The Best Laid Plans
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romance
Author: Cameron Lund
Favorite quotes: “I barely know Molly Moye. Well, That's not true, I know all the facts about Molly: she's dating Edwin Chang, she's played field hockey since 5th grade, she's going to Dartmouth in the fall. But knowing these details about Molly's life doesn't mean I know what's going on inside her. And yet when she said she's going to miss me, I understand what that means because I'm going to Miss Molly too. She's a part of my ecosystem. I'm used to her life orbiting mine, like she's just on the edge of my vision. And I know after we graduate-after the summer is over, when I go off to California, and Hannah leaves for New York, and Molly for New Hampshire, I'll probably never see Molly Moye again (Lund 264).”
Summary: At first glance, The Best Laid Plans is a ditsy romance following high school senior, Keely Collins. Compared to the rest of her friend group, Keely is wildly inexperienced. No guy she's met thus far seems to be worth the trouble. Which leads her to develop a new goal before graduation: find a guy she likes enough to trust in her high school full of dimwit boys. Except, maybe she doesn’t need to. Luck comes into play as she meets the seemingly perfect guy: Dean. He flirts with her, rides a motorcycle, and even hosts parties, so it doesn’t matter that he's in college right? Persuaded that Dean will immediately become uninterested in knowing about her limited romantic experience, Keely decides not to share. Things get jumbled up when she asks her childhood best friend, Andrew, for help, in an attempt to win over who she thinks will be her high school sweetheart. Not only is this a story of young misunderstood romance, but a story of discovery. We get to experience Keely's senior year, prom, and realizations about all the people she thought she knew.
My thoughts: I picked up this novel in an attempt to find that classic genre of romance. The type that makes you giggle like a helpless romantic. And it did exactly that. But it also made me spiral into an emotional hole of fright and fear. What stood out about The Best Laid Plans was Cameron Lund's ability to pick out exactly which quotes would tug at the heart of graduating students. Perfectly curating sentences to describe the relationships we mindlessly carry out and phrases like “I’ll miss you” which mean close to nothing. Rereading the quotes I highlighted previously only reminds me of how physically incomplete they made me feel. Yes, I enjoyed the banter between Keely and Andrew, but there's nothing quite like an author's talent to uncover feelings we never knew how to write in words. For all those who are scared of change, and leaving the protective environment of school, I would heavily recommend reading this book (although it may just break you). It touches on acceptance and relationships. Understanding that not all people are meant to be friends forever. Realizing that we know others for just as long as we need them in our lives. It doesn’t mean that they didn’t help us along the way, but that people mould to become versions of themselves who need different things. And lastly, learning to take in every moment, no matter how big or small, because “we’ll never be the exact same as we are right now. We’ll never have eighteen-years-old, summer-before-college ever again, when we’re free and optimistic, when we’re all in love for the first time and the world is spread out before us, untouched and shimmering (Lund 354).”
I have never heard anyone on Booktok or Youtube talk about this novel. I simply pulled it out of the indigo bookshelf on a lucky draw. I do however believe it deserves much more recognition and fame. Please support Cameron Lund on her writing journey.
