Never Planned On You by Lindsay Hameroff

3.75🌟🌟🌟

Quote “But that’s the thing about life. Sometimes it takes you in unexpected directions.”

Ali is impulsive, always ready to party, and a bit non committal. Graham is a mister rogers stuffy type British guy but completely swoon worthy, his life planned and organized. He lives in London she lives in the states other than the awful matching tattoos they got on a drunken lost best and their one night stand eight years prior, their paths never expected to cross again. Until he is the fiancée of the Wedding her and her firm are event planners for. They don’t tell the others they know each other but they can’t fight their attraction to one another. After a few kisses and inappropriate conversations, Graham finally admits that he is marrying his fiancée for her to gain a green card and help his grandmother’s hotel. Ali is confident that this will just be a “friends” with benefits relationship til he gets married - then she will move on but will she be able to let him go and at what cost - her career, her heart, the hotel?

Ali Rubin is still trying to figure herself out. She’s gone from teaching school, attending culinary school and working in NYC restaurants and now she has returned to her home in Baltimore trying to learn wedding planning. She is back living in her childhood room and comparing herself to her, got it together, older sister. Once years before after a drinking game in London she got matching, hilariously ugly tattoos, with a British stranger and spent the night. She never expects to run into him in Baltimore at her favorite coffee shop. She is even more surprised to realize it is his wedding she is currently planning.

This is a cute cover and the book has some very funny moments. I really wanted to swoon for Graham but his people pleasing tendencies had me frustrated. He would say he would tell his fiancee about he and Ali’s connection but that doesn’t. There were a few scenes where I didn’t like him and then he’d be charming to her family and win me over again. I did like the representation of Ali’s Jewish heritage. I also liked Ali and her sister’s relationship and how they saw each other. I appreciated how that changed over the storyline.

This can absolutely be read as a stand alone but it does tie in with the author's previous book, “Till There Was You” (Feb 2024), which I’ve read. The two female leads are friends. Interestingly both books feature one night stands that come back for a chance of love.

Lindsay Hameroff delivers a delightful, heartwarming second-chance romance with Never Planned on You. Packed with witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and the emotional complexity of forbidden love, this novel is an irresistible read for romance fans.

Ali Rubin’s zest for life is contagious—she’s spontaneous, adventurous, and determined to prove herself in her new career as a wedding planner. But when fate throws her a curveball in the form of Graham—the mysterious British stranger from her past who also happens to be the groom of her career-making wedding—her perfectly laid plans begin to unravel. As their undeniable connection reignites, Ali is forced to choose between professional success and the possibility of true love.

The tension between Ali and Graham crackles on every page, making this an absolute page-turner. Hameroff expertly balances humor, longing, and self-discovery, crafting characters who feel real and relatable. The setting, from Baltimore’s charm to the grandeur of the Black-Eyed Susan hotel, adds an atmospheric richness to the story.

With its perfect mix of slow-burn romance, laugh-out-loud moments, and heartfelt dilemmas, Never Planned on You is a must-read for fans of second chances, fake relationships, and finding love in the most unexpected places.

Lindsay Hameroff is quickly becoming a favorite, auto-buy and auto-read author between this book and Til There Was You, I’m hooked. Never Planned on You is a fun, wedding planner and the groom romance where it’s forbidden and so much fun, but also heartbreaking as these two fall in love.

I love the tattoo connection from the prologue, it was the perfecting way to introduce them and make me fall for them from the start! It was a fun ride and I loved reading their story because Graham and Ali have so much chemistry and love for each other it’s obvious the entire book to everyone but them and Claire.

Graham and Ali are clear opposites attract and they all keep each other on their toes and Ali pushes Graham to feel safe to be spontaneous and fun, while Ali feels more stable and like she’s on the right track when she’s with him, especially as she gets flack with her family from her lifestyle. Ali and Graham are perfect for each other and I loved reading their story from start to finish!

3.5⭐️ This was a cute and fun romance.

As a lover of the movie The Wedding Planner, the synopsis for this book sounded perfect. Ali was a likable main character, and I enjoyed seeing her creativity in her job. I liked the depth that we got with her family and their dynamics, and think it added to the story. I also loved how distinct each of her family member’s personalities were.

The romance between her and Graham was a little insta-loveish (which doesn’t always work for me), and I think it made it a little harder for me to feel the chemistry between them. However, I did like seeing their bond grow in the present day, and as the book went on, I did find myself enjoying their story more.

If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted read, you might like this!

Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Never Planned on You is a super sweet, lighthearted read. It touches on family dynamics, commitment, passion, and following your heart. A wonderfully endearing romcom with great MCs, fantastic supporting characters, and a fun plot!

Ali makes a bet with Graham while she's studying in London and they both end up with matching tattoos and an unforgettable night. Many years later, Ali is in Baltimore working as an event planner and she happens to run into Graham. They have dinner together and Ali hopes they will pursue a relationship. The next day, Ali is shocked to find out that Graham is the groom of a wedding she is planning. She is both devastated and angry but is determined to get a promotion so she stays to plan the wedding. But things aren't as they seem and the more time Ali and Graham spend together, the more that their deep connection and chemistry become evident.

I really enjoyed how the plot kept me guessing and had some very interesting twists and turns! Those who enjoyed watching The Wedding Planner would definitely like this story. Overall, a quick and easy read with lots of fun throughout!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I really loved reading this book- so much so that I genuinely could not put it down and finished it in a day. I really related to Ali and I was rooting for her to win- in life, in love, just in general.

I’ve read books similar to this before but this was a fresh take on it. I love Lindsay Hameroff’s style of writing, and I’m definitely going to read all of her future books!

Thank you to St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of Never Planned on You. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance. It’s a fresh take on the constant pressure young adults face when choosing a career path. Life is messy ever changing, but you need to do what makes you happy.

I liked all the current event references.

And bonus for the update on the characters Lexi and Jake from Till There Was You. If you want to avoid spoilers I recommend reading that book first. Though this one can be read as a standalone l.

I absolutely LOVED this book from Lindsay Hameroff & could not have been more tickled by this love story. Set in Baltimore (which just climbed my list of romantic cities to visit on the east coast because of this book), this story is so topsy turvy second chance difficult angsty that it feels like it could be the backdrop for my next favorite Taylor Swift album.

This book has it all & I can’t wait to read more from Lindsay in the future!!!! Thank you to the publishing team for the ARC!

Lindsay Hameroffs books are so incredibly bingeable. I read this baby in roughly 24 hours. They are so easy, their plots move along fairly quickly, and her characters are so likable and enjoyable! Over all, I love this premise. Girl who is seen as the mess falls in love with man who carries the weight of pleasing his family on his baccckkk. Ali and Graham were such a fun coupling, and I really loved the cameos from Ali's friends from Hameroff's freshman novel.
Heres what I disliked - through out nearly half of the book, we are led to believe (although it is not convincingly) that Graham is MARRYING another girl. When we find out the truth, Graham is too big of a baby to TALK to his "fiance" to discuss not actually getting married. So then Ali continues to PINE after this man and make moves, and he RECIPROCATES. Sort out your shit, yall!
Despite all of that (that, being a large chunk of this book), I still really liked this. Graham was obvi so in love with Ali, and the beginning of their relationship was such a fun start. Still a fun read, but it didn't quite have the magic Till There Was You had.
Special thanks to St. Martins Press for both the eARC and the physical ARC of NPOY!

This was really fun! I loved the characters and I understood that sense of belonging that our FMC was looking for. I think that’s so relatable. I did enjoy the second chance aspect and the matching tattoos. So funny! I think this topic can be hard to tackle because so many readers don’t want to root for a “cheating” couple, but I feel like this was done well!! Claire was such a fun character and I loved that she was supportive the entire time.

~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of *Never Planned on You* in exchange for an honest review. ~

I fully admit that this DNF is my own fault. I misread the blurb when I first requested this from Netgalley and once I started reading and put together what kind of story this was going to be, I was hopeful that it wouldn’t cross any lines and I’d be able to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

My biggest hang up was that I thought the hero was connected to the wedding in some way, not, y’know, *the groom*. That’s what really threw me off and so I was really hoping this wouldn’t turn into cheating because I actually was enjoy a lot of this book. The heroine is really funny and I was rooting for her to succeed, even if I did feel she made herself out to be the victim a little too often. Once we met the hero and his fiancee though, I did, pretty immediately, <spoiler> start to notice a few odd things to lean toward this wedding not being everything it appears to be. I wasn’t sure the why, but I was pretty confident it was for convenience sake. </spoiler> Again, I can roll with that.

Of course, expected shenanigans ensue and our two leads continuously end up alone together in planning the wedding with lots of sexual tension. It was silly, but fun. What officially made me put this down, however, was that these two end up making out while our heroine still believes he’s an engaged man. There’s been a few little hints that something’s up between our hero and his fiancee, but our heroine hasn’t put that all together. If the hero would have come clean then and there, I’d have been able to move past this, but instead he doubles down about how wonderful his fiancee is. I just couldn’t anymore. It felt too icky for me.

Bummed, but my own fault in the end.

I had major surgery in the middle of reading this so it didn’t really take me almost 2 weeks to read this. This sophomore entry from Lindsay features Ali who is Lexi’s best friend from Till There Was You. Ali met Graham 10 years prior and they had a one night stand. Fast forward to now and they unexpectedly run into each other in Ali’s hometown of Baltimore where Graham’s family happens to own a hotel.

I don’t really want to get into plot details because too much of it may spoil the story. But this is a really sweet RomCom if you love Hallmark movies. Lindsay’s writing is full of twists and turns that get revealed along the way. I also loved the Jewish rep through Shabbat, Hanukkah, and a Bar Mitzvah. Just like in Never Planned On You, the lead female is a trained chef so this book may make you very hungry. It was great to see Lexi and Jake again though I wish we knew where they ended up during the Epilogue.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC.

Look, I’m all for a whirlwind romance with bad decisions, spontaneous life changes, and emotionally questionable tattoo choices. But this book takes “chaotic energy” to new heights.

Ali Rubin, our free-spirited, leap-before-she-looks heroine, is switching careers from chef to wedding planner (a logical jump, obviously) and finds herself back home in Baltimore. Enter Graham, the British tattoo twin from her past—because of course, fate works like that. And in a twist that absolutely no one saw coming (except everyone), he’s the groom at the wedding she’s planning. But don’t worry! It’s just a marriage of convenience, so really, what could go wrong?

Let’s start with the positives: The book is funny. The banter is charming, Ali is delightfully chaotic, and Graham is the kind of broody-but-secretly-sweet love interest that’s hard to resist. Plus, I love a good “oh no, I caught feelings for the engaged man” dilemma. It’s peak romance messiness, and I respect it.

Now, the drawbacks. Ali’s entire arc feels like a series of questionable life choices loosely connected by caffeine and blind optimism. Graham’s engagement of convenience is one of those plot points that requires the suspension of disbelief usually reserved for Hallmark movies. And for a book about a wedding planner, the level of professional decision-making is… concerning at best.

Would I recommend this book? Sure—if you like your rom-coms with a side of mild exasperation and a sprinkle of “why is everyone making their lives so hard?” It’s fun, but it’s also frustrating. If you love second-chance romances and don’t mind rolling your eyes occasionally, this book might just be worth the chaos.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
5/5

In true Lindsay fashion, this book had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how our HEA was going to unfold. Because guys, I fell in LOVE with Ali in Till There Was You & now Graham in this one. I NEEDED their happily ever after…

It’s started with a bet & a nightmare inducing tattoo in England. Now, years later Ali & Graham run into each other in her hometown of Charm City itself in none other than her favorite cafe. After they reconnect on what seems to be a flawless first date, Ali finds that Graham is the groom of the wedding that’s about to make or break her new career as a wedding planner. Guys, I promise. It’s not what you think. Pick this one up & find out. Till There Was You really made the standards high for Never Planned on You & it exceeded my expectations!!

Here’s some of what I loved (because I really can’t fit all of it on one post)…

✍🏻 Lindsay’s writing style has its own voice that is clear after finishing her second book. I will always auto-buy any of hers books.

🧡 this taking place in a city that I love!

🎶 Lindsay’s many references to Taylor…fellow Swifties recognize each other

🖤 As I said earlier, I adored Ali as a supporting character, so I was so happy that she has her own story.

♾️ the invisible string theory love

✨ there’s many matters Lindsay touches on in this book including women equality in the workplace and some immigration conversation that really makes me appreciate supporting author’s that have similar beliefs & values as my own.

😭 the ending of this. This book brought me to tears in a few scenes. Especially when Asha comes to reconcile with Ali & the ending!!

NEVER PLANNED ON YOU – Lindsey Hameroff
St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 978-1250902948
February 18, 2025
Romantic Comedy

Baltimore, Maryland – Present Day

Ali Rubin is known for her spontaneous personality. Ten years ago while in England, she got into a drunken bet with a man she met at a party, Graham. It led to them getting matching tattoos and having a one-night stand. She expected to never see him again after she returned to the States and her career as a chef. Ten years later, Ali has switched careers to event planning and is hoping to get on permanently at a company that has secured the wedding of a member of a prominent Baltimore hotelier. If she proves her capability, then she can achieve her goals. Things go smoothly until she meets the groom—who happens to be her tattoo match from the past, Graham.

Ali and Graham don’t acknowledge to the people around them at the meetings that they know each other. She figures they can work together professionally, but there’s a catch. Ali and Graham continue to be drawn to each other, and an attraction develops. She soon learns that the bride is an old friend of his and he’s marrying her to give her a green card. The more Ali tries to keep away from Graham, the more they end up together—alone. Will their continued attraction have them drawn into an affair? How will what’s happening affect her career plans?

On the face of it, a book about a woman attracted to and falling for an engaged man looks like an oh-oh. But the author pulls readers into NEVER PLANNED ON YOU by stressing that Graham considers his fiancée a good friend. On the other hand, he wants to madly make love to Ali, and she feels the same way. Oh, they know their feelings for each other are dangerous, but they can’t help how they feel. Ali has always been the one operating on spontaneity and Graham is about doing the right thing. Her family thinks she is a bit of a ditz, but they are nonetheless proud of her. Along the way, they meet Graham and think he is her latest boyfriend. Will they be in for a shock when they find out he is her client, and engaged to another woman?

Graham thought he had his life planned when he moved from England to New York City. But then his grandmother called him to Baltimore to help save their historic hotel. She is looking forward to her only grandson marrying. He can’t disappoint her. While Graham and Ali try to avoid each other, it’s almost impossible when the bride heads to New York for work and Ali’s boss assigns her to help the groom-to-be. In NEVER PLANNED ON YOU, they really do try to avoid giving in to their mutual attraction, but it’s hard. Graham insists to Ali that he will break it off with the bride-to-be. But when, and how will it affect her job?

The stars are aligned crookedly for Ali and Graham in NEVER PLANNED ON YOU. They are perfect for each other, but things aren’t working out. Can they find happiness together in the end? Don’t miss this intriguing and fun tale.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

4.25 stars

If you love the movie The Wedding Planner, I think you'll really enjoy this book. It definitely starts the same way. She meets the bride, really likes the bride, and starts to help plan her wedding. And then boom, the groom walks in, and he's the same man she just reconnected with after 8 years.

I'm not a fan of the cheating trope, so I was getting nervous reading wondering how it was going to be handled to not make me hate the main characters. And I think the way it was used in this story made it more palatable than other "cheating" trope stories.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the writing (I flew through it in one sitting), I and want to read more from this author in the future!

I loved Lexi and Jake's story and so didn't hesitate to request this sequel! And I was not disappointed. I LOVED the story although at parts I was really unsure about how it was all going to come together (and wasn't convinced that it might)! Despite loving this genre it can be disappointing to feel like everything is obvious from the get go and there were a few tiny moments like this BUT in general I was on the edge of my seat. I loved the main character's agency and the beautiful "life lessons" that were part of the healing towards the end of everything.

I also don't think I've ever encountered one of the tropes (which I will NOT spoil here) from this perspective, so well done (BRAVO!) and so, so fun to read.

I absolutely loved Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff!

I was immediately hooked by the prologue and couldn’t put the book down! Ali and Graham’s story made me giddy. It felt fresh and I was invested in the characters— even the supporting cast.

I absolutely loved Lindsay’s debut and the cameos of those characters made me smile. I will read anything Lindsay writes in the future.

If you’re looking for an adorable (and laugh out loud) love story, be sure to pick up Never Planned on you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy of this book!

Never Planned On You was an interesting take on JLo's Wedding Planner flick.
This was a quick read with a promising beginning. But as the story unfolded, the more I began to quickly back away from rooting for the two main characters, Ali and Graham. I didn't connect to the FMC Ali. She seemed really entitled and always got her way regardless of the self destruction pile of 💩she somehow finds herself in. From her family, her job, her friendships, and love life she seemed to find a way for it all to work out.
Now let's talk about the lack of backbone MMC Graham. The only thing that is holding that guy up is his Mr. Rogers sweaters and oxford frames. I think Ali was going to spontaneously combust if she got ahold of Graham's sweaters. She seems to always reference them during their interactions and it got real old, real fast.
Overall it was an okay story, I just wish for more growth on both characters based on their choices and the aftermath this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!