I went into the Dating Plan hoping for a light, quick romance to sweep me off my feet. While it was certainly fun and fast-paced, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected. I loved Liam, the male lead, and thought that he had great chemistry with Daisy. I was disappointed by Daisy’s character throughout the book. I loved that she was close to her family and a tech genius, but I thought excessive mentioning of her Marvel obsession and emotional support dog just screamed annoying millennial. I was still able to root for her, but I rolled my eyes several times during her quirky outfit descriptions. My favorite aspects of the book included all of the heavenly descriptions of food and hilarious banter from the side characters. Desai’s world building in the Dating Plan was actually really great! It felt like I was reading a slice of someone’s real life. Overall, I wish there were less cliches and stronger writing, but I would still recommend to a friend looking for something fun and mindless.

I was really not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. The cover and the description drew me in. I hadn't read the first book and felt physically disappointed that I hadn't when I finished The Dating Plan. The characters were well drawn. I really felt like I knew Daisy and what made her tick. Would my family ambush me with a prospective date at a convention? No, but they have at church. It's embarrassing no matter how you cut it. But Daisy, who doesn't admit to having many social skills, handles it. Not with ease. Especially since she's just seen her ex-boyfriend making out with her ex-boss in the bathroom. And what's worse is that she was thrown off by seeing her brother's childhood best friend at the conference. The same guy who stood her up for her senior prom. But that was ten years ago, so she's not bitter. Really. Oh heck, she sure is.
Liam Murphy is delighted to see Daisy again. Her family was warm and welcoming to him when his own was not. Surely she must be over the whole prom thing... oops. Even better, because when he needs to be married for a year in order to inherit his grandfather's business, who better than someone who hates him?

Four stars
Follows The Marriage Game
This book comes out March 16th
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Another enjoyable romance from Sara Desai. A warning though - don't read while hungry, as the food descriptions will make you want to eat just what the characters are. Fake relationship books don't always work for me, but this one made the premise easier to accept by the fact that they knew each other as teens, and this was more of a reconnection.

5 swooning stars!

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai is quite possibly even better than her first in this series, The Marriage Game. I really enjoyed that one, but this one I LOVE! I have to admit that I loved Liam and Daisy a little more than Layla and Sam. I rooted for them more, and was more eager to see their HEA.

This story is such a wonderful blend of open-door, steamy, snarky, laugh-out-loud, break-your-heart, second chance, fake engagement magic! The elements worked so well together and I didn't want their story to end (even though I inhaled each page)! There was high-speed adventure, detailed order, growling steam, tender heart-to-heart moments, and even some great feminist career tid-bits in there.

The Dating Plan had it all, and I'm in love with Sara Desai's writing! I will be recommending this to everyone, on repeat, all year.

Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy! The Dating Plan was quirky, fun, punchy, and romantic. Daisy and Liam’s set up for their fake relationship is original and engaging, though the depth of Liam’s family turmoil (especially his awful brother) was a tough pill to swallow. Daisy’s frank inner thoughts and no nonsense way of being was delightfully entertaining. Desai writes such original female leads, and I’m looking forward to what she gives us next!

Fun. Witty, Sexy. It's simply so easy and delicious to devour. I loved this book. It's sometimes is very cliche in terms of the romance, but its a good read overall.

I saw this book on NetGalley (obviously fell in love with the cover, too) and thought it sounded right up my alley in terms of romance stories. Turns out, I was right. Now I need to check out The Marriage Game by Sara Desai, because I loved her writing in this one so much!

Daisy is a woman who doesn’t need no man. Liam is a jackass from Daisy’s past who, while she was secretly-ish in love with him, stood her up on prom night, never to be heard from again. Until 10 years later when Daisy literally runs into him at a work conference.

Mixed feelings aside, Daisy needs to distract her family members from their attempts of setting her up with their definition of eligible suitors. So, her and Liam come up with a fake engagement plan.

Will Daisy and Liam be able to pull off this stunt? Will the past creep back into their relationship, either surviving who they are now, or breaking their hearts all over again?

This was an easy book to dive into and get hooked on. I loved it a lot! It was a nice read as a break in between thrillers!

Loved it! Sara Desai is a genius with words. I loved Daisy’s story and her leading man. It was refreshing, hilarious and sweet.

Such a fun and wonderful romance! Perfect to get lost in right now and just enjoy. I love a good fake dating/marriage plot, and this book hit all the tropes just right.

PUB DATE 3.16.21 or BOTM

I read Sara Desai's debut, THE MARRIAGE GAME, last year and it was easily a favorite romance of 2020. There is no sophomore slump because her follow up. THE DATING GAME, is just as entertaining.

This multicultural romance/rom-com had me laughing and swooning. When Daisy Patel finds herself face-to-face with the man who left her dateless on prom night ten years ago the only logical thing is to start a fake engagement. I mean what could go wrong? Or in this case- what could go so very right?

WHAT I LOVED:
WOC in STEM. Yes please.
Strong, independent & feisty heroine.
A hero that needs to redeem himself.
Angst. Gosh- I love me some angst.
Fast moving and well written.
Sexy, funny banter mixed with some real, raw moments. .
A strong supporting cast including a loud, loving set of Aunties.
Family dynamics that make the adventure even more colorful.
It has some serious chemistry and sizzle.

Daisy Patel is a software engineer who has no interest in marriage, yet her family is, after her to find a husband. Liam Murphy, a friend of her brother, will inherit from his family if he marries before his next birthday. He convinces Daisy to become his fake fiancé to satisfy both families. There are skeptics in both families, so the couple has to try extra hard to be convincing. While predictable, the story is highly entertaining.

Yes! My first romance of 2021 and what a fabulous one it was.
Daisy Patel is smart and successful at everything but finding a husband. Since her senior prom date stood her up she has not set her sights on one man. Her aunties set her up with one man after another to no avail.
Then Liam Murphy literally runs into Daisy at work. The Liam that stood her up for her prom years ago and eluded her entire family’s life for the next 12 years without a trace. He instantly pretends to be her fiancé in front of a pushy Auntie and a plan is hatched...to get the aunties off her back.
On the flipside Liam gets a fake wife to get the inheritance he’s owed and his bully brother off his back.
Can they pull off a series of dates to fool their families and friends? Or will they be fools in love?

After reading and loving The Marriage Game, I was so beyond thrilled to be approved to read an eARC of this title thanks to Berkley Romance & NetGalley!

I devoured this book - I don't have a favorite trope, but fake engagements are ALWAYS one I love, and this one was just fantastic. I am all for a strong female lead working in a STEM role, we need MORE books that smart women can connect with and reaffirm that you can have it all - a career AND love.

From the start, I fell for these two characters, from their unique character names to their personalities, Liam & Daisy were perfect. Witty and full of spunk, with enough history to let you know sparks were inevitably going to fly & it was going to be amazing, Desai definitely has a way of writing characters that connects you to them and makes you want to see where they go!

I just loved that this book was flirty and fun but written with such genuine emotion that made it such a relatable story and gave me ALL the feels!

This book was meh. The beginning was more enjoyable, especially the banter between the two leads. I felt that the book devolved into unnecessary drama and took away from the burgeoning relationship. I liked how the female protagonist's family was depicted. I found it hard to believe that the male protagonist would even think that the female protagonist would marry someone else. Does he even know her? Overall it's a solid addition to a romance collection, but not one of the best.

I was excited to see that Daisy was getting a love story, and this did not disappoint! While it did require a little more suspension of disbelief than I usually like giving my romances, it was equal parts steamy, heartwarming, and quirky. Daisy and Liam’s chemistry was undeniable, and who doesn’t love a hearty combination of a few tropes to make something newer and exciting? Long lost love meets fake relationship with a hint of enemies to lovers? It worked for me. Did I find it hard to appreciate every single twist of fate, and every plot line that was tied neatly in a bow by the last chapter? A little bit. However, the Patel family was just as hilarious as ever. Definitely glad to see them all again! This was overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

A totally enjoyable, sexy contemporary romance with zing. Sara Desai knows here way around a multicultural romance and The Dating Plan is no exception. A Bay area Indian-American coder reconnects with the Irish-American bad boy who broke her heart in high school. We know where we're headed on page one, but the journey-- with delightful, meddling relatives; an ill-fated 'dating agreement, and real depth to the characters-- is worth taking. 4 stars in the contemporary multicultural romance category.

We need more feel good, laugh out loud, warming your heart books like this! We need thousands of them! Because dear Sara Desai knows how to create amazing, quirky, adorable, smart, sassy and sexy characters, and absolutely knows how to write pant melting, steamy, hot as hell love scenes!

She has great sense of humor! Your stomach hurts after laughing too much! You fall in love with those crowded, loyal, deeply connected, genuine Indian relatives!

I loved Marriage Game a lot but I have to confess both Liam and Daisy are more adorable characters than Layla and Sam. I loved them more. I enjoyed their short term high school romance. Their extra inflammable chemistry which can easily put the chapters on fire!

Yes, Liam was Daisy’s first real crush, who was her brother Sanjay’s best friend, an inseparable part of their family till he became her prom date and stood her up! At the same day, he ghosted entire family. She doesn’t hear from him for 10 years till she bumps into him at the tech convention: very same day she holds a few feminine products in her hands to display them at her speech, running away from her ex boyfriend and her ex-boss who were making out at the restroom. Did I mention also one of her aunties follow her with a groom candidate at the same conference?

The couple’s encounter ends with a sweet kiss. Liam never gets over Daisy. We have every right to kick his ass because of dumping Daisy at her very special night at high school. But don’t worry! He has a real good explanation. So instead of getting angry at the guy, you want to hug him tightly.

Liam and Daisy agree for fake engagement because Liam should get married till his birthday and stay married at least one year to inherit his grandpa’s distillery and Daisy wants to get rid of her aunties’ and her own father’s pressure who push her so hard to get marry with an ideal candidate.

Both of them know at the beginning, there is a great risk to cross the lines because starting a fake relationship could be threatening to break both of their hearts when they still have deep feelings for each other.

I found Liam and Daisy’s story more emotional, genuine, intense. They really deal with burdens, dysfunctional family issues, abuse, insecurities. Both of them learn their mistakes and changed themselves. Only thing didn’t change is the pure love they feel for each other which makes this book one of my favorite readings!

I was going back and forth between four and five stars but I decided these lovely characters didn’t deserve one star less from the first book! So I’m giving five desi wedding, heartbreak hotel, best Elvis Presley impersonator, quirky, ultra smart heroine vs sexy, bad boy, rebellious hero stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Liam has a lot to make up for with Daisy, and I love every page of it! There’s food, hockey (my IRL team’s bitter rival, but still...hockey), family, friends, and just a whole bunch of awesome! I am loving this author and the world she’s created!

I was so excited to get this one from Netgalley after really enjoying her first book, The Marriage Game, last year. This author doesn’t get enough love but she deserves it!

Besides the author catching my eye for this book, I am always here for fake dating/fake fiancés. It just brings me so much joy and this one didn’t disappoint.

Daisy Patel isn’t looking for love but her family wants to see her get married. They will do anything to set her up even if that means bombarding her at a conference for work. In walks Liam and it’s all smiles from me from that moment on!

Liam has a damaged past and a motorcycle. He may not think he is relationship material but his actions prove otherwise. I loved getting to know him through the course of the book and finding out why he disappeared all those years on her prom night when he was supposed to be her date. I did like that they knew each other and I think it made the romance that much better. He does get his own point-of-view which I liked a lot. It explains more of his background and why he was always at her house instead of spending time with his own family.

When it came to the other characters, Layla is back and she was the main character in the The Marriage Game. It was nice to see her around once again, as well as the whole family. This family is one of my favorite bookish families and they always make me laugh!

The romance in this book is much steamier than her first (if I am remembering correctly, haha). It does start off as hate from one side but it doesn’t take long for them to realize what’s between them. They do have their struggles and communication isn’t always there but I loved it all. They had me laughing, smiling, and even crying. They are just the cutest!

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and am hoping she writes another book because I need more from this family and this writer! If you haven’t read The Marriage Game yet, I definitely would so that way you can read this one too.