Publication Date: 01st August 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance
3.3 Stars
One Liner: Got its moments but exhausting
Chef Bryce Weatherford, aka Beamer, is at her wits end caring for her three nieces. When her brother and sister-in-law die in a sudden road accident, Bryce becomes the guardian to June (12), Cecily (8), and Adeline (5). Juggling her career and a new family is not easy, especially when the kids make things triply challenging for her.
Ryker Matthews is a Marine back home after an injury that left him with severe PTSD and an amputated leg. He is running a vehicle restoration business and tries to survive one day at a time.
A chance meeting in a supermarket brings Bryce and Ryker together. But can they have a stable relationship with so many complications? What are their priorities, and how can the duo fight for what they want?
The story comes in Bryce and Ryker’s third-person POVs.
My Thoughts:
I’m glad I didn’t read the blurb before starting the book. The first line states, “In this charming romantic comedy…”. Unfortunately, the contents cannot be categorized as a rom-com. While there are itsy bitsy pieces of humorous dialogues (if you like adult-ish humor), those aren’t enough by any means.
Byrce and Ryker have a lot going on in their lives. However, I like that they at least try to make it work. I’ve been learning that sometimes, the right time may never come, and we got to take a chance when it occurs. This aspect is well-presented in the book.
Ryker’s disability was the main reason I picked this book. From what little I know, it has been handled well with enough information about the physical, medical, and psychological aspects. His PTSD is also shown.
Ryker is a problem solver, and Bryce has enough of them. Though it does seem like an imbalanced relationship, it’s not. Bryce handles a major crisis on her own, which proves that she doesn’t have to depend on Ryker (after all, she had been handling things before they met). While I like this point, I don’t like how it was achieved.
I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope (not anymore). Also, all those scenes where only the important conversations are interrupted get too much. I got annoyed by the plot device halfway through, so the rest was super irritating. Using the same device throughout the book isn’t a bright idea.
Furthermore, for a book that claims to be a rom-com, there’s too much non-humorous drama. Bryce doesn’t have to be a super mom, but she could get at least some things right. It’s no fun reading all those mishaps one after another. This is hardly a daily soap with a thousand episodes where the FMC goes through all possible traumas!
With most of the time spent on dealing with one crisis or another and making enough money, there’s almost no time for the family to bond. I wish there were some positive moments too.
Now, the nieces. Addie and Cecily are adorable in their own ways. Their pain comes across clearly. But June’s character wasn’t handled well. She is supposed to be a grieving and resentful tween. However, for the majority of the book, she sounds like a privileged brat who likes to deliberately hurt others. I’m sure that’s not the intention, but that’s how she sounds. Also, there’s no conversation about her feelings and not even realization. It’s Not Okay for grieving people to hurt others just because they are hurting.
The grandparents serve their purpose to add more weight to our FMC’s shoulders. It feels like the universe is conspiring to trouble the poor heroine. Ugh, exhausting! And towards the end, the issues get happily resolved. At least, there’s an epilogue (0.3 stars extra for the same).
To summarize, Change of Plans is a decent read with loads of drama, some romance, and a teeny bit of comedy. Read it like contemporary fiction, and you may enjoy it more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the eARC.
#NetGalley #ChangeofPlans
***
P.S.: The book is the third and final one in a series but is standalone. There’s no need to read the previous two before picking up this one. Steam: 2-ish.
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