Review: The Upper Crush by Evie Alexander*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format 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. This review is being posted as part of the The Upper Crush blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: The Upper Crush
Author: Evie Alexander
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Parent Arrested, Children Taken Into Care

Rating: ★★★★★   

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit Open Door)  

He wasn’t banking on someone else taking the reins…

Lady Estelle Foxbrooke is done cleaning up the mess left by her wild parents. She’s got a plan: take the reins and save the family estate her way. But then she’s saddled with a business partner she’s hated all her life. He’s her twin brother’s worst enemy and looms in her path like a six-foot-four hurdle.

After a catastrophic business failure, rich and successful James Hunter-Savage has watched his dream life in London crash and burn. Forced to ditch the city for the Somerset countryside, he’s now living with his parents and expected to work with the infuriatingly attractive Estelle. She’s sharper than a whip, pushes all his buttons, and seems determined to break him.

As Estelle and James jockey for position, their explosive personalities combust into passion, sending Estelle’s plans to the edge of ruin. With James’s flimsy reputation in tatters, and the biggest event on the Foxbrooke calendar on the brink of collapse, will they realise their love is worth fighting for? Or are their hearts and hard work heading for the ultimate fall?

The Upper Crush is the latest instalment in Evie Alexander’s Foxbrooke series. Fans of enemies to lovers, workplace romances, forced proximity and small country town settings, with tons of spice, laugh out loud humour and ‘Britishness’ thrown in for good measure, you will adore The Upper Crush just as much as I did.

I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers romance and Evie Alexander writes this trope impeccably well. It was combined beautifully with the forced proximity and workplace romance tropes through Estelle and James being forced to work together organising a new music festival. They start to try and get under each other’s skin by pulling pranks and jokes on each other and this really made me laugh out loud, as did their witty (and very British – which I loved!) banter. The increasingly sexual tension between them was also SUPERB.

The Upper Crush is a couple hundred pages longer than the romance books I am typically drawn to but I just could not put it down so completely flew through the story. Evie Alexander has such an engaging writing style that puts you right into the Somerset countryside setting and the story was brilliantly paced.

Although this is the third instalment of the Foxbrooke series, with all the books set in the fictional Somerset village of Foxbrooke and the characters from the previous books featuring in minor supporting roles, the story also works well as a standalone story. The Upper Crush was my introduction to the series but it has made me desperate to sink my teeth into the earlier books, particularly An Unholy Affair to find out more about Eveline and Jack’s love story.

Estelle and James have sizzling chemistry from the very start of the story so it came as no shock when the spicy scenes practically set the page on fire they were so hot. Something I really like in a romance story is when we get to explore spicy scenes from the perspectives of both partners and this was done really well within The Upper Crush. James’ perspective - and in particular the way he described Estelle in those moments – was incredible. I also loved the amount of variety we had within the spicy scenes, including some solo scenes from both James and Estelle.

Alongside all of this incredible steam, there are some really romantic heartwarming moments which just made me melt. If your love language is gift giving you’ll particularly love this story.

Estelle was a strong, badass FMC. I loved the little insights we got into the internal conversations she was having with herself when she was trying to be stubborn and not fall for James. James was your typical charming alpha MMC who had a softer side that you gradually got to see as the novel progressed. As I hadn’t met him before, unlike other readers who had read the earlier books in the series, I didn’t have that pre-judgment of him going into the story and that did mean that I did fall in love with him quite early on, without him having to redeem himself too much.

The Upper Crush also has a fantastic cast of supporting characters who brought so much to the story, particularly both James and Estelle’s families. We have diverse family types represented in the story, particularly through Estelle’s three parents who are in a polyamorous relationship. There’s also lots of scenes with dogs; enough said.

Overall, The Upper Crush is a gorgeous spicy romance read. I’ve been absolutely hooked on Evie Alexander’s writing and the inhabitants of Foxbrooke and can’t wait to read more of the series.

Review: Fake It 'til You Make It by Laura Carter*

 *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. This review is being posted as part of the Fake It 'til You Make It blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Fake It 'til You Make It
Author: Laura Carter
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Cheating/Affair/Infidelity

Rating: ★★★★   

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

Can a fake date fix everything?

On a day Abbey thought would be the best of her life – her boyfriend is surely going to propose tonight, right? – it all falls apart: he tells her he’s met someone else. And then to make things worse, she loses her job.

In an act of reimagination, she splurges her wedding savings on renting an apartment in a building she’s always dreamed of living in and kits out her wardrobe to match.

But when her family invites her ex – a close family friend – plus a date(!!) to her parents’ vow renewal, Abbey realizes her façade won’t be enough. There’s nothing for it but to fake one more thing – a romance. And she knows exactly who to ask... her hot new neighbor...

A laugh-out-loud fake-dating rom com, with a chemistry you’ll be thinking about long after turning the last page. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and Elena Armas

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Fake It ‘til You Make It is the latest rom com from romance author Laura Carter. Fans of fake dating, mistaken/hidden identity and a good slow burn romance, this is the book for you! Add in a geeky cinnamon roll hero, a dual POV narrative and a family vow renewal and you’ve got Fake It ‘til You Make It, the perfect feel-good Spring romance read.

This was my first time reading anything from Laura Carter (although some of her other books have been on my TBR for a while!) and as a fake dating girlie through and through I was instantly hooked by the plot, particularly as the fake dating was partially to spite a cheating ex. Fellow fans of a good slow burn romance will also absolutely love this because this is a true extreme slow burn where, despite lots of almost-kisses, it takes them until the last 25% of the book to actually admit their feelings.

Our story is told through a present-tense, first-person dual-POV narrative, told by both Abbey and Ted. The dual-POV aspect worked so well within the story, as did the first-person narrative as it gave us a peek into Abbey and Ted’s inner thoughts. This was particularly impactful as the novel really focuses on the idea of you not needing to change yourself in order to be loved and although both Ted and Abbey initially feel the need to reinvent themselves in order to find a partner, through their inner monologues we got to gradually see them find their self confidence and learn to love their true selves.

On top of the fake dating plot, mistaken identity and miscommunication play a key role in the story as Abbey mistakes Ted for his professional athlete brother Mike and he then just doesn’t correct her and continues to dig himself a deeper mistaken identity hole. Abbey also hides part of her identity and they both get stuck in this big situation where their relationship is built on lies but their true identities, personalities and eventually feelings gradually start to seep through. I’ll put my hands up and admit that miscommunication and mistaken identity aren’t typically my favourite tropes by all means but there was something about the way they were written within Fake It ‘till You Make It that just really worked for me. I was hooked seeing how it would play out and found myself shouting aloud at the book on more occasions than I care to admit.

Abbey and Ted both had wonderful depth to their characters and their responses to their respective partners cheating on them was really well explored. They had great banter throughout the novel and their relationship felt really realistic. I do normally prefer to see a bit of spice as opposed to a closed-door romance but the closed-door aspect actually really worked here, particularly as the romance was such a slow burn.

I loved Ted with my whole heart. He was the cinnamon roll hero we’re all looking for in a romance story. I’ll even excuse the whole lying about his identity thing because he was a total sweetheart. The way he spoke about Abbey had me smiling from ear to ear and his POV chapters were my favourite in the plot. I also loved the little peeks we had into his relationship with his brother and would have loved to have seen that play out in person, but I appreciate the practical issues with that given that Ted had assumed his brother’s identity!

Abbey was a wonderful FMC. She was witty and a total girl boss for how she responded to her breakup. Spending your entire wedding savings on an expensive new apartment and treating yourself to a brand new wardrobe? THAT is how you respond to a partner’s infidelity. Through Abbey’s character, Fake It ‘till You Make It explores parental expectations and the idea of trying to please your parents and this was done really well. I loved her family dynamic and the role that played in the story.

Laura Carter also writes antagonists very well and I absolutely hated Andrew with a burning passion.

I would have liked the ending to have been explored in a little extra depth - perhaps through an epilogue - as I was craving opportunity to see more of Abbey and Ted once they were actually together. I really just didn’t feel ready to part with them once the book ended so would love the opportunity to return to their story in some capacity, perhaps through a story focusing one of the supporting characters. I also found that the mistaken identity plot was wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for my liking. But it is testament to Laura Carter’s engaging writing style that I just wanted more.

If you are looking for a feel-good romance which is packed full of your favourite tropes whilst still being closed-door, you will love Fake It 'til You Make It.

Review: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein*

  *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: When Grumpy Met Sunshine
Author: Charlotte Stein
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Parental Abuse, Childhood Poverty, Parental Alcoholism, Fatphobia

Rating: ★★★★ 

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit Open Door)

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Finding love was not the only goal . . .

When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can't imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.

And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute-as-hell ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.

But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item to satisfy a public ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. And now they have to decide: is their fake relationship all for show or something so real it might just give them their fairy-tale ending?

When Grumpy Met Sunshine is the latest novel from romance author Charlotte Stein and the (you guessed it!) grumpy x sunshine romance between grumpy retired footballer Alfie Harding and his sunshine-personified memoir ghostwriter Mabel Willicker.

This book is packed full of all of your favourite romance tropes. Our grumpy x sunshine pair end up in a fake-dating scenario after Mabel is caught by the paparazzi leaving Alfie’s house and this was really well executed. If you like the ‘Hates Everyone But You’ and ‘Touch Her and You Die’ tropes you will LOVE Alfie Harding as a swoon-worthy MMC who was fiercely protective over Mabel, even when they were ‘just friends’. BookTok is going to absolutely love this pair!

The narrative is packed full of witty-banter between Mabel and Alfie which had me laughing out loud. It did take me the first five chapters or so to settle into the story and get used to how fast paced the story was, particularly during conversations between Mabel and Alfie, but once I was there I was HOOKED.

This is a slow-burn romance but boy is it worth the wait. If you like a spicy romance with lots of sexual tension and great dirty talk, this is the book for you. I’d rate this as a 4 out of 5 on the spice scale as there are multiple open-door intimate scenes (and in a variety of locations – car and kitchen counter included!).

Mabel and Alfie were brilliant protagonists and their relationship felt really genuine, which is not always the case with celebrity romances. I love plus-size representation within romance books and Mabel was an absolute queen who was unapologetically her sunshine self. Alfie was a really complex character who I fell completely in love with. The chapters are interspersed with extracts from articles, social media posts and press interviews which add further detail to both our present-day story and Alfie’s backstory. It was really interesting to see how Alfie’s famous footballer public persona differed to his true self and this was well written. The shared childhood trauma Alfie and Mabel have was also well and respectfully written.

This book does have a HEA despite a third act breakup. I’m never a massive fan of third act breakups, especially ones linked to miscommunication, but it resolved itself well with a grand gesture that melted my heart.

Overall, When Grumpy Met Sunshine is a gorgeous romance read, perfect for reading around Valentines Day. I’ve been absolutely hooked on Charlotte Stein’s writing and can’t wait to read more of her books.

Review: Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones*

*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. This review is being posted as part of the Make You Mine This Christmas blog tour organised by Hodder & Stoughton.

Title: Make You Mine This Christmas
Author: Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Romance / Holiday Romance
Trigger warnings:  -
Rating: ★★★★

It's the golden rule of pretending to be someone's girlfriend: don't fall for their sister.

After a year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party: a kind stranger, a few too many drinks and suddenly she's kissing Christopher under the mistletoe - in front of his ex-girlfriend.

The next day the news is out that they're apparently a couple, madly in love and coming to Oxlea to spend the festive season with Christopher's family. But Haf doesn't have better holiday plans and to save her new friend from embarrassment, she agrees to pretend to be Christopher's girlfriend for Christmas.

It has the makings of a hilarious anecdote they'll be telling for years. Until Haf meets Christopher's sister: the mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible Kit. Maybe love was waiting for Haf in this quiet little town all along ... 

Make You Mine This Christmas is the latest heartwarming novel from author Lizzie Huxley-Jones and the must-read queer rom-com of this festive season.

The plot is packed full of all of your favourite romance tropes set against the backdrop of a snowy UK Christmas. Although a fake dating plot is at the forefront of the story, we also have a fantastic queer meet cute in a bookshop and the forbidden love trope is explored through Haf’s attraction to her fake boyfriend’s sister Kit. Lizzie Huxley-Jones has a really engaging writing style which you can just sink into like a big hug and I read the entire book in one sitting. I just couldn’t get enough!

I loved how much representation we had within the story and this is really something which I think sets Make You Mine This Christmas apart from other books. This includes neurodivergent, disability and chronic pain rep, a curvy and body-positive FMC and a range of LGBTQIA+ representation including characters who were non-binary, bisexual and lesbian.

This book is perfect if you want a really Christmas-heavy read packed full of festive cheer to cosy up with this holiday season. It really gave off Hallmark-movie vibes with everything from questionable Christmas jumpers and handmade decorations to kisses under the mistletoe and a cosy community Christmas fair with real (albeit unpredictable) reindeer.

One of the things which stood out within the story was how loveable and relatable all of the characters were. Haf was a truly fantastic protagonist and, as someone who was diagnosed as autistic in adulthood, I loved that she was written as an autistic character whose autism had been missed but probably explained a lot of the aspects of her character. This representation is so important and really made me feel seen so I want to thank Lizzie Huxley-Jones for including this in the story. Haf’s fake-boyfriend Christopher was a total sweetheart and, whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers where possible, I loved the journey his character went on towards starting to advocate more for his wants and dreams rather than feeling like he has to confirm to the expectations set of him. I honestly don’t know where to begin with talking about how much I loved Kit’s character. I fell in love with her the minute we met her in the bookshop and this love only grew the more we got to know her. Her relationship with her brother felt like a really authentic sibling relationship and, as I’ve already said, I thought her disability and linked chronic pain were really well portrayed and some of the best disabled representation I’ve seen in any book. The romantic and sexual tension between Haf and Kit was well-written, as were the (spoiler alert) romantic and spicier scenes when we got to them. If anything, one thing I would have liked in way of improving the narrative was if we’d had even more stolen romantic moments between Haf and Kit to build up their romance gradually. Although it’s a slow burn prior to their first kiss, after that it feels like we go from 0-100 and I would have liked a few more stolen kisses here and there to increase the tension even further by the time we get to the spicier moments.

We also have a fantastic cast of supporting characters and I loved every single one of them, from Laurel the fake boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend to the queer meet-cute obsessed bookseller and the ever-present Bryn. Ambrose, Haf’s flatmate and best friend, had to be my favourite though and they made me laugh out loud almost every chapter with their witty remarks and hilarious use of twitter polls. I loved that although Ambrose was non-binary, they weren’t defined by their gender identity and aside from use of they/them pronouns throughout the narrative, their gender identity was only referenced briefly and the focus was more on their other character traits.

Overall, Make You Mine This Christmas is a charming festive sapphic romance packed full of Christmas spirit, witty characters, laugh-out-loud moments, cute romantic scenes and truly incredible disabled and LGBTQIA+ representation. It’s a must-read this Christmas.

Review: One Sweet Holiday by Lucy Day*

 *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: One Sweet Holiday
Author: Lucy Day
Genre: Holiday Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death of a Family Member, Emotional Abuse

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…unless you’re me.

Hold the hayrides, keep your cocoa, and don’t put me within a country mile of mistletoe. This year, Christmas means chaos. My sister’s getting married and I—Gwen Griffin, perfectionist extraordinaire—will make sure her wedding is flawless. That includes doing the impossible: finding myself a wedding date. But in my tiny hometown of Jasmine Falls, South Carolina, I’ll have better luck winning the lottery.

I may be awesome at running my cafe, but I’m terrible at men. And after my last epic breakup, everyone in town knows it. That’s why I need a plus-one—even a fake one—so that when my sister gets married, everyone’s attention is on her, where it belongs.

The guy next door is perfect for the job. Gorgeous and charming, Logan Fyfe is only here for a few weeks. He’s also a hot Scottish bazillionaire who’s totally out of my league—so my risk of falling into a relationship with him? Less than zero.

Pretending to date Logan is the perfect plan—until it isn’t. Beneath his devilish smirk and delicious brogue is a big-hearted man who makes me feel the one thing I never believed to be true—that I’m enough, just the way I am.

With the wedding approaching, there’s nothing fake about my feelings anymore. When he slips his arm around my waist and whispers into my ear? Yeah, I’m a goner.

We may be worlds apart, but I’m done pretending. It’s time to get real…even if it means risking my heart. 

One Sweet Holiday is a new cute small-town festive romance novel from author Lucy Day. It’s the latest instalment in her Jasmine Falls Love Stories series but each book can be read as a standalone and has a guaranteed happily ever after. This was my first festive read of 2023 and boy has it got me in the Christmas spirit!

Our story is told through a dual POV and this worked so well in the story. I loved seeing instant attraction experienced by both Gwen and Logan and explored in their respective chapters. I also loved the banter between the two of them. The forced proximity was explored in a different way to the typical bed/room/house sharing that you might typically see through Logan moving next door to Gwen and this really made the story feel more realistic.

One of the things that I think sets One Sweet Holiday apart from other romance novels is the fact that the characters aren’t who you might typically see in this genre. Both protagonists are in their 30s and this makes their relationship feel so much more mature. On top of this, Gwen was the curvy queen that I’ve always wanted in a festive romance protagonist. I loved that the book celebrated body positivity by acknowledging her size and it being one of the things that attracted Logan to her. The way Logan talked about her curves and meeting her for the first time just made me melt.

