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Plan C: Just in Case
A screwball comedy with a heart. Thelma & Louise go to Europe. A revenge on midlife crisis.
Plan A: We grow up, get married, have babies, white picket fence.
Plan B: Mortgages, marriages, mistresses, divorce, my kids, his kids, stepkids, blended families. College tuition. Empty nest. Empty soul.
Plan C: Cabernet, passports, jet lag, Ambien, Europe. Who needs reality?
Until we realize reality can't be avoided. And truth is, we don't want to avoid it. We are a nation of underdogs—a society of hope. Plan C is accepting life as it comes, with no plan at all.
Once upon a time there was a divorced, single mother named Libby Crockett, living and working her fingers to the bone on Cape Cod. Her Plan A had failed, and now she dreamed of a new life and a new love—her Plan B. And Plan B worked! It brought her to glamorous New York to a new man, a new life … and his expensive ex, his out-of-control kids, and the biggest recession in seventy years. Was this really what Libby had been dreaming of? Maybe it was time for Plan C …
Plan A: We grow up, get married, have babies, white picket fence.
Plan B: Mortgages, marriages, mistresses, divorce, my kids, his kids, stepkids, blended families. College tuition. Empty nest. Empty soul.
Plan C: Cabernet, passports, jet lag, Ambien, Europe. Who needs reality?
Until we realize reality can't be avoided. And truth is, we don't want to avoid it. We are a nation of underdogs—a society of hope. Plan C is accepting life as it comes, with no plan at all.
Once upon a time there was a divorced, single mother named Libby Crockett, living and working her fingers to the bone on Cape Cod. Her Plan A had failed, and now she dreamed of a new life and a new love—her Plan B. And Plan B worked! It brought her to glamorous New York to a new man, a new life … and his expensive ex, his out-of-control kids, and the biggest recession in seventy years. Was this really what Libby had been dreaming of? Maybe it was time for Plan C …
360 pages, ebook
First published January 23, 2012
25 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Lois Cahall
4 books12 followersLois Cahall began her career as a newspaper journalist in Boston, Massachusetts and as an associate producer for Nick and Judith Krantz, pursuing true-life stories for CBS TV movies. In 2010 Ms. Cahall pursued her mission of addressing issues in women’s daily lives as a host of ABC News’ Top Priority and Good Morning America NOW. This is also Ms. Cahall’s tenth year as “The Screen Queen” (www.screenqueen.com), a syndicated radio personality covering the movie beat with an eye toward educating the “Bus Stop Mom” about age-appropriate family viewing of the latest Hollywood releases. Her broadcasts over the Saga Communications network reach more than one million listeners every week. Stepping outside of her persona of “The Screen Queen” Ms. Cahall writes about women’s empowerment issues for women’s magazines—including Redbook, Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, SELF, Marie Claire, Reader’s Digest, and, most recently Men’s Journal, and RED in the U.K. Ms. Cahall has completed her first novel, Plan C: Just in Case, edited by Simon Beaufoy, The Full Monty screenwriter who won the Oscar & Golden Globe for his runaway screenplay success with Slumdog Millionaire. The mother of two daughters, Ms. Cahall now divides her life between New York City and London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 1, 2012
perfect book to play cliché bingo with - you are done after a few pages!
I was very surprised when I read at the end that the author writes about women's empowerment because I had the opposite impression. What really got on my nerves were the constant reminders of her faith and believe in heaven and god - far too much in your face for my taste.
The clichés extended to life in suburbia and New York, the girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends, British people (surprising especially since the editor is British and the author spends part of her life in the UK), child care, helper syndrome, etc. The characters did not feel like real people but more like anecdotes that the author has collected over the years only to be used in the first possible opportunity (= this book).
I was very surprised when I read at the end that the author writes about women's empowerment because I had the opposite impression. What really got on my nerves were the constant reminders of her faith and believe in heaven and god - far too much in your face for my taste.
The clichés extended to life in suburbia and New York, the girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends, British people (surprising especially since the editor is British and the author spends part of her life in the UK), child care, helper syndrome, etc. The characters did not feel like real people but more like anecdotes that the author has collected over the years only to be used in the first possible opportunity (= this book).
September 2, 2012
From the onset it was snappy and amusing and you can't stop reading because you have to wait for the three characters to all merge. Once they do, Cahall has good voices for Libby, Kitty and Bebe and their potential destinies. Kitty was a bit farfetched but I think she's meant to be because she's at her turning point for love and business and worried for recession. I'm not sure that I believe these women would all be friends but the author has made it believeable enough to follow it through. I think the story got more sentimental when it gets to Paris. You have to be over 35 to get this book. Light reading, good writing and a message for what to do with the next thirty years. Let's just hope Libby has a Plan D because I certainly don't!
January 27, 2013
Still trying to figure up why I read this to completion.
April 5, 2014
I found this a light hearted read, did not particularly enjoy. Readable, but nothing special.
September 20, 2019
Este libro me encantó, desde el inicio te atrapa
September 11, 2013
Esilarante e romantico l’esordio narrativo di Lois Cahall! Un chick lit spassosissimo, con personaggi simpaticissimi e ben strutturato nello stile e nella trama. Chi l’ha detto che i bei chick lit siano solo quelli della Kinsella?
In alcune pagine, ho riso a crepapelle, in altre, ho riflettuto per l’ironia perspicace della Cahall, in altre ancora, ho pensato all’universo delle quarantenni e a come può essere la loro vita se qualcosa, durante il percorso, è andata storta.
Il piano A di ogni donna è costituito dagli obiettivi basilari di un’esistenza felice, ossia il fidanzamento, il matrimonio e i bambini. Se qualcosa è andato male, il piano B lo si affronta con un amaro divorzio, dei nuovi amori, se possibile, e bisogna pur sempre fare i conti con nuove delusioni che, per l’età non più giovanissima e le responsabilità, non sono facili da assorbire. Se anche il piano B va male, bisogna sopravvivere cercando un piano C che non è niente di banale o superficiale come le “c” di Chanel, Cartier e Cabernet.
Il messaggio di Lois Cahall, sebbene raccontato con ironia, è più profondo e tocca al cuore la lettrice che sarà riuscita ad affrontare con il sorriso anche le sue avversità personali, insieme a quelle della briosa protagonista tutto pepe di VOGLIO UN PIANO C, Libby Beal Crockett. Il piano C che ogni donna spera di poter avere nella sua vita è quello di trovare e mantenere l’amore per sempre. Le vicende sono ambientate fra New York e Parigi. Location molto suggestive e interessanti!
È un libro adatto alle lettrici romantiche, anche non più giovanissime, che vogliono sorridere e non solo sciogliersi in pagine di totale e avvolgente romanticismo. La simpatia di Libby, le sue sventure, la sua famiglia allargata, le sue amiche, vi faranno trascorrere autentici momenti, leggeri e spensierati.
Consigliato.
In alcune pagine, ho riso a crepapelle, in altre, ho riflettuto per l’ironia perspicace della Cahall, in altre ancora, ho pensato all’universo delle quarantenni e a come può essere la loro vita se qualcosa, durante il percorso, è andata storta.
Il piano A di ogni donna è costituito dagli obiettivi basilari di un’esistenza felice, ossia il fidanzamento, il matrimonio e i bambini. Se qualcosa è andato male, il piano B lo si affronta con un amaro divorzio, dei nuovi amori, se possibile, e bisogna pur sempre fare i conti con nuove delusioni che, per l’età non più giovanissima e le responsabilità, non sono facili da assorbire. Se anche il piano B va male, bisogna sopravvivere cercando un piano C che non è niente di banale o superficiale come le “c” di Chanel, Cartier e Cabernet.
Il messaggio di Lois Cahall, sebbene raccontato con ironia, è più profondo e tocca al cuore la lettrice che sarà riuscita ad affrontare con il sorriso anche le sue avversità personali, insieme a quelle della briosa protagonista tutto pepe di VOGLIO UN PIANO C, Libby Beal Crockett. Il piano C che ogni donna spera di poter avere nella sua vita è quello di trovare e mantenere l’amore per sempre. Le vicende sono ambientate fra New York e Parigi. Location molto suggestive e interessanti!
È un libro adatto alle lettrici romantiche, anche non più giovanissime, che vogliono sorridere e non solo sciogliersi in pagine di totale e avvolgente romanticismo. La simpatia di Libby, le sue sventure, la sua famiglia allargata, le sue amiche, vi faranno trascorrere autentici momenti, leggeri e spensierati.
Consigliato.
March 2, 2012
Plan C is the story Libby Crockett, a divorced and single mother in her forties looking for a fresh start, which, she gets but it's too messy. Ben, his ex-wife, their kids, her kids and the drama going on with her friends all together make her life in New York so overwhelming that she and her friends, Kitty and Bebe decide to drop what they're doing and take off to Europe hoping to figure things out.
As far as women's fiction go, Plan C by Lois Cahall is pretty standard with elements of chick lit and romance. We follow the three ladies and their adventures in Europe while they're trying to 'find themselves'. Libby and her friends are witty, relatable and engaging. Although, the story sometimes got a bit too corny for my taste, over all it was pretty funny, entertaining and light. Libby was quite charming and really funny. Although on the surface Plan C may be about a getaway plan, this book was more about finding love, happiness and contentment, just with a funny front.
I like how the book focused on not just Libby but also gave us a bit of all the other people around her. The supporting characters actually played a part in making the book enjoyable and that's kind of a first.
Predictable and cheesy at times, Plan C is still humorous enough to keep the reader entertained for a few hours. It makes a pretty nice feel-good novel.
As far as women's fiction go, Plan C by Lois Cahall is pretty standard with elements of chick lit and romance. We follow the three ladies and their adventures in Europe while they're trying to 'find themselves'. Libby and her friends are witty, relatable and engaging. Although, the story sometimes got a bit too corny for my taste, over all it was pretty funny, entertaining and light. Libby was quite charming and really funny. Although on the surface Plan C may be about a getaway plan, this book was more about finding love, happiness and contentment, just with a funny front.
I like how the book focused on not just Libby but also gave us a bit of all the other people around her. The supporting characters actually played a part in making the book enjoyable and that's kind of a first.
Predictable and cheesy at times, Plan C is still humorous enough to keep the reader entertained for a few hours. It makes a pretty nice feel-good novel.
April 3, 2012
Die Geschichte war okay.
Vielleicht hätte ich auch 3 Sterne vergeben, aber zwei Sachen haben mich massiv gestört.
Zum einen:
die Adoptivtochter bzw. wie die Adoption usw. beschrieben wurde. Das Kind war nur ein Objekt oder Accessoire oder sowas... grauenhaft.
und zum anderen:
die vielen Fehler, nicht nur Tippfehler sondern auch fehlende Akzentzeichen bei den französischen Sätzen (ferme, tres, ...) und Wörter, die fast schon den Sinn verlieren, so falsch sehen sie aus (vu statt vous usw.)
Auch wenn das Buch günstig war, gibt es keine Lektoren mehr?
Vielleicht hätte ich auch 3 Sterne vergeben, aber zwei Sachen haben mich massiv gestört.
Zum einen:
die Adoptivtochter bzw. wie die Adoption usw. beschrieben wurde. Das Kind war nur ein Objekt oder Accessoire oder sowas... grauenhaft.
und zum anderen:
die vielen Fehler, nicht nur Tippfehler sondern auch fehlende Akzentzeichen bei den französischen Sätzen (ferme, tres, ...) und Wörter, die fast schon den Sinn verlieren, so falsch sehen sie aus (vu statt vous usw.)
Auch wenn das Buch günstig war, gibt es keine Lektoren mehr?
January 7, 2013
I'm a sucker for "woman decides to take off to __________" books - in this case, Paris. However, I had to wait a looong time for the main character to take off to Paris. When she finally did, the book got worse and worse until I just couldn't finish it. I didn't love it from the beginning, but I liked it enough to stay with it. I gave it up when I was 87% finished, if that indicates how disillusioned I became with this book.
June 15, 2015
The inconsistencies in this book drove me crazy. The editing was terrible. Furthermore, the author recycled old jokes that I'd heard many times before and wrote them as though she had invented them. The author tried way too hard to be funny and used way too many metaphors. The book could have easily been 50 pages if it weren't for all the non-sensical ranting and- long use of metaphors! No real plot, not well written, not worth your time!
