Spice? Check.
Sizzling attraction? Check.
A HEA, after we get the fake dating and grumpy x sunshine trope? Also, check!

I really really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were so funny and perfect one another. Rafe is so calm and cool while Star is like looking into the sun. She is so cheery and I smirked several times at her antics. Their chemistry was off the charts and I loved to see it. If you like a sweet, but smutty, read I'd recommend trying it out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🔥🔥🔥

Quick Breakdown

Opposites Attract
Grumpy x Sunshine
Fake Dating
Only One Bed
He Falls First
Cinnamon Roll Hero
Found Family
No 3rd Act Breakup
Single POV
Open Door - Moderate Detail

I LOVED this. It’s my first Samantha Young, but it definitely won’t be my last!

Let me tell you, I fell HARD for Star & Rafe. I
might be bias since I’m a total simp for anything grumpy x sunshine, but I quickly found myself ADDICTED. Nothing gets me like the banter you get with a opposites attract romance. It literally gave me life & finally broke me out of my reading slump.

Star is this content, bohemian woman & unabashedly herself. I loved her for it. There were moments of self doubt, but it humanized her for me & I found it refreshingly relatable.

Rafe, the hot vet, 1000% stole the show for me. I was gone on him from the start. He played the part of the lovable cinnamon roll, disguised as a grump perfectly. He was occasionally quick to judge but could easily admit when he was wrong. How he clearly flirts with Star under the guise of “fake dating,” obviously falling first. Knowing she’s scared to commit, he pushes her the right amount. Comfortable to play the long game, knowing she’s worth it. And the way he stood up for & defended Star from his family, SWOON!

I fell in love with Samantha writing with a kind of cosmic love and since then I've been in a hype trying to put all her books together on my tbr
.
It was hard for me to get into this plot, I missed that it wasn't dual pov, but as Rafe and Star interacted, the dynamics made more sense and I got hooked on the story, on Star's conflict of wanting to belong to someone after having grown into a free and independent person
.
Star has two jobs, one as an actor at events and the other as a line sitter, at one of those events she meets Rafe, the little birthday girl's uncle, and after having a strange conversation, their cross paths again and she doesn't miss the opportunity to answer him
.
But when Rafe offers her to work for him, posing as his girlfriend to get rid of his matchmaking family, there is no way to she can refuse, Not only is Rafe attractive, but he also offers her the amount that can make her dream of traveling across the country come true.
.
But as they spend more time together and she gets to know his family and spends more time with Rafe, she begins to wonder if she's really living the way she wants or how she learned from her hippie parents.
.
I love this type of characters who are there to support and accompany the heroine in her process . The pace of this history that kept me turning page after page and it was a delicious slow burn with a perfect grumpy sunshine
.
Thanks to Samantha young and Berkley publishing group for give a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

If Samantha Young writes it, I know I’m going to love it. “The Love Plot” is light hearted, fun, swoony and so much fun to read.

Star Shine Meadows is a sunshine girl trying to live her best life in NYC. She works as a professional line sitter and also character for parties. When dressed as a character, she meets Rafe Whitman when she overhears him making some not so nice comments on her acting skills. Fast forward to a couple days, she sees him while in line for a job and publicly embarrasses him with some comments to match his energy from the party. Rafe is a veterinarian who owns his own clinic which is thriving. But his family is constantly trying to set him up on dates that he doesn’t want so he offers Star 10k a month to be his fake girlfriend. But as the two spend time together, the attraction both were feeling starts to surface.

I love a grumpy/sunshine and add in opposites attract and I’m a happy reader. I loved Star from the first chapter and my affection for her grew each chapter. Star is kind, genuine and just overall an amazing person. Her heart is big despite growing up with parents who always put themselves first. Rafe is a classic grump who just wants to live his life and not have his family meddle in his personal life. But hanging out with Star helps break those grumpy walls down and we get to see the real guy underneath. And I loved him so much. He’s also kind, caring and thoughtful. I love how protective of Star he is when his family doesn’t give her the warmest first greeting. And how he had no problem admitting he was wrong and apologizing for his words before he really met her. Their banter had me laughing out loud so many times and I just loved reading about them going from strangers to friends and then to lovers. It was a natural progression and just felt right. The ending was so sweet and I enjoyed this book so much.

I really loved this story, not just for the romance & steaminess, but for the messages it gave. While this is a cute grumpy/sunshine, fake relationship romance, it also deals with some important topics, like being and loving yourself & being happy, however that looks for you. This one gave me butterflies, while also making me tear up at parts, and I honestly did not want to stop listening.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍Grumpy/Sunshine
🤍Fake Relationship
🤍Hate to Love
🤍Steamy
🤍Found Family

Loved The Love Plot! The fun cover matches the insides. The story and character were additive and right on point with everything I except from a Samantha Young story.

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?

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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!