Cover Image: Not According to Plan

Not According to Plan

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Member Reviews

When I first started this book I thought it was going to end up being terrible. A little ridiculous, a sudden attraction with nothing to back up their feelings, over the top best friend and brother straight from central casting. Somehow though I got caught up in the drama of two people trying to make the impossible work and stay committed to the family they were attempting to create amidst all of the chaos. Did I love all of their decisions? No. But I did love how open they were with each other and how willing they both were to try. Definitely an interesting spin on an accidental pregnancy book and one I am glad I gave a chance.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I received this book as an ARC via netgalley for an honest review. This is an “accidental “ pregnancy plot and with a twist. It was well written, but I just didn’t love the storyline. I also didn’t like that jade was the one giving everything up, even if it was for love.

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This was an intriguing twist in the surprise baby plotline. Dedicated workaholic, Jade, decides to break free of her boring life and have a one-night stand with sexy gym owner, Max. Max is a great guy - serious and responsible. He is one of a set of identical triplets. I wonder if the author is planning two sequels featuring Max’s two brothers.

Jade turns up pregnant from that one night. THen Max has to tell her that he’s actually expecting another baby with a friend of his who lives in Miami where he’s opening a second gym. So now the guy is expecting two babies, one in New York and one in Miami.


He and Jade are deeply attracted to each other and Max really wants to try and make a go of it with Jade. But she’s a lawyer whose job demands 10-hour days as she’s trying to make partner. No wonder her life seems boring.

I really liked the set-up and was interested to see how this was going to work out. I just got a bit tired of Jade. She seemed to not be able to deal with the reality that she was expecting a baby. Max wants to build something serious with her, but she doesn’t want to talk about a future together. Of course, it’s difficult when he’s going to be splitting his time between NYC and Miami, but would prefer for her to move to Miami and look for a job there so he can be a father to both his babies. She spends the whole book dithering about this and I rather lost patience with her. She knows how deeply she loves Max, but can’t seem to think beyond that.

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.

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It’s been awhile since I’ve read an A.M. Madden book and I love an accidental pregnancy trope so I thought this would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, this story was just okay for me. Jade reluctantly goes out with her friend, Amy, on her birthday to a bar. She ends up in a karaoke contest with Max as her partner, and they have a one-night stand. She’s shocked to find out weeks later that she’s pregnant, and she has to tell Max. Well, Max also has some difficult circumstances he’s in that he needs to tell her about. While both characters were likeable, the situation was just so far fetched, and unbelievable that I spent most of the book shaking my head in disbelief. I know that is super vague, but I cannot spoil it but don’t worry you find out right away about the circumstances. And the reason for the accidental pregnancy is pretty much just glossed over in a way. I also absolutely hated the way the men in Jade’s life wanted to make her decisions for her. With all that being said, the aspects of pregnancy were still fun to read, and Max and Jade were good characters and had great chemistry.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Lovely cover!

Jade is a lawyer, she works 80 hours a week (aagghh) and at her birthday has a one-night-stand with hot Max. She lives in New York, he in Miami. So when Jade discovers she is pregnant she does tell Max but does not expect anything.

And Max? Well, he already impregnated someone! His ex friend-with-benefits Tracy is pregnant and so Max will be a dad twice a couple of months apart. Not exactly what I expected going into the story. But somehow it did work. The storyline centered about Max torn between New York/Miami and the developing relationship with Jade.

I did enjoy the story, even when I did not agree with some things. The storyline was not what I expected, but that did make it more original.

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***Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing and A.M. Madden. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

Jade and Max meet at bar during a karaoke contest, with a little meddling from Jade’s friend and Max’s brother. Sparks fly and they have a one-night stand. When Jade realizes she’s pregnant six weeks later, she reaches out to him to let him know. She expects nothing from him but he wants to be a part of the baby’s life, a part of Jade’s life. It’s Jade that isn’t sure how to fit a relationship into her busy life. And how will she make junior partner at the law firm she works at and juggle an infant? For a person who lives by a plan, her plan’s just gone up in smoke.

I liked Jade and Max. Jade is independent and kind-hearted, loves her family very much, but is also very driven professionally, to the detriment of her personal life. I could totally see her raising a baby on her own while still excelling at her job. At first, I liked Max a lot. The busier his life got, the less I liked him. I wanted him to see that he had to rethink his life plan if he wanted Jade in it permanently, not the other way around. I wanted him to stop saying ‘things will work out’ and actually figure out how that could happen, and not just for him but for everyone. The pair had great chemistry and I wanted them to find happiness together. I just didn’t like how that came to happen.

I didn’t love the predicament Max found himself it, though I did like his transparency about it. That aside, I hated that it came down to Jade choosing between New York and Miami. She shouldn’t have had to choose. I hated that she was the only one who was expected to be flexible. I despised that everyone was telling Jade what to do with not only in her professional life but her love life as well, from Amy her best friend, to her sister and father and Max. And they kept harping. She’s a grown woman who is control of her life. She can make decisions just fine on her own. I was especially disappointed in Jade’s father—who couldn’t put aside his disappointment in Jade’s choices and the harm he felt it would cause her career and just be a supportive father instead of a judgmental standoffish jerk—and Max.

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Max isn't really a secret keeper, "confession… I stole your panties last weekend. Forgot I did until I put on my jeans and found them in my pocket." I liked this book, I liked Max.

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