Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Dating Plan by Sara Desai!

The Dating Plan was a fun and cute, second chance/fake fiancé story! Fake dating/fiancé is one of my favorite tropes and I liked the re-meet cute between Daisy and Liam.

Daisy is a software engineer and her aunties won't stop trying to introduce her to marriageable men. When she runs into Liam, (who was her brother's best friend growing up and stood her up for the prom) she hopes to never see him again but blurts out to her aunt that Liam is her fiancé.... until Liam needs to get married in order to inherit his grandfather's distillery. They decide that they'll get married and set up a series of dates to show their families they are legit.

There were a few funny scenes, and I loved some of the date ideas. It was fun to see Daisy come out of her shell and become more confident. I love the Patel family and it was fun to see Layla and Sam from the Marriage Game pop up a few times!

If you're looking for a fun modern rom-com with a great cast of characters you'll enjoy this!

This was an adorable romance. There is steam, fake dating, slow burn, its all I can want! I liked Diasy and Liam and really loved to see them throughout the book. The cover was what initially drew me to the book and I think the cute cover lives up to the insides of this book! I loved the culture and getting to know the families throughout the story. I feel like that was a crucial part of the story.

This book was a fast-favorite for me. Although, as a Marvel fan who frequently dresses in retro clothing, drives a Mini Cooper, and lives in the Bay Area just like Daisy, I may be a little biased. The story follows Daisy and Liam as they pretend to be engaged so Liam can inherit the family business and so Daisy can get her matchmaking aunties off her back, as well as save the company she works at. This book was filled to the brim with laugh out loud scenes, as well as genuinely sweet moments that had me tearing up. I read over 60% of it in one sitting, which is about as glowing of an endorsement that you will get from me. I sacrificed SLEEP for this book, okay? It was amazing.

Let's start with the laugh out loud moments. The banter between Liam and Daisy was off the charts, but some of my favorite bits that showed up multiple times in the story were the pitches. I'm not sure if my favorite was for the kombucha slime sex toys or if it was the edible cannabis underwear. Those were two of the most random, weirdest inventions I had ever heard of, and I was dying of laughter whenever Liam and James were sitting in pitch meetings. Liam also had so many good one-liners, my favorite being "Praise the food; don't eat the boys. Got it." He has the type of sarcastic humor that you find in characters like Chandler Bing and I loved every second of it.

I'm going to keep shouting about Liam for a second. He is hands-down one of my favorite new book boyfriends, because he's at once so funny and sarcastic, but also super sweet. Whether he was going head to head in a sword fight with a mannequin or letting Daisy beat him at Guitar Hero twenty times over, Liam had me laughing one minute and melting of happiness the next. He and Daisy are both incredibly layered characters with tragic pasts that made me love them even more.

The relationship between Daisy and Liam was absolutely fantastic. Their interactions feel real for two characters who basically grew up together. They have their little games and habits that they fall into so naturally despite spending ten years apart. Their dialogue is fast-paced and witty, which had me absolutely flying through their scenes together, hungry for more. The two characters also contrast with each other so well, with Liam who talks about how his life feels like it's constantly in chaos, and Daisy who brings order to that chaos. Liam also makes Daisy break her rules and go against her plans, which further shows how perfect they are for each other.

This book felt like so much more than a contemporary romance. It was about reconciling with family, it was about forgiveness, and it was about learning to love yourself and realize your worth. It's not technically a part of a romance series, but characters from The Marriage Game, Layla and Sam, do show up in this book, so it would make sense to read that one first, mainly because now I have to go back and I'm going to miss Liam. In short, this book was absolutely fantastic, a delight to read, and I fully recommend this to anyone in need of a good contemporary romance.

Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can’t give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance. Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend’s little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy’s matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather’s will. Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. review: I really liked the premise of this multi-cultural romance book but, unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed the cast of diverse and quirky characters, although I did find Daisy almost *too* quirky at times. I had a hard time relating to Daisy in any way. That said, I did enjoy the banter between Daisy and Liam but wish there had been more resolve for his disappearance. It was well-written with a well developed plot, I just didn’t find myself thoroughly enjoying it like I had hoped. rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

I *really* wanted to like this one, but I couldn't, unfortunately. It may be because I'd just finished reading a book that was a nearly identical plot, but that I enjoyed more, but this one fell short for me. I was annoyed by both of the main characters, and I couldn't really feel the chemistry between them.

