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A review by thebookishvirgo
The Best Laid Plans by Karla Sorensen
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? Yes
4.25
I was given an E-Arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The Best Laid Plans by Karla Sorenson is about Burke Barrett, a football player who was forced into retirement after a knee injury. After inheriting a house from his best friend after his tragic death, Burke finds that he will have his hands full with renovating the house to its original glory, especially when he meets Charlotte Cunningham, the expert in charge of the renovation.
I have to say I picked this book because I thought it would be a fun and light romance read for summer. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters and plot. This book deals a lot with grief, from both characters, and how Burke struggles through it was truly heartbreaking at times. I enjoyed the banter between him and Charlotte as a way to relieve some of the sadness and it was fun to see how the two of them grew closer over time. Charlotte was fabulous and I loved her passion for all things antique and the house itself. The side characters, like Tansy and Daphne, were great as well. Sorenson does a great job of inserting them at just the right time without overdoing it or their own stories getting in the way of the main story.
The ONE thing I would have liked to be seen handled differently was Burke’s anxiety. The way it was presented seemed very sudden and out of the blue. There are numerous times when the story discusses Burke’s dad or Chris that it could have been brought up and it wasn’t. I feel like this is important to note since we see very little books addressing anxiety in male main characters so when it is it needs to be done the right way, and not made to seem like it was just thrown in just because. Overall, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future! I definitely recommend it!
I have to say I picked this book because I thought it would be a fun and light romance read for summer. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters and plot. This book deals a lot with grief, from both characters, and how Burke struggles through it was truly heartbreaking at times. I enjoyed the banter between him and Charlotte as a way to relieve some of the sadness and it was fun to see how the two of them grew closer over time. Charlotte was fabulous and I loved her passion for all things antique and the house itself. The side characters, like Tansy and Daphne, were great as well. Sorenson does a great job of inserting them at just the right time without overdoing it or their own stories getting in the way of the main story.
The ONE thing I would have liked to be seen handled differently was Burke’s anxiety. The way it was presented seemed very sudden and out of the blue. There are numerous times when the story discusses Burke’s dad or Chris that it could have been brought up and it wasn’t. I feel like this is important to note since we see very little books addressing anxiety in male main characters so when it is it needs to be done the right way, and not made to seem like it was just thrown in just because. Overall, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future! I definitely recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders