The Partner Plot

A drunken, fake Las Vegas wedding upends the lives of two former high school sweethearts in Forest’s (The Neighbor Favor) enjoyable romantic comedy. After a chance encounter leads jet-setting celebrity stylist Violet Greene and high school teacher and basketball coach Xavier Wright to rekindle their young love, a lot of alcohol causes them to wake up in bed together with a photo of them at a (fake) wedding chapel. They aren’t able to go their separate ways, though, when a little white lie to a reporter about being married becomes grist for the rumor mill in their hometown, and soon Violet and Xavier find their lives entwined once again, under the watchful eyes of a cast of small-town characters. The story hits all the beats of a customary marriage-of-convenience romance and incorporates several of the best tropes, but Violet’s unconventional career raises the stakes in a way that makes the novel feel fresh. Both main characters have believable baggage that keeps them apart, even if their fake-marriage scheme strains credulity.