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A review by booksjessreads
D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really enjoyed this book!! It was such a wholesome romance between D'Vaughn and Kris and they are both such great characters. I loved listening to both of their perspectives, getting to know their families and their friends. I also loved the premise for the show and how there was a really diverse range of contestants. It was super joyful and lighthearted and just the kind of queer joy I needed to hear.
I am in partial agreement with the other reviews in that this could have benefitted from some more drama. But also f*** the drama, let the characters have their queer joy!! Romance is not my genre generally, but I know that there is often a point of contention that comes up as a plot point throughout the book. Whilst I think in ways, it definitely could have benefited from that, it was also great on its own and our MC's were just having a great time.
One thing that I also did find could have made it better is if the 'miscommunication' trope wasn't used consistently throughout the whole book. When any of the characters had an issue with something, they just didn't speak to one another until a lot later. I found this incredibly annoying and perhaps they could have had some more juicy conversations had they spoken to one another. The game show premise also could have been explored slightly more with relation to the other contestants, they were left out a lot. Furthermore, the game show felt a bit rushed at the end. We get to Week 4 by like 70-80% of the way through the book. I did feel as though this could have been more balanced.
Overall, I really enjoyed this!! I felt it was super wholesome and I loved all of the characters, the idea of the gameshow and the direction in which the storyline went. I would recommend and definitely listen to the audio, because it had me fully laughing on the train in a way I don't think the print would have!
I am in partial agreement with the other reviews in that this could have benefitted from some more drama. But also f*** the drama, let the characters have their queer joy!! Romance is not my genre generally, but I know that there is often a point of contention that comes up as a plot point throughout the book. Whilst I think in ways, it definitely could have benefited from that, it was also great on its own and our MC's were just having a great time.
One thing that I also did find could have made it better is if the 'miscommunication' trope wasn't used consistently throughout the whole book. When any of the characters had an issue with something, they just didn't speak to one another until a lot later. I found this incredibly annoying and perhaps they could have had some more juicy conversations had they spoken to one another. The game show premise also could have been explored slightly more with relation to the other contestants, they were left out a lot. Furthermore, the game show felt a bit rushed at the end. We get to Week 4 by like 70-80% of the way through the book. I did feel as though this could have been more balanced.
Overall, I really enjoyed this!! I felt it was super wholesome and I loved all of the characters, the idea of the gameshow and the direction in which the storyline went. I would recommend and definitely listen to the audio, because it had me fully laughing on the train in a way I don't think the print would have!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Pregnancy