July 21, 2012
I just finished this book last week and it made me laugh so much. It's all over the map but somehow Cahall ties it all together much like her lead heroine Libby does. It ain't easy being an evil stepmom even when you're a nice one!! I know. I'm in the same boat. Alot of us are. It's good somebody addressed it though somebody should do it in non-fiction, too
August 26, 2012
I kept putting off reading this because I was reading something else and now I finally sat down to this. I never laughed so hard as I did spending a week with this book. If the story is any indication of where my life is headed, I'm only on PLAN A barely, but look forward to the fun and wisdom of being an older woman with humor. You can't help but love it!
February 2, 2013
If this were my life I'd be thrilled! It's a fun adventure through boredom, too many careers and then Paris journey. I loved living vicariously thru Cahall's nonsense. I'm betting she and Kitty are fun people to hang with in real life assuming all fiction is based on something. Not happy about the ending though. Wish she didn't end up with the guy because he didn't really deserve her.
June 30, 2012
A screenplay disguised as a novel which could have used some major editing, preferably by a non-screenwriter. Note to self: Do not buy books when the glowing blurb on the back is written by said screenwriter/editor.
October 21, 2012
I guess in twenty years my girlfriends will still be my bffs! I love how Cahall understnds relationships through humor. Girls are girls at every age and this one makes you realize just because you have children and a husband doesn't mean you're dead!
November 4, 2012
I usually read the classics, but at the recommendation of a friend when I was on holiday, I read this Amazon summer rated novel. It's well-written silliness with a heart and a message, even if it's not Hamlet!
November 19, 2012
at the suggestion of MORE magazines Holiday picks I decided to read this over the weekend. Simple, fun, sense of humor and a soul. Fun read for the older woman who's been there done that. I'm on Plan W for WAY BEYOND!
October 21, 2014
Several laugh-out-loud moments. An easy, breezy read that would be great poolside or beachside. While it might be considered the book equivalent of a chick flick, fathers, husbands and boyfriends alike will find they enjoy it too.
May 11, 2013
I wanted to yell at all the characters in this book. Really? A Sex in the City wannabe storyline only among married women. None of the characters in this book are likable just spoiled. Even the supposedly struggling, do gooders are unlike able.
March 1, 2014
I read this book and enjoyed it however I found it sometimes hard to follow. The author would change the time and place of the writing without warning. However, as I read this on a Kindle, I am not sure if something like subheadings was lost in translation. Overall, a good easy read.
July 17, 2014
I bought this because it was the Nook deal of the day. I finished the book despite the fact that the most memorable thing about the book was the writing -- and not in a good way. Every page had at least one lengthy and awkward simile.
November 17, 2014
This book was pretty good. It was slow at parts and seemed to kind of run on a little longer than necessary. I think part of the Paris stuff could have at least been cut out. The characters were funny overall. I liked the dry sense of humor found throughout the book.
February 23, 2012
overall i liked it, it was a bit annoying how the story jumped in time, and i think the end was a bit cheesy.
May 17, 2012
Starts off well, but ridiculous characters, unbelievable "plot" twists, and not consistently well written. Very disappointing.
June 15, 2012
This is a funny book about all types of women in all situations in life. Would make a really good movie. It jumps off the pages
June 15, 2012
this is such a fun book that could be a movie. It's a silly well-written light read that makes every woman stop and think about the many steps along the road of life.
June 20, 2012
this is a rare combination of humor and tight writing come together in light-hearted humor. Not my usual read but was highly recommended by a friend.
July 20, 2012
this is a super cool book that makes you laugh so hard. I think the chapter about the boar in the woods is the best scene. A great book for the beach or late at night when you can't sleep.
October 2, 2012
Silly and sensible...a fast fun read once you get to know all the kooky characters. I could related to a couple of the bumps along the road of my own life.
October 3, 2012
I'm telling all my friends that I want to stay positive, and no matter how hard it is, I'm gonna put one foot in front of the other, and find my plan C. Love this book. Hoping for Plan D!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews