I’ve got one shot to win his heart.I’ve had a crush on Preston Royce for as long as I can remember. Only, I’ve never told him, or anyone, because he doesn’t see me that way. (And because his sister, Charlie, happens to be my best friend!)But when Preston’s girlfriend breaks his heart, Charlie comes up with a plan to get them back together—a plan that involves Preston and me pretending to date.… plan that involves Preston and me pretending to date.
Yeah, it’s a bad idea cozying up with a guy who’s still in love with his ex, but it may be my only chance to get close to him before we graduate high school. He thinks we’re faking.
Meanwhile, I’m falling more in love with him….
Game Plan is perfect for anyone who likes their sweet romance with a dash of drama. It is the fourth book in the Varsity Girlfriends series.
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My full review can be found here: bit.ly/3bDsyKA
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If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably know that this book has been on my TBR for quite some time now…and you probably also know that I’m obsessed with fake relationship romances.
I remember when I first read about Daria and Preston in Courtside Crush, and I just thought that they were good characters…well, I was wrong. They were GREAT characters!! This book really made me fall in love with them individually andddd as a couple!
Daria’s crush on Preston was just sooooo innocent/sweet, and it was easy to see why she liked him so much…even when he was oblivious at times. BUT OH MY GOSH did he have me swooning! Seriously, he was a great combo of confident and thoughtful. He honestly reminded me a lot of Cohen from Eye of the Beholder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell…so, it’s no surprise that I loveddddd him!!
As far as content goes: I honestly don’t remember any language whatsoever; and if there were any suggestive comments (which I also can’t remember lol), they were veryyy minor. So, no worries if you’re looking for a clean read!
Despite it being “fake,” Daria and Preston’s relationship was ADORABLE. They were literally couple goals, y’all. The teasing, the flirting…THAT FIRST KISS?! I had alllll the feels.
That being said, if you’re looking for a cute breezy fake dating/best friend’s brother sports romance…you need to read this one ASAP!!!
This was an adorable story that I really enjoyed. I was in the mood for a high school fake romance trope and this one didn’t disappoint.
I really liked the characters. Daria was easy to connect with and she was a well-developed character. We get to see the world through her eyes and really get to know her. Apart from her crush on her best friend’s brother and all the drama that comes along with high school, we also get to know her family life and the struggles that she has there. She has controlling parents that are a little extreme and she deals with them while trying to figure out where she wants to go to college and where she wants her life to go after high school. Preston is a likable character though sometimes he seemed a bit clueless. We didn’t get as much development with him but there was enough to keep the story rolling. Preston, much like Daria, is concerned about his future and feels a little lost where his future is concerned. His parents don’t have a lot of money and he didn’t get a basketball scholarship as he had hoped. He is clinging on to the one thing that was a constant in his life and that was his ex-girlfriend, Beth.
I liked the fake relationship trope in this. Daria is hoping to show Preston how good they could be together and Preston’s goal was to make his ex jealous so that they could get back together. The plan starts to work for Preston but after spending so much time with Daria he is confused about his feelings.
I really liked the side characters in this as well. It really has me excited to read the other books in this series.
Overall, I was happy with the outcome of the story. This is a fun read with a sweet romance that will keep you glued to the pages. I can’t wait for more from this author.
An enjoyable fun quirky fake boyfriend clean YA sports romance. This engaging storyline had my interest from start to finish. Its includes friendship, a crush, a cheating ex, a crazy plan, cluelessness, and a little drama. The characters were fun, interesting, and well developed. I enjoyed seeing other characters from previous stories in the series in this fantastic standalone. The narration did a great job of giving all characters their own voices along with portraying the emotions and spunk of each. Really made me feel everything as I voluntarily listened and reviewed this amazing story adding an extra layer of enjoyment.
Fun, quirky, G-rated, YA, fake-boyfriend plot
High-school senior, Daria, has had a secret crush on Preston, her best friend Charlie’s brother, since fifth grade. But Daria has never confided in Charlie about her embarrassing, unrequited infatuation, so Charlie has no idea what a difficult position she’s putting Daria in when she comes up with the bright idea to have Daria fake-date Preston. His beautiful, cheating ex has dumped him for another guy, and Charlie is convinced that her poor, abandoned brother can win back his girlfriend by making her jealous. Daria has plenty of doubts about this crazy plan, the biggest one being that Preston is well rid of his awful ex, but Charlie won’t take, no, for an answer. And, truthfully, Charlie doesn’t have to push Daria terribly hard, because the temptation is overwhelming for Daria to grab this golden opportunity to finally get up-close-and-personal with Preston. Maybe, just maybe, while they are pretending to be in love–and sharing strategically staged hugs and kisses–Preston might fall for her, for real.
This is the fourth and final book in the G-rated, young-adult, romantic-comedy, Varsity Girlfriends series. Daria and Preston continue the author’s excellent track record of offering sympathetic romantic protagonists embroiled in quirky, romantic situations. There are cameo appearances in the book of the female protagonists and their boyfriends from the previous three books in the series. They appear in an unforced, natural way due to the fact that these three other girls are on their school’s basketball team with Daria.
However, even though Daria plays varsity basketball, there is a bit less focus on female sports in this book than the other three, since Daria is more of a scholar than an outstanding basketball player. Interestingly, though, Daria’s lack of sports clout leads to some some cute scenes where Preston, who actually is a basketball star, coaches Daria after she informs him that she wants to improve her basketball skills.
Overall, this is a fun read for fans of “sports romance,” “friends-to-romance” and “fake dating” plots.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Game Plan is the conclusion of Varsity Girlfriends and I think it was the perfect way to end the series. Not only do we get to read about two ‘new’ (they have been mentioned before) and fun characters, but we also get a little glimpse of how the others are doing (especially Charlie and Jackson). I love knowing how things continued after their books ended.
Back to Game Plan, Daria and Preston have known each other for quite some time. Preston is Daria’s best friend’s brother. Daria is a hardworking student that has been hiding her crush for years. So when her best friend wants her to pretend to be Preston’s fake girlfriend things get complicated.
I really enjoyed Daria. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and even though the fake relationship means more to her than it does to Preston, part of her hopes it will make him like her. Not only is she dealing with that, but also with parents who are determined to control her future. She becomes a lot more confident during this book. Daria learns how to stand up for herself and her feelings, even if it isn’t the easiest thing to do.
Preston is a character I enjoyed reading about in Courtside Crush, so I was curious how his story would go. Beth wasn’t a character I liked in the beginning and after reading this even more so, haha. Even though I wanted to smack Preston and tell him to wake up many times, he’s really sweet. I mean heading over to Daria’s house during a snowstorm was very brave. In the end Preston also grows and you get to understand a little more why he hangs on to certain things. His gesture at the end definitely made him bookboyfriend-worthy!
If you’re looking for a book with humor, best friends, family and some complicated romance, definitely pick up this book. I really love how it ended and I have to say I would love another book about Daria, Preston, Charlie & Jackson when they’re off in college. They’re all so fun, I need more!
And as a fun bonus, the author added a little extra fun to this story if you’ve read her previous books. I love when authors do stuff like that! I can’t wait to read what Kayla does next!
I love this author and this series. Not only was this book super cute it was so funny. I felt all the characters were realistic and relatable.
Preston was that boy you loved but at the same time, you wanted to nudge him in the right direction so he would realize what everyone else already knew.
Daria was the girl you cheered for and wanted so badly for things to work out for her. She was so likable, but what made her character so great was her inner monologue. Her thoughts were so funny and she was pretty self-aware, which I like in a main character.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and easy read.
4 stars for Game Plan by Kayla Tirrell. This is book four in the Varsity Girlfriends series. I loved this cute young adult romance. I did shed some tears for Daria. I also wanted to slap the stupid off od Preston but I did eventually get over it. I liked most of the characters and the plot. You truly can not help but love Daria and Preston as a couple.They are both such great characters. I enjoyed this short but sweet read. It did have a happy ending and gave me all the feels. I enjoyed reading it so much.
Perfect ending to the series. 🙂
I really enjoyed Daria and Preston’s story, although – as other reviewers have mentioned – I occasionally felt a little exasperated with Preston’s cluelessness.
It was great to see Daria figure out what she wanted to do with her “life after high school” and stand up for herself.
And, yeah, it was fun to watch Preston eventually figure out that he and Daria might just be perfect for each other. 🙂