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Jolie is back in their small hometown of Harvest Hollow (HELLLOOOO GG nod), taking over the town bar. When trouble stirs up with the local townspeople who aren’t thrilled about this, Lucas, the town sheriff and her high school nemesis, comes to save the day. Lucas seems to be popping up everywhere she is. Jolie is over it….until she isn’t. 😉

I loved Lucas! He was the epitome of the high school dirtbag turned grown up dependable good guy. I am always here for a redemption story!

Jolie was harder to connect to. She’s incredibly intelligent and accomplished, but still holding on to high school vendettas. It all was just a bit too juvenile for me.

Theres also the recurring mystery of dolls landing on people’s front steps - that whole storyline seemed a bit out of place and strange.

I was really excited for this book since I figured it would be a perfect book to transition into fall with. It did have some great fall elements, but it was way too slow burn for me. Things didn't start happening between them until 85% of the way through the book. I just wish there was more romance evenly spread out throughout the book. I did really like the relationship that grew between the FMC and the MMC's niece. It was my favorite part.

We're back in the charming town of Harvest Hollow for another Sweater Weather book. This one follows Jolie McGraw, who is no longer the sweet, shy girl everyone remembers. After a decade away, she's back with a new bar and a new attitude, but Jolie isn't the only one who's changed--the town's former bad boy, Lucas Cole, is now the upstanding sheriff.

I love enemies to love stories and Jolie and Lucas fit the bill. Her mission to settle old scores and his surprising role as a responsible, respected figure in the community make for a great clash of personalities. I loved all the banter between Jolie and Lucas. Fans of slow-burn romances will appreciate the transformation of their relationship from one of mutual annoyance to something deeper.

Although, part of the Sweater Weather series, each book can be read as a standalone. I received a copy from Four Petal Press via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book has one of my favorite tropes- Small-town Romance! So, that right there had me dying to read this book.

I found The Fall Back Plan to be a super quick, fun read, one of those books that will pull you out of a reading slump! It would be perfect to read on a cool, fall day sipping a pumpkin spice latte.

It's part of a series with other characters from Harvest Hollow (even the name of the town is cute!) but is a standalone, but you do see characters from the previous book in the series as well!

So, if you're a Hallmark girly like me this book is right up your alley, and you won't be disappointed!

The Fall Back Plan is a cute closed-door romance, a nice addition to the Sweater Weather series. The characters were generally likable if not terribly memorable, and this made for a pleasant afternoon of light reading.

Thank you Melanie Jacobson, Four Petal Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Straight from BookTok in the best way possible, this one combines a small town with an enemies to lovers romance - which works incredibly well. Sparks fly between bar owner and cop, and there's just a really wholesome vibe throughout with characters who bounce off each other so nicely. Highly recommend!

I wanted to love this so much but there was just something that fell flat for me. I ended up skim reading quite a chunk of it and every time I'd put it down, I kind of forgot about it and had to make myself read it.

A cute, small town romance with swoony worthy characters and a great story. Loved it! Highly recommend.

This was the refreshing kind of love story/chicklit that I used to once read and am finding it increasingly hard to find given the randomness of my choices.
Lucas is the local law enforcement. He went from being the town's local bad boy to the one making sure the rules were kept. There is the fact that the crime levels in town are low. The new local bar, which exclusively used outside people to set up, has made people wary since they did not use local suppliers. The owner was also kept under wraps for a while. When the reveal occurs, we find out that our female protagonist has an axe to grind and rightly so. She had a traumatic childhood and having a drunk parent and now her running the bar may seem a little odd, but she has her reasons.
Jolie is a very resolute character. She thinks she knows how to set her mind at ease and take some form of revenge on her past, but meeting the new version of Lucas and realising that, like her, everyone has had a chance to grow and change over the years - only some have taken that chance while several others have not.
The relationship builds slowly and with understanding since they both have something to prove to themselves before 'going steady'.
I highly recommend this book to fans of small-town romances.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This is such a cute autumn/fall cosy read!

