This was overall a cute read. The developing romance between the two main characters had the warm and fuzzy moments we all crave in a romantic comedy, however I think I expected more sparkle in the last half of the book. I did feel like the plot flattened out a bit after a fast paced story and lots of spice and while I flew through the first half of the book, the pace shift made it a little challenging to finish the second half. However, I did enjoy Rafe’s character development and the opposites attract theme.

I always love rom coms, especially by Samantha Young’s, they are always so fun and this one really had great chemistry between the two characters who couldn’t be more different.

This was a cute grumpy x sunshine, fake dating romance in NYC. I enjoyed Star who had a hippie Disney princess personality who is content with her life. I love animals in stories so Rafe being a veterinarian helped to pull me in, even if he is a socially quiet guy who just wants to be left alone by his SIL and mother.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of The Love Plot!

I really enjoyed this book. Once I was invested in the story, I could not put it down. I liked that this was a romance (definitely an open door romance with some good steam), there were a lot of other elements at play in the plot...specifically, the side effects of people pleasing. The main character, Star, is wonderful as she is! Albeit, a bit immature IMO on her long-term goals, but she's getting there. She's living a life with one goal - to be happy, and she's okay with how she's getting there! Enter Rafe, a fake dating trope, and one heck of an irritating family. Rafe was the grump to her sunshine, and their balance was perfect. There were some elements of insta-love, but let's be real...I can't say no to a hot vet, and this story gave me a hot vet in spades (hello, spin-off book about the other vet? Owen?).

I liked that this story showed it was okay to not know who you want to be when you grow up. Kids are so often pushed down a path too early to understand the repercussions, and Star's character showed it was a journey, not a destination. I also love how supportive Rafe was of her, and how he truly wanted someone to balance him out...not another carbon copy of his family. Rafe showed Star he was there for her in every situation, and when she pushed him away, he gave her space but he always came back for her. I loved him! (And Star).

I did get really irritated with Rafe's family, especially his brother and sister in law. I felt like his brother's bad actions were explained away with the age old "he's a man and he's having a bad time at work, so he's lashing out" trope, which I hate. And, his sister in law Pippa was quite possibly the worst human being in the world. And Star's parents? Grade A jerks, even though Arlo got a little redemption. I grew very frustrated very quickly with them and their treatment of both Rafe and Star. I also was frustrated with the writing at times because it seemed stilted.

That being said, I ultimately enjoyed this book a lot! I rated it four stars, but it was probably more like a 3.5 star romance (but I don't do half stars)...so four it is!

Rating: 4⭐️

In the Love Plot, a quirky character actor fake dates a grumpy vet. While I enjoyed the differences between the two main characters, once they admitted their feelings, the story got a bit boring and predictable.

Samantha Young does the grumpy/sunshine trope so well! I am always left satisfied reading one of her books and I thought this one although a tad short was really fun and sexy.

Rafe and Star are opposites, she’s a bohemian free spirit and he’s a reserved vet looking for his family to butt out of his business. An opportunity arises for Rafe to use Stars services as a birthday party actress to get his mother and sister in law off his back by hiring star to be a stand in girlfriend.

Fake dating is always fun to watch play out and I adored the juxtaposition of these two characters and their families and I thought they complemented and brought out the best in one another.

A solid romance, definitely will be recommending.

The Love Plot was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me. At the beginning, I found Star to be annoying and unrelatable. But once I got to know her, I just wanted to wrap her up in a hug! My favorite aspect of The Love Plot was the tension between Rafe and Star. I liked that there was a little bit of a slow burn between the two characters. Once they finally got together, I started to lose interest in the story ☹ I wasn’t a big fan of how the last 20% of the story played out for Star. Overall, this was a fun and quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the arc.

This book was simply ahhmazing. I loved it so much I couldn’t stop reading it. Not only was the romance entertaining and fun, but the heroine, Star, definitely became my bestest fictional friend in the entire world.

The Love Plot starts with Star meeting Rafe at his niece’s birthday party where she’s dressed up as Merida. The two get off on the wrong foot but the two end up meeting again later and they eventually decide to fake-date. Rafe needs his family to get off his back and Star needs the money Rafe is paying her to go on a road trip.

