Old flames reignite in Sunrise Cove in this charming enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, small-town, forced-proximity love story about family, friendships, and true love from New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis.When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.
As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.
So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward?
PJ's Thoughts:
In my opinion, the books in the Sunrise Cove series are some of the best Jill Shalvis has written. They're a blend of women's fiction and romance with a touch of mystery in some, combining the author's quirky humor with heart-tugging emotion. Better Than Friends, the newest addition to the series, is one of my favorites.
There are three main threads in this book: friendship, family, and romance. Let's tackle friendship first. I loved the relationship between Olive and Katie, two very different people whose bonds have stood the test of time, distance, and near tragedy. The respect, understanding, and support between these two is unbreakable, as evidenced by the fact that Olive drops everything in a heartbeat to fly across the ocean when Katie's husband is injured. I love how these women love, support, respect, and challenge one another; how they bring out the best in one another while at the same time not trying to change who they are at their core. On the flip side of their friendship is the one between Noah (Katie's brother) and Katie's husband, Joe (Noah's best friend). Shalvis captures a strong, loving, supportive friendship between two men that touched my emotions with both its strength and its vulnerability.
Families are another important facet of this book. We have your mildly dysfunctional, extremely dysfunctional, and lovingly supportive family members, all of whom play critical roles in the evolution of the main characters and all of whom are realistically depicted by the author.
And then there's the romance between Noah and Olive, a childhood friends-to enemies-to lovers journey that is humorous, heartfelt, emotional, and helped along by matchmaking friends and one adorable little boy. I really pulled hard for these two.
If you're looking for a book to pull you out of the mid-January doldrums, pick up a copy of Better Than Friends. The spice is light, the emotion is deep, the humor is classic Shalvis, and the ending is happy and hopeful. What more could I ask for?
She's one of my favorite contemporary authors.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. I am trying to get back into the idea of reading for the love of reading. Ms Shalvis is a good way to do that.
ReplyDeleteIt's been way too long since I read a Jill Shalvis book. I'll have to find a way to sneak this one in.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the review and recommendation. This sounds like a story that reaches deeply into the characters and shows us much about them and their relationships. I need so much more time to read all the good books you are telling us about.
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