AHHHH I LOVED IT!! Lindsay Hameroff is getting better and better!

This second chance romance was so much fun. The chemistry was almost jumping off the page as I read! I loved the bait-and-switch of his engagement being a marriage of convenience - it added so much tension to the first 2/3rds of this story as Ali and Graham tried to resist the pull they felt towards each other. I loved Ali's self-discovery journey, the Jewish representation, and even the hilariously adorable grand gesture at the end.

I didn't know this book was a loose sequel to TIL THERE WAS YOU, but I loved getting a cameo from the main characters of that book! I can only hope that this series will continue and we'll get a book about Chloe next!

Lindsay Hameroff is two for two with delightful rom-coms! I thoroughly enjoyed Never Planned on You and had such a fun time getting to know Ali and Graham. There are some great steamy scenes as the chemistry is off the charts! This novel was one of my top picks at my Bookstagram.

I loved all the Jewish joy spread throughout the story, especially how it related to food. I had a fun time watching Ali interact with the variety of characters in this novel. I even cried at one point...from happiness, of course! I love that the story takes place in Baltimore, as it is not too far from where I live. I mainly go to Pikesville when I'm in Baltimore, so it was nice seeing a different side of the city that would be a lot of fun to explore. Everyone and everything was very easy to visualize, as well.

This novel is currently available and you will definitely want to get your hands on a copy, if you haven't already! Although it is a standalone, it is a companion to Lindsay's debut, Till There Was You, and contains spoilers for that novel. You should check that one out too, as it's also really good! I look forward to reading whatever Lindsay comes up with next.

Overall, it's The Wedding Planner meets My Best Friend's Wedding, but even better!

Movie casting suggestions:
Ali: Caylee Cowan (based on casting from TTWY)
Graham: Callum Kerr
Sarah: Billie Lourd
Claire: Natalia Dyer
Bubbie: Barbara Barrie
Asha: Tessa Thompson

This was such a fun romance book! Ali, the female main character, is interning as a wedding planner in Baltimore. She is tasked with planning a wedding at one of Baltimore's most famous hotels. Eight years prior, Ali met a guy, Graham, and they made a drunk tattoo bet. She never thought she would meet Graham again. However, Graham is the groom for the wedding Ali is planning. Sparks then fly between Graham and Ali.

I would give this book 3.5 stars. One thing I liked is the writing style of the author. The book flowed very well. I also liked how this book was straight forward. Sometimes, authors like to complicate books with having a significant amount of secondary characters that take away from the main storyline. This book did not have that issue. Overall, it is a quick and easy read; however, it is not the best book I have ever read. I have read similar books with similar storylines before.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for a free review! Book is out now!

"You make me feel like I should be someone's first choice."

Ommggg did I love this book. Big mistake by thinking I could start by reading a few chapters before bed. I was HOOKED. I was so invested in the story, the characters, the love between Ali and Graham. Let me start by saying The Wedding Planner is one of my favourite romcoms, so this book was right up my alley. And Hemeroff delivered tenfold.

I loved Ali. I thought she was hilarious, earnest, vulnerable and strong. I loved her commitment to her family (who I also adored), her friends, and her values. I looooved the Jewish rep in this book as well - it was really part of the character, so authentic and beautiful to see.

Graham??? A teddy bear muffin of a man. I loved him. I loved the person he become with Ali, how he learned to live and trust himself more, be more free. Ugh, I loved them both together so much, I had all the butterflies!!

This book's pacing is amazing; I was entertained and invested the entire time. Hameroff paints such a beautiful, vivid picture of Baltimore, of a tightnight family (in the best and worst ways!), of the pressures to get your life together, and overall the feeling of believing in love, and the desire to be picked first by someone.

This is one of my new favourite romance novels, if you couldn't already tell, and I highly, highly recommend it!!

Endless thank you to St Martin's Griffin for an advanced e-copy of this book!!

Lindsay Hameroff delivers in Never Planned on You the sequel to Till There was You. Fans will love Ali and Graham's story. Bonus updates from Lexi and Jake throughout the story. This can be read as a stand-alone, but the stories are much more fun together. Highly recommend.

I couldn’t quite get into the story. Once they found each other again it felt like all of the conflicts were a little forced.

I would also be mortified by that grand gesture.

Overall I thought the writing was good and it was a light hearted, funny read.

Ali loves to live life spontaneously. However, her dream of being a top NYC chef ends and she returns to her hometown to intern as a wedding planner. Much to her surprise, her one night stand from several years ago, ends up as one of her shows up as one of her newest clients getting married, she is forced to face her feelings that she tried to escape from that one night that she could never forget.

I enjoyed reading about the mishaps and funny scenarios the MCs found themselves in throughout the story. The pop culture references were fun elements included and the banter was fantastic.

I think what troubled me was the reason why Graham and Ali couldn’t be together. It was an aspect that was a bit hard to swallow but for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won’t reveal in this review. Although there is a catch in the story that makes the reasoning not as clear cut as initially thought.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the finished copy and e-arc. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

I wanted to like this book, partially because I liked Lindsay's last book, but I don't like cheaters and I just can't overlook the dishonesty. I did like parts of it and some parts of the characters, but I couldn't handle the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute and fun read! I loved the characters and the plot. I found myself laughing and cheering for the FMC throughout. Highly recommend to those who are interested and have their interest piqued in the narrative description.

I had such high hopes for this book after loving Till There Was You and it did not disappoint. Loved the characters, plot, setting, chemistry, and writing. I’m still not sure if I loved the fact that one of the characters was engaged to someone else but it all worked out in the end and I still enjoyed the overall story. Can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

I am in love with this book! It is full of laughs and the sweetest, most delightful love story. The story is engaging thus making it a quick and easy read. There is plenty of spice and and a very thoughtful, swoon-worthy, tea drinking Brit. There is action, a little angst and plenty of tension. A friendship that tries not to cross lines but is difficult to maintain and wishing, so much wishing circumstances were different..

Ali and Graham share a mutual attraction to one another and a shared secret. Of course, living in two different countries is a complication in exploring a true relationship. After not seeing each other for a few years, Ali and Graham reconnect one day when Ali runs into Graham. Graham is living in the U.S. and helping his grandmother. Ali is working as a wedding planner. They spend time together and both realize their attraction for one another is still there. Unfortunately, circumstances have drastically changed when Ali discovers Graham is engaged and she is expected to plan the wedding, Graham's engagement is a complex situation yet Ali's need to make this wedding perfect is vital to her; the promotion she desperately wants depends on it. Each is determined to be friends and do whatever is expected of them.

The relationship between Ali and Graham takes a few different twists and turns. Although, the endgame is the same . . . making sure Graham walks down the aisle and Ali gets her promotion. There are so many emotions and I could not wait to see how the happily ever after would come together. Ali and Graham are easy to love and it is hard not to root for their happiness.

I recommend reading the ebook or listening to the audiobook. Both are very good. I am already looking forward to Hameroff's next book!

I have yet to read Lindsay Hameroff’s earlier novel, Till There Was You, but after DEVOURING Never Planned on You, I am officially a Lindsay Hameroff STAN! This book was an absolute delight, such a fun and nostalgic contemporary romance that i could not recommend enough!

Never Planned on You is an incredibly written spin on one of my most favourite early 200s rom-coms, The Wedding Planner. The characters are fun, witty, and relatable. The twists and turns made me giddy, and the Jewish Rep was REPPING!

Hameroff's writing style is so easy to digest, yet its so compelling you will find yourself flipping through the pages until the wee hours.

I just couldn't put this book down, and everyone should enjoy this masterpiece!

4.5 stars!

Ali made the best of her last night in London. She got a random tattoo with a virtual stranger and slept with him. She returned stateside without a backward glance, but she thought about her British ONS every once in a while. She's been trying to find herself. She's given a few careers a go, and hopes that her current one leads to a full time gig as an event planner. She runs into Graham at a coffee shop and agrees to have dinner with him. These should be good signs, right? When the owner of the hotel Black-Eyed Susan comes in with her grandson's fiancee, this becomes Ali's chance to prove to her boss that she's ready to did intern life for full time. Reality crushes Ali when she discovers the groom is none other than Graham. ONS Graham. Tattoo twin Graham. OMG. Ali somehow finds herself working wedding stuff with Graham. That must have been the worst kind of penance. But then Ali realizes there's something not quite right between Graham and Claire. There are no sparks, no lovey dovey yucky love stuff. There's more chemistry between Ali and Graham!

I loved how this story turned out. Ali and Graham were finally in the right place at the right time. Well, after all the platonic friend/fake fiance stuff was out of the way. Ali finally found a way to put all of her education to use with her distinctive culinary palette and her flair for event planning while falling in love with the one that got away.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book was an absolute blast to read! Opposites attract, lost bet/twin tattoos, one memorable night, reunion years later with same magnetic pull...gah!!

Ali is free spirited and spontaneous with the need to prove herself as responsible and committed to her current job. Graham is buttoned up, British (hot) nerd who is driven to save his family's historic hotel. The two met years ago in London...and have matching tattoos to prove it.

Ali and Graham have a reunion meet-cute and discover they are both living in Balitmore! Fate, it seems has brought them back together only for Ali to find out later that Graham is the groom of the wedding she is currently planning.

Never fear, Graham is not an unfaithful dog, but in a marriage of convenience situation. Ali and Graham have undeniable chemistry and something deeper but is love strong enough to overcome what is already planned...Afterall, they never planned on each other....

Sweet, swoony, and emotional depth. with a satisfying ending!

4 stars

"Never Planned on You" was a very cute contemporary romance. I am usually not a big second chance romance fan (how this is marketed). However, I think this book falls far more into the "one night stand" trope than a true second chance romance.

I love books that put a twist onto beloved romance tropes and so I really enjoyed the twist "Never Planned on You" put on the marriage convenience trope. I love marriage of convenience, but I also really liked the messy dynamics of what it looks like to fall in love outside of that arrangement when there is a lot on the line.

