CW: death of a friend, grief, spousal abuse (verbal, and of side character), death of a parent

Home restoration project, forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine vibes, and a slow burn? Yes, please!!

That was more emotional than I was expecting, and I loved it! Grief was such an integral part of the story, and I really appreciated how Karla handled it with so much care and heart. Watching Burke navigate all that, and seeing how Charlotte just understood and supported him was really special. I loved them.

I also really loved all the side characters, especially Daphne and Richard! I hope to see more of all of them again.

Definitely recommend this if you want to feel all the feels!

Thank you for the ARC.

TW: death of a friend, parental death, domestic verbal abuse, grief...like a lot!

The Best Laid Plans is a contemporary romance enemies to lovers about Burke and Charlotte. Burke has just lost his best friend and his best friend's wife and is barely keeping it together. He's inherited his best friend's family home but it's in bad need of a complete restoration. Charlotte is the project manager they had hired before their untimely passing. Burke is a mess and hates the idea of this house taking over his entire life when he just recently got it back after retiring from football. Charlotte is frustrated with this man who can't make a decision on the house she fell in love with as a little girl.

The writing of The Best Laid Plans was great as is the norm for Karla Sorensen and the spice was excellent as well but those two things were just not enough for me to love this book. It was filled with so much grief! Not just the grief Burke dealt with over losing his friends, but the grief he never dealt with over losing his mother, the grief of playing football only for his father, the grief of his sister being totally ignored her entire childhood, the grief of his sister's abusive marriage, Charlotte's grief over her parent's divorce and the grief of losing her mother. Just too much grief for one book. I have to be honest in saying that I put this down so many times because it was just too depressing. I definitely don't think all books need to be happy go lucky but you have to be mentally sound and in the right mood to read a book like this and I just wasn't at the time, I'm sorry to say.

I will definitely continue to pick up this author's titles because she is good I just don't want to revisit this one at all.

Thank you so much to Montlake for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars!

A new series from Karla Sorensen? Yes, please! And The Best Laid Plans was a great start to it. It was fun, funny, and a little emotional. Pretty much exactly what I've come to expect from Sorensen.

I loved Charlotte and Burke. She was full of optimism and bringing new life to old things. He was grumpy and just wanting to enjoy retirement from professional football. The death of Burke's friend threw them together in an unexpected way. They started out not getting along and their back and forth was a lot of fun. Their progression into liking each other, lusting after each other, and then falling in love was adorable. I also enjoyed the emotional stuff that Burke was dealing with in relations to his friend's death, his family relationships, and his previous divorce. Charlotte has some past drama as well, but it didn't stick out in my mind quite like Burke's trauma. 

Charlotte and Burke were the main stars of this romance, but I can't forget to mention the little people that helped them along the way. I adored Daphne and Richard. They were hilarious! They almost need an origin romance book of their own. Burke's niece and nephew were precious, and I loved his sister. I also have to mention little Mira's guardians... I need their book NOW! 

I don't really have any major complaints about this book. It took me a minute to get into, but it might have been my mood coming off my previous read. I'm not sure. It doesn't really matter because once I was in, I was in. Charlotte and Burke all the way! The only other thing I might mention is that readers may want to check content warnings prior to reading as there could be a few triggering things.

A Karla Sorensen book available without having to request? Sign me up 10 times over! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were two very minuscule reasons why I decided on four stars instead of five- the first being that it took until about the 15-20% mark to get into it- but let me tell you, when I got into it, I got INTO it. I looooved the middle of this book. I think both characters were written incredibly and their situations and plotlines were given the delicacy and grace they needed. The final 15% was where I started to waver- the third act drama didn't occur until around the 90% mark, which only leaves 10% for resolution and happily ever after. I am never a fan of this in any book as I feel 10% isn't enough time to see the characters we have grown attached to live happily together. I do hope there will be a bonus epilogue upon publication.

All of my fingers are crossed for a Luke book! and maybe even a Tansy one as well?

Five Stars for this angsty romance that gives you ALL THE FEELS and more.

Every single book Sorensen writes becomes my newest favorite. And this one blew me away. My poor heart. Sorensen takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride with these characters.

Burke Barrett is a very grumpy complex hero. He has had a hard loss and never would have imagined the curve ball he’d been given. Charlotte Cunningham is an adorable character who has a job that I would love to have. But she wasn’t quite prepared for the grumpy football player who only answers questions in grunts. But when these two are put together….the tension between these two is felt in the words on the pages. Many times my heart felt like it might quit beating. But in the end as always Sorensen gave us a beautiful love story. One i didn’t want to put down.

Highly recommended.

*NetGalley Read*

5 Antique Roadshow stars. The Best Laid Plans was such a fun romp! It’s relatively low angst, but with a deep emotional through line about grief and what it means to honor the ones who love us while remaining true to ourselves.

If you love a good home improvement show or story, this book will be for you! I love everything Karla Sorensen writes but I especially loved Burke and Charlotte in this one. I also appreciated the house the book centers around as a sort of third main character throughout the story.

This book really highlights what it means to sacrifice for others, and where that sacrifice butts up against our own wants and desires. I was rooting for Burke the entire time to decide it was finally time to live for himself.

I’m so excited about this new series from Sorensen and I’m really hoping we’ll get Liam’s story with Mira soon! I can’t wait to devour The Best Men series as quickly as they become available!

The only appropriate reaction to a Karla Sorensen book is *grabby hands*.
I really enjoyed this book! It's a slow-burn, where the main characters get to know each over and develop some familiarity before their relationship develops into something more. This kind of slow-burn is my absolute favorite kind of story, we get to see how the characters fall for each other.
The Best Laid Plans is on par of a Sorensen book, with some deep and poignant moments, with characters going through some hardships and learning to reach out for the good things when they recognize them. I am looking forward to the next books in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Best Laid Plans by Karla Sorensen, published by Montlake, is the first stand-alone in The Best Men Series.
Burke Barrett is an ex-pro football star, now freshl retired and only a little bit bitter about it. He has plans to join his sister and her kids somwhere south when karma has other plans. Tragedy leaves him with a mansion in tatters and an object manager who drives him up the wall.

The Best Laid Plans is not the " normal " romance novel, one you read and forget. No this story goes deep like all the books from this author. They always stay with me, even after years the characters visit from time to time and say " hello lets do a re-read of my story ". And I love it. I remember reading the Washington Wolves Series and couldn't get enough of stories and characters - and this new one is no exception. And that, yes exactly that is the difference between a good read and a great one.

The Best Laid Plans is Grump meets Sunshine for the lead pair. I did not enjoy the story as it felt formulaic and could've been much more as it had good bones of a story.

A cute and easy read. This story about Burke and Charlotte restoring a property together and fighting their feelings for one another has a mix of emotions. This story has grief, guilt, passion and desire, longing and joy.

Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, grump vs sunshine, opposites attract and some slow burn action. I give this book a 🌶 2.75/5 on the spice level..

I loved both main characters. Burke was complex and really thoughtful. He did not do anything without thinking about it first. I loved how protective he was too and it was 🥵. Charlotte was understanding and passionate and I think they were a great fit.

I can’t wait to see where this series progresses. I will definitely be reading the rest as they come out!

I love a sports romance! Especially a grumpy/sunshine trope. The story centres around Burke and Charlotte, the former grieving the loss of his best friend and suffering from an injury that has lead him to retire early.
The slow burn and angst is so good and the chemistry and witty banter between them was so entertaining and fun to read!
Would definitely recommend this!

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!

The Best Men #1
The Best Laid Plans
Karla Sorensen
5 stars⭐
INCREDIBLE....INCREDIBLE.....INCREDIBLE.

This was so cute and heart tugging.
I loved the love, the characters and the storyline. I’m an absolute sucker for shy, quiet heroes that disguise as grumpies and the sunshine heroine who loves to get to know him and push his buttons. Karla delivered a precious romance once again!

The storyline was incredible....characters were incredible, everything was 5 stars. I had read almost all books of karla and I am absolutely certain that if she had delivered a story ,it will be absolutely worth reading.