While it was this adorable cover design that drew my attention initially, I was convinced to read The Dating Plan because of the premise. A fake dating situation between our heroine (software engineer Daisy Patel, who loves lists, Marvel and her family) and her older brother’s former best friend-slash-her childhood crush who broke her heart (venture capitalist Liam Murphy who is determined to prove something to the world… and his family) to ensure both their families get off their backs for their own specific reasons? So many of my buzz words are in that description, so I obviously jumped at the chance to pick this book up! While The Dating Plan was likable enough, it just didn’t hit the mark for me personally. I did appreciate the relationship dynamic between Daisy and Liam. They had plenty of great moments together, and I loved seeing their second chance play out the way it did. I also enjoyed the familial relationships, but particularly on Daisy’s side because I found her well-meaning, lovable, large family dynamic very familiar. Unfortunately, overall, the novel felt like it fell short in the character development department, which tends to be a big deal to me when it comes to the romances I read. I want to feel personally connected to at least one person in the main romantic relationship, and I didn’t get that with this book. The Dating Plan did have a lot of potential to be a new favorite read, but the reading experience fell short for me in the end.

4.5 Stars!!

I was lucky to be gifted an eARC of this book to review. This is a great rom-com story, with crazy shenanigans and the cheesy adorable moments that one looks for in a contemporary romance. I have not read anything by this author before, but they have been on my radar to try for a long time.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the romance between our main two characters. Yes it has its cheesy and dramatic moments. But it honestly felt so realistic to me. The two characters have their flaws, and sometimes those flaws get in the way of their own happiness. But I like that the author added that into the story. It made it all the more real, and I found myself truly rooting for these two to be together.

I was hooked by this story, and devoured this book in a matter of days. I can’t wait to continue to read stories by this author, and see what other books she continues to write. She has a fan in me, for sure!

The Dating Plan started off really strong for me. I loved the "meet cute" between Daisy and Liam. It was so funny and adorable and I felt a spark between these two. It was after that immediate first connection that I started to lose interest in the book.
Daisy needs a fake fiancee so that her meddling Indian family will get off of her back. Liam needs to get married in order to save his family's distillery. These two hatch a plan to get "fake engaged" and "fake date" until they get "fake married." Sigh...it's just a lot of faking and none of it felt real.
After the initial meeting between Daisy and Liam, I felt no connection with them whatsoever. At times Liam felt like he was two different characters. One who cared so much for his grandfather and the legacy he was trying to protect with the distillery and another version that was childish when he was with Daisy. I had a hard time feeling any angst between the two.
I really wanted to like this book, but I had a hard time connecting.

I went into this with no expectations, but it was so good!

I mean fake fiance, quirky and adorable characters and great chemistry and you have the perfect outline for a romance novel!


Ten years ago, Liam broke Daisy’s heart when he stood her up at the senior prom.

They meet again unexpectedly years later as Daisy embarrassingly encounters matchmaking aunties and her ex-boyfriend at the same time. Liam comes to the rescue and they wind up telling everyone they’re engaged.

And the story takes off.

i won't give away too much more of the plot except to say, I did love how the characters had stories outside of the romance because it added layers to their relationships.

This is a great rom com and was a great read for the weekend!

Can't wait to go back and read the first one.

The Dating Plan will not be in the running for my favourite romance of the year, but it is a super solid outing. It has something for everyone - tropes galore, slow burn leading to a whole lot of steam and a likeable female MC.

I didn’t totally believe Daisy and Liam’s relationship... there just wasn’t as much tension and chemistry as I would have liked! I also wish we would have gotten more of Daisy’s dad - he was my favourite.

Although I enjoyed The Dating Game, it was difficult to power through. I loved reading about the cultural aspects of Daisy’s family but at times, it was over kill. Liam beating himself up over and over again for his past became tedious.

Overall, this was a good read and had an interesting storyline with memorable characters. It could have used more editing to make it less redundant and one huge glaring error concerning the hockey game.

Personally, I found this book really boring. There was too much going on in the first few chapters and it was very hard to get into. There were a lot of characters and it was hard to figure out who everyone was. It all just felt very stereotypical and cheesy, with an overly quirky female character.

This is my first Sara Desai novel. It's a great old flames return story. I enjoyed the heat between the characters as well as the extended family.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved that the characters were from diverse backgrounds! I loved the difference between daisy’s over top, in your business, and loving family and Liam’s private closed-off family. I love how the author showed how the past and their families had shaped Liam and Daisy. Yes this was a romance, so it will be cheesy, but it also brought up important issues such as abuse, anxiety, and forgiveness.
This was my first book by Sara Desai and it definitely won’t be my last.

This one is a cute and predictable story. The banter between the two main characters was entertaining. I was a bit distracted by the handful of secondary storylines taking place throughout the story. I thought that it took away from the main storyline.

The Dating Plan, an arc given to me; for an honest review.. is a very cute story. It’s exactly what a RomCom should be. Daisy Patel and Liam Murphy, reunite after many years part. Friends years ago, who ended their friendship on a terrible note. They meet at a time in their lives when they both aren’t where they thought they would be & not dating anyone seriously. They meet at a trade show and they find out they might be able to help each other, each in their own predicament. Quickly, they become “fake engaged” and the fun starts. Daisy a planner is going to plan out the entire fake engagement. She will have each date planned out and there would be a certain number of dates.. while they are fake dating, old hurts come up, new connections are made and something fake can become something real. I love how the author told this story. I really liked the characters and their interactions. This was a quick read, but with a lot of depth. So not your usual RomCom. This was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley & Sara Desai, for a chance to read and review this book. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

This book was.. not for me. I don't even know how to properly sum up my feelings for it? First of all, I didn't care for either of the main characters at all.. Their personalities were a bit confusing and it almost felt like there were too many odd traits to each of them and it didn't work for this story. There were way too many side characters and plot lines that I didn't care about.. I just.. yeah just not for me.

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai is a chick-lit romance.

Daisy Patel was a very smart and kind of awkward girl. She was working as a software engineer at Organicare. She had accompanied her boss at a conference to showcase their new product. On her way there she stumbled upon her aunt, her former boss, her ex-boyfriend, and her
preteen crush, Liam Murphy. She was a girl who functioned with plans and this situation messed with her emotions so she blurted out that she was engaged with Liam. She regretted it the moment she said it because she hated him, he enjoyed it because he still loved her.
Daisy let him know about her hate towards him and they parted ways. Liam was going to inherit the family distillery only if he managed to get married in two months, his only chance was Daisy. After a long negotiation, she agreed in order to save the Organic are and her friends.
They were very different but the time they spent together was enjoyable, they pushed each other out of their comfort zones, plus there was intense chemistry no one of them could ignore. Everything was going as planned until the accident, Liam's insecurities drove him
away for one more time. Could two people who hated relationships have a future together?

It's such a good fun story. It has a realistic feeling with the combination of personal problems and the cute romantic story.
It's a friends-enemies to lovers-themed romance. For the most part is hilarious with Daisy's awkwardness, her aunts' antics, and Liam's humor. There are moments that it gets a bit emotional, especially when they talk about specific family members who ruined their self-esteem. My favorite parts were their banters and the jealousy scenes. I loved the characters, they are so easy to connect with and relatable. Daisy is the ordinary good girl and Liam the sexy bad boy. Their chemistry is exquisite. Her family was my favorite they were so entertaining.

In conclusion, this romantic and funny book will bring a smile to your face. I highly recommend you to read it and I will rate it with
4 stars.

The Dating Plan was a really cute and sweet story. A nice romance story for the month of February. I loved the characters, their quirkiness, the love of family and the history of the characters. I liked the little hints of Marvel and learning about the Indian culture also.

What I didn’t love was how predictable this story line was and the grudge that Daisy held on Liam just didn’t seem realistic to me at all. While it was a cute story I was skimming to get to the ending that I knew was going to happen. If you’re looking for a story that doesn’t require a lot of thought and you enjoy romance then maybe pick this one up, otherwise I’d pass on this one.

Also, this cover is really pretty. The purple drew me in 💜😍

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This quirky, fast-paced romance brought everything it advertised and grew into a comfort read for me. It didn't blow my expectations away and probably won't be a reread for me in the future, but the warm, comfortable confines of the contents were like a nice piece of pizza or favorite scoop of ice cream. Familiar and a nice spot of fun for a little while.

Daisy Patel, the main character, brought the quirkiness and quite a love of Marvel superheroes and software engineering. She fit the story well for me and for the most part her love interest, Liam Murphy, did as well. I didn't play into his charm as much as Daisy seemed to at times. I understand that this story was an "opposites attract" kind of deal, but I was still wondering why these two were so taken by each other at times. Ultimately, the fake dating trope, the high jinks that ensues on their various planned dates, and the sad backstory of both characters pumped energy and life into this story. The backstory of the characters does take a more tragic, deeper dive beyond the surface of the story, but doesn't usually stay there for long. Just long enough for you to glimpse more of an understanding of why these main characters chose to take the paths that they did.

I gave this comforting contemporary romance a solid, comfortable 3 out of 5 stars. It was a good read. I didn't read this book for hard-hitting storylines or deep philosophical questioning, but a cute, fun read to take me away from reality for a few hours. Mission accomplished. Also, I love the Patel family. If I was Liam, I would have much rather been over at their house all the time as well.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this title.