Overall, I liked this book, but it wasn’t my favorite.

I like Violet and Xavier individually as characters and their relationship conceptually. They live very different lives but they complement each other well. And when they get back together, I like that they have better communication as adults and they can acknowledge and appreciate how the other has grown in the years they’ve been apart.

But the book lacked a lot of romance, and I didn’t feel fully invested in this couple. I wish there was more development into their journey of falling back in love. Or at least, having Xavier regain Violet's trust. I think Violet gave in too easily and jumped right back into the relationship without them working towards building a stronger bond.

Considering that this is a second-chance romance, I would have loved to see them confront more conflict and angst during their journey together as well. However, most of the conflict in the book was internal and not between the two characters. This book was more focused on their individual careers than their relationship. It felt like the relationship was the secondary plot instead of the primary one.

I’m so sad because I wanted to love this book. 😩
3.5 ⭐️

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed. And of course it's the whole what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas but not really troupe.

Kristina Forest is fast becoming one of my favorite novelists. I loved the Neighbor Favor so I was very excited to continue the adventure with the Greene sisters!
This book is the story of middle sister Violet and the rekindling of her romance with her first love Xavier. I loved both characters so much and it was easy to root for their love to persevere.
Although the book contained some familiar troupes (second-chance romance, one bed, fake relationship), I thought it was done in a very realistic way. It was very refreshing. The couple dealt with the very real pitfalls of trying to fit someone into your life that you truly love, and realizing how difficult that can be. They both have career plans and are on their own journey and have to learn how to expand their focus to include love, because they truly believe its worth it.
I love how rich the writing is and that all of the characters were developed well. This was a romance that felt less predictable because you could relate to the characters doubts and fears, especially if you've been in love and not had it work out before.
I am excited about reading the next installment and would highly recommend this book to anyone that may be a little tired of the typical formulaic romances that don't focus as much on character development as they do on the troupes. This book will stay with me for a long time and I am thankful to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy of this book!

Violet Greene is always on the go. As a celebrity stylist, she's always moving from one thing to another, but the exhaustion is worth it to live out her dreams. While her professional life is thriving, her personal life is in disarray after her ex-fiancé cheated on her right before their wedding. Violet is determined to focus on her career, but one little white lie turns her world upside down.

Xavier Wright had big plans for himself when he was a teen. He was going to play ball in the NBA, and he was going to marry his high school sweetheart, Violet. Instead, he's a high school teacher and basketball coach who rarely leaves his hometown. When Violet and Xavier unexpectedly run into each other in a Vegas hotel, they spend the night reliving their youth and wake up with rings on their fingers. Could their impulsive decision be the shake-up they both needed?

I read Forest's previous book and adored it, so I had high hopes for this one. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite romance tropes, so I was ready to eat this up. It was cute and had its moments, but ultimately fell short. I liked the characters. I thought Violet was independent and driven, and Xavier was smooth and level-headed. Their lives are so different, but they complement one another so well. Because they had a history together, the romance felt natural. My biggest issue was with the pacing. It felt too slow, and this is a personal preference, but I don't think romance books should be over ~350 pages. It makes the story feel drawn out. Still, I'd recommend this if you enjoy second-chance romances, but it dragged a little too much for me.

I have to say that second-chance romance stories are one of my favorites. I’m not sure why. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we always had that one that “got away”. The one we cared for deeply even when it never worked out right.

The author gave this story a unique twist with the female lead character being the successful one, and the male lead character having to reevaluate his life and learn to find happiness with his situation.

Slight twist on a familiar wake up married plot, this twist has them fake married, but they’re able to continue living the lie due to several sets of circumstances.

What’s interesting in The Partner Plot is the small-town family connections and the tight-knit community which makes it hard to deliver the truth. This allows the lie to perpetuate and grow.

One thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that most of the romance was internal. Violet admittedly loves him, but could only think of excuses. She frustrated me a lot. The same with him although he was a lot more verbal about how he felt, it was still about holding her back and why he is not worthy.

It seems that most of the book was about how not to be in love and try to move on instead of embracing the fact the love never went away and trying to figure out how to make it work.

Overall, The Partner Plot is an entertaining, feel-good story that showcases strong women and good men who support them for a refreshing outlook.

When I saw there was another book about the Greene sisters, I was so excited. I really loved Lily's story in The Neighbor Favor, and her sisters intrigued me a lot when I was reading that book, so I was excited for the opportunity to read about Violet. The Partner Plot was even better than I imagined. Violet is such an interesting character, and she doesn't allow herself to be pigeonholed. She's a strong woman, which was really nice to see in a romance. I loved that she was so career-driven and that she didn't change that for any man. It was nice that she was aware enough to see her own flaws when it came to her work ethic. I also loved the romance. Xavier is such a cutie pie, and I loved hearing about his job at the high school. I kind of wish there were more scenes of that, because it was cute to see him interact with the kids and fellow teachers. I definitely would recommend this book to many people, I think a lot of people would enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

The Partner Plot is such a fun time!

Violet and Xavier were high school sweethearts who planned to stay together forever. When something unexpected happens their sophomore year of college, Xavier breaks up with Violet and they haven't seen each other since... until now. A random run-in at a Vegas hotel, a drunken night out, and a possibly real marriage means these two are up to their old antics. Now, they need to figure out what happens when they go back to reality.

This book was so much fun. Violet and Xavier are both such big personalities and I loved getting to know them over the course of the novel. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the flashbacks to the past let the reader know it's always been that way!

A great book to start 2024 off with! Looking forward to Iris's book :)

This book was cute! I thought that the marriage of convenience could have been a little bit more convincing honestly, but I still think that Violet and Xavier were a cute couple. The miscommunication trope didn’t really come into play with this story which I love because that is hands down my least favorite trope. We love a couple that will actually talk to one another!

I thought that the discussions around Violet’s intense work life and schedule was so interesting and I loved that we got that inside scoop on what she did for work. Made me wish I was a bit more of a fashionista myself honestly… As I sit here in my leggings and oversized hoodie.

Anyways, this one was cute. I loved watching Xavier and Violet fall back into love and thought that they were both mature while also still struggling to not fall back into their teen selves. The tension was done really well! Make sure to check this one out in February once it’s released!

Closed Door Mods: Chapter 19 & 22

Thank you to @berkleypub for this advanced reader copy! 🫶

A fashionista and an almost famous basketball player walk out of high school madly in love... It seems like a tale as old as time when the two most popular kids in high school are in love right? They're dramatic, full of promise, and massive life aspirations!

But reality smacks us all in the face, and when it hits our protagonists, Violet and Xavier, it hits them hard. Your first love rarely survives anything. I don't know many people who have actually married the first person they dated.. and maybe that's cynical because we know and see those stories on the news - but we all hope we're going to be the exceptions, not the rule!?

What I love about 'The Partner Plot' is that the characters are adults without illusions about how the world works. They've grown past the point of innocent childhood love.. and maybe they just need to pull back from the pessimism a bit to find true happiness? They're not running headfirst into silly situations with miscommunication peeking around the corner of every conversation. They're pragmatic about their places in the world... and yet we still get our happy-ever-after ending!!

NOTES:
- BIPOC Literature / Contemporary Romance
- Childhood friends to lovers to enemies and back to friends and lovers again!

**Thank you to Berkley Romance & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

This book was amazing, I couldn’t put it down. I was so invested in Violet and Xavier’s love story, from them being high school sweethearts to adults! Violet was all about fashion pretty much her entire life and had a booming and successful career eventually, but at what cost did that come at? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light hearted fun read. I finished this book fairly quick as well so it’s not a super long read either! Thanks for writing this book Kristina Forest!

Loved this book. I've been of fan of Kristina Forest and loved Neighbor Favor. So I was really excited to read this book. It's really a face paced read and it we really liked the chemistry between the two main characters. Also, it was fun to see some of the characters from the previous story. I can't wait for the next book and was excited to get a glimpse of the new book at the end of the story.

The Partner Plot is a follow up to the neighbor favor about another one of the Greene sisters! The premise with the second chance romance and the fake marriage was done so well. It was light and humorous. We loved the dynamic between the two main characters. They were end game, and the reader will find themselves rooting for them throughout the whole story. We can't wait for the next one in the series to release!

This book was really fun- so many good tropes that felt well done- second chance romance, fake marriage, forced proximity. It was also really great to see how the characters had grown and matured since they dated in high school. Also fun to see characters from the first book in this series

I enjoyed the plot of two former high school sweethearts leaving their small town for college and developing other lives apart from each other, but eventually meeting and getting together again in a most unusual way.

There are tropes in this rom com that seem familiar. but the plot develops different angles that kept me interested and reading. The tangents are not totally predictable plot devices, except for the ending, of course.

The cover had me wondering about the marriage in Las Vegas, but the story line goes another tantalizing way.

An enjoyable read. I nevertheless wondered about the play by play details of the school basketball winning game and whether it would be interesing only for basketball fans.

The Partner Plot was such a quick and fun read. I’ve read many fake relationship books, but this is the first fake marriage that I’ve come across and I loved it! I also love how well the second chance romance plot of the book was written. This book kept me turning pages as we learned about Violet and Xavier’s history and rekindled flame. I truly appreciate how well they communicated throughout the book. I feel like we don’t get to see that often. Their communication, hesitations and conversations about their careers made the characters easy to relate to

Thanks Netgallery and Berkley romance for the ARC of The Partner Plot in exchange of an honest review.

“There were multiple iterations of their love. Violet and Xavier then…Maybe Violet and Xavier now?”

Plot summary:

10 years after their heartbreaking break up, Violet and Xavier found each other again a night in Las Vegas. One thing led to another, and they woke up with not only a severe hangover, but with wedding rings on their fingers. They soon find out that "being married" could benefit them both, so why not pretend for a little bit. But with both being each other’s true love, will those feelings come back? Will they take a chance on their relationship now that they live both very different lives?

Read if you like:
- High School Sweethearts
- Second chance romance
- Marriage of Convenience
- SLOW BURN
- No third act break up.

Review:

I want to start by saying that I absolutely LOVED this book, for many reasons. First, I read The Neighbor Favor last year, and while I liked it, I wasn’t completely sold. I was hesitant to request this ARC but since I liked Violet’s character in the previous book, I requested it. I AM SO GLAD I DID. This book is such an improvement from the previous one (again, not saying that The Neighbor Favor was bad, it was just not my favorite). Kristina Forest’s writing had matured so much, and the way the story was told, the banter and the moments of pining are just so good in this one. I loved how even though the story was a second chance romance there wasn’t too many flashbacks to their relationship before their breakup, but just enough to understand as a reader where they were at the time, they ended things. Both characters proved they have grown so much, and that they have learned from their mistakes. I adored Violet, how real and determined she was, and Xavier was just such a great mmc. They both were just meant to be, and I felt that through the story.

One thing I do want to note, just because I feel this could be something people don’t particularly like, is their conflict. There might be slight spoilers ahead so beware. Their conflict stemmed out of a very REAL fear. Look, I can't judge Violet and the way she handled the conflict or say, "but she is an adult she needs to communicate”, because after heartbreak, true painful heartbreak, it’s not easy to trust again, it’s more than natural to fear again. It’s not an easy thing to do. Violet needed someone like Xavier, to not only prove that everything would be okay, but to be there to lean on, and he did exactly that. He never tried to justify the past, rather he said he was sorry, he learned from his mistakes and gave her all the reassurance that this time around, they were going to make it. Which is why I love how this story developed, it’s a slow burn but it feels realistic. SURE, the whole "fake marriage thing" is part of the tropes that starts up the plot but them as a couple, and them giving another chance to the relationship that changed their lives when they were kids, feels authentic and beautifully real.

All and all, I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see Iris’s story in the next one!

The Partner Plot is my first book by author Kristina Forest.

Violet Greene is a celebrity stylist and fashion is her life. After a messy public breakup, she’s focused on her career and trying to ignore that her personal life is in shambles. That is until she runs into her childhood sweetheart, Xavier Wright.

This was a second chance romance that many readers will enjoy. I liked Violet and Xavier, however I felt like there was a lack of connection and romance between the two of them.
I felt like the book focused a lot more on the careers and the failures of the two characters, instead of the characters falling in love for the second time.

Perfect follow up to The Neighbor Favor. I love fake marriages/dating and this one hit all the right notes, and ones that I also wasn't expecting

This was a cute and realistic rom com. The banter she second chance was understandable and made sense based on the characters. I like that there weren’t many flashback scenes and just a lot of development of the second chance friendship/relationship. The only thing I wasn’t in to was how the relationship conflict was resolved. It’s not a big deal but I felt like problems weren’t addressed and going forward they might still have the same issues. Overall I liked the writing and thought the romance was nice. Thanks to the publisher for this arc for an honest review

Read if you like:
- Second chance romance
- High school loves
- Vegas wedding
- Fake marriage
- Bipoc characters

This book fell really short for me to be totally honest. It was hard for me to believe that the characters were actually falling in love again because it moved so quickly and a lot of that growth seemed to happen off page. I enjoy the idea of second-chance romance and all that jazz, but it just wasn't believable for me in this book.