Two contestants on the show Instant I Do must convince their friends and family that they’re getting married in six weeks. If they fail to convince them, they’ll be kicked off the show and lose out on $100,000! These two women, D’Vaughn and Kris, soon realized that their relationship might not be so fake, and they must decide if they want the $100k or each other.

     This book was so adorable. My favorite part of it is the relationship between D’Vaughn and Kris. They were so comfortable with each other and had great communication and understanding. They really are goals! I also loved the reality TV aspect of this. I’ve never read anything with that trope before, but after reading this I want more of it! And the ending was just so beautiful. I really loved seeing the love between these two women. I liked a lot of things about this book, but I disliked a lot of things too. 

     My main problem with this book was that the scenes were way too long! There was a lot of unnecessary dialogue that I assume was for side-character development, but there are other ways that the characters could’ve had personality without having a million different conversations happening in one chapter.

     Another thing I didn’t like was Kris. Not because the writer did anything wrong in writing her, she’s just not my type of person. She was too slick and charming for me, like one of those people that you can never tell what’s real with them and what’s not. But I could tell it was written with intention, because it’s explored in the book. Also, I like D’Vaughn, but I feel like when she’s with Kris she has no personality. It’s like her only personality is being anxious and constantly blushing when she’s with Kris. When she’s with her Bestfriend Cinta she becomes the character I enjoy with a funny, smart, and bubbly personality.

      And the last critique I have about this book is about one scene that just really rubbed me the wrong way. When D’Vaughn, who is African American, and Kris, who is Afro-Latinx, tell D’Vaughn’s mother that they’re getting married, one of the mother’s concerns is that they’re rushing into this marriage and she asks her daughter has she even met Kris’ family. She says they could be racists for all D’Vaughn knows. D’Vaughn then calls her mother a bigot in a confessional for live tv because she had the concern that Kris’ family could be racist. Yes, I understand that Kris is Afro-Latinx meaning that she’s Black, but I also understand that D’Vaughn’s mother doesn’t know that she’s Black and only had a genuine concern for her daughter’s safety and well-being. Are we going to pretend that there isn’t a history of Latinx people being prejudiced against Black people? It’s still prevalent today. So, I don’t appreciate D’Vaughn calling her mother a bigot for having an understandable concern. That really rubbed me the wrong way.

     I enjoyed this book though! It had my favorite trope, fake dating, and had a wonderful relationship between two beautiful Black women! I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romance! 
 
Thank you Harlequin-Carina Press and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: difficult coming out experience; sexual situations