""One of Lau's sharpest books yet." —The New York Times Book Review
The "masterful, inspiring, and full of heart" (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) Jackie Lau returns with a thoroughly unique love story about a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again—and the intriguing man who can't quite remember her.
Noelle Tom really shouldn't have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old woman at the stall said they'd give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.
Except now she's reliving the same Friday. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45, and the Wordle answer is always "happy." Worst of all, any work she does at her job as an engineer? It's erased when she wakes up. Monday might never come in this workaholic's nightmare. Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the "thing she needed most," and a trip to the food stall doesn't help…because there's no sign of it.
Then she meets good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While the brewery owner seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle can't figure out how, even when she steps outside of her comfort zone and lives a little. As she grows attached to him, she becomes more worried that she'll never escape the loop and he'll never recall her name. And if she does ever get out, can they be together in the "real" world?"
"Jackie Lau, author of the "full of heart" (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) The Stand-Up Groomsman, returns with a charming rom-com about a young woman's desperate attempts to fend off her meddling mother…only to find that maybe mother does know best.
Mark Chan this. Mark Chan that.
Writer and barista Emily Hung is tired of hearing about the great Mark Chan, the son of her parents' friends. You'd think he single-handedly stopped climate change and ended child poverty from the way her mother raves about him. But in reality, he's just a boring, sweater-vest-wearing engineer, and when they're forced together at Emily's sister's wedding, it's obvious he thinks he's too good for her.
But now that Emily is her family's last single daughter, her mother is fixated on getting her married and she has her sights on Mark. There's only one solution, clearly: convince Mark to be in a fake relationship with her long enough to put an end to her mom's meddling. He reluctantly agrees.
Unfortunately, lying isn't enough. Family friends keep popping up at their supposed dates—including a bubble tea shop and cake-decorating class—so they'll have to spend more time together to make their relationship look real. With each fake date, though, Emily realizes that Mark's not quite what she assumed and maybe that argyle sweater isn't so ugly after all…"
"Amber Wong has landed her dream job at the Stratford Festival, and life is looking good. Sure, she hasn't had sex in so long that her condoms have expired, but she'll just pick up some new ones, along with discounted Christmas chocolate, at the grocery store.
And that's where she runs into Dr. Sebastian Lam, the son of her parents' close friends, whom she hasn't seen in years. He's moved back to Ontario, newly single, and . . . Oh my God. He's really hot.
The attraction is mutual and no-strings-attached sex is the perfect arrangement for both of them, since Amber has sworn off dating after a string of terrible boyfriends.
But what if their families find out they're spending time together and start interfering in their lives? That would be a disaster.
Even worse? If they develop feelings for each other, given a relationship is the last thing Amber wants right now . . .
Contains mature themes."
"After his family's matchmaking extravaganza at Thanksgiving, high school teacher Zach Wong is terrified of what his parents might do for Chinese New Year. Surely they'll try to set him up yet again, especially now that his older brothers are in relationships. Zach, however, has no interest in dating, not since his fiancée left him.
The solution? Find a fake girlfriend to avoid his parents' matchmaking.
Jo MacGregor, the town dentist, is the obvious choice. They both live in Mosquito Bay and have been friends for years, ever since they bonded over broken engagements. A few kisses and dates around town, and everyone will believe they're in a relationship. No problem.
Except their fake relationship is starting to feel more and more real . . .
Contains mature themes."
"Greg Wong hates when things don't go according to plan, so he definitely doesn't appreciate it when his mother insists he drive Tasha Edwards back to Mosquito Bay for the Christmas holidays. He likes peace and quiet when he's in the car, and that's the opposite of what he'll get with Tasha, his high school sweetheart. The first woman he ever loved.
Not that he has feelings for her now. Of course not. Though while he's trying not to smile at her laughter and terrible singing, he can't help noticing how beautiful she is.
And then his plans veer further off course when a snowstorm forces them to spend the night in an unheated motel room with only one bed . . .
Contains mature themes."
"Her former one-night stand is now her roommate. Oops.
When electrical engineer and depressed plushie enthusiast Rose Pang decides to go out alone one evening, she certainly doesn't expect to meet easygoing landscaper Cal. They spend an enjoyable night together, and the next day, romance is on her mind. Cal promises to text . . . but he never does. Hurt, Rose tries her best to forget about him.
But several months later, in a terrible twist of fate, Rose discovers that her new roommate, Caleb Dempsey, is actually her former one-night stand. He claims he lost her number when his phone got run over. Rose isn't buying his lies, and Cal offers to find another place to live as soon as he can.
After a few weeks, however, she starts to like having Cal as a roommate—he does all his chores, plus he's a fun and calming presence—but she swears nothing will happen between them. Except her feelings for him grow as they spend more time together.
Can she risk giving him another chance, especially when her mental health is a little fragile? If it goes badly, she'll also lose a great roommate. Maybe it would be safer to try dating someone new . . .
Contains mature themes."
"A Thanksgiving rom-com with lots of food and interfering family!
Advertising executive Nick Wong enjoys living in Toronto. He loves late nights partying and taking women back to his penthouse. And so it is with great reluctance that he returns to his boring hometown of Mosquito Bay for Thanksgiving.
This year, however, is even worse than usual. His parents and grandparents, frustrated with the lack of weddings in the family, have invited blind dates for him and his three siblings. Nick's brother Greg has been set up with Lily Tseng, who just so happens to be Nick's latest one-night stand, the one he can't get out of his mind.
Although Nick has never been interested in settling down, Lily has him reconsidering. Perhaps he's good for more than a single night of sex, dumplings, and bubble tea after all. But first, he has to get through this painful weekend with his family and convince her that she should be with him, not Greg . . .
Contains mature themes."
"Meet Cedric Fong in this m/m romance . . .
I don't need a date. I need to focus on finding a new apartment and finally writing another novel.
But as the last single Fong brother, I'm expected to participate in a bachelor auction to benefit my family's charity. When there's a frenzied bidding war, Brian Poon, my younger brother's ex-best friend, puts an end to the chaos by bidding an eye-watering amount for a Valentine's date with me.
Brian used to be a notorious partier, but his life isn't as wild now that his father has cut him off. We have a good time eating and drinking together, and when he finds out about my apartment situation, he offers me his spare room.
Once I move in, Brian surprises me by baking me cookies and making it his mission to get me writing again. Soon, I'm working on a new book and getting closer to my roommate, a man who has never had a relationship and is all about casual sex—the opposite of me.
He also used to be in love with my brother. I wonder if he still is . . .
Contains mature themes."
"I've got a pretty great life, if I do say so myself. I made a fortune when I sold my tech start-up, and I've spent the years since partying, drinking, and inviting a parade of women into my bed.
I should be happy, but I feel an annoying lack of fulfillment, and there's no way I'm going back to the work I did before.
At a friend's party, I meet Marissa. We have hot sex against the door and agree to spend the weekend together. Just one weekend. I never expect to see her again.
Except now she's pregnant with my baby . . . and I think this is the solution to all my problems. This is what will bring meaning to my life. I'm going to be a devoted father and husband.
Marissa—whose last name I still don't know—wants me to be involved, though she rejects my marriage proposal. But before the baby arrives, I'm going to prove to her that I can be something other than a playboy.
And the rare times I set my mind to something, I don't fail . . .
Contains mature themes."
"She's got a billionaire boyfriend, but life is far from perfect . . .
Thirty-four and divorced, Sierra Wu is a constant disappointment to her family. They approved of her former career as an engineer but were horrified when she quit to run a small greeting card store.
So, the last thing she expected in her not-so-spectacular life was being swept off her feet by Colton Sanders. Yes, that Colton Sanders, the billionaire. They've been together for a year, and despite his reputation with women, it's going well.
There's only one tiny problem: Jake Tong.
A former friend and employee of Colton, the irritatingly handsome Jake tells Sierra to break up with Colton for her own good. She refuses, of course. Why should she trust Jake?
But as she continues to bump into Jake in awkward situations, the attraction between them grows, and she starts wondering if he's right about Colton . . .
Contains mature themes."
"'A low-angst charmer.'-New York Times Book Review
A bridesmaid and groomsman put their differences aside to get their best friends down the aisle in this opposites-attract steamy romantic comedy from the author of Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie.
They say to never meet your heroes, but when Vivian Liao's roommate gets engaged to her favorite actor's costar, she has no choice but to come face-to-face with Melvin Lee again. He's just as funny and handsome as he is on-screen...but he thinks she's an ice queen and a corporate sellout. It's none of his business how she chooses to live her life, no matter how charismatic he is.
Mel is used to charming audiences as an actor and stand-up comedian, but he can't seem to thaw Vivian's defenses. If she can ignore the simmering attraction below the surface, so can he. The only thing uniting them is their goal for their friends' wedding to go off without a hitch.
As they collaborate on wedding cake and karaoke parties, Mel realizes he might have seriously misjudged this bridesmaid, while Vivian discovers the best man might just be as dazzling off-screen as he is on. With the wedding underway, maybe more than one happily ever after is in the future."
"As CEO of Fong Investments, I'm a busy man. In fact, my family claims I'm an obsessive workaholic, and when they force me to take two weeks off, I have no idea what to do with myself.
While brooding over an espresso, I meet Courtney Kwan, a biomedical researcher who savors the little things in life. And, suddenly, an idea strikes me—I will pay this woman to teach me how to enjoy my vacation from work.
Soon, I find myself doing crazy things like baking cookies, reading for pleasure, buying a phallic cactus, and falling in love. But Courtney is dealing with some serious issues of her own, and I fear that when I return to work, I won't be able to give her what she needs, and I'll lose her forever . . .
Contains mature themes."
