The Best Laid Plans
out now from Penguin Teen!
available for purchase now!
High school senior Keely Collins takes on firsts, lasts, and everything in between in this sweet, sex-positive rom-com for fans of Meg Cabot and Jenny Han.
It seemed like a good idea at first...
When the only other virgin in her group of friends loses it at Keely’s own eighteenth birthday party, she's inspired to take things into her own hands. She wants to have that experience too (well, not exactly like that--but with someone she trusts and actually likes), so she's going to need to find the guy, and fast. Problem is, she’s known all the boys in her small high school forever, and it’s kinda hard to be into a guy when you watched him eat crayons in kindergarten.
So she can’t believe her luck when she meets a ridiculously hot new guy named Dean. Not only does he look like he’s fallen out of a classic movie poster, but he drives a motorcycle, flirts with ease, and might actually be into her.
But Dean’s already in college, and Keely is convinced he’ll drop her if he finds out how inexperienced she is. That’s when she talks herself into a new plan: her lifelong best friend, Andrew, would never hurt or betray her, and he’s clearly been with enough girls that he can show her the ropes before she goes all the way with Dean. Of course, the plan only works if Andrew and Keely stay friends–just friends–so things are about to get complicated.
Cameron Lund's delightful debut is a hilarious and heartfelt story of first loves, first friends, and first times--and how making them your own is all that really matters.
“Realistic, funny, and honest.” —Huntley Fitzpatrick, author of My Life Next Door
“Fresh-voiced and heartfelt, this debut pairs irresistible friends-to-lovers tension with vital questions of first love. It’s a witty, welcome entry in the rom-com resurgence.” —Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of Always Never Yours
“A laugh-out-loud, sex-positive story about love, lust, and complicated female friendship. Keely's voice is spot-on and her trials and tribulations are funny and relatable to anyone who's ever been a senior in high school.” —Liz Lawson, author of The Lucky Ones
“An authentic, hilarious, and heartwarming debut. The Best Laid Plans is the pitch-perfect rom-com you've been waiting for!” —Kass Morgan, New York Times best-selling author of The 100 series
“Filled to the brim with heart, The Best Laid Plans is a raunchy and hilarious quest to get it on--and all the high jinks along the way. ” —Ashley Poston, author of Geekerella
“This heartwarming, funny novel will resonate with anyone struggling under the weight of societal pressures. ” —School Library Journal
Foreign Editions
out now in France!
out now in Germany!
out now in Brazil!
The Best Laid Plans Book Club Questions
**spoilers ahead!**
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Who was your favorite character? Which character did you relate to the most?
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Did you relate to Keely’s anxieties about feeling less experienced than her friends?
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Did Keely make the right choice in asking Andrew for help? How else could she have confronted her issues?
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What was your favorite part of the book?
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What was your favorite moment between Keely and Andrew? When did you first begin to suspect he had feelings for Keely?
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In the culture at Keely’s high school, the concept of being a virgin is seen as “embarrassing,” but this is not the case everywhere. Is this similar or different to your own experience? What are the reasons that could have made Keely feel this way? Do you agree or disagree with this idea?
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What were your thoughts on James Dean? Did your opinion of him change throughout the story?
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At one point, Danielle tells Keely: “If you tell him you’re a virgin, it could only go two ways: he’ll be weirded out and lose interest, or he’ll take your virginity and never speak to you again.” Do you think this is true or untrue? How do you think James Dean would have reacted if Keely had told him the truth in the beginning?
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THE BEST LAID PLANS references the double standards and slut-shaming girls face in regards to sex. What has been your experience with these issues? How as women can we confront them?
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In THE BEST LAID PLANS, a lot of the slut-shaming is carried out by girls against other girls. How is this problematic? Does this feel realistic to your experience?
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What were your thoughts on Danielle and Ava’s friendship?
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THE BEST LAID PLANS talks about the pressures boys face in regards to sex. How do these pressures differ from those faced by girls?
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A core thread of the book is the idea that “it’s not a race.” What do you think this means? Do you agree?
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In the end of the story, Hannah gets back together with Charlie. How did this make you feel?
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“It’s just so high school isn’t it?...Pretending to like the people we hang out with. Hanging out with people we don’t like because we’re supposed to.” What are your thoughts on this quote?
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“I think maybe we’re meanest to the people we love the most because we want to believe they’ll love us no matter what.” Is this true? Do you relate to this?
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“Being a virgin in college is like having a disease.” How is this statement problematic?
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At one point, Jason Ryder touches Ava in a way that all the characters know is problematic and no one reacts. Why do you think this is?
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“It turns out losing your virginity is kind of like having a birthday. No one can tell just by looking at you if you’re seventeen or eighteen, if you’ve slept with one person or ten or no one at all.” Do you agree with this statement? Do you think virginity is a construct?
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How does setting play into the story? Do you think living in a small town had any effect on Keely’s thought process?