Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Fake Dates and Mooncakes

A lighthearted, sweet quick read with a (positively) surprising amount of information about Chinese culture.

I enjoyed this book very much for it's easy conversations, the friendships and the importance of family.
It was comforting to read for the most part and the characters were sweet and easily lovable.

While the social media, pop and meme references were a little too much for me at times, mostly they fit in and weren't too on the nose.

What I really, really enjoyed were actually the many little tid bits of information on Chinese culture, in reference to food but also traditions and beliefs as well as do's and dont's!
It was super interesting!

Sadly, I think the main part of this book, the romance itself, fell flat.
If the author had just gone a little bit more into detail about feelings it could have worked much better.
There is a lot of tell instead of show, partially a result of it being first person, but I don't really buy the emotions.
Dylan spends more time thinking about how he shouldn't show his feelings than actually showing his feelings and it gets a little repetitive.
Sure there are short moments of excitement and being flustered but the rest just doesn't come across very well.
You notice it much better with Theo, which in turn makes it a little more frustrating that Dylan isn't catching on.

The pacing is a bit off as well.
Many scenes feel like the author wanted to do something with it, make it special and meaningful but didn't want to go all the way so it is sometimes a little short and dry, more like you would write to yourself in a diary.
It's a pity, because a few extra details go a long way in making the reader feel like a part of it.
As a result the plot gets lost a few times.

In general I liked reading it, it was entertaining, informative and sweet!
Seeing as this is the author's debut novel I think it is a great start and I'm hopeful for future books!

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mirandyli's review

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emotional funny 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

4.5

This is the lighthearted queer Asian YA romcom that is perfect when you need a mental health boost. Super fast read and an adorable story.

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ilovebooks4life's review

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

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martigas's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

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yasidiaz's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was perhaps the fluffiest thing I have read this year and I loved every second of it. Theo and Dylan are both amazing characters, and I loved how this didn't fall on the love-interest-not-standing-up-for their-partner-being-mistreated trope. Meg was one of my favorite people ever and I loved how she constantly teased Dylan. As an only child who grew up with my cousins, this is something I heavily related to.

What aspect I absolutely adored about this book is how we got to see two gay teens love each other without the homophobia. There is nothing wrong with those books (my favorite book has a forced outing) but there is so much merit to stories that don't focus on our suffering. Dylan's family loves him as he is and despite Theo's complications with his, him being gay wasn't one of them. Stories like this are just as important as the ones that touch the bigotry and suffering our community suffers, it shows queer teens that is so much more than our suffering.

It's lighthearted and funny but also filled with so much heart. I honestly love this book so much that I might get a physical copy. I need this to sit next to my favorite romcoms.

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its_vendetta's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

AHHH. I loved it! I think it was such a cute and heartwarming story. I loved Dylan and his motivations and immediately loved him and Theo together. The slow burn was real and then tension between them was !!!
I loved the conflicts and how both Dylan and Theo had to resolve issues, instead of it just being a one sided conflict. It really makes the story more realistic and interesting.
Honestly i’m sure there are flaws im forgetting to bring up, but the book just made me happy! I looked forward to reading it and it left me feeling cozy and giggly and that’s what really matters! My only wish was that it was longer, I wanted to stay with the characters more.
My favorite quote:

“You didn’t give me a fraction of what I have, Dylan.” His voice cracks a little. “You gave me a whole missing piece.”

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12dejamoo's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I liked this book. I liked it a lot.

And like, a hell of a lot happens. Normally I'd be rating this low and saying it rushed through things and tried to pile too many ideas into one book, but it had this undeniable charm which just made me forgive any of its flaws.

I guess really ideally this would be a bit longer, if only to spend more time with these two. But just in general it was so great.

I loved Dylan and Theo. They were both such distinctive, rich characters. And the supporting cast were also all excellent. Terri and Megan and Aunt Jade and Tim, hell, even Adrian. They were just great and so well characterised. Okay, yes, Aidrian was a bit of a caricature, but in a fun way. I liked all the scenes of cooking. Even though the mooncake competition doesn't take much of the book runtime, the multiple scenes of them prepping and discussing and planning mean the mooncake storyline is present throughout and it doesn't feel like it was tacked on the end.

Throughout the book you get these explanations of Malaysian and Chinese culture, about food and cooking, about running the shop etc. which just mean you are never in the dark about things and honestly you're kind of learning but in a fun, easily packaged way.

I do really appreciate that they didn't spend one thousand years dancing around one another. Like, yes, it was a 'fake date' in the strictest sense, but they both quite obviously liked one another from the start. It was a breath of fresh air in the fake dating genre.

I'm sure there are more flaws that I'm missing but honestly I don't care because I had a good time and this book made me happy.

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maki576's review against another edition

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4.5

4.5⭐️
It was very sweet and cute, at some moments I even laughed out loud💕

Made me smile,laugh,cry and look at the non existence camera in my room with a shocked expression
I’m a sucker for cute familial relationships an this was a 10/10 on that scale
Only reason it’s not a 5⭐️ is because I wish it was longer. The start felt rushed and I wish we saw the characters become friends before they started fake dating.
I found it a bit odd how the characters saw each other like one time and then went to a wedding as fake boyfriends😐
Idk man that just made me annoyed but the rest of the story made up for it🤭

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