This book is chocked full of all the romance tropes readers enjoy including grumpy x sunshine, class difference, a quirky heroine, and a stern veterinarian as the love interest. Star and Rafe are the unlikeliest of couples yet the author did an amazing job of convincing me that these two belonged together.

My only real complaint about The Love Plot was that it just felt a bit over-the-top especially when it came to Star. Her parents were the absolute worst and I feel like this girl could not catch a break. Coupled with what happened with the dog toward the end of the book, I was just ready to slap some sense into Star but that’s sometimes how real life works.

As for all my dog lovers out there, you’ll enjoy The Love Plot because there are so many great doggie moments in here. We see Rafe at work as a veterinarian including him bringing dogs home with him to monitor them. It’s just so stinking cute and then there’s also the major climax of the story which features an unfortunate incident with a dog but it’s just so undeniably cute.

On the whole, The Love Plot was incredibly adorable and while it wasn’t as dog-heavy as I mentioned, I do think it’s a great one if you’re a dog lover. It’s also a nice one if you’re just looking for a sweet and fun contemporary romance.

I don't think there is another troupe I love as much as the 'grumpy/sunshine' troupe, and add in fake dating and I was sold on reading The Love Plot. This story was so much fun, but it also had it's emotional moments and frustrating moments. Overall, I enjoyed it so much. And that's mainly because of how much I loved both Star and Rafe.

When Star and Rafe first meet, it's clear that they are complete opposites. And we all know that opposites attract... Rafe is a veterinarian who comes from a wealthy family. He decided to go his own way and not follow the family business. Star is a professional line sitter and also a character actor for parties etc. In fact, she's playing a Disney princess at Rafe's niece's birthday party the first time they meet. Star may not know what she wants to do for a future career, but the most important thing to her is that she's happy and she genuinely is. Being just herself.
"...My ambition is to live a life that makes me truly happy. And I reckon that's probably the most ambitious anyone can be in this world."
Rafe needs his meddling family off his back and decides fake dating Star would be the key to do that. He never dreams he would fall for someone so different for him, but that's exactly what he does. Even though there were some things on Star's part that made her hesitant to commit and truly give in to Rafe, he was patient with her. I loved that Rafe loved her for her and never tried to dull her sparkle.

The Love Plot is a fantastic romantic comedy and one I highly recommend. I love Samantha Young's writing and this was such a win for me!

Oddly I feel sort of conflicted about this book but I enjoyed it which is why even though this is a more a 3.5 I'm giving it a 4.

I LOVED like 70% of the book but the last 30% sort of fell off for me. Rafe and Star were adorable and actually had me cackling during so many of their interactions. Star is just iconic; I love her optimistic attitude, loving nature, and ability to put Rafe (and most people) in their place when needed. I also loved Rafe's transformation/growth, especially in how he treated Star. And yet for some reason, the latter half just didn't give what the first 2/3 gave.

I love a fake dating trope, especially with grumpy sunshine, and add a rich MMC paired with strong FMC and you've sold me. I think Star's past, lifestyle, and overall outlook on life was genuinely so interesting and different from other books with these tropes; I loved it and her. Her friends were awesome, I love seeing polyamory representation! And Rafe, while grumpy and a bit of an ass, definitely had good morals at least despite the socialites in his circle, He could admit when he was wrong, felt remorse, and clearly had a big enough heart to love and work with animals (we love a Vet).

Both Star and Rafe grow and change (for the better) as characters throughout this book which really made it feel like we went through something with these two and the large supporting cast around them. Rafe becomes more affection, loving, romantic, and Star finally heals from her past, embraces commitment, and even tries to look for a life passion.

Overall, even though the first half held up way better than the second causing it to feel a little lackluster, I did have a really good time reading!

Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, fake relationship, romcom

I love Samantha Young's books and her newest romcom is no exception! Grumpy meets sunshine and a fake romance is a perfect combination and I could not have asked for more!

Star is so much fun and Rafe is just the opposite in every way possible. I really enjoyed watching him change because of Star.

The saying opposites attract is the perfect saying to describe Star and Rafes relationship. I enjoyed their relationship from start to finish!

The Love Plot utilizes my favorite trope (fake relationship) between an uptight NYC society veterinarian and a free-spirited child of hippies names Star Shine.

What works is the hero falling blindly in love with someone completely "wrong" for him. What didn't work for me is Star being so deeply insecure. It's just a personal pet peeve of mine when reading fiction.

This book was so fun! I love Samantha Young's books - this was everything I wanted and more. I could not put it down!

i really enjoyed this book! this book was so cute and entertaining to read! this book was a combination of my favorite tropes with grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and opposites attract! i really loved both of characters and i also felt like the side characters were all very interesting which added a lot to the story! my only complaint with this book is that it seemed to drag towards the end but the actual ending and conflict felt rushed.

overall, i really liked this book and i highly recommend!

I love SAMANTHA YOUNG. This book was so cute. I loved Star and Rafe. I loved how its very much an opposite attracts romance. I loved how Rafe didn't want to change her and loved who she was and loved her because she was different from him and his family.

I just wasn’t feeling this one as much as others written by Young. I think I’m over the super free spirit/manic pixie dream girl. While I do enjoy characters that are non-conventional, Star Shine was just a bit too much for me and I had a hard time enjoying the book.

With many a cute moment in this grumpy sunshine romance playing out across the busy streets of New York City... you'll get to see how the other half lives in two very different ways. 👌😂

Star Shine Meadows is the bubbly and sweet love child of two non-monogamous hippies who don't believe in permanency. Rafe Whitman... is exactly the opposite of that in every way. Raised in a traditional family in the wealthy suburbs of New York... Star Shines' way of life is completely baffling. When Rafe decides he needs Star Shine to become his fake girlfriend for a while to get his family off his back about settling down.. what ensues are a series of wildly *awkward* situations with family and friends while they try to get their worlds to align. And as all fake daters do.. they try not to fall in love because two people from opposite ends of life never work out right?

THOUGHTS:
- I think this book is interesting for many different reasons, but there are two main things I took away that were deeper than just the surface romance:
#1. Can you really date someone **that** different from you? Do those relationships ever really work? I think we'd all like to belive that those Pretty Woman moments happen.. but we're not Julia Roberts.. and most men.. they're just absolutely not Richard Gere.
#2. How much should you really change yourself for the person you're dating ? Some change is good and natural. But when is it too far??

As I unexpectedly pondered those two things... I think I grew to like this book much more than I did in the first half! I love the heroine's growth and how she let's go of toxic relationships!

NOTES:
- Polyamorous relationships are portrayed throughout (not between the main characters)
- Fake dating
- Miscommunication trope
- 🌶️🌶️/5 - As I'm personally not a fan of polyamory, I think I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for that to be what this was about. I expected at some point for the main couple's relationship to start exploring that avenue and even though they don't -- I think it took away from me enjoying the main romance.

THE LOVE PLOT is a charming, witty romantic comedy about a seriously hot, grouchy guy who meets a bright, sweet lady who grates on his nerves, who surprisingly gets his engines running. Star Shine Meadows is a free spirit who loves doing things that make her happy. When she meets a surly sir while working at a little girl's princess party, she is surprised by her extreme attraction to the little girl's uncle.

Rafe Whitman oozes masculine hotness and asks Star to be his fake date. He wants to get his clingy, matchmaking family to stop interfering in his life. He dangles money to Star in return for her help. Only their attraction to one another heats up to steamy levels. Who knew a crabby veterinarian and a free-spirited lady without career goals would mesh?

THE LOVE PLOT is delightful, hilarious and lively. Star and Rafe meet at a party and they banter and bicker. Rafe hires Star to pose as his fake girlfriend to get his annoying family to back down on the marriage front. Star agrees to his proposal and sparks fly between them! Star is so much fun! She is a happy-go-lucky person with personality galore. Rafe is a grump but there is a reason. He is so supportive of Star that I adored their story! They both have problems and I wondered how it all would work out. Ms. Young does an excellent job handling an opposites attract story with aplomb! This is a ferociously, funny, sexy read!

I loved this book!!! The chemistry was great, I loved the character development and the conflict was very real and believable. Definitely recommended

I really enjoyed this! This is the second Samantha Young book that I have read and now I want to go read more over her backlist! I liked both of the characters and their growth. Not a ton of spice but when it’s there it’s good!