Jolie and Lucas were great characters and they had lots of growth during the book. This book is also dual pov which I love to explore both characters feelings. It is also a slow burn closed door romance which was so cosy to read, particularly in autumn.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend you give it a try if you’re looking for an easy romance read.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you to Netgalley and Four Petal Press for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟 3/5 stars

The Fall Back Plan is a cute Fall romance with an enemies to lovers, single dad romance plot. Jolie is back in Harvest Hollow after ten years away when the sheriff, Lucas Cole, comes in accusing her of the most ridiculous crime in town history. The town then begins pushing the two together and Jolie finds herself falling for Lucas and his young niece.

This was another adorable installment in this Autumn romance series. I loved the Fall vibes and I always love a single dad romance. Super adorable. Super cozy.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

I heard so much about this book, so I was super excited to read it. I REALLY wanted to love this book. But I just just really didn’t like it. The story felt like it was built on small town stereotypes with characters that either fell flat or extremely irritated me.


Lucas was such a bland character. Whenever he did anything, it annoyed me. No lead male energy at all. All his “swoon-worthy” moments made me feel nothing.

And Jolie. Let’s not forget about Jolie. She made me want to scream. Her backstory led me to believe that I was going to really sympathize with her character and cheer her on. Wrong! She seemed so spiteful and bent on revenge. That’s fine. But when that felt like her whole personality, it just didn’t work. She’s been through a lot in her life, so she’s not perfect. But I wish her character had more development. Instead, I just felt annoyed.

The doll “mystery” of the book was also a let down. It just felt too rushed and a bit silly.

This book just wasn’t for me. It lacked the normal cute small town vibes that I look for in a book like this. I will still probably read a different Sweater Weather book in the future, but this one was a dud.

*I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I wanna start with saying that I did enjoy some parts of this story, and that this isn't an all bad review. This book just wasn't for me, but it can be perfect for you :)

The cover of this book grabbed my attention, and that's when I decided I wanted to read this story as well. I love the cute vibes on the cover, and it screams fall (and I love fall). I hadn't read anything about this story (or the series it's a part of, nor did I read another book from this author).

Jolie is back in Harvest Hallow after being gone for ten years. She opens a bar, under another name, but she will shock everyone who finds out that she's the one running the bar. Jolie finds out everyone in her old town has changed for the good or the bad, but it's still a nosy town. Very soon Jolie becomes the main suspect in a ridiculous crime, which makes it hard for her to keep running the bar. This also means she will spend more time with Lucas. The smack-talking punk who is now the town's sheriff. Next to the fact that Lucas has to deal with this ridiculous crime, he also takes care of a girl, Brooklyn. Jolie sees how much Brooklyn struggles with living only with men, and she decides to help her out in her early teenage years. With helping Lucas' niece, she also sees another side of Lucas, but Jolie still wants to believe that they can't end up together. But maybe she can't change the way her heart feels.

The part I loved the most was Jolie hanging out with Brooklyn and kinda guiding her through her early teenage years. I just love Brooklyns character in general, and I think she worked out the best as well. I love the way she spoke and her sayings were funny as well.

Also, I liked the beginning of the book in general. I had hoped that I would like this story, since the start got me hooked on it. I'm pretty sad that I ended up disliking it a lot. But you know, it can still be a book you might love.

I liked the fact that the writing style was a bit simplistic in the beginning, since that made me fly through the story at the start. But the further I read, the longer it started to feel to get through it all. As soon as the mystery part came up, I didn't understand why it was there. It didn't felt logical to me, and I also really disliked the reveal of who actually was the person behind it and what their reasons where. For me, the entire mystery part felt a bit flat and I missed the tension of it all and the tension of the threats against Jolie, since a lot of people in the town thought she did it.

The mystery part was also there to bring Jolie and Lucas closer, and even though they were a lot together, I never felt the chemistry. It felt like a forced romance, and the only thing that kept me reading was me trying to find out if the chemistry would come later in the story. It did not. Also, Jolie's reasons to not date Lucas did not make sense at all and felt super childish. I also missed the fact that I couldn't connect with these characters, simply because they felt kinda flat to me.

Also, I missed the fall vibes. I did not feel the cozy fall vibes inside the story that the cover tells me it would have. Besides the setting of the story, there's not much fall feelings in the story. Well, after the first let's say 20% I really struggled to get through the story. And now that I'm writing the review, I mostly forgot all that I read already.

Anyways, I'm just gonna think back to all the positive feelings I got when Brooklyn showed up in the book. Since I still love that character, I also loved her in combination with Lucas en Jolie.

