This was incredibly delightful.

D'Vaughn and Kris are contestants on <i>Instant I-Do</i>, a dating reality show where couples are paired up by the show and have six weeks to plan a wedding -- and they can't tell anyone they've just met and are doing this for a tv show.  At the end of the six weeks, the couples who have made it to the altar have to decide if they want to give the marriage a go, or walk away with $100,000.  Instant attraction sparked between the two women, and they're both dedicated to giving it their all, but actually falling in love in six weeks is impossible.  Right...?

So many people love a dating show IRL, so I'm glad this trope seems to finally be taking off.  It's so fun and has the potential to be so tropey: forced proximity, fake dating, insta-lust, maybe some enemies-to-lovers.  This book absolutely delivers on several of those, all while threading a really sincere emotional note through the story.  

Kris is ready to settle down, looking for someone to love her for her and not for her Instagram clout.  D'Vaughn is tired of hiding her sexuality from her family but needs that extra push to commit to finally coming out.  They're each other's perfect foil.  D'Vaughn doesn't care about social media, and Kris is comfortable with who she is so she can encourage D'Vaughn to be the same.

The pacing was a bit wonky at points, and I did find this specific iteration on the dating show trope a little tenuous at times, but overall, this was such a fun, funny book, and I want to be invited to the next Zavala family party, please.

CW:

brief instances of homophobia and racism from a parent, D'Vaughn comes out to her mother on the page and while it doesn't go horribly, it doesn't go great.