And also,

Big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed snagging this one on 'read now'. I've read and loved a lot of Karla's other romances and was eager to get my hands on this new series.
Thanks.

I really liked both main characters and enjoyed the book quite a bit. I’m looking forward to reading the next one!!

I love a good Karla Sorensen novel. I am excited for the start of this new series. It's awesome to have some new characters. Burke and Charlotte's slow burn romance had me hoping they would break down sooner. Each character was so stubborn not to believe in the other. The ending was amazing and left room for more couples. The epilogue was what I was hoping for all along. Now, I will be looking for more books in this series

I love Karla Sorensen’s books! This one was very enjoyable and I had a good time reading it. I love the renovation aspect of this book. Gave me HGTV vibes but with romance. Can’t wait to read more!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the arc of this book!

This was the first book I’ve read by Karla and I really enjoyed it. It had some heavier themes while the hero was processing his grief however the book as a whole was beautifully balanced and drags you in. I was invested in the renovation as much as I was the romance!

It was a slow burn but the tension, angst and witty banter these two shared on the road to getting there reeled me in and it was totally worth it. I loved how the relationship progressed organically while each of them were processing their own baggage, it was relatable and realistic.

Charlotte was so sweet and fun, I instantly loved her character and found her open communication and the way she called out Burke on his crap refreshing. She was honest and fought for what she wanted.

Burke was a textbook grump, with his grunts and wordless way of communicating but I loved how loyal he was to those he loved and the way he owned his mistakes, took time to process his grief and past to move forward. His grovelling and gesture for Charlotte made me melt and despite the hurdles and frustration on their journey, I was completely invested in them getting their HEA.

I really loved the side characters and the dynamic between them all. It was beautifully written and pulled you right in to the storyline.

3,5 rounded up to 4!

Big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed snagging this one on 'read now'. I've read and loved a lot of Karla's other romances and was eager to get my hands on this new series! Check CW, as this one deals with death, divorce, spousal abuse (verbal) and can be a heavier read at times.

I think as a set up for what's to come here, it does it's job really well. I enjoyed Burke and Charlotte (but really loved Daphne and Richard like so much). I liked the slow burn nature of how Burke and Charlotte ended up falling for each other and against the backdrop of fixing up the old house, I think worked really well! I love me some HGTV so I was hooked immediately.

Also Burke with the crowbar is truly some top tier book boyfriend sh*t, for real.

I enjoyed the powerpoint presentations and the smutty scenes a lot! I think this one is thematically the most emotional / grown up of all the books I've read by Karla and am really looking forward to getting Liam's story (please!!!).

Perfect for fans of Melanie Harlow, Devney Perry and Kat Singleton, Best Laid Plans is an emotional grumpy / sunshine romance that is gonna make you feel a lot of things!

The Best Laid Plans is a light and easy, low angst read with characters you can't help falling for! Burke and Charlotte have great chemistry and develop a good connection with each other.
There's a lot of family dynamic and football, and in true Karla Sorensen form.I can recommend this if you like a opposites-attract romance, where the characters go through rough patches, but come out at the end stronger than they went in.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a reno!

I do love a grumpy cinnamon roll and Burke is a tortured version. He is more than a bit of a mess emotionally and is dealing with grief and rage and trying to reconcile his childhood choices and the recent loss of a best friend. Therapy would have been a good earlier option for him. He grew on me – noticing her coffee, hair ties, all that paying attention, doing the (emotional) work, finding himself.

Charlotte is such a ray of sunshine. She's so alive, with her passion for her work, her spreadsheets and her emotional honesty - she was so easy to love.

Inheritance/renovation novels are a thing right now and this is a great addition. Keyed Up, In Your Dreams Holden Rhodes, and Twice Shy come to mind - this is a bit more angsty and just as good.

They get there, there's pining and steam and an unexpected arrangement that gives a poignancy to their attraction. Side characters are well drawn and it looks like a set up for more stories from this little part of Michigan. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the author for the ARC. This is an honest review.