I hadn't read the other books in this series, but it does work as a stand alone book too. Emma moves to Blue Moon to be closer to her family. She loves her job and the town and decides to stay there permanently. She like routine and wants to find a husband who fits in with her life plan and goals. She never expects to fall in love with a visitor to the town who is so far from what she has wanted for herself. Emma has to decide if she is going to throw caution to the wind or fall back into her safe patterns.

Lucy Score fans will be overjoyed for her to return to form with NOT PART OF THE PLAN. I loved this title although it is a bit more literary than her older books.

If you love small-town romance with meddling neighbors, steamy tension, and emotional payoff, Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score needs to be on your TBR.

It’s about Emma, a control freak running a brewery, and Niko, a sexy, broody photographer who rolls into town needing a break—and maybe a reason to stay.

They start as friends... kind of. But the chemistry? 🔥🔥
Cue hilarious town drama, a slow-burn friends-to-lovers arc, and yes—a third-act meltdown that had me screaming.

It’s funny, flirty, and full of heart.
Spice level: Medium-high.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Definitely read it if you love chaotic small towns and emotionally satisfying romance.

This repub was so perfect! Lucy Score books always feel so cozy to me and the coastal Bluje Moon Bend is no exception. Perfect for lover sof small-town, friends-to-lovers romance is the perfect rom-com for a warm sunny day!

This series just keeps getting better. I love the town of Blue Moon and this chaotic, fun family. Seeing them all grow book by book is so fun.

I loved seeing the relationship between Emma and Niko developed. The friendship to more. How Niko recognizes his deeper feelings first and fights for Emma.

So so good.

Niko has come to Blue Moon to visit his best friend Summer and try to rekindle his interest in photography and the life he's been living. Emma is the brewery manager in town, and she's not interested in Niko's bad-boy vibes - only a 401k and security for her, thank you very much. As the two explore friendship and get to know each other, that slow-burn slowly develops into something more.

This is a very solid addition to Lucy Score's series. Blue Moon is a small town - only with liberal, hippie vibes. Not Part of the Plan comes late in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. The brooding bad boy and the independent fiery woman types will be familiar to anyone who's read a Score book.

I don't have much to add - this was a reliable, quick and fun read, sure to resonate with Lucy Score fans or anyone looking for a small-town, spicy read.

This book? Absolutely not part of my productivity plan—but once I started, I couldn’t stop. Lucy Score nailed it again with hilarious banter, swoony chemistry, and just the right amount of emotional gut-punch.

The FMC is sassy, the MMC is a grump with a soft heart, and the small-town chaos is everything I wanted. Steamy, sweet, and so much fun—I devoured it. Highly recommend (just don’t expect to be productive once you start).

I’m loving how these stories are all connected- and as always, Lucy Score delivers a swoony, heartfelt, and humorous story full of unique characters and heart-warming romance. This one is loads of fun.

Not Part of Plan focuses the main story on Niko and Emma. ​​Emma has just stepped into her new role as manager at the brewery owned by the guys. She's driven—almost obsessively so—and fresh off a breakup with her dependable but unexciting boyfriend. When Niko, a ridiculously attractive musician and photographer, sets his sights on her, Emma instantly goes into emotional lockdown. She has no intention of repeating old mistakes.

But Niko isn’t the superficial ladies' man people assume he is. Yes, he’s had plenty of flings, but there’s more to him than that. Beneath the charm and good looks is someone genuine, and he's determined to prove to Emma that he's serious—and that she's worth the effort.

What made their story so compelling was the push and pull between them—Niko claiming he wasn’t built for commitment, and Emma running from anything that felt too deep. In Niko, Emma awakens feelings he didn’t even know he was missing. He’s willing to bide his time, play the role of a friend, and show her that what they could have is real—and lasting. Underneath it all, Niko longs for the kind of love his parents shared, while Emma struggles to believe she could trust again. Their chemistry, both emotional and physical, was undeniable and oh so delicious.

Watching their connection evolve—from hesitation to vulnerability, from friendship to full-blown love—was both endearing and loads of fun. Their journey was equal parts heartwarming and steamy too- with the right dash of that Lucy Score humor.

With a heart-melting hero, a capable and relatable heroine, and a love that feels both timeless and hard-won, Not Part of the Plan is a great addition to this charming series!

Not Part of the Plan
by Lucy Score
Pub Date: July 8, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is #4 in the Blue Moon series. You can definitely read it as a standalone. I have not read any of the other books and had no problem jumping right in.
This was such an adorable book. Not my regular genre but decided to change it up this time. You can't help but love these two and the town~!
I will recommend this book and will visit again.

4 stars

Lucy Score is always a popular read, and Not Part of the Plan is no exception. I love the storyline and how the author developed the relationship between Emma and Niko.

Equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, this rom-com sparkles with banter and unexpected emotional depth. Score once again proves she's a master of modern romance.

I freaking LOVE Lucy Score! The first series I read of hers was the Knockemout series, and since then I've read just about everything she's written. They are perfectly fluffy romance stories. They're comforting, funny, sweet, and the right amount of spicy. I love them for palate cleansers after "heavier' books. I'll always recommend Lucy Score for anyone looking for easy, feel-good reads.

Disclaimer, this is the first book I've read in this series and this is the fourth book! Yes, the fourth book! Okay, so I think this book would be excellent for those wanting to revisit Blue Moon, it's quirky residents and past couples. It's like the ACOTAR version of A Court of Frost and Starlight. As a standalone, sure, it could be read on its own, but I think I missed out by not reading the first three books. So guess what I'm going to be doing in the near future? Yep! Read the series.

What I liked: the last third of the book was really good. This is where the rubber meets the road. Am I saying that right? This is where all the feels in the book happened and I was here for it!

What I didn't like: Insta-love from Niko. He saw her and all of a sudden, he was basically in love. Or maybe he just wanted to ger in bed? She was insta-attraction to him that turned into love pretty quick. Here's the thing, I think they're a good match and I liked them, but it didn't feel like love was earned. The journey wasn't there for me. What's the journey, you ask? It's where the characters really see each other, their authentic selves peeking through until they realize, hey, this person really sees me and they love me for it. And what makes this journey worth it is because we all tend to hide parts of ourselves that we don't want others to see, so when someone sees the parts that make us who we truly are, and loves those parts of us, it's liberating.

I recommend this book if you’d like to read a small town romance. Especially if you need a feel-good, laugh-out-loud, low stakes story.

2⭐️ DNF @35%

I absolutely adore the Riley Thorn series so I was excited to dive in a try one of Lucy’s other series. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.

From the beginning I really struggled to like Niko, maybe I wouldn’t have felt this way if I had read the previous books in the series where I know he makes an appearance. But it really bothered me that he clearly didn’t respect Emma’s clearly communicated and firm boundaries about her disinterest in him. He just kept pushing, which I have come to realize isn’t something I like in a contemporary romance, if this was a dark romance we’d be having a different discussion.

While I loved the meddlesome small town vibes this book had going on there were a few too many little instances where characters said or did things I didn’t love. Combine these with my lack of interest in Niko and it took me over a week to get to 35%. So I ultimately decided to DNF.

Thank you to Lucy Score and Bloom Books for this ARC.

Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lucy Score does it again with Not Part of the Plan — delivering a swoony, slow-burn small-town romance that’s as laugh-out-loud funny as it is steamy, heartfelt, and full of feels.

Emma just wants to settle down, plant some roots, and avoid emotional chaos. Enter: Niko, a leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding, heartbreak-waiting-to-happen with a voice that should come with a warning label. He’s wrong for her in every way… which, of course, makes him absolutely irresistible.

This book is packed with:
💥 A delicious friends-to-lovers arc
🌶️ Sizzling slow-burn tension that explodes in the best ways
🛠️ Emotional growth, trust issues, and second chances
🏡 A quirky, nosy small town full of lovable weirdos (hi, Blue Moon Bend!)
😂 Hilarious banter, heartfelt moments, and one very determined bad boy

Niko and Emma’s chemistry jumps off the page, and their emotional journey feels real — messy, passionate, and full of that will-they-won’t-they frustration that we secretly love.

If you adore small-town romance with big personalities and even bigger hearts, Not Part of the Plan is exactly what you didn’t know you were craving.

Final Verdict: 5/5
Bold, sexy, emotional, and full of charm — this love story may not be part of Emma’s plan, but it’s exactly the kind of read you’ll want to dive into headfirst.

If you are looking for a fun romance then look no further. This was a fun, light hearted book. If you love Lucy Score then this is the book for you. This is part of a series but it isn't necessary to read them in order.
Just enough spice.

Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score is a slow-burn romance that absolutely delivers on chemistry and character development. The tension between Niko and Emma is off the charts—you can feel the heat in every scene they share, and the banter is sharp, funny, and full of heart. Niko is your classic big-city guy who avoids relationships like the plague, while Emma is the small-town girl who’s only interested in something real and lasting. Watching these two clash and connect is such a satisfying ride.

What really stood out to me was the depth of the character arcs. Niko’s journey as he tries to mend things with his estranged father and figure out what love truly means adds so much emotional weight to the story. Emma, on the other hand, has to confront how her past has shaped her more than she realized—and that maybe the future she imagined isn’t exactly what she wants anymore. Add in a rich cast of supporting characters who feel like a tight-knit family, and you’ve got a story that feels warm, real, and totally absorbing. If you’re into romances that take their time building but deliver all the feels, this one’s a must-read.

This was my first book of the “Blue Moon” novels and I will definitely be reading more!

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and Lucy Score for the ARC of this novel.
Once again, Lucy gives us what we all need a smoky, hot lovey romance novel to rev our engines. She loves to write these and does not miss a beat. Draws you in with a quick story and keeps you entertained with all her details. Watch out.

This was a sweet and cozy small-town romance with charming main characters and a heartfelt connection. I enjoyed the premise and thought the first half was especially engaging. While the second half didn’t resonate with me as strongly, the story still delivered on its promise of warmth and happily-ever-after. Some of the supporting elements felt a bit too neat for my personal taste, but fans of feel-good romance will likely appreciate the comforting, familiar beats. I can absolutely see the appeal for readers who enjoy emotional slow burns and small-town charm. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the copy!

While I have read a few of Lucy Score's books (Knockemout Series and Story of my Life) I hadn't ready any of her Blue Moon series. I can say that even though I didn't read the first 3 books I was able to fully be engrossed into the story and now I am excited to jump into this series from the beginning and find out about the Pierce brothers and their respective partners! Definitely a super cute small town romance, I would definitely recommend it! Loved Niko and Emma's story, how Niko recognized he was in love was probably my favorite one I've ever read. And Niko fighting for their relationship was swoon worthy!