Melissa Foster’s The Mr. Right Checklist is a masterfully written romance that blends heartfelt storytelling with laugh-out-loud humor and a touch of steamy spice. From the very first chapter, Foster hooks readers with her sharp wit, relatable characters, and a story that feels both fresh and irresistibly charming.

The novel follows a protagonist whose search for “Mr. Right” doesn’t go quite as planned, leading to a journey of unexpected twists, sizzling chemistry, and self-discovery. Foster has a knack for creating vibrant characters whose emotions leap off the page, making it impossible not to root for them. The balance of humor and heartfelt moments gives the story depth, while the romance delivers all the swoon-worthy moments fans of the genre crave.

The spice level is perfectly tuned to enhance the story without overshadowing its heart. Foster’s writing captures the complexity of modern relationships with warmth and authenticity, ensuring readers will laugh, cry, and fall in love alongside the characters.

For fans of romantic comedies with substance, The Mr. Right Checklist is a standout. It’s a feel-good, addictive read that leaves you wanting more—not just from this series but from Melissa Foster’s entire catalog. Whether you’re new to her books or a longtime fan, this one will remind you why Foster is a powerhouse in contemporary romance.

I adored The Mr. Right Checklist. It was the feeling good romcom I needed. It was a breath of fresh air that made me giggle several times. If you want an adorable romcom with a grumpy MMC who has a soft spot for his family and his dog, and a lovable FMC who makes everyone around her feel happiness and sunshine, then definitely read this book.

Destiny is looking for her Mr. Right. Someone who loves her in the same epic way her parents loved each other. Fletch is divorced and does not want a relationship or another marriage. After their paths cross in a hilarious way, they start an unlikely friendship that morphs into what they think is a situationship over time. Both are not able to admit to the other how they truly feel, knowing they want different things.

This book will leave you smiling and saying aww several times. Fletch is romantic and thoughtful and also goes by the nickname of the O King, which should not come as shocking when you read the spice in this book. If you want a romcom that gives you the feels and has spice, for sure give this one a read!

✨Grumpy/Sunshine
✨Golden Retriever MMC
✨Small Town Romance
✨Opposites Attract
✨Fake Dating
✨Romcom

🌶️🌶️/5

Humorous Fletch aka Molly the dog's dad and Destiny his groomer started off in an usual way. Then end up coming up with an arrangement that suits them both. In theory neither were each other's type but the attraction is evident as the story goes on. They each begin to see the other differently and the chemistry in the bedroom is there as well.
To add to the experience I listened to audio on release narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York. While I am giddy about Savannah's male impression overall the audio was good. Sebastian nailed as usual.

Destiny's got to get her marriage proposal business up and running. Right now she's a dog groomer, but her ever present belief in love has given her hearts in her eyes as she eyes the idea of marriage proposals for everyone, not the least of which for herself someday. But then a grumpy but gorgeous professor happens to her and suddenly life's going in a way she never imagined. Will this pair of opposites be able to turn fake to real?

Fletch knows he's the opposite of what Destiny has on her Mr. Right Checklist. But somehow, spending all this time with her as his fake girlfriend has made him want what he never thought he would again - a committed relationship with someone who gives him that feeling. But does Destiny feel the same for him? His insecurities just may break the good thing they've got going on, and Destiny may walk away because of them.

This rom-com is just what I needed after having been reading some more emotionally heavy and angsty stuff. Fletch and Destiny hit all the right notes with their story - sweet, sexy, laugh out loud funny and witty, and an absolutely adorable pair of grumpy/sunshine goodness.

Rating: ♾️⭐
Spice: 3🌶️

I'm not sure why I held out for so long in reading Melissa's books, but heck do I have one hella backlist to get through! I cannot even put into words how much I LOVED this!! Melissa has written such a beautiful & heartfelt story that you can't help but be fully invested in.

Destiny works as a dog groomer, but has dreams to open her own business - creating the perfect marriage proposals for couples. When the event she plans gets ruined by one of her doggy clients & her human daddy, Fletch - it's evident Destiny overlooked her due diligence. Wanting to call a truce, Fletch agrees to help get her business off the ground, if in return, she can be his fake girlfriend for his brother's wedding.

Divorcee Fletch doesn't have any concerns about feeling anything for Destiny. He's vowed to never fall for the marriage trap again and Destiny also has a checklist she wants in a man. Fletch hardly meets any of the criteria, but what happens when Fletch starts developing feelings.. and the fine lines between them gradually start to blur?

Destiny & Fletch... I practically experienced every emotion to be had in their relationship. The flirty banter, the tension, the chemistry🤌🏻🫠 Despite Destiny having suffered major losses in life, she hasn't let that affect her outlook on life itself and most importantly, lose hope in finding true love. On the contrary, Fletch is closed off to love and has built walls so high around his heart, no one could scale them, until Destiny. It was adorable seeing that gradual shift in Fletch, where his true golden retriever personality started to shine through. Before he knew it, he was becoming everything Destiny could ever dream of, whilst falling head over heels for her. My heart could not be more full for them!💗🤗

I absolutely adored this book & cannot recommend it highly enough! I certainly didn't expect to be crying through some of the scenes, but it was just so touching!

Thank you so much to @melissafoster_author & @netgalley for providing me with an eARC, in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻💕

This is a fun, grumpy sunshine romance that is hard to put down. I loved the witty banter and sparks flying between the two MCs. The story itself is fun and entertaining. I lost count the number times that this book has been sighing happily, swooning, and laughing. I adored a memorable meet-cute, and this book did that in spades. It was a great way to hook me in as a reader. Overall, this book is the perfect little escape read for anyone looking to lose themselves in a fabulous rom-com.

This is the second book in this impressive series, and this is Destiny and Ryan / Fletch’s story.
Destiny is sweet and quirky, and she is a dog groomer, and budding marriage proposal planner. Ryan has been left bitter and jaded by his divorce, but he needs a fake girlfriend for his brother’s wedding to keep his matchmaking family off his back.
This is a well written easy to read, emotional roller coaster story, with family, friendships, grumpy / sunshine, opposites attract, humor, witty banter, romance, and love, which leads to an entertaining, poignant, and charming addictive page turner.
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Amazing characters and wonderful plot. Very beautifully written and easy to read.

Destiny Amor is marriage proposal planner. She has a Mr. Right Checklist, and no one checked all of the boxes yet.

Ryan Fletcher, her dog grooming client, offers her a deal. He’ll help her business get on track, and she’ll play his girlfriend at his brother’s wedding to get his family off his back.

The more time they spend together and get to know each other, the more their feelings grow. I loved their chemistry and banter. They were made for each other.

Overall I loved this book very much. If you’re looking for a fake dating, small town, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine romance then you’re going to love it.

Yes! This feel good romance hit all the feels. I absolutely loved the characters. I found the couple were relatable, the characters were well developed and had such a gravitational pull to them. They would be my type of peeps to befriend and hang out with. This was a well-written book with charm, plenty of laughs and swoony moments.

THE MR. RIGHT CHECKLIST by Melissa Foster is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic romance story line focusing on dog groomer / marriage-proposal planner Destiny Amor, and sociology professor Ryan ‘Fletch’ Fletcher.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Fletch and Destiny) THE MR. RIGHT CHECKLIST follows the building but fake relationship between our story line couple. Destiny Amor is the groomer for Ryan Fletcher’s dog Molly but Destiny sees nothing but a ‘grumpy Gus’ whenever Ryan enters the store but when Destiny’s inaugural marriage proposal event goes off the rails, Ryan aka Fletch offers a proposal, a fake relationship to keep his family of matchmakers off his back. Little does Fletch know but Destiny has a check-list of criteria for her own Mr. Right, and Fletch doesn’t check off too many boxes on our heroine’s list. As Fletch and Destiny’s relationship slowly builds into something more, neither one is willing to acknowledge their growing love, instead focusing on the end date, and nothing more.

The world building focuses on Destiny’s slow building marriage proposal business, and the growing relationship between our story line couple but Destiny is so fixated on her Mr. Right Check-list she doesn’t see that she has already found the man that she loves. Destiny is willing to walk away as their expiry date approaches because Fletch doesn’t check all of the boxes on her list. While Fletch struggles with a prior betrayal that refocuses his heart on something else he quickly realizes that Destiny may be his chance at love.

The relationship between Fletch and Destiny begins acrimoniously and quickly spirals down hill. In an effort to appease his family, Fletch proposes a fake relationship with our story line heroine, a relationship that will quickly turn into something more. Their sexual chemistry is real and strong. The $ex scenes are spicy intimate and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are charismatic and fun. We are introduced to Destiny’s boss and best friend Ruby and her husband John ; Fletch’s best friend Marshall, and brothers Chuck, Jimmy and his wife Beth.

THE MR. RIGHT CHECKLIST is a story of secrets and lies, family and friendships, loss and grief, acceptance and love. The premise is spirited and heartwarming ; the characters are flirty and fun; the romance is seductive and fated.



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B&N (Sandy_thereadingcafe) posted

5++ Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ THE MR. RIGHT CHECKLIST deserves all the stars (especially those 2 special ones in the sky)! You will fall in love with this from the beginning when Destiny and Fletch have a most unusual encounter, leading to a captivating story that shows how opposites are meant to attract. And boy, do they ever in this thoroughly enchanting, funny, fun, exasperating, charming, and completely engaging tale. This will often make you smile, sometimes laugh, and sometimes bring tears to your eyes. Whatever emotion this evokes, it is sure to tug hard on your heartstrings and leave you feeling much better than before you read it! The fast-paced storyline with its well-drawn characters will keep you enthralled from beginning to end and keep you so thoroughly entertained that you will never want to put their story down, not even when you get to the adorably, wonderfully perfect ending.

I love a good romcom and this one checks some of my favorite boxes from opposites attract, to grumpy-sunshine, and a touch of fake relationship.

Destiny is a breath of fresh air! She's a southern girl who speaks her mind and loves love. Fletch has been burned by love and wants nothing to do with it. He's a dog dad that is tired of people trying to set him up on dates. I loved how these two came to be. Watching them form a beautiful friendship and open up to one another was everything! Destiny shows Fletch what love truly is and he shows her that her Mr Right checklist can change. These two were so sweet together! I loved watching their relationship grow and evelove. The secondary characters where fabulous too!

ARC review.

I love Melissa Foster as an author, but this was not one of my favorites. While I adored our hero, Fletch, and thought of him as the perfect book hero, the same could not be said for our heroine. Her name is Destiny Amor. She’s in love with love…she was just too extra and her rambling and antics got old.

I love the secondary characters and loved Marshall and both of Fletch’s brothers and hope they get stories as well.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really loved this grumpy sunshine book. It was exactly what I needed in a book. It made me lose myself in this story and away from reality. I laughed hard whilst reading this book, but I also got really frustrated.

Destiny was a great character. She was ditsy but in all the best ways. Ryan/Fletch was in denial of his feelings throughout this book. But he was loving and supportive. I was so happy and loved watching this love story unravel. It is a crazy fun ride. This again was a fantastic book, one I recommend so much.

This is a standalone grumpy/sunshine rom-com that will have you smiling while you read. It is fun, witty and full of quirks as we watch this fake dating couple go through a meet cute, to spending time with one another and becoming attached quickly.

Destiny has had her share of kicks but she seems to be bright and cheery despite all the hard knocks she has received over the years. Currently working as a dog groomer while trying to get her proposal company off the ground. Her first proposal is a complete flop and brings her front and center with Fletch, a grooming client.

Ryan "Fletch" has the been there done that attitude when it comes to relationships and love. A young divorcee that keeps himself busy with his teaching and spending time with his family. When he finds himself in a situation with his stalking student, he uses Destiny to help him out. One thing leads to another and he finds himself helping the bubbly girl with her business.

As attraction grows, Destiny and Fletch have trouble keeping things in the friend zone. Grab your copy and follow them along in this journey neither of them were expecting.

** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. **

This is a delightful read for anyone who loves a lighthearted, humorous, and romantic tale of self-discovery, friendship, and the pursuit of love, with a dash of witty banter and a strong, independent heroine who dares to believe in happily ever afters.

A fun opposites attract romance. Destiny and Fletch are not an obvious match. But from the start their interactions were just so much fun. I love how they started their friendship and how it evolved. Their banter was spot on and just made me smile. The book was more than just the fun rom-com too. All the feelings were involved. It was a great escape read. I loved seeing how some characters from earlier books are doing too. It was a good surprise. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

4.5 stars!

Destiny Amor believed in love and forever after, which is why she was excited to get her proposal planning business off the ground. Her first client ended being a stalker and brought Destiny into Ryan “Fletch” Fletcher's orbit. He offered to help her get her business in order and put her in touch with friends of his who could assist in different areas from law to building props to venue and decor. In return, she walked Fletch's dog. Then they became fake boyfriend/girlfriend to get his family off his back. The more time they spent together, the more their feelings started to change. But, they both had their initial impressions of the other at the top of their heads. Fletch was burned once and didn't believe in HEA. Destiny had her "Mr. Right" checklist, of which Fletch didn't meet any criteria.

This grumpy sunshine, fake dating, friends to lovers story was just what I needed to escape from reality. It was light and full of great banter between the characters. Destiny's southern charm took things up a notch with her witty sayings and friendly demeanor. I can see why Fletch fell hard for Destiny.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

I've only read a few Melissa Foster books before, and after this one, I'm wondering why I haven't read every single one of her books. Destiny was such an inspiring character, you can't help but root for her from the very beginning. Fletch was her perfect balance, and I just loved reading their story. So many pieces went into their puzzle, and I couldn't put this down until every piece was snapped into place. I'm definitely going to make effort to catch up on her back list

Destiny has just launched her proposal planning business, but her first job goes down the drain when the woman who hired her to propose to her boyfriend turns out to be one of the clients of her friend's pet grooming business, Ryan (aka Grumpy Gus), and he tells her that woman is not only one of his students, but has also been stalking him... Destiny is ready to throw in the towel and give up on her business, but Ryan offers her some business lessons to help her out. In exchange, she will be his fake girlfriend to get his family off his back. She thinks it's fair and safe, given that he checks none of the boxes on her Mr. Right Checklist...
This is a grumpy sunshine, fake dating agreement, friends to lovers romance, and I liked it! It's super fluffy, light and fun, with great banter. However... the grump was not grumpy enough and the sunshine was waaaay too sunshiny. She's quirky, we get it. She was also stubborn as hell with her list, not only was it annoying, it was stupid. So was the third act breakup, which was 100% unnecessary. Anyhow, it was very surface level, a bit cheesy, a quick and fun read, a great palate cleanser!
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.