A resort in Vermont, former skiers each used to taking risk re-encounter each other after being close friends in childhood. Throw in puppy hijinx, truth or dare, and some family challenges - this was a fun quick read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for an ARC.

FOUR WEDDING AND A PUPPY - LIZZIE SHANE.

4⭐

PLOT
Kendall Walsh has to resort to wedding planning at her father's struggling ski resort after a career threatening injury.
She is fostering a cute but notorious golden retriever who is just about to smash into the wedding cake but just then enters Brody James an Olympic champion who is back home on a break.
Brody and Kendall both have issues to resolve and their involvement in wedding planning and fostering a puppy might just be what they needed to give them a 2nd chance at happiness.

MY THOUGHTS
This was a good light hearted read with troupes like brothers best friend, small town romance and friends to lovers in it.
I just wish we had a bit more resolution between Kendall and her dad it was the crux of her issues and was hastily resolved.
Nonetheless an enjoyable read this holiday season.

This was the perfect light read to start my Thanksgiving holidays off right! Friends=to-lovers, closed door romance, with just the perfect mix of angst and sap. I had just finished a heavier book and needed a palate cleanse and this fit the bill perfectly! And, I always love a book that features a crazy dog! I can so relate! lol

I just realized I have Lizzie Shane's previous book, Pride and Puppies, on my shelf and I never read it! Going to remedy that mistake right now!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Lizzie Shane has once again not disappointed. This one is like a cute Hallmark movie between two former childhood friends. I absolutely adored Kendall and how strong of a character she was. Brody made for the perfect MMC and had so much more to offer. This one had all the great banter and cute moments that you could possibly want.

Welcome back to Pine Valley!

Four Weddings and a Puppy is a friends to lovers trope with a brothers best friend as the love interest. Kendall and Brody have grown-up together on the slopes in the small town of Pine Valley. Both had aspirations for Olympic gold, but only one achieved that success. Kendall nearly died downhill skiing crushing her dreams, and putting her life on hold to pay the debts she felt her family demanded at the resort they own. Brody returns the beloved celebrity only what's he hiding, and why's he refusing to return to his worldclass downhill ski team.

This book doesn't shy away from such topics as mental health, strained family dynamics yet its a funny, lovable and sexy. Lets not forget the scene stealer for their meet-cute reunion at the wedding reception, the foster puppy, Banner! Guard your cell phone he's coming for them...

The epilogue was exactly what I needed to "sigh" at this couples happiness.

Thank you Forever for the complimentary copy.

Kendall Walsh never thought she would find herself back in Pine Hollow helping her parents run the local ski resort, specifically now running the weddings at the resort. As she is trying to bring in an a new income source for the resort, she’s trying to not ruin everything before it can truly take off. When she started coming to terms with this new path of hers, in walked Brody James, local Olympic hero. Years ago, Brody and Kendall used to ski the mountains together and both had the same dreams. Unfortunately, after a career ending accident, only Brody went on to hit those dreams. Now, as Brody claims he’s retired, he finds himself at the ski resort helping Kendall spruce up an old lodge for his sister’s wedding. Trying to use work as the ultimate excuse, Kendall does her best to resist Brody while he is in town. She knows he’ll be back on the slopes after the wedding, but maybe something with an end date won’t be such a bad idea after all.

I think I have said this on every recap of this series, but I absolutely adore the Pine Hallow series by Lizzie Shane! I’m officially caught up as of a couple weeks ago so it was a delight to get a chance to get ahead with the ARC of Four Weddings and a Puppy. While I have enjoyed them all, I think this one takes the cake so far as my favorite. In some ways, I felt Brody and Kendall were so relatable while struggling with their identifies with their new sports life. The author did a great job of weaving in topics like mental health as well. And let’s be honest, Banner absolutely stole the show like no other pup has so far. I truly hope we continue to get more in this series!

Thank you Net Galley, Forever and Lizzie Shane for the advanced copy for my honest review. This one came out yesterday, so no need to wait for this gem!

Four Weddings and a Puppy made me so happy. This is book five in the Pine Hollow series and I love this series and recommend you read all of them; Four Weddings and a Puppy can be read as a standalone.

Set in the cute small town of Pine Hollow, Kendall is determined to continue to save her family's ski resort by hosting events and weddings. When her former childhood best friend and Olympic skier saves the day at one of the weddings on his extended break home they start to rekindle their friendship and maybe more.

I really liked Kendall and seeing her and Brody get together. The truth or dare challenge was fun and I of course loved the puppies! Banner was such a chaos monster and of course give me a skiing storyline!

Definitely recommend checking out Four Weddings and a Puppy! Thanks to Forever for my advanced copy!

This book has so many fun tropes - brothers best friend, friends to lovers, and a little bit of grumpy/sunshine thrown in though I’d call Kendall more pessimistic than anything else. And I understand why, considering her family dynamics and the injury that ended her ski career.

I thought the author did a really good job of balancing the light, fun romantic aspects of the book and the heavy, serious things weighing on both the leads. I felt Brody’s uncertainty a over what he wants from the rest career and after, and I ached for Kendall in all the moments that her father overlooked her as she tried to prove herself. They both had such great character arcs and growth and made each other stronger, which I love.

I got the sense that there will be more books in this world, and that there might already have been some, and I’d pick up any of them in a heartbeat.

Kendall Walsh’s dreams of Olympic gold were crushed by an accident on the slopes. To assuage her guilt over the ensuing medical bills, she returns to her family’s ski resort and works as an event coordinator. Her first crush, Olympic skier Brody James needs a break to reevaluate his life and purpose. When he returns to Pine Hollow, the two work together to restore the lodge and their friendship. With the helpful antics of an adorable rescue pup, Kendall and Brody’s partnership helps them to heal and find their purpose for the next stage of their lives. With witty banter, a good mix of lightheartedness and soul searching, Lizzie Shane’s latest is a sweet winter romance that will warm you inside out.

In this particular PINE HOLLOW book, the heroine and the hero are reunited after years apart by a rambunctious puppy being rescued from harming a wedding cake. The childhood friends renewed their relationship, though with attraction sizzling between them. The heroine is a wedding planner at her family's ski resort, a career that she hadn't planned on taking until her own Olympic dreams were dashed after a career-ending accident led her back to making a living at her hometown. The hero is an Olympic skier who is questioning his own future and had escaped said life by attending a family wedding during this time. Through constant interactions, the heroine and the hero must traverse some weddings, a puppy, and their own personal issues before they could look onward to their own happy ending with each other.

This is a solid addition to the PINE HOLLOW series. Each book in the series can be read by itself, with enough information provided in each book about the series to not get lost. There are also some heavy topics being discussed in the book, so fair warning for upcoming readers to read the author's notes before reading the book. As an icon of the series, the animal characters are the best in each book. I really enjoyed reading about the mischievous puppy that stole the show in this book, enlivening the story a lot with its presence. The set of human characters were entertaining, especially when the book focused on friendship and the romance between the main characters. It would be nice to add more details in certain points to make smoother transitions in the story, especially when situations warranted a better resolution in my opinion. However, personal preference aside, this is an enjoyable read in the PINE HOLLOW series.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Thank you to Forever publishing and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for my honest review. This book is a part of a series, but can be read on its own. That is how I went about it, as I never read the other books in the series. I really enjoyed it. Two childhood best friends end up back in their snowy, mountain hometown after leaving their competitive ski careers for different reasons. It is a fun best friends to lovers trope and then add a puppy to the mix, is a win for me! This book is written similar to a Hallmark Christmas movie. It came out today and I suggest you pick it up as a chicklit winter season read.

Trigger warnings: mental illness and suicide.

What a cute book. I'm not usually a fan of these type of books, but this one stole my heart...actually it was Banner who stole my heart.

Both Brodie and Kendall had been involved in competitive skiing...like Olympic caliber skiing. Kendall is now hoping to be a wedding planner and Brodie needs a break. Helping his sister with her wedding is giving him the break he needs and he and Kendall might be able to see where their long ago attraction might lead. With Banner as the impetus they need...will they be able to come together romantically?

I was happy to see some talk about mental health issues between Kendall and Brodie, but that didn't detract from the whole story. It made it more believable and let the reader know that it's OK to talk about feelings!

Kendall's dad had issues and that was the only downside to the book. Someone needed to straighten him out!

Very quick and easy read.

I love this series! It just keeps getting better, sweeter and cuter. Neither Kendall nor Brody are living the lives they had planned. Kendall is working as a wedding planner at her parents barely surviving ski resort and doing all she can to help them stay solvent. At 17 her Olympic dreams were shattered when an accident ended her competitive career. Brody, her brothers BFF, her friend from childhood winds up at the resort for a wedding and stays to mentally and physically regroup. Two really good people trying to figure out what is next. Small town, friends to possibly more and a seriously cute, but mischievous puppy made for a wonderful read.

This was a super cute, feel good romance story. I felt it was really easy to get into, and you get attached to our fmc, Kendall very quickly. Kendall is an ex-skier that had to end her career early due to an injury and now she is trying to figure herself and her life out working at her father's ski resort. Now comes along her brother's best friend and her childhood friend Brody. Current Olympic skier that out of the blue comes back home with no answers as to why he is there and why he isn't out competing. So together, Kendall and Brody are working at the resort and working on fixing it up to start attracting wedding goers.

One thing that I really loved that the author did, is that at no point in time was there any animosity between Kendall and Brody due to him being able to live out her dream with his ski career. I think because the relationship was more supportive, it led to a really authentic friendship and romance story. This is definitely a childhood friends to estranged to friends again to lovers lol. I would have to say i had two favorite things in this story. One was the support, trust, and communication between Kendall and Brody. It made this story feel real, and in my eyes those 3 things are foundational in a relationship. The communication in this book led to a lot of big character growth moments, especially because in this book these two are trying to figure out who they are and where they want to go in life. and two was our puppy, Banner! It added a lot of funny moments throughout the story, and my dog mom tendencies will always love a good pup in any book.

I don't know how I managed to not read any of the books in this series before getting an ARC of book five, Four Weddings and a Puppy. Once I began reading I couldn't put it down. Finished the entire book in one day then immediately bought the first four books in the series. Then, I read all four of them back-to-back over the next five days. I am in love with Pine Hollow, the pups, and all of the residents!

Shane has created a friends-to-lovers trope simmering with emotional depth, snappy banter, and swoony romance. Brody has enjoyed a stellar career on the slopes while Kendall's crashed spectacularly just short of achieving her dreams. Yet both are now at a crossroads and unsure of their next steps. It's the perfect time to reunite them as adults and toss some unexpected romance into the mix. I loved how they each supported the other, challenged one another, their open and heartfelt conversations, and the perspective, confidence, and direction gained. I really enjoyed these two together.

While the book deals with some tough topics - mental health, debilitating injuries, dysfunctional family relationships - its overall tone is upbeat and hopeful. Let's face it, when you have a town brimming with lovable dogs and a good friend who runs the local shelter, there's bound to be plenty of laughter and smiles.

Although I usually prefer to read a series in order, I had no issues with jumping into this one at book five. However, as I mentioned above, by the time I had finished Four Weddings and a Puppy, meeting Kendall's friends and numerous pups in the process, I couldn't wait to go back to book one and read everyone else's heartwarming journeys to love. If you enjoy charming ski towns, great friend groups, heartwarming romance, and adorable dogs, don't miss Four Weddings and a Puppy, as well as the earlier books in Lizzie Shane's Pine Hollow series. I laughed, cried, and willingly handed over my heart in all five books.

ARC received from publisher via Netgalley
Fair and unbiased review

This is a friends to lovers trope. Kendall and Brody grew up racing each other down mountains and planning for the Olympics. An injury changes Kendall's life, but Brody goes on pursuing his dream. But now he's back on their mountain and doesn't seem in any hurry to get back to racing. What's really going on with him? And why is Kendall staying working for her father when doing so makes her so unhappy?

I have loved the other books in this series and suspected that I would love this one--and I did! It actually surprised me with some of the more serious subjects of the mental health challenges of professional athletes and also feeling as if you have failed someone you love,

There are also plenty of light funny and romantic scenes in the book. I think Shane did a great job in balancing the heavy and the light issues. Kendall's foster dog (she says she's not keeping him) adds a lot of the humor. He's a lot of puppy with a little crazed with a penchant for eating cell phones thrown in.


Thanks to the author, Forever Pub and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoy Lizzie Shane’s books - I’ve read several now and each one promises a certain expectation of a clean, low-angst, good time. Yes, the characters will have drama to sort through but it’s not going to break you down emotionally or the characters have drawn out fights to get to their happy ending. You can go in knowing what you’re getting - a Hallmark movie in book form (and the last one I read of hers was turned into one of those!).

This is another of her Pine Hollow series, but it’s a complete standalone. I don’t think any characters overlap the previous one I read. I loved the ski hill setting and the former Olympic athlete/former hopeful who have a second shot at a relationship when circumstances bring them back together in a workplace environment. Kendall is working at her family ski hill and lodge as a wedding coordinator (she didn’t fully recover to return to the sport after a terrible ski accident during her Olympic trials) when her former flame Brody attends a wedding, visiting home from a skiing tour and another Olympic run, and an attempt to find a last minute new venue for his sister’s wedding finds him moving in and managing the ski hill… working beside Kendall again. An adorable golden retriever foster puppy brings them and sort of keeps them together throughout - Banner (the cutest name for their little Hulk).

So many great serendipitous events happening in this storyline that really made it unique and oh, so enjoyable! I couldn’t put it down and binged it quickly in a single sitting because I just had to know how it was going to end … with the pair resisting the relationship and Brody just so unsure about his decisions for his future, I couldn’t see where she would take it until we got to that point - and what a fantastic ending! It was so perfectly written! I’m a fan of Lizzie Shane and definitely recommend you pick this one up to become one, too!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and this is my honest feedback.

This was a cute, enjoyable read. While it is part of a series, it can be read entirely on its own.

Kendall is a former skiier, working as a wedding coordinator at her family's ski resort and Brody is an Olympian skiier back in town for reasons unknown. They've known each other for years and their camraderie is instant. I felt like the brother's best friend trope was unnecessary, as it didn't seem to add any real conflict for any of the characters. While I liked the book, I felt that the author could've gone deeper with some topics (mental health, family relationships, etc.) and stopped having the same redundant inner monologues on surface issues. This book could have simultaneously been 100 pages shorter and longer.

Banner is a delight and I would have loved to see even more of him. I was disappointed in how the conflict with Kendall and her dad was resolved, and felt that the relationship between Kendall and Brody felt forced romantically; there wasn't a ton of development on his side and it felt rushed. All of this said, it was an entertaining, if predictable, easy read. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced e-copy.

Kendall Walsh is working at her family's ski resort. She's trying new ways to bring in money and one of those is weddings. She's now a wedding planner. She's hoping this wedding will be perfect to help keep the resort in the black. Her foster dog Banner is trouble and he breaks into the wedding and takes off after the cake. An Olympian super hero Brody James catches Banner. Kendall is embarrassed because she's had a huge crush on Brody her whole life.

Brody has walked away from ski racing and has come home to Pine Hollow to figure things out. He decides to help Kendall at the resort and it may help him find happiness.

This was a fun winter sports romance. I wasn't sure what kind of romance I was getting into from the cover. But I was pleasantly surprised by it all. I laughed out loud numerous times. I'm excited to see what happens with Kendall's friend Magda in the next novel in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised to find out this is book 5 in a series. It can definitely be read stand alone and is enjoyable on its own.
Kendall is a former professional skier turned wedding planner at her dads resort after her dreams of being an Olympian were shattered after a devastating accident. Growing up, her friend Brody was always hot on her heels on the hill going on to become an Olympian and famous skier, living the life she always wanted. Now. Brody is back home and offers to help out at the resort. Only...it's the middle of ski season so why is he back? Is he injured or is the death of his biggest competitor hitting him harder then expected?

This one was so cute and I couldn't put it down. Lizzie's writing pulled me in and did not let go!! I will definitely be going back to read the rest of the series and recommend to others.