Monday, January 25, 2016

The Best Laid Plans by Lauren Gallagher

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

Part of me absolutely loved this story and I didn't want to put it down. I can relate to struggles with infertility, adoption, surrogates, etc, so that aspect of this story was exceptionally emotional for me to read. The part that I wasn't so keen on was the religious overtones to the story, but not in how most would expect. I actually loved that Shahid was Muslim and how we are given a better understanding of his religion from a more humanizing point of view. My issue was actually with the portrayal of Catholics in the book from Gabe's side. On the flip side, I also didn't like how Gabe was far more accommodating for Shahid and his religion than Shahid ever was for Gabe, so I must admit that that bothered me a bit as well. Kendra's family really doesn't factor in all that much other than they produce a lot of kids, so I'm neutral as far as that aspect went. These issues aside though, this was still an excellent read.

My heart just ached for these guys and for Kendra, and I did find myself crying quite a few times while I was reading the story. This was an emotional journey for all of them, and boy did it take them in a direction that none of them ever saw coming. The threesome aspects of this book were definitely different than I've read in the past, and I'm still trying to decide if this was a good thing or not. They definitely didn't fit into any kind of typical mold for a threesome, and made their own type of relationship. I did find myself wishing for a deeper connection between Kendra and Shahid to make the love between them more believable in my eyes. In the end, I still just saw them as close friends rather than lovers. I also felt like Shahid's jealousy didn't help their situation and made it feel kind of toxic to the relationship between them all. On the one hand, he says he trusts Gabe completely. But on the other, he doesn't trust him not to leave him for another. I didn't see that being healthy or how the relationship between the guys could have lasted 11 years with that kind of toxicity underlying the foundation of their relationship. I liked that the three of them did what worked best for them, but I just wanted more to believe the three of them were in love with one another.

Overall, this was a heart-breaking read full of ups and downs that will leave your heart full in the best possible way by the end. Sure there were some spots I had issue with, but honestly that all paled in comparison to how much I loved the story as a whole. Would I suggest this one? Absolutely. No Question. I've always come to expect a complicated story from Lauren Gallagher, and I think she took herself to a whole new level with The Best Laid Plans. Please, do yourself a favor and give this one a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!

*I received a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for my honest review.*
 

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Lauren, please head over to her website.

 

 

 

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