About the Book:

Title: Fake Dates and Mooncakes
Author: Sher Lee
Page Length: 272
Publication Date: May 16, 223
Publisher: Underlined
Synopsis: Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.
Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.
Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.
In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.
Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?
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My Review:
I was excited to read Fake Dates and Mooncakes, but it ended up not being the right fit for me. There were a couple of things I liked about the book. The cover is gorgeous! Also, the representation was great, and I really liked Dylan’s family. They were fun and funny and so supportive of each other, and Dylan's cousin is comical. There was definitely a lot of love in his family, which contrasted Theo's well. I also liked the descriptions of food and culture, though it sometimes felt a little info-dumpy to me. I think I wanted a bit more development and more showing and less telling. And considering how much talk there was about food, I was surprised with how little a focus the actual mooncake competition was. Many things happened in the story that I found bothersome, and the relationship between Theo and Dylan wasn't my favorite. Their dialogue felt forced, and they didn't have as much chemistry as I'd hoped. And some of Theo's actions rubbed me the wrong way. I feel like he didn't really consider Dylan's feeling many times in the story, and he should have. I also hated that no one was really held accountable for their actions, especially when it came to how Dylan was treated. The book read very young even though there were some pretty adult themes (death, grief, alcoholism, addiction, economic insecurity, and more) and sexually suggestive scenes. Overall, it might be a good read for the right audience, but I did not enjoy it.
Rating:

Recommendations:
Check the content warnings before starting this read as there are elements that could be triggering for readers. Topics include death, grief, alcoholism, addiction, economic insecurity, and more.
Sorry this one did not live up to the hype. I’ve heard similar complaints from a couple other people.
I buddy read it with two others, and none of us enjoyed it. It happens, but it was disappointing. Thanks!
Aw thats a shame it didn’t live up to expectations, the synopsis makes it sound so good! Hopefully your next read is better!
Thank you! It was. 🙂
Ah snap, sorry to hear this one didn’t work out for you. The forced dialogues and weak chemistry are definitely killers. Great honest thoughts, Julie! P.S. Cool blog as well! 😀
Thanks so much! It was a tough one to review – I was really hoping to love it. Cute cover, though. 🙂
Too bad this didn’t work for you, Julie. I have to agree, the first thing I thought was what a great cover.
That’s the best part of the book – love the cover!! lol
Sorry it was so disappointing! Sounds like it could have had potential, but sometimes books just don’t work for us!
That’s right. A lot of others enjoyed it. 🙂
Yeah… this was such a bummer for us! Onto the next! But great review! 🙂
Thanks, Leslie!
My review is coming out on Monday but basically, same! I’m so bummed we didn’t love this one more and it ended up being a not-so-great end with the author 😂 Great review, Julie!
Thanks, Dini! I’m disappointed too. 🙁
I adore the book’s cover, and that is its best feature.
https://www.intellectfolks.com/login-guide-penn-foster/
It’s a fabulous cover!