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multicoloredbookreviews's review
3.0
This is my second time reading a novel by Jessica Calla, and thankfully, I had a much better experience this time around!
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit my first impression of Ollie wasn't good. Like, at all. The dude was a mess. He seemed like a very overbearing, stifling boyfriend. Also came across as too judgy and worryingly misogynistic. With a dangerous tendency to get violent when drunk. I found him very off-putting and unlikable.
But by the end, he'd grown on me. Taryn's awesomeness had rubbed off on him and he ended up becoming a more chill, relaxed, carefree person. He became immensely more likable once he broke free of the plans and predestined path he believed he needed to follow. Once he allowed himself to be free to chase that which made him happy.
I'm not typically one for character driven books, as I tend to get bored when there's nothing but relationship drama moving a plot forward, but I have to say at no point was I bored while reading this book. Love a forbidden romance plot! I got sucked in and invested and was curious to know how they'd deal with the aftermath of facing Violet (Ollie's ex and Taryn's roommate and BFF). That had messy written all over it. And I was satisfied with how everything was ultimately resolved.
This was a very solid book, and a great choice to read in between other slow or super heavy stories. Just a simple tale of two unlikely people unexpectedly falling in love with each other (with some steaminess to give it a little kick and make it all the more fun!)
mrs_kindle_addict's review
4.0
4 ****
Jessica Calla, is a new Author to me and I was really surprised by this book. I very much enjoyed it and it kept me glued to the page from the start to the end. Ollie has his life planned out with his girlfriend Vi, until things take a turn for the worst and Vi breaks up with him and goes off abroad for 6 weeks. Ollie turns to her best friend Taryn, to help try and win Vi back, but instead falls for her! The chemistry between Ollie and Taryn was great and I loved reading about them. It was a very quick read, I recommend it
I look forward to reading more from this Author!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jessica Calla, is a new Author to me and I was really surprised by this book. I very much enjoyed it and it kept me glued to the page from the start to the end. Ollie has his life planned out with his girlfriend Vi, until things take a turn for the worst and Vi breaks up with him and goes off abroad for 6 weeks. Ollie turns to her best friend Taryn, to help try and win Vi back, but instead falls for her! The chemistry between Ollie and Taryn was great and I loved reading about them. It was a very quick read, I recommend it
I look forward to reading more from this Author!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
shanbreads's review against another edition
3.0
really enjoyed this. The story is sweet with characters that you will either love or dislike. I disliked Vi so much and felt for Ollie and was rooting for his happiness. Taryn is a character that can be relatable as she is misjudged based on her appearance and this happens a lot to people. I would definitely recommend this sweet romance and look forward to seeing more of these characters in the next book.
shanbreads's review
3.0
really enjoyed this. The story is sweet with characters that you will either love or dislike. I disliked Vi so much and felt for Ollie and was rooting for his happiness. Taryn is a character that can be relatable as she is misjudged based on her appearance and this happens a lot to people. I would definitely recommend this sweet romance and look forward to seeing more of these characters in the next book.
chemslady's review
4.0
I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. I love love love Oliver. I also have a slight weakness for those nerdy hotties too.
Oliver, he has a plan. A plan for his entire future. He wrote this plan in high school and has made a few alterations to the plan--the basics remain the same. Go to college. Go to law school. Marry Violet. Make partner at his family's law firm. Violet breaking up with him was not part of the plan nor was her spending the majority of the semester abroad. Since Oliver loves plans so much he made another one. One to get Violet back. Win her heart back. Convince her to give him another chance. For this plan to work, he need help from a very unlikely source--Taryn, Violet's roommate. Taryn and Oliver have never seen eye to eye. They barely tolerate each other.
Taryn is struggling with finishing up her studies. It doesn't help that she's finishing a degree she doesn't even want--Communications. But she's less than a year away from finishing. To make things worse, her best friend in the world leaves for six weeks for study abroad. And she feels sorry for nerdilicious and decides the help the poor sap win Vi back even if Taryn thinks the two are not right for each other. Vi needs to spread her wings. Nerdilicious just needs to chill more. So in return for helping him with Vi, Oliver will help her with this stupid communications paper. Taryn gets more than she bargained for. In a matter of weeks, she goes from missing her beloved roommate to not wanting Vi to return. What will happen when Vi does return? Will Oliver go running back to her? Of course, he will. He made a plan in freaking high school. She can't let him abandon all his plans for a few days rolling around in bed together. But she also can't watch Vi with Oliver either. What will she do?
Oliver, he has a plan. A plan for his entire future. He wrote this plan in high school and has made a few alterations to the plan--the basics remain the same. Go to college. Go to law school. Marry Violet. Make partner at his family's law firm. Violet breaking up with him was not part of the plan nor was her spending the majority of the semester abroad. Since Oliver loves plans so much he made another one. One to get Violet back. Win her heart back. Convince her to give him another chance. For this plan to work, he need help from a very unlikely source--Taryn, Violet's roommate. Taryn and Oliver have never seen eye to eye. They barely tolerate each other.
