A review by sunshine_librarian
Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

5.0

Gloria Chao suprised me with a multi-layered book of family, identity, and following one's dreams. In Rent a Boyfriend, Chloe, who goes by her Chinese name Jing-Jing when she's around her parents, feels suffocated by the expectations of her parents and community. When she's "promised" to the local eligible bachelor, who's actually a huge slime ball, Chloe fights back the only way she knows how: lie to her parents and hire a boyfriend from Rent for your 'Rents to get her parents off her back.

What starts as a way to break her engagement with fake-Lamborghini owning Hongbo without disappointing her parents turns into a journey of self-discovery, love, and confronting the cultural expectations of her childhood. Chloe, with the help of her fake-boyfriend Andrew, finds a way to accept and appreciate her Asian heritage while still being true to herself. Along the way, Chloe helps Andrew see the beauty and strength within himself and accept who he is; and artist named Drew.

I was expecting a light and fluffy rom-com, but ended up getting so much more. I'll definitely be adding this to my school library when it comes out in November!