Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis Published by HarperCollins on January 21, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Women, Romance, Contemporary, Family Life, Siblings
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home.
Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.
When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.
Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Thoughts:
I’m excited to be sharing a review for Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis today! Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite romance authors and actually is one of the first romance authors I read when getting into the genre! I started with her Lucky Harbor books, got sucked in and it opened up a whole world of romance!
Almost Just Friends takes place in the town of Wildstone, featuring Piper and the siblings she’s had to raise after the death of her parents. Piper is a little bit of a control freak and always puts herself last because she’s had to her whole life. She’s constantly worrying about making sure everyone else is taken care of that she has sorely neglected herself. Enter, Cam, the son of her next door neighbor. He’s temporarily in town and the collision of the two of them into each other’s lives upends what both of them are used to expecting from their lives.
One thing that Jill Shalvis always does so well is family relationships. She has such a knack for nailing those specific ties and emotions that come with family that you love. There can be so many layers, so much stuff to unpack and she does it so well. I really appreciated seeing Piper’s siblings Gavin and Winnie trying to take care of Piper for once and the three of them coming together and finding a new path forward as adults.
Cam is so good for Piper in so many ways. Piper has shut herself away emotionally for so long and it takes someone special and patient to get through her walls. I really liked seeing the two of them peel back each other’s layers (ha, both emotionally and figuratively) and finding happiness. They both deserved it and they were just so perfect for each other once they figured it out.
There is a lot of heavy emotional stuff in this one! I don’t know that I was expecting that going into it, so keep that in mind so you’re mentally prepared.
In Short…
In classic Jill Shalvis fashion, she creates three dimensional family relationships and sibling dynamics that will make you emotionally invested in their lives! Piper and Cam fit so well together and I loved watching them find love.
About the Author:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in
the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky
characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s
bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her
website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete
book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains
adventures.
Giveaway!
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One of my favorite Romance Authors is Aly Martinez. Thank you
I don’t have a favorite, but I’ve enjoyed books by Christina Lauren and Elle Kennedy.