The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Rating: 5/5 (for the vibes for the plot it would be like a 3)
Publication Date: March 16th, 2021
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I finished this in one night which says it all to be honest. Right from the start, the narration was so well done. I was instantly in love with Daisy. She was smart and funny and sarcastic and witty. I loved how relatable she was as a desi main character struggling to be independent while also wanting to be part of this huge community that desi families tend to have.
I found myself laughing out loud with all the banter and jokes, especially the little ones about how the family gossiped. Most of the time when writing about desi family gossip, it feels pretty stereotypical, but Desai did a great job making this feel more wholesome and well meaning. You could truly see that while it could be a bit overwhelming have to deal with the family, Daisy knew they were just well meaning and trying to look out for her because she was family.
Now onto the fun stuff. I LOVED Liam and Daisy’s relationship. It was so much fun to see childhood friends to lovers to enemies to lovers. The banter was top tier. the chemistry was off the charts. The pining! The angst! Just so much fun to read.
While I personally didn’t think the drama with prom and family stuff was as dramatic as I usually like from rom-coms, I do think this book just did such a good job fleshing out the characters and making them have their own individual problems and lives along with having them work so perfectly together! Also, just the whole fake dating trope really makes me happy. I live for that!
Now my rating here is different from what I normally do because when I went into this book I went in specifically for the romance and banter and got exactly what I came for… however, the plot itself was just average and not really my thing at all. Let’s be real here, nobody actually cares that much about your prom date ditching you TEN YEARS LATER. Like that whole idea was just hilariously ridiculous and way over the top. I don’t even remember high school anymore and that was less than a decade ago! But whatever. I wasn’t here for the plot anyway so my vibe rating is 5/5 but if I really wanted to rate it for plot it would be a 3.
If you enjoy a hilarious fake marriage of convenience story with 10/10 banter and tension, I would definitely recommend this! Truly, the vibes were just fun if you’re in it for the romance and not the plot! If you are like me and just want some fun vibes, this is great for that! If you enjoy hilarious family antics and family that cares sometimes a bit too much, planned dates to make the fake marriage look real, thinking a bit too much about the past, hockey games, extremely spicy food, and motorcycle rides.
Star is All Booked Up 