Cover Image: The Dating Plan

The Dating Plan

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Member Reviews

The Dating Plan has a fake engagement, enemies to lovers with a dose of second-chance lovers- what isn't to like? Daisy wasn't my favorite character in The Marriage Game, but I came to love her so quickly after diving into this one. And Liam? Mmm. A leather wearing bad boy who broke Daisy's heart but still looks like sin? Kryptonite. I loved Daisy's love for spreadsheets and Marvel, and I loved Liam's passion for the San Jose Sharks, his protectiveness of Daisy and wanting to be a better man. Throw in a dose of that wonderful Patel family and some Irish relatives to boot? More great family dynamics are at play in this one, just like in the Marriage Game before it.

I honestly saw a lot of myself in Daisy's personality and trust issues, so I really felt connected to her character. I noticed that a lot of folks who didn't like this book thought Daisy's character was too quirky or over the top, but honestly, I didn't feel that way at all. I have feelings about this and think that some of the issues Daisy discusses about her mother are directly related to her personality, which for me softens the edge; it's like a defense mechanism. I don't want to say too much because of potential #spoilers; just don't let those reviews scare you away.

You don't have to read the Marriage Game first for this one, but I do highly encourage it, because it gives you some Patel family background, which I think is helpful going into this one. I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 and a moderate+ steam rating- the steamy scenes were limited, but WHEW were they STEAMY.

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The Dating Plan by Sara Desai was probably one of my favourite books of this year so far. It was my first foray into this author and I will be going back to check out her other books.

The Dating Plan was laugh out loud funny and witty, I actually found myself re-reading sentences and smiling to myself at the sheer wit. The story follows Daisy Patel, a software engineer, who is super quirky and has her whole life planned out in an excel spreadsheet. She likes to keep things casual and not get too attached, whether if it’s her current job or the current boy she is sleeping with, she likes to just dip her toes in and then snatch them out to find something new. This is due to two major figures in her early childhood life leaving her with little to no warning. She ends up literally crashing into one of those people at a tech conference as she is trying to escape an old boyfriend, and old boss, and one of her matchmaking aunties.

Liam Murphy seems to have it all: good looks, a charismatic personality, and a high-profile job where he is lined up to make partner. Like Daisy, Liam also likes to keep his romantic pursuits short lived. However, if he wants to continue his grandfather’s legacy and the family business, he needs to get a wife as soon as possible. When Daisy crashes into him, all of the memories of his past life as her brother’s best friend comes back in a rush and he is not surprised to find that she still hates him for what he did back when she was 18. It is because of this dislike that Daisy has for him, that Liam thinks she would be the perfect fake fiancée and wife for a year – no chance of her actually catching feelings for him. Daisy agrees to Liam’s offer for a fake relationship as it will get her matchmaking family off her back, but in true Daisy style she creates a spreadsheet of dates to go on in order to create an illusion of legitimacy to their relationship. And so it begins…

I cannot stress how much I loved this book, I could not stop reading it and I almost wish that I had someone to read it with just to laugh out loud at the adventures and the dialogue between the characters. Liam and Daisy are entertaining enough on their own, but the secondary characters of their family members and coworkers add an extra layer of hilarity. It is a really well balanced story with romance, comedy, a bit of mystery, lots of tension, sex, and all of that is thrown together with two strong leads. This would make a great romantic comedy movie – I hope it gets turned into one!

I also really enjoyed that both Liam and Daisy are from different cultures, both strong in their own culture and willing to adapt and enjoy the customs of each other’s traditions. Even though this book was pure fun, there was a tremendous amount of character development and touched on a lot of real-world emotional topics. Both Daisy and Liam had their own personal demons to battle through before they could really commit to a healthy relationship together. I loved how realistic the book was in that sense, there wasn’t a “yay we are together now, we can figure out the rest somehow” type of feel to the story. We actually joined both of them on the journey of figuring it out before they could realistically have a happily ever after.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to more work by Sara Desai.

~ Harshita

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I was so excited to get approved for this ARC...buuuut I put it off for a bit because I was nervous. The Marriage Game was my favourite romance of 2020, so I knew I needed to check my expectations. I am happy to report I really enjoyed this book too....even though The Marriage Game still holds the number one place in my heart because Layla and Sam for life!

Things I loved:
-multiple romance tropes woven together perfectly- second chance romance, fake dating, hate to love - I am loving this in romances lately!
-Daisy is just such a great character, she’s funny, quirky and full of sass
-I was hooked from page one. The story flows well, the writing is funny and sweet
-enjoyed the return of the Patel extended family...Especially the nosy aunties

Things that weren’t my favourite:
-was hoping for a bit more steam but the few scenes that were there delivered well. Definitely a slow burn!


Thanks to Berkeley Pub for the gifted copy to review!

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I love a good fake relationship trope so I was excited to read The Dating Plan by Sara Desai.

Daisy Patel works as a software engineer at a struggling start-up, she just got dumped, and her family are constantly trying to set her up with eligible men, which is annoying her to no end.

Liam Murphy is working at a venture capital firm and just found out he’s been left his grandfather’s whiskey refinery business in his will, with the catch that he has to be married by his next birthday, which is only two months away!

Liam and Daisy used to be friends when they were younger. At least they were until Liam stood Daisy up for her prom. They haven’t seen each other since that night, until they bump into each other at an investor pitching event and Liam decides she’s the perfect person to help him with his predicament—and he isn’t going to let a little matter like her hating him stand in his way.

The story was fun, although you’ll have to suspend reality and just roll with the way they get together because it’s over-the-top, and all happens very fast. I really enjoyed both of the main characters, they had their own unique quirks that made them relatable and a joy to read about. Plus they weren’t super young, which I appreciated…I get tired of reading about early-twenties drama in romances.

Overall, it’s a fun and relatively light read but it still has some heart, and there is some talk of emotional abuse and strained family relationships. I really enjoyed learning more about Daisy’s culture and marriage traditions too. Oh, and there’s a healthy amount of steam…of the bed-breaking variety. 😉

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I connect so well with Desai’s writing. It’s funny, sweet, and never fails to make me smile. There were definitely some serious themes woven into the humor, but it was so well done. I was definitely rooting for Liam and Daisy’s HEA.

💜Second chance romance with a side of hate to love AND fake engagement - YESSSSS to all of the tropes!!
💜I absolutely adored the Patel family in The Marriage Game and was sooooo glad to spend more time to with them throughout this book. I laughed so many times at their family meddling.
💜Liam. Wow. What a guy. Definitely book boyfriend material!! After a very difficult upbringing, it was endearing to watch him work through his emotions to become an amazing man.
💜Daisy. Smart, independent, and so dedicated to her friends and family. I loved watching her let go and fall for Liam.
💜I’m an Avengers junkie, so I adored the references - and undergarments 😂

TW: Themes of domestic violence and substance abuse.

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Sara Desai has written a fun romantic comedy. Despite being a bit predictable at times, I enjoyed the story.

This is a story rich in family and culture. I love any story that does not have a cookie-cutter main character. Daisy was a smart, fun, intellectual, business-minded woman that was fun to watch evolve throughout the story.

This is a great quick read for anyone looking for a fun escape.

I will be watching for future releases from Desai.

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**I only got to 62% of this story before I stopped reading and DNF'd it.

Many romance friends loved The Marriage Game, so when I saw The Dating Plan up on NetGalley I decided to ask for it.

I started the book approximately 2 months ago and right away struggled to get into the familiar trope (the older brother’s best friend falls for his little sister - which I like, BTW) because it was clear this story doesn't add anything new or interesting that hasn't been done before. Better.

The friend comes from a troubled family. Seen it.

The friend is hot. Seen it.

The friend ditches the little sister at a pivotal moment - FOR VERY GOOD REASONS SHE CANNOT POSSIBLY KNOW THAT MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT HAVE TO DO WITH THE OLDER BROTHER. Seen it.

The little sister/grown up woman was damaged by the "pivotal event" and it's affected her dating life. Seen it.

The friend was a bad boy in school and was often in trouble. Seen it.

The friend somehow defies his entire character description and becomes rich and successful. Seen it.

In this story, Daisy Patel is a software engineer that likes lists and logic and keeping people at a distance. Um. She's also super close with her amazingly large and loving Patel family, close with her lonely neighbor, and best friends with her close in age cousin. Sometimes they teach dance. But since those things don't make sense together (the friendliness and the keeping people at a distance), ignore them. She always loved her brother's best friend Liam, and when he offered to take her to her senior prom she was thrilled. And then he stood her up and disappeared. Already struggling with abandonment issues (her mother ditched the family when she was a young girl), and nerdy-itis, the whole prom thing BECOMES A VERY BIG DEAL that stays with her for a long time. A decade actually. Daisy is used to people abandoning her.

