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Not Part Of The Plan
Justin Muller has spent the last ten years working towards opening his own restaurant. The one way to prove his estranged father wrong. When his mother's cancer takes a turn for the worse, he drops everything to be by her side and returns to Germantown forcing him and his father in each other's presence once again. But the more time he spends away from Philly, the more the potential partnership for his new restaurant is put in jeopardy fueling his impatience to get his dad back on his feet so he can get back to Philly.
Paige Wheeler has just graduated from Northeastern which means her parents financial supports ends. She is desperately trying to find a fulltime job so she can stay in Boston to start her life. Getting a call that her little brother has been in an accident puts all her dreams on hold and sends her back under her parents suffocating roof. Now stuck in the one place she's spent her entire life wanting to leave, Paige's goal is to help her parents through their grief.
While struggling to come to terms with their new realities, Justin and Paige meet through mutual friends. A no-strings-attached agreement is established between them along with an unspoken agreement of not talking about their loss. But as the attraction between them grows so do their feelings leading them to an impossible choice; walk away from love or their lifelong dreams.
Paige Wheeler has just graduated from Northeastern which means her parents financial supports ends. She is desperately trying to find a fulltime job so she can stay in Boston to start her life. Getting a call that her little brother has been in an accident puts all her dreams on hold and sends her back under her parents suffocating roof. Now stuck in the one place she's spent her entire life wanting to leave, Paige's goal is to help her parents through their grief.
While struggling to come to terms with their new realities, Justin and Paige meet through mutual friends. A no-strings-attached agreement is established between them along with an unspoken agreement of not talking about their loss. But as the attraction between them grows so do their feelings leading them to an impossible choice; walk away from love or their lifelong dreams.
262 pages, Hardcover
Published August 5, 2025
1 person is currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
Georgina Kelly
1 book15 followersAfter a publishing deal that fell through 2 months before release day, I took matters into my own hands and decided to self-publish. It's been an amazing journey so far and I'm only just getting started.
My go-to books are always contemporary romance, but I also love thrillers and historical fiction. For the life of me I can't get into non-fiction, but I keep trying.....
In life I have a blended family that always keeps life interesting, but the chaos is my favourite part. I'm a sweet and salty kinda gal both in my cravings and attitude and I try not to take things too seriously.
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.
GK
My go-to books are always contemporary romance, but I also love thrillers and historical fiction. For the life of me I can't get into non-fiction, but I keep trying.....
In life I have a blended family that always keeps life interesting, but the chaos is my favourite part. I'm a sweet and salty kinda gal both in my cravings and attitude and I try not to take things too seriously.
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.
GK
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 26, 2025
I really enjoyed this read. I was going through all the emotions with the characters and it had me wanting to see what they did next.
August 5, 2025
Georgina Kelly has written a chef's kiss romance with astonishing lyrical prose that lights up your brain, lyrical, sharp, and wickedly detailed as if each sentence knows exactly where it's going and challenges you to keep up, and it truly electrifies every neuron of you brain, it is unapologetically clever, emotionally rich without succumbing to sap, and paced like a well-planned trap!!! Georgina Kelly creates characters and gives them sharp dialogue!
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Georgina Kelly's writing on grief feels unnervingly familiar and this is what I loved most because it was honest! Justin's anguish, guilt, and attempt to fix everything felt like looking into someone else's life and seeing pieces of my own, his dedication to his dream, even when it begins to slip through his fingers, moved me deeply! I wasn't expecting to care so much about a man trying to open a restaurant, but I did, he felt so human, messy, impatient, and hurting, but still trying!
.
Paige's unravelling was so inspirational, and I loved the way that her personality evolves, the way she tries so hard to hold herself together for her family while silently mourning the life she expected to build in Boston broke my heart a little, I did not cry while reading this book, but I did feel a lump in my throat several times Georgina Kelly's caring for of the pressure is delicate, and the way she implies her strength without turning her into an inspirational quote machine was deeply respectful, because her grief was complicated, difficult, and stubborn. The scenes with her parents were suffocating in that distinct natural way that only home can be!
.
Through the last chapters, I wasn't just thinking about the characters; I was thinking about myself. about the dreams I've set aside, the people I've lost, and the places I've called home but couldn't wait to leave! Georgina Kelly wrote about what happens when life throws you off course and you have to re-establish your balance, she captured the terrifying middle ground between who you were and who you are becoming, and she did it with outstanding poignancy, tenderness, and compelling prosea Not Part of the Plan is an inspirational humanly book that has a heart within its lines, the Author has a fascinating voice that not every romance Author has!
.
Georgina Kelly's writing on grief feels unnervingly familiar and this is what I loved most because it was honest! Justin's anguish, guilt, and attempt to fix everything felt like looking into someone else's life and seeing pieces of my own, his dedication to his dream, even when it begins to slip through his fingers, moved me deeply! I wasn't expecting to care so much about a man trying to open a restaurant, but I did, he felt so human, messy, impatient, and hurting, but still trying!
.
Paige's unravelling was so inspirational, and I loved the way that her personality evolves, the way she tries so hard to hold herself together for her family while silently mourning the life she expected to build in Boston broke my heart a little, I did not cry while reading this book, but I did feel a lump in my throat several times Georgina Kelly's caring for of the pressure is delicate, and the way she implies her strength without turning her into an inspirational quote machine was deeply respectful, because her grief was complicated, difficult, and stubborn. The scenes with her parents were suffocating in that distinct natural way that only home can be!
.
Through the last chapters, I wasn't just thinking about the characters; I was thinking about myself. about the dreams I've set aside, the people I've lost, and the places I've called home but couldn't wait to leave! Georgina Kelly wrote about what happens when life throws you off course and you have to re-establish your balance, she captured the terrifying middle ground between who you were and who you are becoming, and she did it with outstanding poignancy, tenderness, and compelling prosea Not Part of the Plan is an inspirational humanly book that has a heart within its lines, the Author has a fascinating voice that not every romance Author has!
September 9, 2025
I absolutely devoured this book! This debut novel by Georgina Kelly is such a wonderful story about two people who’ve lost significant family members. As they muddle through trying to gain some semblance of ‘normalcy’, their once thought of dreams are no more. They find solace in their hometown and eventually with each other. There was quite a significant amount of grief intertwined through the story but with a happy ending. Georgina gifted this book to me and I’ll be forever grateful.
August 3, 2025
I went into this expecting a lighthearted contemporary romance. Instead what I got was a lesson in grief. Which I'm not saying is a bad thing, it just caught me by surprise. Kelly manages to weave the hard hitting emotions so expertly into the story. And provides a great level of mental health rep. Its ok not to be ok.
The characters are fully fleshed out and show great growth. Even if it takes a bunch of tension to get them there. Paige and Justin were just so alike in their situations, yet differing in their way of dealing with the overwhelming sense of loss. I really loved the concept of a heavenly mother that was proposed in the book. I feel like it would be such a comfort. The attraction between our MC's also seems to flow so naturally. Even the all out screaming arguments between the two meant at least there was communication. And it leant to each character's development.
I think my one big critique would be the sudden jumps in time, sometimes by weeks or months. They often felt like they came out of nowhere. For a short novel we span over a year worth of time. Just a minor thing though.
And be warned, this book WILL make you hungry. So much talk of good food that had me craving alll the things lol.
TW: loss of sibling, loss of parent, depression, grief
Thank you to the author for my copy that I won in an instagram giveaway!
The characters are fully fleshed out and show great growth. Even if it takes a bunch of tension to get them there. Paige and Justin were just so alike in their situations, yet differing in their way of dealing with the overwhelming sense of loss. I really loved the concept of a heavenly mother that was proposed in the book. I feel like it would be such a comfort. The attraction between our MC's also seems to flow so naturally. Even the all out screaming arguments between the two meant at least there was communication. And it leant to each character's development.
I think my one big critique would be the sudden jumps in time, sometimes by weeks or months. They often felt like they came out of nowhere. For a short novel we span over a year worth of time. Just a minor thing though.
And be warned, this book WILL make you hungry. So much talk of good food that had me craving alll the things lol.
TW: loss of sibling, loss of parent, depression, grief
Thank you to the author for my copy that I won in an instagram giveaway!
August 12, 2025
Not Part Of The Plan is the kind of story that works its way into your heart and stays there. Georgina Kelly has created characters you can’t help but care about, and I found myself completely caught up in their world.
It’s a mix of love, loss, and finding your way forward when life takes an unexpected turn. The emotions feel real, the writing flows beautifully, and by the end, I didn’t want to say goodbye. Absolutely loved it.
It’s a mix of love, loss, and finding your way forward when life takes an unexpected turn. The emotions feel real, the writing flows beautifully, and by the end, I didn’t want to say goodbye. Absolutely loved it.
September 12, 2025
A great debut that shows grief and how it’s navigated from different point of views with our FMC and MMC. I enjoyed seeing these two characters on their journey and seeing how they tried to find normalcy after losing two very important people. I also enjoy the romance aspects and think their tension was undeniable. Overall, I enjoyed this and think it’s a great read for those times you’re craving an emotional book!
July 15, 2025
Filled with grief and love
I dove into this contemporary romance thinking it was going to be a light read, and was hit hard by the grief in this book.
As someone who doesn't deal with grief well... I needed this book. It's okay not to be okay, and to work through that grief in your own way.
The lives of these characters have so much depth in these pages.
There are hurdles.
There is tension.
There is spice.
There is delicious food - yes, I'm hungry now.
This book might be an emotional read, but it's sooooo worth it. Definitely recommend!!
Thank you Georgina for sharing your story with me!!
I dove into this contemporary romance thinking it was going to be a light read, and was hit hard by the grief in this book.
As someone who doesn't deal with grief well... I needed this book. It's okay not to be okay, and to work through that grief in your own way.
The lives of these characters have so much depth in these pages.
There are hurdles.
There is tension.
There is spice.
There is delicious food - yes, I'm hungry now.
This book might be an emotional read, but it's sooooo worth it. Definitely recommend!!
Thank you Georgina for sharing your story with me!!
October 20, 2025
This is such an amazing story.
It devastates me completely, but at the same time, I felt like it helps me to heal a little bit more.
The story is full of grief, so I need to say, it is not an easy trip to take if you are also grieving; however, it becomes very comforting.
This is not your typical cliché romance; there are tons of feelings in here. This story shows us in a very easy way how grief can look for every person, how hard it is to deal with it, and in some way, it helps us to heal ourselves while the characters in the book find a way to do it themselves.
I will recommend this book forever to anyone dealing with grief and looking for a heartwarming story that with real feelings and real-life problems.
Even though it made me cry at each page, I enjoy this story so much.
I’m looking forward to reading more from the author.
It devastates me completely, but at the same time, I felt like it helps me to heal a little bit more.
The story is full of grief, so I need to say, it is not an easy trip to take if you are also grieving; however, it becomes very comforting.
This is not your typical cliché romance; there are tons of feelings in here. This story shows us in a very easy way how grief can look for every person, how hard it is to deal with it, and in some way, it helps us to heal ourselves while the characters in the book find a way to do it themselves.
I will recommend this book forever to anyone dealing with grief and looking for a heartwarming story that with real feelings and real-life problems.
Even though it made me cry at each page, I enjoy this story so much.
I’m looking forward to reading more from the author.
August 10, 2025
Not Part of the Plan quietly pulls you in and doesn’t let go. It’s a beautifully told story about life’s unexpected detours, and I loved how the author handled love, loss, and grief in a way that felt real and brought the characters together. An impressive debut—I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Bravo!
October 9, 2025
This romance story took me my surprise (in a good way). Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, it turned, the characters have a unique connection. It is unpredictable and keeps you engaged to the very end!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews