Melissa Foster can truly do no wrong! This book was a delight to read, and is perfect for all lovers of romance.

Dual POV
Southern heroine
Grumpy professor
Cute pup Molly
Proposal mix-up
Fake dating
Romantic comedy with all the feelings!
Close proximity
Grumpy x sunshine
Standalone


Oh! And there are connections to Harmony Pointe series, which was such a fun callback!

Holy absolutely spectacular romcom! This baby has you laughing the entire way through, completely melts your heart, and gives you that full to bursting with happiness feeling. It’s fake dating with a dash of quirky, fun, and outrageous, mixes in soo much adorable found family, and gives you the MOST perfect grumpy and hates love/sunshine in love with everything about love romance ever.
Oh my gosh this read, it just does a heart good! Ryan and Destiny are the best everything they never wanted in a partner couple. Ryan gets insanely high marks for best boyfriend ever pretty much by accident but he does it with so much sincerity and thoughtfulness and Destiny that girl is amazing, vivacious, and just the right girl to remind Ryan love can be messy and beautiful. And every part of their romance is fun, sexy, and so freaking adorable, it’s completely unputdownable. With swoony gestures, a lightness that just seeps out of every page, and moments that put hearts in your eyes it’s a read I would say you need to run, not walk, to get your hands on.

The Mr. Right Checklist by Melissa Foster is a standalone, steamy rom-com and what a read!

Fletch and Destiny are total opposites, but when he offers to help her with her business it she helps him for his brother’s wedding..read on for family interference, banter, grumpy/sunshine, miscommunication, laughter, faking dating and so much more…

I voluntarily read a copy of this book from NetGalley, Greys PR. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Aside from author Melissa Foster ripping my heart out towards the end of this book...this book was the perfect blend of happiness and sunshine. With a grumpy dog owner, Fletch, not looking for love AT ALL, Yet Destiny had it's (or her) own plans.

I loved this romance!!! It was a great combination of romance, great characters, belief, and storyline. This is a book I would love to read again for the first time. All the feels!!!

The parts about Destiny's parents made my heart hurt for her. I could feel everything she felt. The dog groomer with a dream of becoming a perfect proposal planner and a divorced professor come together...is it for the sake if the dog, Molly? LOL

This is an absolutely wonderful read!!!

I've read a decent amount of Melissa Foster books and always love them. This wasn't my favorite of her books to be honest, I just didn't feel the connection the way I wanted to, at least not until the last 10% of the book. But that being said, I didn't hate it at all, it just felt rushed and a tad juvenile to me. But I liked the plot, I just wish they would have gotten together a bit sooner. Mr. Grumpy Gus ended up being a total closet romantic and I actually even cried at one point in the book. I will definitely still be reading more books by Melissa, this just personally missed the mark for me but you should absolutely give it a read still, it could end up being your favorite book!

Destiny hasn’t let her past define but rather it has only reinforced her wanting to help others find love. She has come up with a unique business idea where she will help her clients plan their proposals however her first assignment didn’t turn out the way she planned. The one bright spot is that it brought Ryan into her life, and he has agreed to help her with her business if she will help him with a situation.

Ryan is a successful businessman who has decided that love and relationships aren’t for him. Even though the circumstances that brough Destiny into his life were less than ideal he comes up with an idea that will get them both what they want. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved these two together as even though they were opposites when it came to their views on love and their personalities, they are exactly what the other needs in their life. This is a touching romance that is filled with humor and so many feels as what started as an arrangement turns into so much more.

What a heartwarming, grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy this is.

Destiny is our extremely loveable Southern heroine. An aspiring proposal planner and part-time dog groomer, she's extremely happy and empathetic despite her sad back story. She meets Fletch through Molly, the dog she is grooming at the time.

"I glance over my shoulder at Fletch talking on his phone. Nope. No butterflies. But his pinched brow and far-too-serious face do make me smile."

Ryan 'Fletch' Fletcher is a grumpy professor of the 'once bitten twice shy' kind. He has a good friends-and-family network but shies away from romantic relationships.

"I like quiet, and her mouth moves faster than the Energizer Bunny. Still, there's something about the sweet, sensitive, over-the-top beauty that reels me in and makes me want to do a hell of a lot more than talk."

Destiny was hilarious with her whimsical colloquialisms and sunny outlook. Fletcher was alternately teasing and kind. The most important character driving the narrative was Molly, Fletcher's Bernese Mountain Dog.

This story had me invested in Fletcher and Destiny. I empathized and laughed out loud with them and was inspired by them and the cast of supporting characters. I wanted to live in their community for a bit longer.

All in all this story reinforced my opinion that opposites do indeed attract and the relationship is all the more fun for it!Another winner from the wonderful Melissa Foster.

