What do you think?
Rate this book
Wreck My Plans
A sweet and spicy holiday romance between a spirited artist who returns to her small town for Christmas, and her older brother’s best friend, a serious architect who pushes all her buttons—but whom she can’t seem to stay away from.
Lena’s plans are simple. Surprise her family for Christmas, don’t tell them she lost her job, and most importantly, spend the week relaxing with the people she cares about.
But when she arrives in Juniper, she discovers she’s not the only unexpected guest this year. Her older brother’s best friend, Gavin, is back after disappearing three years ago without a word. He has the kind of charm Lena has always been drawn to, but she knows he’s also the kind of temptation she needs to stay far away from.
Gavin has built his architecture career out of planning strategies for dealing with the unexpected—but he didn’t have a strategy for the possibility of seeing Lena again. Though he’s been dreaming of her since the day he left, he can’t risk giving in to his feelings when they could upend the only family and home he has ever known.
New try to be friends again. Just friends.
But as the pieces fall into place about why Gavin left, staying friends is the last thing on his mind…and on Lena’s. All the plans they’ve made might end up completely wrecked. And for once, maybe they want it that way.
Lena’s plans are simple. Surprise her family for Christmas, don’t tell them she lost her job, and most importantly, spend the week relaxing with the people she cares about.
But when she arrives in Juniper, she discovers she’s not the only unexpected guest this year. Her older brother’s best friend, Gavin, is back after disappearing three years ago without a word. He has the kind of charm Lena has always been drawn to, but she knows he’s also the kind of temptation she needs to stay far away from.
Gavin has built his architecture career out of planning strategies for dealing with the unexpected—but he didn’t have a strategy for the possibility of seeing Lena again. Though he’s been dreaming of her since the day he left, he can’t risk giving in to his feelings when they could upend the only family and home he has ever known.
New try to be friends again. Just friends.
But as the pieces fall into place about why Gavin left, staying friends is the last thing on his mind…and on Lena’s. All the plans they’ve made might end up completely wrecked. And for once, maybe they want it that way.
304 pages, Paperback
Expected publication October 8, 2024
About the author
Jillian Meadows
2 books322 followersJillian Meadows writes cozy love stories that make you swoon, smile, and squeal. She lives thirty miles past The Middle of Nowhere with her husband, four wild daughters, two unruly dogs, and her sparkling water addiction. When she’s not writing, you can find her devouring a romance novel, playing board games, or enjoying the outdoors with her family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 712 reviews
December 6, 2023
4.5🌟
“Fuck all that. Wreck my plans. Obliterate them. You’re my dream. None of it matters compared to you.”💚❤️
I absolutely loved this book it’s warm, fuzzy, cute and gives all the feels. Give me a peppermint hot chocolate neeooowwww
Disclaimer-this is an age gap romance of 10 years if this bothers you YOU WILL NOT ENJOY THIS BOOK.
Brief Summary: Lena is feeling lonely for the holidays and is wishing she had someone to share her life with 🥹 She goes back home to visit her family and her brother’s best friend Gavin is there who has been pining for her for years.
Gavin, Gavin oh my Gavin. It’s something about an older man that is a turn on…like pay my bills and tell me which IRA account I should get daddy teach me about stocks and the importance of saving 😍🤭
anyways y’all this man is the sweetest. He feels unloved and doesn’t feel he belongs anywhere. From a young age he has been bouncing from foster homes and when he meets his best friend Auggie he feels a sense of family. His best friends family accept him and allow him to spend the holidays with them. I think this is the reason he never made any moves on Lena because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship or family he found.
Lena is sweet, flirty, and fun. She appears to be a tease sometimes and she’s not horrible or anything but not my fav FMC. She appears to have everything together and be the life of the party but deep down she is lonely. Her friends are getting married and having babies but she’s alone. She feels defected and is worried she will stop mattering to her friends.
When he said, “I’m missing a home. A place that’s finally mine.” I teared up a little 🥹😭
When he fixed the memory and danced with her to Have yourself a merry little Christmas….read it you will know how I’m feeling 🥹😭😭
I loved them together and normally age gap is not my favorite trope. They are opposites but they are both two lonely souls whose hearts connect. Oh my gosh the tension had me biting my nails and when the spice finally spiced I was kicking my feet with eyes glued to my kindle. His mouth was so filthy.. lord have mercy 🥵🔥
Tropes
🤍Age gap
🤍 brothers best friend
🤍found family
🤍forced proximity
🤍opposite attract(I wouldn’t say grumpyXsunshine)
Things to Note\ Things I Loved
❄️FMC is Portuguese
❄️MMC has celiac disease
❄️ Their family is super tight knit and close. Everyone gets along and it’s super welcoming.
❄️Taylor swift references 😊
❄️ so many cute Christmasy moments and the tree picking tradition 🎄
❄️He got a tattoo of one of her drawings she made 😩🫠
❄️ slow burn romance with TENSION 🥵
❄️the epilogue made me soooo happy I knew the outcome… we know that sperm wasn’t getting any younger 😂😂😂
Spice rating
🌶️🌶️/5
I effing loved this!! You should definitely add to your holiday reads 😊🎅🏼
“Fuck all that. Wreck my plans. Obliterate them. You’re my dream. None of it matters compared to you.”💚❤️
I absolutely loved this book it’s warm, fuzzy, cute and gives all the feels. Give me a peppermint hot chocolate neeooowwww
Disclaimer-this is an age gap romance of 10 years if this bothers you YOU WILL NOT ENJOY THIS BOOK.
Brief Summary: Lena is feeling lonely for the holidays and is wishing she had someone to share her life with 🥹 She goes back home to visit her family and her brother’s best friend Gavin is there who has been pining for her for years.
Gavin, Gavin oh my Gavin. It’s something about an older man that is a turn on…like pay my bills and tell me which IRA account I should get daddy teach me about stocks and the importance of saving 😍🤭
anyways y’all this man is the sweetest. He feels unloved and doesn’t feel he belongs anywhere. From a young age he has been bouncing from foster homes and when he meets his best friend Auggie he feels a sense of family. His best friends family accept him and allow him to spend the holidays with them. I think this is the reason he never made any moves on Lena because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship or family he found.
Lena is sweet, flirty, and fun. She appears to be a tease sometimes and she’s not horrible or anything but not my fav FMC. She appears to have everything together and be the life of the party but deep down she is lonely. Her friends are getting married and having babies but she’s alone. She feels defected and is worried she will stop mattering to her friends.
When he said, “I’m missing a home. A place that’s finally mine.” I teared up a little 🥹😭
When he fixed the memory and danced with her to Have yourself a merry little Christmas….read it you will know how I’m feeling 🥹😭😭
I loved them together and normally age gap is not my favorite trope. They are opposites but they are both two lonely souls whose hearts connect. Oh my gosh the tension had me biting my nails and when the spice finally spiced I was kicking my feet with eyes glued to my kindle. His mouth was so filthy.. lord have mercy 🥵🔥
Tropes
🤍Age gap
🤍 brothers best friend
🤍found family
🤍forced proximity
🤍opposite attract(I wouldn’t say grumpyXsunshine)
Things to Note\ Things I Loved
❄️FMC is Portuguese
❄️MMC has celiac disease
❄️ Their family is super tight knit and close. Everyone gets along and it’s super welcoming.
❄️Taylor swift references 😊
❄️ so many cute Christmasy moments and the tree picking tradition 🎄
❄️He got a tattoo of one of her drawings she made 😩🫠
❄️ slow burn romance with TENSION 🥵
❄️the epilogue made me soooo happy I knew the outcome… we know that sperm wasn’t getting any younger 😂😂😂
Spice rating
🌶️🌶️/5
I effing loved this!! You should definitely add to your holiday reads 😊🎅🏼
December 16, 2023
I am so obsessed with this and it's my new favorite Christmas romance!!! There is a ten year age gap and these two have been pining for each other for ten years. They haven't spoken in three years, but now they're together for Christmas with her family. There are soooo many tropes I love- forced proximity, only one bed, secret tattoos, and a hero so smitten for the heroine. I loved the dancing around each other and angst in them wanting each other but not wanting to risk their family and other relationships. I was sucked in from the beginning and so smitten with Gavin. And the spice!? Seriously, you need to pick this one up now!!!
December 5, 2023
DNF at 60%. I couldn’t get over the fact that she kept saying he was “like a brother to her” to his face while at the same time sexually teasing him.
Combined with the huge age gap made it feel so icky. If she had left out the comparison to her brother or if they hadn’t grown up knowing each other with a 10 year age gap, idk.
For me, I didn’t feel the chemistry and I kinda got the ick. If you like age gap romances you might like this. I am fine with age gap, but it needs to be done the right way. I just did not feel this one.
Combined with the huge age gap made it feel so icky. If she had left out the comparison to her brother or if they hadn’t grown up knowing each other with a 10 year age gap, idk.
For me, I didn’t feel the chemistry and I kinda got the ick. If you like age gap romances you might like this. I am fine with age gap, but it needs to be done the right way. I just did not feel this one.
December 5, 2023
2.5/5 ⭐️ I’ve been feeling a bit slumpy this week which is probably why I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped. It still had some cute and swoony moments, but I just didn’t really love the romance. It was just meh for me.
It also felt like the main characters acted younger than their actual age. That definitely made it less enjoyable for me. I was expecting a more mature romance since Lena is 29 and Gavin is 39.
And I don’t understand why she told him she just viewed him as a brother when that wasn’t the case at all??? It was never explained why she said that to him either. She just said it and then in the next page she was flirting with him. It’s not like she told him that so that she can put distance between them since she was still openly lusting after him and flirting with him. That just didn’t make any sense to me.
