ARC Review: Best Laid Plans By Mallory McKenna

on

ARC Reader Review — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Best Laid Plans

Author: Mallory McKenna

Genre: Small Town Second Chance Romance

Tropes: Forced proximity, best friend’s brother, childhood crush, enemies-to-lovers-lite, emotional healing, cohabitation chaos

Review:

I received an ARC of Best Laid Plans by Mallory McKenna and WOW — what a strong start to the Rock Harbor series! This book is cozy, funny, a little messy, and packed with emotional nuance that sneaks up on you between the banter and baseball bats.

Elle Pierce is down bad. Her dream job? Gone. Her apartment? Gone. Her post-MBA plan? Nonexistent. So, she does the one thing she swore she wouldn’t — returns home to Rock Harbor, hoping for two weeks of peace, popcorn, and private wallowing. What she doesn’t expect? Cam Devers — her brother’s broody, bruised, unexpectedly hot best friend — showing up and claiming the same “safe space.”

Cue a forced roommate situation with tons of unresolved tension, a shared childhood, and wildly inconvenient attraction. Elle and Cam are opposites in nearly every way, and the emotional whiplash is delicious. Mallory McKenna writes crackling dialogue and quiet vulnerability so beautifully that even the smallest moments hit deep. The chemistry is undeniable, but it’s the baggage they both carry — and how they try (and fail, and try again) to unpack it — that gives this book its heart.

Why it’s a 4-star read for me:

The pacing occasionally lagged in the middle, and there were a few moments where I wished the emotional stakes were pushed even further. But I still absolutely loved the depth of the characters, the layered friendships, and the second-chance undertones that make this story feel intimate and real.

Content Warnings (light):

  1. Past emotional abuse / toxic relationships
  2. Family estrangement
  3. Violence (brief physical altercation)

Standout Moments:

  1. The baseball bat scene (!!)
  2. Cam cooking an omelet like it’s a love language
  3. Elle’s first run through town and the reunion with her childhood best friend
  4. The stolen T-shirt moment = heart-melting

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

(Spicy vibes brewing — slow build tension with eventual payoff)

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely. If you love stories about coming home, messing up, healing slowly, and falling for someone who sees the real you even when you don’t — Best Laid Plans is your next must-read. Mallory McKenna delivers relatable messiness and heartfelt growth with a perfectly grumpy, deliciously soft hero and a heroine you’ll root for the whole way.

Comments

Post a Comment