This is so so so cute. I confess I'm a sucker for a fake dating trope, but only when it's done well. This was done very well. It had just the right amount of nervous energy, and the complications felt realistic and were smartly resolved. Very sweet and fun!

You had me at fake dating. Jackie is a great rom com writer and I loved this book. Lots of family love represented in this book as well. Lots of great moments in this story.

loved this romance that started off fake dating to get the mom off their back. Loved the family and the sisters . Loved that he wasn't what she expected and that he did want to fake date her. Loved his cat and that he talked in a certain voice and had an Instagram account for his cat. Loved the ending.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jackie Lau. As a daughter of an immigrant/first generation American, Jackie writes a relatable story about the older sister/female experience and the pressures we feel from our parents, siblings, and extended family.

Emily is my type of gal when it comes to socialization: down for early drinks and then home to bed with her white noise machine and humidifier. Her overall commentary around going out in your 30s is spot on.
She is every bit female ADHD millennial you could imagine. A writer, a barista, a tutor, a sister, a daughter, a roommate, a friend, a fake girlfriend, a real girlfriend.

Juggling 3 jobs, dependent on animal videos for escapes from reality, a big intrusive family, over stimulation, and what it means to be in a real relationship at 33 years old… Emily: Full stream of consciousness/internal monologue at all times. Like a raging river of thoughts. If you’re a reader who is frustrated by elusive main characters who do not have clear intentions, this book is for you. You will NEVER have to wonder ‘What are they thinking?!’

I hated how early on through their interactions, Emily constantly cut off Mark and as if she was a know it all. It made me cringe every time and took away from the relationship building between Mark and Emily I would have liked to see. Bless Mark and his patience upfront.

I loved the nice little twist in POV!

Overall, 3.5.

Thank you NetGalley Atria/Emily Bestler Books/Simon & Schuster for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jackie Lau always delivers and <i>Love, Lies and Cherry Pie</i> is no exception. Her books tend to be quite trope-y. In this case the main trope is fake dating with a bit of enemies to lovers thrown in, and a sprinkle of Pride and Prejudice. This is not Jackie Lau’s first foray into fake dating, but she manages to keep it fresh. The MCs initially decide they don’t have to go on actual dates to make their fake relationship work; they only text to make sure they’re both telling the same story. Emily even goes on dates with other guys. Of course, at some point they do start going on real fake dates and ultimately real real dates.
Both characters have a complicated relationship with their parents and that’s also the focus of conflict between them. For me, it was a little weak, and I kept thinking Emily really needed to talk to her mother. When she finally does, it’s glorious, so I think that makes up for a lot.
While I loved the characters, the story and of course the food porn (it’s a Jackie Lau after all), the highlight of the book for me was the critical look at the publishing industry. Emily is a writer so there are many quotes and events from the past few years in publishing. It’s fun but critical at the same time. I love that Jackie Lau included this in a traditionally published novel instead of her self-pubs.

All in all a solid romcom and as always I look forward to reading more by Jackie Lau.

This was such a cute romance. The banter was very well done. I loved the romance! And it was very well written.

What is this perfection?! Jackie Lau delivers!

Easy to read, great pace, fun premise. Easy three to four stars for the target with five for the right reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley/ Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Hung is a successful writer and barista who's also over 30 and single. Her mother decided to take matters into her own hands by strong-arming her into a relationship with Mark Chan. Emily and mark pretend to date to get her mom off her back, and suddenly... they start to connect.

I love a fake dating story. This one was charming an really explored Emilys struggle with trying to make her Asian mother proud, and trying to fulfill her own dreams. It was a beautiful story of mother and daughter trying to understand each other and learning how to communicate through the barrier of age and culture. There's a part where Emily's mother discusses her father and it brought tears to my eyes.

The romance itself was a slow burn, and take a few months before Emily and Mark actually spend time together. A good portion of the book is just about Emily avoiding Mark. Mark is a little bland as a character and his chapters read a little bit reserved, but when they do begin to actually spend time together they're very cute and sweet. There is a small amount of spice, but not a ton.

Overall cute romance with a sweet mother daughter story.

Love, Lies, & Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau. (Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.) I’ve really liked some other books by the author but the narration of this one—it feels a bit rambling in moments—just doesn’t totally work for me. But I love how the heroine shares what her writing journey is like & how that—and other aspects of her personality—relate to the expectations she feels from her immigrant mother. Starchy hero alert but I wish there had been more interaction between the leads from the beginning. 3.5 ⭐️. Out 05/07.

Thanks for the ARC!

So, this had a couple tropes I enjoy reading, like older main characters (33 and 32 I think) and also family drama that mostly gets resolved.

I'm someone who tends to dislike fake-dating because it's a little too nonsensical usually, but I think this wasn't so bad. It still didn't make logical sense to me that they needed to fake date but I can get over it because the rest of their relationship was really cute. Mark was such a sweet supportive guy, I wish he got a little more POV time, but in the end it worked out really well.

Overall, very cute and light romance.

What a fun read. Mark and Emily have complimentary neurosis. She is a writer and he is an engineer. Her mother is pushing them together and Emily is very opposed to the meddling. In an effort to stave off her mom, she convinces Mark to fake date. Which he agrees to (which seems odd). Honestly about half way through (it has all been Emily’s POV at that point), I thought “goodness, what is wrong with this woman, and why does this man keep trying to spend time with her?” But thankfully the book switches to alternating POVs and the charm of the match becomes more obvious. There is a great resolve with her mom (that I won’t spoil, but I loved it). Overall I look forward to reading more Jackie Lau and felt Love, Lies and Cherry Pie was a lovely way to spend a weekend.

This is my first time reading anything by this author, so I didn’t know what to expect. I’m so glad I read it! I love romances with characters who feel real and are not like stereotypes I’ve seen in other books. The family drama for both Emily and Mark added an interesting subplot and added so much to the characters arcs. Definitely read!!!

I have read and enjoyed other books by Jackie Lau. This one is focused on a main character that obsesses about her mother's approval, her writing career, the housing market in Toronto, and her fake boyfriend. It was too much in her head, and then about halfway through, we get the fake boyfriend's POV. Not her strongest work.

A (very) light romp through the romantic life of 33-year old, published (but not to the point of financial stability) author, Emily Hung. The second and only unmarried daughter in a clan of five, Emily finds herself subject to the intense machinations of a dragon mother seeking to attach her to any available man. Specifically, Mark Chan — he of the sweater vest (it is cold in Toronto!) and dullish personality.

What follows is fairly predictable but well-executed and fun as she and Mr. Sweater Vest find that there is more to the other than initially obvious. I did like that she allowed Mark to have a few chapters from his own Point of View so that he was not just a cardboard “Perfect Man.” Those get annoying. Ms. Lau calls her works “soft and steamy romance,” and I found the steamy parts to simultaneously steamy and tasteful. :-)

I’m not really a Romance reader but I enjoyed this — a nice palate cleanser from some of my recent reads.

Emily is going through it: her writing career is stalling a bit and her mom is desperate to get her married. To get her off her back, she decides to fake date Mark. He’s who her mom has been trying to set her up with, but Emily isn’t interested in something real….at first.

It was cute reading as Emily started to fall for Mark for real. And I liked when we got to the chapters with his POV. The addition of his cute cat was a fun bit as well.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau. I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and give an honest review.

As usual, I find romcom's by Jackie to be well worth the read. Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie was no exception. One thing I found, was that I recognized several things the characters mention, most especially, the specific chocolate donuts...(Ms. Lau has posted pics of it on Twitter...)

Mamma seems to be very interfering...until later in the book when you learn just WHY she was pushing Mark Chan toward her daughter.

The book has some great moments, lots of food, and definitely family looking out for family.

Sometimes...Mother does know best!