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

Story: 4 ⭐️
Steam: 3 🔥 light smut
Audio: 4 🎧

This book was super cute!! I absolutely adored Kris and D’Vaughn 😭 they were so sweet together. I loved the side characters and the way their families interacted. It was such a feel good read!

My only complaint is I wish we got more scenes of them being together outside the setting of the show. We heard about how D’Vaughn was staying over at Kris’s place but I wish we would have gotten more scenes of just sweet nights in. Also, having listened to the audiobook, I wish that the bits in Spanish would have been translated at least a little. Usually reading an ebook I would just translate it myself but since this was audio I felt like I missed some cute scenes because I didn’t understand what they were saying.

Audiobook Performance: I really liked the narrator for this book! I will say though that having only one narrator with dual POV was frustrating. I often got confused with which POV I was in.

This book was pretty dang cute.
I think at this point, anyone who knows me knows I love a reality show themed book. And this one took on a feel of 90 Day Fiancé.
Keeping secrets from your family, especially when you are as close to them as both of the love interests in this book were, is hard. But it's really sweet just how accepting both families were in the beginning AND in the end.

It was cute.

I consumed D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding in two sittings over the course of the day. The premise of this novel is a game show where contestants are required to fake date for prize money. Think less "The Bachelor/ette" and more "Love is Blind." I'm not typically a fan of this trope because often the MC's motivations to fake date seem disingenuous or harmful to another party. However, Higgins creates the perfect scenario for fake dating to occur. There was wonderful LGBTQIA representation as the majority of the contestants were not straight. While one of our MC's is not out to her family (yet), I would say this novel is less about the coming out story and more about relationship and family dynamics as a whole.

While there are a few inconsistencies throughout the book, I thought this was a great read. True score of 4.5/5 stars. No glaringly obvious trigger warnings.

This was an amazing, funny, beautiful, Black sapphic romance story that I absolutely LOVED!!

These might be the most likely characters ever!! Literally all these characters were so wonderful. There was never a boring moment!

D’vaughn and Kris and soulmates and it was so beautiful to read about them falling in love and being so happy together.

I love how there was no miscommunication trope or any big conflict towards to end. The whole story was about them learning about one another and slowly building the trust and communication they needed in their relationship Gosh, I adored everything about that!

READ THIS BOOK IT WAS WONDERFUL!!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced listening copy! This was a great, fluffy, sweet, low-angst queer romance that I highly recommend for a splendid reading or listening experience. D’Vaughn and Kris are contestants on a reality show to marry a stranger, convincing everyone they love that it’s real, all for a cash prize. Though D’Vaughn and Kris are entering this competition for different reasons, their attraction is immediate. This book really had it all for me - the right amount of steam, fun and realistic main and side characters, and a plot that moved along at a great pace. I laughed out loud, I cried in the sweet moments, and really was rooting for these characters. I have read a couple of these reality show romances, and this is one of my favorites, mostly because Kris and D’Vaughn have great chemistry and personalities, making you really root for them. The narrator was really good and did a great job navigating between D’Vaughn and Kris’s points of view. This also is a low conflict read or listen, which is always nice to find in a contemporary queer romance. The coming out aspect of the book was also really well done and nuanced, since D’Vaughn is from a religious, Southern family. I recommend this book for fans of contemporary romance, Black love, LGBTQ+ stories, and low angst fun.

The audiobook for D’Vaughn and Kris plan a wedding was an absolute masterpiece to listen to. Not only is the writing very well done the narrator for the book really gives personality to every character and keeps you in the mind of the narrator of each chapter. You can really hear the different voices of the character when you are listening.

I am not necessarily an audiobook connoisseur however this is truly one of the best experiences I’ve had with an audiobook. The narration was lively it never fell flat when you were listening to it. I loved the nuances that the narrator was able to fit into both of the perspectives of the main characters.

I had the smallest bit of issue getting through the spicier scenes but I think that is far more on me than it would ever be on the book because the narration was also fantastic in those situations. I truly have no criticism for this audiobook and the original book.

“Queer people falling in love while on a reality show” does not disappoint!

I flew through this one; the chaos of planning a wedding in six weeks while keeping up the farce of being totally in love with a person you’ve known no longer than that… truly entertaining. Kris and D’Vaughn caught each other’s eyes instantly and electrically. It was so much fun listening to them come to terms with what they want not just from the show, but also each other. And how much they’re willing to ask for.

Kris’ outward flirting and D’Vaughn’s subtle sexiness was so on point, I would have loved an extra epilogue.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC (audiobook) in exchange for an honest review.)

I thought the premise of this story was an interesting twist on a reality competition TV show. Contestants were paired up to pretend they were getting married. Depending on how they did with the wedding planning and convincing their families to participate in the wedding planning, they would advance to the next level. The final couple would have their wedding, but it would all be fake.

D'Vaughn and Kris' connection was natural, familiar, and it's no wonder that they were able to convince their families that their relationship was real. They had great chemistry and they didn't have to fake much since they seemed to be into each other from the beginning.

I liked the surprise at the end and their HEA. It was so sweet!

I listened to this book and I thought the narrator did a great job with the book!

5/5 ⭐️
Looooved this!! Loved the plot and characters and LGBT rep as well as Black girl and Latino girl rep! I loved the storyline of this!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this advanced audio book of D'Vaugn and Kris Plan a Wedding.