I'm really sorry I can't say more positive things about this book, but this is practically all I can remember from this story.

This was such a cozy fall read for me. I really loved how much growth and character development was written in for Jolie and Lucas. This a book about two people who didn’t have the best or easiest lot in life but decided to not let it hold them back but instead to thrive. I love a small town romance and throw in a slow burn and *swoon* I really enjoyed this book and would recommend.

Thank you to Melanie Jacobson for the book to review. All opinions are my own.

When Jolie Shaw's life falls apart, she retreats back to her hometown. But she's not the quiet and shy girl that left all those years ago. She intends to make her presence known by renovating the old dive bar. But when some locals cause a scene at the bar's opening, the sheriff has to intervene. And Jolie is shocked to find that it's former bad boy Lucas Cole. As the high school versions of each other are replaced with the reality of who they have each become, sparks fly. But with Lucas being the guardian of his niece, they have more than just each other to consider.
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Melanie Jacobson is cementing herself in my upper echelon of sweet rom com writers. I really enjoyed this sweet love story. But it's more than just a love story. Jolie is on a journey of self discover and having to contend with who she was and who she wants to be. Jacobson reminds me of Katherine Center in that regard. She allows her characters to have room to grow and develop.

I also appreciate that these characters aren't typical rom com middle class characters. They both grew up in poverty. And I appreciate how they have to contend with that part of their past as they confront their futures.

Lastly, there is much bookish and library love found within these pages. I appreciate how books and libraries represent healthy escapes as well as connection points.
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This is a closed door romance.

There is a bonus scene available by joining the author's newsletter. Make sure and check that out!

The formatting of this book made it hard for me to read. I will need to seek out a final copy and give this one another shot. The cover though it super awesome!!!

This was adorable! I really enjoyed the town and its realistic problems. Dysfunctional childhoods, mean girls and social media nightmares. All stuff Ive experienced. I identified with Jolie and how she grew up (except for the great job she had in Illinois).
This was a slow burn romance that was kinda enemies to lovers. Enemies being to strong a word. But I enjoyed watching them fall. And the kisses! **Sigh** The story was a clean romantic atmosphere and I loved the ending. The game nights were a blast. I recommend it.
High 4⭐️
Thanks Four Petal Press via NetGalley.

If you're in the mood for a small town, cozy story, then this is one you won't want to miss. It is the second book in the Sweater Weather series and was an absolute delight to read. I didn't read the first book of the series, but that had no bearing on this one, which can easily be read as a standalone. This sweet, enemies to more story with a single dad was filled with heartfelt and lovely moments that will just melt your heart. Back in high school, Lucas was the troubled boy who struggled in school and Jolie was the one who had to tutor him. Jolie also had her share of challenges growing up. Though she excelled at school, she grew up with a drunk father and very little money, and was bullied by the more well-off girls. Lucas changed his life around and has become the town sheriff. Jolie is also successful now, and she decides to come back to town to purchase and remodel a bar and to prove to everyone that she's made it. Lucas is attracted to Jolie, but she has put up walls around her heart and won't let him in. When she is accused of a ridiculous crime by one of the mean girls that bullied her back in high school, she works together with Lucas to clear her name. Lucas regrets the way he treated her in high school and is patient with her and gives her the space she needs, and as they spend more time together, her walls start to slowly come down.
I enjoyed seeing their relationship and their trust for each other grow. I also liked seeing Jolie try to give Brooklyn the support she needed. All in all, this was a very heartwarming and charming story and I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The Fall Back Plan by Melanie Jacobson

I've been looking forward to this series. I like the setting in the small town of Harvest Hollow, with its unique vibe and atmosphere. I couldn't relate to Jolie especially the first half of the book. I'm glad though that she realized her mistakes and changed her heart. I am not a fan of her business and the things it can do to people. but I appreciated that her revenge plan didn't work out. It wasn't a good plan anyway.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Sheriff Lucas and Jolie. It was clear that she genuinely cared for his daughter.
The mystery aspect of the story was strange at first but I am glad it turned out well.

Overall, this was a sweet small town romance. This can be read as a standalone as this was my first to read in the series. I can't wait to read the rest.

Thank you #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Series: Sweater Weather