I feel that this story started off really well and had a lot of potential, but just didn't quite hit the mark for me. You do get to know the characters well, and it was a nice easy read, but not particularly memorable for me.

The Five Year Plan is such a cute book! If you're in the mood for a rom com, try this one by Carla Burgess- you won't be disappointed!

I definitely escaped reality in this book. Oral and aiden has some seriously electric chemistry. I adored their relationship. They try everything to not fall for each other. . . You’ll have to wait and see how it turns out!

I just loved these two! I adored Orla and Aiden’s easy friendship and how it unexpectedly turned into a forever kind of love. Even though we only get Orla’s POV, Aiden’s attraction and love was evident throughout the entire story. I really enjoyed the nature aspect of this book as well. I highly recommend this lovely story!

Thank you to netgalley & the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC!
I got approved for this quite late and only just finished it but it is already out so definitely recommend this to anyone that wants a nice, girly read!! ' Orla is a trainee reporter with a five-year plan: work her way up the career ladder, move to London and secure a job on a big national newspaper. She doesn’t want a boyfriend, he’s only going to hold her back anyway. Aiden spends his life travelling the world and living in a tent. He knows his goal: to photograph animals and raise awareness of global warming and wildlife conservation. He’s definitely not looking for a relationship past the odd casual hook-up! So when Orla and Aiden’s lives collide, they do everything to not fall for each other – with the opposite effect. But they stick to their plans, and go their separate ways...Five years later, they meet again. '

Now, first of all, I didn't actually think I was going to enjoy this as much as I did! I very rarely like romance novels anymore and when I do I feel like I'm super fussy 😂 but I loved this book!

Some of the things are abit cliché, but honestly the emotional wreck I've been recently, it was just what I needed 😢😂 and I really loved the journey. Some of the chapters did feel abit longer, especially towards the end.. You kinda knew what was going to or what you wanted to happen so you just want to hurry up!! I loved the very beginning. When it goes back to Orla and Aiden at the beginning and the friendship blossoms.. I LOVED Aiden, he was such a loveable character, cheeky but so sweet. He seemed to have truly felt the spark as soon as he saw orla.. I did like orla but I found some of her irritating.. Only because I felt like she didn't really enjoy her career / life but had her 5 year plan. But I guess that's part of life, some people have plans they want to achieve while sometimes missing out on other things.

I loved the whole wildlife part of it all, especially the Otters 😍😍 absolutely incredible. And I loved reading where Carla got her ideas from.

Definitely a good romantic read if you just what to fall in love with you book! 💓

3.5☆ A Heart Warming Second Chance Romance!

Orla is a journalist and has been invited to one of Aiden Byrne exhibitions. He is quiet a well known wildlife photographer and conservationist and Orla is feeling pretty nervous, especially as she hasn't seen Aiden in 5years!

Five years ago Orla and Aiden parted ways, both on different paths in their lives despite being much in love.
So now seeing Aiden again is resurfacing those feelings and memories, the passion bubbling between then. Can they reignite that flame, or have they really moved on and changed?

The story then goes back five years to when Orla met Aiden and her 5 year plan.
Orla set her goals, she was going to Move to London and get the job of her dreams.
That was until the free spirited, dashingly handsome Aiden walks into her life...and so her story continues!

Orla and Aiden's love story was very much a Second Chance Romance.
When there eyes met after 5years of being apart, you could feel the warmth, love and passion between them, I was cheering them together.

The Five Year Plan is a heart warming, witty Rom Com that featured a fair amount of wildlife knowledge which I loved.
I really enjoyed the first several chapters and loved the build up at the start, unfortunately I felt that the story was a bit too drawn out and took a few days to read.
That said it was an enjoyable read and I did like the premise of a second chance Romance.

Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A funny and feel-good romantic read about plans going awry and falling in love at the most inconvenient time, you are going to be charmed by Carla Burgess’s fantastic tale The Five-Year Plan.

Trainee reporter Orla has big plans for the future. Plans that do not involve getting tied down in a relationship. Orla plans to work hard to rise up the ladder and then move to London to get a job on a big national newspaper. Nothing and nobody is going to deter Orla from the path she has set herself and she is not going to let anything or anyone distract her in any way, shape or form. A boyfriend will only hold her back and force her to put all of career aspirations on the backburner and that is not something Orla is willing to do. But then again, Orla hadn’t counted on meeting photographer Aiden…

Sparks start flying between the two of them from the very first moment they clap eyes on one another. But Aiden is equally not enthusiastic about finding his soulmate. Like Orla, his future is all mapped out and all he plans to do is photograph wildlife and raise awareness about animal conservation. A relationship will only serve to hold him back and Aiden is not about to make that mistake in a hurry. However, when he meets Orla his resolve starts to waver…

As the two struggle not to fall in love with one another, they realise that a relationship will only impede their plans for the future, so they reluctantly agree to part not having taken their burgeoning attraction further. But what will happen when they meet five years later? Will they put their career ahead of their hearts this time around? Or have they finally realized that life does not work according to five year plans?

How can you possibly not fall in love with Carla Burgess’s irresistible romance? A fun read that made me chuckle on many an occasion, this delightful romantic comedy explores the struggles of juggling relationships and career aspirations with deftness and flair. Orla and Aiden are terrific characters with explosive chemistry and their love story is sure to keep you hooked throughout.

A fabulous romantic comedy that is simply delicious, The Five Year Plan by Carla Burgess is a must-read that should not be missed.

I didn't care much for this book, it just felt like a lot of repetition. I wasn't a fan of reading about their past. I just kinda felt bored while reading this book. While I did like the photography part I did find it unrealistic that EVERYONE knew him as a photographer. Overall it was just an okay read for me.

An un-put-downable, no-holds-barred book with all the feels!

Funnily enough, I kept imagining that Aiden looks like Matthew Goode in Leap Year. That’s the first image that popped into my head when I read about him roughing it out in the wilderness, photographing creatures.

I’m touched by the author’s environmental concerns and the amount of research she has put into the conservation of otters, which clearly shows in the details that have gone into the book. I had never heard of cob houses before, and now I’m interested in learning more.

Orla and Aiden are wholly believable characters who struggle to put their feelings into words–and avoid contact due to misunderstandings. Understandably, both want to focus on their careers, and I’m of the opinion that the five-year gap after they first met was important for them to cement their places in their respective professions.

I completely understand Orla’s dilemma w.r.t leaving the life she has built behind her to follow Aiden to where he wants to go. The tug-of-war between the head and the heart has always been tough.

I felt that Five Year Plan is a mature, measured love story, which details practical difficulties faced by a couple. Just passion is not enough to sustain a relationship or a marriage.

I like the fact that Orla’s concerns about her career and life are discussed frequently, sending the message that she matters–even if society expects the woman to follow her husband and subsume her identity within his.

That isn’t to say that the book is devoid of spine-tingling passion. There’s plenty of it–both before and after the five-year gap in Orla and Aiden’s relationship. The tug of the heart, which is hard to smother, is beautifully described.

Aiden still comes off as selfish, asking Orla to move in with him because he hates her place, but the story has been given a satisfying end. Orla is happy with the choice she makes. I can make my peace with that.

I read this book in one day straight (that’s very, very fast for me) and I recommend you pick up this book, too. It’s a book with depth and it isn’t all roses and sunshine.

I’m so glad I could read this book as part of the blog tour organized by Rachel’s Random Resources!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Orla and Aiden have their lives figured out - 5 year plan nailed down. Until they meet each other. They have a whirlwind romance and then have to make a decision about their future - what about the 5 year plan... they stick with the plan and go their seperate ways. & meet again 5 years later.

I really enjoyed the “early years” years of their relationship. You could feel the attraction and I was invested in each of them separately and together. Great book.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for making an ARC available for me to read and review voluntarily.

As I’ve said before I love British rom-coms and this one was no exception.

She can’t see Aiden again. It was so painful and devastating when he left five years ago. And now he is famous and in London and he’s sent her a personal invitation to his photo exhibition.

Orla had her life planned out for the next five years when she would be living in London as a reporter for a big newspaper. This didn’t leave time for dating and boyfriends. But then she was sent to interview Aiden, a weird long-haired photographer of otters with unconventional living arrangements in a tent. After being in his company for some time, they become great friends and she realizes what a kind and generous man he is and her feelings start to change. Knowing he will be leaving soon for his next assignment she is afraid of losing him, but when he asks her to “live in the moment” and leave with him, she convinces herself to stay and continue with her five-year plan while he travels around and pursues his career as a wildlife photographer, environmentalist, and conservationist. Now he’s in London and he is stirring up all of her feelings again. When he leaves again, can she let him go?

Orla and Aiden’s chemistry is so natural and what everyone longs for. Their fun repartee is so refreshing and believable as good friends and lovers. Orla is a strong and independent young woman and knows what she wants in life. I think her plan to not go with Aiden at first was probably a smart decision because she needed to mature and be true to herself before she could commit to a life she wasn’t ready for. I believe her decision was right for Aiden as well since he seems more confident and mature when she meets him later. Did I mention that I love Aiden? He is so kind and considerate to Orla especially when she sprains her ankle at their first meeting. And who wouldn’t love a guy who loves animals?