In the spirit of pride month I was so excited to listen to this book. Though I am not a fan of reality TV it totally works in this story! Kristin and D'Vaughn are diverse characters in this coming out/falling in love story - a true lesbian romance and perfect for summer and to celebrate pride! As a cis white female, I love reading stories that help further my understanding of the LGBTQIA community too. This book was a fun quite read - explores the relationships of not only the queer couple but with the MC mum too. It feels real and raw and all encompassing! Its emotional and a great listen!

Ahh I loved this book! I got a chance to listen to the audiobook ARC and it is so well done, I absolutely fell in love with D'Vaughn and Kris and their families, and the narrator, Rebecca Lee, captured them so well. I loved that there was a story about coming out later to family, and everything being okay even though it wasn't perfectly okay. I *adored* Kris's family and their Spanglish, and especially as a Houstonian myself, I appreciated reading a story that takes place in the area and captures how beautifully diverse it is. I highly recommend checking this one out, and I just recently read that Chencia C. Higgins will have a new book out next summer!

I LOVE D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding. At the beginning, I was a little worried about if I would like this story because the idea of fooling family and friends into thinking I was getting married to someone they don't know in 6 weeks seemed impossible. Chencia handled the plot so well and I had a blast reading this story with all it's reality tv elements. I found both D'Vaughn and Kris to extremely lovable and I could relate to each of them for different reasons. D'Vaughn being plus size and proud of it was fantastic. I also really felt the emotions in her situation of coming out to her family. Kris being Latinx and bringing that culture into it also hit home for me. I loved Kris' family. I felt very well represented in this book. The only thing that I wish was different is that there be two narrators, one for each of the main characters. I highly recommend this story and want everyone to read or listen to this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC in exchange for honest feedback.

D’Vaughn and Kris are both contestants on a TV game show called instant I do where they have challenges for 6 weeks (if they do not get cut before then) to either win money or actually get married. D’Vaughn joined the show to finally gain the courage to let her family know she is a lesbian while Kris, joined the show to finally find love. Only catch is they can not tell their family the truth that it was a game show. They had to convince each other’s family they were truly in love and getting married for real.
This was my first lgbtq romance story and I was not disappointed. The love and being there for each other was truly beautiful. I enjoyed the crazy challenges the show had them do and all of the support the families showed each of the ladies. I will recommend this for sure.
Special thanks to netgalley and Dreamscape media for providing an audio arc in return for an honest review.

I listened to this almost completely in one sitting. I loved that this was a Black lesbian romance, and the reality tv setting was really interesting to me. Highly recommend.

I loved everything about this book! I read a physical copy when it came out and I adored it back then but the audiobook just added another great layer to this book!
I love the concept of this book to start and then the characters were amazing. I loved the side characters as well and I wanted to be a part of these families so bad I could cry!
I would definitely like this book! Its so good!

3.5 stars rounded up

A reality TV show where you compete to convince family and friends you're getting married, and then decide whether to say I do or take the money instead....

D'Vaughn is a fat, Black femme lesbian using the show to come out to her religious family.

Kris is a Afro-Latinx masc-presenting lesbian looking for love after being burned by people who were only with her for social media clout.

They are paired for the show and are really into each other, but will those feelings turn into something real?

This was a very good sapphic romance with great representation and a fun concept. I liked the reality show idea and the weekly challenges added interesting structure to the plot, though it also made it feel rushed at times, perhaps due to page constraints.

Something that some readers might like (but was a bit much for me) is the couple engages in a LOT of PDA in front of their families AND gets it on in a semi-public space at one point. Again, some readers will find that hot, I found it to be nerve-wracking. To each their own.

One issue I had with the audio narrator is the internal voices of the characters were too similar most of the time and I had a hard time figuring out which perspective we were in. I'm not sure if reading the book physically would fix that. But overall, I really enjoyed the romantic development. And it's a rare romance that doesn't use the miscommunication trope or third-act breakup! I would definitely read more from this author.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Y'all 2022 has been a good year for Sapphic romances: This is my third 5-star romance read this year! The first was Delilah Green Doesn't Care (I can't wait for Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail!), next up is the forthcoming Mistakes Were Made (October 2022) by Meryl Wilsner who wrote another fave, Something to Talk About, and now this gem!

I loved everything about this book: the premise of the reality show, the body positivity, how they portrayed the different family dynamics, and how the love story developed. Kris was definitely a charming playa; she has what we Puerto Ricans call labia. So it was understandable that D'Vaugh had her reservations, but Higgins was deft at breaking down barriers as the couple built their foundation as a couple.

The audiobook review is 4-stars. Is it so hard to find narrators that won't butcher the Spanish. The audiobook would have benefitted from a second narrator to take over Kris's POV. Don't get me wrong, they did a phenomenal job bringing Kris and her family members to life, except when Spanish was involved. If your book explicitly makes a point about Black Latinxs, do right by the Latinx community by giving us a narrator that represents us correctly.

I wanted to read this for Pride month to support the community by posting and sharing. Wow it was so good! I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but the characters were great. I loved how real they were. It was written like people actually talk and you could feel their emotions. The premise was silly but was fun, so I just dove in and enjoyed! Would recommend the audio.

This is a super sweet the bachelor meets lgbt and secrecy. Dragged a little in places but I loved the banter between D'Vaughn and Kris and the different challenges that the show brings out.