This is an adorable and funny story. Readers will laugh out loud at the witty banter between the characters. Bodie and his brothers will capture your attention with their text chain and rambunctious fun. Harper will delight you with her obsessive need for independence. The character that will totally capture your heart is Ivy. This is a story about family and love that will make a great summer beach read.

Jill Shalvis is one of my long time favorite authors, and I just found a new favorite. Before I knew any details about Ivy I knew she was going to worm her way into my heart, and I have no regrets about that!

Ivy is a teenage runaway that comes into Lake Tahoe with a mission and a chip on her shoulder. Her home life wasn't great, hence running away on her mission (her mom is very self involved). She ends up coming across Harper, our main character, who has a soft spot for those in need. I love how quickly they bonded and how Harper gave her the same, respect, and time she needed, rather than grilling her or turning her over.

Bodie, Campbell who owns and runs the tavern next door ends up getting involved with Harper and also takes to Ivy, offering her tavern food for free - no strings attached. The Campbell family is also pretty awesome, they're bigger and louder, but have so much love to give.

So many things happen that are hard to address because I don't want to put out any spoilers, but this one really tugged at the heartstrings. I read The Sweetheart List all in one sitting and have no regrets.

This is a quiet light and easy read, for such serious and difficult topics addressed. It's a type of "feel-good" story, with a straightforward romance, a big boisterous family, and a fun side-friend. I enjoyed the setting and overall I breezed through the book. Harper is starting over and taking risks (making it look really easy, all I kept thinking of is wouldn't the rent in Tahoe be astronomical???). Bodie is grumpy but kind and overall quite likable. I probably won't remember reading this months from now, but it hit the spot for an easy vacation read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This was book was sweet and heartwarming, but nothing memorable. To be honest, I found myself skimming. I recommend it if you like tropey, predictable romance or just need a light read. I can see why Jill Shalvis has a big following, even if it's not my cup of tea. She knows her genre and gives the fans what they want.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Harper Shaw's life was falling apart so she up and moves to Lake Tahoe to open a bakery. There she befriends a runaway and finds romance. Sweet story.

Along the lines and stories of Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery, Jill Shalvis always delivers great stories.

The Sweetheart List
by Jill Shalvis
5 stars

This was so cute and enjoyable.
Harper decides to move to Lake Tahoe the last place she felt happy, to open a bakery. Upon arriving she meets Bodie who is her landlord and bar owner and oh so hot. Then Ivy a sixteen-year-old runaway with secrets stumbles into Harper's bakery needing a place to stay. It reminds me of a Hallmark movie and the way it went about. I enjoyed every minute, learning about Harper, Bodie, and Ivy.

Thank you, Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this eARC for an honest review.

A warm hug, Shalvis never fails to deliver a sweet love story. A baker looking for a new start, a runaway looking for a place to belong, & a recovering hero are thrown together & find everything they never knew they needed. Add in baked goods & a quirky family for the perfect recipe! Some of the writing was rough (how many times can a sound be the best one he‘s ever heard?), but this book was a perfect escape. This comes out June 13th and is the perfect vacation read!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

This was a cute, fluffy summer read. Perfect for reading by the pool. Yes, it was a little cliche and formulaic and there were parts where you had to suspend your belief regarding a timeline, but it was fun, enjoyable read.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Why have I not read a Jill Shalvis book before this?! I've seen them on the library shelves and have never gotten one but now I'm definitely going to check out her back-list! This is a fun summer read...the setting gave me cozy-hometown feels and made me want to walk up the street to go grab something from Harper's Sugar Pine bakery. I loved Bodie's family and how they were really there for each other. The romance between Harper and Bodie was just perfect and am now off to find the previous books in this series!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

Love the books by Jill Shalvis! I really get sucked into the stories and the characters are believable people.

We are back in Sunrise Cove book #4 in this series. We have three main characters who we follow:

Harper Shaw: A talented baker, dying in her soul sucking job who decides to get rid of everything that doesn’t spark joy and moves 500 miles away to start over in the charming town of Sunrise Cove,with the cutest furry companion, to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery.

Bodie Campbell: A tragic accident on the job brought him back home to sunrise cover to run his families tavern. He’s still trying to shake it off when Harper comes barreling into town and possibly his heart.

Ivy ****: Runaway who, Harper catches sneaking in to her bakery her first night into town looking for somewhere to sleep for the night and she quickly takes the 16 year old under wing. But what Harper and Bodie don’t know is the secret Ivy has that will change everything.

The book is funny, charming, heartfelt and a little heartbreaking in a couple chapters, a classic Jill novel! You will fall in love with this set of characters from Harper who’s been knocked down and continues to get back up, to Ivy, to Bodie and his huge loving family who’s dynamic is written so perfectly! This book release June 13th, highly recommend, you will not be disappointed!

As a reader who is just discovering Jill Shalvis, I enjoyed <i>The Sweetheart List</i> even though I had not read the earlier titles in the <i>Sunrise Cove</i> series. The characters and storyline were believable and engaging. Each character was unique in what they brought to the story as individuals as well as a family – even the dog, Ham! In addition to a strong sense of family, romance and a good dose of humor, the story addressed several real-life issues with sensitivity, compassion and honesty. Lake Tahoe itself is a beautiful setting although it didn’t play a significant role and I would have liked more!

At some point, however, the conversations and storyline began to seem repetitive rather than continuing to develop. Although the potential was there for this book to really stand out it needed more depth in order to take it to the next level. As is, it was a fine, light read and I’m adding the first of the series to my summer reading list.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely sweet…and I’m not talking about all the baking going on.
This was a fun book that made me smile. It touched on drama, family, relationships and how wonderful love can be even for those with trust issues. A well, satisfying book. Thank you Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for an early copy of this delightful book. This review is my honest opinion.

Heartwarming. Compassionate. Emotional. These are just some of the words to describe this lovely book. the characters are all looking for more in life. A second chance of happiness. Harper moves to Tahoe to open a bakery as that is the last place she remembers being happy. She soon meets a teen runaway, Ivy, who she takes in without a second thought. Along the way she meets Brodie who owns and runs the bar next door. Each is hurting from their past and must learn to trust themselves and each other again. The story is like reading a Hallmark movie only better.

This is a feel good read from start to finish, Harper Shaw lands without grace in Lake Tahoe. The first person she meets is Bodie Campbell, and although he is handsome, she is not impressed with the attitude he exudes. Harper is there to start life over running her own bakery, and Bodie and his brothers are the owners of the building she will rent. The brothers are incessant jokers, continually harassing each other, yet family loyalty is strong. Harper meets a teenage runaway and gives her food and shelter, and eventually a job, but there is more to Ivy than meets the eye.

The main storyline is about Harper and Bodie, but I found myself more intrigued by Ivy and her story. Despite the annoying banter of the brothers, I like the storyline and the characters, and found myself rooting for Ivy as she discovers who she is and how she came to be.

I loved this story about disappointments, love and family. Your family isn't always the family you were born into. Harper is starting over. She goes back to the last place where she felt joy. She has done what is expected of her and now she is going to do what she wants to do. She is opening a bakery to make herself happy. She has tried to make others happy, but it just never seemed to work, so she will do what makes her happy. Bodie has been away from his family too long. They are a big noisy group, but they love each other. When he meets Harper, his seemingly frozen heart thaws out. Harper is a surprise, but he has even bigger surprises coming. They both want more, but they aren't sure they can handle more. With the help of family and friends, they do find their way together.

The Sweetheart List is the fourth book in Jill Shalvis’s Sunrise Cove series. Harper Shaw is looking to reconnect with the last place she truly felt joy. That was when she was 12 and the last camping trip her family took before cancer took her mom. When she arrives at the lovely village where she has leased her new bakery there is a freak July snowstorm.
As Harper makes a sliding entrance into her new location, she seems to alienate both fellow store owner Shay and landlord Bodie, the middle Campbell brother. Following the note on her back door, Harper finds herself in the Olde Tahoe Tap eye to eye with the fellow that offered to help her, neither being very friendly. Upon getting her keys, Harper moves in to what will be her new bakery with second story small apartment, but her belongings aren’t due for a few weekends. As she and her Bernese Mountain rescue Hambone settle in on the bench of an existing booth for a chilly night, Harper hears someone breaking in only to find young Ivy Roberts seeking warmth. This child could have been her, making Harper open her space and her heart to the teenager.
Ivy is on a quest of her own—to find the sperm donor that left before she even appeared. And it seems she has tracked him to Sunset Cove. As Harper works to open her bakery and protect Ivy, she figures out the girl’s big secret and finds herself in a possibly volatile position. When protecting Ivy touches on destroying her budding new relationships, Harper chooses the girl, something few have done in the past.
This is such a good story of new beginnings for each of the main characters. With well drawn characters and a lovely lakeside setting, this is yet another feather in Ms. Shalvis’s literary cap. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

The Sweetheart List is a cute and light story about love and family. Our heroine, Harper, moves herself to the only place she's ever been happy in hopes of starting over. As in all small town romances she meets a man and falls in love. She also meets a young girl in need of some help and can't resist stepping in and loving her as well. The themes of family and acceptance are strong if a bit preachy and the characters are all basically good people. It's a nice story but didn't really do much for me. I think the book struggles to balance the romance plot with the family plot and probably needed to be longer to have them both be satisfying. Overall, a 3/5 for me and I'd say it could make a nice beach read.