The Backup Plan brings three flawed but lovable people together, after years apart, for a common cause. Alice and Knox are truly meant to be together and Lauren deserves to finally have a HEA too! I love a swoon worthy romance and this hits the mark but watching Lauren and Alice try to repair their broken friendship is just as satisfying. A winner from start to finish!

Fantastic book!!! Jill Shalvis never disappoints. I loved everything about this book. From the plot to the characters to the pacing , everything was top notch. I can't wait to reread this book and experience it again. Highly recommend.

Jill Shalvis continues to deliver consistently good contemporary romances. This is the third in a series but is a stand alone novel. Characters from the previous book (which I’ve read) don’t overlap. Sunrise Cove is the connector for the books and is a small town on the shores of Lake Tahoe. In this book three people meet up on a set date or forfeit their inheritance. Eleanor owned a western themed inn that once was a location for a shooting a tv series. (Much like you can still tour the Bonanza sets near Tahoe.) She leaves the inn to Knox and Alice who were both kids that helped around the inn in their teens. Both had reasons to leave town and make it on their own. The other third goes to Lauren who lives in town and is Elenors great niece. But Lauren’s father kept her form Elenor and so she doesn’t know her like the other two. The story is more complicated because Lauren and Alice use to be best friends until Alice’s brother dies while he was dating Lauren. Knox is a couple of years older and is the eye candy that was Alice’s teen crush.

All three have some secrets and things get off to a bumpy start. But they agree to work together to freshen up the place in hopes of selling it or have it generate an income for them. They have hilarious rules they keep writing on a wall to keep them in line which of course mostly get broken. There are also surprising emails left to them from Elenor that causes each person to reflect on their past.

I love the banter and friendship between the three whether being snarky or kind. The main romance focuses on Alice and Knox. With as open as the three are when talking about sex it was disappointing that intimacy is closed door. (I’ve read the author before and she writes both open and closed.) Sharing the intimacy with them would help me feel more connected to them and what they are feeling. I would also have liked a little more to the romance for Lauren and her renewed virgin status. But yay Ben!

Overall this book really worked for me. I especially enjoyed the emails and humor exhibited by the three main characters. I was laughing with them one moment and tearing up the next over past issues. And I genuinely felt bad that Lauren didn’t get to know her Aunt while she was alive. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

First of all, many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me this ARC in exchange for my objective review.

I liked this book but didn't love it like I did the first two books in this series. It felt in some ways very similar in style to Shalvis' Wildstone series which is a bit more serious than her other series. I also found it hard to like and connect with Alice but did like Knox and Lauren. That said, I did enjoy the author's awesome snarky dialogue, the heartwarming love stories, and the satisfying HEA.

Cookies, chip, pizza, sass, snark and smart assy are what I've come to expect when I read a Jill Shalvis book. The Backup Plan certainly didn't disappoint.

Three wounded souls, former friends, reluctantly reunite to claim an inheritance. During their month together they not only find love, acceptance and most importantly, themselves.

I really enjoyed The Backup Plan and would rate it 4.5 stars.

I received this book from #NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Alice Moore discovers she inherited one-third of an old inn from her hometown. The place holds such bittersweet and painful memories for her. Alice is forced to stick around and help her two partners – her former best friend and her teenage crush – renovate the place. They decide to make a list of rules to follow while working on the inn together. Alice cannot seem to shake the attraction brewing between her and Knox. Secrets from the past threaten to break their fragile truce. Can Alice ignore the past to reconnect with Lauren and Knox? Or will she balk at the first sign of trouble?
Knox Rawlings owns a general contracting company in Seattle. He learns that he inherited one-third of an old B&B inn in Sunrise Cove, California. Knox intends to honor his late benefactor’s wishes and renovate the place to its former glory. He just needs to convince Alice to remain and help in the restoration process. Knox is ready to put the painful past behind him. However, long dead secrets resurface and threaten his and his partners’ peace-of-mind. Can Knox convince Alice to confront her inner demons? And what backlash will the past have for the three? Can they overcome it?
I adore Alice’s name. It holds a special meaning to me because it was my late grandmother’s name. I always get excited when I see it in books, which is not very often. I like how Alice has three quirks that are reminiscent of my grandmother. Spunkiness, swearing like a sailor, and knitting. Although, my grandmother crocheted instead of knitting (almost the same thing), and she only swore when angered, which was rare. I want to thank the author for bringing back happy and loving memories of an important person in my life, who I miss greatly. What I adore the most about Alice is her feelings towards animals. She has a soft spot for them, including rodents.
Knox is such a sweetheart. He has had a crummy childhood, growing up with an alcoholic parent. Something I identified with. I like how Knox and Alice have quite a lot in common. They both have lost someone important to them, and they both are afraid to open-up to others. What I love the most about Knox is how he encourages Lauren and Alice to mend their relationship. He does not know what caused the rift between them, but he knows they need each other.
THE BACKUP PLAN is the third book in Jill Shalvis’ contemporary romance/woman’s fiction series, SUNRISE COVE. This story can be read separately from the previous two. The only thing the three books have in common is the setting. There is no on-going plot or recurring characters. I like how Jill Shalvis touches on real-life issues such as personal loss, alcoholism, alienation, etc. She breaks the seriousness with snarky and sometimes light hearted humor.
THE BACKUP PLAN is an uplifting tale of finding acceptance, self-worth, and absolution. I could not put this book down and flew through the pages. Jill Shalvis writes such poignant stories filled with humor. I never tire of them. I cannot wait to visit Sunrise Cove again in the next installment.
A recommended read

