Wow did I love this book!!!! I enjoyed the first two but Ryker and Bryce and the girls stole the show. So much heart in this book. Loved the representation for soldiers and PTSD. And loved Ryker’s immediate bond with Six. My only complaint is the lack of communication but I understand why.

I have loved this series from Dylan Newton, and Change of Plans definitely delivered! We see glimpses of stoic and quiet Ryker Matthews in the previous books so my curiosity had been piqued. It was so much fun getting to know Ryker and watching him fall head-over-heels for Bryce Weatherford.

Bryce is new in town as the unexpected guardian to her three nieces when their parents are killed in a car accident. Basically overnight she goes from being a single hot shot chef to working in a small town cafe while trying to juggle three kids between the ages of 5 and 12. Ryker Matthews never met a problem he couldn't solve with his rugged determination borne through service in the Marines. But he's dealing with PTSD from his service and struggling to reintegrate to civilian life.

Right from their hilarious meet cute in the grocery store aisles, Bryce and Ryker have amazing chemistry together. I loved their flirty jokes and banter and how willing Ryker was to get to know Bryce's nieces as he built a relationship with her. The single parent trope can be hard to write genuinely but I thought Dylan did a great job of writing the joys and struggles as Bryce embraced her new role as "mom-like creature" to the girls. I also really enjoyed Ryker's character development and seeing his relationship with his brothers and mom evolve. I will definitely miss spending time with the Matthews' brothers and their spouses and family. It's been such a fun journey.

Content warnings: Ryker has intense PTSD which manifests as anxiety in crowds and night terrors which we see play out in a pivotal scene in the book. Bryce's brother and sister-in-law die in a car accident and the grief associated with that is a major theme in Change of Plans. There is also a subplot involving custody of the girls between Bryce and the maternal grandparents which might be triggering to some readers.

I voluntarily reviewed an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

Change of Plans follows Ryker as he struggles with the physical and emotional effects of his time in Afghanistan and Bryce as she is thrust into a new normal where she is the sole guardian of her three nieces following the loss of their parents.

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. Ryker is my favorite of the brothers, and I really loved getting more of their mom in the story too.

The story felt really well balanced between the serious challenges the MCs were facing and their blossoming romance. Part of why this worked so well for me was that both Ryker and Bryce were in positions in their life where a shallow dalliance was not realistic. Bryce had three kids to consider and Ryker was dealing with PTSD, night terrors, and physical pain from the injury that led to his amputation. The overlapping themes of family and uncertainty about the future worked so well, and Bryce had an incredible amount of empathy, which made me fall in love with her.

Single parent stories aren't usually my favorite because the kids become a plot device or a distraction, but I loved these kiddos so much. Dylan did an excellent job giving them unique personalities and the situations they were a part of felt vibrant and genuine. Dylan has kids of her own and it felt evident in the story; Bryce's nieces had a mischievousness that felt very rooted in reality.

I loved the use of Ryker's brothers to provide levity and an almost self-awareness to certain moments. In particular, I got a kick out of Zander telling Ryker that not communicating was definitely the wrong move at one point in the story. It felt like a humorous nod to the typical miscommunication-fueled third act breakup in many rom-coms.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, but I'll leave you with this. If you love genuinely funny books with heart, go ahead and pre-order yourself a copy right now. This will be taking a place of honor on my shelf among my favorite romantic comedies.

Thank you to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the eARC. And to Dylan for providing the opportunity to be on a traveling ARC team! All thoughts are my own.