Taryn is struggling with finishing up her studies. It doesn't help that she's finishing a degree she doesn't even want--Communications. But she's less than a year away from finishing. To make things worse, her best friend in the world leaves for six weeks for study abroad. And she feels sorry for nerdilicious and decides the help the poor sap win Vi back even if Taryn thinks the two are not right for each other. Vi needs to spread her wings. Nerdilicious just needs to chill more. So in return for helping him with Vi, Oliver will help her with this stupid communications paper. Taryn gets more than she bargained for. In a matter of weeks, she goes from missing her beloved roommate to not wanting Vi to return. What will happen when Vi does return? Will Oliver go running back to her? Of course, he will. He made a plan in freaking high school. She can't let him abandon all his plans for a few days rolling around in bed together. But she also can't watch Vi with Oliver either. What will she do?
thebookrefuge's review
4.0
***I received an eARC for review from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.***
Oliver is the man with the plan. He is going graduate college, get into Harvard Law, become a successful lawyer, and marry his 5 year girlfriend, Violet. This is how things are meant to be. Until Violet tells him she needs "space" and then promptly takes a six week college course in Italy.
Oliver feels lost and he is sent reeling by what he feels is his life crashing down on him. He has no one to turn to except for Taryn, Violets roommate and best friend. They have never got along with each other. They always fought for Violets attention and not in a fun way. But Oliver needs his plan to work, and Taryn might be his only chance to win Violet back.
So, there were a lot of fun aspects to this novel. Oliver was sweet and such a different kind of guy. He had body image issues and that was interesting to hear it from a man. He feels self conscious about how skinny he is compared to other guys and he has a slight drinking problem, which gets him into trouble sometimes.
Taryn is a beauty queen, excuse me, runner up beauty queen, and she loves life. She isn't worried about a plan. She just wants to finish college and get out of town. Violet is her best friend in the world, and she is so proud of her for dumping Oliver and trying out her freedom. But I also love that she is still compassionate to Oliver, and since they both love Violet, they are able to console each other in certain ways. She doesn't think Oliver can win Violet back, but she needs help with a paper, so why not give him some ideas.
Their chemistry is amazing, and it is believable that with Violet gone that they might notice that when they otherwise wouldn't have. They become really drawn to each other, and they have to put the breaks on a few different times.
I really enjoyed myself in this read, but the story falls apart a bit for me near the back 25%. They worked themselves into a corner that I did not feel comfortable in, and to me it made them both a bit too unlikeable. It suffers from the same issues so many romance novels do, but I am always looking for someone to break the mold. This one didn't quite do that.
3.5 rounded to a 4 for me. Enjoyable most of the way through and I am intrigued enough to read Josh's story next. He seemed like such a great guy, and I want more of him.
Oliver is the man with the plan. He is going graduate college, get into Harvard Law, become a successful lawyer, and marry his 5 year girlfriend, Violet. This is how things are meant to be. Until Violet tells him she needs "space" and then promptly takes a six week college course in Italy.
Oliver feels lost and he is sent reeling by what he feels is his life crashing down on him. He has no one to turn to except for Taryn, Violets roommate and best friend. They have never got along with each other. They always fought for Violets attention and not in a fun way. But Oliver needs his plan to work, and Taryn might be his only chance to win Violet back.
So, there were a lot of fun aspects to this novel. Oliver was sweet and such a different kind of guy. He had body image issues and that was interesting to hear it from a man. He feels self conscious about how skinny he is compared to other guys and he has a slight drinking problem, which gets him into trouble sometimes.
Taryn is a beauty queen, excuse me, runner up beauty queen, and she loves life. She isn't worried about a plan. She just wants to finish college and get out of town. Violet is her best friend in the world, and she is so proud of her for dumping Oliver and trying out her freedom. But I also love that she is still compassionate to Oliver, and since they both love Violet, they are able to console each other in certain ways. She doesn't think Oliver can win Violet back, but she needs help with a paper, so why not give him some ideas.
Their chemistry is amazing, and it is believable that with Violet gone that they might notice that when they otherwise wouldn't have. They become really drawn to each other, and they have to put the breaks on a few different times.
I really enjoyed myself in this read, but the story falls apart a bit for me near the back 25%. They worked themselves into a corner that I did not feel comfortable in, and to me it made them both a bit too unlikeable. It suffers from the same issues so many romance novels do, but I am always looking for someone to break the mold. This one didn't quite do that.
3.5 rounded to a 4 for me. Enjoyable most of the way through and I am intrigued enough to read Josh's story next. He seemed like such a great guy, and I want more of him.
mandadawn3o7's review
4.0
"Breaking the Plan" is hands down the best new adult romance book I've read this year. Jessica Calla's writing made this book so incredibly satisfying for me. Even though I'm a 31 year old mom, there is something I just crave about well-written college romance stories. Ollie and Taryn were two complete opposites, and throw in the obstacle that Taryn's best friend is Ollie's ex of 5 years, they were clearly not your typical destined to be together match. But that doesn't mean that life didn't throw curves their way that made them reevaluate what it really means to find your "true" path and partner.
wyoming_steph's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much! Normally I don't root for the nerdy guy, but he was so loveable! I felt like I was in the book the whole time.
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