I also didn’t like the nickname he had for her. It was “little menace” and he even said it while they were being intimate. It just made me cringe a bit.
It also felt like the main characters acted younger than their actual age. That definitely made it less enjoyable for me. I was expecting a more mature romance since Lena is 29 and Gavin is 39.
And I don’t understand why she told him she just viewed him as a brother when that wasn’t the case at all??? It was never explained why she said that to him either. She just said it and then in the next page she was flirting with him. It’s not like she told him that so that she can put distance between them since she was still openly lusting after him and flirting with him. That just didn’t make any sense to me.
I also didn’t like the nickname he had for her. It was “little menace” and he even said it while they were being intimate. It just made me cringe a bit.
December 14, 2023
lena: 2 stars 🌟 maybe? i didn’t care much about her
gavin: a million stars? 🌟 if my future husband isn’t as pathetic as this man, i don’t want him🤚🏻 his pov was squeezing my heart like i couldn’t take his thoughts😭 and HE TAKES HER LAST NAME?!!!!!!!????!!!!!!!! 🩵💖🧿🌟💋🥹😭🫶🏼
if you know me then you’ll know that i have a soft spot for two things: men who thinks they’re unlovable and men who blush easily. you guessed right, gavin was both of those things🥹💗
🧿 no owd/omd, he was celibate for 3 years because no one was her 🥹, no third act
excuse me the best epilogue ever???? 🥹🥹🥹
🦋 “Her breaths deepen and her muscles relax as I cradle her against my chest.
And for this one night, I have my entire world, my one true home, inside my arms.”
🦋 “My Gavin.
I let those words nestle inside my heart.
I want to be hers. I want this cozy comfort every day. I want her presence to soothe my soul like this every night.”
gavin: a million stars? 🌟 if my future husband isn’t as pathetic as this man, i don’t want him🤚🏻 his pov was squeezing my heart like i couldn’t take his thoughts😭 and HE TAKES HER LAST NAME?!!!!!!!????!!!!!!!! 🩵💖🧿🌟💋🥹😭🫶🏼
if you know me then you’ll know that i have a soft spot for two things: men who thinks they’re unlovable and men who blush easily. you guessed right, gavin was both of those things🥹💗
🧿 no owd/omd, he was celibate for 3 years because no one was her 🥹, no third act
excuse me the best epilogue ever???? 🥹🥹🥹
🦋 “Her breaths deepen and her muscles relax as I cradle her against my chest.
And for this one night, I have my entire world, my one true home, inside my arms.”
🦋 “My Gavin.
I let those words nestle inside my heart.
I want to be hers. I want this cozy comfort every day. I want her presence to soothe my soul like this every night.”
Want to read
November 6, 2023I’M BEGGING FOR YOU TO TAKE MY HAND
WRECK MY PLANS
THAT’S MY MAN!!!
WRECK MY PLANS
THAT’S MY MAN!!!
January 8, 2024
4 ⭐️ A super cute, heartwarming and sexy holiday romance 🫶
"Fuck one night. I want them all."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ brothers best friend
✨ forbidden romance
✨ she’s a recently fired art teacher
✨ he’s a 6’4”, tattooed architect
✨ damaged hero who doesn’t think he deserves her
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ opposite attract
✨ friends to lovers
✨ he falls first (years ago)
✨ longing / pining
✨ age gap (29 and 39)
✨ “one night only”
✨ 2.5/5 🌶️
✨ praise, primal, dominating, ‘eyes on me’
✨ Bi FMC
✨ POC rep
✨ found family
✨ close family bonds
✨ christmas traditions
✨ TW: child abandonment, foster care neglect, mentions of depression and suicide
My Thoughts:
Well, all of my notes/annotations got deleted off my kindle app, and I'm writing this portion of the review almost a month after reading, so unfortunately, this isn't going to be very detailed. But all I know is that I had a great time reading this story and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a sweet and sexy romance that takes place during the holidays.
Lena and Gavin were super cute MCs. I love that both of them had their struggles that they learned to overcome over the course of this story: Lena with letting go and opening herself to other opportunities, and Gavin with feeling worthy of belonging and being truly loved. Their individual growth was beautiful and I loved that they accomplished this by being together.
I also really enjoyed Lena's family dynamic. She has a big and loud family but I never felt like they were annoying or inappropriately involved. They were all sweet and seeing how much they loved Gavin made my heart so happy. That poor guy needed family after what he went through growing up.
What I remember not enjoying is. . . that the romance felt very tropey, almost like there was a checklist of tropes the author was ticking off. And then, their dirty talk/smut got boring after a while since a lot of the phrases and actions were recycled and repeated. Also, his reasoning for not making a move after 10 years of being in love with Lena weren't quite believable considering his age, and her reasons for not wanting to be with him were pretty weak. HOWEVER, even with all these things, I still enjoyed the story and think it's worth reading if you like contemporary romance and lots of pining.
Favorite Quotes:
I want to wrap my arms around her and breathe that laughter right into my lungs and live off it.
_______
"You're a lot of things, Lena Santos, but a side character is not one of them."
_______
"Your trauma isn't invalid because you think mine is bigger. Your hurt matters too. And you're allowed to talk about it, even with me."
_______
Loving her has never been the problem. In fact, it's the easiest thing I've ever done.
_______
"I know you're like my big brother."
Fuck. I hate every word of that sentence.
_______
"Little menace."
_______
I've been adrift for months. Cast out to sea, hopelessly floating and searching for land. For a lighthouse to guide me home.
_______
The sight of her wrenches all the oxygen from my lungs. I feel like Im drowning. No air left in my body because my lungs are filled with Lena instead.
_______
She's burrowed so far into my heart and soul that there's no moving on. Ever.
_______
She's everywhere, wearing her way further into my heart. Like those creeping vines that held me in place when I first saw her are now coiling deeper and deeper into my soul, and I have no chance of ever removing them. There will always be traces of her left there permanently.
_______
One night. And yet, here I am, wishing for more.
_______
I try to breathe in all the way. But when I do, no air comes to my rescue. All I can inhale is Gavin. He's everywhere. My lungs, my heart, my head, all the way to my bones.
_______
Watching people walk away is standard for me, and I've hardened my heart to it at this point. So I can survive her leaving. I can do it for her. Because it's truly what she wants, and I could never deny her anything.
_______
"Fuck all that. Wreck my plans. Obliterate them. You're my dream. None of it matters compared to you."
_______
"It's just you, little menace. It's always been you."
_______
My lighthouse. My love. My Gavin.
_______
"Fuck one night. I want them all."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ brothers best friend
✨ forbidden romance
✨ she’s a recently fired art teacher
✨ he’s a 6’4”, tattooed architect
✨ damaged hero who doesn’t think he deserves her
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ opposite attract
✨ friends to lovers
✨ he falls first (years ago)
✨ longing / pining
✨ age gap (29 and 39)
✨ “one night only”
✨ 2.5/5 🌶️
✨ praise, primal, dominating, ‘eyes on me’
✨ Bi FMC
✨ POC rep
✨ found family
✨ close family bonds
✨ christmas traditions
✨ TW: child abandonment, foster care neglect, mentions of depression and suicide
My Thoughts:
Well, all of my notes/annotations got deleted off my kindle app, and I'm writing this portion of the review almost a month after reading, so unfortunately, this isn't going to be very detailed. But all I know is that I had a great time reading this story and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a sweet and sexy romance that takes place during the holidays.
Lena and Gavin were super cute MCs. I love that both of them had their struggles that they learned to overcome over the course of this story: Lena with letting go and opening herself to other opportunities, and Gavin with feeling worthy of belonging and being truly loved. Their individual growth was beautiful and I loved that they accomplished this by being together.
I also really enjoyed Lena's family dynamic. She has a big and loud family but I never felt like they were annoying or inappropriately involved. They were all sweet and seeing how much they loved Gavin made my heart so happy. That poor guy needed family after what he went through growing up.
What I remember not enjoying is. . . that the romance felt very tropey, almost like there was a checklist of tropes the author was ticking off. And then, their dirty talk/smut got boring after a while since a lot of the phrases and actions were recycled and repeated. Also, his reasoning for not making a move after 10 years of being in love with Lena weren't quite believable considering his age, and her reasons for not wanting to be with him were pretty weak. HOWEVER, even with all these things, I still enjoyed the story and think it's worth reading if you like contemporary romance and lots of pining.
Favorite Quotes:
I want to wrap my arms around her and breathe that laughter right into my lungs and live off it.
_______
"You're a lot of things, Lena Santos, but a side character is not one of them."
_______
"Your trauma isn't invalid because you think mine is bigger. Your hurt matters too. And you're allowed to talk about it, even with me."
_______
Loving her has never been the problem. In fact, it's the easiest thing I've ever done.
_______
"I know you're like my big brother."
Fuck. I hate every word of that sentence.
_______
"Little menace."
_______
I've been adrift for months. Cast out to sea, hopelessly floating and searching for land. For a lighthouse to guide me home.
_______
The sight of her wrenches all the oxygen from my lungs. I feel like Im drowning. No air left in my body because my lungs are filled with Lena instead.
_______
She's burrowed so far into my heart and soul that there's no moving on. Ever.
_______
She's everywhere, wearing her way further into my heart. Like those creeping vines that held me in place when I first saw her are now coiling deeper and deeper into my soul, and I have no chance of ever removing them. There will always be traces of her left there permanently.
_______
One night. And yet, here I am, wishing for more.
_______
I try to breathe in all the way. But when I do, no air comes to my rescue. All I can inhale is Gavin. He's everywhere. My lungs, my heart, my head, all the way to my bones.
_______
Watching people walk away is standard for me, and I've hardened my heart to it at this point. So I can survive her leaving. I can do it for her. Because it's truly what she wants, and I could never deny her anything.
_______
"Fuck all that. Wreck my plans. Obliterate them. You're my dream. None of it matters compared to you."
_______
"It's just you, little menace. It's always been you."
_______
My lighthouse. My love. My Gavin.
_______
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 20, 2023No, not my thing. Something about the way this story was being told felt off to me. I wasn’t vibing with it at all.
I’m thinking it’s due to the fact that these two already have a history and connection established that we aren’t really privy to. I think this book needed some flashback scenes, so we could understand their connection better.
Because nothing made sense to me.
I couldn’t care less to see whether they got together or not. Especially since my girl was shamelessly flirting with the guy she wants and then calling him her brother in the next sentence.
Girl please. 🙄
It read childish.
DNF at 42%.
I’m thinking it’s due to the fact that these two already have a history and connection established that we aren’t really privy to. I think this book needed some flashback scenes, so we could understand their connection better.
Because nothing made sense to me.
I couldn’t care less to see whether they got together or not. Especially since my girl was shamelessly flirting with the guy she wants and then calling him her brother in the next sentence.
Girl please. 🙄
It read childish.
DNF at 42%.
December 13, 2023
“Fuck all that. Wreck my plans. Obliterate them. You’re my dream. None of it matters compared to you.”
🎄🎅🏻☃️❆🎀
This was sweet and wholesome and full of holiday cheer, but it fell a little flat for me. Maybe it's a me problem, maybe my expectations of romances aren't the best, but I like when the book is about more than just the romantic relationship. The author did try to give the characters depth and flesh them out, but the book is so short and there were not enough pages to explore the characters to their full potential. In the end, the focus was on the love story and the smut. Which isn't a bad thing, I just wanted more.
The characters are nice and the romance was sweet and spicy, but it got so cheesy. I cringed inwardly at some of the dialogue 😬(and some of the smut scenes).
In my opinion, the romance happened too fast. Yes, Lena and Gavin have known each other for 10 years, they flirted sometimes and they both had a crush on each other, but nothing happened during that time. This Christmas they meet again and suddenly those feelings escalate and there wasn't enough build-up to the moment they got together, I didn't feel the tension between them. And then they acted as if getting together would destroy the world. Please, spare me the drama 🙄🫠. I love drama, but it was so annoying! You're telling me the only reason you're not together is because you're afraid of ruining the family dynamic? The same family that loves you and would be so happy to see you two together? Lena and Gavin were so stupid 💀 I understood their fears and obviously their feelings are valid, but I didn't enjoy this part of the story.
Also, there's an age gap between the couple, 10 years to be exact, but they both acted younger than their age 🤡 It was so weird.
I liked the found family vibes, the setting was lovely, and it was a quick, easy read, just what I was craving. But it would have been better if it was a bit longer and the story had more depth.
🎄🎅🏻☃️❆🎀
This was sweet and wholesome and full of holiday cheer, but it fell a little flat for me. Maybe it's a me problem, maybe my expectations of romances aren't the best, but I like when the book is about more than just the romantic relationship. The author did try to give the characters depth and flesh them out, but the book is so short and there were not enough pages to explore the characters to their full potential. In the end, the focus was on the love story and the smut. Which isn't a bad thing, I just wanted more.
The characters are nice and the romance was sweet and spicy, but it got so cheesy. I cringed inwardly at some of the dialogue 😬
In my opinion, the romance happened too fast. Yes, Lena and Gavin have known each other for 10 years, they flirted sometimes and they both had a crush on each other, but nothing happened during that time. This Christmas they meet again and suddenly those feelings escalate and there wasn't enough build-up to the moment they got together, I didn't feel the tension between them. And then they acted as if getting together would destroy the world. Please, spare me the drama 🙄🫠. I love drama, but it was so annoying! You're telling me the only reason you're not together is because you're afraid of ruining the family dynamic? The same family that loves you and would be so happy to see you two together? Lena and Gavin were so stupid 💀 I understood their fears and obviously their feelings are valid, but I didn't enjoy this part of the story.
Also, there's an age gap between the couple, 10 years to be exact, but they both acted younger than their age 🤡 It was so weird.
I liked the found family vibes, the setting was lovely, and it was a quick, easy read, just what I was craving. But it would have been better if it was a bit longer and the story had more depth.
December 6, 2023
I feel like a broken record lately but 3.5 stars rounded up
Gavin (H) is Lena’s (h) brother’s best friend since college and they’ve known each other since he was 29 and she was 19 (this is an age gap romance obviously). Gavin spent Christmas with her family for years until he stopped coming three years prior. Both have had crushes on each other but Lena was just flirty and sassy while Gavin would never have crossed lines. This Christmas, Lena and Gavin are back in each other’s orbit and having a harder time resisting those pesky feelings. Lots of feels, lots of cute and sweet, great Christmas vibes and family times (the Christmas tree finding tradition was amazing and hello Mr. and Mrs. Claus). This is slow burn with plenty of steamy payoff still, but also some frustrating motivations and choices that didn’t make sense. Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama (though h does feel jealous over H and there is a mention of H having caught h making out with a guy three years prior) and neither are virgins (H has been celibate for 3 years; limited info on both for dating).
Gavin has a sad backstory and has felt unlovable because of it. His welcome in Lena's family is special to him so he wouldn’t jeopardize his place in this family that’s opened their home and hearts to him. He's also not afraid to cry and was such a sweet man. The tension of how he felt about Lena, but also how torn he was that he felt that way was palpable. Although Gavin was precious (and has some truly amazing swoony moments), he didn’t quite come across as old as he was imo, he just felt younger. Lena was a harder nut to crack for me and left me confused. Gavin not pursuing her made complete sense, but Lena could have easily let him know years ago, or early on in the holiday time together, that she wanted more with him. Instead she alternately teases and tempts him then tries to push him away by lying and saying she views him as a brother, but then is frustrated with him. She had a far more inconsistent feel. I think this was partly because she was meant to be unsure about her place and her future thanks to being recently laid off. Unfortunately, I just wanted to shake her a couple of times. Meanwhile, Gavin's just adoring her and soaking up any moments he can.
The sexual tension is pretty ramped up between these two and when they do crack, they are s-t-e-a-m-y. Gavin might be a cinnamon roll sweetheart, but he was also a dirty talker. Because of both of their mindsets, their interactions start out more as "I'm giving in because I can't fight this anymore" and then shift to "I had a taste, I can't stay away now". Sneaking around also occurs, because they're trying to hide what's simmering from her family (who of course are going to catch them).
Speaking of her family, I liked them, but for as supportive and loving as they were supposed to be, it often felt like Lena was the odd person out and it made me sad. Her friend group were present via text though and provided a nice helping of texting humor and some truths. Some of the locals were also super cute and played their roles in helping finally bring this couple together.
This book does have third act drama. Both are scaredy-pants and a couple reveals close to the end add to that feeling of uncertainty between them instead of showing them more possibilities. I teared up because of the conflicting emotions and pain, however it's thankfully resolved pretty quickly. Best of all, they both step up and use their words. There's a super sweet expression of the true depth of their love for each other. Then, the epilogue. Y'all, this epilogue was perfect. I got all choked up and teary again. It's a couple years down the road with them settled and in love, with their family started. A special little inclusion was something I guessed would happen but still gave me major heart eyes.
Some of my friends have found this book frustrating, while others really enjoyed it. I recommend giving it a try if any of this sounds appealing. There are just some elements that aren't up everyone's alley and that's cool.
Gavin (H) is Lena’s (h) brother’s best friend since college and they’ve known each other since he was 29 and she was 19 (this is an age gap romance obviously). Gavin spent Christmas with her family for years until he stopped coming three years prior. Both have had crushes on each other but Lena was just flirty and sassy while Gavin would never have crossed lines. This Christmas, Lena and Gavin are back in each other’s orbit and having a harder time resisting those pesky feelings. Lots of feels, lots of cute and sweet, great Christmas vibes and family times (the Christmas tree finding tradition was amazing and hello Mr. and Mrs. Claus). This is slow burn with plenty of steamy payoff still, but also some frustrating motivations and choices that didn’t make sense. Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama (though h does feel jealous over H and there is a mention of H having caught h making out with a guy three years prior) and neither are virgins (H has been celibate for 3 years; limited info on both for dating).
Gavin has a sad backstory and has felt unlovable because of it. His welcome in Lena's family is special to him so he wouldn’t jeopardize his place in this family that’s opened their home and hearts to him. He's also not afraid to cry and was such a sweet man. The tension of how he felt about Lena, but also how torn he was that he felt that way was palpable. Although Gavin was precious (and has some truly amazing swoony moments), he didn’t quite come across as old as he was imo, he just felt younger. Lena was a harder nut to crack for me and left me confused. Gavin not pursuing her made complete sense, but Lena could have easily let him know years ago, or early on in the holiday time together, that she wanted more with him. Instead she alternately teases and tempts him then tries to push him away by lying and saying she views him as a brother, but then is frustrated with him. She had a far more inconsistent feel. I think this was partly because she was meant to be unsure about her place and her future thanks to being recently laid off. Unfortunately, I just wanted to shake her a couple of times. Meanwhile, Gavin's just adoring her and soaking up any moments he can.
The sexual tension is pretty ramped up between these two and when they do crack, they are s-t-e-a-m-y. Gavin might be a cinnamon roll sweetheart, but he was also a dirty talker. Because of both of their mindsets, their interactions start out more as "I'm giving in because I can't fight this anymore" and then shift to "I had a taste, I can't stay away now". Sneaking around also occurs, because they're trying to hide what's simmering from her family (who of course are going to catch them).
Speaking of her family, I liked them, but for as supportive and loving as they were supposed to be, it often felt like Lena was the odd person out and it made me sad. Her friend group were present via text though and provided a nice helping of texting humor and some truths. Some of the locals were also super cute and played their roles in helping finally bring this couple together.
This book does have third act drama. Both are scaredy-pants and a couple reveals close to the end add to that feeling of uncertainty between them instead of showing them more possibilities. I teared up because of the conflicting emotions and pain, however it's thankfully resolved pretty quickly. Best of all, they both step up and use their words. There's a super sweet expression of the true depth of their love for each other. Then, the epilogue. Y'all, this epilogue was perfect. I got all choked up and teary again. It's a couple years down the road with them settled and in love, with their family started. A special little inclusion was something I guessed would happen but still gave me major heart eyes.
Some of my friends have found this book frustrating, while others really enjoyed it. I recommend giving it a try if any of this sounds appealing. There are just some elements that aren't up everyone's alley and that's cool.
December 4, 2023
Would do anything - ANYTHING for them. Jillian's a voice I cannot wait to read more of asap. Full RTC.
January 1, 2024
4⭐
did i prioritize this over all my other holiday tbr books because the mmc is a gluten free king? yes.
edit after reading my entire holiday tbr: i read some great christmassy books this year...and this one remains my favorite of all of them. it's the only one that gave me the warm, christmas fuzzies and genuinely made me excited for the snow and the hot chocolate and the chaotic baking at home.
did i prioritize this over all my other holiday tbr books because the mmc is a gluten free king? yes.
edit after reading my entire holiday tbr: i read some great christmassy books this year...and this one remains my favorite of all of them. it's the only one that gave me the warm, christmas fuzzies and genuinely made me excited for the snow and the hot chocolate and the chaotic baking at home.
December 18, 2023
Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows 🎄
A perfect, quick holiday read that packs an emotional punch and will have you fanning yourself. Lena is heading home to surprise her family for Christmas and just wants to spend the week relaxing after losing her job. She isn't the only surprise guest though because shortly after she arrives, her brother's best friend shows up and says he'll be spending Christmas with her family as well. She has been holding a grudge since he left abruptly 3 years ago and refuses to give into the temptation of his charm. They agree to be friends for their visit since they won't be seeing each other once they go home after the holidays. But as they spend more time together over the weeks their plan to stay friends gets wrecked.
This was a tiny bit insta-lovey but at the same time not given they have known of each other for 10 years but haven't really gotten to know each other until now. Once you learn the reason for the 3 year span where they didn't see or hear from each other things make a lot of sense. Lena and Gavin are both lonely (relatable 🥲) and some of their internal dialogue broke my heart. I loved that they were able to find comfort in each other and finally get their own person that will always be there for the other.
I really liked how despite this one only being a litter over 200 pages, these romance between Gavin and Lena was so swell done and not at all rushed.I felt their characters were developed well and liked seeing them shift from hesitancy to being around the other to immediately searching for the other when they are in the same room. The found family aspect for Gavin we super sweet as well. I love that man and am so happy he now has the family he deserves.
The spicy scenes in this one?! So good. These two put the HOT in hot tub. Plus this has one of my all time favorite micro tropes... secret tattoos. That's all I'll say about it.
I adore Jillian's writing and can't wait to read what she writes next!
Tropes:
🤍 age gap (10 years)
😊 brothers best friend
🛏️ only one bed
🎄 holiday romance
❤️ found family
⏳ mutual pining
🔥 tattoos
dual POV
4.5/5 stars ⭐️
2.5/5 spice level 🌶️
A perfect, quick holiday read that packs an emotional punch and will have you fanning yourself. Lena is heading home to surprise her family for Christmas and just wants to spend the week relaxing after losing her job. She isn't the only surprise guest though because shortly after she arrives, her brother's best friend shows up and says he'll be spending Christmas with her family as well. She has been holding a grudge since he left abruptly 3 years ago and refuses to give into the temptation of his charm. They agree to be friends for their visit since they won't be seeing each other once they go home after the holidays. But as they spend more time together over the weeks their plan to stay friends gets wrecked.
This was a tiny bit insta-lovey but at the same time not given they have known of each other for 10 years but haven't really gotten to know each other until now. Once you learn the reason for the 3 year span where they didn't see or hear from each other things make a lot of sense. Lena and Gavin are both lonely (relatable 🥲) and some of their internal dialogue broke my heart. I loved that they were able to find comfort in each other and finally get their own person that will always be there for the other.
I really liked how despite this one only being a litter over 200 pages, these romance between Gavin and Lena was so swell done and not at all rushed.I felt their characters were developed well and liked seeing them shift from hesitancy to being around the other to immediately searching for the other when they are in the same room. The found family aspect for Gavin we super sweet as well. I love that man and am so happy he now has the family he deserves.
The spicy scenes in this one?! So good. These two put the HOT in hot tub. Plus this has one of my all time favorite micro tropes... secret tattoos. That's all I'll say about it.
I adore Jillian's writing and can't wait to read what she writes next!
Tropes:
🤍 age gap (10 years)
😊 brothers best friend
🛏️ only one bed
🎄 holiday romance
❤️ found family
⏳ mutual pining
🔥 tattoos
dual POV
4.5/5 stars ⭐️
2.5/5 spice level 🌶️
December 6, 2023
Upping to 3 stars bc there were some cute moments I keep thinking about.
🎄their redo dance
🎄the tattoos
🎄Gavin making her coffee
🎄him chasing after her! (finally!)
🎄the whole epilogue
Sad about not liking this. I love practically any age gap romance so I was thrilled I found this! Unfortunately it didn’t work for me 😭
I can *maybe* understand Gavin’s resistance towards Lena being that her family is the only family he has ever known and he doesn’t want to put any strain on those relationships. However!! We’re all adults here 🥱🥱 at 29 & 39 I think they will understand they can make their own decisions. The whole brothers best friend/found family would’ve worked better had they been younger.
3 year pointless separation because he was jealous she got with someone else after he rejected her. 🙄 So he doesn’t mind hurting the family by staying away for years but the thought of being with Lena that might upset them is a hard no. Make it make sense.
The hot and cold Gavin puts her through had me pissed off again because how old are we again?? One night to get it out of their systems yet he’s been in love with her for years… yeah okay 🙄
Communication skills do wonders my friends!!
Everytime I read “little menace” (21 times!!) I died a little inside
🎄their redo dance
🎄the tattoos
🎄Gavin making her coffee
🎄him chasing after her! (finally!)
🎄the whole epilogue
Sad about not liking this. I love practically any age gap romance so I was thrilled I found this! Unfortunately it didn’t work for me 😭
I can *maybe* understand Gavin’s resistance towards Lena being that her family is the only family he has ever known and he doesn’t want to put any strain on those relationships. However!! We’re all adults here 🥱🥱 at 29 & 39 I think they will understand they can make their own decisions. The whole brothers best friend/found family would’ve worked better had they been younger.
3 year pointless separation because he was jealous she got with someone else after he rejected her. 🙄 So he doesn’t mind hurting the family by staying away for years but the thought of being with Lena that might upset them is a hard no. Make it make sense.
The hot and cold Gavin puts her through had me pissed off again because how old are we again?? One night to get it out of their systems yet he’s been in love with her for years… yeah okay 🙄
Communication skills do wonders my friends!!
Everytime I read “little menace” (21 times!!) I died a little inside
December 26, 2023
want a cute, angsty holiday romance? jilliam meadows's wreck my plans is the book you're looking for ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
oh this was VERY EMOTIONAL. im an emotional person so add to that that this book is about two people who have been pining after each other for ten years and that they had a misunderstanding three years ago and didn't see each other for three years but when they reunite they still feel so much for each other and now they're living under the same roof for the holidays and he's such a huge part of her family so he's scared to mess it all up but he loves her down bad???? OH YEAH!
i adored this book and it made me feel so much °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ i read jillian's first book a few weeks ago and it was so good too! i'm slowly becoming a jillian meadows fan ngl i probably will be reading everything she releases from now on. SO YEAH! if you're looking for a holiday read, this is definitely something you need to read right away.
oh this was VERY EMOTIONAL. im an emotional person so add to that that this book is about two people who have been pining after each other for ten years and that they had a misunderstanding three years ago and didn't see each other for three years but when they reunite they still feel so much for each other and now they're living under the same roof for the holidays and he's such a huge part of her family so he's scared to mess it all up but he loves her down bad???? OH YEAH!
i adored this book and it made me feel so much °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ i read jillian's first book a few weeks ago and it was so good too! i'm slowly becoming a jillian meadows fan ngl i probably will be reading everything she releases from now on. SO YEAH! if you're looking for a holiday read, this is definitely something you need to read right away.
November 29, 2023
Sometimes you read a story and immediately know you found something magical. This is that kind of story.
Lena is excited to surprises her family for Christmas. Only, when she arrives, she’s actually the one who is surprised when she sees Gavin….
Gavin, who she has had a crush on for the last 10 years… Gavin who she hasn’t seen in the past two years… Gavin who is 10 years older than her… Gavin who is her brother’s best friend and completely off limits…
Now he’s spending Christmas with the family, and being around him again is reminding her just how strong her crush is, and maybe it’s a Christmas miracle, but it seems like Gavin might feel the same!
