D'Vaughn & Kris Plan A Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
Narrated by Rebecca Lee
CW: anxiety, bigotry, colorism, homophobia

Thank you Netgally and Carina Press for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Morning friends, I'm so excited to write my review of D'Vaughn and Kris Plan A Wedding because I have been wanting to read this book since I saw it's cover months ago. It was as enjoyable as I thought it would be.

Why are more people not talking about this book? It has everything you would want from a moden rom/com; the will they won't they, humor, snarky, honest and and caring side characters. This book checks off every rom/com checkbox

The main plot is that D'Vaughn & Kris have signed up for a reality TV show, Instant I Do, where they have six weeks to convince their family and friends that they are in love and getting married. Kris is looking for a woman to marry, while D'Vaughn is looking for a way to come out to her family. Will they find their way to the alter?

As someone who doesn't watch reality TV I have to say I was hooked. It was a great premise and Chencia C. Higgins has done a masterful job getting the reader rooting for these two right from the start. Rebecca Lee also did a phenominal job bringing all the character's to life, I'll be sure to check out other books she has done.

D'Vaughn & Kris Plan A Wedding is one of those books I will be suggesting for anyone who wants a fun rom/com with low stakes and can deliver a big boost of serotonin.

My first read from Chencia C. Higgins, and I definitely plan to check out her back catalogue! I quite enjoyed this reality TV based coming-out story, and hope to find more, similarly enjoyable stories from her. There were a couple of parts that lagged and could potentially have been trimmed (didn’t feel necessary for the plot), but overall it was a great read and the storyline was excellent.

D’Vaughn’s friend helps her apply for a spot on an up and coming reality TV series where couples are paired up at first meeting, and have to convince their families they are in love and get help to plan a quick wedding. The catch? They can’t tell them it’s for the show or fake… the end doesn’t have to result in a marriage, and they can choose a big cheque instead, but can’t let on the secret.

D’Vaughn’s biggest secret is that she has never told her family she is a lesbian, so not only is she springing a quick wedding on them, but that it’s to a woman, and one they’ve never met - so it’s a whole lot of surprises!

All of the characters are extremely well developed (more than many books I’ve read recently), the plot is a lot more thought out and delivered so well, and for the most part the pacing of everything is well done (just a couple spots I felt my attention not held as well as the rest of the book, but generally it was excellent). I absolutely recommend this book to everyone and wish everybody would read it - not enough willing to dive into the F/F genre, but this would be such a great place to start! Such a beautiful love story with so many unexpected happenings, just the right steam level, and that beautiful HEA!

Audio - this book was narrated by one person for both characters, Rebecca Lee. While she did an excellent job, there could have been more differentiation between Kris and D’Vaughn’s parts and voices. That’s my only nitpick! Would have been great to have separate narrators to get that separation of characters.

Overall, a great book, a 4-4.5 star story and 4-star narration.

I received an advance audio copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you to netgalley for an audio copy of this wonderful book. 💗

The author created a sexy, soft, heartfelt story that made me actually root for the two main characters to get married after knowing each other only six weeks. The romantic love story was, of course, wonderful– but the familial love also shown was absolutely beautiful and filled my soul with pure joy.

I very much look forward to reading more of this author's work in the future!

This book was so cute and sweet! I loved the banter between D'Vaughn and Kris from the very beginning. I do wish they had explained the tv show a little further, I feel like we went from the beginning to just in the midst of it - but I also think from the characters perspective we had too. Overall, I'll be reading more books by this author - loved the representation.

For Pride Month, we wanted to read a novel that celebrated love within the LGBTQIA+ community. This book was a superb read!

D’Vaughn finds her voice and an unexpected support when she finally comes out to her family as a lesbian. The exploration of her mental and emotional psyche paired with her mother’s and sibling’s reactions and feelings as they navigate unchartered waters not only pulled at the heartstrings but delivered valuable nuggets for others struggling to come out or struggling with family acceptance.

Kris, who had family support, was the perfect showing of how family and friends can and should rally around their loved ones. But it was her influencer fame and hottie stud persona that came into question on whether her intentions were real or “made for TV”.

This story, while light and comical with the focus on the TV show, was also filled with love and hard realities. We were enamored throughout the book with D’Vaughn and Kris and found ourselves rooting for them to win the ultimate prize of each other.

Rebecca Lee, the narrator, embodied these characters with fierce boldness and excellent precision.

A definite 5 out of 5 star read. If we could change one thing, it would be the title. Given the context, it seems most fitting that the title would’ve been Instant I Do! That wishful thinking aside, this book is the flawless mix of INSTANT perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for a reality show romance turned real. This book is so delightful and the characters are completely lovable.

Thank you #NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy of #D'VaughnandKrisPlanaWedding audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The book was delightful and the narration was wonderful. A great story and well performed narration made this a perfect way to end my weekend. I listened to this book in one setting. I lost track of the number of times I teared up during this novel - so many incredibly emotional moments. I loved both MCs and their families. Their romance was believable and the reality show aspect made for a very fun way to move the story from meeting to HEA.

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding is one of the hottest romances I have ever read. There was hardly a time where I wasn’t blushing or swooning. Kris is absolute perfection and book girlfriend material.

Romances like this are ordinary. It follows the same formula and tropes that all romances follow; this trope in particular is the fake relationship to the real relationship. While this trope isn’t my favorite, it really worked for this story.

What makes this book truly extraordinary (to me anyway) is that it made me aware of so much about myself. I related so much to D’Vaughn and her relationship to her family. The way she kept part of herself hidden, and how that caused her to hold back in so many relationships. However, I’m not sure if I would be as bold as her to come out to my family on national television on a reality tv show.

This is what the best books do: they help you connect to something inside yourself that you are just discovering.

Something else I appreciated about this story is how straightforward D’Vaughn and Kris’s relationship was. The main source of conflict was not because of miscommunication like countless other romances. I kept waiting for one of them to mess things up, but they talked through everything like adults. And that didn’t take away from the story at all. In fact, I felt like it strengthened character development because it was easier for them to become more themselves through each other.

Kris is so cool and super sexy. There were plenty of times she made me weak in the knees. And D’Vaughn is super sweet and full of life. She felt like she was so unassuming, but she turned some heads!

The cast of side characters were so colorful. We got a range of different identities and personalities. And petition to make more reality tv shows inclusive like Instant I Do (creators of Married at First Sight take note).

If you are here for the smut, I encourage you to read this one. It’s full of the hotness throughout the entire book. A spark has been lit in me to find more smut.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this read. It is easy to get lost in, and it is a really quick read. It took me two days to get through the audiobook because I couldn’t stop listening. Yes, I was that girl grinning and blushing while listening to a sex scene in the middle of Target. You could be that person too!

Sometimes I can read a book with an obtuse and insecure main character who is extremely oblivious to the feelings the other person has for them and sometimes it grates on my nerves so much, I really should put the book down. Instead of doing that though, I pushed through because I was lucky enough to have an audio ARC copy from the publisher/Netgalley. (I'd actually already pre-ordered it on Libro.fm as well, just for full transparency.) As far as the narrator, I liked Rebecca Lee's narration style, though I'm basically always going to wish that there were as many narrators as perspectives just from a personal taste sort of thing. But Lee puts the emotions into her performance and that's really what makes a book for me.

As far as the book itself goes, essentially D'Vaughn signs up for this reality tv show so that she has like a vehicle to aid her in coming out to her family, particularly her mom, who is very religious. In some ways, I liked this aspect of things and on the other hand, if you're going to set this part up like a conflict (which it was even beyond the introduction), then I'm kind of going to need you to carry through it the whole way. Instead, it was like Mom doesn't react well and then they have a confrontation (kind of) and then we just fully move past it. If that's real life, then awesome. But like... I don't understand how D'Vaughn, who overthinks about literally everything, just lets that go entirely. Anyway, the premise of the reality show is that they pair you with a stranger (Married at First Sight like) and then you have to convince your family that you are in fact getting married in six weeks to this person you're just now introducing them to. I'm generally always down for a reality show premise and I liked the vehicle the story was told in. I really loved Kris, who has come on the show to find love. She's one of those true believer kind of people, but with this Butch energy that's just... Top notch. I liked her energy so much. And her family? They're wonderful. But again, there were things that just didn't quite feel like they were fleshed out enough for me to really understand how we were getting from Point A to Point B.

That said, I love Chencia C. Higgins' writing style generally, so I look forward to reading more from her in the future. Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this book early!

This book was everything I needed and more. Rebecca Lee did an amazing job bringing the characters to life, and I loved listening to her all the way through. I'll be reccing this to everyone I know!

I am always in love with black love. This romance is a fake dating love as well as a coming-out story. I enjoyed the love story between Vaughan and kris .it was sexy and full of chemistry.

I didn't love the whole show competition angel it just didn't make sense to me. I wish the reason they faked dating was different.

I love both of their families and the display of different dynamics however I didn't find some of the wedding planning moments to be overly cheesy which I was a little shocked about.

I loved that there was my h guessing with the progression of their relationship.

The narrators did a great job with all the voices. They sounded different and distinct

All in all good light read

DVaughn and Kris was such a cute little romance. It was fun and exciting, but it also had deep discussions about lgbtq issues. I loved it

I received an audiobook copy of D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book that turned the fake dating/engagement trope on its head. The main characters were fleshed out and continued to communicate with each other throughout the book. Which was a refreshing change from the usual aspects of the trope. Additionally, they both actually felt remorse for their lies which rarely happens in books with a similar premise. Overall, this book was refreshing and unique in its plot and I highly recommend reading it!

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding follows D’Vaughn and Kris. They are both chosen to participate in a reality show called ‘Instant I Do’ where they will be paired up and given six weeks to convince the world of their relationship. D’Vaughn and Kris both have very specific reasons for entering and as the story unfolds we get to know two beautiful souls find love and happiness.

I cannot believe it took me so long to read this book. After the first two chapters I fell completely in love with D’Vaughn and Kris. The representation in the book was beautiful. It was funny, cute, steamy, and most of all full of heart, love, grace, and hope. I enjoyed every minute, every word, and every moment of their journey. Their families and friends were amazing and the reality show aspect was so fun and even though something we’ve kind of seen (bachelor, bachelorette, love is blind) it was original and refreshing and because of the diversity so much better. This has become one of my most favorites romances and I recommend both this audiobook narration (to truly get a feel for their characters and their individual charm) and as a physical book.

Okay so. This book. Wow. Okay.

First, understand. This rating only has as many stars as it does due to the narrator Rebecca Lee. I doubt I could have finished this book without Lee telling me this story. It was perfect. Every character had a subtle yet distinctly different voice and I was never confused as to who was talking. On top of that, I just found Lee’s narration and voice easy to listen to and get sucked into the story with. Honestly, the best thing about this book.

This is a very sweet (cloyingly so at times), low angst, low drama book with a frankly ridiculous plot. All things I generally speaking really enjoy. There’s a few moments of homophobia and racism, but everything is dealt with really well and very promptly and the book goes back to being low angst/drama.

The characters are well built, the MCs each have a distinct voice. The side characters are great as well. I’m kind of intrigued as to if the author is going to continue with this group of characters because there’s some characters I would consider picking up a second book by this author for.

My problem with this book really lies with a few things. First, if anyone drags me around for weeks telling me that they’re getting married and enlists me to do all this shit for them just to turn around and say that no actually it’s all fake for a TV show and a check, you better be cutting me in or we are not friends any more. Kris and D’Vaughn have much nicer families and friends than I am to anyone.

Secondly, the chemistry between Kris and D’Vaughn is so… instant and makes up such a large part of how they feel about each other for so long, I had a hard time connecting to the characters or being invested in their relationship. I guess this is another way in which f/f (or really, any romance story with a female lead) differs from m/m for me.

And last… okay so, D’Vaughn’s level of overthinking things is honestly the most relatable thing about this book, but in her overthinking, she comes to conclusions that I just can’t follow the train of thought. Maybe you could say that about my train of thought too when I overthink things but I’m not the one trying to sell the ending epiphany of a character’s journey to self-realization. Because that last one bugs me the most. I honestly don’t understand how D’Vaughn got what she did out of the *cough* prompt in front of her.

But all those are relatively small problems that have more to do with me than actual problems of the book, so if those don’t bother you, go for this. And if you are looking at this, listen to the audiobook. Like I said, it was perfect.

CWs: sexual content. Brief blips of moments with racism and homophobia.

4.5 Stars!

Rep: <b>Curvy, Black femme lesbian woman who is closeted and using the show as an opportunity to come out to her very religious family + Butch, Afro-Latina lesbian woman who joined the show to find love and take her career as an influencer to the next level

Triggers: homophobia, racism, colorism, fear of abandonment, anxiety

D'Vaughn and Kris didn't just plan a wedding, they brought my plants back to life, single-handedly saved K-Mart and turned water into wine. Seriously, they were so stinkin' cute. I absolutely loved these two.

Kris was so incredibly open and honest, I absolutely loved the way she was unapologetically herself and unafraid to ask for what she wanted. D'Vaughn was definitely more reserved with her emotions and while it was, at times, frustrating to watch her struggle to accept Kris's love, I was also so incredibly impressed with how well-represented her emotions were. While I couldn't always relate to D'Vaughn, I couldn't not feel every ounce of empathy for her, especially when it came to the complicated emotions she had re: coming out to her family.

D'Vaughn's coming out was so incredibly heartbreaking, yet beautifully written. Not because it was a happy experience necessarily, but because it so accurately depicted the struggle many queer individuals have with their parents accepting them. Potential (minor) spoilers ahead: While D'Vaughn's mother didn't disown or cut ties with her, she also wasn't overly supportive. Many, many people find themselves in some sort of an in-between when they do come out to their families and it can be a tough terrain to navigate. For this reason, I really appreciated how D'Vaughn's experiences were written.

Overall, I found the representation in this novel to be very well done, with an exceptional amount of nuance and complexity. We did not simply see representation for the sake of having representation. Instead, each character was carefully curated with their own personalities, cultural values, and sets of challenges stemming from prejudices, etc. Additionally, Higgins didn't shy away from difficult topics in order to keep this light and fun. Instead, she found a way to bring these topics to the forefront in a way that gave them the respect and time they deserve within a genre that typically shys away from the tougher topics. It isn't easy to write a novel that covers racism, colorism, homophobia, mental illness and more while also being a generally fun and happy time.

My only complaint with this book was that I struggled a bit to get into the concept. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the idea that their families wouldn't find the camera guy a little sus. Honestly, I can believe everything else if I try hard enough but the fact that Kevin was always just lurking had me a little skeptical. Other than that, I loved D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding and I can't wait to read more from Chencia.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A romcom about two women and their families planning a fake (maybe) wedding for a reality tv show? Ok, but won’t there be tons of unnecessary emotional drama? Apparently not. This book had a fun and relaxed feel despite the inherent high stakes nature of the premise. I loved the characters and was completely invested in their happily ever after. Also enjoyed the dialogue, and family dynamics of this story were excellent. I will definitely read more by Chencia C. Higgins.

Did this one as an audiobook which made it super fun. The narrator, Rebecca Lee gave an amazing performance, giving such a unique voice to each character.

Highly recommend.

I am reviewing the Audio version of this book so to begin I just want to make a note on that experience alone:
The narration did an amazing job of bringing D’Vaughn and Kris to life! The voice actors chosen really suited the character they played and as a whole really added to the enjoyment of this story! (I’m gonna be honest, if it weren’t for the voice actors and I was just reading this book… I may or may not have stuck through the beginning)

Onto the content of this book: Aka - they why I almost didn’t keep reading after the first few chapters:
Okay so admittedly, I am not the biggest reality tv consumer out there, but even so I just do not understand what the concept of this reality show is?

They get paired up to fake date and convince everyone around them they are in love, getting married in 6 weeks, and have found “the one”. If they succeed in doing so they get either the choice of a money reward or they actually get married.
1. Why on earth would anyone choose marriage over money? Even if you ended up falling in love it makes absolutely no sense not to take the money… and then get married later?
2. It seems cruel to the unsuspecting family that are involved without consent. Kris especially notes how close she is with her family and how much she loves them and they all love and accept her…so how could she lie to them for 6 weeks and make them all happy that she’s happy only to just pull the rug out from under them later?
…What is entertaining about this concept (in this book world not me as the reader)? I do not understand. It seems to just take advantage and hurt those around the contestants for the sake of views.

NOW - The chemistry between D’Vaughn and Kris? Chefs kiss. Fantastic. Thrilling. 11/10. I was in this for THEM. D’Vaughn was incredibly well written and likable and Kris - KRIS - I’m in love with her, your honor.
The characters were by far the highlight of this book. What turned me off from it was the plot which I addressed earlier.

Honestly, I’m really excited to read more from this author because I liked the writing style and I LOVED the characters - the reality tv plot just wasn’t for me. (I felt similarly about The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun so it’s personal preference more than anything.)

Special thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

D’Vaughn and Kris sign up for Instant I Do, a reality tv show where the contestants need to convince their friends and family they’re getting married. Kris, an influencer, insists she’s on the show for love, and D’Vaughn is using it as an opportunity to come out to her family. After only knowing each other for a few days, they’re surprised at everyone believing them and being so good together on and off camera. Soon, the money isn’t the only think at stake.

This year’s bachelor/reality dating book was ADORABLE. I love these kinds of books and this was right up my alley. The logistics of the show confused me at times, and I felt that the book sped up way too much at the end but I overall really enjoyed reading D’Vaughn and Kris’s story. The representation was amazing and I loved hearing their internal dialogue on everything they were going through. They also were both great characters and had amazing support systems. Super cute read! 3.5 stars for the story and 4 stars for the audio.

This reality tv romance was an amazing inclusive wedding season read! I loved the switching of point of views between the characters for each chapter! At times it was challenging to distinguish between the audio book narration of the two different character voices. Overall, great romance with lots of representation of diversity in love stories!