Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet is a uniquely sweet romance

In the new year, it’s all about trying new things. Despite it being February, Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet was the complete embodiment of that for me as this was my first time trying this author.

If you’ve been following her, you might remember her 2022 release which was Getting His Game Back. This was one I’d heard about but I hadn’t picked up so I was excited to give Not the Plan a try.

Aside from the book having an adorable cover, it also sounded, unlike anything I’d ever heard or read about before in a romance book. While other books have tried this storyline, it was never written in a respectful way so I never had any interest in it.

I’m happy to say Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet has been my biggest surprise of 2023 yet.

Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet is a unique yet sweet romance.

Let me start off by thanking the publisher for sending me an early copy of this one. Getting to read Not the Plan early was pretty freaking cool.

As I mentioned before, the plotline for this one is unique. This follows Isadora and Karim who have a disastrous meet-cute in an airport before finding out the two are seated together on their flight. The two can’t stop talking and enjoying each other’s company. It all comes to a head when they find out they’re working for two politicians who can’t seem to get along.

Despite their bosses, the attraction between the two is undeniable and as much as they try to fight it, they can’t stay away from each other. Honestly, I adored seeing Isadora and Karim together as they brought the best out in each other. Seeing them both open up and work on themselves, was incredible.

Aside from the romance, this book tackled a lot of topics yet nothing felt like it was overshadowed. Isadora is dealing with a toxic mother while Karim is dealing with a toxic ex-wife who won’t grant him the divorce he so desperately wants. Despite those hiccups, these two put in a lot of work, both separately and together to grow from those experiences.

The major crux of the plot is actually about the two senators and finding out what’s been going on behind closed doors. While I don’t want to give away much, this storyline did feel a bit much toward the end of the novel. However, I did enjoy how things worked out for our characters despite that blip.

All in all, Not the Plan was a terrific romance with well-developed characters and a solid plot amidst all of that. It was incredibly cool to see Isadora at work as a chief of staff because I’ve never read a book featuring that and I learned a lot. I will say that I’m incredibly happy I decided to read Not the Plan and I’ll for sure be diving into Gia de Cadenet’s debut book ASAP.

Not the Plan by Gia de Cadenet is out now wherever books are sold. 

Do you plan on checking out Not the Plan this February? Let us know in the comments!