This heartwarming and sweet second-chance romance captivated me from the beginning and I finished it in a day. It had a unique premise with Aiden’s wildlife photography contribution to environmental sustainability and I learned a lot about river otters. Also, the author’s clear and wonderful descriptions of Aiden’s photos really came to life. As stated in the acknowledgments pages, for further information about the conservation of otters in the UK, visit https://www.ukwildottertrust.org.

Thank you to Ms. Burgess for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectations of a positive review.

This is a contemporary romance involving a journalist with a plan and a wildlife photographer . . . . and five years apart.

The story starts in the present then goes back five years to reflect on everything that happened then for Orla’s point of view……. Have you been to interviews where one of the questions is, “Where do you see yourself in five years time?” Well, Orla has her five year plan in place and knows exactly where she wants to be. Unfortunately, meeting an attractive Irish wildlife photographer and falling in love with him just aren’t going to make her change her plans, “That wouldn’t be practical!”. We then return to the present when the two meet again. Will this be a second chance for romance for the two of them – or will it still not be practical for Orla?

This is a story of contrasts. Orla is so focussed on what she wants to achieve she’s scared of letting go or taking a chance, whilst Aiden is much less concerned, though he’s obviously hard working, independent, very patient and talented, he’s willing to go with the flow and make the most of life’s opportunities. She wants security and comfort. He enjoys getting close to nature and camping. There are also contrasts between their families, though many are resolved in the Epilogue. There are some vivid descriptions of the otters he’s filming when we first meet him, making it easy to imagine actually being there to see their antics. It is a heartwarming story, a cute contemporary romance that is lovely to escape into with some laughs along the way.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and thoroughly enjoying doing so!

Orla is a young journalist, living in London at the start of her book. Aiden is a wildlife photographer/activist, and an old flame of hers. When he comes into town and they run into each other at an exhibition for some of his wildlife photography, the past gets dredged up for them both, and they find that they've never gotten over each other.
In other words, after the first chapter, which was a very good opener, we take a deep dive into their past, which besides the wildlife scenes was rather boring and repetitive. Honestly, I couldn't stand a good chunk of this book. All the characters are heteronormative and Orla and Aiden's relationship is kind of gross in a borderline abusive way. Orla struggles to make her intentions and emotions clear throughout the course of the book to avoid hurting others' feelings. Aiden is pushy but also wishy-washy, which is a very weird combination. Orla seems to think he's laid back, but he really isn't. He continuously tells her what she should think and what she should do, then turns around and says, 'why don't you tell me what you want? Why don't you speak what's on your mind?'
Meanwhile, her first boss is rather sexist, calling her weird sexist names and asking for coffee, not thinking she is capable of going off on her own. I get the impression, too, that it's not even that she's in training but rather that she's a woman. Orla's mom backs up this claim, talking about how she shouldn't be going into the woods by herself looking for strange men. However, none of this is talked about as a problem, just as the way of the world. After she considers this, Aiden continues to gas-light this idea, saying how he wasn't a serial killer and wasn't a bad guy after all, even though he continues to show up at her house and spends a lot of his time convincing her to spend time with him, and to be comfortable being naked around him.
Their sex is terrible. It's the shortest sex ever, and they both seem so thrilled about it. The lead up is Aiden talking about how good he is in bed for the longest time while she confused because he continues to gaslight her, telling her that they are not in a relationship because he can't do relationships.
Flash back to the future, and after five years, Orla isn't any better at making decisions. There seems to have been very little character growth for her. She continues to be obsessed with Aiden, but now the rest of the world is as well. Apparently this reality treats wildlife photographers and activists as hotter commodities that our reality, and everybody is trying to get his autograph at every turn he takes. Aiden is now better at playing hard to get, and alternates between begging Orla to be clear with her emotions (in other words begging her to say she can't live without him) and giving her the cold shoulder so she doubts his interest is genuine. Despite his talk about Orla not being clear with her intentions, Aiden is not often clear that he wants to be in a relationship with her ever. Then he suggests that she should just leave her job and come live with him and be his PERSONAL ASSISTANT. What a terrible and heteronormative idea. However, despite her protests, Orla seems to think this is sweet, and eventually decides to come live with him.
Then they get married, and have two kids. Apparently giving birth is just as fast as having sex, and she pushes out each baby in under and hour, start to finish. They are beautiful and gorgeous, and how could she have not wanted them for so long! Then the final twist, Aiden has bad news. Orla immediately panics that he's going to leave her after she's just given birth, so clearly even after five years of their being married, she still doesn't feel secure with him. But no, it's just that his family is coming by to see the new baby (which is bad news why?). And of course, no talk about Orla's job, because although she was a career driven woman at the beginning of the book, a career doesn't really matter to women anymore after we get married, right?
So yeah, insecurity, gaslighting, and heteronormativity abound. Had the nature themes been a little stronger and not shown as so out there and odd, I might have been able to enjoy the book more, but there were too many little digs that made this book difficult to enjoy.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review.
This story was a wonderful read.
It is well written with some characters that are well rounded and as a reader you feel you are right there with them and feel the emotions that they are going through. The plot draws you in, keeping you wanting more and turning those pages.
A brilliant, addictive read.

This was the dullest romance novel I have ever read. The main characters were boring, they had the same conversations over and over again, and their relationship is utterly unconvincing.

Orla is a trainee reporter and meets Aiden, a wildlife photographer, when she's sent out on her own for the first time for a story about Aiden's job. She ends up twisting her ankle, he takes care of her, and it's the start of a friendship between them that then evolves into a with-benefits situation. They've fallen for each other, but Aiden gets a new job in India and Orla doesn't want to follow him because she has a five-year plan for her career and she isn't willing to change it. They decide on a clean break, figuring it's the easiest way to forget about each other. Fast-forward five years: Orla is now living in London and working for a major newspaper, just like she had planned. Aiden is a famous wildlife photographer, and he's in London for a few weeks for an exhibition of some of his work. They meet again. They never forgot each other.

So Orla is supposedly a very career-focused woman. The entire novel is told from her perspective, and yet we barely get any details about her job. We get to hear all about Aiden's job, about his popular documentaries, about him being in some kind of "world's sexiest men" feature from some magazine, but nothing about Orla and her career. And that's another thing: when did wildlife photographers (or documentary makers) become famous, so famous that they end up on a world's sexiest men list? So many side characters in this book are shocked when they discover Orla knows "THE Aiden Byrne?!", it's hilariously and ridiculously unrealistic.

The character of Aiden was also just very... off. Not entirely creepy, but just creepy enough to leave me feeling suspicious of him the entire time. Like the first time they have sex is so uncomfortable. He brings up the prospect of them having sex and he isn't pushy about it, and she does want it, but it stills ends up feeling like he somehow manipulated her into having sex with him. Also, like their entire personalities, the sex between them is so so dull. She has "the most powerful orgasm" of her life after five seconds of action, further cementing the ridiculously unrealistic nature of this story.

The book starts in the present, and then goes back five years for a dozen or so chapters, before coming back to the present. I was expecting the timelines to alternate between chapters, with the past timeline ending when they say goodbye and the present timeline ending with them getting back together or something. Instead, the first half of the book is a boring recap of their past that could have been told in one chapter. To be honest, the very first chapter had promise. It ended on a cliffhanger, and I wanted to know what would happen next, but that hunger for more of Orla and Aiden went away very quickly. The writing became sloppy, the dialogue was stilted, and Aiden became a bigger douchebag with every turn of the page. He never has to compromise on anything, but expects Orla to compromise on everything.

I know it's impossible for a book to please every reader, but this could've been a short story. A bland fling ends on good terms, and the people involved reconnect years later and get back together for good. No need for this much page filler.

The synopsis of The Five Year Plan reeled me in and the first chapter was great, Orla, a journalist received a surprise invitation to her ex-boyfriend Aiden’s (now a famous wildlife photographer) event to interview him. She hadn’t seen him in five years since they split and she was quite nervous to see him again as they hadn’t had any contact since. So brings her co-worker who also happens to be a huge fan of Aiden. Things get a bit awkward and Orla leaves, there is then a bit of a cliff hanger that leads on to the next chapter which if I’m honest seemed more page filling than anything meaningful, so go back to five years ago to when they were together and where it ended.
I felt the book was too long for the actual story and could have been cut by a fair few pages. The beginning and end were great but the middle just felt like I was pulling myself through just to get it read and I almost didn’t finish it, I’m glad I stuck through it though as the end did redeem it.
Sadly not the book for me but I am sure many will love it.

Orla is a trainee reporter when she meets Aiden for the first time. Aiden's interview was her first solo interview. Aiden is a wildlife photographer and an environmentalist. Their worlds are poles apart. Orla has a five year plan where she wants to go to London and work in a national newspaper. Aiden doesn't even know half of the time what day it is. He travels across the world and never settles at one place. Both don't have time for relationship. And after a casual affair they say their goodbyes.

Five years later they meet again. But still do they feel for each other? And is any one of them ready for commitment?

Review-

The start of the book is so funny and so emotionally well written that you expect a lot from the book. But after few chapters this book just disappoint you.

From the blurb I thought there will be a career driven female protagonist who will try to balance her love life and her career. But Orla's character is flat. Except one or two mention there is nothing concrete written about her career. And when it comes to love she comes as a needy and an emotional fool. Aiden tells her she is not attractive and she falls in love with him. Like really? There are so many such incidents when you just want to yell at Orla and say walk out of this relationship. Or stop feeling so guilty about everything.

I did not feel the chemistry between them at all. They just talks talks and talks. Like who discuss so much sex before doing it. And they just keep on repeating they are not ready for relationship like every 3 times in a single page.

Aiden is your typical male egoistic character. He says he supports Orla's career but then say you can work form anywhere. He constantly tells her to leave her job because it is just a job, and move in with him or travel with him. I felt he was emotionally manipulating Orla throughout the book. I think I really needed his POV to understand some of his actions and why always blaming Orla for the break up.

And why no side character ever works. They all are just interested in Aiden and Orla's love story. Whenever Orla goes to office all they talk about is Aiden, Aiden and Aiden. More than half of the book is filled with Aiden's profession, describing his work and success but what Orla does is only gossip.

The premises is really interesting and it could have been so much better but characters were so cringy it was a struggle to complete the book. I don't DNF books and that is the sole reason I complete it.

A romance novel about second chances and finding what “feels right”.
Orla, is a career woman who ironically doesn’t really talk much about her career except that she has ambitions and Aiden is a wildlife photographer who is apparently a very big deal and together they get along quite well until Aiden leaves onto his next assignment and Orla, who has no intentions of following along prefers a clean break and a fresh start.
However, five years later Aiden returns and the plot except for the end rehashes.

Though it was a simple read the character of Aiden made me uncomfortable because of the way he pursued Orla every time he wanted to.
He felt creepy more than caring.
A very predictable and casual read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Otters and squirrels and foxes, oh my! A sweet second chance romance with a wild side. This is the story of Orla A girl with a five year plan. She is planning on getting her dream reporting job and moving to London in five years. Having a boyfriend and falling in love are definitely not in her plans. Then one day she goes to interview a man who is studying otters and finds herself falling into a rabbit hole and spraining her ankle. She also meets Aiden a wildlife photographer. Orla and Aiden have an instant connection that soon develops into more, the problem is Aiden will be leaving soon and the two of them are not looking for love. The two part ways and five years later their paths cross again.

Orla and Aiden were both very likable characters, but boy did they frustrate me. They seem to hash the same issues that they dealt with the first time the second time around as well. They also had a really hard time admitting their feelings to one another. I was also a bit annoyed that it seemed like it was Orla that needed to give up her hopes and dreams to be with Aiden, not the other way around. In spite of these things I really thought they were a cute couple and there was chemistry between them. I also loved all the wildlife in the story, made me want to go camping.

This book in emojis 🦦 ⛺️ 🗞 📸

*** Big thank you to HQ Digital for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources, Netgalley and HQ Digital for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

This book’s premise was certainly interesting and I feel like this gave me some “what if” feels in my own life, which thank goodness I got to see play out in the form of a romance novel rather than real life. I’ve always thought about what would have happened if the person I thought I loved in the past ended up coming back into my life after we both had some growing up to do separately. Would we still want to be with one another? Would we be two completely different people? Would we even remember what we went through five years ago?

This book let me think about all of those thoughts and more, and the way that Burgess wrote this story was great. I think I could have done a little less of the flashbacks in the way that Burgess had this novel, or at least formatted a different way, but I’m still very glad that she included their past from five years ago in this novel. It showed whether the characters went through any personal growth as well as professional – which seemed to be the main reason why they didn’t wind up together in the first place – and it felt like it brought everything full circle.

I feel like the development of the relationship between Orla and Aiden was well written, both their first development and then the current one. I feel like there’s some sort of negative stigma of really fast building relationships being unrealistic, and while sometimes I can agree with that if I don’t feel any genuine chemistry between the characters in question, I didn’t get that vibe with this one. I think that it worked out in this one, and I liked seeing how that relationship changed from when they first knew each other.