Oh my goodness, I loved this one. Hello, opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine, fake-dating goodness. Clearly you have been put on this earth to make me happy, and I thank you for that.

A costume character actor / professional line sitter is hired by a buttoned-up vet to play his girlfriend in this latest Samantha Young romantic comedy full of heart and heat.

They come from vastly different backgrounds. They have different romantic experiences and different ways of viewing the world. He’s a serial monogamist; she’s never been in a serious relationship.

Their first meeting is rough. Their second meeting is memorable, but not exactly friendly. Still, he sees her as the answer to his problems.

On paper, they don’t make sense, but the story shows that when it comes to love, the right person wants you just the way you are.

I highly recommend it.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

The Love Plot is an amazing mix of comedy, angst and romance with fun characters and intriguing plot. I loved everything about this book from the first page and found myself laughing out loud many times. Star and Rafe could not be more different in personality or upbringing. This is definitely a grumpy sunshine romantic comedy. Rafe has not had the best luck in previous relationships and Star comes from a family that has her terrified of anything that smacks of commitment. They start out "fake dating" but the attraction between them is strong and things progress. The Love Plot is filled with a cast of characters that I loved reading about, you get time with both Rafe and Star's families and they factor into the angst and drama that surrounds them. HIGHLY recommend diving into this charming, angsty romantic comedy!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book went super fast, the main characters are very lovable and easy to quickly connect with. I found it hard to put down.

I really enjoyed the opposites attract part of this book. Rafe was raised in a wealthy suburb with a supportive family, while Star was raised by hippie commitment-phobic parents. It brought up a lot of questions for me as a reader. Could this really work?

And it did. It really did. Star and Rafe were adorable together and the challenges they overcame together felt very real.

Also a special shout-out to the friend groups on both sides here, because they were a great support system and made this book even more enjoyable to read.

I gave it 4.5 stars because there were, in my opinion, some pretty unforgivable things said by side characters in this book that were brushed over quickly.

If you're a fan of Samantha Young or of sweet and endearing Rom-coms, you'll love this one.

Read if you love…
🌞Opposites Attract
☀️Fake Dating
☀️Polyamory Rep (side relationship)
☀️Small Town Romance
☀️He Falls First

4.5🌟
🌶️🌶️

Setting the bar for fake dating! All the spice and all the butterflies! This was just so freaking cute.

When easy going gig worker Star agrees to fake date grumpy vet Rafe to get his family off his back, their no-strings arrangement seems like it'll be easy. But as the tension reaches its breaking point, the two may find that opposites attract after all.

This book combined grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract and fake dating in a loveable package! The main characters are very genuine and easy to root for, The FMC is a SUNSHINE if you've ever seen one, after all she spends her time as a literal Disney princess as kids' birthday parties. The MMC is a grump, but a hot veterinarian grump who may not be all that he seems on the surface. I also appreciated the polyam rep, which I think was a first for me.

It was just such a pleasant and fun read that had me squealing one page and swooning on the next.

The Love Plot was such a fun read! Rafe and Star provide a wonderful mixture of grumpy and sunshine. Although their first meeting gets them off to a rocky start, he has an offer she can't refuse - he'll pay her to act like his girlfriend to keep his family off of his back. Seems simple, right? It is NEVER simple. It was such a joy to go through the pages of this book and watch as Star Sunshine Meadows does a very sunshiney number on Rafe Whitman's life and his heart in the best possible way. Their banter, their opening up to one another, their family dynamics - all contribute to this great story.

We should all strive to be like Star. She was such a breath of fresh air for a heroine. We should all strive to think like she does. I feel a little kindred with her because I want to be happy and what’s the point of focusing on the negative when we can see the positive? She’s seriously amazing. While there was some miscommunication, it wasn’t in the normal sense I’m used to. They talked, they listened to their emotions, and I liked that he didn’t let her walk away. Do yourself a favor and read this! Samantha’s writing is amazing and the way this story was crafted is just perfection!

If you are a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope, then his book is going to make you swoon! The grumpiest/sunshiniest (definitely not real words) book I’ve ever read, and it was just so full of all the greatest tropes that we’ve all come to love.

Star is unconventional in all the very best ways. She is a character actor and line sitter (had no idea that was even a thing), and makes enough to rent a tiny studio in Staten Island, and to pay her bills. She doesn’t need much, and enjoys spending time with her best friends, and reading tons of books. She dresses in flowy and comfy clothing, and tries to see the positive in everyone.

