Jill Shelves writes wonderful stories that explore relationships; relationships between family members, between friends and members of communities. Unlike many serials, the Sunrise Cove books do not have the same characters drifty through each book. The one common denominator is that they take place in Sunrise Cove. So easy to read as a stand alone.

Tae Holmes was raised by her teenage mother with lots of love, but lots of struggles as her mother, April was kicked out of her family home at 15 when she was pregnant. She and Tae, now 28, are very close, but April has a secret from Tae and is very afraid that it will come out, because she waited too long to share. Because of her upbringing and struggles, Tae, although very kind, does not trust anyone but her mother, and only dreams about security, safety and stability. She works very hard to achieve that dream, so is thrown for a loop when Riggs Copeland, a high school love interest, comes back into town and her life. Riggs and his brother lost their mother when they were young and were raised by their abusive alcoholic father. Both went into the military to escape him, but now both are back in Sunrise Cove. Jack had been in Special Forces, but was seriously injured. However, with the help of a good woman, Carolyn, has built a business, Adrenalin HQ, an adventure company for athletes with disabilities, wounded warriors and at risk children. All these people have "issues" but big hearts and love help them became whole.

I read an ARC this wonderful book, provided by NetGAlley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Tae has finally gotten everything on track when Riggs walks back into her life. They knew each other in high school until one night. ARC from NetGalley.

This is a great story about a mother and daughter (April and Tae Holmes) who have a great relationship. April does not have a good judgement when it comes to relationships with men. Tae has always done things that she felt she needed to do in order to protect her mother. Tae has always thought that it's just her and her mother based on what her mother told her. But some truths concerning Tae's father will be revealed that may sever their relationship.

Tae comes face to face with her high school fling, Riggs Copeland. When Tae starts seeking answers regarding her father Riggs decides to help me. Riggs decides to seek some answers without telling Tae about them.

When everything comes to a head both April and Riggs will find themselves alienated from Tae. Will Tae come to terms with the decisions that were made without her knowledge?

Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite authors. She's written another winner with memorable characters who find a second chance at love. Recommended.

This is the epitome of beach summer reading. This is part of the Sunrise Cove series, but there is no reason that this can't be read as a stand-alone if that's your thing, but once you do start, you will want to read everything and then be like all other Jill Shalvis fans count the days until there's another release. This is part second chance romance (between Riggs and Tae), and part mystery (of who Tae's father is and why her mom, April, has kept it a secret). Always a page turner with Jill Shalvis. Can't wait for the next!

I have recently read a lot of Jill Shelvis' backlist of books after discovering her as an author. I have to say that The Friendship Pact was another fun addition to her collection of stories! As always, the cover is absolutely gorgeous - same reason I was first drawn to her books! In this story, we meet Tae and a former fling from high school she hasn't connected with in a while. Though out this story, we learn more about the father that Tae thought was dead and we go on a journey to find out who he really is. This was a great read!

Jill Shalvis can do no wrong. Seriously she can create a story and a side story and make it funny and sweet and make my cry and it is like magic. I don't know how she does it and how she is so consistently amazing but I'm here for her and her books.

Jill has become an auto read author for me. I really like her writing and enjoyed the second book in the series!

Small town, fun character, side drama and veterans- all in! This was sweet and romantic and all kinds of feels. Tae and Riggs are both complicated puzzle pieces looking for connection but afraid of love and loss. They are beautiful characters and along with the family drama with her mother April and his brother/business partner there are just so many layers and drama to unpack.

Another fun and fast-paced contemporary romance from Jill Shalvis, who never disappoints. This one was great, a perfect read and Jill is an auto buy for me. Highly recommend!

Watch my Amazon Live interview with Jill here: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/a51ae1aa-83cb-4743-9125-d628481e9e25?tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv&ref_=social

This is an enjoyable romance that is steeped in second chances, independent characters, family bonds, and trust issues. The main characters have chemistry that was first sparked years ago and are offered a second chance to explore it, but with Riggs starting a job in another town, their time together is limited. Tae had such a rough life that she's developed trust issues and isn't looking to start something that'll only break her heart. Still, their chemistry and feelings for each other cannot be denied, but secrets might destroy whatever they have going on.

On a whole I enjoyed the romance, but the book still had some flaws. A lot of the romance building relied on things that happened when they were in high school. They already start with feelings for each other, so it's a little disappointing not to see that really blossoming. This novel also has a character that was introduced in a different series (Rigg's brother Jake). A lot of this characters involvement in this story connects to his current relationship, something I would have liked to have read (a book of his own?) because I felt like I was missing a bigger story when I read about Jake and Carolyn. True, the story was more about Jake's relationship with Riggs, but I felt like I'd missed reading a book to get to know Jake. Also, this novel has a bit of a subplot regarding Tae and her mother (April) and April's journey to come into her own. While their relationship definitely ties into the climax of the story, April's storyline felt a little unnecessary. It was odd reading a romance where suddenly there's a third POV. It almost felt as if this book didn't know if it was going to be a romance or Women's Fiction. Her chapters didn't feel like they fully belonged, as if they distracted from the romance.

This is a great novel with Shalvis's classic banter/humor and heat. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tae and her mom was always a team. The fact that her mom is keepinmg a huge secret is pulling them apart. This is hard on Tae as they do everyrhing together.
Riggs comes back to town to see his brother. He doesn't expcet to run into Tae. THey have a history. A history that does not need to be repeated.
This is a heartfelt story that will bring on all the feels. It was a good read, that I couldn't put it down


** I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review **

As the second book in the Sunrise Cove series, I was pleasantly surprised how emotional this story made me. I am a sucker for second chance stories and this book brought that in the very best ways. Covering friendship, family, love, and second chances, this book made me laugh, made me cry, and definitely touched my heart.

This was a great book!! Jill Shalvis always writes the best books!! The characters, the dialogue , the premise were all top notch. I would recommend this book to others and can't wait to read more books by this fabulous author.

Our family made some big decisions in the month of June, and I began this novel right in the midst of those (great!) decisions. I felt like I was in a reading slump, but really, we were just incredibly busy.

Once all the dust settled and I grabbed this novel (it seriously traveled with us for thousands of miles over the course of the month) I was flying through the pages, so clearly it brought me out of my slump!

Shalvis has written another novel in the Sunrise Cove series, this time focusing on Tae Holmes and her mom, April, along with Riggs Copeland. It includes cameos of crowd favorite Jake along with a stellar cast of support characters.

My gauge of how good a book is will always be how late at night I stay up to finish it.This one easily kept me up until 2:30 once I dove into the storyline head first.

As Riggs returns to his hometown to support his brother, Jake, he runs into Tae, who he has quite a history with, albeit from high school years ago. The two of them share deep discussions all the while we learn more and more about April’s past and Tae’s father.

I really like the way the romance between Tae and Riggs was messy and not crystal perfect, I like that there was a strong plot outside of the romance, for the betterment of many characters. Shalvis does a great job of weaving the messiness of life with these endearing romantic characters.

Thank you for my #gifted copy, @williammorrow I truly enjoyed it!

I always love how Jill Shalvis can create such a vivid image of the characters, their history and their stories within the pages of her novels. The Friendship Pact is no different. The relationship between mother and daughter is illustrated throughout the pages and relate well to how they effect her future choices. It is amazing how beautifully it is written.

A good story about young love and second chances!

I enjoyed the storyline of a teen mom doing the best she can to make the right choices for her daughter; but also about the mistakes she makes along the way! Said daughter, Tae, is now grown up and finding a second chance at love with her high school sweetheart, Riggs. Tae realizes pretty early on that she is quickly falling for Riggs, while Riggs has every intention of leaving town again. While Tae tries to protect her heart, she and Riggs begin an investigation into a secret they stumbled across. When Riggs keeps some pretty big details from Tae, he threatens their relationship which Tae struggles to get past.
The co-dependency between mother and daughter, April and Tae, was a huge distraction for me. I realize April is very young and there wasn't a huge age difference between the two; but it affected how I read the story and tried to relate to the characters.

A story about relationships, mistakes, forgiveness, and the unique mother daughter bond due to being pregnant when young. Characters are a good mix of light and depth, while I have enjoyed some other of her stories a bit more. Overall a good enjoyable read.

Jill Shalvis is definitely a go to author for me. This is a delightful summer beach read. Great romance and family story, but always with so many interesting variables and characters. Finished this one in 2 sittings.

I know I'm always in for a good read with Jill Shalvis at the keyboard, and The Friendship Pact is no exception. In this tale of uncovering secrets of the past and finding a new path forward, Tae and Riggs work through their issues generated by their past.

This is a second chance romance for Tae and Riggs, having met before in high school. When they meet as adults, there's still a bit of attraction between them and when Tae and Riggs band together to look for Tae's past, that attraction sparks and turns to fire. While the romance is steamy and predictable, it's the complexity of the characters that keeps this story interesting.

Overall, another enjoyable read from this author. The writing is top-notch and easy-going and the characters are likable. A great addition to the series.