The Love Plot is an easy, fun and cute read! I loved Samantha’s previous book Much Ado About You and loved jumping into another book by her.

I absolutely loved Star as a character. She’s seems like the type of person you’d want to have in your life. I loved all of her layers and was so proud of her throughout the whole book. At first I wasn’t sure if I bought into her and Rafe’s fake dating relationship, but reading it from her POV made me ship them. I loved how Rafes feelings for her were clear from the start and even though there was miscommunication, it felt understandable.

3.5 STARS
With the hippy dippy name, Star Shine Meadows, and being raised by said hippy parents, Star has made it her life’s goal to always look for the happy. Living in New York’s Staten Island is anything but cheap especially when her “jobs” consist of being a character actor a la Disney Princesses and other fairy tale gals also line sitting for just about anything from the newest iPhone to theater tickets. When Star meets an out of sorts very grumpy uncle, Rafe, at his niece’s birthday party, they seem to be polar opposites in all things temperament and attitude.

Rafe Whitman is a dedicated veterinarian who enjoys his work; however, the family he is very close to makes his life difficult by trying to set him up with a princess of a different kind; one from their High Society lifestyle. After another chance meeting with Star and in desperation, Rafe decides to hire her to be his fake girlfriend in order to get his family to back off.

As expected, Star’s sunny disposition and free love attitude not to mention her style of bohemian dress give Rafe’s family quite a shock. Star is everything his snobby family, except for Rafe’s sister, would not want for their patrician son. As Star and Rafe spend time together, their feelings start to become real; however, they both have a lot of emotional baggage that tends to trip them up.

Star is certainly a bit of flit from this to that butterfly. After being raised by parents who often nearly forgot her existence, she is determined to protect a very bruised heart. Rafe’s has a very staid life to the point that he is a almost a wooden character in the beginning. The continued pressure from his mother and sister-in-law to marry the “right” person has been sucking the life out of him. Star’s bright personality seems somewhat over the top at times while Rafe’s family and friends are mostly one big stereotype of rich people in the NYC. The addition of Star’s friends being polyamorous felt like a forced requisite. With that being said, the writing quality is such that fans of Ms. Young will likely enjoy the story.

A perfect 10 star. This is one of the best vacation, relaxing and funny read I’ve had the pleasure of reading in a long time.

This is a grumpy to sunshine story. Star see’s the world with a glass half full but Rafe is the opposite. On their first meeting he was an arrogant, prick to Star. But by chance they meet agin and she embarrasses him in a very funny way. Then he makes her an offer very hard to refuse. It will benefit them both. This is the beginning of a very emotional journey.

This story was so addicting and captivating that I basically devoured it close to one sitting. It was very funny at times. Star always had these comebacks. They had some hardcore chemistry between them. Sparks flew. As the story progresses you can see the situation weighing heavily on Star, her personality starts to change. It’s heartbreaking what she has to go through. So you can clearly see that these characters felt real and where perfectly developed.

This was an original story with an amazing storyline that had me hooked from the first page to the last. Beautifully rotten with a seamless plot. Bottomline this is the summer of 2023 best stories.

Standalone told in Star’s POV only with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • RomCom
Print length: 352 pages
Pub date: August 29th

🌿fake dating
🌿slow burn
🌿opposites attract
🌿one bed
🌿grumpy x sunshine

This one is for everyone who is still figuring things out.
This one is for all the girls who dared to be themselves.
For the girls who want to be loved for it and not despite of it.

➡️“Society needed to back off with all the trying to make people fit into their neat little boxes. That was the cause of so much unhappiness if you asked me.”

This book is for us. For me. And you.
For everyone who was ever been judged, made fun of… and decided to rise above.
This book is for all who ever dared to fall in love.

➡️“I’d learned long ago there was no point trying to make someone like you when they’d already decided that they didn’t.”

Some RomComs are just that.
Some RomComs are so much more.
The Love Plot is as cute as deep. As funny as it is powerful. The Love Plot gave me Fake Dating but took my heart. Gave me Grumpy x Sunhine but took part of my soul. Gave me Opposites Attract but took all my smiles just so it could multiple them 🥹

➡️“I felt pity for anyone who was narrow-minded. It closed off so much of the beauty of the world to them.”

My new favorite RomCom. Full stop. 🥹

➡️“Because, baby, my love for you is f*cking immeasurable. If I’m honest, I’m not sure I will ever be fully comfortable with how much I love you.”

This was such a cute read! The characters were perfect for each other, I loved their sense of humor! My first from this author. This book made me laugh and made my cry. The banter at the beginning between the two MC was too funny. Rafe was a bit rough at the start but quickly became as lovable as our dear Star. I enjoyed the different topics in this story that you don’t typically see in other books. Such as Hippie parents, polyamorous relationship, being content with not having a career, amongst others.

Aside from this being a sweet and beautiful rom-com, it also leaves you with life lessons. Be true to who you are, people will love you for YOU, and there is no need to change what you believe in for others, as long as your are truly happy with yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for allowing me to read this advance copy!

Thank you Atria and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this early. This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve been enjoying Samantha Young’s books for over 10 years now, so when I saw The Love Plot pop up on NetGalley, I clicked immediately. This NYC-based, grumpy/sunshine, opposites-attract, fake dating romance checked all of my boxes.

28-year-old Star Shine Meadows lives a free and untraditional life. She is unencumbered by a relationship and her jobs consist of professional line-sitting (waiting in lines for other people) and character acting for parties. That’s how she meets Rafe, while being a princess for his niece’s birthday party. It was not a good meeting. He expressed immediate disdain for her job and was frankly a rude dickhead.

“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 Whitman comes from a family of wealthy New York socialites, though he doesn’t go into the family business, he runs his own veterinary practice. He had a bad breakup a while back and his mother and sister-in-law now throw every rich single socialite at him. When he runs into Star again, knowing the crazy beauty takes odd jobs, he offers her a LOT of money to be his fake girlfriend for 6 months to get his family off his back.

Star’s parents were polyamorous hippies who left her to fend for herself since she was 10 years old. Rafe is from a close-knit, privileged family. Star’s bohemian style and lack of career plans basically offends them and I enjoyed reading about the awkward encounters.

“Star is unusual.” Rafe glowered at Emily. “Unlike most people, she’s kind to everyone, considerate, lacking in pretension, free-spirited, and the best fucking sex I’ve ever had.”

Likes:
•I loved Star! She was so bright and happy, the true meaning of sunshine.
•Great banter.
•Rafe may have been grumpy but he’s a sweet cinnamon roll on the inside.
•There were some important messages about being true to yourself and what's really important in life woven into the storyline.

Dislikes:
•Rafe didn’t work for me as a vet, there needed to be more animal scenes!

The Down & Dirty:
The Love Plot was a sweet, sexy, fun read with all the tropes I love, grumpy-sunshine, enemies-lovers, very different social classes, and fake dating. I loved the banter and how much Star came into her own in this story. It may not be the most unique or memorable read ever, but I truly read the whole book with a big smile on my face. I highly recommend picking up The Love Plot to read between darker books or to take on your next beach vacation.

Rating: 4.25 Stars, 3 heat

This was a fun grumpy/sunshine romance. I enjoyed seeing Star and Rafe move from fake relationship to more. I liked seeing how she brought out the best in Rafe.

Besides the romance, this book was also about staying true to yourself and not changing things to fit the mold or because it’s seemingly the expected thing. I liked seeing Star struggle with herself but come to figure out what truly mattered.

Would recommend. Also know it’s pretty steamy.

Rafe and Star. Where to begin... I loved them together. I'm happy that Rafe wasn't a "Grump" for too much of the book. I loved Rafe family (besides a couple people) but my heart hurt for Star. This book was so sweet and light, nothing to drastic happened. I glad that the "misunderstanding/Drama was resolved quickly and not draged out. This author wrote a beautiful book again. I'd say this book is right up there with the rest of her work. It's hard to write a review and not give too much away. I just wish I had a Rafe of my own😍. What a sweet,understanding and sexy man he was. I don't understand how anybody would not like Star. Is Rafe sister getting a book? 5 STARS

This was my first book by Samatha Young. It was an entertaining story of fake relationship and enemies to lovers. Star is a free spirit who doesn’t have a normal career, while Rafe is a vet and from a well off family. Their worlds are definitely opposites, but after his bad first impression, Rafe offers Star a job to pretend date. I enjoyed the evolution of their relationship and watching Star see that she really could have a relationship.

This is a cozy read about two people who have very little in common and very different dispositions. Rafe comes from a family that is rich and very routine, Star is more bohemian with never ending jobs and the sunniest of attitudes. Star could teach a few lessons on how to turn frowns upside and how to make situations better just from how she handled any bad situation that came her way. I loved Star and Rafe was a balancing act for her as he provided many unintentional funny moments that cracked the ice between them. The romance between them felt realistic and was a slow burn. This is a sweet story about new beginnings learning how to adapt and evolve.

This book is one of the best I have read this summer! I love this book so much and feel it is one of the best she has written by far!

I adore the characters of Star and Rafe. They could not be anymore different from one another in all possible ways - childhoods, family, work, finances & beliefs - yet they are still the PERFECT match. Young shows the vulnerability of both Star and Rafe even though their insecurities differ. Rafe is tired of interference from his family about his dating life. He is a grumpy, brooding (hot!) veterinarian who shows the softest sides with animals (yep, my heart melted at the scenes during his interactions with his furry patients). Of course, so did Star.

Once they decide to give their relationship a chance Rafe’s family tries to change Star and although she finds herself going along with some of the changes, she finds herself lost - no longer able to recognize herself. Rafe doesn’t want her to change - he falls in love with every part of her. It does not matter that they are complete opposites - they help balance each other out & face their insecurities together. Star brings out the best in Rafe - she does not scare easily - except for her insecurities about relationships that keep scaring her to a halt each time there is a chance to move forward with Rafe. I think the way Young expresses thoughts, emotions & fears - the biggest being giving love a chance - is so well done that we all can relate to Star & Rafe.

Read this book! You will fall in love with everything about it ❤️

The Love Plot was everything I was hoping for. It had cute characters, fake dating and a good dose of spice.

I really enjoyed the characters here. They had a good dynamic and their interactions were funny & sweet. I liked Star the most though. I liked her quirky personality but also how accepting she was of others & their lifestyle. Her journey was something I could connect to which made her more endearing to me. Rafe was the perfect grump. He did not make a good first impression but when he stood up for Star that's when he won me over. Their grumpy/sunshine dynamic was done really well. I truly felt like they were opposites. I think the romance developed nicely. I particularly liked how they both compromised and communicated. Neither had to made big, life altering sacrifices for the other which was refreshing too. The spice was good and I could've had more!

Overall, this is a perfect romcom to end the summer with! It's got grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, and spice. What more could you ask for?

About Me:
Number of Followers: 1,545
Link to Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabreadsbooks/

I was provided and ARC of this book via Netgalley from the author, the publisher, and Valentine PR. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

I'm torn between giving this 4 & 5 stars. This was such a wonderful book, I loved Star and Rafe!

Did you know you can pay people to sit in line for you? Well that's what Star does when she is not dressing up as a princess or another character for a party or event. Star doesn't want much in life other than to be happy. She makes enough from her 2 jobs to cover expenses and support her lifestyle, she has a great groups of friends that act as her family and she doesn't really need much more than that. Enter Rafe Whitman...he is a veterinarian who give Star all kinds of feelings that she is not interested in. Rafe makes a poor first impression on Star at his nieces birthday party where she is performing as a princess. Rafe has it all, the looks, a successful veterinary practice, a trust fun, what he doesn't have is a steady relationship. While that isn't an issue for him, it is an issue for his mother and his sister in law who keep playing matchmaker. Star is his opposite in every way, so he proposes that they fake date to keep his family off of his back. Star is of course hesitant at first, but it will support her dreams of travelling and she decides to go along withit.

Star and Rafe couldn't have come from more different family backgrounds and that quickly becomes clear as they being their fake relationship ruse. What neither of them expected is that they would actually like one another. Star quickly becomes friends with Rafe's younger sister Gigi who is fun and eclectic. Rafe who is typically grumpy starts to smile a bit more and have a little fun. Star was brought up to believe that traditional relationships aren't natural so when Rafe turns the tables on her, she wants to run for the hills. She also doesn't want to put a wedge between him and his family because her free spirited ways are so different from their traditional ones.

This had wonderful character development. We get to see Star go through quite a bit. Some of her turmoil was self-imposed while some was not. She was doing what she thought was the right thing, even though no one asked her to. She made changes to her appearance and lifestyle because she thought it would make things better for other people, when it made her and the people who loved her miserable in the end. This was such a good lesson in being yourself and not pretending to be someone else for someone else. The lack of communication about what was going on between our couple could have prevented some of this, but that is actually pretty realistic when it comes to relationships. How many times do you tell your partner "Its fine" when it really isn't?

I really loved this grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract romance. It had great banter, which is something I love about Samantha Young's books. This has a moderate spice level. There are some spicy scenes but they aren't over the top and they don't overtake the book. If you are a fan of the author or romance in general I think you are going to enjoy this. It is low on the angst factor and I really fell in love with the characters.

What a fun romance that truly highlighted what it means to live authentically and for yourself! This book was wonderfully written and I couldn't put it down. Read it in on sitting and appreciated all the feels and vibes it provided me!

Rafe and Star … my goodness I enjoyed their story immensely! I think one of the things I enjoyed so much about it - apart from the super hot chemistry and amazing writing - was that it felt real. It felt like it could have been someone’s real story. It wasn’t overly fantastical, with huge daring events like kidnappings or anything like that. It was a heartfelt and emotional story, which felt like it was being told to me by my best friend. I was invested in their story and loved watching their ups and downs. Of course it also had Samantha Young’s signature style and ability to wrench your heart out, with witty banter and some very hot scenes. Highly recommend!

Our free-spirited heroine Star is a costume character actor and a line sitter. She meets grumpy Rafe working at his niece's birthday party. He's a veterinarian whose family has a lot of money. To try to escape the matchmaking schemes from Rafe's mother and sister-in-law, they agree upon a fake dating situation.

I was invested in this couple from start to finish. I think it was because of how completely opposite they were yet their relationship was bursting with chemistry. I am telling you guys that they totally worked together. They were flirty and fun. The more scenes between them, the more I just loved this couple.

Rafe was so sweet and completely accepting of Star. He supported her and stood up for her when others criticized certain aspects of her life. Both characters were good-hearted and it was hard not to fall in love with them as individuals and as a couple.

I swooned at all the gentle and tender moments between Rafe and Star. He made her feel safe and wanted which was something she was not used to feeling, especially growing up with unconventional parents. The steamy scenes between them were perfect.

This is another fabulous read by this author, star and rake just gave me all the feels. A grumpy/sunshine story is always a good read from this author.

Fake dating with sunshine/grumpy characters that have great banter? Sign me up!

Star is the product of "hippie parents" that live by the seat of their pants and do what makes them happy. That may mean they aren't tied down to anyone or anything and Star thinks she needs to follow by their example, even if she isn't close to them. She has 3 close friends that have a unique relationship and have become more her family than her actual flesh and blood. She holds down 2 very unique jobs that truly just make her happy, even if they aren't traditional jobs.

Meanwhile, Rafe comes from a very prominent and successful family, but he's veered off a bit from the family business and became a veterinarian. He's successful, good-looking, and obviously does well for himself, but the women in his life (mother, sister in law and sister) keep wanting to set him up with someone. Apparently they think he needs a woman/wife in order to be happy. But the last thing Rafe is looking for is a wife. So, when Star and Rafe meet at his niece's birthday party (where Star is dressed in costume entertaining the children), Star can't help but to push the good looking uncle's buttons. He seems like the grumpy, uptight arrogant a$$hole that Star would like to unravel a bit. And when he approaches her with a deal she can't resist days later, that's when things start to get good.

Apparently I have a thing for fake dating scenarios and especially when the characters come from different sides of the financial spectrum. I loved Star and her happy, carefree ways. She was bright and cheery and just a joy to be around. That's not to say she was perfect, but I really liked the way she was free to be who she wanted to be. And Rafe? Man, I wish we got his POV because I could obviously see his grumpy ways, but I felt the minute he wanted to jump in more. A look, the way he stood up for the woman by his side at family events....this man may have been uptight and wanted to please his family with a (fake) relationship, but these two balanced one another out and he never for one minute wanted to dull Star's brightness, even when others wanted to dim her.

Samantha Young created two great characters that balanced out one another perfectly even when they came from different worlds. I liked the way she gave us two families/backgrounds for Star and Rafe and made these two characters work through their flaws together to create their own unique happiness. While I would've loved to get Rafe's POV, it was still so evident within the story we got. I enjoyed seeing the two separate family dynamics and seeing these two grow and learn from them and also the families learning for their ways as well.
Overall, this was a fun romcom with great characters and so much good banter and evident chemistry from the beginning (even if they didn't want to admit it). I adored these two and their perfect balance of steam and emotional moments. Would recommend.

Grumpy sunshine romcoms are my jam. I loved Rafe. Star was a good character but I didn’t like how she kept so much inside instead of just talking to him. The guy wasn’t a mind reader.

However, other than that, I loved it. She was a unique character and him being a vet was a plus.

Thank you to Let's Talk Books and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

When Star and Rafe meet, she's dressed as Merida for his niece's birthday party. And he's the grumpy uncle unimpressed by anything. So when she sees him again, she gives him a hard time. But he ends up asking her to fake date him.

This is the epitome of the grump/sunshine and opposites attract tropes. Star doesn't want a career and works as a line sitter and character costume actor. Rafe is a veterinarian from a wealthy family with high expectations. But their chemistry is just so good together. I felt for Star throughout this story, and I really enjoyed seeing them grow together. I would have liked to see Rafe have as much character growth as Star.

I was so impressed by Savannah Peachwood's narration. She was excellent on all the voices, performing Rafe's dialogue just as well as Star's.

CW: parental neglect and abuse