An author walks into a coffee shop and falls in love with the owner who became her muse…

Six months after opening her coffee shop - Sugar Mugs - and owner Charlie is already drowning in bills and the threat of having to close her business. But despite the anxiety, she get in the zone and puts on a happy face every day to greet her regulars and welcome newbies. And one newbie who immediately catches her eye is Mack, a writer who spends her days sipping coffee and working on her newest novel. After escaping New York, Mack is in Seattle visiting her parents with the hope of shaking her writers block on her already overdue manuscript. And just when Mack thinks she’s never going to get her book started, let alone finished, she meets Charlie who instantly becomes her muse and the words suddenly start flowing in a way they hadn’t before. With Charlie still overcoming the heartbreak of her divorce and Mack only ever pursuing one-night-stands, neither are looking to dive into a relationship. But the chemistry between them in undeniable, and after a night shacked up in Charlie’s apartment during a severe storm, they can’t not see where that chemistry leads them.

Dana has served up a delectably coffee-filled cute and swoony sapphic romance, with lots of love for writers, book nerds and coffee connoisseurs! I could not put this beauty down and loved getting swept up in the world of Seattle coffee culture and the queer community. Dana has such a fun and easy writing style that makes it so easy to fall into this world and the lives of the characters and not realise you’ve been reading for much longer than you had anticipated.

Mack and Charlie’s relationship was super sweet as both opened themselves up to romance and a relationship. Their chemistry was certainly oozing off the page from the moment they met, and I really enjoyed getting to follow the development of their friendship-turned-flirtation-turned-romance. Their relationship was so much more than just romantic - it was a found-family relationship on the part of Charlie, who finally felt familiar love as well as true romantic love. Dana was also such a tease when it came to the spice - the small snippets we got were top tier before it faded to black.

A few slight trigger warnings for anxiety, mentions of alcoholism and abandonment, and mentions of a parent with cancer. Both characters have moments to discuss, overcome, and move on from the latter two - Charlie is still learning to overcome the childhood trauma of her father leaving her to fend for herself night after night, while Mack has come to terms with her mother’s previous cancer diagnosis and the guilt of having withdrawn from her family because she was scared to lose her mother. Both are such raw feelings and experiences that add a layer of depth to an otherwise sweet and fun romance.

With this being Dana’s debut novel, I thoroughly enjoyed getting into the lives of the characters she developed and the story she crafted for them, and I am extremely eager to dive into more of Dana’s work in the future - I’m already eying off book two in this Seattle series. Sign me up for ALL the sweet and swoony sapphic romances!

If you need another queer book to read this Pride Month, get this on your TBR ASAP and get ready to run off to Seattle to enjoy the local queer coffee scene!

This was a very cute sapphic romance that I enjoyed! This felt like the truest opposites attract romance that I've ever read. I will definitely be picking up Dana Hawkins' future books!

This was a really fun and light-hearted read with a gripping storyline. I really enjoyed both our main characters and their chemistry.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity

Queer love is the best love.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

Not in the Plan is a quick, light-hearted sapphic romcom featuring a blossoming relationship between a writer and a coffeeshop owner. The character development was fantastic and added greatly to the storyline. Overall, a delightful and charming read!

Kind thanks to Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun and cute but the two characters lacked chemistry, I didn't feel the sparks between the two of them, nothing. The pacing of the romance was a little weird, it was quite slow-burn at the start and then everything went super fast which I disliked. Also the fade to black scene was quite frustrating, because it started out a little explicit before cutting which I found weird. 2.5 stars

Not In the Plan is a fast paced and fun queer romcom featuring Mack, the writer and Charlie, the coffee shop owner. Both Mack and Charlie are working through tricky times and are very much surviving on fumes, the last thing they expect is each other.

I was looking forward to this book and all of my anticipation was worth while! I really enjoyed this story and the characters. Mack and Charlie struggled with their own identities while moving from strangers to friends to lovers.
Mack overcame her inability to find a romantic connection and put herself in the mindset to fall in love. While Charlie battled her past demons regarding abandonment and her lovability as a person.
The side characters were also really well fleshed out, even for having minor rolls. Mack's parents brought a balance to her character, while Ben did the same for Charlie.
The editor, Viv, also gave another view of Mack that was also a plot point in the story.
I really enjoyed this book and honestly it has inspired me to read other works by this author.

I think this book is made off of the premise that opposites attract, but I didn't get the incredibly different vibes other than one was an introvert and one was an extrovert. For me, and this may not be a dealbreaker for others, the dialogue was a bit fantastical, like real people don't speak this way. The build up is a bit slow and the external conflicts often overshadow the character development that I'd like to see in a romance. Also, the cliche "coffee coffee coffee everything runs on coffee" thing isn't one of my favorite personality traits for a character. It read a bit empty for me, not that rewarding or interesting.

I'd be interested to read what else the author does because this wasn't badly written, it just didn't quite hit for me.

Thank you for the ARC from NetGalley

I had very high expectations for this book because the premise is so interesting and it's also a sapphic romance in addition to that. Sadly, I think maybe my high expectations led to this disappointing read. I'm not sure if it was that or maybe the book is genuinely not very good, but it was just very strictly average.

"Not in the Plan" by Dana Hawkins is a delightful and quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Packed with charm, humor, and heart, this novel follows Mack and Charlie's unexpected romance as Mack finds inspiration in Charlie's coffee shop. Their chemistry is undeniable, and I couldn't help but root for them as they navigate the ups and downs of love. With its engaging plot, lovable characters, and poignant themes, I feel as though "Not in the Plan" is a perfect choice for anyone in need of a feel-good escape. Highly recommended for fans of sweet romances!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Not In The Plan by Dana Hawkins in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing love story. Although it was cringey at times and used a little too much ‘slang’ I loved the women both individually and as a couple.

As always, I love seeing lesbian representation! I would recommend this book to rom com readers.

Both characters are touching and complemente each other : Charlie is a coffee shop owner so she is at ease with people. Her past is heartbreaking and seeing her accomplishment and working on herself is touching. Mack is an introvert, she likes the company of her words more than anything and one night stand si all she has to offer. Charlie has nobody except her best friend, and Mack has overbarring but really attaching parents.
They both have issues with money or with work pressure that were well written, because I was anxious with them. The fact that Mack is using Charlie as a muse brings the touch of angst we need.
Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to connect on a deep level to the characters. The fact that internal musing from the characters was very present in the book, sometimes in a repetitive way, compared to actual scenes or dialogues is something that hooked me less to book. It’s a matter of personal taste. The paragraphs with extracts of Mack's broke a bit the pace for me
But overall, it’s a sweet story and it’s really easy to read

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a wonderful Sapphic romance. It had a bit of steam but not too much. The character development was excellent. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more by the author.

An INCREDIBLE hea sapphic romance, light and sweet and beautifully written.
I think I have found a new queer romance author. Just incredible.

I reviewed this book here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p7L_vLMeo0&t=785s

A good read but, a little too predictable and silly for me. At times my attention wandered which shows the book didn't grab me. A little disappointing. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Almost immediate DNF, writing style isn't working for me in the slightest. I can't say I'm interested in the characters or setting of the book.

This one was very cute but I had trouble connecting with the characters in a meaningful way. I did enjoy aspects of the book at the writing style. I absolutely loved the premise of this one and I think a lot of people could really enjoy it. Would definitely give this author another read.