"The Backup Plan" by Jill Shalvis is a heartwarming contemporary romance that will warm readers' hearts with its charming characters and sweet romance, offering a feel-good read that leaves a smile on their faces.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #AvonandHarperVoyager #JillShalvis #TheBackupPlan

Title: The Back up Plan
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Themes: Friendship, small town, true love, family, romance,
Trigger Warnings: alcoholism, best friend drama, family drama

This is the first time I’ve ever read a book by Jill Shalvis. I’m not normally one for the romantic comedy but I’m a sucker for a dog story. This book has both!
Alice receives a call about an inheritance of a Bed and Breakfast back in her hometown of Sunrise Cove near Lake Tahoe. For extra fun, her old crush and ex-friend have also inherited the falling down inn as well. They can’t sell until the three of them have owned and renovated it for one year. That shouldn’t be too hard right?
This is the third in Ms. Shalvis’ series called Sunrise Cove. It was a light and fun read, very typical of this type of story. Not that there’s anything wrong with that at all. The thing I loved about this book is Pickle, the dog. He’s endearing and enjoyable and monopolizes every scene. He was my favorite part. The character development is good and the characters are mostly likable. Ms. Shalvis is a good writer.
Not much to criticize here, but not much stands out either. I wouldn’t mind reading the other books in the series. Not a huge priority but I’ll get to it.
All in all, I enjoyed this book but it seems much the same as many others of this type.

Loved it! Okay I am a Jill Shalvis fan dating back years, BUT I wasn’t swayed by that. I laughed. I found I could relate characters to individuals I knew, even myself. Pick it up and pass it on to friends.

The Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis is the third book in the Sunrise Cove series- and has quite a concept! The story follows three main characters - Alice, Knox, and Lauren. Essentially, Alice, Lauren and Knox were bequeathed an old Wild West Inn that apparently was on a tv show. They all knew each other in the past -- Alice and Lauren used to be best friends. However, in the present they just are not in each other's lives for various reasons. And so, they work together renovating the inn to re-open it or sell it and consequently get to know each other. Turns out, they haven't exactly lived easy lives over the years and the inn may be just what they all need to heal.

Overall, I thought that The Backup Plan was quite a relaxing sort of read. Listening to it didn't stress me out which is something that I like and prefer sometimes. The characters are good people who maybe made some mistakes. I also liked that they had these house rules so living together at the inn was manageable and they didn't kill each other, haha. Also, Knox and Alice had nice chemistry and their pairing for sure made sense. The only sort of issue I had was that I sometimes confused Lauren and Alice while listening to the audiobook. FYI, the audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt and is 9 hours and 14 minutes long. I for sure recommend picking this one up if you are stressed and need something to relax you. Also, bonus, it is available on Hoopla.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

When Jill Shalvis publishes a new book, I’m all “Take my money!”

I loved her Wildstone series and am finding this new series to be entertaining as well.

What I liked:

The cover! I love Jill’s covers.

The dynamic between Alice, Lauren and Knox. They have all been hurt.They have all been helped. They have made mistakes and took some roads that have led to different places. But I loved them SO much!

The ending. So sweet.



Bottom line: I love Sunrise Cove series almost as much as I love Wildstone series (and that is saying something!)



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

I really enjoyed this title. I liked how the books discussed past traumas and learning to let go for a better future.

Alice had received a call about an inheritance and she made it back to Sunrise Cove and to the place where she grew up. She also remembers the ranch at one time having a storied history of a T.V. show that was filmed there. Now looking at the place she cannot imagine the condition of the place and the work that must go into fixing the place. She also finds out that two other people are co-owner Lauren who was a friend who Alice had stopped talking to and Knox who broke her though he does not know it. This turns out to be a much better book than I thought it might and though it takes a while for Alice to get out of all of her grief and everything else she has at times has some funny moments. The three of them begin to work at restoring the place and restoring themselves as well for each are at the place for a reason when they find a dairy which adds to this story. Good characters are full of emotion A very good book.

I did not have time to read this book before the publish date. I am sure this book will be enjoyed by many readers as Jill Shalvis is a great writer

Another heartwarming story of rekindled friendships and found families from Jill Shalvis!

When Alice, Lauren, and Knox each inherit a third of the rundown B&B the Lauren's estranged great aunt owned and at which Alice and Knox worked once upon a time, they grudgingly agree to work together just long enough to get it back in operational shape. What follows is a trademark Shalvis novel: quirky characters, genuine relationships, fun banter, stellar junk food appreciation, and of course, at least one steamy romance. Like the author's other recent books, this one is definitely more in the vein of "women's fiction" than contemporary romance.

Though the story is told fairly equally from the POVs of the three main characters, it somehow felt like we get to know Alice and Lauren a bit more fully than we do Knox. Don't get me wrong, I loved him just as much as I did the girls, but it didn't seem like we quite got to understand as much of his life before as we did with Lauren and Alice. Maybe this is because the two of them had more of a shared history? The bulk of the chapters started out with either some of the trio's shared lists ("to do," "need," and "the ground rules"), which were a lot of fun, or unsent emails from the deceased woman's iPad, which worked for exposition but sometimes felt a bit clunky. Still, they did their job to keep Eleanor's spirit alive for the characters and the reader.

My only real complaint is that I would have liked to have seen more of Lauren and her new beau on the page. Though overall I do enjoy the direction Ms Shalvis has taken her writing, her focus is definitely more on relationships and less on the romance, and I do rather miss her straight up contemporary romances.

Like the other titles in the series, The Backup Plan works as a standalone, as geography is really the only thing that links the series books. That said, they're all the best kinds of comfort reads, so I'd recommend reading them all :)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I always enjoy Jill shavis, and this book was no different. She's one of my favorite romance writers.
Excellent read, I really enjoyed it.

A great continuation of this series. The characters, the setting, it all just works. If you like small town romance and family stories then this is for you. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Jill Shalvis is an auto-buy/read author for me, and while that status is safe - I have to admit that The Backup Plan just didn’t hit the same spot her books usually do for me. It reminded me a bit of The Summer Deal but without the same depth. Don’t get me wrong - I really enjoyed the book. But it seemed a bit rushed or shallow. I didn’t fully buy into the chemistry between Alice and Knox and I needed more exploration into Lauren’s history with her dad and Eleanor.

The Backup Plan is the story of three people whose lives are intertwined around an Inn and former TV show set. When the owner dies, all three inherit the inn and try to decide what to do with it while also repairing relationships along the way. The book was hard for me to get into and follow at the beginning, i could not figure out the relationship between Alice and Lauren and why they were fighting for the longest time. I liked the characters but I wish that more attention was put on Knox, it seemed so heavily Alice focused that we didnt get enough backstory for him and POV. It had a satisfying ending and I liked the epilogue.

This one wasn't my favorite Jill Shalvis book, but it was a solid addition. I love stories of friendship and working things out and becoming better friends. I also like the romance that this story includes between old friends. I think that the hardest part for me was it didn't grip me right away, I had to keep reading to really invest in the characters. It took about a quarter of the book before I could get there. Usually Shalvis gets me right away.

That being said, this had everything I like. Friendships, romance, a great setting and an unusual storyline.

“Find you someone who loves you more than pizza.”

I think that line from the book sums everything up- everything- the book, love, and life in general.

What a fantastic book with banter, whit, and deep emotions.

Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite authors and I'm honored to have been able to read this one early. Jill Shalvis knows exactly how to emotionally charge characters and put them in situations you're crying for and cheering for all at the same time. I cried and laughed in this book and I am going to reread this series again soon! A keeper for sure!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alice’s learns that she inherits a Bed and Breakfast and shocked to find out she has to run it with two others. Lauren, Her best friend who she hasn’t spoken to since Alice’s fiancé (and her best friends brother) died in a car accident and Alice left town. Knox, a man she had a crush on as a teen while he was working at the Inn.

This book has it all. A standoffish woman trying to figure out who she is and a man who’s willing to stand by her while she figured it out (and is the perfect balance for her). Two women who have a deep connection and finally find their way back to their friendship. An old house that needs to be fixed up and by doing so, heals all three of them in the process.

Thanks to Avon for the arc!

Life got a bit crazy for me in January, so I didn’t get to this one before it published, and then I accidentally didn’t write the review for over a month. Silly me. Anyway. As always with Jill Shalvis, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was funny, cute, heartwarming, wonderful, delightful. I loved the characters, her characters always seem so real, issues and all. I like that there is always a bit more than just your standard romance (not that I don’t enjoy those all the time as well). I liked the relationship between Alice and Lauren. Knox was…. Fire emoji. As always, I need more Jill Shalvis in my life. I always know her books will give me that good happy book feeling.

I have read Jill Shalvis for years. In this book she really brought the emotions with characters that struggled to overcome the grief of the past. Really a book of finding yourself, healing and friendship in the most unlikely of circumstances. The one thing is that while the book and back stories were good, the romance lacked. Honestly the best character in this book was Pickle, the dog! So sweet and loving. Clearly a character and not just a pet in this book.
This book had a good pacing until the end and then it was like super rushed which annoyed me. We needed more build up for the romances before an epilogue where it’s like boom we’re all married and having babies.

Three old childhood friends -- now frenemies -- unexpectedly inherit an historic inn out West. The will's stipulation is that the three must work together to renovate the inn for at least one year, or they will forfeit the property. It's in bad shape, but the relationships among the three old friends are in even worse shape, so they have a big challenge ahead. Heartfelt romance, second chances, forgiveness -- all beautifully realized themes in this story, which although part of a series, definitely stands on its own for readers.