Community Reviews
Liam Murphy has known and been an extended part of the Patel family since he was a young boy. As he grew up spending much of his time over at their home, he grew to gradually become enamored of his best friend Sanjay's little sister Daisy. Daisy Patel has always had a huge crush on Liam Murphy. Local bad boy. Popular. A new girlfriend every other week. So when Liam offered to take Daisy to her prom, she was elated. However, he stood her up without an explanation, disappearing from the Patel family without so much as a goodbye. Ten years later, Daisy is at a conference preparing for a presentation with Tyler, her boss, when she is put into a stressful situation. One of her Auntie's has arrived at the conference out of the blue to introduce her to a nice young man who her family would greatly approve of. To make matter's worse, she sees her ex-boss and ex-boyfriend making out in the women's bathroom. That is where, after ten years, Daisy and Liam crash into each other once again. He is surprised and delighted to see her, but Daisy is openly cold to the person who stood her up ten years ago and disappeared without saying goodbye. To avoid having to meet her Auntie's choice of a husband for her and to stick it to her ex-boss and ex-boyfriend, Liam plays along when she introduces him as her fiance.
After they part ways - less than pleasantly - Liam goes to the reading of his grandfather's will and finds out that his grandfather wants to leave his distillery to him. This makes Liam's brother - Brenden - angry as he took over their own father's business which has run into hard times. The caveat? If Liam wants the distillery, he has to marry by his next birthday (in two months!) and be married for a year in order to fulfill the requirements of the inheritance. The only problem is that Liam is a damaged man. He comes from an abusive family, his father having been physically abusive toward his mother and him. He is more likely to have a girl of the week rather than commit to anyone. His only hope is to arrange of marriage of convenience and he knows the perfect woman! While Daisy isn't thrilled with the idea, it would get her family off her back when it comes to setting her up with men she isn't interested in and, since the company she works for is in bad shape, Liam would also be a big help in making sure that her place of employment doesn't go under leaving people out of work.
A romantic comedy with sex. Fake marriage. Humorous in spots. This is a solid, sweet (albeit average) story.
This would be great for a weekend or vacation read!
After they part ways - less than pleasantly - Liam goes to the reading of his grandfather's will and finds out that his grandfather wants to leave his distillery to him. This makes Liam's brother - Brenden - angry as he took over their own father's business which has run into hard times. The caveat? If Liam wants the distillery, he has to marry by his next birthday (in two months!) and be married for a year in order to fulfill the requirements of the inheritance. The only problem is that Liam is a damaged man. He comes from an abusive family, his father having been physically abusive toward his mother and him. He is more likely to have a girl of the week rather than commit to anyone. His only hope is to arrange of marriage of convenience and he knows the perfect woman! While Daisy isn't thrilled with the idea, it would get her family off her back when it comes to setting her up with men she isn't interested in and, since the company she works for is in bad shape, Liam would also be a big help in making sure that her place of employment doesn't go under leaving people out of work.
A romantic comedy with sex. Fake marriage. Humorous in spots. This is a solid, sweet (albeit average) story.
This would be great for a weekend or vacation read!
The sweetest rom-com where Daisy Patel got stood up on her prom date with the high school boy of her dreams. Her brother’s best friend, Liam Murphy not only mysteriously skips out on taking her to the prom, he suddenly moves away without so much of an explanation and good-bye. Her heart broke and hardened that night. She will NEVER allow herself to feel this way again, EVER!!! Even her brother, Sanjay hasn’t heard from Liam since Liam left.
Ten years later, Daisy is working at a startup company, Organicare where her boss, Tyler Dawes, CEO of Organicare, needs her to go to the bathroom before their conference, to obtain their competitor’s pads for the demonstration at the Oakland Convention Center. While Tyler is a professor at Caltech, with a Ph.D in chemical engineering, he is the worst salesman Daisy or anyone has ever seen. He’s trying to get venture capital funding so hence, they are at the conference. Daisy goes to the bathroom when she overhears her ex-boyfriend, Orson, and her ex-boss, Madison pawing at each other like horny teenagers. Talk about awkwardness.
Gathering the needed menstruation pads, she tries to quietly make her exit when her Salena Auntie suddenly shows up, out of nowhere with Roshan, a young man Salena Auntie is trying to get Daisy to meet. All her auntie-jis are on a mission to get Daisy married ever since her cousin Layla has gotten engaged. They would all just show up unannounced everywhere: grocery stores, gym, malls, and always with an innocent bachelor in tow. “Oh, we were just in the neighborhood...have you meet… (fill in his name here)? You have to love them as they try so hard to match make her. Thankfully she saw Auntie-ji before Auntie-ji saw Daisy so she tried to make a quick turn around.
She becomes off-balanced and drops all of the pads all over the floor when suddenly someone catches her and it’s not Roshan. She looks up at the strong hands that are holding her from falling and it “Liam Freaking Bastard Murphy.” Dang, he looks hot!!
He’s trying to be charming and she’s still on the offensive by telling her to let go of her. He asks her, how long has it been and she replies, “ten years, eleven months, thirteen days, thirteen hours, forty-seven minutes, and sixteen seconds.” Yes, her brain works that way when back in her high school years, she was known as the geek and nerd. Liam was known as the hunk and the ‘bad boy’ but he was her brother’s best friend. He was the guy every girl wanted and every guy wants to befriend. He had a new girlfriend every week and many waiting in the wings but he had taken a shine to Daisy one day and was captivated by how her mind computed things. He also became so close to the entire family, her father even called him son.
While Liam was away, he became employed with Evolution Ventures, a venture capital company based in NYC. They mainly fund start-ups in the food services industry but they have been expanding into tech so he’s there for the pitch sessions. As Liam is talking to her like they are old chums and even asks her to go out for drinks afterwards, Daisy hasn’t forgotten how he made her feel on prom night and utters sharp, cutting words to him. She wants him to go away and she feels no matter how gorgeous he has possibly become, and the pull of the attraction, no means no. Until of course, Madison comes out looking like she just had sex in the bathroom with Orson. Oh wait, she did. The walk of shame she proudly wears, with Orson in tow. Just then, Salena Auntie-ji with Roshan comes up to her and just as she’s about to lose her cool, Liam knowing how all her aunties are probably trying to match mate her and her ex-boss practically eating Liam up with her eyes, he swoops in and dips her as he gives her the romantic kiss. She melts like butter as they linger in the kiss. Madison licks her lips as she asks Daisy who this tall drink of water is and she says, “My fiance. We are engaged.” To this, Salena Auntie-ji proclaims, “You are secretly engaged and his name is Limb? Who is his family? Your poor father...does he even know about this as he’s on another vacation with his fiance?!”
Later after that debacle, Liam has to meet up with his family. The real reason he came back to Oakland is because his beloved but estranged grandfather has passed. He doesn’t want to go because he’s still very angry with his family and relatives for allowing his mother to be beaten so severely by his father and nobody ever stepped in to help her. He was 13 years of age and even he stood up to his father. His suck-up older brother Brendan was a piece of work and he inherited their father’s car dealer’s business. Their grandfather, Patrick Murphy, owns a distillery and when he passes, everybody knows it will go to the eldest son of the family, which is Brendan. The only person he’s looking forward to seeing is his little nephew, Jaxon, Brendan’s little son. Jaxon’s mother, Lauren is also very nice, even for a corporate lawyer and the least likely person Liam would ever have expected his brother to marry. They held a traditional Irish funeral and the clan were all gathered there at the house. The lawyer comes in and tells them who inherited what. Then comes the announcement, it’s Liam Murphy who will inherit the Murphy & Sons Distillery and not Brendan. Of course there’s a hitch… Liam has to be married by his birthday in order to inherit the distillery. Also, the marriage has to be legit and they have to be married for a minimum one year. If Liam is not, the distillery then goes to Brendan. Brendan is enraged their grandfather would do such a thing. He desperately needed the distillery so that he could sell it outright and use the money to put it into the failing car dealership. He crows, Liam is as good as done because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend. Brendan starts counting his chickens before they are hatched and tells everyone his plans of selling and laying off all the workers, too. James, an old timer who has worked at the distillery, quietly asks Liam if he has anyone in his life to marry. They both concoct an idea of Liam getting married to someone who doesn’t want to stay married to him but someone he trusts. Think of it as a business transaction. Enter, Daisy Patel!
Liam proposes this idea as a win-win situation for the both of them. The Auntie-jis will have to back off and stop match mating. Liam will get his distillery and his greedy brother won’t tear the place down so that all the employees will still have their jobs. Shockingly, Daisy entertains the idea and comes up with “the dating plan” so that it can look more authentic. She later uses a spreadsheet and sends it to Liam to outline all seven dates and on the 8th date, they will marry. Only Daisy could make it into a science and business transaction. There are rules such as, no sex and kissing only in front of people. To make it sound a little more loving, she even has a nickname for him: hamazz.
Mind you, only a few dozen people know the truth about their “engagement.” The awesomely protective but cool cousin, Layla, her colleagues, Josh Saldana, Zoe, and Mia, John’s cousin who manages the Rose & Thorn, an Irish pub in the Mission, Ethan and the head bartender who has a lot of fun and sass, Rainey Davis and of course, James, the oldest employee from Murphy & Sons Distillery.
This delightful and fall in love rom-com literature is so heartwarming. I can’t stop smiling and love all the Auntie-jis and even how the truth of the prom night is revealed but Liam still does not betray the person he was protecting. Yeh, you can figure it out pretty early on but you still have to give him props for keeping his words. I adore how he knows her entire family has to be in on giving permission to her being engaged to him or anyone for that matter. My cup overflows when her father and Liam had a heart to heart talk, as well.
Can’t wait to read more of Sara Desai’s other works.
Ten years later, Daisy is working at a startup company, Organicare where her boss, Tyler Dawes, CEO of Organicare, needs her to go to the bathroom before their conference, to obtain their competitor’s pads for the demonstration at the Oakland Convention Center. While Tyler is a professor at Caltech, with a Ph.D in chemical engineering, he is the worst salesman Daisy or anyone has ever seen. He’s trying to get venture capital funding so hence, they are at the conference. Daisy goes to the bathroom when she overhears her ex-boyfriend, Orson, and her ex-boss, Madison pawing at each other like horny teenagers. Talk about awkwardness.
Gathering the needed menstruation pads, she tries to quietly make her exit when her Salena Auntie suddenly shows up, out of nowhere with Roshan, a young man Salena Auntie is trying to get Daisy to meet. All her auntie-jis are on a mission to get Daisy married ever since her cousin Layla has gotten engaged. They would all just show up unannounced everywhere: grocery stores, gym, malls, and always with an innocent bachelor in tow. “Oh, we were just in the neighborhood...have you meet… (fill in his name here)? You have to love them as they try so hard to match make her. Thankfully she saw Auntie-ji before Auntie-ji saw Daisy so she tried to make a quick turn around.
She becomes off-balanced and drops all of the pads all over the floor when suddenly someone catches her and it’s not Roshan. She looks up at the strong hands that are holding her from falling and it “Liam Freaking Bastard Murphy.” Dang, he looks hot!!
He’s trying to be charming and she’s still on the offensive by telling her to let go of her. He asks her, how long has it been and she replies, “ten years, eleven months, thirteen days, thirteen hours, forty-seven minutes, and sixteen seconds.” Yes, her brain works that way when back in her high school years, she was known as the geek and nerd. Liam was known as the hunk and the ‘bad boy’ but he was her brother’s best friend. He was the guy every girl wanted and every guy wants to befriend. He had a new girlfriend every week and many waiting in the wings but he had taken a shine to Daisy one day and was captivated by how her mind computed things. He also became so close to the entire family, her father even called him son.
