*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: Fake Dates And Mooncakes
Author: Sher Lee
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Young Adult
Trigger warnings: Death Of A Parent
Rating: ★★★★★
Fake-dates, mooncakes and rich people problems. But love
wasn't meant to be on the menu . . .
Meet Dylan Tang: he juggles school and delivery runs for his
aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn. Winning a mooncake competition
could bring the publicity they need to stay afloat.
Enter Theo Somers: a charming, wealthy customer who convinces
Dylan to be his fake date to a family wedding full of crazy rich drama. Their
romance is supposed to be just for show . . . but soon Dylan’s falling for
Theo. For real.
With the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being
distracted by rich-people problems. Can he save his family’s business and
follow his heart – or will he fail to do both?
Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a fantastic queer romance debut
from Sher Lee. As the title suggests, it is the fake-dating story of our two male
protagonists Dylan and Theo and the narrative utilises other well-loved romance
tropes such as only one bed, instant connection and the couple coming from
different worlds. Through this, Sher Lee has created a charming and wholesome queer
romance which was so easy to read in a single sitting and had me smiling from
ear to ear.
Dylan and Theo were both fantastic protagonists who were
beautifully written as realistic teenagers. I loved their instant connection
and Theo’s charm and flirtatious nature will make you swoon. The supporting
characters were all wonderful too. I fell in love with Dylan’s family and it
was fantastic to have a diverse family type represented within YA fiction as
Dylan lives with his aunt and cousins following the death of his mother.
The book is also a love letter to Chinese culture,
particularly Chinese street food as Dylan is an aspiring chef working for the
family takeout business and taking part in a local mooncake competition. The impact
of grief was also beautifully explored through Dylan and Theo connecting over
having both lost their mothers.
This book has been marketed as ‘Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich
Asians’ and that couldn’t be more spot on. If you are looking for a cute and
easy to read queer romance packed full of your favourite tropes, look no
further than Fake Dates and Mooncakes. This was an incredible debut from Sher
Lee and I’m so looking forward to reading more from them.
No comments:
Post a Comment