My second Sweater Weather read and I am now going back to read the ones Ive missed!

Jolie and Lucas journey is not easy but watch them go through it until they finally fell in love with each other is such an amazing experience i have while reading this book.

This story is so sweet, tender, and adorable. i catch myself smiling, giggling even laughing because there are some laugh out loud moments, but i also sniffing and crying because of some difficult topics that mentioned in this books especially about the characters difficult childhood times.

I will keep reading the Sweater Weather series because I like the concept and I love the town. I wish there was more overlap from the characters in other books though! I really wanted to like the uncle/niece storyline, but the characters were kind of one dimensional to me.

FYI This little rom-com covers huge topics : alcohol addiction, parent incarceration, child abuse, neglect and bullying.

✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Single dad
✔️ Found family
✔️ Small town
✔️ slow burn 🔥


I really enjoyed this cute story. Jollie McGraw returns to Harvest Hollow with a plan. After being jilted by her long term boyfriend she is dead set on returning home. She opens the Tequila Mockingbird. Little did she expect to run into her nemesis Lucas on arrival to the town. What surprises her more is that he is the sheriff.

This is a fun story of enemies that learn they have more in common than they realize. They bond over his niece Brooklyn and mishaps surrounding Jolie and her bar.

There is no steam so if that’s your jam you may not like. I would rate this as no steam. If you want a fun read about a small town sheriff and his love interest this is the one for you.

I loved this book so much! The main characters are cinnamon rolls and the story is so much fun! Perfect book for the cozy season!! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!
Highly recommend if you like cosy romance, fall vibes and cute stories!

The Fall Back Plan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Melanie Jacobson

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Melanie Jacobson and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: I’m back in Harvest Hollow after ten years to prove a point and to even a few scores. I’ve opened a new bar, and anyone expecting the old sweet and shy Jolie McGraw to be running it is in for a shock. I’m not the only one who’s changed: when the sheriff comes to tell me I’m the prime suspect in the most ridiculous crime in town history, it’s none other than Lucas Cole, the former star of my teenage stress dreams, wearing the badge. Seriously? The smack-talking punk I was forced to tutor in math is now one of the town’s most upstanding citizens? This isn’t what I had in mind for turning the tables on my former tormentors. I blow him off…until I meet the niece he’s raising. I see so much of my younger self in her. But when I agree to help when she needs a woman in her life, Lucas uses it as a chance to build a case that he’s the man I need in mine. That’s a hard no. No to love. No to Lucas. But when Harvest Hollow’s nosiest forces combine to push us together, I’m not sure my heart stands a chance.

My Thoughts: This is book no. two in the Sweater Weather series. I am enjoying this series thus far. Jolie McGraw left Harvest Hollow years ago to “make something of herself.” After working in the financial market for several years and then suffering a heartbreaking breakup, she moves back and buys the bar, and runs into her teenage nemesis. Jolie had to tutor Lucas Cole and he was uncooperative and rude towards her. Now Lucas is the sheriff and one of the town’s most upstanding citizens. Jolie meets Lucas’s niece and knows she needs to be there for her and Lucas uses this as an opportunity to get closer to Jolie, to break through the tough wall she has built to protect her heart. This follows the tropes of enemies to lovers, small town, town meddling, and single dad.

The story is narrated in a dual narration by Jolie and Lucas, in their respective perspectives. Jolie is tough, has built a wall around her heart, and is only interested in revenge of her former tormentors; however, if you can get through the wall, she has a soft center. Lucas has turned his life around and focused on helping his niece, whose father is in prison; he is independent and focused, while carrying compassion for others. The characters were developed well with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and intriguing. The supporting characters were amazing. The author’s writing style was complex, clean, humorous, fun, swoon-perfect, creative, and brilliant, especially for adding in the mystery subplot. I loved the slow burn romance that develops between Jolie and Lucas, it is sweet, endearing, and just heartwarming.