With every Christmas festivity they are just drawn together until finally the tension and chemistry has their self control hanging by a thread. Can they spend one night together and move on? Or is there a little Christmas magic left for them to find a happily ever after?
Jillian is an auto buy author for me, and I can’t sing her praises enough. She has a special way of writing that makes you fall in love with every single aspect of the book.
Look no further for your new favorite book boyfriend because Gavin Moore is it. He is EVERYTHING… He bakes.. He will make your favorite coffee.. He has a heart of gold.. He will wake up with the baby so his best friend’s wife can get a few more hours of sleep.. He’ll keep you warm at night when there’s only one bed.. Absolute perfection.
He loves Lena from the absolute beginning of the book, and watching him navigate his feelings for her was so heartwarming.
Lena is the person I aspire to be. She is an absolute baddie that is a secret softie for those she loves. She puts everyone above herself, and will work tirelessly so everything is perfect for everyone else during the holidays. Watching Gavin put Lena first and show her just how special he thinks she is was just so swoony.
This book will have you crying, laughing, giggling, and sweating. Don’t let the quiet act fool you, Gavin definitely has a way with words behind closed doors… or in the hot tub 😉
Lena is excited to surprises her family for Christmas. Only, when she arrives, she’s actually the one who is surprised when she sees Gavin….
Gavin, who she has had a crush on for the last 10 years… Gavin who she hasn’t seen in the past two years… Gavin who is 10 years older than her… Gavin who is her brother’s best friend and completely off limits…
Now he’s spending Christmas with the family, and being around him again is reminding her just how strong her crush is, and maybe it’s a Christmas miracle, but it seems like Gavin might feel the same!
With every Christmas festivity they are just drawn together until finally the tension and chemistry has their self control hanging by a thread. Can they spend one night together and move on? Or is there a little Christmas magic left for them to find a happily ever after?
Jillian is an auto buy author for me, and I can’t sing her praises enough. She has a special way of writing that makes you fall in love with every single aspect of the book.
Look no further for your new favorite book boyfriend because Gavin Moore is it. He is EVERYTHING… He bakes.. He will make your favorite coffee.. He has a heart of gold.. He will wake up with the baby so his best friend’s wife can get a few more hours of sleep.. He’ll keep you warm at night when there’s only one bed.. Absolute perfection.
He loves Lena from the absolute beginning of the book, and watching him navigate his feelings for her was so heartwarming.
Lena is the person I aspire to be. She is an absolute baddie that is a secret softie for those she loves. She puts everyone above herself, and will work tirelessly so everything is perfect for everyone else during the holidays. Watching Gavin put Lena first and show her just how special he thinks she is was just so swoony.
This book will have you crying, laughing, giggling, and sweating. Don’t let the quiet act fool you, Gavin definitely has a way with words behind closed doors… or in the hot tub 😉
December 4, 2023
My second Christmas romance of the season and it truly didn’t disappoint!!! This was such a sweet and swoony romance packed with hot and tender moments!
You get an age gap romance between Gavin and his bestfriends sister Lena who both have harboured secret feelings towards each other for years & are basically stuck together for Christmas for the first time in 3 years after not seeing other , let’s just say the forced proximity in this was it for me 👏
What to expect:
Age gap (10 years)
Brothers best friend
Forced proximity
Holiday read
2.5🌶️
You get an age gap romance between Gavin and his bestfriends sister Lena who both have harboured secret feelings towards each other for years & are basically stuck together for Christmas for the first time in 3 years after not seeing other , let’s just say the forced proximity in this was it for me 👏
What to expect:
Age gap (10 years)
Brothers best friend
Forced proximity
Holiday read
2.5🌶️
November 19, 2023
Add this to your holiday TBR immediately!!! ✨
I am absolutely obsessed with this book 🥹 the characters, the holiday vibes without being cheesy, the tension, the pining… perfection 😚👌🏼
Lena had planned on spending Christmas away from her family, but when her situation changes and she goes home for the holidays unexpectedly, she arrives to a surprise guest. Her older brother’s best friend Gavin has spent every holiday with her family for the better part of 10 years, but the last few he hasn’t showed.. until this year when Lena wasn’t supposed to be there.
I was hooked on this right from the beginning because the mutual pining was SO evident. I already couldn’t get enough of these two 😭 Their banter was so good, you could just easily feel how long they’ve known each other and how comfortable they were in their friendship. They have a 10 year age gap but I loved that they’re both older and the maturity level was there- she’s 29 and he’s 39. The family dynamic was perfect, her mom & grandma were hilarious and I love a meddling elder 😂 and while we had so much comic relief, the depth to these characters was so refreshing. I love when an author can make their people feel so real 🥹
So many sweet moments, so many steamy & spicy moments too (when a book can make me SWOON over a knee touch in the hot tub) 🤭 and the emotions this entire read made me feel… I was sobbing all the way through the epilogue 😂🫠
Tropes:
Brothers best friend
Mutual pining
Holiday/Christmastime
Forced proximity
It’s always been you
Let’s 🌶️ once to get it out of our systems
Found family
Microtropes that are also necessary to mention:
He makes her homemade peppermint mochas
Hair washing
Slow dancing
“Fuck it”
“I’m so gone for her”
I am absolutely obsessed with this book 🥹 the characters, the holiday vibes without being cheesy, the tension, the pining… perfection 😚👌🏼
Lena had planned on spending Christmas away from her family, but when her situation changes and she goes home for the holidays unexpectedly, she arrives to a surprise guest. Her older brother’s best friend Gavin has spent every holiday with her family for the better part of 10 years, but the last few he hasn’t showed.. until this year when Lena wasn’t supposed to be there.
I was hooked on this right from the beginning because the mutual pining was SO evident. I already couldn’t get enough of these two 😭 Their banter was so good, you could just easily feel how long they’ve known each other and how comfortable they were in their friendship. They have a 10 year age gap but I loved that they’re both older and the maturity level was there- she’s 29 and he’s 39. The family dynamic was perfect, her mom & grandma were hilarious and I love a meddling elder 😂 and while we had so much comic relief, the depth to these characters was so refreshing. I love when an author can make their people feel so real 🥹
So many sweet moments, so many steamy & spicy moments too (when a book can make me SWOON over a knee touch in the hot tub) 🤭 and the emotions this entire read made me feel… I was sobbing all the way through the epilogue 😂🫠
Tropes:
Brothers best friend
Mutual pining
Holiday/Christmastime
Forced proximity
It’s always been you
Let’s 🌶️ once to get it out of our systems
Found family
Microtropes that are also necessary to mention:
He makes her homemade peppermint mochas
Hair washing
Slow dancing
“Fuck it”
“I’m so gone for her”
December 10, 2023
Wreck My Plans is a new holiday romance, this one has age gap (he’s 10 years older), forced proximity, and it’s brother’s best friend. This was my first read from this author and it was cute!
Lena is supposed to spend Christmas with her best friend Millie, but when Millie’s family gets sick, Lena’s Christmas plans change! She shows up at her family’s house and is surprised to find Gavin, her brother’s best friend, already there and staying in her room (since no one thought she was coming). We get hints often that something happened between these two 3 years ago and things are rocky now. Both have been secretly pining for one another and now that they’re forced together, all the feelings come out.
I thought this one was okay, but it definitely has cute moments and I’d read from this author again. I’ve been binging a bunch of holiday romances back-to-back so it kind of makes me look more closely at ones that fall short for me. I would have liked to see them fall for one another, since the story starts with them already into one another. They also don’t quite act their age, she’s 29 and he’s 39 and the reason they aren’t together/what happened in the past seemed kind of weak to me (maybe if they were aged down it would have fit better). I also felt like this should have been either shorter and cut out some things, or longer and explore some of those things more…like he’s been recently diagnosed with celiac disease and we even get some shopping for baking items for him and then his childhood/past with foster care/adoption. Both are brought up like they’re going to go somewhere in the story, but then it doesn’t and it just made the tone of the book feel off. That said, I did love how he remembers her coffee order, and even makes it for her, and then when his tattoos are revealed was cute! The found family part and how close he is with her family was great too!
Lena is supposed to spend Christmas with her best friend Millie, but when Millie’s family gets sick, Lena’s Christmas plans change! She shows up at her family’s house and is surprised to find Gavin, her brother’s best friend, already there and staying in her room (since no one thought she was coming). We get hints often that something happened between these two 3 years ago and things are rocky now. Both have been secretly pining for one another and now that they’re forced together, all the feelings come out.
I thought this one was okay, but it definitely has cute moments and I’d read from this author again. I’ve been binging a bunch of holiday romances back-to-back so it kind of makes me look more closely at ones that fall short for me. I would have liked to see them fall for one another, since the story starts with them already into one another. They also don’t quite act their age, she’s 29 and he’s 39 and the reason they aren’t together/what happened in the past seemed kind of weak to me (maybe if they were aged down it would have fit better). I also felt like this should have been either shorter and cut out some things, or longer and explore some of those things more…like he’s been recently diagnosed with celiac disease and we even get some shopping for baking items for him and then his childhood/past with foster care/adoption. Both are brought up like they’re going to go somewhere in the story, but then it doesn’t and it just made the tone of the book feel off. That said, I did love how he remembers her coffee order, and even makes it for her, and then when his tattoos are revealed was cute! The found family part and how close he is with her family was great too!
December 18, 2023
Wreck my plans to have a merry fucking Christmas, alright.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.
Oh, look what Santa left under the tree! A mean yet needed review for this book.
I was excited to get into this. This book had a lot of five-star ratings and praise, so I thought my bad luck with holiday books this year would come to an end with this. Guess not. The only reason I’m giving this three stars is because somehow I found it within me to finish reading it.
So this book had no plot and the characters had no personality whatsoever. No banter, no yearning, no angst, just hormones and vibes. This book was just a bunch of tropes and fantasies thrown together. I know it works for some but sadly, not for me.
Let’s meet our main characters: Ms. “I haven’t seen or spoken to you in three whole years, but I’ll be fighting women and be misogynistic for you.” and Mr. “All my thoughts are about misery and sex like a weird gothic poem.” I’m not even kidding. Inside of Gavin’s brain was like cheap erotic fanfiction written by Edgar Allan Poe.
Let’s get into more detail. At first, I loved how Lena reacted to Gavin being there. It set the scene for angst and a mysterious fight that had happened years ago. But I was let down big time. There was no angst as Lena decided to forgive and forget in two sentences or less. And the big secret of why Gavin had left three years ago was dumb as fuck too but we’ll get to that.
After they made up, they carried their situation to a whole new level; They oversexualized each other in every way possible and it was horrible. For the love of God, have one thought that’s not sex-related. I do hope you have a brain there somewhere; please do use it for something other than putting rabbits to shame.
These two were not only horny but they were dramatic too. They were acting like they’d been stuck in the same house for seven years when it had been barely two full days. And that big, bad, mysterious thing that made Gavin leave three years ago and disappear from the face of the earth… They were acting like Gavin kidnapped Jesus and held him at gunpoint until he canceled Christmas when, in reality, Gavin just left a party early and decided to put some distance between him and the family.
And the reason he had left? It’s because he saw Lena kissing another dude. At the ripe age of thirty fucking six, he decided to act like a teenager and throw a tantrum because the girl he had a crush on kissed another person. I hate how even the fictional men are immature.
He is not only immature but weird, too. Like, listen, I don’t care about age-gap romances, okay? I don’t necessarily like them, but I don’t hate or avoid them. And still, a twenty-nine-year-old man thirsting over a nineteen-year-old student is creepy. Don’t even try to defend it, honestly. This book takes place when they are twenty-nine and thirty-nine, so it’s okay, but knowing adult Gavin lusting after teenager Lena was… Something else.
Anyway, this book, as I mentioned before, had nothing but spice. Three spicy scenes and endless dirty thoughts can put a priest into a coma. In the first spicy scene, Gavin calls Lena ‘baby’ twelve times. TWELVE. FUCKING. TIMES. Five out of six of Santa’s elves just threw up in their mouths. No. Just no.
Now we can move on to Lena, who allegedly is very fierce and badass and shit, qualities that are only mentioned but never shown about her character. When in reality, all she ever did in this whole book was to make Gavin worked up and drink her mocha. Our fierce, badass, independent, perfect little main character does two things:
One, she decides she’s in love with the guy, someone whom she hasn’t spoken to in three years, which is a very long time. She comes to this conclusion with this, and I quote “And somewhere along the way, one night turned into … everything.” Bestie, you really do need to get out more.
Two, she leaves her whole life behind for a guy. Girl? Get off the fucking floor and be for real right now. I’d understand leaving friends and her whole life behind if she was unhappy in the city and held a meaningful connection with her small hometown, but that wasn’t the case. She couldn’t give a single fuck about the town. She did it all for a guy. She single-handedly threw the feminist movement twenty years back.
Before Lena decided to stay, Gavin decided to drag her ass back to the town. How’s that supposed to be a good love interest? It was selfish. And why did the whole family support him? And why is this all starting to feel like a cult?
Long story short, if you are only looking for mediocre spice you can pick up this book. But I’d argue there are better things to do with your money and time.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.
Oh, look what Santa left under the tree! A mean yet needed review for this book.
I was excited to get into this. This book had a lot of five-star ratings and praise, so I thought my bad luck with holiday books this year would come to an end with this. Guess not. The only reason I’m giving this three stars is because somehow I found it within me to finish reading it.
So this book had no plot and the characters had no personality whatsoever. No banter, no yearning, no angst, just hormones and vibes. This book was just a bunch of tropes and fantasies thrown together. I know it works for some but sadly, not for me.
Let’s meet our main characters: Ms. “I haven’t seen or spoken to you in three whole years, but I’ll be fighting women and be misogynistic for you.” and Mr. “All my thoughts are about misery and sex like a weird gothic poem.” I’m not even kidding. Inside of Gavin’s brain was like cheap erotic fanfiction written by Edgar Allan Poe.
Let’s get into more detail. At first, I loved how Lena reacted to Gavin being there. It set the scene for angst and a mysterious fight that had happened years ago. But I was let down big time. There was no angst as Lena decided to forgive and forget in two sentences or less. And the big secret of why Gavin had left three years ago was dumb as fuck too but we’ll get to that.
After they made up, they carried their situation to a whole new level; They oversexualized each other in every way possible and it was horrible. For the love of God, have one thought that’s not sex-related. I do hope you have a brain there somewhere; please do use it for something other than putting rabbits to shame.
These two were not only horny but they were dramatic too. They were acting like they’d been stuck in the same house for seven years when it had been barely two full days. And that big, bad, mysterious thing that made Gavin leave three years ago and disappear from the face of the earth… They were acting like Gavin kidnapped Jesus and held him at gunpoint until he canceled Christmas when, in reality, Gavin just left a party early and decided to put some distance between him and the family.
And the reason he had left? It’s because he saw Lena kissing another dude. At the ripe age of thirty fucking six, he decided to act like a teenager and throw a tantrum because the girl he had a crush on kissed another person. I hate how even the fictional men are immature.
He is not only immature but weird, too. Like, listen, I don’t care about age-gap romances, okay? I don’t necessarily like them, but I don’t hate or avoid them. And still, a twenty-nine-year-old man thirsting over a nineteen-year-old student is creepy. Don’t even try to defend it, honestly. This book takes place when they are twenty-nine and thirty-nine, so it’s okay, but knowing adult Gavin lusting after teenager Lena was… Something else.
Anyway, this book, as I mentioned before, had nothing but spice. Three spicy scenes and endless dirty thoughts can put a priest into a coma. In the first spicy scene, Gavin calls Lena ‘baby’ twelve times. TWELVE. FUCKING. TIMES. Five out of six of Santa’s elves just threw up in their mouths. No. Just no.
Now we can move on to Lena, who allegedly is very fierce and badass and shit, qualities that are only mentioned but never shown about her character. When in reality, all she ever did in this whole book was to make Gavin worked up and drink her mocha. Our fierce, badass, independent, perfect little main character does two things:
One, she decides she’s in love with the guy, someone whom she hasn’t spoken to in three years, which is a very long time. She comes to this conclusion with this, and I quote “And somewhere along the way, one night turned into … everything.” Bestie, you really do need to get out more.
Two, she leaves her whole life behind for a guy. Girl? Get off the fucking floor and be for real right now. I’d understand leaving friends and her whole life behind if she was unhappy in the city and held a meaningful connection with her small hometown, but that wasn’t the case. She couldn’t give a single fuck about the town. She did it all for a guy. She single-handedly threw the feminist movement twenty years back.
Before Lena decided to stay, Gavin decided to drag her ass back to the town. How’s that supposed to be a good love interest? It was selfish. And why did the whole family support him? And why is this all starting to feel like a cult?
Long story short, if you are only looking for mediocre spice you can pick up this book. But I’d argue there are better things to do with your money and time.
December 2, 2023
Thanks to the author for the ARC
Sweet, swoony, sexy, and everything in between. I loved the pacing. I loved their background story. I loved the spice. DEAR GOD GAVIN IS BOSSY. I loved the resolution. This was well rounded and will catch you right in the feels. The found family vibes were on point throughout.
You know when you get to the epilogue and you're just so happy that two characters got their HEA? That's this book.
Sweet, swoony, sexy, and everything in between. I loved the pacing. I loved their background story. I loved the spice. DEAR GOD GAVIN IS BOSSY. I loved the resolution. This was well rounded and will catch you right in the feels. The found family vibes were on point throughout.
You know when you get to the epilogue and you're just so happy that two characters got their HEA? That's this book.
January 7, 2024
- brothers best friend
- friends to lovers, kind of
Der Anfang war ganz okay, aber dann hat mich das Buch irgendwo verloren.
Hat spice. Nicht viel aber genug für die paar Seiten. War nicht super spicy.
Mochte die Hauptfiguren und auch ihre Familie.
Aber die Beziehung konnte mich nicht überzeugen.
Für mich war da nichts an Gefühlen merkbar. Und überhaupt hatten die Zwei keine Chemie.
War leider kein Fan von dem Buch. Schreibstil war eigentlich okay aber vielleicht auch einfach zu trocken gewesen um mich wirklich zu überzeugen?
Hatte es gekauft, weil ich auf Insta ne 5 Sterne Bewertung gesehen hatte und die kann ich genau gar nicht nachvollziehen. Aber Geschmäcker sind eben verschieden… für mich war es einfach zu wenig
- friends to lovers, kind of
Der Anfang war ganz okay, aber dann hat mich das Buch irgendwo verloren.
Hat spice. Nicht viel aber genug für die paar Seiten. War nicht super spicy.
Mochte die Hauptfiguren und auch ihre Familie.
Aber die Beziehung konnte mich nicht überzeugen.
Für mich war da nichts an Gefühlen merkbar. Und überhaupt hatten die Zwei keine Chemie.
War leider kein Fan von dem Buch. Schreibstil war eigentlich okay aber vielleicht auch einfach zu trocken gewesen um mich wirklich zu überzeugen?
Hatte es gekauft, weil ich auf Insta ne 5 Sterne Bewertung gesehen hatte und die kann ich genau gar nicht nachvollziehen. Aber Geschmäcker sind eben verschieden… für mich war es einfach zu wenig
December 9, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
✨️ Age gap
✨️Brother's best friend
✨️It's always been you
✨️Found family
This is the first book by Jillian Meadows that I've read, and I fell in love with her writing.
Lena and Gavin are two characters I've been interested in from the start. Lena is an amazing character, not afraid to speak her mind. Gavin is that sweet and protective guy, but he's got a dirty mouth that just melts you. 🫠
The connection they have is undeniable, and it's delicious to see the tension between them reach a point where they can't deny it anymore and give in to 'clear the system,' but we know that's impossible. 😅
From the beginning of the book, we can see how much Gavin is in love with Lena. As the story unfolds, we get several cute scenes of this couple. I loved the relationship Gavin has with Lena's family.
I believe they are exactly what each other needed; she is his home, and he is the person willing to give the world to her.
I really loved this book and highly recommend it!
🌶🌶
✨️ Age gap
✨️Brother's best friend
✨️It's always been you
✨️Found family
This is the first book by Jillian Meadows that I've read, and I fell in love with her writing.
Lena and Gavin are two characters I've been interested in from the start. Lena is an amazing character, not afraid to speak her mind. Gavin is that sweet and protective guy, but he's got a dirty mouth that just melts you. 🫠
The connection they have is undeniable, and it's delicious to see the tension between them reach a point where they can't deny it anymore and give in to 'clear the system,' but we know that's impossible. 😅
From the beginning of the book, we can see how much Gavin is in love with Lena. As the story unfolds, we get several cute scenes of this couple. I loved the relationship Gavin has with Lena's family.
I believe they are exactly what each other needed; she is his home, and he is the person willing to give the world to her.
I really loved this book and highly recommend it!
November 30, 2023
I am a mess. A happy, tear-stained, smile-wearing mess.
Wreck My Plans, Jillian Meadows' second novel, was truly everything I could've wanted, and more.
I truly enjoyed Give Me Butterflies, Meadows' debut, so I had expected to like her second book, too--what I hadn't expected was to love it even more than the first, and to file it away under "favorites." The potential that Meadows showed in GMB was not only realized in WMP, but exceeded.
Her writing is poetic, yet grounding; her authorial voice is unique and melodious. Wreck My Plans is short (around 250 pages) but so full of life. Meadows doesn't skimp on tension, detail, or atmosphere; the relationships are very developed, and the characters well-rounded.
The tropes -- forced proximity, brother's best friend, age gap, grumpy X sunshine -- are fully fleshed out, leaving no stone unturned. So often in brother's best friend books, we are told over and over again that the love interest is "off-limits," usually without any further detail or explanation that would make the characters and their fraught, tension-filled relationship unique. This is NOT the case with WMP. Meadows made sure to include memories, flashbacks, and internal monologues that offered up glimpses into the characters' shared history, and the feelings behind our MMC's hesitation regarding his attraction to our FMC. I can say, with my whole damn heart, that this is the best brother's best friend book I have read thus far (and that's saying a lot, considering it's one of my all-time favorite tropes!).
This book contains multitudes. I'm still in shock that it's only 250 pages; I am eager to pick it up again, already. Not only did Meadows provide us with sweet and swoony romance, delectable smut, and incredible chemistry between our main characters, but she also served us a large heaping of EMOTION. Gavin's relationship with the Santos family as a whole had my heart aching for him. This is more than a romance -- it's a story of found family, of acceptance, of finally coming 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒.
My heart soared, my heart ached, my heart was made whole again. I am in love with Lena Santos, our fierce and protective girl who feels adrift in an ocean of uncertainty; I am in love with Gavin Moore, our broken but giving boy whose sturdiness Lena can lean on. I want to live inside this world that Meadows has created; I cannot wait to read what she comes up with next.
Thank you to Meadows for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions my own. Go pick up this book.
***
𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸.
𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯.
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨?
𝘐𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘈 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.
And for this one night, I have my entire world, my one true home, inside my arms.
***
Wreck My Plans, Jillian Meadows' second novel, was truly everything I could've wanted, and more.
I truly enjoyed Give Me Butterflies, Meadows' debut, so I had expected to like her second book, too--what I hadn't expected was to love it even more than the first, and to file it away under "favorites." The potential that Meadows showed in GMB was not only realized in WMP, but exceeded.
Her writing is poetic, yet grounding; her authorial voice is unique and melodious. Wreck My Plans is short (around 250 pages) but so full of life. Meadows doesn't skimp on tension, detail, or atmosphere; the relationships are very developed, and the characters well-rounded.
The tropes -- forced proximity, brother's best friend, age gap, grumpy X sunshine -- are fully fleshed out, leaving no stone unturned. So often in brother's best friend books, we are told over and over again that the love interest is "off-limits," usually without any further detail or explanation that would make the characters and their fraught, tension-filled relationship unique. This is NOT the case with WMP. Meadows made sure to include memories, flashbacks, and internal monologues that offered up glimpses into the characters' shared history, and the feelings behind our MMC's hesitation regarding his attraction to our FMC. I can say, with my whole damn heart, that this is the best brother's best friend book I have read thus far (and that's saying a lot, considering it's one of my all-time favorite tropes!).
This book contains multitudes. I'm still in shock that it's only 250 pages; I am eager to pick it up again, already. Not only did Meadows provide us with sweet and swoony romance, delectable smut, and incredible chemistry between our main characters, but she also served us a large heaping of EMOTION. Gavin's relationship with the Santos family as a whole had my heart aching for him. This is more than a romance -- it's a story of found family, of acceptance, of finally coming 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒.
My heart soared, my heart ached, my heart was made whole again. I am in love with Lena Santos, our fierce and protective girl who feels adrift in an ocean of uncertainty; I am in love with Gavin Moore, our broken but giving boy whose sturdiness Lena can lean on. I want to live inside this world that Meadows has created; I cannot wait to read what she comes up with next.
Thank you to Meadows for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions my own. Go pick up this book.
***
𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸.
𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯.
𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨?
𝘐𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘈 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.
And for this one night, I have my entire world, my one true home, inside my arms.
***
December 12, 2023
⭐️4.5/5 | 🌶️ 3/5 | Brother’s Best Friend | Found Family | Age Gap | It’s Always Been You | Forced Proximity | Mutual Pining
This was absolutely adorable, heart-warming and sexy! I love how Meadows gave us the perfect holiday feels with Christmas family traditions and a perfect balance of emotional swoony moments and fun spicy ones. The family unit that we get with the Santos’ is amazing with how they spend the entire week of Christmas together in their matron’s home making the best memories.
I loved everything about our MCs! they’re very relatable and the chemistry is lava hot. We get a lot of mutual pining, a one-night stand turned more, a risky pantry rendezvous and a marvelous hot tub scene. The tension my friends is incredible! I ate it all up! The outright flirting and the smutty audiobook in the car ride made me double over laughing.
Lena’s outgoing and colorful persona being the artist that she is impeccable. She is everyone’s cheerleader, the best friend any girl would want on their side and makes sure that everyone around her is happy. But that doesn’t mean that she isn’t lonely or longing for her own HEA. Her confidence when it comes to flirting with Gavin was so good that it’d make you giggle.
Gavin is Lena’s brother’s best friend who is 10 years older. He’s spent Christmas with their family for years and has been pining for Lena but is scared to ruin the only family he has ever known. His backstory was gut wrenching; this will give you a bit of an understanding as to why he tries to distance himself from Lena and why he tends to be self-deprecating. On a happier note, the man can cook / bake; and has the best heart – How he takes the time to help Shannon, a foster parent, and spend time with the kids to read to them made me melt into a little puddle.
Lena & Gavin finding their way to each other was fun, swoony, and heartfelt. I enjoyed how some family members knew / noticed how they looked at each other without them realizing. The epilogue made me tear up – it was perfect. This was a win for me!
This was absolutely adorable, heart-warming and sexy! I love how Meadows gave us the perfect holiday feels with Christmas family traditions and a perfect balance of emotional swoony moments and fun spicy ones. The family unit that we get with the Santos’ is amazing with how they spend the entire week of Christmas together in their matron’s home making the best memories.
I loved everything about our MCs! they’re very relatable and the chemistry is lava hot. We get a lot of mutual pining, a one-night stand turned more, a risky pantry rendezvous and a marvelous hot tub scene. The tension my friends is incredible! I ate it all up! The outright flirting and the smutty audiobook in the car ride made me double over laughing.
Lena’s outgoing and colorful persona being the artist that she is impeccable. She is everyone’s cheerleader, the best friend any girl would want on their side and makes sure that everyone around her is happy. But that doesn’t mean that she isn’t lonely or longing for her own HEA. Her confidence when it comes to flirting with Gavin was so good that it’d make you giggle.
Gavin is Lena’s brother’s best friend who is 10 years older. He’s spent Christmas with their family for years and has been pining for Lena but is scared to ruin the only family he has ever known. His backstory was gut wrenching; this will give you a bit of an understanding as to why he tries to distance himself from Lena and why he tends to be self-deprecating. On a happier note, the man can cook / bake; and has the best heart – How he takes the time to help Shannon, a foster parent, and spend time with the kids to read to them made me melt into a little puddle.
Lena & Gavin finding their way to each other was fun, swoony, and heartfelt. I enjoyed how some family members knew / noticed how they looked at each other without them realizing. The epilogue made me tear up – it was perfect. This was a win for me!
December 2, 2023
This is such a cute Christmas read! It didn't have the aggressively tropey feel of most holiday reads. The second chance element made the short timeline feel natural. And the title?? The evermore nods were perfectly subtle. 10/10 would recommend listening while reading.
“Will you dance with me?” My voice comes out clear as I repeat what I asked him three years ago at this party...
He drops my hand, and my stomach caves in from the force of his statement.
C'mon. Champagne problems? 🥂
“Will you dance with me?” My voice comes out clear as I repeat what I asked him three years ago at this party...
He drops my hand, and my stomach caves in from the force of his statement.
C'mon. Champagne problems? 🥂
November 30, 2023
I don’t even know where to begin this review. I was lucky to get a chance to beta read this story and instantly fell in love with Lena & Gavin. After already loving “Give Me Butterflies”, getting to watch Jillian’s process in crafting this book was a true privilege. It is sweet, full of heart, funny, deep, and has some of the most surprisingly hot spice I’ve read in a while. This is a new holiday favorite and absolutely a top read of the year for me.
Age Gap
Brother’s Best Friend
“It’s Always Been You”
Only One Bed
The minute I started reading this, I knew it was something special. I love Jillian’s writing, and it was clear that her second novel had improved on everything I already adored. This was funny and heartwarming, incredibly spicy in the best ways, and had me feeling every emotion under the sun.
Lena is a fierce queen. Struggling to find out who she is now that her career dreams (and job) are no longer as dreamlike as she once thought, she goes back home to Juniper and is confronted with the ghost of her decade-long crush: Gavin. The dynamic with Lena and her family from the start was so sweet and fun, and it was clear just how tight the string between her and Gain was pulled. I LIVED for the tension between the two of them. Lena tried so hard to just get through the holidays, fight her feelings, but then Gavin would touch her knee and all hell broke loose.
And GAVIN - Drafting Daddy, my man. I adored this broken, sad, soft, sweet gem of a man. His backstory was heartbreaking and the way he tried so hard to be enough to everyone in his life destroyed me. And his love for Lena and her family was as pure as it gets. He helped with the cooking, took care of the kids, learned Lena’s coffee order, baked, stayed close even when he was staying away - he has burrowed so deep into my soul. I just wanted to give him a big hug the whole time.
The two were electric - perfectly played off each other, the chemistry was amazing, and the steam was STEAMY (hi, “add another finger”) - it was a perfect blend. I was giggling, sweating, and then snot crying into my pillow by the end. Jillian’s created magic in Juniper, and I’m so excited to see what’s next!!
Age Gap
Brother’s Best Friend
“It’s Always Been You”
Only One Bed
The minute I started reading this, I knew it was something special. I love Jillian’s writing, and it was clear that her second novel had improved on everything I already adored. This was funny and heartwarming, incredibly spicy in the best ways, and had me feeling every emotion under the sun.
Lena is a fierce queen. Struggling to find out who she is now that her career dreams (and job) are no longer as dreamlike as she once thought, she goes back home to Juniper and is confronted with the ghost of her decade-long crush: Gavin. The dynamic with Lena and her family from the start was so sweet and fun, and it was clear just how tight the string between her and Gain was pulled. I LIVED for the tension between the two of them. Lena tried so hard to just get through the holidays, fight her feelings, but then Gavin would touch her knee and all hell broke loose.
And GAVIN - Drafting Daddy, my man. I adored this broken, sad, soft, sweet gem of a man. His backstory was heartbreaking and the way he tried so hard to be enough to everyone in his life destroyed me. And his love for Lena and her family was as pure as it gets. He helped with the cooking, took care of the kids, learned Lena’s coffee order, baked, stayed close even when he was staying away - he has burrowed so deep into my soul. I just wanted to give him a big hug the whole time.
The two were electric - perfectly played off each other, the chemistry was amazing, and the steam was STEAMY (hi, “add another finger”) - it was a perfect blend. I was giggling, sweating, and then snot crying into my pillow by the end. Jillian’s created magic in Juniper, and I’m so excited to see what’s next!!
December 13, 2023
4.75/5
HE. TOOK. HER. LAST. NAME.
oh i’m utterly obsessed with lena and gavin and i want a bajillion more bonus epilogues surrounding them because they’re just so perfect!! for someone who doesn’t read holiday romances in the winter time it’s crazy that i’ve already read two but now i want to force everyone to read this book IMMEDIATELY!!! i read this authors debut novel and it was a very good start, i was really interested to see how her writing would grow in a second book and it was so, so amazing!!!
lena and gavin are the absolute best. they had excellent tension, there was great angst, and i highlighted wayyyy more than i was expecting. they just both have some very relatable inner thoughts and i fell head over heels for them!! i was already intrigued by lena from her mentions in the first book but getting her own book was such a win! she’s an excellent main character and it was so lovely to read this adorably cute christmasy romance !!
if this review doesn’t convince you to read the book than maybe the pantry scene will. you’ll never know what it is if you don’t read it … (it’s so good and i was screaming and i love this book) also julia… READ THIS BOOK!!!!!! oh and the tattoo.. are you kidding me i was screaming, literally bookmarked that page.
the literal only reason this wasn’t a five star was because there were times when i was slightly confused because there are soooo many characters and i just can’t keep track of names, also the beginning was kinda abrupt but i also kinda liked that so idk. just read this because it’s just so, so goood!!!!!!
HE. TOOK. HER. LAST. NAME.
oh i’m utterly obsessed with lena and gavin and i want a bajillion more bonus epilogues surrounding them because they’re just so perfect!! for someone who doesn’t read holiday romances in the winter time it’s crazy that i’ve already read two but now i want to force everyone to read this book IMMEDIATELY!!! i read this authors debut novel and it was a very good start, i was really interested to see how her writing would grow in a second book and it was so, so amazing!!!
lena and gavin are the absolute best. they had excellent tension, there was great angst, and i highlighted wayyyy more than i was expecting. they just both have some very relatable inner thoughts and i fell head over heels for them!! i was already intrigued by lena from her mentions in the first book but getting her own book was such a win! she’s an excellent main character and it was so lovely to read this adorably cute christmasy romance !!
if this review doesn’t convince you to read the book than maybe the pantry scene will. you’ll never know what it is if you don’t read it … (it’s so good and i was screaming and i love this book) also julia… READ THIS BOOK!!!!!! oh and the tattoo.. are you kidding me i was screaming, literally bookmarked that page.
the literal only reason this wasn’t a five star was because there were times when i was slightly confused because there are soooo many characters and i just can’t keep track of names, also the beginning was kinda abrupt but i also kinda liked that so idk. just read this because it’s just so, so goood!!!!!!
December 4, 2023
Rating- 4/5⭐️
My heart is full, the Santos have filled with their love to the brim, and this is hands down one of my favourite reads of 2023.
This book will give you all the warm and cozy feeling.
I have laughed, cried, blushed, squealed, and giggled while reading this book.
I enjoyed the whole Christmas 🎄vibes in a small town setting. I adored Lena’s family they were so cute and fun.
I loved Lena in the first book, 🥹🫶🏻she was such a supportive friend to Milie. She was her hype girl.
I wished I had a friend like Lena in my life.
When I saw that Lena is getting her own book I was beyond excited to read it. Jillian didn’t disappoint me. I was legit teleported to Lena’s home. She did an incredible job with this one.
There were parts where I felt connected with Lena’s character.
In the first book I saw her fun, bold, and quirky side, but In this book I got to witness another side of her which is soft, emotional, and kinda vulnerable.
Gavin!!! Oh My God!! this man just stole my heart, I loved him. I literally hard tears while reading about his past stories and the emotional struggles he endured all along. He deserves all the happiness that the universe has stored.
Also I loved how the author portrayed Lena’s brother character. He didn’t show the typical brother traits when Gavin confessed his feelings, he handled it with maturity rather getting all riled up, and also supported him.
All in all It was a sweet and spicy holiday read, you can definitely pick this up if you are looking for a short holiday romance book.
My heart is full, the Santos have filled with their love to the brim, and this is hands down one of my favourite reads of 2023.
This book will give you all the warm and cozy feeling.
I have laughed, cried, blushed, squealed, and giggled while reading this book.
I enjoyed the whole Christmas 🎄vibes in a small town setting. I adored Lena’s family they were so cute and fun.
I loved Lena in the first book, 🥹🫶🏻she was such a supportive friend to Milie. She was her hype girl.
I wished I had a friend like Lena in my life.
When I saw that Lena is getting her own book I was beyond excited to read it. Jillian didn’t disappoint me. I was legit teleported to Lena’s home. She did an incredible job with this one.
There were parts where I felt connected with Lena’s character.
In the first book I saw her fun, bold, and quirky side, but In this book I got to witness another side of her which is soft, emotional, and kinda vulnerable.
Gavin!!! Oh My God!! this man just stole my heart, I loved him. I literally hard tears while reading about his past stories and the emotional struggles he endured all along. He deserves all the happiness that the universe has stored.
Also I loved how the author portrayed Lena’s brother character. He didn’t show the typical brother traits when Gavin confessed his feelings, he handled it with maturity rather getting all riled up, and also supported him.
All in all It was a sweet and spicy holiday read, you can definitely pick this up if you are looking for a short holiday romance book.
December 21, 2023
This was a fun older brother's best friend, dual POV, age gap, mutual pining holiday romance that sees Lena and Gavin trying to fight their feelings for each other over the holidays. Full of lots of family holiday activities, a slow burn, snowed in, only one bed, steamy hot tub situation and great disability rep (Gavin has Celiac's).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 712 reviews