Jackie Lau has quickly become an auto add author for me. I love that her books have a good romcom vibe, but have a nice Women's Fiction tilt to them.

In her newest book, she takes on one of my favorite tropes - the fake relationship trope. Our FMC, is 33 and the last unmarried daughter of her family - something that makes her mother feel an urgent need to play matchmaker. After another forced ‘date’, Emily asks her surprise date, Mark, to help her out by feigning a relationship to get their parents off their respective backs.

As I mentioned this is a favorite trope for me, and I really enjoyed that our MCs were in their 30s. I feel like I don’t see that age group nearly enough. I liked that this was a slow burn romance and rather than love it was more dislike at first sight 😅

I always love to see a story that explores various family dynamics, which was definitely present here. And I appreciate a story that feels authentic because the characters feel realistic- in their problems, aspirations, reactions, etc. I also really enjoyed the fact that in part two of the story we got a dual pov — I loved getting to see things from both Mark and Emily.

For readers looking for a fun, easy romcom read this is definitely one I’d recommend. I myself read across the spectrum, but tend to prefer a closed door romance read — easier to share / recommend to anyone, I will warn that while the first part of the story is spice free with the slow burn. The second part does have some spice present.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to try an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely offered.

Love, Lies & Cherry Pies by Jackie Lau was a sweet story featuring Emily, an accomplished writer and her family’s last single woman. Her mother insists on setting her up with Mark Chan and sets up their meet cute. Mark and Emily pursue a fake dating arrangement to please Emily’s mom and get her off her back. Their story continues from there.

I enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

DNF at 35%

Main character is completely unlikeable. She is dismissive of everybody and constantly shutting down conversations or cutting people off ‘if sentence. Mark has no depth or opportunity to show depth yet somehow she is sensing a little spark. Yet at the same time has barely had more than one full conversation with him. I don’t buy into it and don’t care to read further

Emily's mother has been pushing her to get married for years. And now that she's the only unmarried daughter, it's only getting worse. After Emily's mother introduces her to Mark, the man she's been trying to set Emily up with, Emily is convinced Mark is not the right man for her. And she's even more convinced after her mother tricks her into a date with him. But she hatches a plan to get her mother off her back: pretend to date Mark.
I honestly wasn't really a fan of Emily at the beginning, but I actually kind of liked that--I usually need to really love the main character in a romance to get into it, but I didn't mind that I initially found Emily annoying and overly-judgmental; I still wanted her to get her happy ending. Jackie Lau struck the perfect balance of making me root for a character I wasn't always sure I liked--and by the end, I did like her quite a bit! I also really appreciated her anxiety around people finding out the relationship was fake, and her self-sabotaging that felt ridiculous and kind of over the top but in an incredibly realistic, relatable way.
I really loved Mark, and was rooting for them the whole time, even when Emily was unfairly judging him at the beginning. Their relationship was sweet (the scene where Emily kicks him in the shin made me literally giggle out loud) and I loved them together.
Overall, I really liked this book and would love to read more by Jackie Lau.

Captivating from start to finish, this sweet fake dating romance is a delightful journey into the world of charming characters and heartwarming connections. The chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, creating a storyline that is both endearing and entertaining. With each page, the author skillfully weaves a tale of love, humor, and self-discovery, making it impossible to put down. The characters feel like old friends, and the fake dating trope is executed with finesse, adding layers of intrigue and emotion. A perfect blend of sweetness and authenticity, this romance novel is a joyous escape into a world where love blossoms unexpectedly and leaves you with a warm, satisfied glow.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pies is a fun fake dating romance story. Emily’s mom keeps pushing her toward different men and has her eyes set on Mark being the perfect one for Emily. Tired of the pressure from her mom, Emily convinces her and the rest of her family that she and Mark are dating and even gets Mark to go along with the plan, leading to all sorts of problems. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their distinct personalities. I did enjoy the first half of the book more, but I liked the way the story wrapped up.
This book was the first I’ve read by Jackie Lau, and I’m looking forward to reading more!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The newest book from Jackie Lau introduces you to the FMC who most millennials can relate to. She’s in her thirties and struggling to feel like she’s “made it” among her very successful siblings. Emily is a writer, working three jobs who is constantly
set up, by her matchmaker mother, on terrible dates. She’s finally had enough and decides that fake dating her mom’s most recent recommendation Mark is the best way to get her mom off her back. We can all imagine how that will turn out!

I found myself deeply rooting for the the FMC and MMC to acknowledge the chemistry the whole first half of the book. The second part switch of POV was a delightful view into Mark’s head. During the second half I had a harder time connecting with Emily’s character because of the ways in which she assumed the worst about most people in her life. I felt like Mark was too easy to accept Emily’s actions later on in the book in a way that I wanted him to investigate
more. Justice for Mark.

I wanted so much more from the spice in this book and that is directly tied to Mark’s use of words during sex. Again, Justice for Mark!

This was a cute fake dating story set in an Asian-Canadian community. Some laughs, some family drama, and a lot of fun.

Overall, I found this a cute romcom. I live for a fake dating trope, and this delivers! I wasn't crazy about how meta it was about writing/publishing, but perhaps that's simply because I have a lot of friends in the industry. Overall, very fun and made me feel as though I was wondering around Toronto with our protagonist.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Spice: .5🌶️/5

This book was so sweet and fun! It definitely had that realistic feel of dating in your late 20s/early 30s that unfortunately I know too well. 🙄 All of the pieces about being a writer were very sweet and witty! It got to have a meta moment without being too much. I wanted more chapters from Mark’s perspective so we got a little more attached to him, but I wasn’t upset about it either because I loved Emily so much.

The best part of this book was the mom trying to find a rich and supportive husband for her daughter. When I tell you I started SOBBING at project pen!!

Overall, it was a very sweet and fun read!

Five Emojis to Describe This Book: 🥹🎨📝🍨🐈‍⬛

I'd like to thank NetGalley for this E-ARC, and want to say that all opinions remain my own.

This romance worked so well for me. I found Emily and Mark to be so compatible, but it took a bit longer for that to develop then I would have liked. I especially would have liked more moments of them together before the 50% mark

I loved the writing, and am for sure going to be looking into the author's other works.

I really enjoyed it being set in Canada, and how gentle Mark was. I think the love was woven together so well, and I rooted for them.

Thank you for NetGalley and Atria/ Emily Bestler Books for access to this book. I love me a fake dating trope, and Emily and Mark's fake relationship turned real romance is sweet and fun! This novel focuses on Emily's relationship with her family--she begins her fake dating scheme to put off the pressure her mother places on her, hoping she will marry soon. Her relationships with her sisters are complex, as is Mark's relationship with his father. What a lovely read.

Aksjshsjusbm this was so funny and relatable and wholesome, it was a warm hug in the form of a book 😭

The narrations were absolutely perfect and I very much loved the fake dating 😭 and the grumpy cat 😭

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Got a free arc of this book via Netgalley. Thanks!

I’m usually a sucker for fake dating but this one didn’t quite do it for me: I think because the characters are a bit older than I’m used to and fake dating is kind of a childish concept. Also, while I felt Emily and even her mother were fully fleshed out characters, I didn’t feel the same towards the MMC. We got one background story regarding him in the whole book.

I was excited about the obvious nod to pride and prejudice in the beginning of the book, but I very quickly felt bored with the first half. once I made it to "part 2" my interest turned around. I appreciate getting Mark's perspective and I had more investment in the dynamics between Emily and her mom and Emily and her sister Allison. I liked how the author made the Jane Austen premise her own in the second half! It was an enjoyable story.

I loved this charming rom-com about two Asian-Canadians who find love despite their parents' good intentions. I fell for all the characters, including the meddling mom, and the ending only deepened my understanding of them and their characters. Emily Hung is the only unmarried one of five sisters, and her mom is determined to see her married, connving to bring her together with Mark Chan. Of course Emily resists-- but eventually she and Mark agree to fake date to appease her mom. Lots of fun ensues. But despite the shallow premise, there's a deep heart to this book which I loved.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This was an enjoyable read, but I had some mixed feelings about it. I liked the main characters, I just wish Mark had a bit more depth to his character. I was fascinated by him, wanting to know more about it. The dialogue between him and Emily was clever and amusing. When the book began including his POV half way through, I was so excited to get in his head. But his POV didn't give me much more about him. He was a man who had a cat and who was really into Emily because she was different from him.

Emily's mother had me laughing out loud. Towards the end of the book, however, I grew tired of her family drama with her sister and mother.

The book dragged with too much internal dialogue at times, a lot of which was redundant.

This book was entertaining and enjoyable, but the execution fell a little flat for me. I plan to continue reading more by this author because this one was a nearly a four star for me.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

I received a complimentary eARC and physical ARC from the publisher.

Parental pressure, sibling rivalry, and fake dating results in a funny romcom that's as enjoyable as the title. You couldn't find a more opposites attract situation in this fake dating scenario that's sure to turn up laughs and chaos. An enjoyable and quick read.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

DNF @ 20%

Not sure if this is just a timing thing but I didn’t care for the writing style and was struggling to get into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!

Fake dating makes me giggle likes it’s nobody’s business, so I was already existed to read this. This had the right amount of romance, drama and cultural examples. Such a cute read!