Book Review: The Partner Plot | Kristina Forest

High school sweethearts get a second chance at romance when they run into each other in Las Vegas and engage in a marriage of convenience in Kristina Forest’s latest contemporary romance novel, The Partner Plot.

About the Book | The Partner Plot

Violet Greene and Xavier Wright met eleven years ago, on the first day of 11^th grade. Violet was late to school after a fight with her mother over her cropped sweater and artfully town jeans, which grew even more heated because Violet was already grounded. Xavier was in his first day at a new school, already the subject of interest due to his basketball skills and his gorgeous looks. From the moment they met, Violet and Xavier couldn’t stop staring at each other.

Their relationship followed ups and downs of young love—one week Violet is painting Xavier’s number on her cheek or they’re sneaking out for a romantic midnight swim, other weeks they are having a blowout fight in the school cafeteria and breaking up for three weeks, only to rekindle things when they realized how silly their fight was.

Violet and Xavier try to make it work in college, but with Violet on the west coast in fashion school and Xavier on the east coast playing basketball, things become too hard. After an injury ruins his career prospects forever, Xavier breaks it off, knowing he needs to let Violet go live her life. And that’s how things remain. Violet goes on to build a career as a celebrity stylist, and Xavier gets a teaching job at a local high school where he is also the assistant coach to the basketball team.

When their paths unexpectedly cross in Vegas eleven years later, their attraction is as strong as ever. The two spend an evening drinking, dancing, and catching up on life, failed relationships, and careers. And of course, they can’t help reminiscing about their promise right after graduation to marry each other when the time is right.

When a few drinks turns into too many, they wake up in the morning in bed together and find that they had a Vegas wedding the night before, with a photo and cheap rings to top it off. Thank goodness they find a certificate informing them it was a fake marriage! They will always have chemistry but there’s a reason things didn’t work out the first time, right?

When Violet has a big interview for a fashion magazine and the journalist brings up her ex-fiancé who cheated on her with a client, Violet panics. She doesn’t want her feature to turn into a gossip item. So she blurts out that she just married her high school sweetheart. The tidbit may have been enough to steer the interview back on track, but she wasn’t prepared for everyone in their hometown to find out.

Xavier and Violet agree to continue with the fake marriage while she is back in their hometown recovering from an ankle injury. But as they spend time together, the relationship becomes real even if the marriage isn’t. Could this fake marriage turn into their second chance to make things work?

Review | The Partner Plot

If you’re a romance reader, there is absolutely no way you’re going to be able to resist picking up a copy of The Partner Plot based on the adorable title and hot pink cover alone! Come for the cover, stay for the mash-up of two seemingly disparate tropes that somehow blend for a unique and fresh contemporary romance—second chance romance and marriage of convenience!

The opening chapter describes Violet and Xavier meeting and their relationship throughout the end of high school eleven years before the events of this book. I thought their story was really well-written. It wasn’t overly perfect—these are high school students, after all. They get in silly fights sometimes, they break up, they get back together. But through it all there is a strong sense of knowing one another and connecting when they are at this young, vulnerable age and can’t imagine ever leaving their high school bubble.

Their chemistry, love story, and break up are powerful enough that I felt invested in them finding their happily ever after. When they meet again in Vegas, I initially worried that this was going to turn into a story where they can’t stand each other but go through with the marriage of convenience, only to then rekindle their feelings. I was pleasantly surprised that was not what happened at all. In fact, from the moment they are back together, it’s clear that they both still think of the other as their person and true love.

They have obstacles to overcome. Years of separation, a teary ending, and bittersweet memories of their relationship don’t go away overnight. But the butterflies are still there, the attraction is still there, and most importantly, the love is still there. This was a perfect case of the fake marriage and then the subsequent time together being just what they needed to be able to figure out how they can make a life together work. That was not a small challenge—Violet’s job takes her all over the world working long hours. Xavier’s job means that outside of school breaks, he can’t easily travel with her.

All will come together as it should for Violet and Xavier. I loved that they didn’t have a big blow up towards the end of the story, only to realize they should be together. They knew they should be together all along. As Kristina Forest says—there are multiple iterations of a love story. There’s Violet and Xavier then, and Violet and Xavier now. The last chapter made my heart happy. A wonderful story that is light on steam but still has sizzling chemistry—both physically and emotionally!

About the Author | Kristina Forest

Kristina Forest is the critically acclaimed author of romance books for both teens and adults. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School and she lives in New Jersey, where she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf. 

Synopsis | Goodreads

Two former high school sweethearts get a second chance in this marriage of convenience romance by Kristina Forest, author of The Neighbor Favor.

To Violet Greene, fashion is everything. As a successful celebrity stylist, she travels all over the world, living out her dreams. Professionally, she’s thriving, but her personal life is in shambles. After surviving a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé six months ago, Violet is now determined to focus on her career. But life hands her something—or rather, someone—that might derail everything…

Xavier Wright did not expect to run into his high school girlfriend Violet—the girl he once thought he’d marry—on a birthday trip to Vegas. As a high school teacher and basketball coach, he rarely leaves his New Jersey hometown, so what were the chances? But when the initial shock wears off, they decide to celebrate together. They feel young and reckless as they party the night away—and reckless they clearly were when the following morning, they wake up beside each other with rings on their fingers.

Their impulsive nuptials might be a blessing in disguise, though, when they realize that both of their careers could benefit from the marriage. So they play the part of a blissfully wedded couple. Yet when their passion comes hurling back, they realize their feelings are just as real as they were back when they were teens. But are their lives too different to stick it through or will they finally get a happy ending? (Synopsis from Goodreads)