While I liked the development of each character and the story overall, there are many moments and things in the book that I couldn’t overlook and it bothered me a lot.
I’m all for make your life as you want and live it at its fullest potential but somehow I got annoyed with both characters at times. He seems a bit to entitled to decide their future without actually considering her options and what she really wants for herself and at other times I think she was more of a doormat and accepted him as it came because of the fear of being alone over the years or of what ifs.
It’s a great story to reflect on and a well written one but unfortunately not a memorable one for me.

I loved this love story cos it wasn't the typical chick lit that is set within few month time but shows a more complex kinda situation of what if. What if none of you planned to fall in love or to have a relationship but you happen to fit so perfectly to one another. But then again you have total different plans for your life right now and so you won't be living in the same place - is one of them willing to give up on their dreams?

Aiden is a wildlife photographer who likes to live outdoors and doesn't wanna settle while Orla wants to work on her career in journalism to fulfill her dream to live in London. I liked how we see the struggles of them both, while at some times I was like "comon!" - towards the end I was left a bit annoyed by Orla's stubbornness, but no spoiler here. All together I loved the smooth writing style and the romance.

Thanks netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A life plan is a good place to start, but should it decide what’s most important in your life? “The Five Year Plan” was a sweet romance book. It captured my heart and made me long for the early days of romance when love was new, fresh, and romantic. A great read for a lazy spring day.

This book follows Orla and Aiden- when they first meet 5 years ago and present day.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. But I didn't. I found Aiden too masochistic. He didn't listen to Orla and take her career into consideration when planning their future. Orla had much internal struggle about choosing her job or Aiden, and while she does make her decision clear in the end of the book, and explains why she made this decision, it upset me that Aiden was so nonchalant about her career.

This book is an okay read, but the trope of potentially giving up everything for a man is just overdone.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed and at the same time did not enjoy some aspects of The Five Year Plan by Carla Burgess.
What I enjoyed -
- The quick humor and British language.
- The cute chemistry between Orla and Aiden that comes out in their rapport.
- The rich descriptions of what it’s like to be a journalist starting out and a up and coming nature photographer as well as where careers can ebb and flow.
What I didn’t like -
- At times especially at the beginning of the novel the dialogue was stilted. The writing improved as the story went along - wish this uneven quality was fixed in editing.
- Orla was a confused and at time weak protagonist. If she truly loved Aiden after the five year break she would know it right away and drop most of her life - she just went on and on lacking trust in her own feelings and that of Aidens who was pretty open with his. Not sure his patience was realistic.
- I’m not sure what Aiden sees in Orla, but I guess love is a little blind in this case because I’m not sure the reader knows her that well except that she wants to be a journalist and she has attachment issues.

DNF at 30%

I rarely dnf books but this is just so boring. This is a second chance book about an unusal couple, a wild life photographer and activist, and a journalist. The story is told in two time lines, before de separation and one in the second chance. The thing is... its juts so boring and the romance is unbelievable, the male love interest is so condescending and treats her like a kid (which she realices and kind of doesn't care).

I don't know how to explain this... just. I didn't really like it and i couldn't put myself through it. Its a very very slow burn but a boring and lacking of chemistry one.

This book was a total Monet (Clueless reference!). On the whole it was a cute romcom but when I dug into thinking about it for a review, parts of it felt prickly.
The book starts off with a strong first chapter, 2 old flames who haven't seen each other in 5 years and when they meet again they can't keep their eyes off each other.
After the first chapter, the book takes us back to how they met. The summer they spent together was a little weird to me - she really slept in a tent all that time? Where were her friends? They break up because he travels the world for work and she wants to focus on her career.
When we flash back to the present, they are having the same conversation they had 5 years ago about being together. In the end, Orla leaves her job and moves to Ireland.
On one hand I can understand why she gave it up because she wasn't super successful in her career and she basically lived in a cave (and was probably getting asbestos poisoning) so she wasn't truly giving up much but it also felt like she moved her whole life to be with him and he didn't give up anything.

Okay I REALLY enjoyed this. I went in a little skeptical because the reviews weren't promising but I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love a good second chance romance and this was exactly that. Aiden and Orla lose touch after a whirlwind romance and find each other, five years later, and it is unclear how they or IF they should move forward or accept that their time has come and gone.

I loved watching these two get to know each other and overall the story was really enjoyable and fun.

Five years ago, Orla didn't have time for romance - she had a plan. Even a whirlwind romance one summer with Aiden, a wildlife photographer, couldn't persuade her from focusing on her career. But now he's back in her life. And this time she has no plan.

Based on the first chapter, I thought I was going to love this book. But then my enjoyment fizzled when a very, very long flashback took over and dampened the spark that drew me in to start with. Things kind of improved when we returned to the present. I really liked the dialogue between Orla and Aiden - cracking, realistic, showing a lot about them. But most of the book dragged and that's not what I'm looking for when I reach for a chicklit title.

I received an ARC of The Five Year Plan by Carla Burgess, via #NetGalley, in order to provide an honest review. I was drawn to this book because the cover is catchy, and not cheesy, which I find most romances are. The description sucked in my in, and I am so happy I was able to read it.

The Five Year Plan begins in present time, with Orla, and reporter for a big London newspaper, brings her trainee reporter with her to Aiden Byrnes exhibit. We find out that Orla and Aiden hadn't seen each other in five years, after a wonderful summer together, Aiden leaves, breaking her heart. While they have a small interaction at the exhibit, Orla, trying to protect herself, runs off to catch the train home, not knowing that Aiden chases after her. Normally I would be annoyed of the cliff hanger, but we are transported five years in the past, to when they meet. I LOVED IT! When I read a romance, I want to know why two characters click so well, and Carla Burgess does a wonderful job with Orla and Aiden. Their chemistry is amazing, and I found myself not wanting to put down the book. The conversations between them are the highlight of the story, and had be laughing out loud too many times to count. When we get transferred back to the past, I constantly went back and forth between happiness and sadness ... much like Orla and Aiden. They are very easy to empathize. The epilogue, which I won't spoil, is beautiful.

The romance in this book is wonderfully written. There is no love at first sight scenario, which makes it all the better. They simply form a very close friendship (in part because Aiden is a very thoughtful, friendly man, who I suspect was attracted to Orla right away), that eventually turns to love. It was easy to see why they fell in love, which is so rare for romances these days.

My only complaint with this book, is that Orla's thought processes are hard to read through, sometimes. Perhaps it's intentional, because we know she is conflicted, but I found her inner dialogue was tedious at times, and borderline repetitive. If you are someone who likes some steamy scenes in your romances, like me, you might be just a little disappointed. The sex is there. It just could be written a bit better. That being said, the love and tenderness they feel for one another is there, and it makes up for the lack of steaminess.

In conclusion, I am so happy I got the opportunity to read this book. This is my first book I have read from Carla Burgess, and I am convinced to read her others now. The story is beautiful, yet simple. The characters are easy to like, and easy to empathize with. I liked them both for different reasons, and I liked them together because they balance each other out, and importantly, don't try to change each other. It flows beautifully between each time jump, so you are never confused. It's just an all around wonderful book, and I give it my full recommendation.

This romance that jumps back and forth between the first meeting and growing romance between cub reporter, Orla, and wildlife photographer, Aiden, and their meeting five years later really drew me in. Aiden is in Orla’s town to camp out by the river and photograph a family of otters. Orla interviews him and soon finds herself hanging out with him and falling for the free spirit. And he fell for her right away when she literally fell at his feet. But Orla has plans for herself to build up a journalism career and make it to London. She doesn’t want to chuck it all away to travel the world with Aiden and live in a tent. I can’t say I blame her.

Five years later, neither of them have found anyone who could match the connection that they had that one summer. Now they both need to adjust their own life plans if they can figure out how to mesh their different lives.

I really enjoyed this novel and the set-up was different enough to seem like a fun take on the second-chance trope.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

“Only do what makes you happy. Stop overthinking things. Live in the moment. Live your life for now, not for five years’ time.”
Thank you, @netgalley for this e-reader ARC of The Five Year Plan by Carla Burgess! I really enjoyed this story, and the friendship between Orla and Aiden. I also respected how they didn’t lead with their hearts and, instead, went for their goals- strong careers. I think it’s important to let yourself come first and figure out who you are and make yourself happy before settling down. And I love that this story portrayed that. It did initially feel a little forced when they met again after five years. But I loved the way the story turned out. 4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The premise of this book was what caught my attention. The beginning was promising but then I found myself skimming more than reading so I sat the book down for a bit and tried again a few days later.

Once I tried again and was able to finish the book, I had a few thoughts: it dragged more than excited him, Aiden was a favorite, Opal... not so much. I felt like both characters were a bit juvenile for someone in there 20's and 30's. Lastly, I am not a fan of books that stay in the past more than the present. I can never truly love a book when it does that.

Overall, it wasn't a memorable read for me. I think the author has potential. I would read another book by her but this one just wasn't a win for me.

this book was a bit of a mess for me, in my opinion. I wasn't the biggest fan of it, but I wont right off ms. burgess quite yet.

The beginning of the book starts strong. I loved the first chapter and the idea of not knowing what happened that drove them apart. I was really interested to see where it went. Seems like it was going to be a really good romantic read. However, I was really underwhelmed with the flashback story. It wasn't ever something that really grabbed me. I found myself just ready to be done with the whole book and not even really caring how it ended. I didn't really like Orla unfortunately, and it is hard to really care when you don't really like the protagonist.

I didn't hate the book, but I also didn't love it. The author is a good writer - I just didn't really feel the flashback story and that kind of turned me off.

This book started strong. The first chapters where it was present time and there was mystery in how they knew each other was interesting. However, the more I read, the less interested I became. When it went to the past with Orla's sprained ankle and them getting to know each other, it got a bit dull. Their relationship was so normal and standard.. there was nothing exciting about their courtship. I couldn't get through this one. It was so-so. If someone is interested in slow-burn, every-day romances, they may like it.

Orla doesn't need a man to love - she has her first real job, working for a small newspaper, she has friends and family who check in and she has the sexy coffee guy Fabio to look at when she needs some eye candy. With a plan in place, the last thing Orla is expecting is to fall (literally) for Aiden, an off the beaten path nature photographer who can't even remember what day it is. Figuring out how to let people into our lives when it's least convenient (and when we most need control) is at the center of Carla Burgess' love story that follows 2 likable but frustrating main characters through 5 years of professional and personal growth and change.

TBH, I need to stop reading books and just put things down when I lose interest. Anyways, thanks Netgalley for the eARC. This book had a lot of potential. The first chapter was really interesting - it started in the present and ended on a cliffhanger then spent several (several too many) chapters in the past., The overall relationship - which was really a fling that ended on good terms (in the sense that there was no animosity between the two when they first parted ways) - was just sort of bland. This would have been better as a short story. I don't know if anyone else got this vibe though, but Aiden seemed kind of annoyingly persistent in the beginning when he wanted to start hooking up with Orla.. I don't know, it just didn't sit well with me.

This book was an interesting read. It is told from different points of view and is told through several timelines.

Orla has a five year plan, to get to the top of her career ladder as a news reporter, move to London.

Aiden is a wildlife photographer, has no ambition to marry someone and spend all his life outdoors.

These two meet and it was lovely to follow the journey of these two becoming friends and then into lovers.

I LOVED this!! I absolutely flew through it in less than two days. It has been a little while since I have read a good romance - too long - and so this was a very welcome change in my reading of more serious texts for university. I was a big fan of both Orla and Aiden, probably Aiden even more so. The only thing that stops me from giving this five stars sadly is that I felt the balance of chapters from five years and the present day ones was not very well structured. It began with one chapter in the present day, ending on a cliffhanger and then switching back to five years ago. This was too quick and sudden a change, and then we were in the past for too long when I really wanted to get back to what was happening now. More of a switch between them might have been nice. That aside, it was a very lovely, heartwarming book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to my romance-loving book friends.