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.

Not the Plan is the sweet story of Isadora and Karim - two state senate staffers whose bosses hate each other. Both have had toxic relationships with folks who have mental health issues, the impact of which is discussed and thought about extensively. I wish the book had been a bit shorter, but it was cute.

Love and politics make strange bedfellows.

I was fortunate enough to get an advance reader’s copy of the book "Not the Plan" by Gia de Cadenet who also wrote "Getting His Game Back."

"Not the Plan" is a steamy workplace romance book about a woman, Isadora Maris, an accomplished and ambitious chief of staff for a senate majority leader, who falls for the equally ambitious, and brilliant attorney Karim Sarda who works for her political rival. Karim is getting his life back following a tumultuous failed marriage that left him emotionally scarred. Isadora has been dealing with a lifetime of angst from her emotionally abusive mom. Despite years of personal trauma, and at risk of political scandal, these two navigate healing, and self-discovery as they learn to love themselves and each other.

The story does a great job of emotionally putting us in the head of both characters. Although I must say, the main character Isadora cried a lot throughout this book irrespective of the situation. As a reader, I felt the psychological issues could have been brought forward more pointedly. Having read Gia de Cadenet’s first book, where she was raw and unflinching in her portrayal of mental health issues, I felt "Not the Plan" was tapered on the topic. It isn’t until we read the author’s acknowledgment that we understand the scope of Isadora’s issue and behavior.

Gia de Cadenet does, however, paint a vivid picture through her words of how physical and emotional abuse impact one’s belief of self and how others perceive them. "Not the Plan" is hard-hitting on heavy and even scandalous topics, however, there are plenty of steamy and touching moments between Isadora and Karim. As a reader, I could feel the love brewing between Isadora and Karim from the beginning, and I rooted for them throughout the book.

Gia de Cadenet does a great job mapping Karim’s journey in "Not the Plan," without the reader having pre-read de Candent’s previous book, "Getting His Game Back," where we met Karim two years prior as Khalil’s twin brother in the book.

I wanted to give this book five stars, but I felt Gia de Cadenet held back on the hard-core emotional roller coaster story she’s known for. However, "Not the Plan" is a good fresh read. Gia de Cadenet is the one to watch for a new and interesting take on romance books.

"Not the Plan" is a four-star steamy workplace romance book and a good read.

Thank you @NetGalley and @RandomHousePublishingGroup for the ARC of Not the Plan by Gia De Cadenet.

Gia did it again! Absolutely a great story full of plot so thick that a knife couldn't cut!
mental health story- yes
romance-yes
high heat romance- yes
workplace romance-yes
admiration-yes

All of the story elements are tied so well together. I could visualize the scenes while reading. I can't wait for more books from Gia De Cadenet! She doesn't disappoint!

I really wanted to love this novel. I thought it might be straight read-a-like for Casey McQuiston’s Red, White and Royal Blue–a romance about less than perfect people of color in a political setting. When Isadora, chief of staff to a state rep, accidentally spills coffee on a hot stranger at the airport, things escalate a bit to typical travel stress… but when they are seated next to one another, she decides to drop any instinctual snarkiness and be kind. Their meet cute doesn’t evolve to an exchange of contact information… and no one is more surprised than Isa when Karim turns out to be the new intern at the rival representative’s office. Although from the same party, the interoffice politics are likened to the drama of the Montagues and Capulets (another Shakespeare allusion, this publishing season is full of them) and she can’t be seen fraternizing with the enemy.

Trust is difficult for both Karim and Isadora; he’s struggling to extricate himself from a toxic marriage to a person with poorly managed bipolar disorder, and as he slowly lets down his guard and reveals his past abusive relationship, the symptoms and behaviors he describes very closely mirror those of Isadora’s manipulative, emotionally stunted and demanding mother. The portraits of and compassion for the mental health of others rings true, even as Karim and Isa struggle to set healthy and reasonable boundaries with difficult personalities. Adding to Isa’s stress are her career goals in a men’s world; her reputation is impeccable and political dealings on the level, but she knows just one perceived slip will lead to scandal and being accused of sleeping her way to the top. All she wants is to see her majority leader make it from the state to federal playing field.

The relationship progresses at a believable pace based on their mutual attraction, interests, and values. Supportive roles played by Karim’s brother and Isa’s (gay) best friend and co-worked provide space to vent and add to character development. The political setting gives a glimpse into how the sausage is made, and even the sordid scandal that comes at the denouement rings true. In an ugly scene, Karim and Isadora encounter and deal with sexualization (her) and racial slurs (him) and cope with it well.

As a reader who favors humor, a clever turn of phrase, painterly descriptions and sensory detail, I found the writing straight-forward but too monotonous and pedestrian for my taste–even through the multiple sex scenes, which were blow-by-blow detail and went on for 20+ ebook pages. The repetitive “blunt, honest?” before laying down a truth was overused, as were their pet names (the creative “beautiful” and “gorgeous”). While de Cadenet avoids the pitfalls of telling instead of showing and intersperses dialogue with action with success, there are long passages of exposition, and the vocabulary and actions were not varied like those of a seasoned storyteller. I plodded through, picked up Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun as a palate cleanser, and bingo: stellar writing, carefully chosen details, neuroses on full display, quirky characters. Better writing and better editing could have Not the Plan a four-star story.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #NotThePlan from #NetGalley.

Reading the preview of this book in Gia De Cadenet's previous book Getting His Game Back had me really excited for this title. I was looking forward to seeing how things would go for Khalil's Twin brother Karim and I was not disappointed.

This was my first political romance I've read so I did not know what to expect at first, I was just excited to reconnect with Karim and meet Isadora. It was a fun journey to watch Isadora and Karim's relationship develop. Isadora is a driven and quick witted heroine. She does her best to have everything together, even if it's a strain on her. She's relatable, real, and just so sweet. Karim is a sensitive cinnamon roll that you just want to hug. Seeing Karim process his healing from his ex wife was just nice and has you rooting for him the entire book. I like how their meet-cute was at the beginning of the book. Unsuspecting to them both but made their reconnection that much better.

One of my favorite things is how Gia talks about mental health within her books. These are things people go through so it's nice that we get to see how things can be handled within a relationship. I adored just how Karim doted on Isadora when he had the opportunity. There were some small plot parts I though would go differently such as the political drama between their bosses and also drama with Karim's ex wife. I also wish they just had a bit more time together of them dating and us seeing that. I'm just also over the moon that I got what I wanted from the previous book in the epilogue.

I give it 4 stars cause I just wanted more development in some areas and just to see more of Isadora and Karim as a couple. It was a fun read and I will definitely be buying a copy of this book when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing permitting me with an advance reader's copy of this book.

Not the Plan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 2/7/23
Author: Gia de Cadenet
Publisher: Random House Publishing
Pages: 320
GR: 3.51

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Isadora Maris will soon be managing her boss's successful campaign for U.S. representative. Why is Karim Sarda working for the California senate's most detestable scumbag? Given their bosses' fierce political rivalry, Isadora finds she can't risk tarnishing her reputation by flirting with the enemy. So she deems Karim off-limits--no matter how flustered she feels whenever he enters the room. When Karim and Isadora succumb to their undeniable chemistry, their initial desire blossoms into something more--something real. But if Karim's boss takes control of the California senate, everything Isadora worked for could be destroyed. Will workplace politics shatter their chance at love?

My Thoughts: This is a classic spin on the enemies to lovers trope, one of my favorite. There is a bipolar disorder representation, which hits close to home as someone in my family struggles with this. Even with our MCs being in opposite political offices, you root for them the entire time because they are dynamic together. Isadora is a very strong and independent woman, while Karim is a sensitive man that is driven by passion. A good portion of the story focuses on past trauma and abuse, while these are hard and sensitive subjects, I believe the author approached them with grace and they were done beautifully. The characters were fleshed out with depth, witty banter, mad chemistry, and creatively woven throughout the story. The author’s writing was complex, intriguing, funny, political (but not too much), and kept me engaged the entire story. The amount of support and strength throughout the MCs was amazing and I l enjoyed reading this story. This does not release until February next year, but I do recommend preordering, if possible.

Not the Plan is a steamy political workplace romance with a compelling meet-cute, elements of "enemies to lovers" and "secret hookup" tropes, and a lot of spice. I appreciated that the two main characters had similar baggage and were able to help each other heal.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!