A review by vanessa_issa
The Five-Year Plan by Carla Burgess

4.0

Thanks to HQ Digital for the ARC!

These last few months have been tough for me. I'm not being able to focus on my reading as I would like to be. I apologize for not giving my feedback before the pub date. But, well, better late than never. I'm so glad I read this book, because it's such a beautiful story! And it's exactly what I needed right now.

Orla and Aiden know they have something special. But they're still young and want to go in different directions. They both have dreams, things they want to achieve in their careers, places they want to go... And they also have different opinions on getting married and having kids. So, even though their chemistry is amazing, they decide to part ways. Maybe it wasn't mean to be... Right?

Wrong.
Five years later, they meet again. So much has changed. But one thing is still the same. So what should they do now?

What I like about these characters is that they have a lot of respect for each other. They don't blame each other for their choices. Of course there's a lot of sadness and pain when they break up, but still, she never told him not to follow his dreams. He also never made her feel like hers weren't important. Nope!! They both recognize the good opportunities on their ways and know when to say yes/no.

They also show us how much we change as we grow older. Maybe that thing you said you'd never do when you were 20 might become what you want the most at 30. You don't have to live forever believing in the same old things. You are free to change.

Things always happen at the right moment, I truly believe in that. And this story warms my heart.