Sweet story about coming back home and dealing with old friends, hurt feelings, and old ghosts.

Alice and Lauren, best friends in high school, but estranged since Alice's brother died, and Knox, another friend, inherit an old inn. They have a month to renovate it, and decide if they want to sell it. During that time, old wounds are opened and new feelings are explored. Can they all forgive each other, and themselves?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you Jill Shalvis, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Backup Plan comes out January 17, 2023!!

The Backup Plan is an incredibly cute novel about coming back to a place and people you thought didn't have a place for you and in fact finding the home you thought you lost and the friends that end up becoming family. This novel was unique in the fact that you have three main characters, Knox, Lauren and Alice. Once the best of friends Lauren and Alice have barely spoken to one another after a tragic accident. Knox left home after a rough childhood and the passing of his mother. All three of them didn't think that they would be in the same room as each other let alone owning equal parts of a bed and breakfast. While renovating the inn the three start to face their pasts and learn that maybe them coming back together was meant to be (I want to be clear this is not a throuple situation (absolutely no judgment ) but two of them do start a romance while the other has an outside romance develop.)

This book was so incredibly cute and was very easy to read, the perfect book for the winter when you want to cozy up with a blanket and a warm cup of anything. All the characters were messy and real in their own way, and all of them had to work through their pasts. I have been a long time Jill Shalvis reader and this one has become a new favorite. This book just gave me such a warm and fuzzy feeling while reading it. If you are looking for the perfect book while being snowed in I highly recommend The Backup Plan.

Years ago in high school they were friends, but now they’re basically 3 strangers who’ve just inherited a broken down ranch resort near Lake Tahoe. Alice, Lauren and Knox each spent their childhood there, and all have the scars to prove it. Will they be able to let go of their personal pain and make a success of their new venture? They only have a month’s time.

Another great romance full of emotion from Jill Shalvis. Number 3 in a series, but you don’t have to read the first two to know what’s going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much. This author never disappoints. The characters were wonderful and I loved how we were able to get all of their POVs throughout this book.

Jill Shalvis is like the comfort food of romance authors for me. There's not a whole lot of surprise or angst, but her books are guaranteed to have emotion and humor and leave you with warm fuzzies.
Lauren, Alice and Knox are left with a shared inheritance... a run down, used to be famous inn. Eleanor, the woman who left it to them, had a grand scheme to bring these three together. When they first arrive at the inn to discuss it, Alice has one foot out the door. She practically begs one of them to buy her out. Being back home and facing a lot of painful memories is not her cup of tea and she wants to be gone - like yesterday.
Lauren is baffled as to why she's included in the inheritance. Even though Eleanor was her great aunt, she never had a relationship with her and only ever heard bad things about her from her father.
Knox basically grew up at the inn. His mother was the housekeeper there. She was also an alcoholic. Eleanor took him under her wing and taught him a lot of life's lessons that he couldn't learn from his mother.
Tragedy had struck the lives of all three, and none of them knew how to move on from it. This book follows the three of them as they fix up the inn to either reopen or sell, and they navigate the bumpy roads of friendship and love.
I really, really liked the characters in this book. I'm a sucker for grumpy/sunshine, and that Alice was the grump was a nice twist. Knox was such a good guy he was almost too vanilla for me. Almost. He had a strong, sexy side that came out at the exact right moments.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because the storyline with Lauren/Alice, the history with Alice's brother and Knox's mother.... those all took center stage and the romance between Alice and Knox was in the backseat. This book was more of a chick lit/family drama with romance, instead of a straight up romance.

alice, Lauren, and Knox are left a bed and breakfast called the last chance inn. sweet story of family. I love a book by Jill Shalvis.

This latest entry in the Sunrise Cove series by Jill Shalvis is a stand-alone novel. What I enjoy most about reading a novel by Shalvis is that her characters are flawed but ordinary people. They are people most readers can easily identify with because we can see parts of ourselves in each of the characters. As a result, for me, I am immediately drawn into the characters and the story. In this case, we have three people who have inherited an old inn and must come together for one month to get it up and running or they will forfeit their inheritance. And while none of the three admit it, they all have something to learn from the woman who left the property to them. All three characters need to face their past before they can ever move forward. Filled with her trademark humor, this was a book I just didn’t want to put down, just the way I've found so many of her other books!

Reading a book by this author is like coming home to a cozy nook, blanket and bliss. You immediately snuggle in and enjoy the ride. She is a guarantee to make you laugh out loud and sigh often. Just the perfect blend of humor, at times snark and love. And not just a HEA but family and friendship love that warms you right up.

She is always a must read for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lauren, Alice and Knox along with a dog named Pickle all find themselves summoned back to Sunrise Cove to fulfill the wishes of family matriarch Eleanor. Each of these have to overcome a whole lot of personal baggage and face the demons of their youth all while restoring the property. There are many heart felt moments and each character shows amazing personal growth. It takes once month of hard work and courage for each of these to find a forever love. Great read!

ARC provided by NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for honest review.

This is the 3rd book in the series. Overall it's an okay read with some silliness between the main characters where they crate a list of rules such as no crying ... Jill Shalvis is a great author but I felt lt down by this book. You've got three main characters who all come together after Elanor impacted all three of their lives.


This book was a 2.75 stars.

**************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.***************************************************

I really do love Jill Shalvis. I had such a great time reading this book. The characters, Alex, Lauren, and Knox, were super lovable and I loved their alternating perspectives. I'm a librarian, so some of Lauren's story line made me literally LOL (peace and quiet? in a public library in this decade?? I don't think so. A livable wage? Enough to afford an apartment alone? Also no.) but I still loved her side love story. Thanks to Jill Shalvis for once again lifting me up out of a reading slump.

A truly engaging story about the family we make, the family we are born into and love in all it's forms. Great characters, fabulous dialogue. Jill Shalvis just knows how to create people.
I loved it

A fun rom-com read. Typical for this author which is not a negative thing at all. A pleasant read, like drinking a hot cocoa.

A quick read that's just lots of fun.. This book takes the reader back to Sunrise Cove when three learn that they have inherited an old Wild West Inn. The Inn was the site for a TV series, but has fallen into disrepair. Alice practically grew up in the in. Lauren was once her best friend but they had a serious falling out and haven't spoken or seen each other in ages. The third person is Knox, the only man to break her heart. What a combination! Stuck together they come up with a list of rules to keep the peace. but can they stick to the rules?

The Backup Plan is a lovely read by Jill Shalvis. I love her writing for a fun, smooth read that never disappoints. I haven't read any of the other novels in the Sunrise Cove series, so this works very well as a stand alone. The Backup Plan brings three estranged people together to find they have received a property inheritance. They are now faced with the challenge of bringing a Inn from Old TV Westerns fame back up to snuff or to run in the other direction. The characters are so lovable and broken in ways you just want to scoop them up. They physical comedy is so quick and funny. Highly recommend!

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!