I love everything about this series. The second book, by a different author is just as good as the first one. These are feel good closed door romance novels, it always lightens my mood after reading a few chapters. I recommend this whole series, a new book being published every Thursday until all 7 are published. I would love to have seen more between Jolie and Brooklyn develop. However, still a wonderful book that I throughly enjoyed. I would highly recommend.

loved this book makes you feel like your in fall and you get to experience a fun small town and all it has to offer

4.5 Stars ⭐️

I absolutely loved Jolie and Cole’s enemies to lovers, small town romance! This book was super adorable in every way and had me hooked from the very first page. There was something incredibly sweet and special about both main characters and watching them rediscover each other and themselves while falling in love made this the enjoyable read that it is! I’m giving 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡 the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!

This book was like a breath of fresh air. It was a cute feel good romance that had a lot of substance to it. With the fall cover and title, I do wish it would have had more of a fall feel overall. I will definitely read more from this author and from this series.

What a cute and easy to read fall book! I was definitely in the mood for a fall read and this book did not disappoint. I loved it and I know my patrons will love it as well!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Four Petal Press and the author Melanie Jacobson for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4,5⭐️ book

Read if you like:

🍁Small town romance,
🍁Enemies to lovers,
🍁He falls first,
🍁Single dad (guardian),
🍁Found family,
🍁Closed door romance.

The author created genuine and complex characters who discover themselves throught the book. They both turned their lives around. I really enjoyed witnessing their process of healing.
I loved both Jolie and Lucas and their flirty banter.
A small town setting and autum vibes made me feel cosy and happy. It was such a delightful and heartwarming escape from reality.
A romance book with a bit of mystery which i recommend to everyone.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this small-town romance a lot. It was the perfect Fall book to read!

Coming back to the small town full of bullies to show them that you have made it is always a great idea right!?! What if the biggest bully of all is no longer a bully, but the sexy sheriff in town and you have to make nice to keep things going smoothly in the bar that you now own? Cue, the mean girls, because there are always mean girls who grow up into mean women and as a former small-town girl, I can attest that it is indeed a fact! Great banter, wonderful angst and a sweet romance blooming makes this book a fun read! I am excited to find that this book is from a collection, but rather than a typical series this series has each book written by a different author. I can't wait to check the rest of the series out, but I will also be looking for more books from this author. Her writing is fun to read while being realistic. The happily ever after is just the bonus that you want in a sweet romance, but never fear for those that need a bit more meat than just a sweet love story, there is also a mystery to be solved so grab the book, cuddle in and enjoy!

Jolie is back in Harvest Hollow and she’s got something to prove-both to herself and to the townspeople. She wasn’t expecting the boy she tutored to be the local sheriff. And he’s guardian to his niece who reminds Jolie of herself at that age.

I loved Lucas and Jolie- they had similar hardships growing up and watching them connect as adults was precious. Jolie especially- it was like watching her bloom as she allowed herself to connect and be comfortable with new and old friends and be comfortable with herself. This was definitely a slow burn and totally worth it.

Thanks to the author for a copy. All opinions are my own.

review date: 17/09/’23

3.5

The Fall Back Plan surprised me because more than a romance I seem to have read a story of a woman looking for a rematch (I'm sorry but at the moment is the only word that fits what I wanted to say) against the people of her past. If on the one hand, I'm happy to have found this feature that distinguishes it from other stories set in a small town, on the other the romantic side, enemies to lovers, is not perceived. Not because the two protagonists did not get closer but because there will be a focus on Jolie. Since it’s something new that I haven’t found yet in other novels I can’t say I didn’t mind reading it, but since the book had interested me because it presented an enemies to lovers I found that this trope has suffered. I mean, they don’t hate each other or have a history so bad that they can say they’re enemies and you can see from reading that it’s only Jolie who resents Lucas while the latter is only surprised to see her again.

The love story is nice but as I wrote before it seems to me that it was set aside a bit to give space to the protagonist. I didn't really perceive the chemistry between the two characters despite the story's beginning having started well. Although Jolie and Lucas eventually got closer for various reasons I found their chemistry a bit flat. It seemed more like two strangers were meeting for the first time and so they were a bit "rigid". It is as if the spark to unite them was not there. I know it presented itself as a slow burn but from what I found I sensed just a little of it.

It certainly touches delicate topics and the author has been able to present a protagonist who despite the difficulties she has had in life doesn't give up and continues to demonstrate her strength, but for the romantic aspect, it didn’t tell me much. Despite all this, I can say it was a nice read, in some parts even cute, but not as fantastic as I expected.


Thanks to NetGalley and Four Petal Press for allowing me to read the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book was one of my favorites. It starts out with a bang and never slows down all the way through. What’s better than a clean romance with a different setting, great characters and laugh out loud humor?

Loved this book! A small town, (in Harvest Hollow), enemies to lovers romance set in fall is just what I needed. I loved the witty banter between the two main characters. I especially enjoyed Jolie's confrontation with her former high school bully. That was top notch!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Troupes:
- Small Town
- Enemies to Lovers
- Single Dad


Jolie returns to Harvet Hollow 10 years post high school, where she buys and renovates the local bar. When the sheriff comes to handle a situation during opening night, it's none other than Lucas, the hateful boy she used to tutor, and he's not so rude anymore. Jolie isn't ready to let her guard down, but she's starting to soften as she helps Lucas raise his niece by becoming a female role model in her life.

I thought this was okay. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't really like it either. I liked the writing style, and the modern-day references made it so easy to relate to, but some phrases used were pretty cheesy and awkward.

I did have a love/hate relationship with Jolie. On one hand, I loved the way she related to and treated Brooklyn, but on the other hand, I was annoyed with her immaturity of how she clung to high school. High school was mentioned so many times that I really felt annoyed. We get it, Jolie didn't like Lucas in high school. There were other parts of the story where I felt Jolie had some narcissistic behavior when it came to confrontation with others.

I also found it weird that Jolie bought the same bar that her father frequented. It didn't make sense to me that she would even want to own a bar after she had such a difficult childhood due to the effects of an alcoholic father. The term "doll bandit" also got under my skin. A bandit is a robber, not someone who leaves something. The misuse of this really bothered me.

I did enjoy the romance and thought it was sweet, but it was a little insta-lovey. There really wasn't a lot of romance until the last 10% of the book, and then it was very fast-paced. I thought Lucas was an all-around good guy. Besides Brooklyn, he was one of my favorite characters.The mystery subplot did take me by surprise as I did not see the "culprit" coming. I totally had it pegged as someone else.

Overall, this fell flat for me. I dont think I have any desire to read anymore in this series. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy for review.

Jolie and Lucas have some bad blood from high school. Jolie's only back in her hometown for revenge - both on her ex's awful family and all those people who looked down on her when she lived here. She's surprised to see the former slacker/bad boy as the town sheriff and even more surprised that he's trying to make up for how awful he was to her when they were in school. The fact that he's caring for his niece does things to Jolie's heart she tries to ignore. When she's accused of being the Doll Bandit, she must work with her former nemesis to clear her name and save her fledgling bar.

It was a very cute romcom with fall and small town vibes.

Thank you to Melanie Jacobson and Four Petal Press for this ARC.

The Fall Back Plan is a cute, cosy, autumnal read with a mystery. It has a good storyline and enjoyable characters with no spice.

Another super cute book in the Sweater Weather series. I love that these are quick fall reads! Even though they aren’t connected, I am loving the setting of Harvest Hollow and how some characters made an appearance in each book!

I think Jolie and Lucas are adorable. Jolie as a returning resident of the quaint little town and Lucas the sheriff. Their past may have been rocky but they make up for it all because of the best 10 year old, Brooklyn! The mystery of the Doll Bandit with a resolution that actually means something. Another closed door, small town romance.

So cute! I’m absolutely loving the Sweater Weather series!

This one started out a little slow for me, but about a quarter of the way in, I was sold! I loved the mystery portion of this book and I definitely laughed out loud a few times.

Overall, a quick and enjoyable read!

*I was given an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*