I've not read a lot by Jill Shalvis but I really liked this one. I was annoyed when I realized it was book #2 in this series (and I hadn't read the first one) but pleasantly surprised to find it really stands on its own and I didn't feel like I'd missed any connections. I liked the slow build on the friendship and relationship between Tae and Riggs (and the flashback to how they met), as well as the reconnected relationship between Riggs and his brother, Jake. I'd be interested to read others in this series, as well as others by this author. Thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

"Family isn't whose blood you carry. It's who you love, and who loves you back." (quoted from the book)

April was only 15 when she had Tae, and since then its been the two of them against the world. As Tae was growing up, April was always a loving Mom, but sometimes made bad choices. She worked hard, and Tae became independent. Being so close in age, sometimes April and Tae were more like sisters, sharing clothes and being there for each other.

Tae is a hard-working adult now, but she still misses what she never had: her father, who died in the military. She keeps her relationships high-level, never letting her heart go. She did that once, at 17, with Riggs, but then he left and since then, she is a locked door. When Riggs shows back up by surprise one night and they get reacquainted, Tae tries to maintain a friendship with benefits to protect her heart.

This book was so good. I felt like I was right in Lake Tahoe, seeing the beautiful scenery and feeling the chilly nights and warm days. The work Jake and Riggs are doing to help disabled people at Adrenaline HQ is so rewarding you want to volunteer right away at their next event. You can feel the love between April and Tae, it comes through so clearly.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series! This is the second book but reads as a stand-alone.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is a stand alone book. The only connection to the first book in the series is the location, so go ahead and read this first if you have it. This is your standard Jill Shalvis angsty - happy - feel good romance. Now this is not a bad thing, as I have read all her books. I like the emotion she brings to her romance novels. This is a very character driven novel. The best part of Ms. Shalvis's writing is her ability to write the Hero's point of view very well. Actually she writes male POV's superbly. That being said - Riggs (the Male lead) was very well written, even being a typical alpha, emotionally stunted guy. What made this book so interesting was Tae (the Female lead) was more emotionally stunted than Riggs. This set the story up for some very interesting emotional growth. Of course, the secondary characters are always central to the plot, and are very well written.

I always enjoy Ms. Shalvis's books. I get the HEA I need, and a fascinating journey along the way. This would make for a perfect beach read and a great start to your summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC.

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis was a delightful read. It had its fun moments, its tense moments, its poignant moments and its happy moments. I really like the two main characters, Tae Holmes and Riggs Copeland. They both had some baggage but getting together was the beginning of the happy times of the rest of their lives. All the characters are well-developed and very likable. I always enjoy Jill Shalvis' stories and this one was a real treat.

I loved this book! I loved the the characters, the storyline, the side story, and I loved the unicorn onesie!! I got to see the characters grow, their heart struggles, and the joy at the end of the tunnel. Even when I had the box of Kleenex out - because of how real the pain was...I was there for all of it. Jill is always on my TBR list and always will be if she keeps writing absolute unicorns like this.

The Friendship Pact follows Tae, an event planner, and Riggs, an ex-military man figuring out what comes next. Tae is doing a lot of work for Riggs' and his brother Jake's company, Adrenaline HQ, which makes adventurous events accessible for disabled people. I loved the disability representation in this book with Jake as a wheelchair user and all the attendees of the AHQ events! That was a unique premise that I really enjoyed.

Both Tae and Riggs had rough childhoods for different reasons, leaving them with wounds when it comes to opening up about their true feelings. Tae's mom, April, was a teen mom and Tae grew up with very little. Riggs, on the other hand, grew up with an abusive father and harbors a lot of guilt for his older brother taking the brunt of his blows.

Tae and Riggs had one wonderful night as teenagers, but when they find themselves thrown together many years later, neither are sure whether it's a good idea to rekindle that romance. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Shelves writes the "woman with walls up" so well, and I love seeing a man knock those walls right down!

Having read both books in this series so far, it seems as if Shalvis will open each book with an adrenaline-pumping event, include a secondary romance plot line between an older set of adults, as well as a secondary plot line about healing family relationships.

Tropes:
Second chance
Workplace romance

Tae and Riggs went to high school together and had a brief encounter. Flash ahead 10 years later and she's a successful event planner. Leaving a recent event she jumps into what she thought was her Uber only to discover Riggs was her driver: the fun begins.

Riggs has returned home, discharged from service to work for the summer with his wheelchair bound brother, He feels guilty that he wasn't able to help his brother more when his accident occurred. Can he get through the summer and head to his dream job in DC?

You will laugh and cry at the antics that occur. Each of them find something they never knew they needed but is it enough? You'll want to read this one to find out. A great second story that could be read as a standalone book.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and I am voluntarily submitting this review.

Tae and her mom have survived together ever since her dad died when she was an infant. When her one time high school fling Riggs comes back in town for the summer, they cannot deny the attraction. Both of them are skittish of making long term commitments. They decide to just be friends since Riggs is moving on to a new job at the end of the summer. However, the friendship pact doesn’t appear to be working. When Tae starts to suspect her father might not be dead after all, Riggs tries to help her find out the truth. I received an ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow Avon for my honest review.

Two words: Unicorn! Onesie! That’s it, that’s the review.

Ok, no, I have more to say. Like how much I love Tae, who is fierce in her love for her mom and determined to make her life better than it was. She is so good, so giving, so strong, and I love that she is someone who can see beyond the pain and heartache that life has given her.

Riggs….I just want to hug him. And shove him when he’s being hard headed. But mostly hug him. He is so lost and hurt and damaged, but also so giving and loving.

I loved this book! I loved the depth of the characters, their heart and struggles and joy. And even the pain…it’s real and heartbreaking, but understandable. Jill Shalvis is brilliant. Also, now I want a unicorn onesie.

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis is her second book in her popular Sunrise Cove series, set in Lake Tahoe, California, but this can easily be read as a stand-alone book. I enjoyed this emotional, second-chance romance.

Tae Holmes and her mother April have relied on each other for Tae’s entire life. April was only fifteen years old when she gave birth to Tae, and they practically raised each other. Tae is an event coordinator in Tahoe and lives right next door to her mother, April, she’s recently received a contract with an adventure company for athletes with disabilities, Adrenaline HQ, and she has high hopes this contract will help her and her company grow.

Riggs is the silent partner for Adrenaline HQ and has just returned from working overseas as a Marine. He remembers Tae from High School, where they had a brief fling, and never spoke again. When they meet again at the fundraiser that Tae has organized for Adrenaline HQ, sparks start to fly, but neither Riggs nor Tae want a relationship, and Riggs is only home for the summer until he starts his new job in Washington, D.C.

I was immersed in the story immediately and enjoyed following Tae, Riggs, and April throughout the book. I did enjoy the relationship between Tae and her mother, April. While not the perfect mother-daughter relationship, they did love each other and cared for each other very much.

The Friendship Pact was an emotional book about two broken people, who need each other as much as they don’t believe they need each other. Riggs came from a tough home life and then lived as a Marine for years, and Tae, grew up taking care of her mother more than her mother took care of her. Also, she grew up without a father. I loved that when Tae and Riggs came together, they found ways to validate and help heal each other as well as themselves.

I recommend The Friendship Pact to anyone who enjoys Women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis

Years ago when my love for reading hit an all time high Jill Shalvis was my #1. An automatic buy/read. I had read my way through everything of hers. 😍 Life got bumpy and reading got put on the back burner. As the years past and I rekindle my love for reading, nothing changed… Jill Shalvis is still one of my go to authors.

QOTD: who is your go to author?

“Alone in the world, Tae Holmes and her mother April pretty much raised each other, but as Tae starts asking questions about the father she’s never met, April, for the first time in her life, goes silent. To make matters worse, Tae is dangerously close to broke and just manages to avoid financial meltdown when she lands a shiny new contract with an adventure company for athletes with disabilities and wounded warriors. Her first big fundraiser event falls flat, but what starts out as a terrible, horrible, no-good night turns into something else entirely when Tae finds herself face-to-face with Riggs Copeland. She hasn’t seen the former Marine since their brief fling in high school, and while still intensely drawn to him, she likes her past burned and buried, thank you very much. Hence their friendship pact. But when April oddly refuses to help Tae track down her father, it’s Riggs who unexpectedly comes to her aid. On a hunt to unlock the past, the two of them find themselves on a wild ride and learn a shocking truth, while also reluctantly bonding in a way neither had seen coming. Now Tae must decide whether she’s going to choose love … or walk away from her own happiness.”
🦄 💜
The Friendship Pact us book #2 in the Sunrise Cove but it held its own just fine with me reading it before book #1 (that is waiting on my shelf to read, rookie move! 🤪). Jill Shalvis painted Lake Tahoe perfectly and the characters are real and messy, 100% relatable. Plus a unicorn onesie! This book is a great journey on finding love, acceptance and peace.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you net galley for a arc copy of this book for free for my honest feedback!!
#netgalley #2022readingchallenge #jillshalvis #sunrisecoveseries #thefriendshippact #4starbook

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis is another win for this author. Jill has the best writing and always coming up with something new to read. This book is a very entertaining read from start to finish. I love each of the characters and their distinct personalities. A great story about two brothers and their path to happiness. This will be another good summer read.

Shalvis is synonymous with humor and heartfelt characters! The second book in the Sunrise Cove series brings together two scarred souls who once crossed paths at pivotal moments in each others lives and are now passing in the wind ... until feelings start to grow, secrets are uncovered that could change everything and happily ever after doesn't seem so impossible anymore. Highly enjoyed this story!

Tae is feisty and tenacious and doesn't believe life is the sunshine and roses that some try to pass it off to be. I really enjoyed seeing her let her guard down when it came to Riggs, yet still play hard ball about not letting him think he had won her over.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys down to earth characters with hearts of gold and sass galore.

This is your typical Jill Shalvis book with quirky characters. I have felt her books getting more formulaic in the last few years with nothing to make any of them standout. It's an ok read if you just want to pass the time.

Tae and her mother April, are very close. They are all they have. When April became pregnant at 15, her parents threw her out. Since then she’s been raising Tae on her own. Tae has become more the mother, always trying to earn money so they can keep a roof over their heads, When she lands a job opportunity with an adventure company for disabled individuals, Tae knows this is her moment to shine. Then she runs into Riggs Copeland, the man she lost her virginity to in high school, he has returned to help his brother run the company for the summer. Riggs is now a rugged, handsome man, and Tae needs to stop thinking about him, since he will be leaving at the end of the summer. Riggs offers her a friends with benefits for the summer.

Tae has wondered who her father is all her life. Her mother told her he died a hero in the gulf war, but won’t give her any more details. This has now become her mission, to find out everything about him. When Riggs offers to help her, at first she tells him no, but he is very persuasive, and gives in. As they work together, some ugly truths come out about her past. Tae needs to make a decision, not only about her future with Riggs, but also about the secrets that have been uncovered.

I loved this book.

Author Jill Shalvis writes books with a 100% guarantee like ability. They are lighthearted stories of friends, family, and love. I always know their will be something that needs to be resolved, and I’ll enjoy the journey to getting there. The Friendship Pact is the second book in the Sunrise Cove series but it can be read as a stand alone which I like. Reading this book while on vacation on the lake .love. Also the main character and I have the same last name so that was pretty cool!
Tae Holmes is very close to her mother. April had Tae when she was in High School and with no father in the picture it was just the two of them against the world. Tae has always wondered about her father but her mom refused to talk about him. With a new job and an old flame back in the picture Tae is finally feeling things come together. She’s making money and helping out her company who cares for wounded warriors. Her friendship with Riggs in full swing but she must guard her heart. The two had a thing long ago that both would love to revisit, but they’ve decided it’s probably better to keep it friendly as Riggs will be leaving after the summer.
Tae has a lot on her plate with her new job and planning a big event. A casual comment about her father comes up and Tae can’t stop obsessing about the fact her father may be alive, but she can’t ask her mom for fear it’s not true and she would hurt her. Her internal struggle of leaving the past behind but also desperately wanting to find her father takes over her every thought. Between her work, thoughts of her father, and her commitment to stay friends with Riggs when all she wants is to kiss him is enough to send her over the edge! She’ll need to juggle all her feelings to make sure no one gets hurt, including herself.

I was lucky to receive a complimentary copy of this book. from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. The Friendship Pact is a feel good read about... Yep, you guessed it ,,,, Friendship! I also found it to be about family and forgiveness. I was sad to finish it and now will patiently waitfor the next book in the series.

Tae and Riggs were friends(ish) in high school, except for that one hot night. Following that, they never spoke again, and shortly after their encounter he joined the Marines. Now, a decade later, Tae is running an event planning business and sharing a duplex with her mom, who had been a teenage mother. Her father was also in the military but is long-dead (or is he???). Riggs is just in town for the summer, planning to help his brother in their adaptive adventure company and trying to resist the lure of Tae. Tae and Riggs both know that they’re setting themselves up for heartache, but they just can’t stay away from each other.

This is classic Jill Shalvis (though definitely less steamy than those from a few years ago): a small town that sounds so beautiful you want to move there immediately, the misunderstood kid grown to be an upstanding member of society, a second chance at an earlier love….all the good stuff. Tae and Riggs were good together (though it frustrated me to no end that they never discussed her radio silence in high school) and definitely had chemistry. Riggs’ relationship with his brother was interesting and thoughtful and I loved that they used their shared experiences to help veterans and others who needed the adaptive experiences their company offered. Overall, though, it just kind of bounced around a bit too much and was pretty uneven. However, if you’re looking for something light to start your summer, it may be just the thing. CW for past parental abuse and food insecurity. Available 6/14/22. Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the eArc.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Friendship Pact is the second in Jill Shalvis’ Sunrise Cove series. It can be read as a standalone, and has little connection to the first book beyond the sharer setting.
This one continues the blend of strong women’s fiction themes with equally strong romantic ones in the first book. And the fact that this one explores a second chance between a family unit created by accident during wild youth is touching.
The relationship between Tae and April is beautiful, if a bit bittersweet given the state of current affairs in the U.S. right now. Tae and April have an interesting dynamic where Tae sometimes feels like she has had to be a parent as much as April did. April becoming pregnant when she was still a kid herself explains how she’s not always the most mature. Yet, I love how, in spite of the struggles, they do love and care for one another. And this one heartfelt conversation about how April did have options, and ultimately she chose to have Tae is beautiful and a standout moment.
I liked seeing them both form (and reform) relationships with Riggs, April’s high school fling and Tae’s father. He has his own complicated past with trauma that is also well explored. I can’t say I was super won over by them as a couple, but given how complex each of these characters is and all the toxicity they deal with individually, I appreciate the way Shalvis attempted to navigate it all, and feel she succeeded in doing so to provide all of them happiness.
This is a heartwarming read about family, forgiveness, and second chances. If you enjoy Jill Shalvis’ writing, especially in recent years, or enjoy books that explore complex romantic and familial bonds, I recommend picking this up.

Jill Shalvis has an amazing talent for getting her readers to connect to her books on deep and emotional levels. The Friendship Pact is a heartwarming, healing story about friendship in love.


Tae Holms and her mother April have a very unique relationship. April being a teenage mom, in many ways they ended up raising each other. They have a solid bond as mother and daughter but also a friendship that goes beyond. They are in many ways each other's worlds. As Tae begins to take off in a career that she is passionate about she also has many life questions. The big one being who and what happened to her father. April is also discovering new parts of her life, finding herself as a person and not just a mother. On the night of her first fundraiser Tae literally hops into a car and find herself face-to-face with the one person from high school that made an impact on her. Not just a fling but someone she cared about. Riggs is an ex marine who is facing some demons and issues of his own. While there is an instant connection between the two and their past dealings may help egg that spark on Tae tries to play it hard and cool.
As Tae begins to ask questions of her past and her mothers avoidance at answering just makes her want the answers more. With a determination to accomplish this task on her own the last person she expected to help her would be that blast from the past that knows how to get under her skin, without even knowing.

Jill Shalvis broke out all the stops with this one. The Friendship Pact is a highly emotional and healing story about friendship and yes love. Love between a mother and daughter, love between friends and love between a man and a woman. All the characters in this book were healing in some way or another or helping someone heal. The personal issues of both Tae and Riggs have them keeping their barriers up but each of them seems to know a way to soften the others. Tae and Riggs do not have an easy climb but they make it well worth every step they took to find the love they didn’t No was waiting for them.