Title: Fake Dates and Mooncakes
Author: Sher Lee
Publisher: Underlined
Publication date: May 16, 2023
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Summary
All Dylan wants is to win the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake competition for young chefs, in honor of his mom. And to help his Aunt to keep her restuarant. A win could be a big deal for them. Enter: Theo Somers. They first meet at a delivery gone wrong, but Dylan and Theo keep meeting.
Theo convinces Dylan to be his fake date to his cousin’s wedding, to help get back at his family. But even though their relationship is supposed to be fake, Dylan finds himself falling for Theo anyway and being pulled into his family drama. But Dylan can’t afford to be distracted from his competition. So, he has to decide if his feelings for Theo are worth it.
Review: Fake Dates and Mooncakes
Thanks to NetGalley and Underlined for an advanced copy of Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee to review! Being pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Heartstopper, I knew I had to read it. I will say, didn’t quite see the Heartstopper connection, but definitely the connection to Crazy Rich Asians. If you love rom-coms with fake dating, centered around baking/cooking, this is definitely the book for you!
This book has a lot of the classic rom-com tropes, and honestly, I loved it. Dylan and Theo are adorable together; from the first moment they meet, you can tell they have chemistry. Fake dating? You know that someone is going to develop feelings. If not both. They had an easy kind of relationship. Plus, food! We get to see a lot of Chinese culture through Dylan, especially with food, and it just makes the book even better in my opinion.
Outside of Dylan and Theo, there are some fantastic secondary characters as well. Especially Dylan’s family. They are so supportive of Theo and his dreams, and we love to see it. We also get to see the contrast in Theo and Dylan’s relationships with their families, even with somewhat similar backgrounds. Honestly, it’s part of the reason they feel so connected.
There’s cuteness, there’s the fluffiness you expect from a rom-com, and it will make a great spring read when it comes out in May!
4.5/5 stars