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Review: Not Part of the Plan

Not Part of the Plan Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Don’t be afraid of pain, or less-than-perfect, daughter of mine. That’s where the real joy comes from. Life gets its color from challenges and adversity. You can’t plan your way to happiness, you know.”

🌅 What happens when a tightly wound brewery manager collides with a broody, motorcycle-riding photographer who’s lost his creative spark? Welcome to Blue Moon, where chaos, chemistry, and meddling neighbors are guaranteed.

Emma Merrill has carved out a carefully controlled life, managing the Pierce Brewery and keeping her family close. Love isn’t on her to-do list, especially not with Nikolai, the infamous New York bad boy and Summer Pierce’s best friend. But Niko, burnt out on the city and in search of inspiration, finds himself captivated by Emma from the moment he sees her. What starts as a reluctant friendship quickly morphs into something neither of them can deny, and soon Emma’s ironclad rules are no match for the man who sees through her defenses.

Lucy Score leans hard into the best rom-com tropes here: bad boy with a sweet and mushy heart, forced proximity, small-town meddling, and found family. As with most Lucy Score books, the banter is sharp, the Blue Moon Beautification Committee is up to its usual matchmaking antics, and the Pierce family once again provides the kind of messy, unconditional love that makes this series addictive. With Clementine the goat, a passel of dogs, and foster kids thrown into the mix, the story is richer and funnier in equal measure.

What works beautifully is the push-pull dynamic between Emma and Niko. He’s determined, swoony, and quietly vulnerable beneath his swagger. She’s strong, organized, and guarded, but watching her walls crumble is both satisfying and relatable. The emotional core hits hardest when Emma’s abandonment trauma surfaces, and Score handles it with tenderness. And Niko is just the right amount of softness and strength - “I want to choose you every damn day. Even when it’s hard. Even if one of us wants to give up. I want to fight and win and love you. I want to do this every day for the rest of my life.”

That said, the book isn’t perfect. Emma’s tendency to misjudge Niko as a womanizer got repetitive when his actions consistently proved otherwise. This seems to be a pattern with Lucy Score books: the FMC holds a grudge a bit too long, takes a bit too long to come around, or is a bit too stubborn. Sometimes it’s good, but often it is just too much and makes us all start to hate the FMC. Still, by the time the heartfelt resolution arrives, the relief is palpable and oh so welcome.

If you’re here for spice, sass, small-town heart, and a love story about learning to loosen your grip on control, Emma and Niko will win you over. This isn’t just about falling in love; it’s about rediscovering joy, belonging, and the courage to change your plans. It’s about surrendering control and just letting life happen because - “You can’t protect yourself from everything and still call it a life.”

Some of the better quotes?
“Life doesn’t come with guarantees. You don’t get a warranty or money-back guarantee with love.”

💖💖💖💖💖💖
“And that’s love. It can and should be the source of your greatest strength, not your biggest fear.”

💖💖💖💖💖💖
“Family wasn’t just blood and biology it was a commitment. A hard-headed refusal to accept anything but the best for the ones you chose and the ones you were gifted.”

💖💖💖💖💖💖
“That’s what wisdom’s for. Sharing it with the young and the dumb.”

💖💖💖💖💖💖
“Future or no future, there’s no point in toning yourself down for any guy. Got it? Say what you want to say. Do what you want to do, regardless. Otherwise you’re just building a house on a shaky foundation. You know?”


⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)
@read_bloom #BloomBooks #NotPartofthePlan #lucyscoreauthor #lucyscore #bookstagram #romcom #romancebooks #smalltownromance #bookrecomendation
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