Cover of Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau
Contemporary

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie

by Jackie Lau

352 pages · Trade Paperback

Writer and barista Emily Hung is sick of hearing her mother praise Mark Chan, her parents' friends' son, a buttoned-up engineer who seemed to look down on her at her sister's wedding. Now that Emily is the last…

Fake Dating
Editor ReviewedAI-AssistedRomance Profile Available
Your rating:

At a glance

Genre
Contemporary
Trope
Fake Dating
Length
352 pages
Format
Trade Paperback

Reading Options

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie

As an Amazon Associate, Eikna earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.

Should I read this?

Why You May Love This Book

You may love this if…

  • To escape her mother's matchmaking efforts, a writer enters a fake-dating arrangement with a man she once thought looked down on her.
  • Readers who enjoy lighthearted romantic comedies
  • Fans of fake dating tropes
  • Lighthearted
  • Features Fake Dating
Romance Profile

The Romance

Tropes, dynamics, and the chemistry that drives this story.

Tropes

Fake DatingForced Proximity

Relationship Dynamics

Enemies to Lovers

Details

Type: Contemporary

Pairing: unknown

Power balance: Balanced; both are reluctant participants in the fake dating scheme.

Relationship TensionStrong (50 out of 100)
Emotional Experience

How It Feels

The emotional landscape you'll move through while reading.

Pacing: unknown
Heat & Explicitness

Heat Level

Based on available metadata and editorial review.

Explicitness: unknown
Heat information is based on available metadata and editorial review. Reader sensitivities vary.
Reader Fit

Who Is This Book For?

Best for

Readers who enjoy lighthearted romantic comediesFans of fake dating tropes

Reading mood

LightheartedEntertaining

Recommended audience: Adult romance readers

Story & Themes

The Story

Spoiler-Free Synopsis

Emily Hung is tired of her mother trying to set her up with Mark Chan, an engineer she previously clashed with at her sister's wedding. To get her parents off her back, she convinces Mark to enter a fake relationship. However, the plan hits a snag when family friends repeatedly show up on their dates, forcing them to spend genuine time together and rethink their initial impressions of one another.

Central Conflict

Emily needs to navigate her mother's matchmaking pressure while managing a forced-proximity fake-dating scheme with someone she previously disliked.

Setting

Contemporary, includes barista and writer settings.

Strengths

  • Classic, highly relatable premise
Book Club

Discussion Guide

Questions to deepen your reading experience or spark a book club conversation.

  1. 1

    How does the central conflict shape the relationship between the main characters?

  2. 2

    How does the setting influence the characters' decisions and their relationship?

  3. 3

    How do the relationship dynamics evolve throughout the story?

  4. 4

    Who would you most want to recommend this book to?

  5. 5

    How did the pacing affect your reading experience?

  6. 6

    Which aspect of the story did you find most compelling?

Questions are generated from approved book intelligence and may not reflect every reader's experience.
Trust & Transparency

How This Profile Was Created

Eikna uses book metadata and AI-assisted analysis to create structured romance profiles. Public profiles are reviewed and approved by an editor before publication.

Editor reviewed:
Yes
Last reviewed:
October 4, 2026
Confidence:
Moderate confidence
Profile version:
eikna-public-book-intelligence-v1
Meet the writer

About the Author

JL

Jackie Lau

Reader Reviews

What Readers Say

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Publication Details

Publisher
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Format
Trade Paperback
Length
352 pages
Language
English
ISBN-13
9781668030769

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Reading Options

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie

As an Amazon Associate, Eikna earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.

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