If you are after male romantic interest who is the definition of swoon-worthy and will make you fall in love with him instantly, look no further than Logan Fyfe. He is a complete gentleman who is so respectful of Gwen and it was amazing to read. At one point in the story I worried that the miscommunication trope I have a vengeance against would rear it’s ugly head but Logan being the mature man he was any chance of this was eliminated immediately. I loved how supportive Logan was of Gwen, he had an absolute heart of gold.

The book also provided an unexpected but really interesting commentary on mental wellbeing and avoiding burnout which is so relevant to so many adult readers. The bakery setting added a really different angle to the story and we love a female entrepreneur who gives off total girl boss vibes! The family drama for both characters was also really interesting and it was great to be able to see how they tackle it as couple who are still in the early stages of a relationship.

One of the things that did take away from this being a 5* read for me was that the ending felt rushed. I felt that Gwen and Logan were owed a little more depth to their happy ending so this was a shame. I would like to be able to return to their story, ideally in a sequel but even just briefly as passing minor characters in a later book set in Jasmine Falls just to check in with them and see where they’ve ended up.

I will also say that the fake dating trope felt misplaced within this story. There was instant attraction and a blossoming relationship so having them fake dating for the sake of appeasing Gwen’s mother, who (potential spoiler alert) wasn’t appeased by it anyway, felt like an unnecessary way to add in an additional trope. I think the story was enough on it’s own as a small-town forced-proximity instant-attraction story. It’s also interesting that the book is marketed as an opposites-attract story when I found that Gwen and Logan were actually pretty similar apart from being from different countries. But this is more of an issue with the marketing rather than the story itself so it hasn’t impacted on the star rating for me.

This is a closed-door romance and whilst I fully respect that and recognise that not everyone wants spice in their romance novels, I do wish we’d been given a little bit more and had even just the indication that sex had taken place. Instead, it was very much completely glossed over aside from some passionate kissing and this felt unrealistic.

These things aside, I still absolutely loved the story and it was the perfect Hallmark-movie style romance to get me in the festive spirit. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants an easy christmassy read, packed full of sweet moments, witty banter and relatable characters.

One Sweet Holiday will be published on 6th November 2023.

Review: Lovelight Farms by B.K Borison*

 *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: Lovelight Farms
Author: B.K Borison
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death of a Parent, Alcoholism

Rating: ★★★★★ 

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a child, Stella enters a contest with insta-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the huge cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said that she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only . . . there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious relationship in the process. Will their fake love affair save Lovelight Farms in time for Christmas?

Lovelight Farms is the first instalment of B.K Borison’s Lovelight series. I’m incredibly late to the party with this series but I’m so glad I’m finally here because I’m now hooked. A friends to lovers fake dating story set at Christmas is my absolute idea of heaven so it was no surprise when I absolutely devoured this book and fell totally in love with the characters and setting.

B.K Borison has an engaging writing style which makes you feel like you’ve dropped right into the small-town setting. The plot was well paced and humour was well placed throughout.

Stella was a fantastically written female protagonist and Luka was a totally swoon-worthy male romantic interest although I am furious at Stella for not realising it sooner. Theirs is totally an ‘everyone can see it apart from them’ love story which I will admit I am a sucker for. Their chemistry was just off the charts and the spicy scenes were some of my favourite that I’ve read in romance books.

The small-town setting felt really cosy and this makes it perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls. In the other town residents we have some fantastic supporting characters who were all fantastically written and I nearly fell in love with Beckett as much as I did Luka so I’m excited to read the next book which focuses more on him.

Lovelight Farm is a gorgeous wholesome romance read which is perfect for getting you in the festive spirit. It is definitely one I’m going to return to every winter and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the rest of the series.

Review: Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee*

 *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. 

Review: The Gossip Games by Allie Sarah*

     *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: The Gossip Games
Author: Allie Sarah
Genre: Young Adult Romance

Trigger warnings:  Biphobia & Characters Outed By Others.

Rating: ★★★

The Gossip Games is a Young Adult romance which combines both the fake dating trope and the best friend’s sibling trope. Dean is Gracie’s best friend’s brother and when a rumour about them dating starts up around their boarding school, they dare each other to go along with it to see who would give in and reveal the truth first. This really takes a different spin on the usual fake dating stories and sets The Gossip Games apart from other YA novels featuring that trope.

Allie Sarah has done a fantastic job of creating some characters which are far more complex than we often see in YA fiction, which is no mean feat in a debut work. There were other characters which were under-developed but I think this was down to the battle between a lack of page space and the very large number of characters introduced throughout the story, many of whom weren’t really relevant to the overall narrative. I understood the need to world-build somewhat given that it is the first book in the Trinity High Series but it ended up coming across like random characters were being thrown into scenes simply so we’re aware of them prior to a feature in a later story in the series. I’d rather the focus have been more on fully developing the characters that were relevant to this story and a choice made to only introduce other characters as and when they were relevant in later books.

We have strong bisexual and gay representation in the supporting characters and the book explores teenage experiences of coming out in a brilliant way. There is a storyline surrounding a character being outed by a member of their family, which is worth noting if that content is likely to be triggering for you as a reader. We also see a real diverse range of family types which is an important inclusion in the story. There is some good mental health representation through Gracie experiencing panic attacks and my heart melted for the incredible way Dean supported her through them.

I liked Trinity High as the setting for the book – despite the baffling lack of teachers supervising anything the students seem to do – and will be really interested to see how the school is further explored in later books in the series. On top of this, I also thought the Ashcroft family dynamic was a really interesting one and it added a unique element to the story. I would have loved further exploration of the inner-family workings and relationships as all interactions between the Ashcroft adults and teenagers seems rushed but hopefully this is something that can be further explored in later books in the series. With the next book focusing on Jesse, I did wonder if we were going to see a book focusing on each of the Ashcroft teenagers and I do think this would be a lovely direction to take the series in.

The romance between Gracie and Dean was very sweet and a good exploration of first love. Outside of the fake dating plot, their love story is a good example of a slow burn romance and I was really rooting for them. It did feel at times like their romance would have been more fitting in 14/15 year old characters rather than 17/18 year olds as it was quite juvenile at times. I’ve spoken before in previous YA reviews about my passion for the inclusion of sex in YA romances where fitting to the story and I do feel like it was missing from The Gossip Games, particularly given the age of the characters and the number of times in the story that they’re away together without adult supervision. Potential exploration of a first sexual relationship was suggested at the very beginning of the story as the fake dating stems from rumours that Gracie and Dean are sleeping together and Gracie briefly mentions being a virgin in response to this but it’s the last time that sex is really mentioned at all. Whilst this may have been intentional to market the book at younger YA readers, I think a book focusing on the lives of characters on the cusp of adulthood naturally navigates itself towards the older end of the YA demographic who are at a point in their lives where they’re starting to explore sex and relationships. It is therefore important that these themes are also explored in the books they’re reading and a story like The Gossip Games could have been a good platform for this so it is a shame it was completely missed out.

The Gossip Games is a short novel and in trying to keep it short and sweet I think we do miss out on getting an in-depth exploration of some aspects of the story. The fake dating plot is introduced to the story really quickly and it probably would have worked better to have at least a few chapters worth of character development and build up first. Time could also jump forwards suddenly in the middle of the chapter – moving the story on by days or weeks at a time – and this on top of the frequent paragraph breaks mid-conversation to change character perspective really effected the overall flow of the story and made it hard to follow at times.

The writing style and plot points could be quite juveniles at times and some aspects of the plots – such as the storyline involving Blake – were very predictable. I did find some interactions between Dean and Gracie frustrating as they seemed to realise their feelings for each other and then convince themselves they were just friends repeatedly over the course of the story. We had repeated kiss scenes which were clearly just for them and not to further their fake dating story, yet they kept returning to the idea that they had no feelings for each other at all. Although some of this could be put up to teenagers experiencing love for the first time and not knowing what it all means, it did become quite repetitive and I was begging them to just hurry up and realise their feelings.

Overall, The Gossip Games is a good debut YA romance which I know teen readers will love. More mature fans of the YA genre may struggle with some aspects of the storytelling as I did, but if you’re just after a fake dating story which is an easy read and features a cutesy romance than this is the book for you. I teetered between rating the book 3* and 4* as I know that many of the issues I had with the story stem from the fact that I am an adult reader of YA fiction and I do know that teenage Chloe would have adored the book. I’m definitely keen to see where Allie Sarah takes the series and do look forward to reading future works by her.

The Gossip Games by Allie Sarah will be published on 18th April 2023.