Rafe is pretty much Star’s opposite in almost every way. He is a stuffy and broody veterinarian whose family is well off and needs to do all the right things to fit in with their ‘station’. He is also miserable because his mother and sister in law are playing matchmaker for him, and are not subtle about it at all. So when he meets Star, he thinks that it will shut everyone down if they think he is in a relationship with her.

So we have fake dating, but throw in he falls first, and only one bed and we are talking about so much fun that I had a hard time putting it down. These two characters and the way she changes his way of thinking, and gets him to open up and soften is *chef’s kiss*. This is so much more than a light hearted rom com as well, because we get to see where both of their strengths and weaknesses have come from, and the confronting of their pasts leading to where they are now don’t always have happy endings.

I loved this latest book from Samantha Young, and enjoyed all the usual things I’ve come to expect from one of her books: great character development, wonderful banter and humor, strong secondary characters, and just a great story!

Thanks so much to Valentine PR for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Y’all!! This book was so incredibly cute and I loved every second of it. It’s a perfect grumpy sunshine with the cutest story that I was so sad to see end!! I could’ve actually gone for 3 or 5 more chapters honestly. The main characters Star & Rafe were a definite opposites attract and that made it even better. Star was a girl who didn’t care what others thought about her and was determined to make her own way. Rafe grew up in a family with money but still chose a path different than you would think by becoming a vet!! Together they became an unstoppable couple and she helped teach him and his family that stereotypes aren’t everything and being different is actually fun! This book releases everywhere August 29th so make sure to grab it!!!

Quel plaisir de retrouver Samantha Young dans une romance fake dating. Je me suis régalée du début à la fin et la magie a opéré . Certes c'est une trope mainte fois lue mais l'autrice parvient à y distiller de l'originalité.

Star Meadows n'est pas une jeune femme comme les autres . Elle accumule deux jobs pour jouerez les deux bouts et on peut dire qu'elle fait dans l'originalité pour l'un d'entre eux. Elle est en effet payée pour faire la queue á La place de ses clients. Cela peut paraître loufoque mais on va vite comprendre qu'elle prend goût à cela car cela lui permet de découvrir des gens et de partager des moments avec ses amis. Ces derniers offriront d'ailleurs un style d'amour particulier mais dans lequel ils s'épanouissent. Ses parents sont des hippies et elle n'a pas beaucoup d'interaction avec eux. Dans et Arlo ne pensent qu'à eux et se fichent de leur fille. Ce n'est donc pas étonnant qu'elle ne veuille pas d'un carcan que ce soit dans sa vie privée ou professionnelle. Quand elle va rencontrer notre héros, elle va tomber sous son charme mais cet homme bourru et plein de préjugés vit dans un autre univers. Les deux n'ont rien à faire ensemble sur le papier mais on va voir que cette fausse relation leur permettra d'apprendre à se connaitre et á s'apprécier .

Rafe Whitman est notre héros . Il a fondé sa clinique vétérinaire et s'il sait les soigner et prendre soin d'eux, ce ne sera pas la même chose avec les êtres humains. Sa famille s'est donnée pour mission de lui trouver la perle rare mais ce n'est pas du tout de son goût. Il va donc se lancer dans ce mensonge avec cette jeune femme qu'il va prendre un peu de haut. Toute sa famille est coincée dans un carcan de préjugés et on aura souvent envie de les secouer pour les ramener à la réalité. Lui aussi sera un peu hautain au début de cette romance mais il va heureuse évolué et se entre compte á quel point Star est géniale et unique. Elle ne voit que le meilleur des gens alors qu'ils seront très dénigrants avec elle. On espère qu'il va ouvrir les yeux avant qu'il ne soit trop tard et qu'il perde la seule personne vraie autour de lui.

Bref une romance fake dating entre ce grumpy et cette sunshine est une vraie réussite. On va vibrer au gré des émotions que nos héros vont vivre au fil des chapitres . On espère un Happy ending mais rien n'est joué si chacun campe sur ses positions

What do you get when you have a heroine who is meandering from a job to a job who runs into a grumpy veterinarian hero? You get this delightful romance, which has grumpy sunshine, opposites, attract, and fake dating. Star and Rafe get off on the road wrong foot when they first meet but Rafe needs Star to be in a fake relationship with him so that his family stops bothering him. It’s fun to see the free spirited Star interact with both Rafe and his family. There’s banter and I love the progression of the relationship. It’s fun to see Rafe’s growth as his grumpiness begins to subside as he gets to know Star better. Star is delightful and it’s fun to see how she goes from not wanting to be in a set serious relationship to falling for Rafe. It’s an enjoyable romance from start to finish.

I really enjoyed this one. Fake dating is one of my faves, and mix in some grumpy sunshine and you got me!

Rafe is swoony, but not gonna lie, I had some hate moments for him in the beginning. The way he talked to our sweet Princess girl Star was a NOPE!

Star was raised by hippy parents who didn't believe in marriage or being tied down in any way, jobs included. She works as a character actor (mainly doing things like being a princess at a child's birthday party) and a line sitter. Rafe comes from money, owns his own vet practice, and has trust issues from his last relationships and is in the avoidance stage. His mother and sister in law, however, try every trick in the book to fix him up with various women.

Rafe makes Star a proposition she can't (but almost does) refuse when he asks her to be his fake girlfriend. The money is hard to refuse and would allow her to fulfill her dream of travelling after they "break up".

It was so much fun hearing their banter and watching them begin to catch feelings for each other. And the freak outs that they both experienced from that.

I was rooting for them the entire time and loved their story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Love Plot has been one of my favorite reads of 2023. From the grumpy + sunshine and fake dating relationship tropes to the character arcs, I have to say I was pleased from start to finish. I adored the FMC. Her optimism was refreshing, and her distaste for pretentiousness made her so relatable. I laughed over the relationship banter and gasped over some of the appalling things that the MMC's family said/did! I found it really encouraging and enlightening for the author to showcase childhood/parental relationships (of both the MMC and FMC) and how this manifests in adult life. It gave this book a very realistic edge. This was such a cute and easy read, and the spice was spicin'. Would totally recommend this read.

I was introduced to this authors work by a friend and she has now become an auto buy author for me. Literally, every book I’ve read from Samantha Young I have loved!

The Love Plot is no exception!!
It is so refreshing!! Funny, charming, and witty. Who doesn’t love a broody and grumpy veterinarian trying to pretend he isn’t falling for a woman he hires to be his fake girlfriend. Star Meadows has so much sunshine and cheer she literally changes perspectives and opinions of those around her. She is one of those characters you just root for. She tries to live her life in joy and kindness when she has every reason to not. Her childhood was filled with neglect and abandonment, but she still chooses to look through life with rose colored lenses.

Rafe Whitman on the other hand had the opposite upbringing. He is from a wealthy family with parents and siblings who love and adore him. So much so, they are constantly trying to set him up with someone. Rafe can’t take their antics anymore. This is where Rafe and Star have the perfect set up for the most adorable romance. Rafe hires Star, who is a professional costume character actor, to be his fake girlfriend. It’s just so good, and there is so much respect between these two. Even when he’s grumpy, he cares about Star and Star is not afraid to speak her mind. The banter between the two is so fabulous!!! This book is such a fun rom-com with some heat and lots of heart! If you don’t pick up this book, then you must check out this author. She is definitely one to read if you haven’t yet!! 4.5/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book, I think it’s one of the best of the year. It’s got so many tropes I like in romances, like opposites attract, fake dating, and grumpy-sunshine. It’s well written and the characters are full of personality. I was sorry it had to end!

Star Shine Meadows was raised by commitment phobe hippie parents. Now she works job by job, playing a princess at kids birthday parties and line sitting, getting paid to wait in line for whatever someone will pay for. She meets Rafe at a kids party, where she is dressed as Princess Merida.

When Star sees him again while line sitting, he decides to ask her to be his fake girlfriend so the women in his family will stop trying to set him up. As they start speaking time together, Rafe starts falling for her, much to his surprise.

Can these two, with very different personalities, find their HEA?

This is a great read and I highly recommend it, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

The Love Plot by Samantha Young is a super cute grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, fake dating novel!

