This book is incredibly sweet. It's well written with engaging characters and enough romance to keep the reader interested from beginning to end.

I just adored this book. I felt similarly about one of Lau's other books, Donut Fall in Love, so I was so excited to feel as enamored with her newest novel. The couple is just the sweetest and I loved how natural and real the relationship development felt, rather than an author writing to specific tropes - I truly think that is a testament to Lau's writing and style.

Beyond the relationship, I also really enjoyed our heroine and the look into writing and publishing a book (I can only assume it echos a real experience!) - plus the whole family expectations theme and how that ties together.

It was just endearing and sexy and so well written. And now I just want a cherry pie milkshake.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

True rating: 3.75
You had me at fake dating ; )
Seriously, fake dating is my favorite trope, and this book did it well. It was fast-paced and very cute with just a bit of spice. The family aspect of the story was great as well as it really dove into familial pressure to be in a relationship.

Jackie Lau is an author I have read before, and she is very good at weaving together the romantic and family relationships and her writing just seems to flow. She will certainly remain on my go-to authors list, and I recommend this book to anyone wanting to cozy up with a good fake dating romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am always a fan of the fake dating trope, and I adored this one! I loved the family aspect of this story. The characters were truly wonderful. I would recommend this to readers looking for a sweet rom com with a little added spice. Definitely a book that you could cozy up and binge in a few days. I can't wait to read more in the future from Jackie Lau.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc to review. All opinions are my own.

I did not finish this book. I revisited it on multiple occasions to give it a fair shot, but have ultimately decided it is not for me. I may revisit this in the future, and if so I will update my review!

This was a heartfelt romance! I was pleasantly surprised. To be honest, the cover made me weary it was going to be very cheesy but I liked the premise.

It delivered! While I felt it a little slow at times, the emotional pay off was well worth the read. It’s steamy, delivers on the fake dating trope, and has such a deep understanding of family and pressure to be in a relationship!

Highly recommend!

This was a super cute and fast pasted fake dating romance! My first book by Jackie Lau, and certainly not my last.

Thank you net galley and Jackie lau, for the e-arc. This review is being left voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I like both Emily, and Mark, and the family and friendship dynamics throughout this story. However, I found the novel very repetitive. I felt the chapters from Mark’s point of view were thrown in as an afterthought. I wished more of the novel was about Emily and Mark’s romantic relationship, and not about how and why they were set up.

I just cannot get into the audio version of this book. I think I will try the copy at a different date. Thank you for my copy!

This book was entertaining, but somewhat predictable. I did enjoy the fake relationship/meddling mother plot. Emily’s mother turns out to be my favorite character, while Mark’s father is my least favorite.

Cute rom-com but I felt annoyed by the MFC and felt the book dragged on for longer than necessary. Seemed like the author was extending the book with just filler and nothing meaningful.

This book was so cute. Emily was a very relatable character. Her wanting to set boundaries but also dealing with a very involved family was so relatable. I loved her character and how headstrong she was. I also really loved Mark's character and I'm glad we got his point of view. He was such a cute book boyfriend I’ve added to my list of favorite book boys. The writing was enjoyable and the story had a good flow. Definitely a book I loved and want to pick up more by Jackie Lau.

After reading about a quarter of Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie, by Jackie Lau, I just could not continue. The story staggered, and the main character, Emily seemed whiny and unlikeable.

Despite this, thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

This was a cute romcom, the start was stalling a bit but overall it was a nice read. I enjoyed the descriptions of the city and the character angst of Emily. I would have loved if Mark had a bit more depth and a more fleshed out personality but regardless it was a swoony story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion

Emily and Mark need a vacation fr

Are anyone’s parents this meddlesome in real life? I would have entered witness protection.

I can so, so relate to the aimless and yet very targeted energy Emily has. She knows what she wants but also feels like she’s spinning her wheels in more ways than one. And though her family obviously wants what’s best for her (for the most part), they also fail to take into consideration HER feelings on the matter.

And poor Mark is just along for the ride 😂 he is such a sweetheart and doesn’t even argue when Emily is mean to him, he’s just like “okay if that’s how you feel”. He’s so earnest and supportive and I love how he’s just willing to do whatever as long as he gets to spend time with her. 10/10 man no notes.

This was a fun (if occasionally frustrating because I wanted to shake her whole family) read and covered a lot of very real late-20s-into-30s emotions really well without giving the whole forced midlife crisis vibe.

Good. I generally prefer when contemporary romance novels have a dual POV, because it ensures that both main characters/love interests are fleshed out and interesting, complete beings. This didn't quite hit that mark, unfortunately.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emily Hung is tired of others feeling bad that she is in her thirties and unmarried. Unable to convince her family that she is happy, she agrees to go on a date approved by her meddling mother. But when she doesn’t hit it off with Mark Chan, she can’t imagine being set up on more dates. In an effort to outsmart her matchmaking mother she persuades Mark to enter a fake relationship. Will the couple be able to fool others, or will their acting lead to something real?

Love, Lies and Cherry Pie served as my introduction to Jackie Lau’s writing. I was impressed with how Lau was able to address some of the issues she has with outdated customs her culture has perpetuated, while still being respectful. In addition, her exploration of the complicated mother/ daughter and sister/sister dynamics was perfectly executed!

Features:
-meddling mother
-fake dating
-slow burn
-unexpected romance
-dual POVs
*this is an open door romance

Special thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Jackie Lau for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I picked up Jackie Lau's "Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie" hoping for a light and entertaining rom-com, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. The premise of fake dating to get out of family pressure is a solid one, yet the execution was lacking.

Pros:
- The idea of a fake relationship to avoid parental matchmaking has a lot of comedic potential.
- The book includes some well-integrated cultural references which add depth to the setting.

Cons:
- Emily’s character struggles to move beyond constant complaining, which makes her less relatable and her journey less compelling.
- The interactions between Emily and Mark were unconvincing. There was a significant absence of the spark that's crucial for a romance to feel real.
- The story often felt slow and struggled to keep my interest. It needed more dynamic moments to truly engage.

While the book has its moments, they are too few to make up for its shortcomings. Lau usually delivers engaging stories, but this one might only be suitable for those with plenty of patience or fans of her other works looking for a quick read.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing an ARC. This is an honest review based on my experience of the book.

this was such a cute forced proximity type romance. I've never read a book by jackie lau but now i want to read all of them! this was adorable.