'Fake Dates and Mooncakes' by Sher Lee - Review and 5 Reasons to Read the Book

5/2/2023

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee - Book Tour Schedule

Continue below to read my REVIEW of the book and be sure to follow this link - [TOUR SCHEDULE] to check out the rest of the stops on the 'FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES' blog tour brought to you by TBR AND BEYOND TOURS, UNDERLINED/PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, and SHER LEE!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes
Sher Lee

Publisher: Underlined / PRH

Pub Date: May 16th, 2023

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Synopsis:

Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.
Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?

5 Reasons to Read 'Fake Dates and Mooncakes'

1. Slow-heating romance:
It's a fake dating story that takes its time. The near-miss romantic moments making you yearn for Theo and Dylan to find their way to each other.

2. Diaspora culture preservation:
Examples of Chinese diaspora experiences are littered throughout the book as Dylan strives to preserve his culture and Theo grasps at the threads of his own via his connection with Dylan.

3. Positivity and productivity around grief:
The story journeys along an exploration of grief and the different ways we deal with that, whether it be mourning a death or another type of loss, but remains light-hearted and full of warmth.

4. Loveable, relatable characters:
Theo and Dylan are both sweet, wonderful characters. While they're not perfect, they're genuine and care deeply about those around them.

5. Quick, cute read:
Perfect for a day read, most of the topics are handled gently and Dylan's family is a delightfully, fun bunch.

r e v i e w
rating: ★ ★ ★ (3 / 5 stars)

'Fake Dates and Mooncakes' is a delightfully queer, Not-So-Meet-Cute in the vein of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

Dylan is a quiet, hard working guy who's struggling to preserve his connection with his late mother and the culture he grew up in, while trying to balance school and helping to save his aunt's Chinese takeout. Surrounded by his loving, supportive family.. for the most part, life is pretty good.

Theo seemingly has it all. He's gorgeous, wealthy, and worldly for his age. There's a kindness to him that Dylan finds almost suspicious. So, when he talks Dylan into being his fake boyfriend for a family wedding, Dylan spends the weekend sort of waiting for the catch and trying to remind himself that none of it's real.

The pair are both lovely and I really enjoyed the slow, inevitable way they were drawn to each other initially. Though they met under strange, even uncomfortable circumstances, I found myself really wanting to see things go well for them.

While Dylan's family is great, Theo's leaves a little something to be desired. For the most part, they're inherently self-absorbed, unpleasant people.. with just a few exceptions.

The romance was sweet, not overdone at all and I love that Lee did not just jump them right into physical intimacy. I also really enjoyed the glimpses of Dylan's heritage through the proverbs his family had carried with them, the expression of how they conveyed their traditions and feelings through their creation of meals, as well as little anecdotes relating to their spiritual beliefs.

This was a really cute, quick read and I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to seeing more stories from this author and would recommend the book to anyone looking for something relatively light that's filled with hope and joy.

About the Author:

Sher Lee writes rom-coms and fantasy novels for teens. She lives in Singapore and has an abiding love for local street food (including an incredible weakness for xiao long bao).

FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES, pitched as Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians, is her debut YA rom-com coming Summer 2023 from Penguin Random House.

AUTHOR LINKS: SHERLEEAUTHOR.COM | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

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