Publishers Weekly
12/06/2021
Though the premise of this heartwarming rom-com from Higgins (the Vow series) occasionally strains credulity, its refreshing, well-handled focus on queer women of color finding love and affirmation more than makes up for its shortcomings. D’Vaughn and Kris meet through the reality TV show Instant I Do, which pairs up contestants who’ve never met and gives them six weeks to convince their loved ones they’re getting married, all while actually planning a wedding. If they pull off the deception and make it to the altar, they can choose to either accept prize money or get married for real. D’Vaughn auditioned seeking motivation to come out to her religious family, while Kris hopes to find true love. Their chemistry is instant and robust, but a number of obstacles stand between them and the altar. The show’s details are slightly convoluted, but the competition does create touching opportunities for the contestants’ families to bond and show support. The story strikes the perfect balance for its subgenre, reflecting queer people’s authentic experiences while keeping the mood light and frothy. Higgins gives world-weary readers looking for an inclusive and thoroughly enjoyable escape exactly what they need. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"Triumphantly Black, queer and contemporary. Magic...the dialogue snaps and shimmers." —New York Times Book Review
"A beautiful distillation of the ways love can come if you simply open your heart, your arms, and fall, trusting the other person to hold on while they fall alongside you.” –Entertainment Weekly
What a pleasure this book was! D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding is some of the most fun I’ve had with a book this year. Effortlessly sexy, smart, achingly romantic and wonderfully vibrant. D’Vaughn and Kris’s courtship is an absolute joy to read. Chencia C Higgins absolutely slayed with this fresh and swoony take on a reality tv rom com. - Adriana Herrera, USA Today Bestselling Author
“Higgins makes her print debut with an emotionally powerful, boldly sexy, and ultimately joyful tale of love and acceptance that makes the most of its reality television show premise as well as its vibrant cast of characters, not to mention the author’s fresh, fun spin on the always popular fauxmance trope.”— Booklist
"Funny, angsty, and sexy—the fake-dating-trope trifecta.” –SELF
“The story strikes the perfect balance for its subgenre, reflecting queer people’s authentic experiences while keeping the mood light and frothy. Higgins gives world-weary readers looking for an inclusive and thoroughly enjoyable escape exactly what they need.” — Publishers Weekly
“In a romance featuring Black joy, plus-sized beauty, and Mexican pride, the conflicts are entirely believable, and not overly dramatic, and make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is fake dating at its best.” —Library Journal, starred review
“This is the year of the fake relationship trope, and this book is starting us off with a bang!” —Mia Sosa, bestselling author of The Worst Best Man
"Romances that decenter both whiteness and the gender binary are still dismayingly rare in traditional publishing, so to see a Black lesbian stud as a central character is like water on a parched bit of ground."—New York Times Book Review
Library Journal
★ 12/01/2021
Higgins's ("The Vow" series) first trade release shows different experiences within the queer community, focusing especially on intersections with other identities. Kris Zavala and D'Vaughn Miller have six weeks to convince their families that they are in love and getting married in order to win $100,000 on the hit reality show Instant I Do. They had different reasons for joining the show; D'Vaughn wants a push to come out to her religious family, and Kris is looking to make a real connection with someone outside of her substantial social media following. This story tracks how their feelings for one another develop, despite the growing pressures of lying to their families and performing for the cameras. VERDICT In a romance featuring Black joy, plus-sized beauty, and Mexican pride, the conflicts are entirely believable, and not overly dramatic, and make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is fake dating at its best.—Claudia Berger, New York, NY
AUGUST 2022 - AudioFile
Rebecca Lee gives a spirited performance of this fun, low-angst love story about two Black women who meet on a reality TV show during which they have to plan a wedding and convince both their families it’s real. Butch influencer Kris is hoping to find true love on the show, while D’Vaughn plans to use it as an excuse to finally come out to her family. While Lee’s voices for Kris and D’Vaughn aren’t drastically different, that doesn’t detract from the deliciousness of this audiobook. She hits all the right notes, capturing the tender moments between the pair in soft whispers and sexy murmurs, and their brief bouts of angst in a tighter strained voice. Listeners looking for a breezy, joyful Sapphic romance will not be disappointed. L.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