This was the book I needed to lift my day. Ryan “Fletch” and Destiny are perfect examples of grumpy/sunshine.
Ryan needs a fake girlfriend for his brother’s wedding to get his family over the “matchmaking” thing. He’s been married before and it didn’t work out, and he’s not looking right now.
Destiny believes that one day she will find her true love. Never could she suspect it would be the grumpy, yet hot, professor.
I was hooked from the beginning. I’ve read many books by Miss Foster, but reading a romcom by her, just made my day. She’s done a wonderful job with those two opposite characters, making them a perfect match, finding love at an unexpected time.

The Mr. Right Checklist is a standalone, romantic-comedy read by the one and only Melissa Foster. This is a standalone read with a few throwback references to one of her other book releases, Love Like Ours from her Sugar Lake series. If you come across a few familiar names, that is where you will have seen them from previously.

After A Whiskey, Wicked and a Steele, it's time to take things in a different direction with one Grumpy Gus and his Sunshine. Their pets, too. Cannot forget the mention of not one, but two adorable pets that have been included and that play a very important role in the scenes they are included in.

Destiny Amor, dog groomer by day and dreamer of becoming a marriage proposal planner, believes in the classic notion of 'true love does exist' and thus as a result, happily ever afters. Two things that despite loving them so much, aren't and don't seem to quite be on the cards for her just yet. After all, what are the chances of a man living up to every item that she has on her own Mr. Right checklist? At this moment in time, she's to help others find theirs.

Thus, the proposal planning idea blossoms further.

During her first ever go at helping someone plan their proposal, all does not go to plan. The attempt was misguided by the person who asked for her help, and the end result has Destiny wanting to call it quits on her dream career before it has even got started. Enter, Grumpy Gus. Who is he? Why, he's only the man who was about to be proposed to by the woman who hired Destiny. He, ironically, steps in to help her with a proposal of his own.

Dog groomer and budding marriage-proposal planner Destiny Amor believes in true love and happily ever afters. Though it’s not in the stars for her yet―honestly, who can live up to the criteria on her Mr. Right Checklist?―she wants it for others. When Destiny’s first misguided attempt at romance concierge ends in disaster, she’s ready to call it quits, until the supposed groom-to-be steps in with a proposal of his own.

Ryan “Fletch” Fletcher, college professor, has had his own fair share of disasters when its come to love. He's a divorcee and never plans to go down the marriage route ever again. His family missed the memo on that, as they keep attempting to set him up with someone with their matchmaking. Needing to get them off his back, the disorganized, too-in-love-with-love proposal planner that is Destiny, is just the person he needs to help him.

Offering to help get her business back on track using his knowledge and contacts, Fletch asks her if she will play the part of his date/girlfriend as he attends his brother's upcoming wedding. It's a win-win for them both. He'll get his family off his back, and she'll have the help she needs to get her dream business and career off the ground. Simple, right? Right?

Destiny and Fletch enter into the perfect 'situationship' beyond that of a dog groomer and her clients' owner. She adores his dog and is more than content to put up with his grumpy demeanour if it means that she will get her own business off the ground and up and running. If she's lucky enough, she might just about manage to get that chip off of his shoulder that he has somehow managed to glue on there, remaining steadfast.

In my review for 'Talk Wicked to Me', I said that I knew I was onto a winner of a book with that story within the first three chapters. Reading those three cemented what I knew at the end to be a solid five star read. The truth of that is somewhat echoed in this story, too. How, exactly? Well, the same reasoning applies but instead of knowing that I was onto a winner of a story within three chapters, I knew it within the first. That gut feeling was as instant as it could get and as usual, it vert rarely steers me wrong when it comes to books. Of course, final judgment had to be held out for when I'd read the entire story, but I just knew there was something special about this book from the very first page.

Fletch was a character that had so much more about him than meets the eye. He's the grumpy out of this 'grumpy x sunshine' duo, and the reason why wasn't an overly exaggerated one. Which is a good thing. Sometimes the cause behind a main character's grumpiness is a bit too far-fetched, but not with Fletch. We've not been far-Fletched, you could say. No? Okay. Fine. I just wanted to use the pun. My point however, remains true. He's a divorcee with a hang-up on love because of how things went down. Though not overly dramatic in style, he was still left jaded. Simple yet effective to build up that part of his character and backstory. I found him extremely likeable and of course, loveable, and we were all waiting for the sweetly satisfying moment when his lightbulb turned on and realised he couldn't be without Destiny. Hands down one of my top Melissa Foster men of all time.

Destiny is as she was described in the blurb and we were delivered that essence of her character throughout the story. It's nice to see a character like hers crop up once in a while, among the 'strong', 'independent' and 'no-nonsense' female heroines in romance novels. She displayed her strengths in a different way and we were able to see an actual progression with her character. She does remain with the essence of who we saw in the beginning, but by the end of the book we see who she was meant to be all along. Who doesn't love seeing a character progression? I have to give a nod to Melissa for not creating her to be a 'dumb blonde' main female character. Making destiny unorganised was perfect enough without needing to lean on a stereotype that does less for a character than it does more. I'd even go so far as to say that I saw a bit of myself in Destiny. Melissa always writes relatable characters where we can relate to them to some degree, so I was thrilled to be able to do that here. Dreamers aren't always written about in the most positive of lights in romance books, as are those who have a dream career outside of the normal ones available, or if they are harder to achieve if at a disadvantage. I can't express how much I appreciate the representation and to be able to relate to such a wonderful character in this way.

Special mention has to be made for how Melissa also handled the way Destiny dealt with her grief/prior loss before the timeline picked up with her and Fletch. Her loss happens off the page, so we didn't get to see the loss occur, but we do get to see how she deals with her grief and her reason why. As someone who has suffered loss like many others have also, I was shamed in how I dealt with a double-loss in a short space of time. I didn't know how to 'properly' grieve and deal with my loss, and was treated badly as such. Destiny's treatment was how I wish my own had been handled. I can't express how much I respect Melissa for creating Destiny's coping mechanisms and reasons for them. The support Destiny had was just right, not too much or too little, and Fletch going the extra mile is something I wish everyone who has suffered a loss could have. Small gestures like his go the biggest distance and have the biggest impact.

At the beginning of my review I said that I knew I was onto a winner of a book from the first chapter alone, but what I didn't know and am very proud to say, is just how much I would adore it by the end. Specifically, where it would rank beyond the rating we give each book. I'm very pleased to not only give this read the five stars it deserves, but to as well say that it is the latest book to join my 'top reads of 2024 list'. I will someday have a physical copy on my shelf but until then, this is where I will leave things for now. A well-earned place on a list of incredible reads.

Thank you, Melissa, for once again creating a book for us not only love but to love you even more for it.

What a truly delightful romance between Destiny Amor, who totally believes in love and Professor Ryan Fletcher, who definitely does not. Ryan or “Fletch” as he prefers to be called, is divorced and has no intention of ever marrying again. Destiny has a check list of the qualifications that her intended must have and Fletch eventually learns that he only checks two of those boxes. While working as a dog groomer, she is planning the startup of her new business called “Get the Yes”, a marriage proposal service. Her service will help set the scene for someone’s perfect proposal. She had first met Fletch when he brought his dog Molly in for grooming and only remembered him as being grumpy. Her first planned proposal event goes horribly wrong and ends up with a call to the police. She obviously needs to work on her planning procedures and Fletch offers to assist her. He is not used to someone who is so happy with so much energy and love to give. As they spend more time together, is she perhaps the love that he never thought he needed, but where is he now on her list? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

The Mr. Right Checklist is amazing. Destiny Amor is the best FMC. She's had a lot of heartbreak in her life but Destiny has the best attitude and personality. Ryan Fletcher might be a bit grumpy and jaded but even he's not immune to Destiny's positive vibes. I fell in love with this grumpy-sunshine romantic comedy.

What started out as a professional relationship - a dog groomer and a professor who helps her with a business plan - becomes a slow-burn romance. One the professor continues to deny throughout most of the book. The author did a fantastic job leading Destiny and Fletch down their perfectly imperfect path.

Melissa Foster is a master storyteller. Her characters are loving and flawed. They are real and believable. The stories are romantic and emotional. Melissa Foster is my go-to for anything romantic. I read anything I can get my grabby hands on.

Fletch and Destiny take a reader through all of the emotions in this book. When they are thrown together due to an unexpected situation, they learn to dig deep within themselves and discover the true meaning of love.

I am a huge fan of Melissa Foster. The Mr. Right Checklist had me laughing out loud and loving every word. I could not wait to read another chapter and see what Destiny and Ryan would get themselves into next. With each page I fell more and more for the characters and became invested in these two figuring their lives out and getting together.

The Mr. Right Checklist is an easy book to read. I devoured it. I connect with the characters. I cared about the storyline. I had so much fun reading this book and getting to know Ryan and Destiny. They are perfect for each other from the very beginning, it just took them a little time to figure that tout.

5 Star Review The Mr Right Checklist by Melissa Foster

This was a wonderful read. Not only did I fall for our couple grumpy professor Ryan “Fletch” Fletcher and
dog groomer and budding marriage-proposal planner Destiny Amor but the story had me engaged from the first chapter.

Destiny believes in love and know she will find it one day, while Ryan has been there, done that and is now divorced. His family on the other hand are determined Ed to get him matched again and he wants to avoid it at all costs

Asking Destiny to play the role of girlfriend for his brothers wedding, neither realise what is about to unfold.

