The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest is a second-chance, fake relationship romance with all the swoons.

Violet Greene and Xavier Wright were perfect together in high school. It’s almost love at first sight. The high school flashbacks so perfectly capture to dreamy optimism of teen years, with Violet’s plan to be a celebrity stylist and Xavier to be an NBA superstar. But what happens when only one person’s dreams comes true?

It’s been years since Violet and Xavier have seen each other but after a drunken fake marriage in Vegas leads to a fake relationship, they’re both left with some very real feelings. But the question becomes, can they make it work when their lives ending up being so different?

This book is fast-paced, romantic, and a perfect beach read! While this story does refer to the first book in the series, you could read it as a standalone as well. Plus, for those that don’t like it, there’s no third act breakup!

4.5/5

This was such a cute follow up to The Neighbor Favor! When I met Violet in TNF, I knew I would love her book and I was right! She’s such a strong FMC and I could relate to her a lot (people pleaser + burnout problems galore!).

Xavier is such a charming love interest! I love that he supports Violet and was always positively pushing her.

Their relationship was also very cute! I was never much for a second chance romance, but after this book, it really changed my mind! I love that they talked through their issues and that their love story very satisfying ending.

I can’t wait for more from Kristina Forest!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a wonderful book and I'll be purchasing it for the library!

Short synopsis: After running into her high school sweet heart in Vegas (and pretend marrying him), Violet pretends to be married to him for a magazine article.

My thoughts: It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize this is interconnected with The Neighbor Favor (which I adored), but this one was just as good!

I loved watching Violet and Xavier’s relationship re-develop as they got to know each other again. I loved how they were both so willing to bend to allow each other into their already established lives.

This was so much more than just a romance story. I absolutely loved the inside look into Violet’s career as a celebrity stylist, and how hard she worked to get where she was. I also loved that even though Xavier wasn’t able to follow his dreams of playing in the NBA he still found a way to follow his passion by coaching basketball.

I cannot wait for Iris’s story next!

Read if you love:
- Second chance romance
- High school sweethearts
- Fake marriage
- More than a romance
- Interconnected series

(catching up on reviews) - I was so excited to get my hands on Forest's newest release The Partner Plot after LOVING The Neighbor Favor. I really liked both characters separately and their relationships with side characters, but I didn't totally love them together. I think it is just because I didn't have enough scenes of them just being a couple without all of the drama. Hoping there is another book coming because I still love how Forest writes her MCs

What a cute premise. Not just a fake marriage, but a legally real but pretending to be in love marriage. I always like when an author takes a tried and true trope and pokes it just a little. A second chance romance that shows how strong the pull is to our first loves.

I smiled and rooted for Violet and Xavier. This one was spot on for the rom(ance) and the com(edy). I always wonder how it will play out when I read a new to me author in a favorite genre, but this one was a winner. I felt their chemistry and believed their reasons to hesitate to try again.

I flew through this one as it was engaging and easy to read. I'll definitely pick up the author's next book.

I love this book and even though the series isn't complete yet... The Partner Plot is my favorite. Violet was just my type of girl, I also loved that she worked on fashion. It was just a fun well written character. Xavier is the typical make lead in Rom-Com. Written fine and shy with little to no arrogance. A former basketball player turned teacher he gives all the small town boyfriend vibes you could wish for.

Kristina Forest just knows how to write that swoony romance that has your feet kicking. She writes romance so beautifully that it feels like these characters are people in real life. It’s the perfect blend of romance and a bit of spice and it’s super endearing. I enjoyed this a lot!

I don’t typically like second chance romances, but this one worked so well for me! Maybe because of the marriage of convenience trope. It was so fun and I’m definitely going to read The Neighbor Favor asap.

I loved the dual POV and the communication between our FMC and MMC! The chemistry was great.

Thoroughly enjoyed this read! It was a great follow up to The Neighbor Favor. I look forward to the next one Forest releases!

This was a cute and cozy romance story with a small town vibe and city life! I love Xavier and Violet! I also love that we get a different profession of the fashion industry…how that hinders people from having a relationship or making a choice between career and love! Overall a great easy read! Will be reading the next book!

I was so excited to read Violet's story after reading the first book that featured her sister (The Neighbor Favor). This was a cool second chance romance. and man Xavier ... sounds FIIIINE lol. I really enjoyed reading this book! would recommend to ANY ROMANCE LOVER!

I absolutely adored The Partner Plot!

Kristina Forest has roots in YA, and it shows in the best way—the plot of this story was very well developed, and the characters have the polish that is typically reserved for YA romances. These characters feel so realistic and human and flawed and dynamic that even in their most tense moments I never grew tired of the story. I do think that the book could afford to be about 50-80 pages shorter, however the overall flow and pacing of the story was perfect.

I haven't read The Neighbor Favor, which is somewhat of a companion novel to this one, but I absolutely will be reading it very soon. Forest's ability to write characters who ride the ebbs and flows of life and take care not to intentionally harm others in the process is magical.

4.5 ⭐️s
2 🌶️

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

This was such a fun read! I loved the second chance vibes, and who doesn't love a marriage of convenience? Mostly I loved how different Vi and Xavier's lives were but how much they supported each other and loved each other anyway.

A fun back and forth between two high school exes. We get a story that starts in high school. Their beginning (which is adorable) and their banter. Then we fast forward to 10 years later where they had a bad ending and haven’t talked to each other in years. By a chance meeting, a hilarious fake wedding, and sparks that will fly and sizzle, we get to see their HEA!

I actually dnfed this right before the third act breakup. I wanted to like this so much because I loved the neighbor favor but this one just didn’t work for me. Also the whole time I kept thinking “I wouldn’t get back with my high school boyfriend even if there was a gun to my head” so yeah

I love second chance romances and this one definitely hit all the right notes for me. Violet and Xavier are high school sweethearts who find each other again in that unlikely of places, Las Vegas, and get married. I don’t love the “marriage of convenience” trope but I think the plotline worked well enough for this book.

There was plenty of chemistry between Violet and Xavier. I enjoyed the dual POV. And major bonus: no third act breakup! They were busy navigating their lives and communicating.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC. The Partner Plot is out now.

Thank-you to NetGalley, Berkeley Publishing Group, and Kristina Forest for the eARC.

I must admit, I wasn't super into the first book in this series, but the premise of this one intrigued me enough to check it out. Another confession, I am not the biggest fan of second-chance romance.

HOWEVER.

I LOVED this book! Everything about it just WORKED for me, and I've been recommending it to everyone at work who I think would be even remotely into it. =P

This is my second book by Kristina Forest and I loved it! I loved Violet's character in The Neighbor Favor and I was so happy that she got her own story!

Second-chance romance is a trope that is very hit-or-miss for me, but it definitely hits in this book. Who can resist high school sweethearts who find each other later in life and end up entering a marriage of convenience??

Marriage of convenience has become one of my favorite tropes recently and I think that it was executed perfectly in this book.

I think this book does a great job of showcasing black love in a positive way, especially through healthy communication.

There's not much spice in this story if that's what you're looking for, but I believe that what we were given fits perfectly with the story.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will definitely be reading more books by Kristina Forest!

When I read The Neighbor Favor, I knew I'd enjoy the rest of this series. This fake dating/marriage, second chance romance was done so well! I'm really becoming a fan of second chance romances, and this one won me over. I really liked how Violet and Xavier found each other again, and they were trying to figure out how to fit into each other's lives. Their age helped them when it came to communicating (I hate miscommunication tropes), because when problems popped up, they were able to work through them. I also enjoyed the little snippets we got into their high school relationship. Showing their history was important to their story because it makes them getting back together that much sweeter. I would definitely recommend this if you want a mature second chance romance with healthy communication!