I loved this story. Star might be the most sunshiny sunshine I have read so far. I really enjoyed her story, and while I normally love dual POV, this was very much Star’s story about her journey not just falling in love, but also discovering important aspects of herself.

She doesn’t live her life in conventional ways and it just makes her all the more lovable. She starts fake dating grump Rafe to get his family to stop their matchmaking efforts. He comes off as way too grumpy and mean at first, but I fell in love with him shortly after seeing a few more interactions with him.

Beautifully written and I couldn’t put it down. It was a bit long but everything felt important. My first book by the author and it won’t be my last.

Grumpy & sunshine
Opposites
Fake dating
He falls first
She’s afraid of commitment
No breakup
Spice 2.5/5

5 Opposites Really Do Attract Stars!!

I don’t think there could be two more diametrically opposite people than Star Shine Meadows and Rafe Whitman. She’s happy and in the moment and is all about not taking life too seriously. Rafe Whitman is pretty much a grump when it comes to anything that doesn’t have to do with his animal patients. He’s not looking for a relationship at all, but when he’s finally had enough of his family picking and picking and picking at him to find a girl, he hones in on Star Shine because this kind of “assignment” is right up her alley so to speak!

I loved how the connection between them simmered right below the surface almost from the minute they met… even if they didn’t want to admit it. Let’s face it, Star Shine is a no strings kind of girl and Rafe always needs to know the who’s what’s and when’s so his attraction to this woman confounds him! Eventually in between their witty banter and some swoon-worthy moments, they come together in every way possible!

My love for this book is everything I love about reading, great characters, scenes that let me escape my everyday life, truly laugh out loud moments, stellar writing and I came away with a smile on my face.

Star Shine Meadows is living her best life in New York as a costume character actor and line sitter. She has learned only to depend on herself for happiness throughout her unusual upbringing. When Star meets veterinarian Rafe while working at a children’s birthday party she immediately thinks he’s attractive but after trying to talk to him finds herself disappointed and feeling he’s a stuck up snob. When Rafe unexpectedly asks Star to pretend to be his girlfriend to get his family off his back Star accepts. The more time they spend together the more Rafe and Star realize they are developing real feelings for each other and that their first impressions were definitely wrong. It becomes startlingly clear they come from completely different worlds and Star feels that she needs to change herself to fit in with Rafe and his family. Can Rafe convince Star she doesn’t need to change to keep him happy?

This book delves into deep issues such a conformity and self love and dependency with Samantha Young’s trademark humor and banter. This was such a fun and delightful read!

Thank you so much to Valentine PR, Samantha Young and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately this was a miss for me- I had a hard time connecting with the FMC and I think that’s what may have ruined the reading experience for me. But it’s still a fun and engaging story and I think many will love this, just wasn’t my cup of tea.

What a sweet and cute grumpy x sunshine romance! I loved the opposites attract trope and adored both characters. I appreciated how vulnerable Rafe was with Star and how she pushed him to be better. I loved how he consistently showed up for her and showed her what love can be. I really enjoyed that their relationship grew over many months. I feel like so many romance books do the insta-love trope which isn't always pulled off well. I struggled with Rafe's family and how cruel they were to Star. I did adore how Rafe never tried to change her and encouraged her to keep being herself. I'm really excited to read more Samantha Young!! 4⭐️ 2.5🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley, Valentine PR, and Samantha Young for the ebook ARC. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This is a steamy romantic comedy set in NYC.

The narrator is 28 year old Star (female 1st person POV). She is a costume character actor and professional line sitter. I found her jobs to be so fun. And I really liked that she was a big reader and such a happy person.

She meets 33 year old Rafe when she is working at his niece's birthday party. When they meet he is brooding and not overly friendly.

This was an enjoyable read that used many of the most popular tropes (which isn't my favorite thing). It was very sexy. The romance was good. And the heroine was super unique. I enjoyed her friend group and her relationship with her parents. And I enjoyed his family. Both families added lots of drama to the book. Overall if you want a steamy fun read and love seeing many of the popular tropes then this book is for you.

Possibly the most grumpy-sunshine of relationships I've seen since Good Omens 2, Star and Rafe are total opposites, and accidentally perfect for each other. She always looks for the positive in things, doesn't think a career is for her so has two unconventional jobs, doesn't do long-term relationships because she doesn't think she can do committed, and her greatest goal in life is to be happy. He went the conventional route, likes animals more than people, and is going crazy because his mother and sister-in-law are aggressively trying to set him up without asking him how he feels about it. When they meet at Rafe's niece's birthday party, you could not find two more different people. Rafe's idea to hire Star to be his pretend girlfriend has predictably surprising and entertaining consequences: his parents like her, and Rafe discovers he likes Star more than he expected. They do say opposites attract. . . .

Star is a quirky, delightful, believably flawed and wonderful person. Her parents are self-proclaimed hippies who taught her not believe in committed relationships, careers, or tying herself down to anything long-term. While that works in the short-term, and Star is quite happy with her jobs as a character actor and line-sitter, Rafe and his stability start making her question if she's limiting herself. I love how Star works to see something positive in people, gives them the benefit of the doubt, and to put happy out into the world to improve the lives of others. She practices what she preaches. The times when she tries to be something she isn't, she's miserable, reminding both Star and us that being our authentic selves is the best life.

I can best describe Rafe as a Mr. Darcy- only more outgoing when he's happy. Shy and quiet around strangers, better with dogs than people, it's no wonder that he's going crazy with his mother and sister-in-law throwing random women at him! He's a guy who believes in commitment if he's going to be in a relationship, so he and Star come at pretty much everything people-related from different angles. But I loved how he doesn't just dismiss Star's views based on his own experiences, he listens to her thoughts and frequently found himself changing his mind because of her viewpoints. They'd catch themselves in arguments and try to explain what the problem was exactly because they came at things so differently. I don't think I've ever read that in a romance before, where the main characters so continually work like real people to make a real relationship happen and I really enjoyed it. Even when they mess things up, it is real and relatable.

Rafe's rich family doesn't know what to do with Star and her bohemian ways and polyamorous friends at first. Do they change her to fit with them or do they accept that she makes him happy as is? I loved how Rafe stood by Star when she dealt with her family crisis and started facing her defining childhood, and how she was willing to do anything to ensure he didn't break with his family because of her. It was clear they loved each other long before they admitted it, but that was kind of the point. Star has lots to teach Rafe and his family, but they have some things to show her as well.

This was a lovely, funny, heart-warming book and I definitely recommend it, not just to Samantha Young (Much Ado About You, A Cosmic Kind of Love) fans, but to anyone looking for a beautiful romance.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a relatively light read that had me smiling the whole time. I loved Star and Rafe and the dynamic between them.

4 Stars

When I first started this book, I didn’t think I’d be able to read a whole book from Star’s POV. She’s a gig worker who only has one goal in life: happiness. She’s not into commitment thanks to her parents’ very unattached relationship and is just happy to live in the moment as she seeks out temporary happiness.

Star is hired to be a character Princess for Rafe’s niece’s birthday party. Rafe was cheated on and has thrown himself into his family and his thriving Veterinary practice in Manhattan. He comes from wealth and the upper class of NYC and his mom and sister-in-law think he needs a wife…any wife. Even though Star is the complete antithesis of everything he should want, he asks her to fake date him to get his meddling family off his case.

But you know, feelings catch. So we have the classic grumpy/sunshine trope mixed with fake dating and it’s honestly such a good combo!

As I kept reading, I found myself (much like Rafe) realizing I judged Star by the circumstances and stereotypes around her vs for the magic that makes her…her! I even found myself relating to her in such soul deep ways towards the end, that I honestly can say I was V WRONG at the beginning and loved being in her brain.

We don’t get a third act breakup and honestly this couple really is so healthy in the “we won’t let our toxic pasts tear a good thing apart” and it’s rewarding and so refreshing to read.

I highly recommend this one! I listened on audio and the narrator does a great job (although I personally had a hard time with her voice for Rafe, it’s definitely a me thing). The spicy scenes were spicing and the emotions really come through in each convo!

It was time for a palette cleanse..

I had been reading back to back thrillers and I wanted a light beach read.

What I got was a belly full of giggles and a full heart. What more could I ask for?

The Love Plot is absolutely adorable. It's not corny but yet a true love story. I loved watching Rafe try to deny himself falling in love with Star and I loved Stars quirkiness. It was impossible not to fall in love with Star!!! The fact that Rafe was a veterinarian, made me love him that much more (who doesn't love fur babies!!!)

This is one of those books that you want to see make it to the big screen, this is the perfect book for the Hallmark Channel

Check out this teaser :

There’s a magnetic attraction when a happy-go-lucky gig worker agrees to a fake relationship with a rich, uptight New Yorker in this steamy romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.

Star Shine Meadows is all about freedom, thanks to the hippie parents who raised her. Juggling her jobs as a professional costume character actor and a line sitter, she believes in no expectations, no stressful ambitions, and no-strings-attached relationships. So when she meets a birthday girl’s grumpy uncle while working a princess party, she can’t help but needle him. She’ll never see him again, and honestly, he's pretty hot.

Rafe Whitman may be a veterinarian with a great bedside manner, but that doesn’t mean his patience extends to anyone with opposable thumbs. His family will not stop nagging him about finding “the one,” so when he runs into obnoxiously cheery Star again, he makes her an offer: He’ll pay her more than she would make doing her odd jobs if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at family gatherings. She can stop sitting in line waiting for someone else’s new phone, and he’ll get his family off his back.

