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A review by dinipandareads
Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
TL;DR: Fake Dates and Mooncakes was high up on my list of anticipated YA contemporary romances this year and I was beyond thrilled to get a digital ARC! Sadly though, for various reasons, this book really didn't work out for me. I loved the cultural and food aspects of the story and Dylan's family was great as well. That said, the romance was instantaneous and I didn't really feel their romantic connection. The writing also read on the younger end of YA, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not sure that's what the author intended and it also clashed with the more sexually suggestive overtones between Dylan and Theo. I wanted to see more of the mooncake competition but that played a woefully small part in the story. Overall, I'm sad that this didn't end up being what I expected because I was genuinely looking forward to loving it!
There's no getting around it: the beginning of this book was rough. The writing was not what I expected as it read on the young end of YA but it also read very stilted and awkward with a lot of "telling" and no "showing". It felt like the story only skimmed the surface of these characters and their stories, which certainly made for 'easy reading' but left me wanting more in terms of depth and emotional connection. It was easy to see which parts the author felt the most comfortable and confident writing about because those were the parts that had the most detail. I really appreciated the food and cultural aspects of this story—it honestly made me so hungry while reading!—and they were one of the best things about it, but this could've been a cultural/culinary book because of how detailed the author gets about the recipes and their cultural significance. While I liked it, it only left me wishing that the other parts of the story could've received just as much attention (and it probably should've)!
The premise of this book was really interesting but it was the follow-through that was lacking. The reasons why Dylan and Theo got together were ultimately flimsy and felt disingenuous because there was so little interaction between them, to begin with, that the jump to more felt unrealistic. Dylan was an okay character but what I enjoyed most was his relationship with his aunt and cousins. I appreciated how much respect he had for his culture and how he carried the memories, language, and love for food with him, but I also wished that he had been less of a pushover when it came to Theo; though perhaps I'm biased though because I didn't like him. He lacked personality and every interaction with him felt bland and emotionless. There were things he said and did that left me feeling grossed out and made it harder to care about his character. If you're not a fan of instalove then you probably will feel the same way as I did about their romance. I didn't feel their connection because they go from strangers to "falling in love" very quickly and what made it harder for me to believe their chemistry is that I didn't really believe that Dylan actually liked Theo as a person either, he simply found him overwhelmingly hot.
Overall, it was just a big miss for me. While I know that as an adult I'm not the intended audience for this book. but I do read a lot of YA, although admittedly less in the contemporary/romance sphere these days. That said, if I'm being honest, I don't think I would recommend this to the young readers in my life if I were asked either. This had a promising premise and the potential for more was there, but the execution fell flat. Special thanks to the author and Underlined for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! 2 stars
There's no getting around it: the beginning of this book was rough. The writing was not what I expected as it read on the young end of YA but it also read very stilted and awkward with a lot of "telling" and no "showing". It felt like the story only skimmed the surface of these characters and their stories, which certainly made for 'easy reading' but left me wanting more in terms of depth and emotional connection. It was easy to see which parts the author felt the most comfortable and confident writing about because those were the parts that had the most detail. I really appreciated the food and cultural aspects of this story—it honestly made me so hungry while reading!—and they were one of the best things about it, but this could've been a cultural/culinary book because of how detailed the author gets about the recipes and their cultural significance. While I liked it, it only left me wishing that the other parts of the story could've received just as much attention (and it probably should've)!
The premise of this book was really interesting but it was the follow-through that was lacking. The reasons why Dylan and Theo got together were ultimately flimsy and felt disingenuous because there was so little interaction between them, to begin with, that the jump to more felt unrealistic. Dylan was an okay character but what I enjoyed most was his relationship with his aunt and cousins. I appreciated how much respect he had for his culture and how he carried the memories, language, and love for food with him, but I also wished that he had been less of a pushover when it came to Theo; though perhaps I'm biased though because I didn't like him. He lacked personality and every interaction with him felt bland and emotionless. There were things he said and did that left me feeling grossed out and made it harder to care about his character. If you're not a fan of instalove then you probably will feel the same way as I did about their romance. I didn't feel their connection because they go from strangers to "falling in love" very quickly and what made it harder for me to believe their chemistry is that I didn't really believe that Dylan actually liked Theo as a person either, he simply found him overwhelmingly hot.
Overall, it was just a big miss for me. While I know that as an adult I'm not the intended audience for this book. but I do read a lot of YA, although admittedly less in the contemporary/romance sphere these days. That said, if I'm being honest, I don't think I would recommend this to the young readers in my life if I were asked either. This had a promising premise and the potential for more was there, but the execution fell flat. Special thanks to the author and Underlined for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! 2 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Car accident