I’ve been reading romance for awhile, and Jill Shalvis is kind of a staple author for me in contemporary novels. I like what the books in this series do, they open with a very intense situation, and the rest of the book is a main couple and an auxiliary couple getting through the aftermath.

The Family You Make is no different - Jane and Levi are in a ski slope gondola in Tahoe during a freak blizzard when the gondola starts dropping. Levi, a tech CEO, has been wounded in the head and Jane, a trauma nurse, is less injured but terrified. They bond quickly, and when they think they’re going to die, Levi calls his busybody family to say goodbye but can’t make himself do it. The only thing his mom hears is that there’s a woman in the background.

They don’t die, which is great! Unless you’re waiting for a ghost romance like I am? But now Levi can’t bring himself to admit that Jane isn’t his girlfriend, so they start seeing each other under the guise of her being his fake girlfriend for his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

Levi is the black sheep of the family, and he’s escaped Tahoe until now. Jane has no family, having been neglected until she emancipated herself. She takes contract jobs being a nurse all over the world, never getting close to anybody, but she has a recurrent job for ski season. Her best friend is Charlotte, a trauma surgeon; Charlotte is prickly and closed off too, but she’s in love with ER doc Mateo. Charlotte and Jane go on similar journeys in this book to find love, family, and happiness. Levi and Mateo, friends that fell out after Mateo’s sister Amy died (Levi’s girlfriend), also go through similar journeys to win the affections of their lady cacti.

The characters are fleshed out, likable, funny, and neither story is too far fetched (but for fake dating being dating for cowards). Also, found family is my favorite. My only gripe, bc I’m a perv, is that the door was open but not open enough if you know what I’m saying.

In the series, Love for Beginners is my favorite, but this was a good read. If you’re looking for well written, low angst reads with a very big opening act, this is it. Thank you for the ARC @netgalley !

I am usually a historical romance reader. There are only a few contemporary romance writers I read and Jill Shalvis is one of them. The reason I love reading her books is because she has a way of making you feel every emotion in her books. You'll laugh out loud., while at the same time feeling compassion, sadness and happiness for her characters.
This book was no different. This book is the first in a series. It takes place in a town called Sunrise Cove, in the Lake Tahoe area. We meet Levi and Jane, our two main characters. As well as Levi's family. Then there is Charlotte and Matteo, a secondary romance going on, both fiends of Jane and Levi.
In this book, I don't know how many times I laughed out loud, right from the opening scene on the "Gondola of death". Then you feel sadness and compassion for the things these two have experienced in life. But you also feel the happiness and joy when Jane gets to reconnect with her grandfather.
Jill Shalvis also shows you a relationship from beginning to the end. From the moment they meet, to the times they go out, to get to know each other, the their falling in love.
This book did not disappoint. I started it and could not put it down.
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Nurse Jane has never had a real home. Shunted from relative to relative as a child, she now travels the world, going wherever medical help is needed. When IT expert Levi asks her to come to a family dinner as his pretend girlfriend, she knows it's only make-believe. Life has taught her that love doesn't last.

Levi moved away from his interfering family years ago. Back in town to help with his niece after his sister's husband deserted her, Levi's starting to wonder whether it's time to come home for good. Can he convince Jane to put down roots with him?

I almost feel like, writing a review of a Jill Shalvis novel is superfluous. Her books are always amazing and on-brand. Small town, complicated characters, a little humor, and a lot of heart. Have you read and enjoyed a Jill Shalvis book before? Then read this one—you'll love it! If you haven't read a Jill Shalvis book before, what are you waiting for? Read this one—it's awesome!

Still not convinced? Okay. Some themes I've noticed running through Shalvis's novels are alienation, found families, and healing broken trust. In this book, it's right there in the title. She does these themes really well, adding some grit to otherwise sweet stories.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you getredprbooks, William morrow books, Jill Shalvis and NetGalley for my gifted galley of the book that publishes on Jan 11, 2022

This was my first Jill Shalvis read and Jill made the fake dating trope book a pleasant, enjoyable read! This is the first in the Sunrise Cove series!

Jane pretends to be Levi’s girlfriend for one night and the event it takes and how she makes lasting connection with Levi, his friends and family has been portrayed with so much warmth and love.

This was such a pleasant read and I loved the writers storytelling and making the characters feel so real and relatable! The setting was to die for and the chemistry between the main characters was so hot!

I highly recommend this beautiful tale of family by Jane Shalvis, which gave me lot of warmth and comfort in these trying times when I cant visit my family back home in India!

This is a beautiful story of looking at life through a different lens from the one you have relied on for many years. There are four main characters in this story. The first two protagonists are Levi and Jane, and the other two are Charlotte and Mateo. Levi and Jane get caught in a dangerous situation, and both believe that their life is ending shortly because of it. This causes them to get the surface-y stuff out of the way and go straight to the heart of what really matters. Mateo and Charlotte are both doctors and next-door neighbors. Mateo has given his heart to Charlotte, but she isn’t ready to accept it. Three of these major characters have suffered life-changing events which have altered their perceptions as to how they see the world and how they interact with others. Because of these perceptions, this author masterfully guides the reader into understanding why they are the way they are, and how they undertake their own heroic journeys into an acceptance of new, healthier, and happier realities.

There are some extremely poignant moments in this story, so get some tissues ready. Readers will laugh and cry and get some warm fuzzies when reading about the various familial interactions that occur throughout the book. Shalvis does an amazing job of getting into the heart of each protagonist, and the result is pure magic! Each character is well-written and fleshed out beautifully. The motivation for each action is clear—although occasionally readers discover this in hindsight. There is beauty, richness, depth and heart in this book, and it has that little ‘something extra’ that elevates it to 5 stars. This reader highly recommends this book!

Arc copy from Netgalley . I think I have a new favorite Jill Shalvis book. Right from chapter one Jane and Levi are in quite the situation, I was hooked. Scary situation leading to pretend dating(love those storylines) I really fell for the characters early on, Levi and Jane, Charlotte and Mateo. And the feels, my goodness, I laughed, got teary eyed, smiled a lot, might’ve blushed some too. There was just soo much I loved in this book that I just wanna tell you all about it. But no spoilers. 🤫New series which means more and I can’t wait. If you’ve ever read a Jill Shalvis book you don’t wanna miss this one❤️. If you haven’t read one yet, well then, I highly recommend this one to start with⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New Year, New Author and a new series! I really enjoyed the characters and how their past influences their present. The main characters are Jane and Levi, which happened to meet in a life or death situation. The action flies off the pages in the first chapter. There are a few good laugh out loud parts that I always love. Great start, can’t wait to read the next book.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheFamilyyouMake #JillShalvis

"The Family You Make" tugs on our heartstrings and emotions, making us root for Levi and Jane to find a way to come together without losing their selves. True, their meeting was hardly the standard meet-cute type, with them both facing death at any moment, but it reveals their characters immediately. Levi loves his family and is a giving man, one who calls his mom in what might be his last moment and instead of saying goodbye decides on impulse to tell her he's found someone to love, while Jan shows both her sense of isolation and that, in a pinch, she steps up and helps Levi when he is injured. The story evolves from that point, true, following the ol' fake girlfriend motif, but Shalvis is a master at bringing her characters, both the main ones and the supporting cast, Relationships evolve, including the one between Charlotte and Mateo, and family dynamics are explored. The contrast between Levi and Jane's family backgrounds is huge, tho' in many ways Levi seems to be trying to escape the sense of being too loved as much as Jane is vulnerable and lonely as she was shuffled from relative to relative during her growing years. and finds it difficult to trust others to love her. There's humor, too. One of the ones that stuck with me, maybe because I was just outside pondering the need to clear my own driveway of snow, was Jane's ridiculous reaction to Levi clearing hers for her. Woman, send him up here!

This is a new series for author Jill Shalvis and I'm looking forward to our next visit with her, the families, and collected friends. IF you like women's stories and romance, not to mention lovely winter wonderland settings, you'll love this book.

Thanks to #NetGallery and #WilliamMorrowAndCustomHouse, #WilliamMorrowPaperbacks, and #HarperCollins for the Arc. I'd drifted away from Jill Shalvis' books for awhile and this was a lovely return visit.

Every time I read a book by Jill Shalvis I am in love with the characters she creates and The Family You Make is no exception. This is the first book in her new Sunrise Cove series which takes place near Lake Tahoe. It is exemplifies Shalvis’ sense of humor, the personalities she gifts unto her characters, allowing the reader to connect with each of them. This wonderful story is a reminder that family is not necessarily the one you are born into, but formed of the love and support of people you surround yourself with; creating your own family.

This is an amazing story about how the past, family, and friends can affect our present and how hard it is to open up and faith in others again; even love again. We follow two couples: Levi and Jane and Mateo and Charlotte, with Levi and Jane's initial encounter being a few hours of wondering if they are going to see the next morning. Both couples are perfect for each other, they just have to overcome personal past issues to trust their feelings. Both Levi and Mateo are extremely patient, understanding and totally supportive of Jane and Charlotte; carefully building trust and a connection.

