The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis – a Review

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Description:
During the snowstorm of the century Levi Cutler is stranded on a ski lift with a beautiful stranger named Jane. After strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground, Levi calls his parents to prepare them for the worst…but can’t bring himself to say goodbye. Instead, wanting to fulfill his mother’s lifelong wish, he impulsively tells her he’s happily settled and Jane is his girlfriend–right before his phone dies.

But Levi and Jane do not.

Now Levi’s family is desperate to meet “The One.” Though Jane agrees to be his pretend girlfriend for just one dinner, she’s nervous. After a traumatic childhood, Jane isn’t sure she knows how to be around a tight-knit family that cherishes one another. She’s terrified, and a little jealous. But an unexpected series of events and a host of new friends soon show Jane that perhaps this is the life she was always meant to have.

As Jane and Levi spend more time together, pretend feelings quickly turn into real ones. Now all Jane has to do is admit to herself she can’t live without the man she’s fallen in love with and the family she has always dreamed of.

Review:

The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis is the 1^st book in her new Sunrise Cove series.  The story starts off with our hero, Levi Cutler, on a gondola as the weather turns disastrous with a major snowstorm, worried that is his time to die. Turns out there is another person stranded, Jane, our heroine, who is just as scared, as the ski lift before theirs, was broken off due to the heavy winds. Even though Levi tries to calm Jane down, telling her that they have never lost a ski lift, but despite that, he makes a call to his mother to say goodbye; but he decides against panicking his mother, and tells her that he is with his girlfriend.  Levi gets injured when something falls on him, and protected Jane.  They do get rescued, and Levi is in the hospital recovering, and his family only wants to know who and where is Jane, since he has not dated in three years.  When Levi is discharged, he tries to find Jane, to ask her if she would do him a favor and pretend to be his fake girlfriend, especially for his parents 40^th anniversary dinner.  After a bit, Jane will reluctantly agree. After he’s discharged, Levi seeks Jane out and asks for a favor – pretend to be his girlfriend just until his parents 40t wedding anniversary dinner is over. Reluctantly, Jane agrees.

Both Levi and Jane do not plan to stay in Lake Tahoe, as have their own personal jobs and personal issues, with Levi not home for many years, due to the loss of his girlfriend, and Jane, having been abandoned by her family when she was very young, keeping to herself.  There was a wonderful second romance between Jane’s best friend, Charlotte and Mateo (both Jane and Levi’s friend), as both worked at the hospital. Charlotte had bad experiences, and refused to allow herself to get involved, though Mateo, who is a hottie, was very patient with her.  

What follows is a wonderful slow burn romance between two couples, and an amazing family (Levi’s) that did everything they could to find out more about Jane.  It was a lot of fun, as they took it upon themselves to meet her, and when Jane did go to meet the family, she found herself caught up in their wonderful and loving acceptance of her.

The Family You Make is a fun and delightful story, so very well written by Jill Shalvis. It had a little bit of everything, including two great couples, cute banter, emotional, romantic and a fantastic loving family.  I recommend you read The Family You Make, as you can never go wrong reading anything by Jill Shalvis.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher