Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis – Review & Giveaway
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Description:
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.
Review:
Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis is the 4th book in her Wildstone series. Once again, I love reading Jill Shalvis’s books, as she is one of the best at romances. Almost Just Friends is about a family that has become broken, with secrets and heartache trying to heal and mend.
We meet Piper Manning, our heroine, as she is always on the run, especially working as an EMT, as well as helping her older neighbor who needs to be checked daily, and organizing her own life. Piper has taken care of her younger brother and sister for many years, after their parents were killed, and now they have gone their own way. Piper intends to fix up the house in her spare time, sell it, divide the money and be free to go away to get her dream degree to become a Physician’s Assistant. Best laid plans do not always work out, as in a short time her brother, Gavin and sister, Winnie both return home; bringing their own secrets that will change Piper’s plans.
Camden Reid, our hero, is on leave from the Coast Guard and returns home to check on his father. When a storm hits, Camden discovers Piper trying to get to his father’s house to make sure he is ok. In a short time, the attraction between Piper and Cam sizzles, and they both will discover that they have a lot in common; both devoting their time in taking care of others, not looking at their own lives. They both have their own issues, such as Cam’s guilt over his brother’s death and Piper’s determination to continue to be a ‘fixer’ for her family.
What follows is a heartwarming story about family, tragedy, romance and finding a way to get past the complications for each of them. Secrets will be revealed that will change the course of their lives. Piper was a wonderful heroine, who was not only strong, independent, but also unable to let go of her trying to do everything for her siblings and others, not allowing herself to find a happy ever after. Cam too had his grief over his brother’s death, but he knew Piper was meant for him; and he was willing to change his life to be together; will he be able to convince Piper to open her heart to their own happiness?
As always with Jill Shalvis, this story was so well written, with a great couple and wonderful secondary characters. Almost Just Friends was a wonderful sweet heartwarming story about family, love and happiness. If you enjoy small town romances, great couples, heartfelt stories, then you need to read this series. If you have not read Jill Shalvis, what are you waiting for?
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Not a single one of them looked guilty. “To Piper,” Ryland said, and everyone raised a glass. “For gathering and keeping all us misfits together and sane.”
“To Piper,” everyone cheered, then, thankfully, conversations started up all around her so that she was finally no longer the center of attention. Everyone was well versed in her ways, which meant they got that while she was touched that they cared, she didn’t want any more attention. Easily accepting that, they were happy to enjoy the night and leave her alone.
“So, did that hurt?” Jenna asked, amused.
“What?”
“Being loved?”
In tune to the sounds of the bar around them—someone singing off-key to “Sweet Home Alabama,” rambunctious laughter from a nearby table, the clink of pool balls—Piper rolled her eyes.
“You know one day those eyeballs are going to fall right out of your head, right?”
Ignoring this, Piper went back to what she’d been doing before being so rudely interrupted by all the love. Making a list. She was big on bullet journaling. She’d had to be. Making notes and lists had saved her life more than once. And yes, she knew she could do it all on a notes app on her phone instead, but her brain wasn’t wired that way. Nope, she had to do everything the hard way and write that shit down by hand like in the Dark Ages. She flipped through some of her pages: Calendars, Grocery Lists, Future Baby Names (even though she didn’t plan on having babies), Passwords (okay, password, singular, since she always used the same one—CookiesAreLife123!).
And then there were some random entries:Life Rules
• Occasionally maybe make an effort to look nice.
• Don’t cut your own bangs no matter how sad you are.
• Never ever, EVER, under any circumstances fall in love.She also had a bucket list of wishes. Oh, and a secret secret bucket list of wishes . . .
Yeah, she clearly needed help. Or a little pill.
“New journal?” Jenna asked.
“Maybe.” Piper’s vices were simple. Basically, she was an office supply ho—a never-ending source of amusement to Jenna, because Piper was also a bit of a hot mess when it came to organization and neatness. Her purse, her car, her office, and also her kitchen always looked like a a disaster had just hit. But her journals . . . those were pristine.
“How many journals have you started and either lost or misplaced since I’ve known you—a million?”
Piper didn’t answer this on the grounds that she might incriminate herself.
Jenna pulled out the pack of stickers that were tucked into the journal. They were cute little thought bubbles with reminders like doc appointment, empty dishwasher, and caffeinate.
“I feel like stickers are cheating,” Jenna said.
“Bite your tongue, woman. Stickers are everything.” So were pens. And cute paper clips. And sticky notes . . .
“Come on. There’re far more important things than stickers.”
“Like?” Piper asked.
“Like food.”
“Okay, you’ve got me there.”
“And sex,” Jenna said. “And that should go above food, actually.”
“I’m going to take your word on that since it’s been a while.”
“Well, whose fault is that?” Jenna leaned in, trying to get a peek. “What’s today’s entry?”
“A list for figuring out what’s next on fixing up the property.” Piper and her siblings had inherited from their grandparents a house and some cottages on Rainbow Lake. “It still needs a lot of work. I’m in way over my head.”
“I know.” Jenna’s smile faded. “I hate that you’re going to sell and move away from Wildstone.”
Wildstone, California, was Piper’s hometown. Sort of. She’d moved here at age thirteen with her two younger siblings, Gavin and Winnie, to be raised by their grandparents. But in the end, Piper had done all the raising. It’d taken forever, but now, finally, her brother and sister were off living their own lives.
And hers could finally start.From Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, published by William Morrow. Copyright © 2020 by Jill Shalvis. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062897800/almost-just-friends/
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.
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Jill Shalvis’s publisher is offering a paper copy of Almost Just Friends to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.
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