When the tension between them heats to a breaking point, Star’s desire for "no strings" is tested against Rafe’s staunch stability. They say opposites attract, after all....

🩷 Thoughts 🩷
Reading a romance book in the park just hits different, idk if it's just me but it makes the book a bit more romantic??? Yall the trope had me going yippeeee! He falls first, grumpy sunshine, fake dating??? SAY LESSSSSS 😘! Yall the character growth in this book was great and their chemistry leading to the romantic development -> I loved it and it was swoonnnnnn worthyyyyyy 🫶. Also the opposite attract trope??? This really worked well with the romcom 🤭.
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🩷 Appreciation 🩷
Thank you Valentine PR, Berkley Publishing, and Samantha Young for the e-arc copy in exchange for a honest review!

I am a huge fan of Samantha Young's books. She's a fabulous writer who crafts beautiful romances between some unlikely (and absolutely perfect for each other) characters. So going into this book, I knew I was going to love it--and oh, did I ever!

I ended up reading this in one sitting because I just could not put it down! The Love Plot is the epitome of sunshine and grump.

The FMC, Star Shine Meadows, was "raised" by hippie parents who believes in freedom in all things (from places, people, jobs, etc.) and always thinking the best in everyone. She is the definition of happy-go-lucky. Star juggles working as a costume character actor and a line sitter, and its during one of her work days that she meets the MMC: grumpy, grumpy Rafe.

Rafe is a hard-working veterinarian who prefers the company of animals to people. He's content to be alone, running his vet business, and occasionally helping out his family with their monthly dinners or various charity events.

One of the reasons for Rafe's perpetual frown? His family's constant nagging and blind set-ups to help him find "the one." When Rafe discovers Star's interesting job choices and ability to handle anything that life throws her way, he offers her a new job: fake date him to get his family off his back.

Two people who could not be more opposite... Well, I won't go into detail--you'll need to read The Love Plot for yourself--but if you enjoy opposites attract, fake dating, grumpy & sunshine, or simply romantic comedies (with some moments of heavier, emotional undertones), you need to pick this one up immediately!

I enjoyed every minute of this book and spent a good portion of it laughing at Star's antics. (Peanut butter and jelly, anyone? *hehe*). It was such a delight, and I think it's going to be one of those books I'll keep thinking about for years to come. (Any excuse for a re-read, right?!).

Disclaimer: I received an ARC.

4.5 stars

Star works a number of odd jobs. At the beginning we see her performing as Merida at a kids birthday party and working for an app that allows people to hire someone to wait in line. She was an interesting character who was sweet and fun. Her 'voice' and inner monologue were entertaining and I liked her a lot.

When she meets Rafe there's an instant physical attraction, but he's definitely not friendly or kind. So it is surprising when he later offers to hire her to be his fake date to family events. With how grumpy and unfriendly he was in contrast to Star's more sunshiny personality, I couldn't wait to watch the two of them fall in love.

I was hooked from the first chapter of the book and Samantha did an excellent job with the character growth and relationship development. I have read a number of Samantha's books, and The Love Plot is one of my favorites.

Thank you to Samantha Young and Valentine PR for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was absolutely adorable! I devoured the last bit of this book. It was so unique and not what I was expecting. I laughed out loud throughout most of the plot. The characters were funny and enjoyable. The fake-dating plot was ridiculous and fun and over the top and everything that I love about the trope. Rafe was swoony and broody, but his character development was executed perfectly! Star was such a fun FMC! She was unique and quirky and pulled you in from the very first page. Overall, this was just a super fun read!

Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Fake relationship
Romcom

Star is a free spirited happy woman with a lot of confidence.- very personable. She gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. She is used to people not taking her seriously and looking down on her but she lives her best life. She is an independent and intelligent woman. Her jobs as a character actor and line sitter make her unique and interesting.
Rafferty is her opposite. He is rich, college educated and not a people person. He is a veterinarian, loves animals. The only people he seems to tolerate is his family and a few friends.
Their first meeting was less than stellar. Raff was in a bad mood and took it out on Star. His mother and sister in law have been trying to fix him up. He is not a willing participant. So begins the fake dating.

Star believed in killing them with kindness. Even grumpy Raff fell under her spell.
This is cute and fun with great characters. It had great banter. Good character growth for our main characters as well as the supporting characters. A lot of prejudgments that were proved wrong.

It's been a long time since I finished a book and went back to read it again because I wanted more. I wanted to continue living in Rafe and Star world!

Star Shine Meadows is 28 year old living in the present, believing the best in everyone. She is unashamed of her choices and life and a boho free bird. Rafe is a 33 year old vet, he has his life together and doesn't need a woman in his life. He is reasonable and safe, he believes in tradition. Rafe and Star could not be anymore different and that's what made the story work! Star was lacking safety and for someone to save her from herself. Rafe was a grump and a little self absorbed in his life and wants, but he never wanted to change Star. In the beginning I wanted to shake Rafe a felt my heart break for what was going to come and at the end I was concerned and breaking for Star.

The Love Plot took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and opened up my eyes to Star idea of a relationships. Samantha Young pushed the boundaries of Star's life and her friends while exploring the idea of love. I cried like a baby with Star struggle to cope with her trauma that her parents caused to see Rafe Whitman family and the love they share.

Rafe and Star relationship was not perfect but it pushed them to the brink to face the things they have avoided all their life and open their eyes to something different.

I absolutely adore this book! Daughter of two bohemian artist parents, Star Shine Meadows is a character actor and professional line sitter. I immediately connected with her funny and witty personality. Rafe Whitman, however, was not as taken with her upon their first meeting.

Nevertheless, circumstances brought them back together after that less-than-stellar first impression, and soon enough, Rafe is enlisting Star’s help as they embark upon a fake dating relationship to pacify the nosy, matchmaking members of his family. And she gets a nice bit of coin in return.

This is the ultimate opposites attract story. Despite coming from money, Rafe still went on to become a very successful veterinarian, though a touch grumpy, and he struggles to understand the spontaneous, care-free, day-to-day life that is Star’s existence.

I absolutely ate up the banter that flew between these two, but I also loved how their relationship blossomed into so much more. They were never supposed to fall for each other. Societal expectations said it was impossible. And it was so wonderful seeing them break down each other’s walls and find an even deeper connection. I just love them.

I haven’t read Samantha Young since the days of On Dublin Street, but this book has me eager to pick up more of her work!

𝚝 𝚛 𝚘 𝚙 𝚎 𝚜:
💖 Fake Dating
💖 Opposites Attract
💖 He Falls First
💖 Grumpy x Sunshine

This was fun! The story follows Star, a gig worker with a bohemian lifestyle and Rafe, an uptight and monied veterinarian. Rafe’s family has been harassing him to get married so after a chance encounter with Star, he offers to pay her to pretend to be his girlfriend.

Things I liked: Star seems like she’s going to be a manic pixie dream girl but ends but actually having depth, which was a really nice surprise. Good backstories, good spice, good side characters.

Things I didn’t like: Star was a little over the top sunshine sometimes for my taste.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 Star Review The Love Plot by Samantha Young

When I read the blurb for The Love Plot, I was intrigued, and I was hooked on the story that Samantha Young wove from the first chapter. This was a well written entertaining story that left me with a smile on my face.

Star Shine Meadows and Rafe Whitman could not be more different, she is light and happy to his dark and grumpy and yet they work together. Star is a free spirit who does odd jobs to survive, whilst Rafe is a veterinarian, focused on his job.

When Rafe proposes a deal where he will pay Star to act as his girlfriend for family events, he has no idea what he is about to set in motion. However, the sparks flew from the moment they met and only intensifies as they are brought together more and more.

Their journey was entertaining, full of outrageous moments (some had me laughing out loud and getting strange looks from my husband) and I had a hard time putting it down when real life got in the way.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley

4.5⭐️
out now!

🐶 Synopsis: Rafe Whitman needs a girlfriend for the next six months to get his family to stop setting him up with every eligible bachelorette in New York. The reserved, grumpy veterinarian just wants a break from dating. Enter Star Shine Meadows — the complete opposite of Rafe. Star has been working odd jobs here and there and so when Rafe offers her the fake dating job, she sees it as a way to achieve her dream of traveling. Except simply fake dating is easier said than done.

🐶 Thoughts: I absolutely loved this romcom! It was such a cute and fun read, and the single POV worked so well here. I was so curious about what Rafe was thinking and seeing him fall for Star though her eyes was so special, especially since she is afraid of commitment. I wasn't a huge fan of Star in the first couple of chapters because she seemed a little bit too sunshine-y of a character for me, but once we learn more about her, I absolutely loved her! I loved her positive outlook on life especially after learning that she didn't have the best childhood or relationship with her parents.

🐶 The moments and tension between Star and Rafe were so well done. I mean the one bed scene?! I loved how Rafe loved Star for who she is and didn't want to change anything about her. Rafe's family was fairly supportive as well, and I loved seeing Star interacting with them too, especially since she didn't have that family relationship growing up. It was also refreshing that the heroine was the one afraid of commitment!

🐶 Highly recommend this if you're looking for a fun fake dating romcom. Thank you to the author and Valentine PR for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.