Star Shine Meadows is the happy-go-lucky love child of her hippy parents. She’s optimistic, chipper and kind. Rafe Whitman, on the other hand, is basically the complete opposite. The son of a very appearance oriented family, he is hardworking, rich and definitely a grump. His last relationship ended badly and he needs a girlfriend so his mother will stop trying to set him up with dates. He meets Star by chance on two separate occasions and on the second occasion offers her $10,000 monthly for six months if she pretends to be his girlfriend. With such different personalities in this relationship, will they be able to sell that they’re ‘in love’?

This book was charming and a fun read. The writing style was easy to read and the plot was good. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I definitely enjoyed it more than the first!

I won’t lie, I hated Rafe in the beginning, but as I learned more about him I found him growing on me. Family dynamics play a large role in this book and it’s interesting to see how different Rafe and Star are due to their family and upbringing.

The tension between these two was so good! Reading their banter was so much fun! Some books overdo the banter but I found it just right for this couple! I enjoyed watching them grow together and live that he fell first.

If you’re looking for a cute opposites attract, fake dating romcom then I think you should give this a shot!

Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow 5 stars
I absolutely adore this book ❤️
It's the perfect feel good, pick-me-up book ever! It has humor, it's sweet, romantic, swoony and hot and everything in it is in perfect balance... It felt like Ying and Yang at best. Star and Rafe start out total opposite, but as the story goes on they become the best couple. I don't think I ever read such a perfectly balanced grumpy-sunshine trope. I loved the banter between these two. I think my face was in a constant grin while I was reading. They had a really great chemistry. I loved how insync they were once they got together for real. It was so refreshing to finally read a book in which the characters don't run from each other at the first problem. But they actually do everything, fight off everyone to hang on to each other. Rafe is amazing. When we first meet him, he seems like a total snob, but as the story continues, we discover that he is a wonderful man, with a sence of humor and the biggest heart. Oh and don't get me started on his romantic swoony side.
As for Star, she just became my favorite female character ever. She is happiness personified. She is my girl crush. Her view of thing is totally unique and an eye opener. She is a free spirit. She is the perfect example that happiness is a state of mind. It's a view point, and a choice. I feel like everyone should read this book, because it's the best life lesson on how to be happy. I have the urge to put this books in the hand of every grumpy, nasty, rude person, because it's pure therapy and I had the most wonderful time while I was reading.

Samantha Young’s romcoms give me life!!

She’s definitely one of my top romcom authors. This is my third romcom by her (I have another one sitting on my shelf), and I’ve read a few of her romantic suspense books and I just adore her characters.

The FMC Star is such a unique sunshine character. She’s quirky and a free spirit. This character is funny but not so quirky she’s over the top. Add to this her character flaws that she has to work through and mix it with the grumpy broody sexy vet, you have a fun fake dating story.

Honestly I read this in one day and just wanted more from the story and these characters.

My only teeny tiny complaint is that I felt like Pippa’ role in all the turmoil was never resolved. I didn’t understand her motivations at all and I wanted more. It didn’t detract from the overall story. I loved it.

AND YES THERE IS SPICY SPICE. These two had chemistry.

It is a contemporary romance between two characters with completely opposite characters. The grumpy/sunshine trope is all over the place at the moment but it suits this story perfectly. Star had an unconventional upbringing and learned to embrace who she is and what she loves. I was very touched by her fight against those who claim to like her but allow themselves really not nice things. The last part of the novel was difficult to bear, it made me very sorry for her. I wish there had been a more violent backlash towards certain people.

The romance is very cute, I really liked the character of Rafe who is loyal and understanding under his grumpy behavior. He is a veterinarian but I regret that there are not as many scenes with animals as I would have liked.

Another successful one shot by Samantha Young.

Star Shine Meadows is a happy-go-lucky ball of sunshine that was raised by hippie parents - naturally she doesn't like to live by the same social constructs that others do. Because of this, she has learned how to make a life for herself by having odd jobs that make her happy, but definitely not your typical careers.
Then she meets Rafe Whitman, a very well off veterinarian, who is also a total grump. He is also tired of continually hearing from his family that it's time for him to settle down.
So naturally, he offers her a job to be his fake girlfriend and break up with him - all to get his family off his back.

I LOVED The Love Plot - I loved the character development and growth as you see how they both manage their own dysfunctional families. I love the banter and the chemistry that they have with each other. I also love that Rafe never tries to change who Star is a person. He loves her for the real person that she is.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Valentine PR, and Berkley for the ARCH in exchange for my honest review!