Once again Ms. Shalvis delivers a sweet, lovable story. Jane and Levi need each other almost as much as Charlotte and Mateo. Throw in a zany family, complete with a temperamental cat and capricious six year old and it’s the perfect life to live in Sunshine Cove. The passion, the snark, the laugh-out-loud moments, the tears, the difficult situations, the pain, the memories, are all handled with a sense of empathy or compassion so the reader falls more in love with the characters and the story. I highly recommend The Family You Make to other readers and look forward to what’s next in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

This book has you going from the beginning! You get two cute love stories. Two independent women and two irresistible handsome and caring men. You have great characters, humor, family connections and, oh, some sexy moments. I highly recommend this book! You never go wrong with a Jill Shalvis book😉 She always has me laughing or smiling like a fool, LOL!!!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis is the 1st 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 40th 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

Jill Shalvis has a way about her writing that creates a complex story, strong characters, and plenty of swoony romance with humor. This story follows two people who meet under extreme circumstances and find a way to make space for each other through unusual results. This has themes of abandonment, found family, fake dating, and self-discovery.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. In addition to the main characters, Shalvis also creates a very satisfying secondary romance that could easily stand alone.

I really enjoyed this book.. Great characters and I loved the story. A scary event with two strangers, a white lie told out of fear, ,leads to a lot more than our main characters bargained for. I loved reading this one.

A heartwarming story of love and friendship and what makes a real family. Jane has been passed around by family members all her life and learned to be the one to never put down roots and always move on, making no connections along the way. Levi has family so smotheringly rooted in Lake Tahoe that he fled town to find his own space and identity. When they meet in death-defying circumstances these opposites attract, but Levi has to press Jane to make her see that some connections are worth making.

I enjoyed the main characters, especially Jane and her snarky sense of humor, her vulnerability that she covers up with sass, and her friendship with Charlotte-who is absolutely the person you want mentoring you in all things adult. The secondary story between Charlotte and Mateo was sweet, sexy, and perfectly wonderful- getting there in Charlotte's own time but showing her (and us) that traumas can be overcome when we find the right person to trust and help us.

The biggest hurdle throughout the book is Jane's own lack of trust in others and in herself, and her relationship with Alley Cat and the inevitable comparisons between her and Cat are both entertaining and spot on. Definitely something many of us can learn from. Plenty of humor and enough snark to keep me happy as well as plenty of hotness and chemistry to go around, "The Family You Make" Is a great book to start the new year off with!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Jill Shalvis hit another home run! Perfect series starter and I can't wait to read more about Sunrise Cove!

Jane and Levi are stuck on a gondola during a snow storm and after the car in front of them falls off the track, Levi calls his mom and can't bring himself to tell her what is going on and say "good-bye" so he lets her believe that he found love and that he's happy - the one thing she has been wanting from him - with a stranger whom he just met, Jane. What ensues is a "fake" relationship between Levi and Jane...but they can't ignore their chemistry.

Levi, a data scientist, tells Jane he is the black-sheep of the family as he feels like a bit of an outsider. He left home after the death of his fiancée and rarely comes back. Jane is a traveling, contract nurse who comes to Sunrise Cove during season. Jane has a history of keeping everyone at arm's length due to her abandonment and trust issues and refuses to let anyone in and the lines of their "fake" relationship begin to blur quickly as their relationship takes a real turn.

There is also a secondary story line between Charlotte, Jane's roommate, and Mateo, Levi's childhood friend and Charlotte's neighbor. Charlotte also has trust issues and struggles to let men into her life. Their frenemy relationship eventually leads to more. Charlotte and Jane must learn to let go of the past and allow themselves to be loved. Both Levi and Mateo are the perfect men for the job as they allow both women to come to the realization on their own.

I enjoyed the Lake Tahoe setting and I found myself falling in love with all of the characters, for different reasons. The family aspect added some interesting interactions with Levi's family instigating ways to meet Jane, but not being forthcoming on who they are.

Thank you Avon for the advanced copy. I was ecstatic when I received it! Out January 11.

So this is saying a lot, but this may be my favorite book from Jill so far, and a lot of her books make it into my favorites list, so you know it’s real good. Saying I absolutely loved this (which is the truth) doesn’t do my love for it justice though. So in that case, just trust me when I say you need to add this to your TBR today. It was filled with so much care & family love, both blood related and friendships that turned into family.

I don’t know how Jill does it. She writes a story with her main characters, but also provides a full story on side characters too, without taking the light away from the main characters! Jane and Levi are definitely one of my favorite couples, as well as some secondary characters too!

TW: cancer, temporary home, death of a loved one

Instead of confessing his life was in danger, Levi assured his mother that he had settled down and was in a loving relationship. Eager to keep his family happy, Levi convinced Jane to partake in his fake dating plot, but as the fauxmance began to feel real, would Levi be able to win the heart of commitment phobic Jane?

