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fanboyriot's review
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)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
ruthiedr89's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Classism
frantic_vampire's review
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? It's complicated
5.0
This was such a sweet story! I loved the focus on family, cooking, and finding happiness is unexpected places. I loved Dylan, he was so kind. Especially when he was dealing with an asshole customer or his boyfriends (very rich and slightly obnoxious) family. And Theo, the fake date/boyfriend was such a sweetheart. I loved that he just wanted to hangout and be around Dylan and his family. I also loved how close Dylan’s family was and that they actually acted like a family with all the teasing and jokes and working together. It was just so nice to see in a YA book!
Honestly, I think this is gonna be one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! It felt like home, even though I’ve never been to Brooklyn or had the chance to eat some of the foods mentioned in the story. It was just that good. Fake Dates And Mooncakes is getting five out of five stars!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
litoreads's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
bookishmillennial's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I thought this was a sweet enough contemporary young adult romcom, even if it was a bit predictable as far as fully knowing what to expect out of the lower-middle class kid going out with an extremely wealthy kid, and their worlds being completely different.
This is told in first-person, present-tense POV of Dylan, who works at his aunt Jade’s Singaporean Chinese takeout store in Brooklyn, and is hoping to win the Mooncakes contest in order to help her to open her restaurant. Theo, the son of a mega-powerful & wealthy businessman, invites Dylan to a family wedding as his fake date after Theo gives Dylan’s family $5,000 (basically, Dylan wants to repay Theo somehow & Theo says, “okay, be my fake date to this wedding!”)
As with most fake dating, obviously the feelings become real, but not without some mischief running afoot by Theo’s dad & his friend Adrian. There was one scene with Dylan saving the day for one of Theo’s cousins Terri, and that was wild! I was not expecting that. Everything else felt like a predictable Hallmark romcom though, but that’s not a bad thing! The sentiments, the vibes, and the dialogue just felt like they’d fit perfectly.
I appreciated the internal conflict that Dylan had in choosing to either become a veterinarian or a chef — both are so valid! I love when any story brings up adoption because America’s animal shelters and rescues are FULL right now because of irresponsible pet ownership (&absolutely because of rising costs of living too, I recognize that, but the euthanasia rates are steadily increasing, which is just devastating) so pleaseeeee ADOPT, DON’T SHOP! Sheesh❤️🩹🥲
The one thing I wish was fleshed out was Theo’s character — he seemed *too* perfect, and I wish he didn’t just feel like your everyday Prince Charming if that makes sense? I appreciated his love for painting, Jackson Pollock, & generally the liberal arts, but I would’ve loved to have more of his personality shine through.
I was moved by the fact that both of these boys lost their mothers, and they had that to connect with the other on. I have not lost a parent so I can only imagine, but I felt Lee represented this grief & dynamic well.
Overall, I thought this was adorable & I’d definitely read more from Sher Lee in the future!
cw: gaslighting, manipulative father/son dynamic, emotional/financial bribing/abuse, classism, toxic friendship, death of a parent, grief, past DUI discussed
I thought this was a sweet enough contemporary young adult romcom, even if it was a bit predictable as far as fully knowing what to expect out of the lower-middle class kid going out with an extremely wealthy kid, and their worlds being completely different.
This is told in first-person, present-tense POV of Dylan, who works at his aunt Jade’s Singaporean Chinese takeout store in Brooklyn, and is hoping to win the Mooncakes contest in order to help her to open her restaurant. Theo, the son of a mega-powerful & wealthy businessman, invites Dylan to a family wedding as his fake date after Theo gives Dylan’s family $5,000 (basically, Dylan wants to repay Theo somehow & Theo says, “okay, be my fake date to this wedding!”)
As with most fake dating, obviously the feelings become real, but not without some mischief running afoot by Theo’s dad & his friend Adrian. There was one scene with Dylan saving the day for one of Theo’s cousins Terri, and that was wild! I was not expecting that. Everything else felt like a predictable Hallmark romcom though, but that’s not a bad thing! The sentiments, the vibes, and the dialogue just felt like they’d fit perfectly.
I appreciated the internal conflict that Dylan had in choosing to either become a veterinarian or a chef — both are so valid! I love when any story brings up adoption because America’s animal shelters and rescues are FULL right now because of irresponsible pet ownership (&absolutely because of rising costs of living too, I recognize that, but the euthanasia rates are steadily increasing, which is just devastating) so pleaseeeee ADOPT, DON’T SHOP! Sheesh❤️🩹🥲
The one thing I wish was fleshed out was Theo’s character — he seemed *too* perfect, and I wish he didn’t just feel like your everyday Prince Charming if that makes sense? I appreciated his love for painting, Jackson Pollock, & generally the liberal arts, but I would’ve loved to have more of his personality shine through.
I was moved by the fact that both of these boys lost their mothers, and they had that to connect with the other on. I have not lost a parent so I can only imagine, but I felt Lee represented this grief & dynamic well.
Overall, I thought this was adorable & I’d definitely read more from Sher Lee in the future!
cw: gaslighting, manipulative father/son dynamic, emotional/financial bribing/abuse, classism, toxic friendship, death of a parent, grief, past DUI discussed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
trippyotter's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I adore everything about Fake Dates and Mooncakes!
Through a chance encounter, Theo is determined to make things right with Drew for his best friends theatrics.
Theo finds himself smitten with Drew and his family, but things get a little awkward when Theo "secretly" helps, which leaves Drew feeling obligated to return the favor.
Despite the differences in their social classes and family drama, Theo and Drew bond over their shared grief and cultural history.
For a debut novel, this is everything I needed and so much more, from the fake-boyfriend ploy to the culinary references and everything in between.
I can't wait to read more from Sher!
Through a chance encounter, Theo is determined to make things right with Drew for his best friends theatrics.
Theo finds himself smitten with Drew and his family, but things get a little awkward when Theo "secretly" helps, which leaves Drew feeling obligated to return the favor.
Despite the differences in their social classes and family drama, Theo and Drew bond over their shared grief and cultural history.
For a debut novel, this is everything I needed and so much more, from the fake-boyfriend ploy to the culinary references and everything in between.
I can't wait to read more from Sher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent