Change of Plans by Dylan Newton is a heartwarming tale of chef Bryce Weatherford navigating the challenges of raising her three nieces, and Ryker Matthews, coping with the aftermath of a below-the-knee amputation, as they unexpectedly find sparks flying between them, offering a potential change of plans neither was prepared for.

I was really looking forward to Ryder's love story after enjoying the other two books about the Matthews brothers, How Sweet It Is and All Fired Up. However, I had mixed feelings about Change of Plans. Bryce's character was a mixed bag for me. I admired her dedication to her nieces, but I wasn't a fan of how her relationship with Ryder developed. I found Ryder to be somewhat unlikable even though I understood his behavior due to his past trauma. Both characters' past traumas seemed to overshadow the romance which made some parts repetitive. The presence of secondary characters from previous books (Kate and Drake from How Sweet It Is and Imani and Zandar from All Fired Up) was a fun aspect. However, I wasn't a fan of the conflict resolution in the end. Personally, I enjoyed How Sweet It Is and All Fired Up more than this one. It's possible to read Change of Plans as a stand-alone, but I think it would be more enjoyable if you've read the two other books before this. Overall, I would give it three stars.

Change of Plans is a sweet and heartwarming romantic comedy following two characters who meet each other at what should be the worst time in their lives. Together, they embark on a journey of found family, love, and a second chance they never knew they needed. This book will make you swoon and pull at your heartstrings at the same time. I absolutely adored this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Bryce has recently gotten guardianship of her three nieces after their parents deaths and has left her prominent chef position in Florida to relocate to a small northern New York town. While shopping Ryker Matthews saves one of her nieces from a tight spot. After showing up and helping Bryce again, Ryker and Bryce can’t deny their feelings for each other. The problem is with PTSD and an ongoing condition with his amputated leg Ryker is afraid he will scare off Bryce. Bryce is not sure Ryker will want to commit not just to her but her nieces as well. Especially in the midst of a messy custody battle. They must learn to face their fears together along with the help of their meddling family and friends.

This book is wonderful on so many levels. With very prominent mental health representation and the multiple struggles single parents have to work through, this book gets deep. But there are so many beautiful lighthearted moments to show no matter the hardships as long as there are those who love and support us we can overcome anything!

4.5/5 stars

What a lovely book! "Change of Plans" was a tender, touching story of what it means to continue living your life after loss changes the scope of your future. We meet Bryce, a woman thrust into parenthood after the death of her brother and sister-in-law leaves her as the sole guardian of her 3 grieving nieces. During a disastrous grocery store run, the 4 Weatherfords meet Ryker, a war vet with a prosthetic leg and PTSD who isn't adjusting well to civilian life. The two of them kick off an unlikely friendship, leaning on each other and giving each other support when things get difficult. Along the way, they experience the growing pains of falling in love when you least expect it.

This perfectly captures the themes of grief, family, healing, and, above all, love. I found myself crying on more than one occasion as I read this book. It's also the first book in a long time that kept me up past my bedtime because I just needed to FINISH IT!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll lay it out straight- there is something incredibly beautiful and heartwarming getting to read stories that feature a woman lead that doesn't *need* the saving because she's doing it anyways but also having a male lead that steps in to help out not for the reward, but because hes truly a nice person. This was an emotional one that I really wasn't all the way prepared for.

Heavy topics such as experiencing PTSD, lose of parents, custody battles, and grief all play strong roles in the story. Dylan Newton somehow manages to weave these very dark and heavy topics into a story that doesn't feel overbearing in the darkness and provides some relatability to everyone ready. The outlook these characters have just leaves you rooting for everyone. Now I will say towards the end we dance into a bit of 'lack of communication' that starts to toe the line of miscommunication and I wasn't sure this would end in the way I wanted. I'm really not a fan of the trope but the author seems to tease just enough of it before yanking it back to wrap this story up in a perfect little small-town romance bow.

Change of Plans by Dylan Newton
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub Date: 8/1

This beautiful story follows Bryce Weatherford, a talented chef whose life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the guardian of her three young nieces after her brother and sister-in-law die in a tragic accident. Suddenly, Bryce finds herself in charge of three spirited girls, all with their own unique challenges.

Then there’s Ryker Matthews, a wounded veteran with his own battles to fight. He’s dealing with PTSD from his time in the military, along with the pain of his below-the-knee amputation. But when he meets Bryce, sparks fly, and their chemistry is palpable. As they lean on each other for support, they discover that love can be found in unexpected places.

All the stars for this incredible book! As soon as I finished it, I had to send Newton a message to let her know how much I loved it (and how often it made me cry). I just loved how Newton skillfully wove together the complexities of family dynamics and the difficulties of parenthood in this moving story. Bryce's struggles to manage the chaos of her new role were portrayed with authenticity and empathy, making her relatable and endearing. Her dedication and love for her nieces was heartwarming, and I was cheering for her as she navigated the changes in their lives.

One of the highlights was the incredible representation of caregiver responsibilities, PTSD, and disabilities! Newton handled these sensitive topics with care and authenticity and also represented parenthood in a relatable way.

This was a captivating blend of humor and heart and a must-read for fans of romantic comedies. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Forever Pub, and Dylan Newton for my advanced copy to read and review. Change of Plans comes out on 8/1!

Read if you like:
*parent like creatures
*dual POV
*PTSD rep
*sweet therapy dogs
*found family

This was so cute!!! I loved this story and the sweet nature of it all. Will highly recommend this to friends who are looking to swoon.

"Winning is a matter of perspective. Sure, you’ve had a change of plans. But when you change lanes in a race, you appear to lose ground, when all it takes is being on the low side of the curve to be back on the top. Battling grief is tough, I should know. It takes time, and requires you to occasionally accept a boost from others.”

I loved this book! Ryker and Bryce have such a sweet meet cute in their small town’s grocery store where Ryker saves Bryce’s niece who was stuck. I loved how sweet he is with all her nieces and truly cares about them. I really liked how Bryce didn’t shy away from Ryker’s prosthetic and didn’t make him feel uncomfortable about it. I loved how there even was a scene where she tells him that he’s beautiful! I was swooning so hard!!! Bryce has been struggling to manage her three nieces after their parents died and I loved how supportive Ryker was. He would do all these small actions that made such a difference to Bryce. He truly showed up for them. There is a bit of a miscommunication in this romance towards the end but I think it needed to happen and I loved how it all played out in the end.
This book comes out August 1st so add to your TBRs!

Read if you like:
3rd person dual POVs
Small town romance
Ex-marine hero
Single Aunt
Open door romance
Cinnamon roll hero
Swoony hero
Realistic kids

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Bryce sure did have her hands full with her 3 nieces! Having given everything up to care for them, there isn't time for even one minuscule thing to go wrong. But of course, some things do go wrong. She and her nieces are grieving over the loss of the girls' parents, she's trying to keep a roof over their heads and keep the maternal grandparents off her back. It seems that every single time something goes wrong, those pesky, judgmental grandparents show up. The most unexpected happens. Ryker. He seems to be there when Bryce needs a helping hand or a minute to breathe. But he's the most unlikely to befriend anyone since he's reclusive and keeps out of town business. But they all know loss and grief which makes the Weatherfords and Ryker the best team to get through life. Sometimes everyone needs a change of plans. I loved this book so much! I loved their banter and wit, the way Ryker treated the girls, the found family in the secondary characters of this series, and the all around love that everyone had.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

The reclusive Ryker Matthews did not disappoint! After glimpses of him in HOW SWEET IT IS and ALL FIRED UP, I had a sneaking suspicion he'd be my favourite Matthews brother. And I was right! He instantly won me over in this hilarious meet-cute involving a grocery store mishap.

Unexpectedly gaining guardianship of her three nieces, chef Bryce is hanging on by a thread. This book truly captured the absolute chaos of parenthood. Gosh, it was fun! It's labeled as a romantic comedy, and it certainly does have its funny moments, but what really stood out to me was the soft, effortless connection between Ryker and Bryce.

After his honourable discharge from the marines, Ryker spends his time restoring vintage vehicles. I really enjoyed how the story weaved in his experience with PTSD and living with a prosthetic leg. He has certainly been through a lot, but this man exuded kindness.

Ryker might be the king of acts of service. I loved the simple ways he was there for Bryce. And Bryce was equally there for Ryker. The tenderness she shows towards him, especially in his raw, vulernable moments was so admirable.

With both their lives completely derailed, this title couldn't be more fitting. A change of plans, indeed. It was super heartwarming to see these two lower their guards and find room for love.

I love this. It show that there are so many different kinds of families out there and I love that I got to experience it in this book. This author was fantastic.

First off, thank you to Forever/Grand Central Publishing for the eArc of this title!

This started off two incredibly strong. I read the first 50% in one sitting without even trying, and I was laughing & swooning nonstop. I loved Ryker & Bryce, I thought their chemistry was great, and I found that despite not being a mother or mother-like-creature myself, I thought Bryce's guardianship situation was actually quite easy to relate to and brought a lot of humor to the story.

Things started to fall apart at about the 60% mark, when the third act conflict gets introduced. it just really felt like the author tried to throw as many miscommunication tropes at the story as humanly possible, and it strung out for ENTIRELY too long. It also got very repetitive in how it was executed, literally every time they started to communicate about important things there was a convenient interruption. I am alright with this in small doses, but it felt like it happened on every page from 60%-90%. It just really, really took me out of the story.

I appreciated the PTSD, veteran, mobility, and grief representation, as well as the picture painted of a non-traditional family after facing tragedy. I can tell that the author tried very hard to handle this with care. I just couldn't get past the romance miscommunication.

Change of Plans, by Dylan Newton, is a well-written, small-town romance. A story of Ryker and Bryce. This is the last of the series and the first I have read. I will definitely be going back and reading the others! Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook to review.

I felt that this was the heaviest book of the series. Bryce is trying to navigate parenting her three nieces after.thr sudden death of her brother and sister-in-law. The girls are all showing their trauma in different ways. Bryce is in a custody battle with their maternal grandparents and kind of struggling to make ends meet, while keeping some of her own self identity through her work as a chef.
Ryker has PTSD and physical issues from his time as a Marine in Afghanistan. He's been almost hiding from his friends and family.
Definitely a grumpy sunshine story. Bryce and Ryker manage to bring some needed lightness to each other with their "hug emergencies" and time together.
I know it was supposed to be a romantic comedy, but everything that was an issue just sort of magically resolved in the last couple of chapters of the book without truly being fully addressed, which seemed unrealistic, but maybe readers were supposed to assume much more went on off-page. I'd rather have had a little more explanation.

Thank you to net galley and Hatchette book Group for providing me with an arc copy of Change of Plans by Dylan Newton. Before I begin I would like to know that this book may be a trigger for anyone suffering with PTSD.
This is my second book by Dylan Newton and I fell in love with the characters. The flow of the story was awesome I didn't want to put it down, Bryce is a character who has a new beginning and changes her life to help her family. '

Bryce Weatherford is taken over guardianship of her three nieces. It's been a real struggle for her and the girls. Her move to town and new job have meant a big change in her life. The girls are a handful, and they are struggling.
Ryker Mathews has returned home minus a lower leg and PTSD. He is suffering with the phantom pain in his leg. He's at the grocery store with his niece when he runs into Bryce. Bryce needs his help getting her middle niece out from under the shelves where she has gotten stuck.
Ryker seems to be there to help Bryce and she and the girls seems to help him also.
Great story of two people finding their way back into life.

Cute story. Took me a while to get into it then I was hooked. Not a fan of miscommunication but it worked for this one. Loved all the characters and the mental health rep.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: August 1, 2023

I’ve been waiting for Ryker’s story since this series began and I was so excited to get it!

This was a sweet (but spicy) romcom about the final Matthews brother who has proven himself to be a reclusive but caring character throughout the series. Ryker is a veteran with PTSD who is struggling with reentry after an injury and amputation ended his military career. He spends most of his time holed up at his garage, until he comes to the rescue of Bryce, a chef who suddenly finds herself with custody of her three nieces after the tragic death of her brother.

Bryce is understandably struggling with her new role as guardian, she quit her job and moved cross country to be there for them and that is a lot of upheaval all at once. The girls are all struggling with the change as well, and I wanted to give every single one of them a hug.

Bryce and Ryker together were pretty damn sweet and I love how they took care of each other in different ways. I do think their romance took a backseat to their personal issues, which put this more into women’s fiction rather than romance to me, but I still enjoyed it!

It was a great ending to this series and while I’m sad it’s over, I sure did enjoy my time with these Matthews brothers.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘖𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 follows Bryce, a chef and now full-time gaurdian of her nieces in the most unfortunate circumstances made barablr by a guy with a pirate hook and a Scottish accent!

- ~ -

Hmm... for a book I was so excited for especially cuz it was Ryker's story, I'm a bit disappointed.

I feel like we didn't get to meet Bryce at all, only the Bryce who's a gaurdian now. And I get it's a major plot of the story but it doesn't mean we couldn't have gotten to know Bryce.

This story might've deserved a place of its own but seperate from this series. I feel like Ryker deserved better. So does Bryce and the girls.

- ~ -

3.85 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Such a cute read! The main characters, Bryce and Ryker, happened to find each other at the right moment in the right time of their lives. Serendipitous? Yes, and it was all kinds of heart warming to read how their first introduction turns into a relationship.

The story features strangers to lovers, found family (which is one of my favorite tropes), and a unique meet cute. I could have done without the third act break up with the cliched miscommunication or lack of communication plot point though. I thought that there was more potential there to feature something different rather than something overused.

Overall, I found the writing to be enjoyable and the story itself to be cute and comical. It was pleasantly lighthearted and light in angst.

ARC provided by Forever (Central Grand Publishing) via NetGalley, and I have given my honest and voluntary review.