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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
There is something so addictive about romcoms that centre around food, I don't know what it is. This was no exception, I absolutely loved the descriptions of the food and the way it brought people together.
Food is such an important aspect in many cultures and I loved the discussions in this book with Dylan trying to recreate an old family recipe in honour of his mother and Theo trying to reconnect with his Asian heritage on his mother's side that he felt lost from.
The relationship between these to was so cute, I like that the fake dating took up a good portion but not so much that we were left without fluffy moments between the two, a perfect balance!
Rating: 3.75; quick, delightful, sweet. Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee is exactly what it says it is: there’s fake dates, mooncakes, two boys, and a really cute dog.
Dylan is a teen working at his aunt’s takeout in NYC and hoping to be the next Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake contest winner; Theo is a rich, private school teen who needs a fake date to his cousin’s wedding in the Hamptons. There are a lot of food descriptions, fun (and not so fun) family members, and fancy rich folk events (a gala!).
This was a choose-a-book-by-its-cover pick for me; I didn’t read a synopsis, I just saw a cute dog and clicked. It’s truly a teen romance, with the cheesy cuteness of YA tied together with classic tropes you know and love. I always say I don’t read romance until I do, and this book had me hooked from the start.
This is a book that I could see; Lee has a background in screenwriting and you can sense it throughout the pages. The locations felt fleshed out and the food descriptions were like that one mouth-watering cooking scene in Turning Red (the scene when the father’s glasses fog up cooking, you know the one).
I was really happy that every character was out, and there weren’t any negative comments or related drama so it freed the novel to be cute and fluffy in the romance department. The drama came from themes of grief and class differences (not too unlike Tiana and Naveen from Disney’s Princess and the Frog). I think the New York City setting helped showcase Dylan and Theo’s differences, yet allowed them space to explore what also makes them similar. Sometimes the plot felt a little too easy, but it felt true to the romance genre (it’s a tough balance and it really just depends on how much conflict you want to read in a romance).
I’m really happy I read this debut from Sher Lee, and I’m excited to see what she comes up with next. If you enjoy Singaporean and Chinese culture, Heartstopper, Crazy Rich Asians, Red, White, & Royal Blue, food and cooking descriptions, New York City romances, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, A Cinderella Story, and/or cute teen romances, this is a read for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content warning: death of a parent (in the past, but brought up often); alcohol abuse (a side character struggles with it, mostly off-page); possibility of drowning (ocean, no deaths); flooding (no injuries).
