Reviews with content warning for Racism - Fake Dates and Mooncakes

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

29 reviews

inkandmuses's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Received complimentary copy from the publisher.

While I enjoyed the book, this is definitely written for the YA audience in mind, as adults will need to suspend disbelief. A lot of things move quickly.

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bellebookcorner's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

“Giving your heart to someone is like learning to ride a bike. You’ll skin your elbows and knees, but the pain will pass. You’ll heal. And one day, the scars will be a memory, not of failing, but of getting up again.”

It's truly an adorable, heart-warming and touching story about family, grief, Chinese cultures, delicious food and sizzling romance!

The plot flows smoothly and the writing style is easy to read which makes it so hard to put down. Detail descriptions of the foods successfully makes me feel hungry and crave for those foods as I read this book.

I also love the Chinese culture representation about the family traditions and foods, like the xiao long bao and the legends behind the mooncakes itself. The story also brings out the 'Crazy Rich Asian' vibes with Theo's relatives glamourous lifestyle.

The main characters (Dylan and Theo) are so adorable and I like their growing chemistry with one another as the story progresses.
At first glance, they look completely different but after getting to know each other, turns out they’re not so different after all.

The secondary characters - Dylan's family and Theo's relatives are also very well developed and really liven up the story.
I love seeing the strong bond and easy-going interaction in Dylan’s family, they care for each other and really support one another. I also like how welcoming they are to Theo.

Not just a fluffy and funny romance, this book also has its touching and emotional moments like getting to know Theo’s family and past as well as Dylan’s grief over losing her mother.

Overall, for a debut novel this is a fantastic story with a satisfying ending and a small shocking surprise.
It’s highly recommended for readers who are looking for a light hearted cuisine queer rom com story with fake dating and found family tropes!
I'm really looking forward in reading the next book from this author in the future!

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!

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camryndaytona's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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ezwolf's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I thought this was a very cute and fun gay YA romance! Dylan and Theo are very sweet characters that are easy to root for.

I'm very hit or miss with YA and with romance, but something about this one made me very interested. This book does go through the motions of the usual romance tropes, but they didn't bother me the way use of those tropes usually do. There were some moments where I had to suspend my disbelief, but this book is fiction and maybe some of it can be written off as that's just how rich people are.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

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obscurepages's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Okay this was good 🥺 Hilarious and heartwarming all at the same time, and highlighted Chinese culture and traditions so well.

Have to admit some parts were already a bit predictable (especially if you're a fan of Crazy Rich Asians 😂), some themes could have been explored more, and the romance could have had more to it, but I just enjoyed reading this a lot. I think it's because the writing style and the humor was just excellent.

Big thanks to Fully Booked PH and Get Underlined for sending over an e-arc my way! (This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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!

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danaslitlist's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and and Sher Lee for sending me an advanced E copy of this book in exchage for an honest review, you all helped kick this year off to a great start!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and I couldn't believe that I had the chance to read it before it officially came out. I was also nervous because I was afraid that I had hyped it up so much in my mind that there wasn't any way it could compare. However, I'm happy to report that I had just as much fun and enjoyed it as much as I had hoped.

In this touching romantic comedy we follow Dylan Tang's mission to win a mooncake festival to honor his recently deceased mother and to help his Aunt Jade keep her restaurant open. In the process he meets and falls in love with Theo, a rich boy from a world that feels miles apart from Dylan's. Through a series of touching and sometimes hilarious ups and downs their relationship is tested.

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is truly a wonderful mixture of romance and comedy that doesn't only focus on the blossoming relationship between Dylan and Theo, but also highlights the importance of family and heritage. Some of my favorite moments in the book were when we were together with Dylan's aunt and cousins learning about the history of Singaporean Chinese food. I love the message of food being so powerful that it brings people together from all walks of life and how food is an universal bridge to one's past.

I also appreciate that the romance felt fleshed out and healthy especially given that the two main characters are 17-18. I know many young, queer people will be picking this book up and to know that they'll see a healthy relationship depicted makes me really happy.

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bookswithca's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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