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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
When Thads career in Baseball doesn’t work out he enacts his backup plan which is to be a sports agent at Kings Sports .When he has to baby sit Kelley Afton he’s not happy as he considers Kelley a attention seeking diva but he can’t be more wrong and hates he labelled him before he had a chance to get to know him.
Fabulous start to this new world with familiar faces from previous books I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes us.
Fabulous start to this new world with familiar faces from previous books I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes us.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I dunno if i’ve said this enough but Eden Finley is my go to feel good, fall in love author, If I’m in a reading slump, need a pick me up or just finished a book that destroyed my soul, Eden Finley can make it all better, and the fact that I’m so attached and only discovered her this year is not lost on me.
Now that I’ve gushed all my feels about this Author let talk about THE BACK UP PLAN !!! It was exactly what I would expect from Eden. We are back in Kings Sporting world and I loved every moment.
Thad is such a Bitter Bitch and dealing with the end of his dream and trying to find purpose again, and poor Kelley is the Anxiaty riddle ( I can totally related) superstar trying to find his footing and let me tell you when these too connect I was all like YES PLEASE !!!
Now that I’ve gushed all my feels about this Author let talk about THE BACK UP PLAN !!! It was exactly what I would expect from Eden. We are back in Kings Sporting world and I loved every moment.
Thad is such a Bitter Bitch and dealing with the end of his dream and trying to find purpose again, and poor Kelley is the Anxiaty riddle ( I can totally related) superstar trying to find his footing and let me tell you when these too connect I was all like YES PLEASE !!!
The chemistry and giddy feeling between Thad and Kelley made me squeal. And I can’t wait to see them pop up some more in future books
I’m so excited for this series main reason is because I love Damon and Maddox and seeing them is always a delight.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When his dream of playing pro baseball falls short, Thad reluctantly shifts to his back up plan of interning as a sports agent. He's barely making ends meet, and resents people who have the things he wants so badly. People like Kelley, who has an excess of talent and the high paycheque that comes with a pro career. It's dislike at first sight for Thad, who can't get over his feelings about Kelley being entitled and annoying. Tensions boil over when Thad is tasked with babysitting Kelley and enforcing a social media ban. Tropes include dislike to lovers, rich/poor, forced proximity and sports romance. I don't like baseball at all (🥱) and I liked this book so don't hesitate to dive in even if sports aren't your thing.
"Thad gets this look in his eyes, and I've only seen it a couple of times, but it takes my breath away. It's like he has this inside joke that only I'm in on. And even though I have no idea what it means or what that inside joke is, all I know is it gives me a warm and fuzzy swoop in my gut."
I love a good character building book and I think The Backup Plan is just that. Thad has to learn to let go of his bitterness and get to know Kelley. He has to finally figure out what's worth fighting for, and work for it above everything else. It took me a bit of time to get into the book while Thad was figuring things out, but once he and Kelley started to understand each other's perspectives I was completely hooked in. The book was also super fun to read because it brought back some of my fave moments from Brady's book, and it was interesting to revisit those scenes from another perspective.
Rating: 4 stars
Angst: 2.3/5
Steam: 3/5
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ooooommmmggg!!!! I’m already loving this world so much! I can already tell King Sports is going to be an absolute blast of a series!
After seeing these two in Brady’s book I was curious about them and man are Thad and Kelley are starting this series out with a banger!!!! The way these two are omg I fell in love right off the bat. Their banter was hilarious. The balance these two bring one another is perfect. The way I felt for Kelley though…I’m glad Thad became his person!
All the cameos, the new characters and of course silver fox daddy Damon….i can’t wait to see what is in store for book two!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kelly and Thad are adorable. They have a not quiet enemies to lovers more annoyance to lovers. It was overall a really good book. I love Daddy Damon and look forward to finding out more about the rest of the staff at king sports.
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how thoughtful and how engaging Eden Finley's books have been? The Backup Plan continues a long stream of just amazing stories about humans embracing their humanness and connecting to one another.
We get to dive back into the world of sports agents with Damon (a very well loved character) several years after his book (Fake Out) where he is running his very own sports agent agency (which is super cool btw). We meet his newest, and somewhat bitter intern, Thad, who has been assigned to babysit Kelley, a MLB player who is actively living the dream Thad had for himself. These two are thrown together and have to find a way to get along. Sooo can they get through their differences and find out they actually have more similarities? You'll have to read it to find out.
I very much appreciated the anxiety representation in this book. The thoughtfulness and accurate descriptions of what it can be like living with anxiety were done with care and consideration. Eden's books always feel that way, and this one had a special place in my heart. I loved watching these characters come together and find ways to support one another.
I highly recommend picking up this book! Particularly if you love the following!
😊 A little bit of forced proximity
🔥 Animosity to Lovers
🥰 Characters that support one another
- Cameos from other books
-Great mental health representation
😊 A little bit of forced proximity
🔥 Animosity to Lovers
🥰 Characters that support one another
- Cameos from other books
-Great mental health representation
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great start to a new sports romance series by Eden Finley, full with old and new faces!
Read this review and more on the blog!
I love a good interconnected ‘verse, and the one Eden Finley (partially with Saxon James) has built up starting from the Fake Boyfriend series is one of my favourite romance ones. (Series in the ‘verse include: Mike Bravo Ops, Famous, Puckboys, CU Hockey and more!)
Fake Out’s Damon has built up a Sports Agency, the series titular King Sports, and this new series is centered around the characters working there. Thad, the sports agent protagonist, already had his first appearance in Can’t Say Goodbye, as did Kelley, a baseball player and second protagonist.
Their romance had a hate-to-love and forbidden romance vibe. Thad wanted to play baseball professionally too, and harbours a lot of resentment about not making it, while watching Kelley live his dream – not a good attitude for a sports agent. Kelley meanwhile isn’t just a client of That’s firm, but also struggles with an anxiety disorder.
The forbidden romance aspect stems from this being technically a workplace romance and there being some ethical concerns about their dating, though only on paper, not in their dynamic.
The hate-to-love aspect is not too overdone, and it relates to a lot of very satisfying to read character development.
I wish the character development had been more consistent throughout the book, rather than being mostly over and done with in the first half. Similarly, I appreciated the anxiety rep, but it almost felt forgotten in the later parts. I also found the way the characters text (or rather, don’t text or interact) while supposedly being in love/wanting to but just not doing it kind of weird, especially as their young age (and thus internet literacy) was highlighted. This felt more like a device to keep the pining tension up than an organic choice for the characters, so it stood out as weird to me.
I loved the character interactions with the side characters, as well as the entire cast, which featured both familiar faces and introduced plenty of new ones. I cannot wait to see who of the cast will get a book next, and I kind of hope it will be all of them: Wylder, Thad’s stealing, runaway brother; Jeremiah, who only appears off-page, but hello, an out NASCAR driver?? Yes Please!; Lincoln and/or Archer, King Sports agents at the LA office who seem to have a lot of drama going on between them. Or Merek, who I unfairly almost forgot, who to be fair also only appears off-page and is another King Sports agent who’s clients unfortunately seem to prefer the interns over him. Due to the series title I assume it’s one (or two) of the latter ones!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Read this review and more on the blog!
I love a good interconnected ‘verse, and the one Eden Finley (partially with Saxon James) has built up starting from the Fake Boyfriend series is one of my favourite romance ones. (Series in the ‘verse include: Mike Bravo Ops, Famous, Puckboys, CU Hockey and more!)
Fake Out’s Damon has built up a Sports Agency, the series titular King Sports, and this new series is centered around the characters working there. Thad, the sports agent protagonist, already had his first appearance in Can’t Say Goodbye, as did Kelley, a baseball player and second protagonist.
Their romance had a hate-to-love and forbidden romance vibe. Thad wanted to play baseball professionally too, and harbours a lot of resentment about not making it, while watching Kelley live his dream – not a good attitude for a sports agent. Kelley meanwhile isn’t just a client of That’s firm, but also struggles with an anxiety disorder.
The forbidden romance aspect stems from this being technically a workplace romance and there being some ethical concerns about their dating, though only on paper, not in their dynamic.
The hate-to-love aspect is not too overdone, and it relates to a lot of very satisfying to read character development.
I wish the character development had been more consistent throughout the book, rather than being mostly over and done with in the first half. Similarly, I appreciated the anxiety rep, but it almost felt forgotten in the later parts. I also found the way the characters text (or rather, don’t text or interact) while supposedly being in love/wanting to but just not doing it kind of weird, especially as their young age (and thus internet literacy) was highlighted. This felt more like a device to keep the pining tension up than an organic choice for the characters, so it stood out as weird to me.
I loved the character interactions with the side characters, as well as the entire cast, which featured both familiar faces and introduced plenty of new ones. I cannot wait to see who of the cast will get a book next, and I kind of hope it will be all of them: Wylder, Thad’s stealing, runaway brother; Jeremiah, who only appears off-page, but hello, an out NASCAR driver?? Yes Please!; Lincoln and/or Archer, King Sports agents at the LA office who seem to have a lot of drama going on between them. Or Merek, who I unfairly almost forgot, who to be fair also only appears off-page and is another King Sports agent who’s clients unfortunately seem to prefer the interns over him. Due to the series title I assume it’s one (or two) of the latter ones!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
anxiety disorder
Stellar instalment in the Sadenverse as always, mandatory shoutout to the cameos being fantastic and the urge to reread everything Damon features in is back yet again.
Thad and Kelley are delightful, the way they balance each other out and help each other reach the heights of their own potential is wonderful to read. Watching Thad make the realisation he’d completely misjudged Kelley and then how their relationship sprouted from there was endearing.
Can’t wait to see where the series goes from here; truly I just want Damon to still be appearing in books for forever and a day 😂
Thad and Kelley are delightful, the way they balance each other out and help each other reach the heights of their own potential is wonderful to read. Watching Thad make the realisation he’d completely misjudged Kelley and then how their relationship sprouted from there was endearing.
Can’t wait to see where the series goes from here; truly I just want Damon to still be appearing in books for forever and a day 😂
I was truly excited for this series and I want more, love the universe and how it was extended. Also come on Damon is just awesome !!
Thad did not digest well the fact that he was not good enough to play pro baseball and had to go with his backup plan, being a sports agent. When he learns that he has to spend two weeks babysitting a baseball player who’s always looking for attention and has what he wants. Let’s say that Thad is really resentful toward Kelley and will definitely show it with his sarcasm and other not-so-professional talk. But would he have made the effort, he would have known that there is more to Kelley than meeting the eyes, especially for everything along social media.
Kelley is spiralling, he just came out publicly and the comments are flaming up his anxiety, disappearing for two weeks it’s what he needs, well minus the gorgeous agent who’s piss€d at him for no reason. Well tension meets understanding, it’s getting electrifying between the two and soon enough Kelley realises that Thad is just who he needs to silence the voices and release the tension.
I love everything about this story, the vibe, the dynamic, how it went, how their bond is created and evolves !! I cannot wait for the next book in this series and everything that will come after !!
I received an ARC Copy of this book, this review is from my own thoughts 😍
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes