ABOUT THE BOOK
A year after she is elected mayor of a prosperous Colorado city, Gwen Marsh's career and life are fully on track, all according to plan. So why is she in such a slump emotionally and physically? New conflicts keep boiling over in city government, and her earlier allies no longer support her. She and her boyfriend have an ideal relationship, which she finds inexplicably dissatisfying. Without telling her, he decides to take a new job that has him traveling out of state every week. Suddenly unexpected developments turn everything topsy-turvy, and Gwen is forced to re-examine her carefully-planned life.
MY REVIEW
Best Laid Plans & Other Disasters tells a sweet story of dealing with life’s unexpected surprises. Together, Gwen Marsh and her boyfriend, Jason, experience several changes and challenges personally and professionally, and the ensuing chaos and emotional turmoil spark many moments of drama.
“I think you can trust him to take care of your heart.”
Yet, as much as I appreciated the control-freak-learning-to-let-go plotline, I didn’t wholly enjoy Best Laid Plans & Other Disasters—mainly because I never liked Gwen. For most of the book, she’s fixated on her own problems and feelings without considering or communicating well with Jason. Page after page, she frustrated me with her behavior, which didn’t allow me to feel connected to her character—and made me feel a bit sorry for Jason. None of the supporting characters feel developed beyond their roles, positive or negative, relating to Gwen or Jason, and by the end, I (unfortunately) only felt relieved to be done with Gwen.
Now, while I don’t necessarily recommend this book, I will say that it has received several favorable reviews, and an interested reader could enjoy reading it, if so inclined. (Best Laid Plans & Other Disasters takes place after the story of Wallflower Blooming, offering the same setting and characters, but can be read easily on its own.)
★★★
Thanks to TLC Book Tours, I received a complimentary copy of Best Laid Plans & Other Disasters and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Rivers was born and raised in southern New Mexico and currently resides in Colorado with her husband, kids and cat. She has a Master’s degree with concentrations in Psychology and Politics, two topics she loves to incorporate into her personal essays and novels. Amy has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses, Novelty Bride Magazine, ESME.com, and Splice Today. Her first novel, Wallflower Blooming, was published in August 2016. Best Laid Plans & Other Disasters is coming in January 2017.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.
ReplyDeleteHappy to! Thanks for stopping by, Heather!
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