Liam grew up with an abusive father, victimized mother, and an older brother who didn't care about any of the above. The Patel family was his refuge...until THE PROM SECRET DEBACLE. Afterwards, he couldn't face the Patels or his BELOVED prom date/love of his life, so he...didn't. Yep. Instead, he focuses on his family and helps his mom escape his father, then hits the road 'to find himself,' and makes his living running errands for motorcycle gangs (DEAR GOD)(THE SHENANIGANS)(THE DRINKING), and then somehow - with a spotty education supplemented by homework Daisy did for him - he got his shit together and became a bad ass at a big time venture capital where he MIRACULOUSLY found a unicorn company and backed it right out of the gate. SUPER SUCCESSFUL. RICH! HEAD OF THE WEST COAST OFFICE. So there's that. Nothing far fetched or ABSOLUTELY FUCKING RIDICULOUS to see here.

Anywho. After an awkward meeting at a pitch conference they're both attending 10 YEARS AFTER THE PROM SECRET DEBACLE DITCH DATE THING, these two start having the tingling accidental touching feelings again. When circumstances (a chapter or so) conspire to make them decide to try a fake engagement with each other to 'solve some pesky life problems' - WITH NONE OF THE SEXY FUNNY BUSINESS - they decide to go for it. As one does. Daisy draws up a super specific sequence of dates ON THE FLY (her mind is MASTERFUL) to prove they're the real deal, and they go on them. Each date seems to end with Liam exhibiting his worst behavior - he stubbornly eats spicy food because HE'S A MAN; he gets into an actual brawl with his brother after he insinuates the relationship is fake (ahem), shortly after his extended family entertains Daisy with the word 'cock;' and a late night dance party at the vet's office (okay, he comes off looking good in this one). But Daisy is falling for him again. What?

Anyway, all that awesomeness and lots of loose editing errors led me to hit the pause button. I vowed to try again later.

Later.

Friends, while I like both of these characters, this novel is a mess. Our couple never has any meaningful conversations about who they CURRENTLY are - and the character development that takes place off page is a hodgepodge of not possible and doesn't make any sense, - so it would be tough going for them if they actually spent meaningful talky time together. Instead the author provides us with endless internal PoVs wherein they remind themselves why they liked each other so much so long ago. Every few pages or so Liam reminds Daisy how much he loves the Indian food he ate at her house, and Daisy eats or mentions an Indian food she also loves. I wanted to crave them too, but since I didn't know what they were, I googled them and then forgot to go back to the book. It happened. A lot.

A series of improbable things happen - Daisy 'might' get a promotion; Liam backs a company he knows very little about because Daisy blackmails him into it in exchange for marrying him and faking a love story between them; and they're falling in love despite seemingly having little in common - and then They Go to a Hockey Game.

With a BORROWED car load of fan gear. WITH PEOPLE IN COSTUMES. And the game has A HALFTIME. FFS. Hockey is 3 PERIODS. People wear jerseys. No one brings their own vomit comet stew into the arena. With spoons. And super fans probably have season tickets. Somewhere.

Friends, LITERALLY everything about the hockey date is wrong, wrong, wrong, and I was done, done, done.

I think there is a good story somewhere in this novel. I just couldn't find it.

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Daisy Patel’s family has been trying to fix her up in an arranged marriage, but Daisy is happy working as a software engineer in the day and hanging out with her dog, Max, at night.

Liam is a venture capitalist who has no interest in being in a relationship, let alone married. When Liam’s grandfather dies, Liam finds out his inheritance, his grandfather’s distillery, is contingent on him being married by his next birthday. With his birthday fast approaching, he must find love quick.

Liam and Daisy were friends in high school, but haven’t spoken to each other since Liam stood Daisy up on the night of her senior prom. Flash forward years later, they unexpectedly meet at a conference. They soon have an agreement to fake date/ be fake fiancés to save Liam’s grandfather’s distillery. Liam and Daisy start spending a lot a time together, they go out on planned dates and the sparks start to ignite.

I thought this story was sweet! I was rooting for Liam and Daisy every step of the way. Daisy character is so fun, she’s an independent woman with a quirky sense of style and wears Avenger underwear. Liam is portrayed as the cool and calm guy, but everything changes when he is in the presence of Daisy, which is just so sweet. If you’re a fan of the fake dating trope this one is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for my advanced copy in an exchange for my honest review.

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“ ‘We’re off to a bad start if he doesn’t know the difference between tampons and pads,’ Mia murmured. ‘I definitely don’t want tampons with maximum adhesion.’ “

This laugh out loud funny story about family, acceptance, love, more family, and food (lots and lots of food) is a quick and enjoyable read! I loved following Daisy and Liam on their crazy ride. What a fun, unique take on boy meets girl, boy hurts girl, strong willed girl makes boy work for forgiveness.

Daisy Patel and Liam Murphy are well developed and their banter is quick witted, funny, and utterly believable. I LOVE that Daisy is unapologetically super smart and that Liam finds this trait sexy. Thank you to @saradesaiwrites for making a strong and smart woman desirable and self assured despite familial damage. It is very refreshing to follow a character as she finds her voice and goes after what she wants, fake fiancée be damned. Add in some crazy family drama, a few overbearing Indian aunties, and a sword 🗡, and you’ve got yourself a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing and and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Available tomorrow, March 16, 2021!

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For a traditionally published book, this one I have the least (none?) complain about. But also, the only word I can use to describe it was cute. Because it is. The story, the trope, even the conflict, and of course, the happy ending were perfectly executed. Added bonus for me were the Marvel mentions and references because yep, same. Daisy and Liam will be living in my head (and heart) rent free for a while, that's for sure.


CW: domestic violence/abuse (backstory), grief, anxiety attack

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Sara Desai’s new novel The Dating Plan is a heartwarming rom-com filled with quirky characters and laugh out loud moments. That’s not all though. It’s also a heartfelt story about two people who are perfect for each other, if they can only overcome painful events from the past that have shaped how they see themselves and how they see each other.

Daisy Patel is a software engineer who loves statistics, spreadsheets, and all things Marvel. Daisy, however, does not love Liam Murphy. In fact, she actually hates him. Why? Because ten years ago, Liam was supposed to be Daisy’s date to her senior prom and he stood her up. Not only did he stand her up, but he abruptly packed up and left town without a word. She hasn’t heard from him since that night, so when Liam shows up at a conference Daisy is attending, sparks fly…and not in a good way.

Liam is in a bind though and thinks Daisy might actually be the perfect person to help him get what he wants. Liam’s grandfather, who recently passed away, has left him the family business in his will, but there’s a catch. In order to secure his inheritance, Liam must marry before his next birthday and then stay married for at least one year. Otherwise, the business goes to Liam’s brother, who just wants to dismantle it and use it to infuse cash into his own struggling business. Liam is desperate to keep that from happening and when he witnesses Daisy being hounded by her matchmaking Aunties, he approaches Daisy with what he thinks is a win-win deal for them both. If Daisy will agree to marry him and stay married for a year, he can secure the family business for himself while Daisy is freed from the incessant matchmaking and arranged marriage frenzy. Daisy agrees reluctantly but says she cannot wing it when it comes to faking a whole relationship. She needs a plan, complete with a slate of dates, that will provide her with a realistic backstory.

The plan they come up with is what really drives the bulk of the action in the book and it’s so much fun to follow Liam and Daisy as they seek to fool people into thinking they’re a couple. There are so many hilarious moments, particularly involving Daisy’s aunties as well as some of the fun dates they decide to go on. Daisy and Liam are adorable together and it becomes clear the more time Daisy and Liam spend together that they really are perfect for each other. If only they could resolve and move past what happened ten years ago. I was really rooting for them every step of the way.

I don’t want to give away anything, but I found the progression of their relationship very satisfying overall, and I also appreciate the blend of rom-com and heavier topics as we learn more about why Liam so abruptly disappeared from Daisy’s life. The Dating Plan is a gem of a story for anyone who enjoys a light-hearted romance balanced with a healthy dose of family drama.

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There are so many things I loved about this story, that I don't even know where to begin. Firstly, I loved the representation of BIRACIAL COUPLES! I loved learning about the South Asian & Irish heritages. Being a South Asian myself, as well as a Bollywood dancer, I was able to relate to Daisy in many ways. The food dishes and spice references were hilarious! Liam Murphy is also a new book crush of mine: his loyalty to his mother and the sacrifices he made for Sanjay was absolutely incredible. He is the dream guy. I also loved the feminist touches of the book, with the issues of not having enough female representations of all sizes and colour in the marketing scheme. That was an extreme issue that I believe our society needs to learn about. That gave this book the strength it needed to be informative to society. Definitely a wonderful read!

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The Dating Plan is Sara’s second novel after The Marriage Game. Although I had not read The Marriage Game, I had heard a lot of rave reviews about it and was super thrilled when I got a gifted copy of The Dating Plan from Berkley Publishers & NetGalley!

Sara, you have found a unwavering new fan in me! This book has immense potential to be adapted into a movie! I genuinely enjoyed reading this captivating, light hearted, laugh out loud, charming story of ‘Daisy’, our IT geek and “Liam”, our Irish affluent hunk or may I say “Limb”....LOL!!!

Liam is Daisy’s teenage crush who stood her up on senior prom night. They accidentally meet after 10 years but Daisy is still miffed with Liam for breaking her heart. As circumstances would have it, they fake their engagement in an attempt to evade Daisy’s pushy aunties from setting her up for arranged marriage and to fulfill one condition laid by Liam’s grandfather for him to inherit the family business! Daisy is Calm whereas Liam is Chaos!! This book captured everything needed for a good romantic comedy from fake relationship to little charades, from pushy relatives to family drama, from steamy attraction to true love!! Oh Boy, I am telling you, those Indian aunties/relatives can be really pushy; this is coming from someone who’s experienced it first hand while growing up in India!😂

Sara’s writing style is very easy, fun and light hearted. The story really lifted my mood and was such a fast paced, invigorating, heart warming read that now I am eager to read Sara’s debut novel “The Marriage Game”!

I rate this novel 5 star and highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of romance, romcom or who is currently looking for a fun, unputdownable, uplifting book! Thank you Berkley Publishers, NetGalley and Sara Desai for a gifted copy in exchange of my honest review!

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Daisy's first love was Liam, the best friend of her brother, until the day he didn't come by to take her to prom. Years have passed and her family is pressuring her to get married. When Liam and her surprisingly meet at a conference they spur of the moment decide to get both their family's off their backs by pretending to be engaged. Liam needs to get married to get his grandfather's distillery, but the truth his he has never stopped loving Daily.

This book was fun, emotional, and kept me entertained. I really liked the characters of Daily and Liam and enjoyed getting to hear more about their lives and why they have ended up where they are. Their romance was sweet, realistic, and something I wanted to following, making this a great romance read.

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Sara Desai is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me. I LOVED The Marriage Game and The Dating Plan was just as delightful! Daisy is a software engineer. She’s smart, driven, fun to be around but is not looking for a relationship. Liam is a venture capitalist bad boy. These two have history. They grew up together. He was her brother’s best friend, but there was a falling out. He stood her up for prom and left town. She never found out why, so imagine her surprise when she runs into him at a convention. At the time, she is running away from her ex and his new girlfriend, and her matchmaker aunt. Liam pretends to be her fiancé to help her save face. But, she bolts after this situation is resolved. Liam later finds out for his inheritance he needs a wife, and she needs a man to keep her family off her back. They agree to help each other out and everything changes from there.

The writing was terrific as always. She writes these main characters and families in such a way to honor their culture. The hilarious, meddling Indian family is back again. The hero’s family is Irish, and she portrayed them really well too! The main characters were easy to love. Daisy was such a breath of fresh air. She had a nerdy job, yet she was really outgoing and fun. Liam was a little harder to get to know. He had a terrible childhood and was still trying to cope with that. He was very closed off. We do find out why he stood her up for prom, and it was a good enough reason. The pace of the storyline was perfect and kept me interested.

The Dating Plan is sure to be another hit for Sara Desai. I’m so looking forward to her next book!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Recipe:
An eccentric female software engineer (Daisy)
An bad-boy leather-loving venture capitalist (Liam)
A second chance, best friend's sister fake marriage romance

Method & Results:
One slightly, off the wall romance that I'm not all together worked for me. The premise for the Dating Plan is really attractive and has great elements. Daisy works as a software engineer and loves Marvel. Liam is a venture capitalist who wears leather and loves motorbikes. That he needs a wife to claim his inheritance is right time, right place, when he runs into Daisy at a work function and she has him pretend to be her fiance to save face with an ex. The problem, Daisy is really super-stuck on having been jilted at her high school Prom by Liam. She doesn't know how they are going to pull this off so they formulate a dating plan to make their romance more believable. Throw in some brawling relatives and the pair navigate their way through a haphazard "romance".

About that prom, Daisy is STILL not over it ten years later. That it had so much focus, along with so much emphasis on Daisy's other eccentricities she was made to seem quite immature. I loved the idea of her not being stereotypical - I just felt she was intentionally pushed too far and this was less impactful. Liam was super broody which was appealing, but his family were as a nightmare and the dynamic just didn't work for me. I loved Daisy's aunts, however - probably more than the main characters.

This book might be the right book at the right time for rom com lovers. It's a light, nice read. Others might not see what I saw and appreciate the intricacies of this one.

Thank you to Social Butterfly PR who provided an electronic copy of this book on Netgalley

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It's hard for me to pinpoint what I didn't like about this book. Objectively, it seems fine, the main characters seemed good, the supporting ones seemed interesting. And I like fake relationship as a trope. But here, I think it sort of loses the momentum of a fake relationship because they also tell too many people that it's a fake relationship. The whole point of a fake relationship is to make everyone believe it's real and here, too many other people are in on it. Based on the cover and blurb, I expected something a bit more lighthearted but I'm going to address the content warnings because there's a good amount of them.

1. Heroine suffers from anxiety due to mother abandoning her as a child;
2. Hero suffers from self-esteem issues due to abusive father;
3. Hero has issues with family because of abusive father and no one stepping up, including;
4. His older brother, who he feels abandoned the family and never stepped in to protect him;
5. They come to blows over this;
6. Hero and heroine get into a motorcycle accident and author attempts to lead us to believe briefly that heroine didn't make it (which I hate, even though I knew I was being misdirected);
7. Heroine's brother got into a lot of trouble as a teenager, which hero took the fall for; none of this is fully ever addressed beyond just stating, they talked it out;

I don't know - it was a book that told a lot but didn't show it. I wish there were plot lines that were addressed more fully (i.e. heroine's brother's past) and I didn't love the part where the hero and his brother reconciled and fixed their relationship only because the hero's brother' thought he died due to the motorcycle accident. It felt like a cheap ploy; anyway, these are my thoughts, YMMV.

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The Dating Plan is a cute and fun read, that’s perfect if you’re in a slump.

// Content Warning: Child Abuse (Mention), Abusive Relationship (Mention), Mature Content //

The Dating Plan follows Daisy, a software engineer desperate to stop her matchmaking relatives, and Liam, whose inheritance depends on him getting married. As a solution to both of their problems, they agree to a marriage of convenience, but as they spend more time together, they start to fall for each other.

This book is classic fake dating (or fake engagement, I should say) at it’s finest. Plus some extra angst from their past, of course. It’s addictive, with plenty of dramatic and adorable moments. There’s definitely a lot of cheesy stuff here, but that’s what makes it so fun (even if there were some parts where I struggled to suspend my disbelief).

Not only does the plot make this easy to read, but the writing as well. It’s lighthearted and has some humor, allowing for you to easily get into the book. Not to mention- this book has some great banter.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between our main characters. Daisy and Liam are both interesting, complex characters with history together and their own issues to overcome. I loved watching them develop, and their interactions were always entertaining. We also have a great cast of side characters, one couple you might be familiar with if you’ve read Sara Desai’s other book, The Marriage Game. I actually haven’t read that book yet but after finishing this one, I really want to pick it up!



Pros- Addictive, interesting characters, fun
Cons- Not that memorable
Overall- 4/5 stars.
The Dating Plan was just what I needed: a cute, lighthearted romance with fun characters.

(Also promoted on Instagram via stories)

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The Dating Plan was just so darn fantastic!! I was obsessed with Daisy's quirky sense of humor and overall likeability. I loved how she was so strong and stayed true to herself! She was family oriented, funny and so awesome as a heroine. But when Liam comes back into her life, the electricity and animosity between them flew off the pages! Evwn better- when a fake fiancé/fake relationship would fix both of their dilemmas, it was on!!

Anyone who knows me knows that the brother's best friend and fake fiancé tropes are my absolute favorite stories. For that reason, Daisy and Liam's arrangement was perfect to a T. Were there miscommunication and issues they needed to deal with from their past? Yes! But the story itself was just amazing. I loved their connection and chemistry and was obsessed with Daisy's family!

In addition, being South Asian I related so much to Daisy and her dating disasters and familial wedding pressure.  I found the story to be sweet and sexy with so much heart. I loved the banter between Daisy and Liam and their overall character growth and progression in the story (separately and as a couple.) What an amazing read! ~Ratula ❤ 4 stars!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

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3.5 Stars
This was an adorable read. Second chance ... fake dating ... fake engagement ... family troubles. It has it all.
I really enjoyed the simmering attraction between Daisy and Liam.
Her family's antics are hilarious and his are so sad. Real opposites.
I loved seeing Liam mature and Daisy come out of her shell. She is a powerhouse!
I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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