Reviews

The Five-Year Plan by Carla Burgess

theeclecticreview's review against another edition

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5.0

As I’ve said before I love British rom-coms and this one was no exception.

She can’t see Aiden again. It was so painful and devastating when he left five years ago. And now he is famous and in London and he’s sent her a personal invitation to his photo exhibition.

Orla had her life planned out for the next five years when she would be living in London as a reporter for a big newspaper. This didn’t leave time for dating and boyfriends. But then she was sent to interview Aiden, a weird long-haired photographer of otters with unconventional living arrangements in a tent. After being in his company for some time, they become great friends and she realizes what a kind and generous man he is and her feelings start to change. Knowing he will be leaving soon for his next assignment she is afraid of losing him, but when he asks her to “live in the moment” and leave with him, she convinces herself to stay and continue with her five-year plan while he travels around and pursues his career as a wildlife photographer, environmentalist, and conservationist. Now he’s in London and he is stirring up all of her feelings again. When he leaves again, can she let him go?

Orla and Aiden’s chemistry is so natural and what everyone longs for. Their fun repartee is so refreshing and believable as good friends and lovers. Orla is a strong and independent young woman and knows what she wants in life. I think her plan to not go with Aiden at first was probably a smart decision because she needed to mature and be true to herself before she could commit to a life she wasn’t ready for. I believe her decision was right for Aiden as well since he seems more confident and mature when she meets him later. Did I mention that I love Aiden? He is so kind and considerate to Orla especially when she sprains her ankle at their first meeting. And who wouldn’t love a guy who loves animals?

This heartwarming and sweet second-chance romance captivated me from the beginning and I finished it in a day. It had a unique premise with Aiden’s wildlife photography contribution to environmental sustainability and I learned a lot about river otters. Also, the author’s clear and wonderful descriptions of Aiden’s photos really came to life. As stated in the acknowledgments pages, for further information about the conservation of otters in the UK, visit https://www.ukwildottertrust.org.

Thank you to Ms. Burgess for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectations of a positive review.

mlsslrdny's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

brisingr's review against another edition

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2.0

This was all nice, cute, fun and dandy until the epilogue because i've had: children, pregnancy and birthing in 10 pages and I hate all of that stuff so much so it left me with such a bitter taste, which I know it's not entirely fair because it's literally my personal preference, but you know what.... my house my rules.

evarano's review against another edition

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2.0

I have so many thoughts on this book. It’s a story about a young woman named Orla (a name that rubbed me the wrong way the entire book-it just sounded so unfeminine and not suited to the character), a young reporter living in a small town. She meets Aiden, a travel photographer while doing a story. The two develop a friendship over a short period of time, until the story picks up 5 years later.

I really liked this book at the beginning and was excited to read it. But it just went on and on and on, unfortunately by the beginning-middle I couldn’t wait for it to end. I really did like the characters. Orla became a bit annoying because she just wouldn’t change her mind or act on anything, she was just so set on everything and didn’t communicate or share her feelings! That’s the only reason the story dragged on. It was the same situation and discussions and thoughts over and over again.

The general storyline was good but there were way too many details, especially about Aiden’s work. This story could’ve been written in less than half of what it was. I still generally liked the love between the two characters but everything else really tainted it for me. I hated how they just lacked communication and kept playing the same game over and over. Something else that confused me was that there were barely any other characters. The story was mostly only Orla in her head about this situation or the two of them having the same repeated conversations. I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it more, I wouldn’t recommend it. I wanted to give up on it but didn’t for reviewing purposes.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

mira_vm's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

calandra_hudson's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

sofareadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Would have been a five-star if Aiden would be less selfish & if if wasn’t for the epilogue. The epilogue felt out of place, rushed & sloppy. Other than that, a very cute romance read that I really enjoyed!

suus_u2's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

amandamalool's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

whateverjeans23's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75