One of my favorite things about the book was how Ali's Jewish culture was a huge part of the story (hello bar mitzvah). I loved getting to see this aspect of her and her family's life and how the book portrayed an interfaith relationship.

"Never Planned on You" is an interconnected novel with Hameroff's debut novel but can be read as a standalone. I didn't know it was interconnected going into reading it, and while I was still able to keep up, the couple from the other novel was mentioned so frequently that it felt a little unnatural and sometimes out of place.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved Lindsay Hameroff’s earlier novel, Till There Was You, and her new one, Never Planned on You is just as delightful. This is a contemporary romance with a few twists.

Ali Rubin studied abroad in London and on her last night there, she had a fun evening with friends and a new-to-her friend-of-a-friend, Graham. One thing led to another, and after a bet on darts, the two of them got matching tattoos and then had an intimate night together. Fast forward eight years, and Ali is a fledgling wedding planner in Baltimore, after working as a professional chef and a couple of other careers that didn’t stick. Imagine her surprise when the groom of a wedding she’s helping with, turns out to be none other than Graham of the matching tattoo. They realize the chemistry is still there, but what on earth can they do about it, with Graham all set to marry someone else? (The publisher’s blurb gives away way too much.)

You’ll have to read the book to find out how this happens, but since this is a romance, it’s not really a spoiler to say they do figure out how to move ahead with each other.

I loved all the Jewish rep in the story, and I loved how Graham enjoyed learning about some of the traditions associated with Ali’s family. I adored Ali’s Bubbie (grandmother).

There are small roles for some of the characters from Hameroff’s earlier book (Lexi, Jake and Chloe), but you absolutely do not have to read that book before reading this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the premise of the book. Graham and Ali met years ago and actually got matching tattoos from a drunken bet. Then years later, they accidentally meet at a coffee shop and it turns both of their worlds upside down.

Graham is trying to save his grandmother’s hotel and Ali has changed careers and is now a wedding planner…to Graham’s wedding. Needless to say, this puts a big kink in their attraction.

I enjoyed Graham and Ali. However, it does take quite a bit of time for these two to get together. I also felt the story could have been much shorter. Like I said…it was a bit slow getting these two together. But, it is an enjoyable, fun read.

This is three and a half stars rounded up.

Need a cute romcom with fun characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

4.25 stars rounded down here! Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the eARC! These are my honest thoughts!

I've become such a fan of Lindsay Hameroff's in her two books! Till There Was You was such a surprise favorite of mine in 2024, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on Never Planned on You!

Ali and Graham's origin story is SO FUN. Full of out-of-character moments for Graham where Ali brings her silly/goofy/adventurous self to the table and offers herself to Graham on a platter. They meet on Ali's last night in the UK during her study abroad, have one magical night, and then never see each other again... until they bump into each other in a cafe in Ali's hometown years later. The two go out for drinks, end up at a bookstore, and then almost kiss before Graham pulls away.

The twist? Ali's planning Graham's wedding. Yikes.

I don't want to spoil anything else from the story, so just read it if you want to find out... but these two have so much chemistry, and Graham is so JUST GONE for Ali. She's the only person that's ever made him go a little crazy... and it shows.

Read if you love:
- Forced proximity
- Wedding planner x groom
- Books with lots of FOOD
- Family drama
- MMC who came "home" to rescue his grandparent's hotel
- FMC who came "home" to pursue her dreams
- *memories*
- Matching tattoos
- Dares

Out now!

Ali is an event planner, at least, she is now, after bouncing from career to career for a few years, and she's trying her darnedest to stick with planning, both because she really enjoys it, AND she hates how her family all assumes she's going to flake and start something new any second. But when the next big assignment is planning the wedding of the one-that-got-away, Graham. The guy who she got matching hideous tattoos with that led to an earth-shattering one night stand. The guy she's compared everyone else to for the last decade. The guy she wished she'd stayed in London for... the guy who's marrying someone else.

I loved Ali. She's trying so damn hard to find herself, find where she belongs. She loved culinary school, but hated the stress and the hours. She loves planning, but misses the food creativity. She is trying to get herself together to show her family she's not a mess. She's trying to grow.

Graham is the chink in her armor, though, because she's never stopped thinking about him. And it's clear he's still thinking about her after all these years. I love his "why" and what winds up shaking out at the end

I also keep trying to imagine this ridiculous tattoo. A pig/unicorn that gives Ali jump scares even though she's had it for years? Ha! Too funny.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

I have such mixed feelings about this book - I spent my Sunday reading it and overall I did really like it! It was the perfect mix of romantic, heartfelt, and funny. BUT I really struggled how they still basically cheated. While the MMC was engaged to his best friend to help her get a green card and they were allowed to date - SPOILER - I was really bothered that they didn't tell his fiancée. It made it feel icky for a bit when I just wanted to bask in the romance building between our two main characters. Who I loved so much! Plus we had such good side characters (I hope Claire gets her happy ever after). And I loved the Jewish representation - it was beautiful. So you see...mixed feelings! Definitely worth picking up!