don't judge a book by the cover

Emily Hung is an adult. She’s in her 30s and she is a published author. But that doesn’t stop her from feeling the full impact of her imposter syndrome. It doesn’t stop her from working as a barista. It doesn’t stop her sister from acting like Emily can drop everything and babysit for her on any given weekday afternoon. And it doesn’t stop her mother from trying to set her up. Emily is the last single daughter in a family of 5 girls, and while she is not the youngest, she is the last one who is still single. And now her mother can’t stop telling her about Mark Chan.

Mark Chan is the son of friends of her mother, and he’s apparently the perfect man for Emily. At least, Emily feels like that’s what her mother thinks when she can’t stop talking about him. Or seating her at the same table as him at her sister’s wedding. Or tricking her into having brunch with him.

Finally, Emily can’t take any more, so she comes up with an idea. If she and Mark pretend to date, then she’ll get her mother off her back. She’s a novelist, so she can create a story for them, complete with date ideas. She just has to get Mark to agree to this, and then they can coordinate times and get their stories straight. Surprisingly, he agrees with the fake relationship idea, so Emily goes ahead and sets up some fake dates.

But when Emily is telling her mother about her dates with Mark, her mother has questions. The bubble tea date? Her mother knew someone who was nearby and didn’t see them. (Emily said they went to a different tea shop.) The class in frosting a cake? Her mother knows the woman who teaches it. (She said they went to a different class.) But Emily gets nervous. She’s worried that she’ll get caught up in one of her lies, so she decides to change the plan. She and Mark need to date for real.

As the next few weeks go by, Emily and Mark go out several times, and Emily starts to think that she had maybe judged him a little quickly, based on the fact that her mother liked him. As she gets to know the real person, she finds that Mark is actually kind, generous, and artistic. And he has a cat. With an Instagram account.

But the more Emily finds that she’s becoming genuinely attracted to Mark, the more she worried about her family. What will they say when they find out that Emily really does like the guy her mother set her up with? And how will they react when they find that their relationship started out as fake? And when that does all come out, how will Emily show that she really is an adult, capable of taking care of herself, after having acted so immaturely as to create a fake relationship?

But as it turns out, Emily is not the only one with secrets. And when she learns the whole truth, her life is turned upside down.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is Jackie Lau’s latest rom com. Filled with insider tips on the publishing industry, plenty of food talk, and lots of family togetherness, this slow burn romance brings the sweet along with the heat. The characters are strong, the feelings are real, and there is a genuine sweetness to the relationship as it develops.

I liked this book a lot, but I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. I thought Mark was an interesting character, but I also felt like I didn’t get to know him as much as I would have liked. I wanted to hear his voice much earlier in the book. Emily had a much stronger voice from the start, and I felt like I knew her better and could root for her (or roll my eyes at her). But it’s still a great story, like a milkshake with a slice of cherry pie on top.

Egalleys for Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.