I received an ARC of, The Backup Plan, by Jill Shalvis. Friendships are not always easy, to find, or keep. People and circumstances change. Alice, Lauren and Knox are friends, they have secrets and close ties. This is a nice read, about their friendship, love, and moving on.

Y'all I've have the best time reading book 1-3.
I hope she continues this amazing series.

The Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis is book #3 in the Sunrise Cove series.

It was so much fun returning to Sunrise Cove with these phenomenal characters.

Three strangers are brought together when they learn that they have inherited an old Wild West B&B.
They weren't always strangers though. They were close at one time.
Alice, her ex-BFF Lauren and Knox, a guy who broke Alice's heart.
This trio once separately helped the same woman. Not expecting anything in return.
Years later. Alice, Lauren, and Knox are each dealing with life in their own way.
The will reads that they must renovate and be partners in the inn for one year or else lose their inheritance.
To keep things running smoothly they make a list of rules. Which turns out ends up making things much worse.
Then they discover something they weren't expecting to find....
Friendship, approval, a forever family and true love.

Woah! This heartwarming tale was a great read.
Our characters are each relatable and very complex.
These characters were so vivid, I could totally picture each one of them as their story unfolded.
There was banter, smiles, some moments that seriously had me grinning ear to ear.
This story was filled with pain, laughter, and love.
I loved the small town feeling.
A beautiful story about friendship, family, romance and second chances.
As always the writing is terrific. I loved every little thing this book had to offer.
Shalvis ha written another winner. I hope to see a future book back in Sunrise Cove.
Overall, a very satisfying story.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Avon,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

The Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis was enjoyable read I gave it 4 stars love the characters I didn't find find myself bored, I haven't read all if Jill Shalvis books the books that use have read I love the way she writes about her characters..


Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review 


Happy Reading Lisa 📚

What I love the most about the author is that she writes her characters as though she knows them personally or has based them on personal experiences..

This story has everything you could possibly want in a great book. Well developed characters, romance, banter and heart. Oh and a really great dog named Pickle.

It’s an emotional story about forgiveness, facing your fears and finding what family is all about.

Three adults with secrets and tragedy in their pasts will come together where their worlds will collide.

Alice, Lauren and Knox are brought together when they each inherit 1/3 of an old Wild West inn by a woman who once helped each of them in the past. They must renovate the inn together or risk losing their inheritance.

A must read heartfelt highly recommended read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager, NetGalley and Jill Shalvis for the ARC.

I got so invested in these characters; really good character development! A wonderful story about the healing power of friendship and love.

When Eleanor dies, she brings together three childhood friends, who at one time were BFF's and so close. When they get to the Inn that they inherited, Alice wanted to walk away. Lauren and Knox convinced her to stay the month to get the Inn up and running.
When they had left, they left with hurt, misunderstandings, and it changed each one of them. Eleanor wanted them to come back together, heal, and move forward from doing the renovations on the inn. It was rough at the beginning, but as the days unfolded, they learned new things, about themselves, and started the process of healing.
They each carried baggage that was weighing them down, and wasn't allowing them to see who they really are, and how amazing they are. As the inn slowly comes back to life, we see the three of them coming back to life too. They learn that they aren't alone, and when they come together they can face their demons, and may, as each day unfolds, begin the healing process.
Knox had rescued a dog that had never had a home, and he brought Pickles, with him to the inn. Yes, that is his dog's name because he loves pickles. Pickles just fit into the story, as he had healing to do, and lots to learn.
I received an ARC from Avon through NetGalley.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jill Shalvis does it again with her newest, THE BACKUP PLAN. With all of her books, you’re guaranteed to find a heartfelt love story infused with humor, characters who you can’t help but root for, and, of course, an adorable animal sidekick (a pickle-loving rescue dog named Pickle steals the show in this one!).

THE BACKUP PLAN has all of those things and more. Alice, Lauren, and Knox (along with Pickle) are brought together and tasked with the restoration of their surrogate grandmother’s famous house where two popular Wild West shows were filmed. Alice doesn’t want to return to the place where her brother died and it seemed as if her life fell apart. Lauren is dealing with being downsized, as well as being continuously pitied by the town that considers her a widow, despite never being married. And Knox is dealing with the ghosts of losing his mother and returning to the place where they had some of their happiest and worst moments. All three have dealt with the deaths of family members as well as abandonment from those who were supposed to love them. What follows is a story of found family, forgiveness, and love.

All three characters are immensely complex and relatable—animal lover and cries-at-every-funeral-she-attends Alice; big, tough, caregiver Knox who is sweet and protective; Lauren who wants her friend back in her life and to find a man who will care about her wants and needs rather than just his own. I also loved the relationship that formed between the trio. Not only was there a beautiful romance, but they all truly came to love one another as family too. These three people who have been through some unimaginable tragedies were brought back together by a woman who loved them and just wanted the best for them. The two romances were perfect (the banter of each couple had me grinning every time they interacted!) and I absolutely enjoyed how they progressed with each page I devoured.

THE BACKUP PLAN is not only your typical love story, but also a tale of creating the strong, dependable family everyone deserves. I can’t wait to see what Jill Shalvis comes up with next.

Another wonderful novel by Jill Shalvis. She never fails to deliver a romantic, down-to-earth, true happenings novel.

Jill Shalvis is an amazing author and this is another book you're going to love of hers.
Knox, Alice and Lauren each have complicated pasts. Pasts that need to be dealt with head on so they can grieve, forgive and move forward.
I LOVE that Jill Shalvis puts an animal or several in her books. This story has a dog named Pickle and if you're anything like me (an animal lover) then you'll be falling in love with him just as much as the other characters in this beautifully written book.
It's heartfelt and at times hilarious. A book you won't want to put down and one I highly recommend.

THANK YOU to Avon and Harper Voyager, Jill Shalvis and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

An enjoyable read with likable characters. I found the read to be a bit slower than I expected, but but the story was pulled together and fully explained by the end. I look forward to more reads from this author as well as in the series.

The Backup Plan is one of the best books Jill Shalvis has written. There’s so much to delve into as Knox, Lauren and Alice must learn to work together to keep the inheritance of one third of an old historic inn each received. This is a story about secrets, self-realization, acceptance, forgiveness of others as well as self. I loved the way Ms. Shalvis plotted her story as each one learns the true story of their benefactor. No spoilers. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

I’m a huge fan of Jill Shalvis's romantic work, but I really feel she’s come into a perfect season with her women’s fiction, her latest book exemplifying that beautifully.

Three people at crossroads in their lives are thrown together for 1 month. They’ve inherited a Wild West Inn used in a fictional television series from back in the day. Each of the trio has ties to the Inn and the late owner, Eleanor, a woman with as much angst as the pimpliest of teenagers.

Eleanor dies and leaves a 1/3 equal share of the inn to Knox Rawlings, Alice Moore, and Lauren ( Sorry, I forgot her last name).

Alice and Lauren used to be BFFs when they were teens. Then a tragedy struck and Alice left town- and Lauren and Eleanor

Knox worked at the Inn along with his alcoholic mother when he was a teen. Alice had a huge crush on him that she hoped he never knew.

Three adults now, each has a secret and a sad past they’d rather leave in the past. The only problem is, that they have to live and work side by side at the inn for one month. Thrown together now, those pasts are going to collide.

Shalvis writes each scene with emotion and fire you can’t help but wonder if she has first-hand knowledge of someone with alcoholism; if she lost someone tragically in her past; if she ever felt less than as a human being; and if she harbors extreme guilt over an event.

This book had me laughing on one page, crying in the next chapter, and rooting for all three of these wounded, wonderful people to get their deserved happy ending.

Another sure-fire winner from Jill Shalvis. I read it in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down until I knew what happened. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper for the chance to read an ARC of one of my one-click authors.