What follows is a well written, entertaining story that will have you, sighing, swooning and laughing as fake morons into more.

A little gem that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Fletch is a professor, down on love and relationships. Destiny has her head in the clouds and is starting a business as a proposal planner. She’s also a dog groomer, which is how she met Fletch and his dog, Molly. This is a fun story with some hilarious scenes and some emotional growth, too. Destiny has a checklist for her perfect man (Fletch doesn’t even make the list), and she’s very quirky. After a disastrous first client, Fletch offers to help her set up her business in exchange for a favor. They enter a situationship and then the fun really begins. Enjoy this stand-alone from author Melissa Foster. She has an incredible catalog of work and this one fits right in!

Thanks Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are my own.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 . . .  
𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰  
 
𝐈 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬! 
The banter, the tension, the deliciousness, it really did have it all with some of my favourite tropes thrown in for added beauty.  
 
"𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐑𝐲𝐫𝐲. 𝐥'𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐫. 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐨, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡, 𝐭𝐨𝐨." 
 
"𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧." 
 
I adored this romance. I fell hard and fast for both MC's and their beautifully hilarious romance.
I also loved the visits from old friends!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
 
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐌𝐑𝐂: 
💗Grumpy professor 
💗Dog groomer / proposal planner in training 
💗Opposites attract  
💗Fake dating / situationship with benefits  
💗Fur babies  
💗She has a Mr. Right Checklist (and he’s all wrong) 
💗ALL 👏🏻 THE 👏🏻 FEELS  
💗Gentleman in the streets, dirty-talker in the sheets  
💗First POV 
💗Available in Kindle Unlimited  
 
****************************

If you're looking for a book filled with steam and laugh-out-loud moments, look no further because Melissa Foster delivers both in her newest release, THE MR. RIGHT CHECKLIST. The title alone had me laughing. Do some women have a checklist to measure their prospective dates? We have all heard the phrase Tall, Dark, and Handsome, but what about personality and the way he treats you? Well, Destiny Amor has what she believes her perfect man should be all written down in a notebook, and the things she had listed, while they made sense, had me laughing.

Ryan "Fletch" Fletcher is grumpy but oh-so loveable. How he doats on his dog, Molly will warm your heart. You can't have a negative outlook on everything, including love if you treat your pet as you would your children. His family knows what a great guy he is, so they are all trying to get him to start dating again, and bringing a date to his brother's wedding is his mother's goal.

After a Proposal that goes wrong, Fletch offers to help Destiny with her business if she agrees to be his date for his brother's wedding. It was fun watching Fletch and Destiny get closer over time. Their friendship became one with benefits, and while they both said things between them had an expiration date, we all know how that plays out.

This story will leave you with a smile on your face. I guarantee you will fall for Fletch and Destiny pretty quickly. They are just "Right" together. If you have read about the Dalton Siblings, you will see some of them pop up in this book, which I loved. It's been a while since we have revisited them.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy STEAMY Contemporary Romances, Rom-Coms, Grumpy/Sunshine Romances, Small-Town Romances, Fake Relationship Romances, or Close Proximity Romances.

Happy Reading!!!

Grumpy/sunshine Fake relationship Rom-com Destiny is fun loving and somewhat disorganized, but totally believes in love, thus her Mr. Right check list. Fletch, after a failed marriage wants nothing to do with love, but he volunteers to help her get her new business going. They both discover love isn't what they thought and you find love when you least expect it. Fun read, well written and edited. I received an advance copy and am leaving this hones review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed reading this story. Fletch and Destiny really encapsulated the grumpy sunshine trope.

Destiny believes and loves all things love related while Fletch avoids love and is cynical about it all. Meeting via Fletch’s dog Molly (who I loved) and a subsequent Molly related disaster the 2 become friends.

I liked all the interactions with Destiny and Fletch, how they seemed to balance each other out. Dancing in the rain, stargazing, karaoke and even the relationship between Molly and Clementine made me smile.

Thanks to #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

4 stars

The Mr. Right Checklist is a dual perspective contemporary romance. It is part of a series, but you don’t have to read in order. This book was fun, light spirited and brought just a carefree joy while reading. This book is filled with cute, adorable animals, who are silly and sweet and played a big part in the story and the romance. I just fell in love with them and wanted to open my own pet center. It sounded so fun and getting to play with the animals.
The whole checklist thing sounded silly and just there to keep love interests apart. It was redundant and kept getting mentioned so much just to keep readers and characters reminded why they can’t be together. The wedding proposal business sounds super fun and very helpful for some people, it added a fun and even more romantic element reading about additional romantic moments for other characters.
The romance was good, I liked both the main characters really well, this was a bit of grumpy sunshine trope, and a little bit of opposites attract. Overall, it was a great read, super fun, light read, and I really enjoyed it.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.