'Fake Dates and Mooncakes' is a delightfully queer, Not-So-Meet-Cute in the vein of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.
Dylan is a quiet, hard working guy who's struggling to preserve his connection with his late mother and the culture he grew up in, while trying to balance school and helping to save his aunt's Chinese takeout. Surrounded by his loving, supportive family.. for the most part, life is pretty good.
Theo seemingly has it all. He's gorgeous, wealthy, and worldly for his age. There's a kindness to him that Dylan finds almost suspicious. So, when he talks Dylan into being his fake boyfriend for a family wedding, Dylan spends the weekend sort of waiting for the catch and trying to remind himself that none of it's real.
The pair are both lovely and I really enjoyed the slow, inevitable way they were drawn to each other initially. Though they met under strange, even uncomfortable circumstances, I found myself really wanting to see things go well for them.
While Dylan's family is great, Theo's leaves a little something to be desired. For the most part, they're inherently self-absorbed, unpleasant people.. with just a few exceptions.
The romance was sweet, not overdone at all and I love that Lee did not just jump them right into physical intimacy. I also really enjoyed the glimpses of Dylan's heritage through the proverbs his family had carried with them, the expression of how they conveyed their traditions and feelings through their creation of meals, as well as little anecdotes relating to their spiritual beliefs.
This was a really cute, quick read and I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to seeing more stories from this author and would recommend the book to anyone looking for something relatively light that's filled with hope and joy.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and given freely.)