I will say, at first, I was apprehensive about this book based on the synopsis, but now having just finished it, I was completely wrong. This book had me swooning in the different things Graham did for/toward Ali throughout the book. Although this book is only written in Ali's perspective, you can definitely tell how Graham is feeling in the book by his words and actions. I don't know what it was but I was melting from all the interactions between Ali and Graham. My heart broke when their hearts broke and my heart smiled when they had their moments of realization. There are so many parts of the story that could be my favorite, but I loved knowing that grandmother Trudy had her grandson's back when she objected at his wedding. This showed that she knew who was the true owner of his heart (and who's lock he had the key to). I love the characters that Lindsay creates. I truly loved this story and cannot wait for the it to be published, so I can add this book to my bookshelves!

Eight years ago, Ali had a one night stand with Graham, a night that involved getting matching tattoos. They both end up in Baltimore and sparks fly between them. But Ali discovers the wedding she’s planning that could get her promoted is Graham’s.

The humorous writing kept me engaged as did the chemistry between Ali and Graham. Secondary characters such as Ali’s spitfire grandmother, Graham’s grandmother’s dog, and Ali’s besties were delightful. I enjoyed Ali’s party girl persona, her wizardry in the kitchen, and Graham’s old fashioned style and chivalry.

Some readers may be put off with Graham carrying on with Ali while being engaged, despite later revelations about the relationship between the perspective bride and groom. The super specific pop culture references may not resonate will all readers. I was put off by Ali’s constant crying, her unprofessionalism, and how in her eyes, just about everything that went wrong was Graham’s fault. The book wraps up too quickly, and the brief epilogue left me wanting more at the end. Nevertheless, the book made for a fun romantic comedy read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing Group for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for this ARC.
This story is very Wedding Planner feat.JLo.
The love story is interesting, I did spend the first part of the book thinking this was one big cheating trope. But the author gets us out of that with a fairly straightforward and realistic explanation. All the characters are well written and each has an important part of the story. I did like the friendships our female character has. As well as the family relationships between all the characters. It was a charming story, a quick read, and a good love story. I would say it’s a medium amount of spice. I would recommend picking this one up

Ali and Graham meet on Ali’s last night in London. They start competing at pub games and end up getting matching ugly tattoos, then they have a one night stand. A few years (and careers for Ali) later, Ali, who is now a wedding planner, sees Graham in Baltimore at her favorite coffee shop, and they go out for dinner where sparks are still flying. The next day at work, she is surprised (and nauseated) to find that Graham and his fiancée are her new clients. Graham is trying to revitalize his grandparent’s dying historic hotel and thinks hosting his wedding there is the boost it needs. As Ali and Graham spend more time together, their chemistry is off the charts and they start falling for each other, especially after Grant reveals his fiancée is his best friend who he agreed to marry so she could get her green card and pursue her dream career. With a promotion on the line for Ali, and Graham wanting to keep his promise to his best friend, they must decide what to do.

I enjoyed this for the most part. I felt weird about everything before Graham revealed that it was a marriage of convenience, even though there were hints along the way. Ali was really funny and as we got to know Graham, I really liked him too. Recommend for any romcom lover!

“Never Planned on You” is a second chance rom-com by Lindsay Hameroff. This book follows Ali - who has jumped from job to job in her career - trying to figure out not quite what she wants to be when she grows up, but more how can she meld what she loves to do into a job (think cooking and event planning). Ali’s former heart throb from eight years ago appears as the groom in a wedding Ali’s employer is planning. The attraction is still here - at least on her end. As time goes by, Ali gets overwhelming mixed messages from the groom-to-be … and that’s where things become interesting. I really liked how Ms. Hameroff handled the possible cheating (especially after the speech Graham gave, I was wondering what was going on - before the penny dropped in my mind). Additionally Ali seems like that friend you want in your corner - the one who is spontaneous, willing to have fun (and do dares), yet is also really a wonderful person too. If you like second-chance romances with some modern references (yep, saw the Taylor Swift mentions), this is a quick yet satisfying book to pick up and read one evening - even if you stay up to do so.

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || NEVER PLANNED ON YOU [thank you to St. Martin’s Press and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Never Planned On You
Author: Lindsay Hameroff
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★★
Would I Recommend: 👍🏻

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Ali’s whirlwind reunion with her tattooed British stranger seems like fate—until she’s hired to plan his wedding, forcing them to choose between their undeniable chemistry and the futures they’ve worked so hard to build.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
An FMC with the first name “Ali?” Automatic 5 Stars!

Just kidding…but not kidding. 😂

This book was such a delight from the first page through the last! And I was so busy devouring it in 24 hours, that I didn’t take all the notes that I should have - but, basically, LOVED IT. It has all of the snark, humor, and food that I’ve come to expect from Lindsay’s novels. I love getting to see little glimpses into Jewish traditions, and seeing them done in an authentic and full way.

Plus - you get to see both Ali and Graham come into themselves and figure out what they want out of life…but will that be each other?

Of course it will, this is a romance after all.

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
The Wedding Planner
Jewish Representation
FMCs with Attitude
Self Discovery Journeys
Excellent Banter
One Night Stand
Foodie Romance

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.13 ⭐️
# of Pages: 304
Pub Date: February 18, 2025

My favorite book of Lindsay's to date!

The book was filled of humor, taking risks, making some questionable bets, and falling in love. It was a great story of a wedding planner, chef, and MMC who follows his dreams to manage his family's hotels. But it also covered so many real life things like not feeling perfect or having your life completely figured out. The family and friendship aspect just warmed my heart.

You definitely want to check this book out!

The cheating trope is not well-enjoyed by some readers, but in this case, I myself, greatly enjoyed it.

NEVER PLANNED ON YOU is today's The Wedding Planner. There's a lot more to this "cheating" story than meets the eye and if I were giving it an elevator pitch, I'd say "so he's engaged, I know, I know, but it's not what you think. Okay, it is, but it's not..."

l loved the Brit Graham, and I was just okay with Ali. She's got a lot to love, but she's also got a lot to be annoyed with.

However, I thought the two of them balanced each other out good and did what all romance stories need from their main characters - to push each other to be a better version of themselves.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of NEVER PLANNED ON YOU to review.

I rate NEVER PLANNED ON YOU four out of five stars.

This book follows Ali and Graham, who run into each other 8 years after spending a magical night together, her as the wedding planner and him as the groom. This was a fun, quick read — perfect for rom-com lovers looking for JLo's The Wedding Planner feels! While the author explored important themes, the writing style relied more on telling than showing, which made parts of the story feel less engaging.

This is a perfect example of a romantic comedy that hits all the right notes. I usually take the phrase ‘laugh out loud’ with a grain of salt when it comes to rom coms (often it's more like ‘roll your eyes’), but this one made me lol more than once. The main character is a gem, and the story’s pace is just right. If you're in the mood for a sweet, sometimes delightfully silly romance with low angst, this is it!

Never Planned on You starts with Graham and Ali meeting in college. They have one fun together and never see each other again. Fast forward to many years later, Ali moves back home to Baltimore. Ali has finished culinary school and has decided to be a wedding/event planner. Ali's first wedding to plan ends be for Graham and his bride to be Claire. Only feelings resurface in a short period of time. I loved Graham and Ali together. They both are two very different people that work very well together.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book!
There’s no doubt Ali and Graham have insane chemistry and I binged this book, desperate for their story!

3.5 stars

There’s nothing quite like a relationship built on the fact that one person thinks the other is cheating with them… this was just not a good look for either of the main characters. They had a brief moment of “no we shouldn’t be doing this” and then completely gave up on that. I lost all respect for both of them - Graham for not being honest and letting Ali believe she was essentially his mistress (which tbh she kinda was) and Ali for thinking that Graham was cheating on his fiancée with her (again, even with all the nuances, he kind of was) and still hooking up with him.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the plot itself was just kind of bland. I can’t really remember anything that happened because it just wasn’t interesting. It was a lot of “we can’t be together” “but I want to be together” and it just went around in circles. I also felt like we didn’t get very much character development for anyone. By the end of the book I didn’t really know anything about them that I didn’t know at the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for the ARC!

This was a fun and easy read. I really enjoyed the plot of Ali having to plan the wedding of a formal fling. The two had great chemistry with each other. The book was filled with humor and heartwarming moments.

A huge shout out to Lindsay Hameroff and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Never Planned on You.

I absolutely devoured this book - I downloaded the book this morning and read it all in one sitting. It was a modern day take on The Wedding Planner, but with an unexpected twist. I loved the story line, the chemistry and the slow burn of this book... Not to mention the subtle Taylor Swift nods! One of the sweetest books I've read in a while, I can't recommend it enough. This was my first Lindsay Hameroff book, and immediately after finishing this ARC, I went to Amazon to purchase her first book. I think I have a new favorite author! Can't wait to dig in to Till There Was You!

3.5 ⭐️

This book follows Ali and Graham, who run into each other 8 years after spending a magical night together, her as the wedding planner and him as the groom. This was a cute and quick read and despite the premise, not that angsty. There wasn’t the OW drama I was expecting. I do wish they had more of a history together, but otherwise liked their relationship and their individual character growth.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This book was not for me. It read like a bad cringey 90s romcom but with the characters not firmly belonging to any specific generation from what I could tell. The characters were insufferable.

I really struggled with this book. As a whole, I couldn't stand the cast of characters, which made me uninterested or invested in the outcome. The only exception was that I did enjoy Ali. She was really the only bright spot. I couldn't stand Graham. I do not find cheating to be cute or acceptable. And the pacing was way too slow for the majority of the book. This one really missed the mark for me.

This is The Wedding Planner with the names changed.

Both main characters are insufferable as they lie to themselves and others, and the pop culture references are ALL over the place. Seriously, just how old are these characters supposed to be? They make references that places them from anywhere from Boomers to Gen-Zer's.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Never Planned on You but I really enjoyed! It was a quick, funny, and (at times) spicy read. It had a good second chance romance ARC, but also character development for the female protagonist. I am excited to go back and read Lindsay's other book.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC!