her alone so she can focus on her writing career. Of course, once they begin their fake dating, someone starts catching real feelings...and lots of confusion and drama ensues.

One unexpected part of this book is the realistic look at the publishing business and how it treats authors, especially women and authors of color. I have read many of Jackie Lau's other romances, and this one isn't as spicy as, say, the Holidays with the Wongs series. Overall, it was a quick, fun read that I would recommend to rom-com readers.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to preview this e-galley and review it.

This has some cute moments but Emily's mom also bugged me so much!
Emily's mom basically forces her to take a chance on Mark, a man she can see as being good for her daughter. But Emily is sick of her Mom trying to set her up. So she fakes fake dating Mark to get her mom off her back but her mom also seems to have family/friend spies around that "didn't see them where they said there were" so they start going on real fake dates.

Mark seemed so nice and I don't think deserved Emily's ire at first. I love his cat named Ms. Muffins. Mark was so kind and patient with her though as they start doing the real dates and then start falling for each other. Their first real kiss had me laughing.
I was angry at how one of her sister always seemed to look down on Emily for her jobs and not being married 🙄

I didn't know what to expect from this author as it's my first read of hers and there are some more spicy moments but they are also fleeting if that makes sense.

LOVE, LIES, AND CHERRY PIE is a sweet and steamy rom-com that made me laugh out loud throughout the book. Emily and Mark’s fake dating worked well for me (I love that trope), and there wasn’t as many miscommunications as I’d anticipated. This was a more mature love story of two adults in their thirties, and I found it very relatable as a result. Shout out to Ms. Muffins the cat, the quotes that opened each chapter, and the realistic trials and tribulations of being a writer and the many issues with the publishing industry.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I thought it was a fun and easy read. The story follows the female main character Emily, who is an author/barista in her 30’s currently working on her second book. Right away, we see that Emily has a lot of pressure from her family, especially her mom, for being the only unmarried sister in her family. Not only is Emily struggling to write this new book but she is constantly being nagged by her mom to go on a date with the male main character Mark. After hearing so much about him, Emily finally meets the famous Mark, that her mother won’t stop talking about, at her sister’s wedding and decides he is far too judgmental. As the story goes on, Emily has the brilliant idea to “fake date” Mark and hopefully get her family to stop bothering her about being single. The story unfolds in a very lighthearted and fun way following Emily and Mark’s fake relationship that could potentially turn into more.

Jackie Lau does a great job at writing a very relatable female main character that is simply finding her way in her life while also trying to please her family. Overall, this was a very fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance before its release date.

This book starts out with a meddling mother, and fake dating to mollify her.

However, after spending so much time together the main characters feel a bit of a spark and things progress from there.

This book is sweet and well written, with a very slow burn at the start. I think it would make a nice light beach read this summer

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

If you’re looking for a feel good, fake dating read then don’t miss out on Love, Lies and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau! This story is full of fun, romance and hijinks. Emily an author/barista is the last single daughter in a family of five girls and her mom is convinced she needs to date Mark, the perfect guy. Girl meets boy and neither seems impressed, constantly pressured by her mother she embarks on a fake dating relationship with Mark and sparks fly. I loved the characters especially Mark and Emily. Emily and her mother have such a relatable dynamic and it was fun to watch the meddling play out. Major points to the author because not only did I find the story enjoyable but I loved the cat!

"Jackie Lau, author of the "full of heart" (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) The Stand-Up Groomsman, returns with a charming rom-com about a young woman's desperate attempts to fend off her meddling mother...only to find that maybe mother does know best.

Mark Chan this. Mark Chan that.

Writer and barista Emily Hung is tired of hearing about the great Mark Chan, the son of her parents' friends. You'd think he single-handedly stopped climate change and ended child poverty from the way her mother raves about him. But in reality, he's just a boring, sweater-vest-wearing engineer, and when they're forced together at Emily's sister's wedding, it's obvious he thinks he's too good for her.

But now that Emily is her family's last single daughter, her mother is fixated on getting her married and she has her sights on Mark. There's only one solution, clearly: convince Mark to be in a fake relationship with her long enough to put an end to her mom's meddling. He reluctantly agrees.

Unfortunately, lying isn't enough. Family friends keep popping up at their supposed dates - including a bubble tea shop and cake-decorating class - so they'll have to spend more time together to make their relationship look real. With each fake date, though, Emily realizes that Mark's not quite what she assumed and maybe that argyle sweater isn't so ugly after all..."

Never judge a guy by his sweater.

One thing about me, I love a fake dating situation. Throw in a meddlesome mother, a strange sister dynamic, and a love interest who is just a sweetheart and this makes for a very interesting read. I loved the banter in this and felt like these characters were so likable and easy to root for. They just felt so fleshed out and realistic.

Shoutout to Jackie for giving us a TRUE slow burn. It’s the YEARNING FOR ME!!

This one was really cute! I am always a sucker for a fake dating book, and this did not disappoint. I loved the complexity all the family drama added to the story. I loved how the more Emily talked to Mark she realized he wasn't actually that bad. This one had so many laugh out loud moments.

Really cute, really engaging, really “real” - I felt a lot of Emily’s struggles! Mark is so mysterious for much of the book, so I loved when we finally got to figure him out in the second half. Loved it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Such a cute story! I loved the characters and how much they all made me giggle. Mark and Emily are truly so cute together even before they were together. I’m also a huge sucker for the medaling Chinese mother angle and it was perfection. I adored how Mark was willing to be himself, even if there was so hesitation. Emily was such a relatable character for me and I really enjoyed her inner monologue. Overall, a quick, funny story that made me fall in love and appreciate the characters (other than Allison, strongly dislike her)

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC!

This was a fun rom-com with enjoyable characters. Mark wasn't as fleshed out as I would've liked, but it was easy to root for him and Emily. The dialogue was fun, and I enjoyed the multiple POVs. I really enjoyed Emily's meddling mother. Emily's struggles will likely resonate with many readers.

As a struggling author, Emily Hung is the child her mother is most worried about. This includes badgering her into meeting Mark Chan, the perfect boy her mother can’t stop pushing on Emily. At her wit’s end, Emily decides to ask Mark if he’s interested in a fake-dating scheme. While they fake-date, Emily starts to realize that Mark isn’t the stuck-up and perfect guy she thought he was. Can this fake relationship turn into a real one?

I love Jackie Lau’s sweet romances! Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is the perfect lighthearted read for readers seeking a Pride and Prejudice inspired relationship. I can clearly see Emily’s resemblance to Lizzy and Mark’s to Darcy. One of my favorite parts was Emily’s relationship with her mom and her sisters. They all love each other fiercely, but don’t always know the best way to express it. Jackie Lau will make readers want to take a vacation to Toronto! Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is ideal for readers looking for fake-dating, complex family dynamics, and sweet romance.

Thank you to Jackie Lau, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie" by Jackie Lau is a quick-paced romance(ish), with a strong adult coming-of-age storyline. I enjoyed that both of the main characters, Emily and Mark, are Asian and that their family dynamics play heavily into the plot and their character development; it felt sincere and heartfelt. However, I wish there were more chapters from Mark's perspective because his stoic, quiet personality made it hard for me to fully buy into the romance between him and Emily. For the most part, Emily felt like a realistic thirty-three-year-old woman, and I appreciated that. 3.5*