The Plus-One List by Amy Ewing — She Was Never Too Imperfect to Be Loved

A Romanceaholic Book Review | Love Stories Taken Seriously

Sometimes the greatest love story begins when we stop believing we have to become someone else to deserve it.

Romance Readers, Can We Talk About Being Imperfect?

There’s something beautiful about a romance that reminds us we don’t have to have everything figured out before we’re allowed to fall in love.

We don’t have to be fearless.

We don’t have to be confident in every situation.

And we certainly don’t have to become some perfectly polished version of ourselves before someone can see us as worthy of love.

Sometimes we’re anxious.

Sometimes we’re uncomfortable.

Sometimes the world feels overwhelming, and we’d much rather stay home with our dogs than navigate another social situation.

And you know what?

That doesn’t make us any less deserving of a beautiful love story.

That’s what stayed with me after reading The Plus-One List by Amy Ewing.

Because beneath the charming premise of a wedding, an unexpected plus-one, and a trip to Mexico City is a story about vulnerability, self-acceptance, and the courage it takes to open our hearts when hiding feels so much safer.

And romance readers, Eloise and Agustín made me smile.

Not simply because they were falling in love.

But because I could feel the emotional connection growing between them.

The uncertainty.

The tenderness.

The little changes that begin happening when someone makes us reconsider what we believe about ourselves.

And sometimes, those are the love stories that leave the sweetest impressions.

One Wedding. One Plus-One. Two Very Different Reasons for Saying Yes.

Eloise isn’t exactly looking for an adventure.

She struggles with anxiety, prefers the company of her beloved senior rescue dogs, and feels far more comfortable in familiar surroundings than navigating unpredictable social situations.

But when her best friend announces she’s getting married in Mexico City, there’s a complication.

Every guest needs a date.

And suddenly, Eloise finds herself needing a plus-one.

Enter Agustín.

Charming, engaging, and recently relocated from Mexico to New York City, Agustín is a journalist with an important professional goal.

He needs access to someone attending the wedding, a person who has been nearly impossible to interview.

And becoming Eloise’s date offers him the perfect opportunity.

There’s just one problem.

Eloise doesn’t know his real reason for agreeing to accompany her.

For her, the arrangement solves an uncomfortable social problem.

For him, it offers a chance to advance his career.

Neither is looking for love.

And neither expects their carefully arranged situation to become something far more complicated.

But as they explore Mexico City, share new experiences, and spend time with Agustín’s family, their connection begins to change.

What started as an arrangement becomes an opportunity to discover each other.

And perhaps, more importantly, themselves.

Eloise — The Courage to Be Imperfect

I want to begin with Eloise because her emotional journey is what made this story especially meaningful to me.

Anxiety can make the world feel intimidating.

Situations other people consider simple can require enormous emotional energy.

Meeting strangers.

Attending celebrations.

Navigating unfamiliar places.

Allowing someone close enough to see the parts of ourselves we’re not entirely comfortable sharing.

And sometimes, when we struggle with those things, we begin to believe there’s something about us that needs fixing.

That we should be more outgoing.

More adventurous.

More confident.

Less complicated.

Less afraid.

But Eloise’s journey reminds us of something important.

Being uncomfortable with parts of life doesn’t make us unworthy of enjoying them.

And being anxious doesn’t mean we’re incapable of love, happiness, or meaningful connections.

One of my favorite passages from Eloise captures that realization beautifully:

“Maybe I need to start moving forward in this imperfect, messy world as an imperfect, messy person – and be okay with that. I am no less deserving of love for being imperfect.”

Oh, Eloise.

That last sentence.

I am no less deserving of love for being imperfect.

Isn’t that something we all need to remember occasionally?

Because how often do we convince ourselves that happiness is waiting somewhere on the other side of becoming better?

When we’re more confident.

When we’re less afraid.

When we’ve solved every problem.

When we’ve finally become the person we think we’re supposed to be.

But life doesn’t wait for perfection.

And neither should love.

What I appreciated about Eloise is that her journey isn’t about becoming someone entirely different.

It’s about discovering that she can move forward while still being herself.

She can experience new things without pretending they aren’t frightening.

She can open her heart without having every answer.

And she can accept that being imperfect is simply part of being human.

Eloise doesn’t need to earn love by becoming perfect. She needs to recognize that she was worthy of love all along.

And that, romance readers, is a message worth celebrating.

Agustín — When Falling in Love Changes Something Inside You

Now, let’s talk about Agustín.

Because while Eloise is discovering the freedom of opening herself to new experiences, Agustín has his own emotional journey.

He begins this arrangement with a purpose.

A professional opportunity.

A plan.

And a secret.

He’s focused on obtaining the interview that could become an important moment in his career.

But somewhere between the original arrangement and the growing connection with Eloise, something changes.

His feelings become more than he anticipated.

And his words capture that transformation:

“Something inside me has shifted, strengthened, like some great tree of change taking root. I know I will never want anyone the way I want Eloise.”

I love the imagery here.

A tree taking root.

Something growing stronger.

Something becoming part of who he is.

Because falling in love isn’t always about dramatic declarations or grand romantic gestures.

Sometimes it’s about the quiet realization that another person has become important to you in a way you never expected.

That your feelings have grown beyond attraction.

That someone has reached a part of your heart you didn’t realize was waiting to be discovered.

And suddenly, the arrangement that once seemed so simple isn’t simple anymore.

Because Eloise is no longer just his plus-one.

She’s someone whose trust matters.

Someone whose feelings matter.

Someone he doesn’t want to lose.

But there’s something we need to discuss here.

Because falling in love doesn’t erase the consequences of keeping secrets.

And Agustín’s original motives create a very real complication.

The Trouble With Secrets — When Trust Becomes the Real Test

Here’s where The Plus-One List gives us something important to think about.

Agustín begins his relationship with Eloise without telling her the full truth.

He has a reason for attending the wedding that she doesn’t know about.

And although their arrangement begins as something practical, their growing feelings change what that secrecy means.

Because when someone begins trusting you, the responsibility that comes with that trust becomes greater.

Especially when that person has struggled to make herself vulnerable.

Eloise is learning to open up.

To take chances.

To allow someone into a part of her life she usually protects.

And Agustín is becoming someone she believes she can trust.

That makes his secret more than a convenient plot complication.

It creates a question about the foundation of their relationship.

Can love truly grow when one person is opening their heart while the other is withholding an important truth?

Now, I understand that people make mistakes.

I also understand that complicated situations don’t always begin with cruel intentions.

But intentions and consequences aren’t the same thing.

And romantic feelings don’t automatically repair damaged trust.

For a relationship to work, honesty has to become more important than protecting ourselves from uncomfortable conversations.

That’s especially true when vulnerability is part of what brings two people together.

Because if we’re asking someone to trust us with their heart, we have to be willing to offer them the truth.

Even when we’re afraid of what might happen next.

And that’s what makes Agustín’s dilemma meaningful.

His feelings for Eloise may have changed.

But love isn’t only about what we feel.

It’s also about what we’re willing to do to honor the trust someone places in us.

Mexico City — Where an Arrangement Becomes Something More

One of the lovely elements of this story is its setting.

A wedding in Mexico City provides the reason for Eloise and Agustín to spend time together, but their experiences there offer something beyond the original arrangement.

They explore.

They share food and drinks.

They spend time with Agustín’s family.

And Eloise begins experiencing a world outside the routines that usually make her feel safe.

I appreciate that these experiences are part of their developing connection.

Because falling in love isn’t always about sitting across from someone and having deep conversations.

Sometimes we discover people through the ordinary moments we share.

How they behave around family.

What makes them laugh.

The places they love.

The things they notice.

The way they respond when we’re uncertain or uncomfortable.

Those moments can reveal things that romantic declarations alone cannot.

And for Eloise, opening herself to new experiences becomes part of learning that uncertainty doesn’t always have to mean something terrible is waiting to happen.

Sometimes something wonderful is waiting instead.

That doesn’t mean her anxiety simply disappears.

And it shouldn’t have to.

But she begins discovering that she can be afraid and still participate in life.

That she can be vulnerable and still find joy.

And that she can allow someone into her world without losing herself.

The Romance That Made Me Smile

Now, romance readers, this is where I want to talk about what the story made me feel.

Because I can appreciate a clever premise.

I can enjoy a beautiful setting.

And I can recognize interesting character development.

But what makes me fall for a romance is something much more personal.

I need to feel the love growing between the characters.

I want to believe their connection.

I want to understand why they matter to each other.

I want those moments when something shifts emotionally, when two people begin realizing that what they share is becoming more important than either expected.

And Eloise and Agustín gave me that feeling.

They made me smile.

They made me care about what was happening between them.

And they reminded me how beautiful it can be when two people begin allowing themselves to feel something they weren’t looking for.

What I particularly enjoyed was the emotional contrast between them.

Eloise is learning to become more comfortable with vulnerability.

Agustín is discovering that his feelings have grown beyond his original intentions.

One is learning to let someone closer.

The other must confront what honesty requires when someone has trusted him enough to do so.

And somewhere in that emotional journey, their relationship becomes something worth caring about.

Not because they’re perfect.

But because their feelings matter.

Because their choices matter.

And because love becomes more meaningful when the characters have something important to learn.

Why This Love Story Earned My Heart

What stayed with me most about The Plus-One List wasn’t simply the romantic arrangement or the destination wedding.

It was the reminder that vulnerability can be freeing.

We spend so much time trying to protect ourselves from disappointment.

We avoid situations that make us uncomfortable.

We hide the feelings we’re afraid someone might misunderstand.

And sometimes, without realizing it, we begin limiting the very experiences that could bring us happiness.

But opening ourselves to life doesn’t require us to abandon caution or ignore our needs.

It means recognizing that protecting ourselves from every possible disappointment can also prevent us from experiencing something beautiful.

Eloise’s journey made me think about that.

About how easy it is to believe we’re too complicated, too anxious, or too imperfect for the kind of happiness other people seem to find so easily.

But we’re not.

We don’t have to become entirely different people to deserve meaningful relationships.

And we don’t have to wait until we’re fearless to allow ourselves to love.

Agustín’s journey adds another important reminder.

When someone trusts us enough to be vulnerable, that trust deserves honesty.

Not simply affection.

Not simply romantic words.

But honesty.

Because the strongest relationships aren’t built on pretending we never make mistakes.

They’re built on the willingness to recognize those mistakes and take responsibility for our choices.

And perhaps that’s what makes the emotional promise of this story so appealing.

Two imperfect people discovering that love can change the way they understand themselves and each other.

Why It’s a Carmen’s Keeper

The Plus-One List by Amy Ewing is a romance about opening our hearts, embracing our imperfections, and discovering that vulnerability doesn’t make us weak.

I enjoyed watching Eloise and Agustín’s connection develop, and I especially appreciated the emotional journey that made me smile and care about them as they fell in love.

Eloise’s realization that she is no less deserving of love because she’s imperfect is the message I’ll carry with me.

Because we all deserve that reminder.

We’re allowed to be uncertain.

We’re allowed to be afraid.

We’re allowed to be complicated.

And we’re allowed to find happiness without becoming perfect first.

This is a story I’d recommend to romance readers who enjoy relationships that encourage personal growth, characters learning to trust, destination-wedding settings, and love stories that offer something meaningful beyond the romantic premise.

But most importantly, I’d recommend it to readers who appreciate a heroine discovering that she doesn’t need to change everything about herself to deserve love.

Because sometimes the greatest freedom comes from realizing that the person we already are is worthy of being loved.

And sometimes, romance readers, the most beautiful thing love gives us isn’t a new version of ourselves.

It’s the courage to embrace the person we’ve been all along.

Let’s Talk, Romance Readers!

Have you ever read a romance that reminded you to be kinder to yourself?

A story where the heroine didn’t need to become fearless, flawless, or someone entirely different to find happiness?

And what about trust?

When a character begins a relationship with a secret, what do you need to see before you believe that relationship can truly move forward?

Come tell us.

Because the best romance conversations don’t end when we close the book.

Sometimes that’s when they begin.

Until our next love story,

Carmen A
Soft heart. Sharp tongue. Zero apologies.

Romanceaholic — Love Stories Taken Seriously.