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    How to Fake a Love Story

    Author Aashna Avachat
    Paperback
    $12.99 US
    Penguin Young Readers | Penguin Workshop
    5-1/2"W x 8-1/4"H
    On sale Jan 05, 2027 | 320 Pages | 9798217049158
    Grade 9 & Up
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    She wants to break his heart. He wants her to fall in love. Two former childhood best friends must navigate hidden agendas and tangled pasts in this irresistibly messy YA revenge rom-com for fans of Lynn Painter and Ann Liang.

    Lakshmi Jadhav is nearing eighteen without even a fun fling to her name. Regardless, she’s determined to live a little, as her new friend, Emily, suggests...all while studiously ignoring her former best friend and crush, Adil Chaddha.

    Meanwhile, Adil isn’t sure why Lakshmi moved away two years ago without so much as a goodbye, and he isn’t about to ask her now that she’s back. He’ll stick to doing his usual thing, like doling out dating advice to his friends, Dhruv and Matthias. But after the boys call his romantic expertise into question, they issue him a challenge: Adil must get a girl of their choosing to fall in love with him. And they know one who never would—Lakshmi.

    Little does Adil know, Lakshmi’s set out on a plot of her own, seeking revenge on him after his careless meddling results in Em’s heartbreak.

    Now, Adil needs to win Lakshmi over, and Lakshmi needs to break his heart. They might know how to fake a love story, but will they want to build a real one?
    Aashna Avachat is a writer, reader, and lawyer from California. She studied English and Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and law at Harvard Law School. She is the author of Love Craves Cardamom, Mischief Girls, and How to Fake a Love Story. When she’s not working, she’s probably reading on a sunny patch of grass, going on long walks to grocery stores, or being cozy with one of her many foster cats. Visit her online at aashnaavachat.com. View titles by Aashna Avachat
    “A delightful revenge rom-com with a twist. Sweet, smart, and sincere, this will leave you swooning and flipping the pages for more. How to Fake a Love Story is perfect for fans of fake-dating and friends-to-lovers romances.”—Ann Liang, New York Times bestselling author of I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

    “Aashna Avachat knows how to pen a great love story. This book has the formula for an unbeatable rom-com: charming characters, a to-do list, and a male love interest who yearns. Lakshmi and Adil stole my heart—YA rom-coms are so back!”—Trinity Nguyen, bestselling author of A Bahn Mi for Two

    “Procedure: read How to Fake a Love Story in one sitting. Observations: story brims with tongue-in-cheek rom-com references, lovably flawed characters intent on revenge, bucket-list antics, and heartfelt themes of forgiveness and friendship. Conclusion: emerge with the YA successor to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days you didn’t know you needed.”—Emily Charlotte, author of Heart Check

    About

    She wants to break his heart. He wants her to fall in love. Two former childhood best friends must navigate hidden agendas and tangled pasts in this irresistibly messy YA revenge rom-com for fans of Lynn Painter and Ann Liang.

    Lakshmi Jadhav is nearing eighteen without even a fun fling to her name. Regardless, she’s determined to live a little, as her new friend, Emily, suggests...all while studiously ignoring her former best friend and crush, Adil Chaddha.

    Meanwhile, Adil isn’t sure why Lakshmi moved away two years ago without so much as a goodbye, and he isn’t about to ask her now that she’s back. He’ll stick to doing his usual thing, like doling out dating advice to his friends, Dhruv and Matthias. But after the boys call his romantic expertise into question, they issue him a challenge: Adil must get a girl of their choosing to fall in love with him. And they know one who never would—Lakshmi.

    Little does Adil know, Lakshmi’s set out on a plot of her own, seeking revenge on him after his careless meddling results in Em’s heartbreak.

    Now, Adil needs to win Lakshmi over, and Lakshmi needs to break his heart. They might know how to fake a love story, but will they want to build a real one?

    Author

    Aashna Avachat is a writer, reader, and lawyer from California. She studied English and Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and law at Harvard Law School. She is the author of Love Craves Cardamom, Mischief Girls, and How to Fake a Love Story. When she’s not working, she’s probably reading on a sunny patch of grass, going on long walks to grocery stores, or being cozy with one of her many foster cats. Visit her online at aashnaavachat.com. View titles by Aashna Avachat

    Praise

    “A delightful revenge rom-com with a twist. Sweet, smart, and sincere, this will leave you swooning and flipping the pages for more. How to Fake a Love Story is perfect for fans of fake-dating and friends-to-lovers romances.”—Ann Liang, New York Times bestselling author of I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

    “Aashna Avachat knows how to pen a great love story. This book has the formula for an unbeatable rom-com: charming characters, a to-do list, and a male love interest who yearns. Lakshmi and Adil stole my heart—YA rom-coms are so back!”—Trinity Nguyen, bestselling author of A Bahn Mi for Two

    “Procedure: read How to Fake a Love Story in one sitting. Observations: story brims with tongue-in-cheek rom-com references, lovably flawed characters intent on revenge, bucket-list antics, and heartfelt themes of forgiveness and friendship. Conclusion: emerge with the YA successor to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days you didn’t know you needed.”—Emily Charlotte, author of Heart Check

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