This book was cute but I think the couple went from fake dating to real dating kind of quickly which made the chemistry not feel as real. There were an abundance of sweet and spicy moments that are signature Samantha Young

Samantha young has done it again!!!!!!! I can say for sure, this is one of the best romantic comedies I have read in awhile. Dr. Rafe Whitman and Star Shine Meadows are about the cutest couple that lived and my oh my, their chemistry is just AMAZING!
The storyline was a masterpiece that made me shake with laughter, shake from crying emotionally spent tears, and shaking in so much anger that that just happened.......Again, a MASTERPIECE!
I will always recommend Samantha Young because of her way with words and her stupendous ability to make me want to read her works, but this romantic comedy was definitely worth the few hours it took me to read it.

If you need something to make you read it:
" My fantasy doesn't even begin to live up to the reality of you."
"This is yours, only yours, and this is mine, only mine."

Seriously, go get this RIGHT NOW! It's worth EVERYTHING, go......NOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!

Delightful! Such a fun, happy story.

It is probably not surprising to find out that Star Shine Meadows was raised the child of hippies. They taught her that working a 9 to 5 leads to a life of unhappiness and that monogamy in relationships is unrealistic. Star spends her time getting paid to line-sit for others or she makes money playing characters for kids parties. Star isn’t materialistic and these gigs allow her to make enough money to pay her bills and her rent for her studio apartment. If she is interested in spending time with a man, she does so until she is no longer interested. Simple as that. Her life is simple and she is very, very happy, and she doesn’t let someone like Rafe Whitman talk down to her just because he can’t understand her glass-half-full attitude.

Rafe doesn’t understand how Star can breeze through life without the desire to have a successful career, or heck, even a real job, but he also knows that he has had enough of his mother and his sister-in-law’s constant attempts to set him up with women. They feel his life lacks something because he isn’t in a relationship right now. They give out his number to every eligible bachelorette and even sends them into his veterinary clinic. He is very happy growing his clinic and spending quiet time alone. He might not understand Star but he is willing to pay her to pretend to be his new girlfriend, one who is completely wrong for him and who his family will simply dislike. Once they “breakup,” he can pretend to be devastated, while they will be overjoyed, and Rafe can get a much needed break from matchmaking.

Only problem with that plan is the more time Rafe spends with Star, the more he enjoys her half-glass full attitude. If only he can convince her to give him a chance and accept a real relationship.

THOUGHTS:
This is supposed to be a grumpy meets sunny story, but I didn’t feel that Rafe was really a grumpy characters. When he meets Star, he was in a bad mood and he apologizes several times, although we never find out exactly what put him in such a foul mood.

There are good secondary characters but we mostly focus on Rafe and Star. Star is just so fun and delightful. She is always happy. She is a rainbow and puppy kind of character. Like I said, Rafe is supposed to be Mr. Grumpy, but with the exception of their initial meetings, I never really found Rafe to be too grumpy. Even after their first, slightly disastrous dinner with his family, he apologizes that he hadn’t thought to ask Star anything about herself before their first “date” and acknowledges that that was very arrogant of him.

His family was lovely and very welcoming of Star even when things she would tell them about her life or her upbringing left them speechless. It such a fun story and it made me laugh.

I simply enjoyed the time I spent with Star and Rafe and watching their HEA unfold.

Many thanks to Samantha Young for writing this swoon-worthy and entertaining romance, with favorite tropes including hot doctor (loves animals!), grumpy-meets-free spirit, opposites-attract, and fake dating! Both of the characters are so lovable. Always a fan of Ms. Young and all her books!

I really enjoyed Star & Rafe and going on their journey. I loved their banter and chemistry. Star & Rafe were imperfectly perfect for each other.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I’m new to reading Samantha Young’s books, but I absolutely loved her writing, and can’t wait to discover more books by the author.

THE LOVE PLOT was so cute, and the fake dating and grumpy x sunshine tropes have become favorites for me, and paired with such great characters, this was such a fun read! I thought Star was the best, and I’m such a sucker for quirky characters like her.

I loved listening to the audiobook while reading, and thought the narration was so good.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-fake dating
-found family
-opposites attract
-grumpy x sunshine
-amazing chemistry!

*many thanks to PRH and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

At this point, I'll just read anything by Samantha without even looking into it. This was no exception. I loved the grumpy/sunshine, fake dating tropes. Not to mention he's a vet, but a super hot one. I loved Star and how she works through her terrible childhood for herself. Her friends though... I almost disliked Jude and Kendal as much as I disliked Hugo and Pippa. This was so good and I'd recommend it to anyone!

Extra grumpy meets extra sunshine when Star first meets gorgeous asshole Rafe, and let's just say neither is exactly impressed with the other. Their next meeting isn't exactly positive either, except he decides he's going to ask her to be his fake girlfriend. What?! He needs his meddling family, mostly also jerks, off his back, and Star is apparently the perfect person for the job. How can enemies turn fake to real when they are so opposite that they can't possibly work?

Star was raised by hippie parents in a poly relationship who were so selfish and neglectful that Star essentially raised herself. This has lead to her disdaining commitment, which has in turn lead to her not really knowing what she wants to do with her life aside from being happy. Rafe, on the other hand, is pretty much her opposite - serious, stern and grumpy. So of course their banter is snarky, funny and full of tension. Time will tell if they can make a real relationship work.

Fake dating, enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine?!? Three of my favorite tropes all in one fun, witty, adorable rom-com. Rafe was truly horrible in the beginning, but as the pages flipped and his real personality came out, I was able to give him a pass. Star, oh Star, that girl had so much damage done to her by her parents, that I wanted to hug her. I love that Rafe really stuck up for her to his family, gave her some of the support she had lacked in her childhood. All told, this is a story I'd love to read again because it's that entertaining.

Wooho this was undoubtedly one fantastic read that won my heart so quickly. Its journey of intense emotion, yearning, banter, fun, entertaining and off the charts chemistry. Plus, loved how engaging and simple the writing style was!

I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine storyline. Rafe and Star had great banter and chemistry in spades. I also enjoyed the underlying theme of accepting and loving who you are and not fitting into a mold. A sexy/swoon worthy Veterinarian also added a hotness factor. Definitely worth the read.

A fun little grumpy-sunshine romance set in New York. I could easily picture Star in her Merida costume, swishing and smiling her way into Rafe's scowling heart.

I’m kinda in love with everything about Samantha Young’s The Love Plot. It’s the perfect combo of character driven plot, swoony-vibes and feel good butterflies. Not to mention the times I got got pretty emosh, too.

There’s nothing better than riding the book high that is finishing a wonderful read. Prepare for the wholly satisfied happy sigh on completion.
⁣
If you love a non-conformist heroine and a grumpy but studly hero, this one is definitely for you!

Star Shine Meadows has been raised by artist parents who reject consumerism, careers, and traditional marriage, and their influence means she skipped college, doesn’t do exclusive relationships, and works several jobs, including one as a character actor for parties. When she encounters Rafe Whitman at a children’s birthday party while she is dressed as a Disney princess, he has nothing but disdain for her and her work, and she responds by cheerfully needling him, at the party and at their next encounter when she’s line sitting for pay.

For some reason, Rafe decides this antagonist person is the best choice to get his marriage-minded matchmaking sister and mother off his back, and hires Star to date him (it turns out his sister-in-law Pippa was the host of the party they met at, so it’s easy to fabricate a meet cute). A hardworking and dedicated veterinarian, Rafe has a soft and sweet side and they hit it off for realsies, and decide to end the paid arrangement. Even though Rafe accepts Star and apologies for judging her life choices harshly, his family is less accepting. His brother outright rejects her, causing a rift; his sister hooks her up with a career track job and a professional wardrobe to match, and Star begins to ditch her friends to stay at Rafe’s apartment. It doesn’t take long before she is unrecognizable to her friends and to herself, and the third-act breakup ensues, even after Rafe shows up for her when Star goes to nurse his dad (abandoned by her selfish mother) following a scheduled surgery.

The novel delves into issues of intimacy and vulnerability and the damage well-meaning parents due. Star’s voice is immediate and unfiltered; I might have liked a bit more editing and nuance, but it did fit her vibrant personality, which was authentic from design to dress to speech.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheLovePlot from #NetGalley.

So, it turns out that I really like listening to Samantha Young's books. The Love Plot by Samantha Young is such a cute contemporary romance - with some serious moments. The story follows Star Shine Meadows, a gig worker who is very much a sunshine sort. She is playing Princess Merida for a party when she meets veterinarian Rafe, who is moody and just not interested in interacting with her. She's instantly attracted to him though. Flash forward a few weeks later, and Star Shine is waiting in line for the latest iPhone, this is one of her paid gigs and Rafe walks by. He offers her a job - she needs to fake date him for six months. This will give him some breathing room from his mom and sister trying to matchmake up. Star will also earn enough money that she can travel, which is a huge deal. Of course, the two better not catch feelings, that's not part of the plot or the deal.

I truly enjoyed The Love Plot. Star is a delight - she's warm and kind and accepting. She loves animals. Her life is absolutely not one I would like to live, she's very bohemian, but she's such a great person. I could see why eventually Rafe fell for her. I could also see why she fell for Rafe. It's the whole grumpy sunshine dynamic, on steroids. I also enjoyed learning about why Star is the way she is -- as we met her parents who are selfish and aging hippies. It's all very interesting. And a great moment for Rafe too. There is spice in this book but nothing that felt overwhelming - I thought it was perfect. The audiobook is narrated by Savannah Peachwood who did an excellent job. I was fully engaged throughout this whole book. It was such a solid contemporary romance.

I wanted to love this one. I think that it was set up to be a fun romcom, and I think that most others will probably enjoy this book a lot. I just personally did not connect with the characters in the way I hoped to. I laughed some, and I thought that the fake dating was fun. But overall this one fell a little flat for me.

This book was cute!!! I really enjoyed Rafe and Star's love story!! This book also has a great grumpy x sunshine trope mixed with opposites attract and fake dating 😉.
Star Meadows met Rafe at his niece’s birthday party where she was dressed up as Merida from Brave. (She’s a costume character actor so she’ll attend any event that needs her to dress up as someone.) I’m going to be honest I wasn’t a big fan of Rafe at first with the first interaction that he and Star had. But he started to grow on me as the book continued!! Plus he’s a vet and he loves animals so that’s an immediate green flag for me 🤭. They ended up meeting again after that interaction and he made her an offer to fake date him. Which we all love that trope and that’s what immediately drew me to this book. Now his family I wasn’t a big fan of how they treated Star when she talked about her parents and her life growing up and especially about her jobs. Just because someone doesn’t have a career or a job you think is worth much doesn’t mean you have to be disrespectful about it. But I love Rafe for sticking up for her and his protectiveness!

I love Samantha Young's books; she didn't disappoint with this one. This is the story of a free soul that is Star
. She works odd jobs and wants to travel, but career and school are not her jam. In came Rafe, who is a Vet and has a pushy family to deal with

They start a plan to fake a date so Star can gain the money to travel and Rafe can trick his family into leaving him alone.

Of course, feelings started to grow - I just loved the events that left these two in a loving relationship, and Star learned and grew so much.
Highly recommended

As always a fabulous story from Samantha young! A great story and the characters are described so well you can visualise them all and the highs and lows of the story. It’s a great book and worth a read

Thank you Berkley for the gifted e-copy.

I loved this book so much! I flew through it in a day, and didn't want it to end. The perfect combination of grumpy meets sunshine and opposites attract. Star is a free spirited girl that dresses up for kids birthday parties and is a professional line sitter. She was raised by hippie parents and was a commitment-phobe. She's hired by Rafe, a straight laced vet, to be his fake girlfriend to get his parents off his back about settling down. I'm sure you can figure out what happens next...

Star is so fun and I hated that she was considering changing who she is to make Rafe's family happy. I wanted to shake her! I loved that Rafe wanted her to stay true to herself, too. He was more patient with her than I expected, and man did she have some issues to deal with (thanks to her parents).

The steamy bits in this book were really good too - well written and the perfect amount of description.

Now...how about a book about Rafe's little sis, Gigi??

I love this story! The banter, the tension, the way these two fall, it is fantastic.
Rafe and Star stole my heart. I loved the pain and worry in my chest; I loved the laugh out loud moments. These two are so dang cute together!

What a roller coaster of emotions this story holds. The vulnerability, the honesty, the trust. I loved watching Star find her way. She is such a delight and so full of life and love. I love the way Rafe looks at Star, the way he always supports her, the way he loves her so hard and wants her to be herself, and the fierceness in which he is always protecting her. These two couldn’t be better opposites attract, and while it’s a bumpy road, it is so beautiful watching them fall into each other.

This story is wonderful! Filled with banter, beautiful moments, and a love you feel deep within, you will fall in love with these two beautiful characters. One of my top faves of Samantha Young’s stories!

“It doesn’t bother you that I don’t know what I want beyond wanting to be happy?”
“Just honored I get to be there to watch you find what it is you want.”