I think this is a great folllowup to Gia's first book. Perfect for fans of Denise Williams & Jasmine Guillory, it's got a great story to tie in A+ characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC of Not The Plan. I loved this authors debut book and was excited to read the next in the series. I loved the elements that included politics and their jobs but the story line was redundant and not captivating to me. I also found the dialogue to be too saccharine and got to be too much. The endearments both characters used were cloying. Ultimately, this book just wasn’t for me.

I read this during the recent election season, which made this fun, but it was an enjoyable read anyway. I liked the tension between the main characters in the book.

Overall this was a quick read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Now this was such an unexpected win! I'm not a political girlie but suddenly I am running for president. I thought incorporating politics would turn me off of the book but surprisingly made me like it more. It was the perfect added layer of tension between these two and I loved it. I am for sure ordering this into the store.

I actually read this during November in the 2022 election series. It helped to make the sadness in the world around me feel better. I felt this wasn't too spicy and had a great balance of heat and romance.

Couldn't get through this one. I'm not sure why it wasn't my cup of tea, but I could see so easily where it was headed so quickly that it didn't make me want to continue reading.

She’s done it again! I loved her first book and I love this one even more. Karim is so adorable! I love how they were able to bond over their trauma in a healthy way. The relationship had its ups and downs but it never kept them away from each other. Finished in a day. Recommend everyone give this book a shot!

Loved the premise of this book. There was a great meet cute with Isadora and Karim. The story was engaging and I enjoyed the political angle.

I thought this would be a cute political rom com, and I guess it was. But it read kind of amateurishly and I couldn't get past that. I noticed the repetition of words and phrases and that became a distraction. I think there was potential here and perhaps with a strong editor, this could have been a lot better.

PERFECT for the election season. Who doesn’t love a little romance and politics in their life? Despite representing two different politicians you find yourself ROOTING for these two MC to win their own election (wink wink). Each MC possesses their own individual characteristics—independent and badass, thoughtful and kind—you just know they compliment each other in every way. And like at the end of any good election party someone has to give an acceptance speech but at least this time it’s a joint one! Romance, intrigue, a little mud slinging what is there not to love?

This is my first book by Gia De Cadenet, and overall I thought it was okay. I appreciated that each of the main characters were battling through issues relating to toxic family members (I feel like more people can probably relate to that; I know I did). I appreciated the conversations around mental health, workplace misogyny particularly in politics, and people of color as our main love interests. All around the board, the characters were diverse. Also, the steamy scenes were well-written, for someone who doesn't read a lot of romance.

Outside of that, I found the characters to be a little unbelievable. The pet names I did not like, and how quickly everything moved just felt rushed. While the chemistry was written well between the two MCs, the political drama really only existed in the last quarter of the book. I didn't really feel a steady build of it and felt like it just ramped up all at once. In addition, I think this was supposed to be a Romeo and Juliet take, and I didn't really feel any divide between the two politicians, even when the climax of the book/political drama came to its peak. Like, yeah, you read that they disliked each other, but it didn't feel authentic enough for me to believe it.

If you're into sappy, happy-ending romances with a decent amount of spice and almost a love-at-first-sight trope, you may really enjoy this one. It just wasn't one for me.

Strong female lead. Check. Gia De Cadenet spoke to my West Wing loving soul with this sweet and spicy romance! The amount of political jargon was enough to keep me interested but not overwhelmed. Loved it.

A steamy romance full of political drama and nefarious characters? Yes, please! Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet is an intense and exciting ride.

Isadora was so focused on her career that she didn't make time for her personal life. Then she met unbelievably gorgeous Karim, and the immediate mutual attraction was undeniable. It would have been the perfect meet cute at the airport, if they hadn't later found out that their bosses were bitter rivals, which really complicated things.

Isa and Karim's public policy discussions are interesting and thought-provoking.  I just feel for them so much that their jobs are pitting them against each other! Also, to add to the level of drama, enter Isadora's mom, who doesn't know the meaning of the word "boundaries."

Will Karim and Isadora's relationship survive the bitter rivalry of their employers, or will his boss's  narcissism and unscrupulous tactics destroy their happiness?

I actually was very excited to read this one. I recently read a different political romcom (Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels) so I was happy to dive back into that world. Maybe I would have liked this one better if I hadn't already read Daniels' novel, which was far superior. I gave this until about 20% and decided I wasn't excited to pick it back up and it was time to move on.

This story was cute! I always appreciate books with REAL characters who have REAL baggage, and Isa and Karim were definitely that! I loved that these two helped and supported each other through rough times and difficult things-they’re the solitons of “better together”! I also loved that Isa was a strong WOMAN in a high powered job 🙌🏼.

I did, however feel like the dialogue got a bit repetitive at times, and kind of generally cheesy.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a good spicy read to pick up on a random day and read through it. One part that made it a bit difficult to read was the political terms. I was fairly familiar with some of the lingo, but the parts I didn't understand caused some confusion. Overall I thought there were so many great parts, and I really liked the idea of showing the contrasting struggles of the characters individually and then bringing them together to help each other.

Thank you NetGalley, Dell, and Gia De Cadenet for the arc of this book in exchange of my honest review.

I’ll be honest the cover really drew me in with this book and I was excited to read it simply from that. I honestly expected it to be like Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory which I loved, but I was sadly mistaken.

I found the writing to feel a bit amateur and the story to drag on. Isadora and Karim had the potential to be a cute couple with good chemistry, but it just missed the mark for me. While I appreciated the discussion of mental health, I felt it was a bit distasteful at times, such as someone with bpd being abusive. This isn’t a great stigma to put onto people and it really left a bad taste in my mouth. While I appreciate the opportunity to read this novel, I would not recommend it.

This slow burn romance gave us a little peek into the personal politics of government - in fighting, back-stabbing, and closed-door seediness - and how pervasively cloaked it can be.

Isadora is exactly the strong, ethical woman we love to see in positions of power. Her path just strengthened her in my eyes. Karim was a good foil, having come off a bad marriage and unknowingly being hired by a senator who has dubious plans.

Unfortunately this read, though it aligned with most of my personal values from a political standpoint, was pretty forgettable and a little bit cliche.

Perfect cuddle up in a cold day and get lost in a book read. I enjoyed it from start to finish. A great pallet cleaner when you just need something light and romantic.

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

Not the Plan had a cute premise. I have enjoyed "political romances", and thought this was a fresh take. Enemies to lovers, communication issues, mental health exploration, etc. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. A little lengthy, a little repetitive. But, not a bad read at all.