2 stars
Started off solid and I was loving it. Then quickly went down hill for me. Maybe it is because I didnt read the other books in this series. But I just grew bored.

I enjoyed the other books in this series. Good read. Clean read. Enjoyed this family even more. I would read more from this author.

<b> I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </b>

This is a third in the series but I´ve read it as a stand alone and to be honest I didn´t even know it was a series. It´s completely fine to read it without reading the other two, although if you plan on reading the series I would recommending starting with the first one so you can avoid the spoilers.

I did enjoy it, and it was written well for the most part. The dialect it´s written in takes a bit of getting used to however I didn´t really mind it in the end. The only downside for me was the main character wasn´t that relatable. She overthinks and creates a lot of avoidable drama and it just wasn´t engaging for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Whitney Dineen for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of The Plan in exchange for an honest review!

The Plan is the third book in the Creek Water series but can be read as a stand-alone. Amelia is a bead shop owner from Missouri who has crippling anxiety due to an incident that happened to her when she was younger. She is also a huge fan of Huck Wiley, who is a rockstar. To Amelia's surprise, Huck comes into town with his daughter looking to take Amelia's beading classes. Suffice to say, Amelia's usual day-to-day life in her small town changes as Huck starts taking interest in her.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars. I'm a big fan of classic rock music. So, once I saw that this book was about a woman who meets her rock idol, I was immediately intrigued! Along with the interesting premise of the book, I also found it refreshing how the author portrayed anxiety in a realistic way. I've dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember, so I appreciate how Dineen didn't romanticize it or make it as a "character quirk" like I've seen in other books. This book was also a quick read. Having said all that, I felt that the book dragged on, especially with all the fights that Amelia and Huck got into. I think that their relationship wasn't exactly healthy, and I found Amelia to be overly nosy when it came to Huck's personal life. Throughout the book I also kept asking myself if the main character was actually 34-years-old because she kept acting immature. Overall though, I would recommend this if you want something quick to read and that discusses anxiety in a honest and realistic way!

I received The Plan: A Sweet and Sexy Rock Star Romantic Comedy by Whitney Dineen for free in exchange for an honest review. This was a quick, light romantic read. Very enjoyable.

This book started off great! Loved the plot, who wouldn’t want to meet a real life rock god?! About a 1/4 of the way in, she lost me.

Questionable parts:

-Myrah’s character seems a bit to overdramatized. She’s says stuff like “Black don’t crack”. She sounds like she’s trying to hard to fit a stereotype.

-Buck who is supposed to be this sexy, modern rock star says stuff like “You know how vicious girls are”. Come again...?

-The 10 year old daughter was portrayed as overly mature yet had anxiety issues. “California grows people up quick” is what Huck says. I can get nit picky here but all I’m going to say is her character didn’t add up.

The Plan was described to me as “sexy” but has zero sex in it. I would describe it as a sweet southern love story that takes more of a conservative view on love.

This book was adorable! I’m a sucker for some good romance, and Dinesen delivered.

The Plan starts out with Amelia, who lives in her small town, where she is very comfortable with her life owning her bead shop. Until one day, in saunters THE Huck Wiley. Only her biggest rockstar idol, ever! He is vacationing in town while on break from touring so he can spend some quality time with his daughter. He wants Amelia’s help teaching Maggie with some beading classes to give her a break from school work. Quickly though, their connection is undeniable. Who would ever think, while listening to your favorite CD, that gorgeous man would fall for a simple small town girl.?

I loved how Dinesen touched on the subject of mental health, in a very real and raw way. She showed a very honest version of what it’s like living with anxiety, and the thoughts that race, and learning to live with it. It was shown without brushing over it or devaluing the presence it creates in someone’s life who suffers from anxiety. I don’t feel like it was triggering though for someone with anxiety. This didn’t make me feel anxious or cuss my anxiety to rise, but made me feel seen and understood. Seeing the patience provided to Amelia as she worked her way through her problems was both hopeful and inspiring.

I didn’t love Dineen’s fake take on the south. The slang and language and protracted accent was very poorly done. I doubt she’s ever stepped foot below the Mason Dixon line a day in her life.

Otherwise, easy, sassy and lovable!

Thank you to Xpresso Bo9ks for providing me with a copy to read

The Plan is book 3 in The Creek Water Series but can be read as a stand alone, which is what I did. It was a sweet and wholesome read. I found the characters charming and I was so engrossed in their story that I was able to finish it in one day. It was the perfect light-hearted read!

I found myself speeding through "The Plan" and enjoying it. I related to Amelia in some ways - like the anxiety she has and the need to have things in order... but her overthinking began to slowly annoy me. One thing that the author did a great job was pulling me in despite this and leaving me wanting more. The attraction/pull between the main characters made me root for them.. hoping they could overcome their obstacles.

A feel good type of book, not much substance. The characters were superficial. It might have just been my head space of the number of fluff books I've been reading, but I had a hard time finding any charm in this. The whole point of writing is that one chapter slips into the next - can't put it down. OR if you must put it down, you can't wait to pick it back up again. I wish I could have liked it more. I loved the idea of the plot.

This book is definitely sweet - but pretty light on sexy! Amelia has almost never left her hometown. She has crippling anxiety that began after a traumatic incident as a child. Her anxiety has never been treated beyond some helpful advice from family friends. As a result, while Amelia is doing better - she is just treading water and not living. Enter Huck Wiley, rockstar and single dad. Huck is definitely a good guy - he is immediately interested in Amelia (despite her full on fan-girl response when they meet). Their main hurdle to coming together is 100% Amelia's anxiety.

I liked a lot about this book - it has a very real portrayal of severe anxiety - both in adults and children. Although, Amelia's overall miraculous recovery and movement forward seems a little fast (e.g. you don't get over 24 years of untreated severe anxiety in less than a year). I also really liked Huck and his acceptance and love for Amelia. Amelia was not an easy character. The book talks about Huck not being an easy man to love - but in reality, Amelia is definitely the one who is harder (rockstar life included).

If you are looking for a sweet, smalltown book, with a hefty dose of serious issues - this is a book to read! It will be perfect for fans of the Secret Keeper and books like it.

Honestly, I thought this book would be another Chick-lit. But The Plan was a wonderfully written contemporary romance about a small-town girl, Amelia and a rockstar, Huck. They share nothing in common, their meeting was not planned, but the reader can feel that they are made for each other. She feels exposed around him, and he is vulnerable around her. Their relationship is beautifully developed. Huck's daughter Maggie has anxiety problems, coincidentally so does Amelia. The hesitations and mixed feelings when you have during anxiety attacks are well depicted. This is the first book I have read so far that it is sweet and emotional at the same time. The bond between Amelia and Maggie is heartwarming. The author has captured the life of Beverly Hills kids very well. If you're looking for a light, fast read, but an emotional sweet story, pick this one. Will definitely look out for books from Whitney!
Thank you NetGalley, Whitney Dineen, the publisher for the reader's copy of this novel. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author. And this is also the 3rd book in a series but each story is a standalone. I didn’t have any problems following the story.

I absolutely devoured this book. I couldn’t put it down. And when I did have to, I was thinking about the story.

A normal gal who has her quirks.....
A Rockstar Single Dad.....

It’s one of the best stories I’ve read this year. I loved this very thing about it. The characters are wonderful..well thought out...seeing their progress through the chapters was my favorite part. I was cheering for Amelia the entire time. And watching Huck and her fall in love was so heartwarming. Throw in a cute little gal who is like their glue and you get a clean wholesome story. I enjoyed this book so so much!

Highly recommended.

*Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are those of my own.*

I didn’t care for this book at all and trust me, I tried. Thank God it was a fast read because once I start I have to finish. Huck is a rock start god and Amelia is a southern belle. She’s a crazy and annoying character that jumps to conclusions every chance she gets. I was flicking pages at the speed of light, I found everyone of these characters and their southern twang a total snooze. Sorry I tried, but I can’t recommend this book to anyone unless they want their reading material to induce sleep.

Keeping secrets has always been easy for Amelia. She pretends, but underneath her carefree demeanour her anxiety is bubbling away.

Bad boy rockstar Huck has just moved to town and has secrets of his own.

When the two of them meet secrets are shared and new friendships are made.

I love returning to this family series. I can’t wait to read more.

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

I'm not great with first person narrative and I'm very fussy with the characters that are written in first person.

Unfortunately, this one just want one that I could connect with and I had to down tools at around 20%.

I really liked the sound of this book and think I would have enjoyed it if it was first person.

DNF.

This was a big NOPE for me. This whole story felt like a characticture of Deep South - MISSOURI IS NOT THE SOUTH - and all the characters speak like it’s the 1950s. The worst being the main character, Amelia who talks and acts like she’s in her 70s instead of her actual age of 34. She is written like she is supposed to be the stereotype of the cute, awkward, quirky girl but she was just straight up annoying and pretty crazy. For example, the guy she wasn’t dating and told him she was going to date him went out of town {with his daughter} on personal business {he’s trying to track down his birth mom} and she assumed he was going to hook up with someone - talk about jumping to constantly conclusions. Also I don’t think this author is very good at geography, they said it takes 10 hours to get to Chicago but from the most southeastern part of MO it would only take 6.5 hours. Also Amelia mentioned that she didn’t think they could do a day trip to Nashville because it was too far away yet they went to St. Louis which is the exact same distance.

This was a cute, quirky and witty read. I enjoyed that the author had the MC experiencing some anxiety and panic attacks and represented them in a fairly realistic way. I do find that the story was missing a bit towards in end, in building the two main characters relationship after it first really started (you spend a lot of time anticipating them finally being together and then bam- it happens but not much detail into it afterwards).

i have never read anything by this author and i am not sure why i am just finding her! she does any awesome job talking about her characters, humor, and romance.
i felt like i could relate to this character by also having GAD and not wanting to do certain things. in this book, Amelia is a small town girl that has her life and daily activities planned out to prevent anxiety. Than her celebrity crush walks into her store taking all those plans and throwing them out the window for a new one!
i was given this book by netgalley and publisher for a honest review and opinion.

I LOVE Whitney Dineen. She finds just the right balance of humor, reality and crazy family antics. In this story our heroine has some real anxiety that she is pretty good at hiding from everyone. When her celebrity crush walks into her store, Amelia's world is flipped upside down. Huck challenges all of the items on her "no way I am doing that" list.
The Creekwater cast returns for a third book that is as endearing and witty as the first two. I can't wait for the next book!