4.5/5 ☆
2/5 🌶

I read Lindsay's first book earlier this year as an ARC and was thrilled to see another book from her on my approved ARC list for a 2025 release. While not officially a series that I've seen, this story follows a side character from Till There Was You and it was fun to get little updates about those character throughout this novel too.

I found myself loving this storyline and even with having a general idea of what would happen at different moments, I still loved every moment of Ali & Graham's romance.

Oh forbidden romances. So fun, and also, so fraught with the stress of — will they? Won’t they? Is there any way that it can work without ruining everything for everyone? Perhaps that’s why I read “never planned on you” in just a matter of hours, staying up late because I had to finish it. Ali and Graham are such great characters — sharing one night together years earlier before their lives intertwine again in an unexpected way. With a fun cast of supporting characters, including Lexi and Chloe making an appearance. I was hooked and really enjoyed this one. Can’t wait to read whatever Lindsay Hammerhoff writes next!

I rarely DNF books, especially when I plan to review them, but here we are. This supposed “glittering, laugh-out-loud second chance romance” turned out to be an uninspired mishmash of clichés, with a protagonist I couldn’t root for and an over-reliance on shallow cultural references.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: "Never Planned on You" is "The Wedding Planner"—minus the charm—and a collage of tired romance tropes. Ali Rubin, the protagonist, interns as a wedding planner and conveniently runs into Graham, a man she once drunkenly got tattoos with and hooked up with during her “wild” London days. Surprise! He’s now the groom at her big high-profile wedding project. Cue the sparks, forbidden love, and—you guessed it—cheating.

Ali is marketed as a free-spirited, lovable flake, but her impulsiveness quickly becomes grating. Her lack of professional boundaries, combined with her weak moral compass, makes her more irritating than endearing. By the time she’s justifying her feelings for an *engaged* man, I couldn’t bring myself to cheer for her romance—or her personal growth. Because come on: Graham and Ali’s romantic arc centers on cheating. Graham’s fiancée is framed as a “convenience” match, but that doesn’t make his actions (or Ali’s enabling) any more palatable.

Readers deserve better. Emotional stakes and tension don’t need to come at the expense of integrity.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This gave me The Wedding Planner vibes and I loved it! I loved Ali and Graham’s chemistry and their spicy past! This whole story was very well done.

Never Planned on You was an easy and very sweet read! There were times when I wanted to grab both Graham and Ali and shake them, which is how you know the slow burn was slow-burning! The combination of their second chance romance and their undeniable tension and chemistry made for a great and super enjoyable read.

I’m always a fan of when the FMC is a wedding planner, and I loved how Ali also had the connection to cooking! I loved Till There Was You, Lindsay Hameroff’s first book, and I loved the connections to that book and those characters here. It’s a very sweet world- pun intended!- and I was happy to come back and read more about it.

I especially was grateful for the character of Claire, who made the difference for me in this book, as well as the wonderful family dynamic that Ali has. The cast of characters in this book really filled out the world nicely for me and it was the perfect balance of romance and friendship.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff.

First time reading a book by this author, and enjoyed reading a book set in Baltimore as I’m familiar with the area. Overall, I’m struggling with my thoughts on this one. I liked the characters, and wanted to see Ali and Graham get together. But at the same time, the whole concept of Graham didn’t want to be like his dad and he kind of was didn’t sit right with me. Don’t want to say much more as I don’t want to spoil it. Generally speaking, this was a cute romance book with some humor to it. And the writing was good. Definitely have an interest in wanting to read more by this author.

Never planned on you by Lindsay Hameroff is pure joy!

This is a super fun easy to read romcom where she's a wedding planner but love has yet to come to her and a lot to prove to make sure her family doesn't think she's the family flake. Until Ali and Graham cross paths, I liked the realistic take on their relationship, we see their build up, their chemistry and its fun, sweet and perfect for fans of the wedding planner and romantics will eat this up! a fun must read romcom!

The Wedding Planner meets Lorelai Gilmore. With quick wit and surrounded by those who love her, Ali is trying to get a full time position at the premiere event planning company when she runs into a guy, Graham, she met once, years earlier. They rekindle their spark except he’s also the groom at the wedding Ali is planning. Obviously these two will get their happily ever after but the road along the way is filled with laughter, romance, and friendship. It’s a fun and quick rom-com and I could see this becoming a movie.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Publication date: February 18th, 2025

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ali, who lives her life with spontaneously, like that bet in London with a stranger that led to a tattoo. She follows her dreams no matter where it takes her. Jump from career to career, as a chef in New York going back home to Baltimore where she’s now interning as a wedding planner

Ali never expected to see Graham again but who knows what the future has for her. She working really hard to secure a job as planner where she currently interning but when she gets a new planning job a wedding at historic hotel it seems like everything is looking up for her.

What will go wrong or right in her favor

Read to find out

Thank You, NetGalley and St.Martins Press
The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

I am a sucker for food related books.

This was a sweet, easy, cute, second chance romance. So funny and spicey!

Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff is a charming and heartfelt romance that beautifully balances humor, emotion, and authenticity. The lovable and relatable characters steal the show, making it easy to get invested in their journey.

The story’s Jewish representation is a standout, weaving cultural elements seamlessly into the narrative and adding depth to the characters’ lives. At its heart, this is a second-chance romance, but it also incorporates other beloved tropes like opposites-attract and close proximity, keeping the tension and sparks flying.

While the chemistry between the leads is undeniable, the romance occasionally felt a bit messy, with some miscommunications and plot developments that could have been more polished. That said, the emotional payoff is worth the ride, and the story’s warmth and sincerity make up for its imperfections.

If you’re looking for a romance that’s heartfelt, culturally rich, and full of characters you’ll adore, Never Planned on You is a delightful pick that will leave you smiling.

"Not every path to happiness is linear. I just hope that when you find the thing that is right for you, you aren't afraid to accept it."

I'm sure this book is great for some readers. People who just want a cute little romance will enjoy this one. I tend to focus on small details, and there was a lot with this book I just couldn't get over it.

Maybe you can get over wedding colors being white AND ivory (which clashes, hot take). Maybe you can get past her friends being annoying, her shaming of her childhood bedroom (girl, you can take down your posters from high school), calling football "sports ball" when she was raised in Baltimore. Maybe you can get past the INCESSANT pop culture references (and that's coming from me, a girl whose WIP is all about a girl who has a borderline special interest in song lyrics). Maybe you can get over her supposedly-perspective-altering relationship with a man named Dev only being mentioned at 70% in.

I couldn't. That's me. Such is life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew this was going to be a tough read, emotionally. Dating your soulmate while planning a marriage of convenience to your best friend is never going to end well. (Spoiler alert: it ends well!!!). But this was still a fun read with really enjoyable secondary characters. Loved the Jewish rep! Thanks to SMP for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley via St.Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book ☺️

This was a very cute quick read! I loved all the pop culture references and moments between Ali and Graham. Definitely would read more from the author and would also like to read her first book too!

Never Planned on You is the meet cute sorry of the hear between Ali and Graham. While studying abroad in England, Ali meets Graham and after losing a bet, they get matching tattoos. They share a passionate night and the next day, Ali leaves quickly and they never see each other again. Fast forward several years master and Ali is working as an event/wedding planner. When her new client turns out to be Graham and his fiancé, can Ali deny their connection and help Graham get married?
This was a very cute book. The banter between Ali and Graham is *chef’s kiss*. The story was enjoyable and kept me engaged. If you like funny banter and second chance romances, this one is for you!

This was a fun twist on second-chance relationships. The writing style was fun and cohesive. There were fun turns and unexpected plot points. At times it felt repetitive but it diminish from the story overall.

I really wanted to love this one so badly, but the thing I hated is a spoiler. I did love the Jewish rep, the overall plot, and the setting though.

This book was really cute and had great humor. Very hallmark-esq. my favorite parts of the book were the talks about the hotel and Ali being a chef… I would have loved to see more of that! I didn’t LOVE Graham …. Would have liked to see more assertiveness from him? Like, he was fine but nothing memorable. Overall, enjoyed it!

While Ali was in college in England, she made a bet with a guy and they both lost. The bet being getting a tattoo, which they ended up getting matching tattoos and sleeping together.

Couples years forward, Ali is back home in Baltimore working as an event planner after switching careers multiple times. Ali’s boss told her a possible promotion is hers if she does well on their next big account. Ali then ran into Graham, the guy she slept with back in England with the matching tattoo. They went out for drinks and Ali is really hopeful they can revisit the past but then she finds out that her next big account is Graham and he’s getting married to someone else.


I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would! I love how fun and snarky Ali is and how caring Graham is. If you loved the movie The Wedding Planner, I think this is the perfect book for you! ❤️


Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for an ARC of this book! 💕

Never Planned on You… the cover is just so dang cute!!!

Spoilers below -

I really wanted to like this one but I had a serious issue with the plot. There was cheating trope in this one for almost 85 percent of the book. Ugh I wasn’t a fan of this at all. All those scenes of spicy and romance between the two but just a reminder the main MMC is engaged to someone else. It’s all complicated but no honesty here yikes!

Ugh I enjoyed the authors writing style but I wasn’t the right reader for this and the cheating trope.

2 stars