I feel like a broken record every time I write a review for a Shalvis book, but seriously, her books are perfection for me. I don’t know how she always manages to find the perfect balance of humor, romance, and emotion in her stories, but I will continue to welcome them with open arms as they never fail to make me happy.

It was interesting that the universe chose to bring Levi and Jane together. Both were avoiding relationships due to some trauma in their past. Levi pushed his family and friends away, while Jane lived a sort of nomad life. Both had roots in Sunrise Cove though, and together, they were able to unpack some of their baggage, heal, and move forward. I beg you to be patient with Jane. She lived a difficult life, feeling like a throwaway. It took a lot to erase that pain, but she was lucky to have some people in her circle who were willing to stand by her and give her the time and space she needed to come to terms with her past.

One of those people was Charlotte. A doctor at the hospital who rented rooms to temporary staff. Her brute force love for Jane was one source of heart explosions. That woman was special, and though she struggled with her own past, she was still always able to be there for others. I was glad Shalvis gave Charlotte a romantic storyline too, and couldn’t have asked for a better hero for her.

As the title infers, there was a focus on family of all sorts in this story. All that family focus warmed my heart, and Levi’s family was precious. They were such busy bodies, but I loved them ever so much, for they had good intentions. There were lots of beautiful reunions too between estranged family members, as well as, long separated friends. So many happy tears moments for me.

If The Family You Make is any indication of what I can expect from this series, I hope there are an infinite number of Sunrise Cove books coming my way.

Levi and Jane unexpectedly survive the unthinkable together. This prickly, quick-thinking nurse and analytical data analyst with a big protective streak took care of each other and lived to tell about it.

But in a last-minute call to his family, Levi might have lied that he had a girlfriend. And Jane is the only woman that can save him from disappointing his meddling but loving family. But Jane is a loner. She has such abandonment and trust issues that she does not get close to people so they cannot send her away or hurt her. She is not the dating type or relationship material. She has one foot out the door ready to take on her next adventure.

Levi understands not exactly fitting in as he is different from his family and left his hometown to get away and be his own man, but he understands the importance of home as well. He is perceptive, understanding, kind, patient, funny, and somehow gets her and actually likes her. And she ends up agreeing to help him to appease his family and spend time together with a built-in barrier. But fake girlfriending gets more complicated when you actually like the guy you are fake dating and he seems to like you too.

There is another enemies-to-love story brewing between her best friend and landlord, Charlotte, and their neighbor and Levi's old friend, Mateo. I was as invested in them as I was the main couple. Charlotte is guarded and untrusting as Jane when it comes to men and relationships. But she is the matriarch of her made family and has a big generous heart to spoil those she lets in. But she has been keeping Mateo pushed outside her walls. But Mateo is smart, patient, and determined to break them down piece by piece.

This is a sweet, witty, emotional story of two stubborn, guarded women with fears and trust issues and two men who are willing to go the distance to prove that they are worthy of their trust. It is not a fast or easy process and requires patience to peel back their layers. So I will admit that sometimes it got a bit repetitive or it made me want to shake sense into the characters just a bit. It's about being vulnerable, trust, faith, home, and the heart of family. They truly need to allow others to see their messy parts so they can accept themselves and let someone in. All have histories that have hurt and damaged them in ways but together they have the potential to find hope and healing in order to move on and let love in.

Family is everything. This is what Jane has always heard despite not having a stable family of her own. She spends most of her year traveling and working contracts but comes to Tahoe once each year to stay with a friend and work some rotations in the area clinics there. In a freak incident on a gondola, she meets Levi and, believing they are about to die, the two get to know one another quickly and Levi even tell his mom in what he believes to be their final conversation that Jane is his girlfriend. Things take off from there.

This book is slightly fake dating but more about the family you make vs the family you're born with. I have been a long time fan of Jill Shalvis and one of my absolute favorite aspects of her work is the way she writes about found families. Jane has Charlotte, whom she stays with while in Tahoe, and Levi has Matteo who Jane knows from his living next door to Charlotte. The other thing that I've seen and enjoyed in her newer books is that there is often a secondary love story. While the book mainly focuses on Jane and Levi, there is a background story of Charlotte and Matteo that I almost loved more. They way that these couples and friends all support one another and love each other despite not believing they are capable of being loved themselves is heartwarming.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book. Tahoe is close to home for the author and this one puts you in a cozy wintry mood perfectly. As with all her books, this one was difficult to put down and kept me reading well past my bedtime. It had everything I have come to love in a Shalvis novel....family, friendship, romance, chemistry and a lovable pet (this one has Cat). Any longtime fan of Shalvis will love this one and those new to her will become quickly enamored and immediately want to read her backlist (as they should). Highly recommend!

I was hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down! The characters and story just draw you in and keep you interested. A definite must read.