📚ARC Review📚

The Perfect Plan⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Fabiola’s best friend, Liz, finds out she cannot have children and needs a surrogate, Fabiola offers to do it for her. She’s married and has three kids of her own and since all her pregnancies have been easy, she doesn’t see why she shouldn’t do this for her friend.
But is she really doing it for Liz or more like Liz’s husband, Peter, who was Fabiola’s childhood friend and first love.
Everything will be ok though because she has the perfect plan. But what happens when things get complicated?


This was an emotional story about the power of friendship and forgiveness. Fabiola’s character was complicated and there are a few moral dilemmas that made me not like her, but I could see where it was going within the story. I liked Liz’s character better and especially at the end, with what all she went through but was still able to forgive. While I didn’t personally agree with some things in this book, it was still a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes more of a domestic mystery/ thriller story line.

This book will publish on January 15, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

The Perfect Plan by Caitlin Weaver is a fast-paced and thrilling ride that kept me hooked from the first page. The story of a seemingly flawless scheme unravelling in unexpected ways was both suspenseful and full of twists. Weaver’s writing is sharp and engaging, and I found myself constantly second-guessing what would happen next. The characters are well-developed, and the stakes are high, making this a captivating read for anyone who enjoys a twisty, unpredictable thriller. It’s a must-read if you love stories about deception and high-stakes tension.

This is great book! It was truly a rollercoaster with so many twists and turns. I think the author did such a great job on pulling so many emotions out with the writing. I liked the whole book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is certainly one of those books that will test your morals and feeling a lot of emotions. There are a lot of different dynamics explored which I found really engaging.

However this book probably wasn't for me. I found Fabiola a very frustrating character and I just wanted to shake her! It wasn't as much the bad choices she made as it was the lack of real character development as a result - which is probably why I felt a bit fed up with the ending.

That being said, I was still very engaged throughout and would love to try another of Caitlin Weaver's books - maybe this just wasn't the one for me!

I was offered an early copy of this book by Storm publishing, but when I read the description I almost didn’t accept it. ‘A gripping, heart-wrenching story of marriage, motherhood and friendship’ is not the type of thing I normally read. I prefer crime thrillers with excitement and a bit of gore! However, I gave it a go and absolutely loved it. The writing was brilliant and I felt every emotion that the characters went through. At times the tension was unbearable and my heart was beating so fast I almost needed oxygen. The ending was not what I expected, but it brings home the power of friendship and forgiveness. A truly brilliant read and one that I highly recommend. Thanks to Storm and NetGalley for this opportunity.

When I saw that Caitlin Weaver (Things we Never Say, Such A Good Family) was releasing another book-I downloaded it without reading the synopsis-and I am glad I did. The very FIRST sentence hints at what is to come, and I am glad that I didn’t know!

I did figure (correctly) that she would offer us another story with a good moral dilemma (or two!) to ponder-and that she did!

Is Fabiola as altruistic as she appears?

When her best friend, Liz who cannot have children, needs a surrogate, Fabiola offers up the perfect plan-offering to carry the baby. But is she doing this for Liz-or for Liz’s husband Peter, who was Fabiola’s childhood friend, and remains her unrequited love, despite her marriage to Aron, and their three children.

When things become “complicated” who will she put first?

I was NOT immediately drawn in by this story, which took awhile to become interesting, although eventually, I became engaged and wanted to find out how it would all end. While it is still a good book-I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two.

The biggest issue for me was the denouement-which was MUCH TOO TIDY, and not one that I found to be very believable. Had the dilemma occurred sooner, and had we been able to explore in the second half, the dynamics which helped the characters to come to these resolutions, the story might have been more plausible, and worked better for me.

For that reason, I will award this one 3.5 ⭐️ rounded down.

Thank You to Storm Publishing for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Thank you Storm Publishing and Net Galley for an early copy of The Perfect Plan. Caitlin Weaver is my NEW GO TO AUTHOR!!!! I've read all three of her books and they are AWESOME!!!! The cover is soooooooooooooooo Pretty. This was the first book in a long time that I actually Gasped Out Loud!!! I couldn't predict anything that happened, I cried and was angry and then smiled through my tears. A FANTASTIC Read. Keep writing Caitlin. Thanks again.

𐙚 Domestic Drama
𐙚 Moral Dilemmas
𐙚 Surrogacy

The Perfect Plan by Caitlin Weaver follows Fabiola, a devoted mom who volunteers to be a surrogate for her best friend Liz—a decision that tests every relationship in her life. Packed with twists, family drama, and emotional stakes, this book balances themes of loyalty, friendship, and the pressures of gender roles. Fabiola is a force of nature (flawed but relatable). The ending surprised me but left me satisfied. Overall I thought it was a really good read beautifully executing heartbreaking choices and raw emotions.

Rating: ✰✰✰.5 /5

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ・❥・

Alice, Fabiola and Liz discuss potential candidates and then out of the blue Fabiola offers to give her best friend Liz the gift of surrogacy. It’s the perfect plan as all agree, until it all goes pear-shaped.

Although three stars is a perfectly decent rating, I’m a bit disappointed with this one, especially after having loved Caitlin Weaver‘s last book. I find the start is slow and it fails to fully grab my attention. This is principally because there is so much going on, not just the perfect (or not) plan but lots of side stories and I think you can have a plot that’s too busy as it becomes distracting.

However, I do like the friendships and the testing of them and they are sorely tested in this domestic drama. The on/off dynamics are done well too. I like Fabiola despite some of the choices that she makes. Although the ending is a nice one, I’m not sure that this would happen in real life but never mind, this is fiction and it doesn’t have to be realistic!

Overall, if you like domestic dramas, then you may love this one and it has plenty of four and five star ratings.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Storm Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

read if you like:
📍 NYC
👯 friend dramas
🤰🏻 surrogacy

summary:
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!! This is my 3rd Caitlin Weaver book this year and each one has gotten better, if that’s even possible. It follows Fabiola, wife and mother of three kids, who lives a seemingly ideal life in Brooklyn, hanging out with her best friend, Liz, who married her childhood best friend, Peter. When Liz and Peter start looking for a surrogate to carry their baby, Fabiola immediately volunteers, despite her husband Aron’s hesitation. She loves being pregnant and would do anything for her friends, so why not? Of course, the situation gets infinitely more complicated, and Fabiola has to decide — which relationships are worth fighting for?

I just couldn’t love this book more. It has an underlying theme of gender roles in today’s society, with Peter as the traditional breadwinner in his family, and Fabiola holding her own family together emotionally and financially as her husband plays foosball and chases after his unrealistic dreams. Fabiola herself is one of my favorite characters. She is a force to be reckoned with — serving as the primary parent, an incredibly friend and an overly supportive wife. It’s almost unbelievable when her mistakes expose her flaws, but also shows how even the most put together women aren’t perfect. Personally, I could not stand her husband Aron - he has the ego of a mediocre white man, and I’ll admit, I took so much satisfaction in what happens to him in the book. The entire story really revolves around relationships, and the benefits — and consequences — of them. It’s hard not to give anything away, but the evolution of Fabiola is heart warming — and heart breaking — but the end is satisfying in the best, most heartfelt way. This books makes you laugh, it definitely makes you cry, and it makes you think about the loyalty of friendship with the people most important to you.

I cannot thank Storm Publishing enough for this ARC, and everyone should read this when it releases on January 15! And until then, I can’t wait for the next one!

I love how the title is so ironic. The story is the definition of a very flawed plan, reflected by the imperfect characters and their bad decisions throughout.

I was a little peeved when Faby was disloyal. That's a trope I completely avoid. But I'm amazed at how good the author has written the story, giving each character what they deserved.

I tried to dislike Faby after what she did, but as I got know her character more, I sympathized with her. It also helped that she faced the consequences of her actions and paid her due. It was great family drama and I loved the humorous scenes in between.

The ending was really good. I wanted it to be something like that but didn't really expect it to turn out to be so. I'm looking forward to read more such books from the author.

THE PERFECT PLAN by Caitlin Weaver.
Release date set for the 15th of January 2025.
This book is gripping and surprisingly relatable at times.
It Tests the limits of friendship and family.
My first book by Caitlin and now i'm intrigued by her work

Fabiola, Liz and Alice have been friends since college. Liz and her husband Peter can't conceive naturally because she had a hysterectomy years ago. But since she froze her eggs, they are hoping to conceive via a surrogate. Fabiola, who has 3 kids of her own, volunteers to be the surrogate for Liz and Peter. After all, she loves being pregnant, and why not help out a friend? Fabi's husband, Aron, is chasing his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and hopes his tech company, which has never been profitable, will be sold. Aron is really gambling on himself as they rely on Fabi's income and hopes that something happens soon.

Fabi has twin boys and an older girl. Vivi, her daughter, is challenging as she is talking back, changing friend groups and throwing away expectations. Fabi isn't sure how to connect with her. She has a great dad, but Fabi's mom left them the day before Fabi turned 14.

There is no shortage of plot elements, I don't want to get too much more into the plot elements but I enjoyed them all. The ending is not what I would have expected, but it was a satisfying conclusion.

I love Caitlin Weaver's novels, this is her 3rd and I genuinely enjoy them, they are female focused and easy to read. The dialogue of the kids in these books work very well. Fabi's kids bicker at each other and at her and it is very true to life. These are women's stories, they are stories of friendship and - I would say- suspense. They read as if they are mysteries, but they are more family drama. The women in her novels are not perfect, they are very real, very insecure, they make mistakes and they keep showing up as mothers. The men --- not so much. lol.

Caitlin Weaver is just an auto-buy for me.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stormpublishing for the ARC. Book to be published January 15, 2025.

Well.. this was GOOD!!!! I really the characters, the storyline was gripping, and the setting of this book was enjoyable. It was a little slow to get into but once you’re in…

This was a gripping domestic read that admittedly took me a little while to get into but once I did I was engrossed. There’s a lot you could find to fault with this yet somehow it actually really works which is weird but true. Fabiola doesn’t seem to be an impulsive person generally although she has her weak spots but offering to become her best friends’ surrogate without even speaking to her husband is kind of strange to me! Many of the characters in the book don’t come out of it well and yet there’s some unexpected characters who just shine, it was obvious from the start the direction this would take however the ending did surprise me - this is actually quite difficult to review without giving away many spoilers but the author did a great job of feeding bits of information that allowed you to see how much of this would go due to the behaviours of the characters. There’s a lot here that seems far fetched but hey it’s fiction and as a story it works and it was certainly fresh and original.

The most annoying woman in the world has the dumbest idea in history and is surprised when it upends her life. That’s the basic plot but the author makes it into something quite riveting. The interplay between characters and the historical abandonment issues add a layer of complexity which is fascinating to explore. This author writes really well and has a knack for convincing dialogue.

The Perfect Plan is a heartfelt book that tests the strength of bonds between family and friends. With themes of grief, betrayal, and guilt, the story delves into how far people will go to achieve their idea of happiness. Lies and deceit unravel against a backdrop of loyalty and forgiveness, while wittiness and emotional depth keep the narrative balanced. The high stakes of motherhood and marriage make the risks feel all the more personal. A compelling mix of drama and warmth, this book describes the resilience of relationships in the face of life’s toughest challenges.

The Perfect Plan by Caitlin Weaver had me utterly spellbound from the first word to the last. Tension is suffocatingly thick, family drama appears in every nook and cranny and female friendship is pushed to its limit. Sometimes a thriller blurb is better than the book but in this case, it's the other way around. The blurb is a mere taste of what is to come. Be forewarned. You will be hooked!

Fabiola, Liz and Alice have been best friends for years. Liz and her neurosurgeon husband decide the time is right to have a child but they must sift through surrogate applications for the right fit. Liz's best friend Fabi has three children of her own and had smooth pregnancies. She offers to be Liz's surrogate but has to get her family on board, including her entrepreneur husband who is convinced that one day their money challenges will be solved. Problem is, some of the characters have personal history. But thankfully for the reader, the past adds so many delicious twists to the story. So do the family dynamics. The author is highly successful in streamlining the plot and subplots into one incredible package which was such a pleasure to read. I didn't agree with some of the choices characters made and a few descriptions are gratuitous but overall, this was one heck of a rollercoaster ride I didn't want to get off of. The kids' personalities were realistic and I appreciate that they were included.

My sincere thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an early digital copy of this grippy novel. Time well spent!

Another hit from Caitlin Weaver. I couldn't put this book down. There were somethings I predicted early on, but that didn't stop me from devouring this book. I loved all of the characters, and the friendship between Fabi and Liz. I look forward to more books from Ms. Weaver.

Wow this was GOOD!!!! I loved the characters, the storyline, and the setting of this book. It was fantastic! Be ready for a ride with this one.