This book was beautifully written and it had me smiling from the very first chapter. I thought the characters were really well written, and D'Vaughn's and Kris's interactions were so witty and sharp and beautiful.

There were a few moments where I had to suspend my disbelief - mainly about how the family reacted to the engagement and the show, but it was more of a moment that made me shake my head rather than impact my experience of the book.

This was a fun, cute, sexy read. Rebecca Lee's performance made it even better, and made me really connect with the characters.

I read the book but the audiobook was SO GOOD! Like the narrator really captured the characters and her Spanish was excellent

“D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding” is an interesting twist on two popular romance tropes: fake dating and opposites attracting. D’Vaughn and Kris meet while filming a reality show about tricking their family to believe their engagement is real. At the end of the show, they could either get married or win prize money.

For me, the story dragged just a bit. Maybe because there isn’t any outside drama besides D’Vaughn coming out to her family for the first time. Other than that, the story was really well written, and I appreciated the representation of characters that were of color. The main characters! D’Vaughn and Kris were really well-written characters. I like them almost immediately. I also loved the realistic portrayal of both characters’ family dynamics.

Overall, I recommend this book. This could be a five-star book for someone who likes straightforward romances with a little fluff.

We have all seen reality love shows and are pretty sure its all fake.In most shows the black and brown people are the first to go and the LGBTQIA contestants usually don't exist. This story ponders, what if the love was real and the people that you never see in those stories are the stars of the show. Seeing this love story begin and explore the possibilities, was so refreshing. This story was about 2 people who took a chance at love and won in the end.

This is definitely one for fans of the Bachelorette, Love is Blind, and Married at First Sight! As a big reality television fan, this was such a fun read. I could totally picture this as a setup for a real show, especially the way the confessional chapters were interspersed throughout. We are following D'Vaughn and Kris as they compete on Instant I Do, a show where they must convince their friends and family that they are getting married in only 6 weeks.

The narrator for the audiobook was excellent and really brought the story to life. I had so much fun listening to the story and the characters were so distinctly narrated. The way the D'vaughn and Kris were able to communicate with each other every step of the way was so refreshing for a romance novel. Their chemistry was palpable and you could just tell they were meant to be.

*Thank you to Dreamscape Media & Netgalley for the audiobook ARC in exchange for a review!

Rep: fat Black lesbian MC, Afro-Latina butch lesbian MC, lesbian Scs, trans SC, bi & pan SC, gay SC, Black SCs, Afro-Latine Scs

Rating: 4.5 stars

Two strangers get randomly paired up on a reality tv show and only have 6 weeks to convince their families they’re in love and plan the whole wedding. The producers don’t make it easy for them. If they succeed, they each win $100k. No one has ever won and gone through with the wedding at the end. They all fake their way through and take the money.

This is a pretty cute and wholesome book with low angst. It starts off as fake dating to convince their families and friends, but naturally feelings slowly develop. It is pretty insta-love. D’vaughn wanted to be on the show to use the opportunity to come out to her mom, while Kris is actually looking for a relationship and to boost her online following.

Their friends and families are really supportive of them throughout the whole process even while not knowing their daughters were in a relationship, let alone engaged and planning a wedding for in 6 weeks. Especially for D’Vaughn’s family, who most of them didn’t even know she was a lesbian.
D’Vaughn and Kris were also supportive of each other, especially with D’Vaughn’s coming out. They also had great communication and chemistry. No miscommunication here. They also didn’t break up towards the end, like most books do, which was a nice change.

It felt a bit convenient that Kris is an influencer, so they got away with the cameraman filming them by saying she’s just filming content. But I’m not mad about it, it was just a convenient advantage for them. I’m just curious how he other couples explained it lol

Overall, it’s a really nice easy wholesome read with low angst and lots of different types of representation.

The narrator did a great job. Though I can’t speak on the Spanish bits, since I don’t speak it. Would have been nice to have a second narrator since it’s a dual pov book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book

Rating 1.5
This was a disappointment. I love the fake dating trope, but I hated how it was handled in this book. I also hate insta-love and this book was one of the worst cases of it.

This was a good book. Nothing super spectacular, just a solid, sapphic romance.

While I liked both of the MCs, I didn’t love the premise of the book: they were on a reality show where 2 strangers would be paired together, would have to convince their friends and families that they were in love and engaged, and plan a wedding, all in 6 weeks. This is just too insta-love for me. Sometimes I can believe in insta-love, sometimes it works for me, but not this time.

D’Vaughn was on the show so that it would force her to come out to her religious mom, and Kris was on the show to fall in love and find a wife. I can understand D’Vaughn’s reasoning, but to expect to fall in love and find a wife in 6 weeks is pretty unrealistic.

With the exception of the premise, I did enjoy the book. I liked all of the characters, I liked how family played a role and how there was good communication between Kris and D’Vaughn. I liked the ending.

Overall, this was a low angst, medium heat romance, and if you’re into insta-love, you will probably really enjoy it!

🗯Thoughts:

I’d highly recommend this book for fans of The Charm Offensive! This book has everything a spicy couple, reality tv, drama. This book has a little bit for everyone.

I really enjoyed this book from the first chapter onward. I was rooting for Kris and D’Vaughn. Honestly, wouldn’t lie when saying that both characters had me questioning my sexuality. New book girlfriend alert!

Overall, a great summer romance read. Bring this one in your beach bag!

Oh my gosh, D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding is such a cute premise for a story... and turns into such a fun and sexy romance!

It might sound a hard sell, but Chencia C. Higgins totally pulls off the idea of a reality show called "Instant I Do".

I'd think tricking your friends and family into believing you're planning a wedding to someone they've never met is tough enough. There's a lot riding on the sucess of this show for Kris, who is hoping a stint on TV will be the push she need to send her soaring as an influencer. But for D'Vaughn, the easy acceptance she's counted on from her traditional family is about to be tested in a big way.

The attraction between D'Vaughn and Kris is instant and real, and they make a great couple. All the things we do to plan a wedding are amped up in D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding, plus the added stressors of working with a TV crew, producers, and trying to win the darn thing! Very funny.

The audio is nicely narrated by Rebecca Lee. A new narrator to me, I enjoyed the voices they use for these characters. There's great humor in this story, and it comes through loud and clear with Rebecca Lee's marvlous performance.

“..real love doesn’t always need years of cultivating in order to grow.”

This book!!! D’VAUGHN AND KRIS PLAN A WEDDING is an incredibly fun, sexy, and tender sapphic romance about two Black lesbians who enter a competitive reality TV dating show and fall in love with each other in the process. The show “Instant I Do” entails pairing people up as fake engaged couples who have to convince their family and friends that the relationship is real, while completing wedding-related tasks with them leading up to the big day. D’Vaughn, a fat, femme woman, hopes to use the show to finally come out as queer to her family, and Kris, an Afro-Latina butch who’s low-key famous with her weightlifting insta, is driven to finally find true love. I loved both of these main characters and they have such compelling chemistry. They care for each other right off the bat, before it’s clear their relationship will become something else, and I adored the focus on consent and communication. Their families are a hoot and, in their own ways, fiercely loving. The reality show felt somewhat in the background, despite being the main setup for their fake-to-real engagement, which I liked; the affection between D’Vaughn and Kris shines the brightest. It’s a low angst, high reward romance that everyone will swoon for, with the kind of Black-centric representation we need more of in queer romance. I listened to the audiobook and the narration, done by Rebecca Lee, is fantastic. Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the ALC! This book is out now.

Content warnings: some racism and homophobia

5+ stars
*check tw*

I am so glad I finally had a chance to read this book!! I have seen it on booktok a TON and the e-book has been sitting on my shelf for what feels like forever now, but I haven't had the chance to read it because I didn't have an audiobook, and I have been mostly listening to books.

This book was such a perfectly well rounded contemporary romance; it had the spice, the adorableness, the emotion and deeper conversations WITH realistic and fluid dialogue. It did the fake dating/reality tv/dating show trope immaculately... This was everything I love about these tropes; they are blindly paired up after one 'group mingle' with the other contestants and then they have to convince their family that they are going to be married in 6 weeks - like the family can't know about the show and 'fake' engagement [I would 100% watch this show IRL]. There is also NO MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE!!!!!

D'Vaughn and Kris had so much chemistry and it was set up beautifully from the beginning of the book, there was jealousy, relationship anxiety, protectiveness, supportiveness, kindness, maturity... like I can't get enough of this book and these two women! On their own they are also very well developed characters; D'vaughn, her mom and sister have very established dynamics throughout the book and the discussions that came out of that plot line were really well done. D'Vaughn is using this show to come out to her family, like they have no idea shes a lesbian so the discussions that came out of it were so well done and don't get me started on the support from Kris, it was too cute [check the last quote included]. Kris and her family were also so amazing and i love how you got to see the families interact and the relationships that form through that... Just the depth to the background characters too was *chef's kiss*! Like just read this fucking book... I don't know what more I need to say!!!

Ok and for all the people who are here for the spice and romance... I didn't forget about you. I know booktok people love quotes so here you go...

“I want to watch you c*m.”

“Don’t you fucking dare hold out on me,” she gritted, a line of sweat appearing along her top lip. “If I make you c*m, I deserve to hear every single sound you make.”

“Lean on me if you have to,” she offered. “I’m here to support you, and if you feel like you’re crumbling, let me shore you up, aight? Take what you need from me; accept my strength in addition to your own.”
Releasing a shuddering breath, I shook my head. “That’s too much, Kris. You barely know me, plus you didn’t sign up for this.”
“D’Vaughn.”
Flipping open, my eyes shot to hers, startled by the admonishment in her now-gritty tone.
“I’m going to give you a pass because you don’t know me well enough yet, but I signed up to be your fiancée. That’s not just about spending bands and fucking.” My brows shot toward the sky because what?! Who said anything about sex? No one, but now I was definitely thinking about it. “Being a fiancée means standing by your side through whatever. I signed up for that.”

*thank you netgalley for this audio arc, I can't wait to get a copy for my audible when it releases*
[also i wrote this at 3am after taking my night meds so ignore any spelling, and whatever...this book is 5+ stars and I loved it]

Trigger Warnings: Alcohol, closeted, coming out, religion/Christianity, colorism, homophobia, cursing, lying, masturbation, sex, sex in public (chpt 14)

Representation: Black, Fat, Lesbian, Pansexual, Bisexual, They/them pronouns, Transgender, Mexican

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding is an adult romance about two women, D’Vaughn and Kris plan a wedding. Unbeknownst to their family and friends, the two women are part of a reality tv show where they are paired together and have to plan a wedding in order to win $100,000.00. While each have their own reason for being on the show, the two work together to make it successful. Accidentally, they fall in love and now the two must decide whether they are actually in it for real.

I loved this book soooo much!!! It was so cute and enjoyable! I loved these two women and the entire storyline! The book was fun and quirky, as well as steamy and romantic! Definitely a book for adults/nsfw! I love adults being gay and happy!

Both women were amazing and layered and flawed and funny! They constantly had me cracking up! I also loved all of the secondary characters! The joy that is in my heart from the families of both women! And the spin at the end with Kevin was fantastic! I enjoyed that the book was surrounding the tv show and planning a wedding but wasn’t totally focused on the reality tv show. I enjoyed the little jitter cam scenes and the vulnerability from both women we got to experience because of it. Also, I loved the HEA! The narrator did a fantastic job with both characters, along with all of their family members!

Who doesn't love a fake dating trope? Well hope about fake engagement!?!?!?

This book was cute and funny and tad bit messy just like most Lesbian relationships lol. I loved the representation. It had a slight swoon and a bit of angst just the right amount of heat! It was a great read funny and feel good!

Thank you to NetGally for the advance Audiobook of D’Vaughn and Kris Plans a wedding.

D’Vaughn an Kris both go a television show for two different things but both end up finding on thing in common their love for each other.

D’Vaughn drove me nuts because she over thought everything. Kris was the type to tell you how they felt and be straight about everything

Overall a great read. It was funny and a good love story.

3.5 ⭐️ | D’VAUGHN AND KRIS PLAN A WEDDING is a cute lesbian rom-com set on a reality tv show. Our leads have to convince their families (and themselves) that they are in love and throwing a wedding in six weeks. While I thought the set up was fun, the nature of this premise relies on insta-love.

I liked this book overall, but I wish felt a stronger connection to these characters and their relationship. While I appreciated the lack of third act breakup, the pacing of felt off. The prose also could have been stronger, but I do think Chencia C. Higgins still has a knack for swoony storytelling.

I would still recommend this book if you are interested in any of the following:
- An all Black cast
- A lesbian / lesbian romance
- Fat rep
- A coming-out-in-adulthood side plot
- A reality TV show setting (focused on queer weddings)
- Flirty jokes + cutesy “fake” PDA
- Two open door smut scenes
- A fast-moving love story

I thought Rebecca Lee did a good job narrating the audiobook. I will be reading more books by Chencia C. Higgins in the future because I see a lot of potential.

Thank you net galley for the audiobook!
I am absolutely in love with the story and this book. D'Vaughn and Kris are just wonderful characters. From the beginning of the book you're rooting for them and you want them to succeed and fall in love. Getting to see them evolve and the different histories and personality they bring is what makes this book so fun to read. Not only are the two main characters phenomenal, but all of the side characters and different people we meet are also equally as fun and real. The romance and the flirting is top-tier and just feels amazing.
The audiobook is also great! The narrator does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life and sounding very fluid and at ease.

Oh my gosh this novel! D/Vaughn and Kris meet because they've been paired together on a reality TV show where they have to convince their families that they're engaged and getting married in six weeks. D'Vaughn isn't even out, and Kris is a bit of a player, which will make the next six weeks quite entertaining, and very good TV. When the emotions flare even after the cameras turn off it seems like maybe this is less reality TV than it is reality, but can these emotions be trusted? How much of this is for a show and a huge check, and how much of this is from the heart?

I adored this book, and I particularly loved the audio book version. This narrator is one of the best I've experienced. Each character was distinct and each emotion was specific.

I will start by saying that I loved Kris, and I enjoyed this book overall. I had been really looking forward to this book, and was very excited when I received an ARC for the audiobook. But as much as I liked the characters, especially Kris’ family, I felt like there were many aspects of the books and the characters’ lives that were not really fleshed out. I never truly understood the show they were part of. I kept waiting for an explanation about the show, which never came. It’s the main storyline and the reason the character are together, and there’s never a real explanation of the rules or how it works with them shooting the show behind the families’ backs. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I didn’t need to get every detail about the show but an actual explanation would’ve sufficed. We also don’t get too many details about Kris’ social media career despite how often it is mentioned. It’s mentioned several times how important it is and how Kris has two lives in a way because of it, but it’s not really devolved into at all. Another thing that I felt needed more information/background is D’Vaughn’s relationship with her mom. I needed more details as to why she felt she had to come out on TV (I still don’t get how it plays with the show since it’s not actually filmed). It just doesn’t make sense to me that if you fear your mom’s reaction why would you choose to also lie to her while coming out. Why mix her mom’s feelings about her coming out with a lie about being engaged and make her participate in sham wedding prep, especially she hadn’t gone in expecting to find love? How does all that lying help them fix their relationship? There also was a disconnect to me between the D’Vaughn we get throughout the book and the one we get when she’s in the show interviews; it’s like she has two completely different personalities. As I said in the beginning, I still enjoyed the book but I felt Kris is the one who carried it for me. Aside from her job, her character felt fully fleshed out and consistent for the most part.

Finally, I found it to be an extremely poor choice to choose an audiobook narrator who doesn’t speak Spanish to narrate a book with a lot of Spanish dialogue. It really ruined my experience because people who casually switch between English and Spanish like Kris and her family do throughout the book do not butcher the language like that. And that’s on top of the fact that I caught several mistake in the actual Spanish. I’ve said this before I will continue to scream it from the rooftops: I hate it when authors add a language they aren’t fully fluent in into a book and don’t have several people review it. I found at least 2 instances where the mom spoke to Kris using the masculine form of a word when Kris clearly states in the book she uses she/her pronouns.

D'Vaughn and Kris go on a dating show where they have to convince their families they are getting married in just 6 weeks, D'Vaughn not being an out lesbian prior to the show. So, yes, this did have fake dating. And yes, it was wonderful. The chemistry between these two characters was palpable. Watching D'Vaughn come out to her religious mother from the perspective of Kris was very insightful and beautiful to read. The way "well meaning" homophobic comments, are still just that, homophobic and it is only on that family member to address it. And wanna talk about good fat rep? This book. THIS BOOK. This was very insta love, which I am actually a fan of but I know it's not always appreciated. I will say, that the book lacked any real moments of tension so the story was a bit predictable. But, man sometimes you just need a predictable love stakes love story, you know? This was wonderful.

CW: homophobia, religious bigotry, racism