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!)

**I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**

Honestly it would be hard to recall how this story went as I had an internal and external struggle with reading Breaking the plan. Countless times I had dropped it and hoped to pick it up and find my self in the ZONE. But it just wasn’t for me. I have decided to drop it completely after much contemplation. It’s unfortunate I couldn’t get into it.

I never knew how much I needed this book, I've been finding reading slightly difficult at the moment, and picked this up on a whim. It was so easy to read and really got me back into it!

I loved the characters, the romance just everything! I can't wait to read more!

I really enjoyed this book. It a fast read and the characters in the beginning we're a little annoying but I really grew to like them.

"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.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of "Breaking the Plan" by Jessica Calla in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. This is a new to me author and I am so glad I took a chance on this book. The cover and the blurb really grabbed my attention.

Oliver has a plan for his future and plans on marrying his long time girlfriend. All things were starting to fall into place until Violet tells him she needs space and leaves for six weeks to go to Italy. Oliver feels lost and doesn’t know what to do. He turns to Taryn, Violet’s roommate and best friend. He is hoping she will help him get Violet back.

The chemistry between these two is amazing and there are times they have to try and stop what’s happening between them. These two seem to be drawn to each other, there is a strong pull.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Ollie has his life planned out with his girlfriend Vi. They are going to graduate, move to Cambridge while he goes to law school, graduate, get a job in NYC... he's got it all mapped out until Vi breaks up with him before she takes off on a trip to Austria.

Turning to Vi's roommate, Taryn, Ollie begs her to help him get Vi back. Only one problem -- as they spend time together, they both find friendship and more. Both Ollie and Vi don't want to hurt Vi, and they know it's wrong, but they eventually give in to their physical attraction only to find there's something much deeper between them.

I did like the light tone of the this story, and Ollie was sort of cute most of the time (except when his drinking got in the way). Taryn was a more complex character, and endearingly likable, even though she's falling for her roommate's ex. They were "on a break" after all.

I liked this story but the uneven pacing did have me taking longer than usual to finish. It does deal with a sensitive issue of falling for a friend's ex, which can be painful, and there's plenty of that to go around between Vi, Taryn and Ollie.

Overall, I thought this was a good start to the series, and I'm interested in reading more set in this world.

An ARC was provided for review.

⚠ Content Warnings: (Not Technically) Cheating. Self Bodyshaming. Self Esteem Issues. Slutshaming.

⚠ Read if: you are looking for a new NA romance author to love ❤

Now I have learned that you should never judge a book by its cover, because I almost did not go for this read. Jessica Calla is a new-to-me author but I am glad that I took the chance. Her writing is just the way I like it and I am happy.

BREAKING THE PLAN is about Oliver, who was recently dumped by his long term girlfriend, Violet. He is the type of guy who's cute, smart and has everything planned for in his life. When his plan got messed up and Violet flew to Vienna, Austria, he reached out to Vi's bestfriend, Taryn, to help him win Vi back.

Taryn is an often underappreciated girl. Her looks make people think it's all she can offer. She has always ignored Oliver but made a deal to help him win Violet back.

Theirs is a push-and-pull love story. As sparks fly between them, they are reminded of Violet and the original goal that they set. Will they take a chance? Will they have a fling or will they make it serious? Will they ignore the spark and just go on with their lives?

I know this is not for some people, but I loved the morally gray will-they-won't-they situation here. I loved how the author made their attraction and love feel. It was magnetic and electric, and it is really clear that they made each other better.

Obviously, I am #TeamOlivyn, and loved reading this book. I could not put it down, because I loved all the angst, the fluff and the hot scenes. Even the ending was too cute to handle!


Very excited to read the next 2 books of the series!

Oliver/Ollie and Violet/Vi Had been together five years but he punched her summer job boss and that made things worse. He remembered Violet begging him to say something to make it right. This wasn’t an easy fix and they both knew it. This time it was a major screw up that was critical. Maybe Violet was right - Oliver thought-, he was a mess. He certainly didn’t deserve her forgiveness. Still Violet was forever. They had plans. Oliver’s roommate and best friend was Josh. Josh was a football player and had to bail Oliver out of numerous situations since freshman year. He checked his voicemail again Violet had said they needed a break. She needed a break. It was senior year at college and she wanted a break. The last time he and Violet had fought she wanted to take a break- that had lasted twelve hours and it had been the worst twelve hours of Oliver’s life. That had been over a month ago and now because of the idiotic camp councelar . she suddenly wanted space? Violet had been honored with the chance to go to Austria for eight weeks at an orchestra academy , getting a first hand view of some famous symphony’s holiday preparation. She took the slot. Tarynwas Violets best friend and roommate. Taryn didn’t think Ollie could do anything without Violet. She didn’t think Ollie and Vi had spent eight weeks apart since preschool. Violet had told taryn she thought she fell out of love. Vi and Taryn went out to The Study- a campus bar and Josh and ollie were there. Ollie saw Vi and was angry and hurt as well as drunk Josh got him out of there but than Josh hot the break wall and broke his hand. Taryn saw Ollie outside the library reading and she told him if he helped her write her paper she had due soon she would give him tips and pointers in how to try to win Violet back. But her loyalty was still with Violet. Taryn went out to dinner for lesson one. But Josh warned Oliver not to get caught up in Taryn’s net. Taryn was going to teach Oliver when to stop drinking before he had too much he had to learn self imposed limits. The Oliver thought he was on a date with the love of his life’s best friend and roommate and worse enjoyed it. Than Taryn stopped him from having a third glass of wine. She also said when Ollie got drunk and violent it scared Violet. After Taryn wondered how Violet could let Oliver go. A guy who shared stories and memories and was so comfortable with himself. Oliver and taryn both felt it and taryn said they shouldn’t hang out anymore. A couple of weeks later Taryn decides to tag along with her friend Rachael and her friends to The Study. Oliver texts her and said it was important to meet so she had him meet her at the Student Center. Oliver said he had never seen anything hotter than her playing Donkey Kong in the three years he had been on campus.. Then they go out to eat. The last gut who was a football player-Danny- Taryn had sex with came in and was rude to her and oliver jumped over the table and was on top of him punching him until Josh finally got him off than Josh wouldn’t let Danny near Oliver. Oliver walked Taryn home and they started making out hot and heavy than Taryn’s phone dinged and it was Vi saying she missed her best friend. That ended the frenzy between them. But Oliver told taryn she was the most amazing woman he had ever met. Taryn let her tears fall watching Oliver leave hurt her heart in ways she hadn’t known were possible.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved Oliver and taryn together and how they tried to fight what was growing between the between them because of Violet. But she had been the one to break up with Oliver and go to vienna. She also told taryn she had fallen out of love. She also posted a picture of her with another guy. The only criticism I have is that they kept the truth from Violet and she had asked and when Oliver asked if she still wanted to go to Cambridge. But he did want to tell Violet several times and no one wanted him to. I was glad that Oliver’s mom was a good mom and only wanted to see her son happy even if met changing all his life plans and she realized something was off or wrong with Oliver and he wasn’t really happy. I loved the ending. I loved the pace and the plot. I read this in one setting as I didn't want to put this down. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it.

Well, this was quite a surprise, in the best way! This was a new to me author and I was a little nervous from the blurb. It’s definitely a forbidden romance, in that Taryn is Violet’s roommate and best friend, and Violet was dating Oliver. When Violet breaks up with Oliver, Taryn agrees to help him try to get her back. They have tolerated each other in the past, more enemies than friends. This made for great banter, and some serious sexual tension.

From the very beginning, I LOVED Oliver. He was funny, sweet, protective, nerdy, and loved a good plan. Oliver assumes Taryn is the exact opposite. She comes off as a party girl, pageant queen, and seems like she has no real plans for her future. But, she is not what she seemed. She was a positive, good person just trying to survive her life. I adored her. They were so great together, and I rooted for them the whole story!

Obviously, with this being a forbidden romance, some extra drama ensued toward the end. While this was necessary for the storyline, it did feel a little drawn out. But, then that ending, and epilogue were exactly what I hoped for! I really enjoyed this one, and I’m eagerly anticipating the next books in the series!

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

My first read by Jessica Calla. I liked the book, held my interest and left me satisfied. I will be checking out more by this author!

There are too many things about this book that rubbed me the wrong way for me to say that I really liked it, but there were definitely elements to the story that I enjoyed. The writing style is great, and I loved the light, fun banter throughout the book. There is a playfulness to the story - mixed with heavy shots of angst - that was really refreshing. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get past that sort of icky feeling that something wasn’t right.

The story follows Oliver, a college student who has his future all mapped out. He’s going to marry his high school sweetheart, Vi, go to law school, and have a perfect life. But when Vi breaks up with him - again - all of those plans are ruined. He enlists the help of Taryn, Vi’s roommate and her total opposite, to help him learn how to win her back. Along the way, Ollie and Taryn realize that they might be the ones who fit together perfectly.

I knew this premise would inherently involve plenty of angst, but the characters just kept bringing up Vi and using her to set up a wall between them. Ollie and Taryn also both have some character flaws that weren’t particularly endearing, so the combination just left me without much investment in the couple coming together. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciated the opportunity to try a new author but this one left me with mixed feelings.

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. Teagan 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?

"Breaking the Plan" by Jessica Calla made for a quick and light read that will delight New Adult romance readers!

Oliver has so completely planned his future with Violet that her ending their five year (but basically lifetime) relationship completely floors him. She leaves to study abroad, and of course, the only way he can think to get her back is to ask her roommate, Taryn, for help. The problem: Taryn and Oliver have different perspectives about what life should be. He has a plan, fulfilling expectations he and his family have set for him his entire life. Taryn, however, is more of a free spirit. She plans to graduate and then take off for California to find a job, no plans in place.

The story of Oliver and Taryn, or Team Olivyn as they call themselves, is a opposites attract love story that would be perfect for breezy beach reading days. I liked the complications that cropped up as a result of their newfound love, and I always enjoy a strong and capable heroine, which Taryn is. She knows herself and doesn't hesitate to defend herself against judgment.

The story of Ollie and Taryn.
Ollie has just been dumped by Vi after 5 years together. She is away for 8 weeks, so Ollie enlists Taryn to help him with his plan to win her back. But as they spend more time together he starts to realise he doesn't want her back and he is falling for Taryn.

A great read. Looking forward to the next in this series.

After a bit of a clunky beginning this book became unputdownable for me. I loved Oliver and Taryn and how after spending time together they begin to see each other in different ways. They each have their own insecurities and find exactly what they need in a partner in each other on top of all of the palpable attraction. I did not love the ending but adored the book as a whole.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

***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.

I really enjoyed this one and I was routing for Ollie and Taryn. As a reader you felt along with them, you could pick up on the tension that grew as they got to know each other. They were great together and Taryn made Oliver think and not just go along with a plan for the sake of ease. Oliver and Violet had been a couple for years and had grown up together. She needed a break and went off - this gave Oliver and Taryn time to get to know each other. As a reader you don't get to see Oliver and Violet's relationship but you do get to see the growing connection between Oliver and Taryn and they seem so right together. We do get a HEA at the expense of Violet but you do feel the book ended as it should.

I look forward to reading Josh's story in book 2.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.