Omg! I have never laughed or cried so much from a book in a long time. This book definitely made me feel. It was so believable and drew me in so much I felt a part of it. The humor reminded me so much of Janet Evanovich’s Plum series. A crazy grandma and so much more. Nothing could have been better. A must read!!

This was a fun, quick read and while I enjoyed it I really wish there had been more character development and background. I found several plot holes (example, Bodie state he is not fulfilled as a bartender but at the end it’s never clear what he will do with his life. )which left me hanging at the end of the book.

The Sweetheart List was a very enjoyable read. I loved the characters, the setting, and the issues that the story dealt with. I love novels that take broken characters that find their way and were they belong in the world. A very good read.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

The Sweetheart List is another great book by Jill Sharvis. It's a perfect beach read even though it's set in Tahoe. A fun story of family and friendship with a dash of romance. It does feature a runaway but it is heart warming and enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

While I like Jill Shalvis's books, I think they have really become too formulaic for me. I am getting tired of her female main characters needing men to rescue them.

I did love Ivy in this book; I loved her relationship with Bodie and Harper. Ham provided great comic relief.

Overall, I think Jill Shalvis DOES a great job in writing what she does, but it just is not for me any more. I will recommend her to other readers though!

I started this book yesterday and didn’t want to quit reading it. It was about a gal who’d decided to quit doing the things that didn’t bring her joy and move to the place where she was the happiest. She moves to a small town she visited with her mom when she was young and opens a bakery. She learns that family isn’t always the people we’re raised by.

The Sweetheart List features a plucky female protagonist, and grumpy male protagonist, and a teenager that surprisingly brings them all together. It’s well-paced, minimally steamy, and full of humor.

I really enjoyed the tropes in this book. There’s grumpy/sunshine, small-town, and second-chance (though not with the main couple) vibes. There’s also a great cast of characters that gives me hope that there might be more stories coming from this world in the future. And there’s a whole lot of heart. I can see why author Jill Shalvis is a fave of so many readers. It’s a book that’s as enjoyable to read as I would assume one of Harper’s cinnamon rolls would be to eat.

If you like a book that’s lighter on the steam and really leans into all of the other warm, fuzzy feels, you will really enjoy this book. Plus, there’s a bit of a mystery involved that just adds a little more fun to the plot.

This would be the perfect book to take with you on vacation, because reading it feels like one. In the best way possible.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sweetheart List is a heartwarming contemporary romance read that I really enjoyed. The bakery quips sprinkled throughout the book were so cute! The story has romance, comedy, friendships, second chances, found family, forgiveness, and some heat! If you like feel good romances, this is the book for you!

Harper Shaw moves to Sunrise Cove, the last place she remembers being truly happy, to open a bakery. After a bad breakup, she is done with men with the exception of her dog, Ham. Until she meets Bodie who owns the bar next door and is also co-owner of her building.
She meets Ivy, a homeless teen, when Ivy breaks into her building looking for a warm place to sleep. Harper gives her a home, a job, and someone who cares. We also are introduced to Jesse and James who are 2 other homeless kids that befriend Ivy and get into some trouble. I see a possible future book in the making with them.

A great beach read that is fun and lighthearted. You can never go wrong with a Jill Shalvis novel!

Loved this story and all the wholesome characters in here. This author really has a talent in delivering constant good reads. When I see her name I know I’m in for a feel good story.

Thank you for a chance to preview this book. I'm sure many patrons will love this fun read. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Wonderful even not really easy reading. Be prepared to dream, cry and hide and all you can immagine. I had no idea it was a series. I just wanted to read couse I have never read the authir's book.. it was spwcial and can not not reccomend to contemporary fiction lovers.

5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis

Harper has left her home after a break up and moves to Lake Tahoe to start her "independent" life over. Ivy runaway from home in Chicago and ends up in Lake Tahoe. Both looking for something different to fill their lives. Both girls end up meeting. Can they learn to trust each other and become friends? A twist happens when Bodie comes in their lives.
Do you think you could leave everything you know for parts unknown?

Has this peaked your interest? Pre-order your copy today so that on June 13th, the release day, you can find out how it plays out and ends. I recommend you do, you won't be disappointed

I received an advanced copy of this novel from net galley for my honest review.

This was a great light read. I have read more of this series and this did not disappoint.
When Harper moves back to Lake Tahoe- she meets Ivy and Bodie. Everyone has their own secrets
Great story about starting over, second chances and finding family. Fabulous beach read!

What a sweet story with everything you could possibly want in it! 5 stars for this one!
Harper's life needed a change, so why not go back to the place that you have the happiest memories from? So off she goes, with her big dog Ham, starting her life over, but taking a chance and doing what she wants to make her happy. When she arrives, she's met by Bodie, who explains that her place isn't ready quite yet, but Harper doesn't care, she'll sleep wherever in the building she can, and it's definitely interesting! She comes across a teenage girl, Ivy, sneaking into her place to sleep for the night, they strike up quite the friendship, as Harper see's so much of herself in this young girl.
Bodie has had a rough few years, and has just returned home, and when he runs into Harper, his interest is definitely peaked, she's a spitfire, but also hiding a lot of hurt, just like him.
Their story will take you on an adventure of learning to deal with the hand you were dealt and healing with the help of some great family and friends! I loved it!

After helping her ex-almost-fiancé through law school, he promptly dumps her so Harper packs up her most treasured belongings, including her 125-pound Bernese Mountain rescue, she calls Ham, her essential baking tools, a jar of irreplaceable sourdough starter and a tin of her chocolate and mint chip cookies. She is moving from San Diego to Lake Tahoe where she has memories of camping at the lake with her mother, who has now passed. Her Dad is remarried with a new family, so she rarely hears from him. She has rented a small space where she plans to open a bakery, and has almost arrived at her destination, although is blinded by the unexpected snow in July.

Her arrival is a week earlier than expected so the space is not quite ready. Harper is planning to live in the small apartment upstairs. Exhausted from the long drive, she picks up the key from the family who own the row of shops. She and Ham settle in with a sleeping bag when she hears a noise. Harper finds a teenage girl inside, hungry and looking for a place where she can get out of the snow. Ivy had come all the way from Chicago by herself, searching for the Dad she never knew. She does not even know his name, however, suspect he is from the area. Her mother, who has been married multiple times, is on an extended honeymoon and Ivy was to be staying with her stepsister. Harper takes her in, after insisting she contact her stepsister, so she knows where she is. They become close and Harper teaches her some baking techniques and pays her to help in the bakery.

The actual story of Harper, Ivy and the Campbell family who are the owners of the row of shops that now has a new bakery is heartwarming. It is a story of family and friends that come together and support each other. A long-held secret is discovered that shocks everyone. What ruined it for me was the constant cussing, and the use of the F word that did not add one positive thing to the story. If the language were cleaned up I think this heartfelt story would reach a larger audience.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Harper and her dog Ham are starting over in Lake Tahoe, fulfilling her late mother's dream of opening up a bakery. It may be a bigger change than she anticipated when she encounters mutant spiders, a family of raccoons, and a hungry bear in her first 24 hours, but she's determined to stick it out. With the help of a runaway teenager, and the bookstore next door, Harper is quickly finding her place in town. Bodie runs the bar next door, owns the entire block of buildings with his brothers, and after leaving the ATF, he's trying to figure out his next steps, which may include the cute baker next door.

Jill Shelves always writes a tight and concise romance with just enough spice to keep it interesting. Having read the first in this series (Sunrise Cove), I was slightly disappointed that those characters didn't make a cameo, but the Campbell family's relationships certainly made up for it. All of the characters had quite a bit of baggage to carry, which did cause them to seem a little one-dimensional and defined by those backstories. The story drug a little towards the end, with the requisite third-act break-up, but I always love an epilogue that ties everything together with a neat bow and gives a glimpse into the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I wasn't sure what the expect, but it definitely made me happy. The beginning kicks off with Harper being a hot mess. I really loved the description of her, her attitude and her situation. Her "it's fine I can do this" thought process definitely gave me some chuckles.

The description of Lake Tahoe and its surrounding area definitely made me smile, as a place I visited and drove through many times while in college.

After that, the relationship aspects with different characters started to build, and I did miss some of the funnier and more scenery-descriptive moments as the book got more plot heavy.

There were some great twists and turns I didn't expect, and overall it made me feel warm and fuzzy.

I wish the book had been a bit longer, I felt like there were some scenes that were skipped and some transitions we didn't get. The entire book takes place over...maybe 4 weeks? So some of the things that happen, it seems like it went too fast? Or wouldn't be quite possible to get from Point A to B in that timeline.

Overall, it was mostly light, fun and cute read that I'd recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is the perfect summer beach read or a "feel good' book" after you've been reading some serious drama, murder mystery or World War book. The writing is humorous, snarky at times and I enjoyed the family dynamics. The Sweetheart List is light, humorous with a storyline that flows easily to make you smile and enjoy several hours of entertainment which I enjoyed on a wet, rainy spring day.

Harper Shaw packs up her life and returns to the last place that made her happy - Lake Tahoe. With fond memories of the place and a plan to open her dream of her own bakery, Harper unpacks her new life. Along the way, she meets Shay, the bookstore owner, Ivy, the teenage runaway, and Bodie, the brooding bartender…and one of her landlords. Bodie and Harper are both healing, and little by little they begin to open up about their pasts. They also start to open their hearts.

Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite authors of chick lit and romance, tongue-in-cheek humor and fun characters. I know she will not disappoint when I crack open her books (or power on a device). The Sweetheart List is a quick, fun, delightful read that I found much needed after the previous two books I had completed to be heavy material. Shalvis gave my mind the cleanse necessary to lighten the mood that some books can cast. You also can see her love of Tahoe and the surrounding area by how she incorporates it into the story as though it is its own character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on June 13, 2023.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #jillshalvis #thesweetheartlist #harpercollins

title: The Sweetheart List

author: Jill Shalvis

publisher: Avon

publication date: June 13, 2023

pages: 352

peppers: 2 (on this scale)

warnings: dead parents, off page

summary: Harper moves to Tahoe, the last place she remembers being truly happy, with the only male who's ever been good to her, Ham the Bernese Mountain dog. She plans to open her own bakery. On her first day, she meets two important people: Bodie, who is home recovering from (1) an ATF mission gone wrong and (2) the sudden death of his father; and Ivy, who doesn't seem to be telling the truth about her age or family situation.

tropes:

big, lovable dog
bad ex-boyfriend
broken heart, refuses to love
new to town
child needing love
lost child
bakery
puns
big, loving family
found family
what I liked:

I don't remember reading another romance with three pov characters
Some good feels
nice family scenes
some funny puns
what I didn’t like:

the dog is supposed to be a Bernese Mountain dog, but the cover has a St. Bernard
overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)