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.

I LOVED Sara Desai's first book, The Marriage Game, and I was SO excited when I found out that Daisy was getting her own story! I requested the eArc from NetGalley the instant I saw it, then proceeded to finish the book in under 24 hours! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Contemporary Romance is not my genre, but apparently I enjoy a Contemporary Rom-com!

I love the family dynamic of Sara's books! The interfering aunties remind me a little of my family. I enjoyed catching up, a little, with Layla and Sam (from the first book).

Daisy is a planner, everything has lists, everything is done in a very logical way, if she doesn't have the lists, or if something goes off-plan, she has anxiety attacks. She doesn't plan on getting married, she has been hurt in the past, and isn't interested in long-term, serious, relationships. Her aunties, and her father, have different plans, and keep insisting on introducing her to potential husbands!

Liam has not had the best life, he is a bad-boy turned successful business man, who has avoided the family that caused him so much pain. But now he is back home, faced with an inheritance with a catch. He and Daisy bump into each other, after 10 years of separation, and hatch a plan to get Liam his inheritance, and get Daisy's matchmaking family off her back.

I laughed out loud, on several occasions, while reading this book! I laughed until I cried at least once! I would gladly pick up any book by Sara Desai, since I have enjoyed the first 2 so much.

Such a fun premise!! This was so charming and sweet. The characters were so likable and I was engaged the whole time.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC from @NetGalley!

Daisy is a software engineer who prefers logic and data to understanding boyfriends. Liam is a capitalist. This book is perfect for fans of The Sun is Also a Star and When Dimple Met Rishi!

The Dating Plan is a mixture of Fake engagement/dating + second chance romance+ sibling's best friend romance, all rolled into one.

Daisy Patel: She is an Indian Canadian, senior analyst/developer in a women's hygiene company. She has Mommy/abandonment issues. So, she doesn't form any serious bonds or commitments with people in her life, be it her office colleagues or in her romantic relationships. She doesn't want to get married but at a ripe, marriage age, she is hounded by her aunties. In walks Liam Mur[hy, her childhood crush, the guy who left her on her prom night, solidifying her abandonment issues.

Liam Murphy: He is the bad boy, cool guy. He's Irish, and also has a strong family aspect. He has daddy issues plus some more familial issues. He left home because of certain issues and now, he is back. He needs a fiancee to be able to retain the distillery his grandfather left him, as opposed to it going to his elder brother who plans to uproot their generations-old distillery to save his business.

So, Liam decides to ask Daisy to be his fake fiance, because isn't it easiest to fake it with the person who hates him? It would be easier to break it off with her later on, and Daisy can get all the aunties off her back by ruining herself by being the women whose engagement was broken off.

This was a slightly complex story with multiple issues on the line. However, this book had a strong focus on Liam and Daisy's blooming feelings for each other. Daisy is the rule follower, who creates the dating plan to make their fake relationship believable, and who grounds Liam. Liam is the rule-breaker who helps Daisy break out of her solid shell. This book's relationship was so so so much better than the first book. I wasn't a fan of the characters in the first book. But in this book, I loved the main characters. There was no cheating, no misogyny, no objectifying women, like in the first book. I liked that there was a real conflict, real issues at play. The hero was loyal, adorable, funny, and hot. The heroine was a little bit here and there with her emotions and her issues. But, she was likeable enough.

Chemistry: These two had smoking chemistry. It was so much more believable and hotter than the first book. I loved every time the MCs spent time together. The bar scene was smokin'. Her obsession with Marvel was funny. The hero was one of the best from all those shown in South Asian romances. Liam Murphy is a sweetheart.

Cultural Representation: I have discovered something about this author's way of representing Indian culture. Maybe because she is an Indian Canadian and that is how they do it in Canada. But the author does not give any clarity whatsoever on the religion of the Indian characters. She sort of picks all the good parts of various Indian cultures all across the country, and blends them into a mixture, leaving an Indian reader sputtering and lost. To explain it in American analogy, imagine an American author blending the qualities of a New Yorker, Texas, California, Boston, all into one American Person, as a representation of America. It doesn't work.

The heroine sometimes calls her father "Abba", the author clarifying it as an Urdu word for Dad. However, she is a Patel, with a non-Muslim first name. Why would she call her father "Abba"? Another, there was a scene with the characters buying swords for the wedding of MCs of first book. Again, not all Indians carry swords in wedding. Only Rajputs and I think Punjabis. Patels are none of those. They're Gujaratis. As a Gujarati and being married into Patel, we don't carry swords. I have no idea of the character's mother tongue, in what language do they talk to their families, from what part of India did their family come from, nothing. So, yea. The cultural representation of Indian culture was just a hodge-podge of all Indian culture and languages and customs blended into one. It tastes exactly like that aunty's weird tasting recipes. A disaster.

But if I keep cultural representation aside, I had no issues with the story. The romance was believable and cute and swoonworthy. The family aspect on both sides was strong and something to pine for. It was a very entertaining read. So, I do recommend it if you're willing to overlook the weird mesh of culture.

Rating ~3.5

A sweet tale of first love gone wrong and a chance encounter to make it all right.

Daisy is a planner, who feels more at home with numbers and data than she ever does with people. She almost never allows herself to build connections outside of her own family. But everything changes when her first love, who she spent the better part of 10 years hating, crashes back into her life and turns it upside down.

Liam is a screw-up, or at least that's what he was told his entire life growing up. Now a successful venture capitalist he returns to his hometown and accidentally reunites with the only girl he's ever loved.

As fate would have it, they're both in need of a fake relationship, and who better than each other? It should be a win-win for them both. But, of course, neither one is prepared for the feelings that come unburied as they spend more time together.

Easy, fun, and sexy, albeit a bit predictable, this book a simple delight to read when you're looking for a quick bit to pass the time.

There were a few copyediting issues I saw, such as the ring box switching between blue velvet and red velvet between pages, but I feel confident they will be caught in the final editing of the book.

Cw: conversations about domestic violence and child abuse and abandonment

Synopsis: Daisy was left stranded at prom night ten years ago by her brothers best friend (& love of her high school life), Liam. Fast forward to present time - Daisy is at a convention when she runs into Liam. Different life events all happening at once force them to make a dating plan for a fake engagement. I feel like this is three tropes combined into a book. A little enemies to lovers, a little second chance romance, with a lot of fake dating!

This was my first Sara Desai book and it was lovely! Y’all this book was so fun! A realistic romance? Not necessarily, but the drama made it so fun. I love a book that makes me yelp and laugh out loud. The Steam level on this was just right for me. Definitely an open door romance and it was sizzling hot! Like they broke her bed if that tells you anything. I honestly think this would make a great romcom on screen. I love the way Indian customs and culture were intertwined in these pages.


Also, the food!! Y’all know I love description of food in books. I just tried Indian food for the first time the other day and it was soooo good. Did I take notes while reading so I can make sure I order certain dishes next time? Absolutely. Hold the extra spicy though!

This book! I adored it so much. I felt so seen. These characters were perfect and quirky and funny. This whole book was the perfect balance of everything good. The snack references ( Kurkure for the win!), the Survivor reference, the love of Marvel, it was all so wonderful. Seriously. Read this book.

I couldn't put The Dating Plan down! It was so much fun to go a little outside the conventional rom com read and experience some diversity of characters (I'm getting so tired of the same ol' type of leading lady), with Daisy's over-involved Indian-American family bringing some much needed levity to the story of two broken people finding happiness. A cast of wonderful, quirky side characters has me hoping there will be more books in this series to follow (and you better believe I'll be picking up the first in the series, The Wedding Plan, as soon as possible),

I'm not sure of Sara Desai's ethnic background but she did a great job immersing the story in Indian-American culture and cuisine and with a dash of Marvel and bad-boy biker... who can resist?

Be forewarned, reader, there are a handful of steamy scenes that will knock your socks off.

This was a solid romance! I wasn’t totally in love it with it but there wasn’t anything wrong with it either and I’m glad I read it. I think some of the pacing was a bit off and not all of the timeline made sense but overall I do recommend it.

This is definitely a character driven book and I think it really nailed it in that regard. Daisy felt a little cliche as a sexy geeky girl but she still managed to be endearing as hell and I ended up loving her as a protagonist. I’m a sucker for a bad boy so I fell for Liam immediately. Daisy’s family definitely stole the show though. All the aunties and uncles were so fun and I really felt like I was in a big Indian family. The food descriptions were *chefs kiss* (though maybe not shark soup (iykyk)).

Daisy and Liam had great chemistry and good banter between them. I found myself physically chuckling and smiling quite often. There was also a handful of sexy scenes that were pretty decent (that scene at the bar though... 🤤)

If you like hate to love, fake dating, and second chance romance, I think you’ll really like this.

Both main characters are lovely. Especially Daisy. She is quirky, smart, and funny. Her development throughout the book is wonderful to experience. Chemistry is great between them and it is a sweet story. I loved the little bits of Indian culture, too.

I loved Daisy’s character in The Marriage Game and enjoyed reading her HEA with childhood love Liam Murphy.

Daisy is surrounded by her matchmaking Aunties and it is so much fun reading about the desi community and the descriptions of the delicious Indian food.

Another winner for Sara Desai.

A very breezy romance, The Dating Plan has Daisy-- a coder who can't bear to face her interfering aunties' chosen suitors-- craft a scheme with her teenaged crush Liam to fake-date/marry for appearances only. The writing style is light and beachy, and Desai aims to round out her characters in their cultures, dotting in great-sounding Indian food (Daisy) and a lot of fairly hackneyed whiskey-soaked Irishness (Liam) to the story. Everything that happens is on the far side of fetched, which wasn't a great fit for me as a reader. Recommended for those who connect with stories with a high level of wish-fulfillment and don't mind a lot of darkness around the edges.

The Dating Plan wasn't at all what I was expecting. Daisy and Liam as characters both walk the line of cliche, but Desai gives them the dimension they need to not be predictable and flat. I enjoyed this one and I think readers will as well. There is a hefty inclusion of Indian culture (and a bit of Irish culture, as well), but it is fairly well done compared to similar books in this genre.
Great for readers who want to root for a geeky girl and a misunderstood 'bad guy' making good on the wrong-doings of their past.
Thanks for the ARC!

This was a nice, light read. No big surprises, but a fresh take on the trope. The charcters were well crafted.

This was a quick and easy read with lots of great moments and I loved Daisy's family's dynamics. That said it did feel a bit disjointed at parts and sometimes the tech jargon took me out of the story (maybe this is because of my tech background). If you love a good second chance romance, fake relationship, or enemies to lovers definitely check this one out.

In The Dating Plan software engineer Daisy Patel is an endearing geek challenged in the emotional intelligence department. Desai unfortunately goes a little overboard in sprinkling technical terms and complex workplace dynamics which result in a choppy narrative.

Daisy is a super-smart software engineer who's a little bit smothered by her big, loving Indian-American family. Liam is a successful venture capitalist who yearns for love and acceptance from his fractious Irish-American family. They knew each other as kids, and were very close. At the beginning of the book, they reconnect in a very unconventional way, and to make a long story short, they agree to be one another's fake fiance. A fun premise, and very well executed by this author, who writes with such heart and humor and creates completely lovable characters. The fiance situation may be fake, but this story could not be more genuine. I can think of so many readers who will enjoy the smart, snappy dialog, the humor, the fast pace of the plot, the intriguing secondary characters, and the Bay Area setting. Readers who have enjoyed books by Helen Hoang, Sophie Kinsella, Talia Hibbert, Jasmine Guillory and Emily Henry will love this.

The Dating Plan is a romance novel following Daisy Patel, an introverted, computer software engineer, whose family is trying to set her up – being twenty-seven and single is unacceptable – and Liam Murphy, a venture capitalist out to found his unicorn of products. These two had a past 10 years ago, but when a chance encounter brings them back together, sparks begin to fly. But will they be able to fake being fiancés when feelings begin to reemerge.

Although this novel description says the book is “hilarious”, I didn’t find myself smiling or laughing very often. The characters had some deep scars, that traversed even into the light-hearted scenes. Overall, I liked the two main characters as individuals, but I couldn’t really grasp what they saw in each other expect: I liked you since we were teenagers (she’s smart and he was a “bad boy”). I didn’t feel like the whole dating plan transitioned through the book well, like there needed to be a little to it – it’s the title of the book and I didn’t think it was captured well. Also, I don’t really care for Marvel Comics and this is the third romance novel I have read recently with female characters who are obsessed with it.

All that to say, the family dynamics and family issues played an important role. I really like the quirky family characters. I still wonder though how none of the aunties knew Liam if he was over at the Patel house all the time for 8 years while growing up. I knew my best friends’ family well and her family didn’t seem as close as the Patel’s were.

Overall, two things that really brought a smile to my face in this book: 1) Jaxon and 2) a bus stop near the end. Otherwise, this book really wasn’t for me. I didn’t really connect with characters and had a hard time believing their feelings for each other.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for giving the opportunity to access this ARC.

I enjoyed Sara Desai's debut The Marriage Game so I was delighted to see the smart and quirky Daisy starring in her own story.

Daisy enjoys the world of writing code - dodging the endless parade of men her aunties want her to meet and possibly marry. Daisy's heart was broken when her older brother's high school bestie stood her up at her senior prom. Liam disappeared and Daisy hasn't been the same.

Daisy's having one of those days. She's with her ill-prepared boss at a conference, looking for investors when he asks her to get supplies for their demo. "Supplies" equals every maxi pad in the restroom's vending machine. Bonus? She can hear her former boss and recent ex-boyfriend having sex in a stall. So it's a trifecta when she trips as she's leaving the restroom, pads flying everywhere. Only to end up in long lost Liam's arms.

The still gorgeously hot Liam who broke her heart. Behind Liam? Because this is a trifecta plus, is one of her aunties with a prospective husband for her.

So Daisy does what anyone would do - pretends Liam is her fiance and kisses him. The sparks fly but her heart's still hurting.

Liam has reasons of his own to want a fauxmance. To inherit his family's distillery and save it from demolition, he has to get married in two months.

I loved the antics of both families - Liam's eccentric Irish relatives and Daisy's Desi extended family with their loving but interfering ways. The descriptions of the food and clothing were fun (except the one auntie's dreadful "fusion" dishes).

This is a steamy faux-to-real romcom. Yay for seeing a successful woman in a STEM job. Even better that she's a WOC. The banter between Liam and Daisy was sparkling at times and very raw and real other times. The writing is fast-paced. There are some angsty parts but it's well balanced with all of the fun bits.

CW: Domestic violence comes up multiple times.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.