While Liam was away, he became employed with Evolution Ventures, a venture capital company based in NYC. They mainly fund start-ups in the food services industry but they have been expanding into tech so he’s there for the pitch sessions. As Liam is talking to her like they are old chums and even asks her to go out for drinks afterwards, Daisy hasn’t forgotten how he made her feel on prom night and utters sharp, cutting words to him. She wants him to go away and she feels no matter how gorgeous he has possibly become, and the pull of the attraction, no means no. Until of course, Madison comes out looking like she just had sex in the bathroom with Orson. Oh wait, she did. The walk of shame she proudly wears, with Orson in tow. Just then, Salena Auntie-ji with Roshan comes up to her and just as she’s about to lose her cool, Liam knowing how all her aunties are probably trying to match mate her and her ex-boss practically eating Liam up with her eyes, he swoops in and dips her as he gives her the romantic kiss. She melts like butter as they linger in the kiss. Madison licks her lips as she asks Daisy who this tall drink of water is and she says, “My fiance. We are engaged.” To this, Salena Auntie-ji proclaims, “You are secretly engaged and his name is Limb? Who is his family? Your poor father...does he even know about this as he’s on another vacation with his fiance?!”
Later after that debacle, Liam has to meet up with his family. The real reason he came back to Oakland is because his beloved but estranged grandfather has passed. He doesn’t want to go because he’s still very angry with his family and relatives for allowing his mother to be beaten so severely by his father and nobody ever stepped in to help her. He was 13 years of age and even he stood up to his father. His suck-up older brother Brendan was a piece of work and he inherited their father’s car dealer’s business. Their grandfather, Patrick Murphy, owns a distillery and when he passes, everybody knows it will go to the eldest son of the family, which is Brendan. The only person he’s looking forward to seeing is his little nephew, Jaxon, Brendan’s little son. Jaxon’s mother, Lauren is also very nice, even for a corporate lawyer and the least likely person Liam would ever have expected his brother to marry. They held a traditional Irish funeral and the clan were all gathered there at the house. The lawyer comes in and tells them who inherited what. Then comes the announcement, it’s Liam Murphy who will inherit the Murphy & Sons Distillery and not Brendan. Of course there’s a hitch… Liam has to be married by his birthday in order to inherit the distillery. Also, the marriage has to be legit and they have to be married for a minimum one year. If Liam is not, the distillery then goes to Brendan. Brendan is enraged their grandfather would do such a thing. He desperately needed the distillery so that he could sell it outright and use the money to put it into the failing car dealership. He crows, Liam is as good as done because he doesn’t even have a girlfriend. Brendan starts counting his chickens before they are hatched and tells everyone his plans of selling and laying off all the workers, too. James, an old timer who has worked at the distillery, quietly asks Liam if he has anyone in his life to marry. They both concoct an idea of Liam getting married to someone who doesn’t want to stay married to him but someone he trusts. Think of it as a business transaction. Enter, Daisy Patel!
Liam proposes this idea as a win-win situation for the both of them. The Auntie-jis will have to back off and stop match mating. Liam will get his distillery and his greedy brother won’t tear the place down so that all the employees will still have their jobs. Shockingly, Daisy entertains the idea and comes up with “the dating plan” so that it can look more authentic. She later uses a spreadsheet and sends it to Liam to outline all seven dates and on the 8th date, they will marry. Only Daisy could make it into a science and business transaction. There are rules such as, no sex and kissing only in front of people. To make it sound a little more loving, she even has a nickname for him: hamazz.
Mind you, only a few dozen people know the truth about their “engagement.” The awesomely protective but cool cousin, Layla, her colleagues, Josh Saldana, Zoe, and Mia, John’s cousin who manages the Rose & Thorn, an Irish pub in the Mission, Ethan and the head bartender who has a lot of fun and sass, Rainey Davis and of course, James, the oldest employee from Murphy & Sons Distillery.
This delightful and fall in love rom-com literature is so heartwarming. I can’t stop smiling and love all the Auntie-jis and even how the truth of the prom night is revealed but Liam still does not betray the person he was protecting. Yeh, you can figure it out pretty early on but you still have to give him props for keeping his words. I adore how he knows her entire family has to be in on giving permission to her being engaged to him or anyone for that matter. My cup overflows when her father and Liam had a heart to heart talk, as well.
Can’t wait to read more of Sara Desai’s other works.
Super funny story!
I have a full review up on The Lit Buzz!
https://thelitbuzz.com/2021/03/dating-plan-sara-desai
I have a full review up on The Lit Buzz!
https://thelitbuzz.com/2021/03/dating-plan-sara-desai
This was a pretty good book - but I was not completely sold. Great if you're into a really cheesy romance (which I typically am not). Good cultural elements and a pretty solid ending.
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