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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

122 reviews

blueberry0531's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.25


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aglittercobra's review

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4.0

 ***4.0 Stars***

Overall,
This was a very cute easy to read YA mm romance about two teens from different worlds coming together. Leaning heavily into the Singaporean and Hong Kong heritage of the characters, there is a lot to learn about tradition and family. The book was sweet with a dose of some heavier topics. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in broadening their horizons. Also, for real where do I find moon cakes? The description of the food in this book made me so hungry and i desperately want to try them! 

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fanboyriot's review

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lighthearted fast-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

5.0

♡ Fake Dating
♡ Family Restaurant 
♡ Hamptons Wedding

While this did have a quicker pace than I was expecting I really liked how things played out in this book.  The plot and characters balanced each other out nicely.

Dylan’s whole entire family were so adorable. The wholesome friendships, sense of family, and love for their passions, this book had so many cute moments.  It’s lighthearted but had its angsty moments here and there. 

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧(1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 16 May 2023
Rep: Asian (Main Characters, Chinese/American and Singaporean), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters)

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jackieyvette's review

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emotional 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? N/A

4.0

Oh, this was adorable. Theo and Dylan have great chemistry. I loved the side characters (Megan, Aunt Jade, Tim, Clover, Terri, Malia, Christine, etc.). The story is well done and I found myself finally getting out of my mini reading slump. 
Would love to read more from this author. 


Crying Score: yes, on multiple scenes 

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reading__redhead's review

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funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-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

3.5

Really liked learning more abt Chinese culture!
I didn’t like most of Theo’s family, especially his father. 
When they broke up, I was genuinely sad, which doesn’t happen often to me. But I got mad at the fact that Theo clearly ignore Dylan’s concerns and helped him during the contest! Sure, it was the big romantic gesture of the story, but then the author had to make something up so that Mr. Somers would change his mind in order to create a happy ending. 

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thirdeyeangel23's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was such an adorable read. Yes, it’s Insta-lovey, but it’s that adorable kind of Insta-love that just makes you feel light. Theo is the golden retriever billionaire in the making and Dylan was just precious. Perfect if you want lighthearted with a dash of food, family, and romance.

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anniesbooknook's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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panic_at_the_bookshelf's review

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funny lighthearted fast-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

4.0

This book is perfect when you are in need of a light and fluffy read. It's filled with funny scenes, soft moments and deals with healing from grief in such a wonderful way. It sure helped me focus on the beautiful memories of lost loved ones instead of only the pain that comes along with grief. 
It was also interesting to read more about parts of Chinese and specifically Singaporean culture.

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abitofcourage's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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


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wrongdecision's review against another edition

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informative lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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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