You know you are in revered company the moment you open anything written by Jill Shalvis. Truly in a class of her own and her fans kvell over books filled to the rim with incomparable characters and dialog. Case in point, THE BACKUP PLAN. Jill Shalvis is part of romantic, soul-searching comedy royalty. Always with an element of drama, after all, true life just drips with it. We are all a product of our pasts as reminded by Jill Shalvis through every work, phrase, and page. How we adapt is the magical undertone. Welcome to THE BACKUP PLAN certainly one of Jill Shalvis’ best, and believe me that’s saying a lot.
THE BACKUP PLAN is a sort of reunion, planned or designed by one rather grumpy old woman Eleanor. Eleanor as gruff as they come cared more for her inn and dogs then people, or so it seemed on the surface. Now as three people come together to follow her last wishes we see that they face a shared past with Eleanor and each other. For the next month they must work together getting the inn back into shape – surely a metaphor or their lives. The three, Lauren, Alice, and Knox, have very different memories of Eleanor. All are present for very different reasons. And chapter by chapter we learn so much about all four of these characters.
Lauren, Alice, and Knox draw up a set of rules, dos, and don’ts, designed to avoid any lingering closeness. Keep them on the straight and narrow. Their past relationship is fraught with many unspoken, unresolved issues. They all exhibit strong emotions but not necessarily stable ones. Their lives have not been easy, but in each Eleanor has had a role, albeit in some cases behind the scenes.
Eleanor leaves more than just her inn. She also provides a map of sorts that will hopefully help these three people understand their relationship with her. Eleanor was a very complex person. What people saw was a far cry from how she felt inside. And Jill Shalvis is going to provide a very interesting look into what made Eleanor tick.
Along the way we will also see if there is a way forward for the three facing Eleanor’s challenge. Lauren facing her confidence issues, become more adventurous. Taking chances is not part of her usual repertoire. Alice needs to smooth out her rough angles. Being soft is not a rebuke of strength. And Knox needs to build a relationship based on trust.
Everyone, it seems, needs a backup plan in life. Eleanor winds up providing just that for the three people she held dear in her heart, even though they, for the most part, didn’t see that.
Jill Shalvis created a tremendously joyous reunion story in THE BACKUP PLAN. We all leave people behind as our lives travel diverse paths. Jill Shalvis gets down to the nitty gritty of the importance of those left behind. Relationships are complicated but enormously important. Jill Shalvis reminds us why family and friends are a priceless commodity even when immensely flawed. There are no flaws in anything written by Jill Shalvis, although her pen creates folks with interesting quirks.

It’s no secret that I love a Jill Shalvis novel any time. The Backup Plan really goes above and beyond. Delivering that small town charm with an Inn renovation, rekindling friendships, and finding love.

Sign me up. Knox is probably the greatest guy ever and I’m highly upset he’s fictional. He rescued a dog, doesn’t push, is extremely sweet to Alice and so patient with her. He knew what he wanted but was content to wait for her to catch up. Perfection. Not to say he isn’t flawed, he is. That’s what makes him realistic and that’s why I love a Shalvis novel. I feel her characters always come across well rounded and relatable.

I love books that have any type of home or inn renovation due to an inheritance of some long lost relative/friend. The Backup Plan takes it a step further and has the late Eleanor masterminding a whole plan from the grave. I cannot say enough about this book. I absolutely loved it. Once again, Shalvis gives us a cute romance that also feels very authentic and real.

ARC: The Back Up Plan
By Jill Shalvis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I want to thank Avon and Harper Voyager for kindly sending me this advance reader copy via NetGalley.

When Alice receives a call about an unexpected windfall, she’s stunned to learn the gift is a falling-apart-at-the-seams old wild west B&B she once considered home—and she’s inherited it along with two strangers. Except they weren’t always strangers. Once upon a time, they were friends. One is her ex-BFF Lauren. The other is Knox, the only guy to ever break her heart, all while never even knowing she existed.
It turns out their lives are unknowingly entangled because they once separately helped the same woman without expecting anything in return. Years later, Alice, Lauren and Knox are broken in their own way, with their own history—and secrets— causing them to start out on the wrong foot with each other. But according to the will, they must renovate and be partners in the inn for one year or else lose their inheritance.
Stuck together, they make a list of rules to keep the peace—rules that end up doing the opposite, but by some miracle they find what they didn’t even know they were looking for—acceptance, true friendship, and in a case (or two!), true love.

I will start off by saying that Jill is one of my favorite authors, I’d probably read just about anything if she wrote it. She has a gift in the way she writes she draws you in and makes you feel apart of the story. Her books are my comfort reads, if I’m having a tough day, feeling burnt out or stressed I know I can pick up anyone of her books to bring me out of it. This is an adorable story set in Sunrise Cove my favorite character by far is Knox, he’s just a good human and we need more people like him. If your a fan of Jill’s or just a fan of romance you will not be disappointed with this newest release!

4.75 stars

Alice, Lauren, and Knox are surprisingly left an inheritance of The Last Chance Inn, an old wild west B & B. Alice used to live there along with her father and her brother, Will. Knox did odd jobs there as a teen and his mother was the housekeeper. Lauren was the grandniece of Eleanor, who left them the inn. Her father had a falling out with Eleanor and Lauren never got to know her great-aunt. The three also had a past history with each other. Lauren and Alice were once best friends. After the death of Will, who was also Lauren's boyfriend, they stopped talking to each other once Alice left the area. Alice had a secret crush on Knox as a teen and she was unsure if those feeling were still lying dormant in her heart. Before she died, Eleanor made a plan to reopen the inn in a month's time and had spoken to a management company about taking over the running of the inn.



Even though they didn't necessarily want to be back at a place that brought back mixed memories, the trio decided to work together to get the inn back into shape for the reopening. Afterward, they would decide what to do about the property going forward.

I loved this story. Jill Shalvis writes characters that are full of emotion and this was no exception. Each character's actions were true to what they believed. I loved the banter they had with each other over how to proceed with the renovations. They used a wall in the inn to write rules for each other and to do lists. I laughed at some of the items they put on the lists. At one point, Lauren was given some of the Eleanor's belongings and they discovered some draft emails on the iPad that was part of effects. They read the emails and Eleanor's written words gave them some insight into past events. That insight was often the catalyst in seeing things from a different viewpoint. Overall, this book is a winner..

I was received an e-ARC for The Backup Plan and want to thank Jill Shalvis, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book.

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.