There are few things more relaxing to me than sitting down with a blanket and a new romance novel. After years of reading romance, I’ve seen many themes in the genre. While the themes may be the same, I love to see how the characters or style of writing is different. Sara Desai has quickly become one of my favorite authors in the genre for her playful and charming stories.
The Dating Plan is a contemporary romance about what happens when real feelings enter a fake engagement. Daisy Patel is a software engineer who is tired of her family trying to set her up with people and is tired of dating in general after her last breakup. In an effort to escape an awkward encounter, she runs into Liam Murphy, the man she hasn’t seen since he stood her up for prom 10 years ago and disappeared. Liam is now a successful venture capitalist and more than happy to help Daisy in this moment. However, he soon needs help of his own when he finds out his grandfather left him the family distillery under the condition that he is married before his next birthday. With very little time and few options, Liam can’t think of anyone who would make a better fake fiancé than the one woman who doesn’t want to be anywhere near him: Daisy.
While Daisy relished in her schedules and careful planning, she was still able to relax and have fun in her own way. She was intelligent, quick-witted, and very easy to relate to. Liam broke her heart years ago, but he obviously had a soft spot for Daisy that grew as they embarked on their “engagement”. I particularly enjoyed Liam’s character development. There is an ongoing compare and contrast between Daisy and Liam’s family dynamics. You can see how their childhood shaped them as adults and this helped me understand their behaviors more.
This humorous novel also had it’s sentimental moments. While the story is mostly very light-hearted, the characters had to tackle their own personal obstacles. Desai gave each character their own problems and this story was just as much about them together as it was about them as individuals. This provided a great opportunity for character growth as they had to face challenges alone and together.
I enjoyed this sweet romance from beginning to end and I know I will read it again in the future. I recommend this story for readers interested in contemporary romance and fake-dating themes.
Let me know what you think of this story in the comments!
