Good read. Although, I do enjoy Jill Shalvis' books, I really didn't like her last book; so I was unsure about this one. However, I really enjoyed it and all the characters in the story both humans and furry.

I loved this story. All of the cast were great. The joy of Emma and Simon was a wonderful read. The sub story moved right along with the main. I did not want it to end.

3 very confused stars. Could be more, could be less, who knows?

These Wildstone novels are delightful and the best Shalvis has written in years; the women’s fiction bent suits her well and she still privileges the romance enough that the books, especially the latter entries, feel like straight up genre romance. And this book is delightful, too! Yet there’s a surprise “but!” that I did not see coming.

About halfway through the novel there’s a mention of how COVID-19 has made it difficult for people to just go into hospitals to visit people and it completely threw me off because up until that point there was no indication that this novel was set during the pandemic.

“She got dropped off at the hospital, where she tried to get info on Simon’s dad. But HIPPA laws, not to mention COVID 19, had changed the way one could walk into a hospital and get information on a patient.”



I mean, maybe there’s a strong hopeful streak here and since this is a June release the book assumes by then we will be in a post-pandemic world, but right now, it was weird. If the choice is between a fantasy world in which the pandemic never happened, and a pretend post-pandemic, everything-is-normal-again world, I’ll take the former every time. It could also be that the book is set in the present and in the middle of the pandemic, in which case this whole town is filled with dangerous, irresponsible people because no one wears masks, there’s no social distancing, the heroine works at a highly successful (!) doggy daycare (!!!) the hero’s dad is high risk and he keeps interacting with people up close and personal…they’re all going to die!

I don’t like writing early reviews but I really don’t know what to do with this book. Just that one mention of COVID-19! Nothing before and nothing after! I can’t cope. Aside from that, I really liked the book, but usual disclaimers: Shalvis does love an all-white fantasy small town, the books are very formulaic, and this one deals with a heroine recovering from a coma and there’s plenty of stuff about how she’s an inspiration and how her true grit and sunny disposition got her walking again, so it may be ableist as fuck, but I’m not informed enough to tell.

ARC provided by the publisher.

Sometimes you just need to read a book that makes you feel good and this one did that job. I love a story that makes you laugh and Hog (the dog) definitely did this for me. Just an overall good, fun read.

Emma has had a hard time recently - she was hit by a car, in a coma for eight months, and it turns out the shared trauma of Emma's accident brought together her (ex) best friend and (ex) fiancée. Emma is starting over in a lot of ways - she re-learned how to walk, now she just has to re-learn how to live life. It doesn't help that her new business partner is her high school frenemy Ali, who also happens to be the cousin of the man she's fallen for. Simon, Ali's cousin and Emma's crush, has his own issues, including running a business he hates while also working as a physical therapist (which he loves), and taking care of his father, who is still recovering from a stroke.

I'm a huge fan of Jill Shalvis, and I loved basically every second of this book. My only gripe is the scene where Ali confesses her love at the BBQ. The trope where a character confesses their love in front of a large audience, especially if it's family/friends, gives me second-hand embarrassment that is too real. Other than that, 10/10, a fun and sweet read.

Jill Shalvis's books always provide a quick, happy escape much like a day at the beach. This one was no exception. After a car accident, coma, and finding out her (ex)BFF and (ex)Fiance are in a relationship, Emma starts her life over. Thankfully she has the help of her dream physical therapist Simon and his cousin Ali (who just so happens to be her high school nemesis) to help her figure out how to navigate her new life.
This is my first foray into the Wildstone world, but I will definitely be back to follow up with the cast of characters that supported our main duo in Love for Beginners.