A fantastic mix of story and romance. So often, the author gets lost in the steamy scenes that the story that sucks you into reading the book in the first place is lost in all the hullabaloo. Reading, the Backup Plan, I felt like I could follow an entertaining story, but get that little bit of adult content that I like. Loved, and can't wait to see what Jen comes up with next.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

What I loved: Can't say that I really loved anything about it.
What I liked: I liked the idea of this book.
What I hated: The book felt rushed and awkward. One minute Chase is a jerk, the next minute he's not. Taylor is honest one minute, not so much the next minute.
I really wanted to love this book, but it felt so overdone. I actually had a hard time finishing it because it was so predictable. I get it, romance is predictable....but this was SO predictable. It didn't feel like there was anything "new" about it. Nothing that really made the book stand out.

A sweet second chance story filled with forgiveness and love.

I'm a sucker for asshole heroes and this one did not disappoint at all!! what a page turner!

I didn't care for this one, which is a little weird, cause,I normally love this,author. I just had a hard time believing or connecting to either the characters or the story. For me both the set up and resolution were so unrealistic I couldn't get past it. Just didn't work for me.

Chase has been withdrawn and barely living life after his best friend died and everyone blamed him. In an effort to get him to pass class and graduate, Chase's father hires his childhood friend Taylor to go to the same college and spend time tutoring him.

When they were younger both Chase and Taylor we're attracted to each other, but grew apart. He is surprised to see her, but when she's honest about why she's there he agrees to work with her.

Chase and Taylor both bring out good in each other and she helps him heal. I do feel like he moved a little quickly from being a jerk to a kind and sweet guy. However a little bit of that could come from the fact that the characters have a past.

The plot moves quickly and the dual narration works very well. If you are looking for a new adult college romance this is definitely for you.

I am a big fan of Jen McLaughlin. I read all of her books. I liked The Backup Plan, it was good.. It was a little younger than her usual books.

Jen McLaughlin’s ‘The Backup Plan’ isn’t quite what I’m used to each time I dive into a book of hers. This one’s a New Adult read with specific collegiate issues of future plans, identity-crises, leftover teenage angst and overflowing hormones that I admittedly struggle to get into as the years roll on. It means as well, that my own expectations require a bit of adjustment.

Still, I thought it started off quite well, as Mclaughlin pits Taylor’s sass and never-say-die attitude against the piss-poor one of Chase in a rather odd arrangement by Chases father. The rough start is expected, but delicious in a way doubles the tension and the release of it later.

I thought the pacing seemed a little awkward in parts nonetheless; the sudden change in personality that Chase seemed to display at the quarter-mark of the story—it felt almost like a personality-transplant—when he turned from jerk to sweet boyfriend for one, along with the quickness with which Taylor fell for Chase’s own funny and sometimes unpleasant brand of unpredictability.

Mix in a conniving ex-girlfriend (ugh) and a manipulative father and things really go awry to the point where you wonder if the irony is such that only Taylor and Chase can’t see that they’re the ones being played. In the end, the small fires do add up to create a conflict I could see happening from a mile away, and the resolution is one that you always hoped they would have taken before it all blew up in their faces anyway.

However, ‘The Backup Plan’ does sit squarely in the category of college drama, complete with a dose of typical high-school ‘politics’ with a hazy but hopeful HFN. Still, there’s nothing really unexpected here that threw me off and sometimes, there’s actual relief in predictability.

Chase stopped living his life the day his best friend died. He blames himself for the accident and now has lost his way. It doesn't help that others see it that way too but the court cleared him. He has no criminal record. He is still in college but he doesn't talk to anyone. As far as he's concerned his life is over. He's a shell of his former self. The charming, football lover is gone.

Taylor and Chase where childhood friends. She wants to save Chase but it will be an uphill struggle. He's given up. She's determined to help turn his life around. Taylor enrols at the same college and is in hot pursuit.

When the world turns it's back on you. It takes a special kind of magic to bring you back. Taylor is smart, beautiful, sweet and funny. She's everything Chase never realised he could have.

This is a sweet intense romance about getting a second chance. 4 stars out of 5. It's nicely written and has a few twists.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm having a hard time formulating my thoughts on this one. I liked both of the MCs and I liked how they were written. They were very well rounded and we learned a lot about their pasts.

I think my problem with this book comes from the fact that things were so rushed that it felt like I was reading a lengthy outline. Chase seemed to move from asshole to sweetheart in the first barely 20% of the book and after that it's just constant resolutions. Oh, they need friends? Here let's throw in a couple of perfectly placed characters who could be their friends. I wanted more angst and slow progress. Taylor went from one minute not liking him to the next minute falling all over him. I don't like that. I want the h to take her time and know her worth.

I also wanted there to be more situations centered around the car accident. We're told what happens, but I guess it just didn't feel that impactful. There were also some continuity issues, but that could just be an ARC problem that will get solved with the final edits. (view spoiler)

I did like the characters though and I did like the story. I just wanted a little more potatoes and a little less meat. Overall though, I do recommend the book. It's cute.

Anyone who knows me knows that second chance love stories are absolute crack to me and if the hero is a complete alphahole - then it's even better! I thought this story was fantastic! I really enjoyed Chase and Taylor's story and thought it was passionate, compelling and so addicting!

When Taylor Selmer decides to take it upon herself to save Chase Maxwell from his painful past, she never could have expected that the sweet friend from her childhood would turn into a moody and reclusive (beast of a) man who shied away from everyone. I love that despite him being an outcast on campus and public enemy number one, her loyalty and determination to bring him out of his shell was always at the forefront of her mind and goals. But when lines get crossed and emotions get involved will Taylor's hidden secrets jeopardize her new found love with Chase?

I really liked the story alot. My favorite part was the first half where Chase was a complete bastard to Taylor. I enjoyed the spitfire banter and the back and forth between them highlighting Taylor's sassiness and spirit and absolute dedication to healing Chase. While I loved their connection and passion, I did feel that the story felt somewhat rushed at times. I would have liked to have seen the resolution with his team and teammates who still held a grudge against him after what happened. Likewise the flip in his cold behavior to suddenly warming up to her seemed almost random and out of the blue.

All in all however, while I had mixed feelings about this book, it was a solid read and I look forward to more from this author in the future. I would like to thank Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. Bravo! 4 stars! ~Ratula