This book had a beautiful plot. At times I feel like it fell flat and didn’t have the depth it deserved.

No Reservations is so good. I am talking about all the feels.

It is a one-more-chapter, page-turner kind of a read that captures your attention from the beginning to the end.
It is a beautiful story of friendship, sisterhood, and second chances entangled with forgiveness and the will to move forward even in the midst of life's moments.

It is totally book hangover-worthy.

You might want to buddy read because you will want to talk to someone during and after reading this amazing read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for an eARC of "No Reservations" in exchange of an honest review.

Friendship is so important and reading about a group of women who have been best friends since 3rd grade is powerful. There is a lot that happens in this book and the one thing that remains constant is that these friends are there for each other no matter what.

Around 30% in is where I will evaluate if I want to continue reading a book that I haven't fully connected with. Although I knew "No Reservations" wasn't going to be on the top of my 2024 reading wrap up, I cared enough about the main characters to decide to power through. Around the 50% mark I questioned my resolution to read this to the end and speed-read to the end because although I wasn't enjoying the book I did care about what happened to the characters.

I was hoping throughout the book we would see how Joy, Di, and Rochelle dealt with their challenges guided by the voice of Yvette (maybe flashbacks of moments they had with her?) to get them to where they want to be. Unfortunately, Yvette was only briefly mentioned throughout the book and we're left to see three women deal with three men who all have issues.

The three men: Rob and Jeffery are meant to be unlikeable. Warren, I think is meant to be romantic and make the reader swoon. I felt he was extremely problematic and was constantly love bombing and I was waiting for something to happen to shatter the perfect image created of him. Any time Warren showed up he gave me the yuck when I think I he was supposed to give me the yum.

Also, based on the synopsis of the book, I thought we would spend a lot of time in Jamaica, but sadly that wasn't the case and I don't think this vacation did anything to move the story along.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

thank you net galley for the arc. so this book is about 4 friend who become a circle of 3 when yvette passes away and the rest of the lady learn that there is an all expense paid trip they all keep put it off, but is very much need,. this book was good it just made me really sad

BOOK: NO RESERVATIONS
AUTHOR: SHERYL LISTER
PUB DATE: 09 JANUARY 2023
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was amazing from the first page to the last. I started this midnight and it literally kept me up. I just couldn't stop when I started. The book had all the perfect components. Wonderful storyline, setting and characters. I mostly loved the author's description of the characters, their skin and their hair. It was just beautiful.
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I loved the friendship and sisterhood in this book. Yvette, Joy, Rochelle and Diane were absolutely amazing. I admire that long standing friendship. How they were always their for each other. It's something to wish for. I liked how Yvette was a major part of the book even though she was gone.
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I liked how the girls supported each other through thr good and the bad of their lives. I liked their families too, their husbands and partner and their kids. It was nice to see them becoming a large family.
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I enjoyed reading about Joy setting up her spa, Rochelle's self love and relationship with Warren, Diane with her husband and adoption. It was amazing to see them pick up the pieces and make it whole again. I was cheering up for them all through the book.
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This book was an amazing story of love, friendship and sisterhood. It was very good and you should definitely pick it up.
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No Reservations was such a fun book. It's the story of three best friends, Rochelle, Joy and Diane, and their friend Yvette who died of cancer. The book is centered around their lives. There's Rochelle, who was married to a man who struck her. She divorced him and raised walls around her heart, until she agreed to go out with Wayne. And then there's Joy. She was in business with her husband and they had agreed in the very beginning that once the business took off, she would be able to open a day spa. Her husband Rob, didn't follow through. and then he cheated on her with their receptionist. She divorced him. And finally, Diane. She's married to Jeffrey. They had plans of starting a family but she learned that she was in early menopause and would not be able to conceive a child. So they decided to adopt, but Jeffrey seemed to renege on that plan.

When they were younger, they had taken a trip to Jamaica, the four of them, and they made an agreement that they would go back again. Before Yvette passed away, she bought plane tickets and made reservations for the three women to take the trip, knowing she was going to die.

So this book is about the lives of, and the relationship between these three women, and the memory of their dear friend, Yvette. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was playful and easy to read. It sort of felt like I was a part of their lives, like these were my girlfriends. I liked that about it. This book earned five stars from me.

I went into this one expecting a romance and it may have done a disservice to my reading experience since this was definitely more of a women's fiction story about female friendship, the hardships of marriage/relationships and infertility/found family. Good on audio, it was still an entertaining book that I would recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book had me truly tearing up!! This was a beautiful story of all the ladies’ lives and their sisterhood. I enjoyed how the author (Sheryl Lister) portrayed each woman individually. How their stories, while similar, breed different outcomes. I appreciated how the author gave the raw emotion through each character! A true depiction of sisterhood and how life is too short to go through it unhappy!

This was a sweet and heartwarming novel. However, I found most of it to be a bit boring, cheesy, and predictable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions expressed are my own. No Reservations is a book that follows a group of friends who live out their dear friend's "death wish". As you read, you are introduced to a dynamic group who live out the definition of true friendship. I highly recommend it to others who enjoy light reads.

No Reservations focuses on the lives of three friends following the death of the fourth in their group. Each woman is dealing with her own struggles whilst they grieve, support each other, and the deceased friend's family. The premise is good but it felt a little underdeveloped to me. The issues where not explored in depth, this resulted in the reasons for issues appearing somewhat superficial, and for me, that did not help to engage with or really care about these characters.
Thanks to #netgalley and #harpermuse for the opportunity to review this arc.

This is such an entertaining read with four young ladies that have been the best of friends since childhood. Diane, Joy, Rochelle and Yvette are so relatable to life with each having their own story. This is an amazing heartfelt read with so many emotions. I truly enjoyed it. I cried thru some of the scenes and I laughed; it was heartbreaking, emotional and a joy to read. It showed the bond between friends Diane, Joy, Rochelle and Yvette through the ups and downs. This is true sisterhood friendship that doesn’t happen often enough in life. Yvette became ill and passes away from terminal cancer. Yvette’s gift to her best friends is an all-expense paid trip to Jamaica for her friends that they all had talked about taking together but never got around to it.

I have been a fan of Sheryl Lister since her very first book and I can say you can never go wrong when reading her books. Sheryl Lister, you did an awesome job with “No Reservations” and I can’t wait to read what you have next in store for your readers enjoyment.

I received an ARC and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I have been a fan of Sheryl's writing since the beginning of her romance career. And now with this women's fiction offering, she writes in this genre just as great as she does with her romances. I absolutely loved this story. This is the type of friendship all women should have and such a great example of sisterhood. My favorite part was the bit of romance that is in the story, and with me being a fan of romance, it was such a treat to see that in this book. I am so excited to see the author grow into other genres and can't wait for her next book

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions

Sheryl NEVER disappoints! This tale of forever friendship is a certified good read from cover to cover. Though an emotional rollercoaster, the friends/sisters learn to navigate their new normal after their vow of everlasting friendship is broken. This story is well written and the characters are so realistic. I enjoyed every moment I spent inside this book. Thank you Mrs. Lister for sharing you gift with us!! I would highly recommend this book & hope to have it selected as a read in my book club this year!

We follow three childhood best friends as they try to live their lives after the loss of another of their besties. There’s a lot of drama to keep up with as we manage all three women’s relationships with their partners, kids, family and each other.

It was sweet and heartbreaking, funny and thoughtful. One minute I was laughing at the banter and the next there were tears rolling down my face. A good book about fighting for what you want and letting in the joy.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. (I originally got a digital copy through Netgallery and then found a copy of the audiobook so I ended up listening to it, rather than read it)

Genre: woman’s fiction
Format: Audio
POV: Multiple
Spice: 0.5 /5
Age suggestion: 16+

Really loved the theme of this book. Friendship, the unbreakable bonds of strong friendships and sisterhoods, and holding each other accountable! I loved how each woman checked in with each other and encouraged each other. Another theme was making sure that you didn't waste time on frivolous things or things that didn't bring you joy, which I try to live my own life by.

I would highly recommend this book to others! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a well written novel. It immediately grabbed my attention from the 1st page. The friendship displayed with these 4 ladies was such a beautiful rarity. I enjoyed how they supported each other and was there through the good and bad times. Wish I had friends like these women

My favorite character was Rochelle. Everyone needs them a Warren! He was loving & patient.She deserved everything he brought.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers but this book has everything you need. Romance, friendship, sisterhood, loyalty & some comedy. It’s a nice, easy read.This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be the last.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Harper Muse and Author Sheryl Lister for the digital ARC of this book.

No Reservations is an inspiring and uplifting story of four women (Yvette, Diane, Joy and Rochelle) who have been sister friends since childhood. Diane, Joy and Rochelle are life to learn how to navigate life when Yvette Passes from a terminal cancer.
An inspirational story of a sisterhood, family, relationships, and grief. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed the book. I found it a nice easy lite read that kept you engaged! A true novel about friendship, love and life!
It takes you thru 3 good friends lives who have endured a tough time from divorce, abuse and fertility issues.
But they all manage to keep their heads up and get thru it.
If you’re looking for a book to take to the beach or vacation I recommend it. Something that will keep you wanting to read more but not make you think too hard.

Description
True friendship never ends.

Best friends forever. That’s the vow Joy, Diane, Rochelle and Yvette made when they were children, and even in their mid-thirties, the friends have always been there for each other—through the highs and lows of life and love. Until forever comes up against a terminal cancer diagnosis. Nothing could have prepared them for what life would look like when four became three.

But Yvette was prepared.

Her final gift to her girls is an all-expenses-paid trip to Jamaica like they had always talked about but kept putting off as life got in the way.

The Jamaican getaway seems to come at the perfect time as the remaining friends deal with their grief, dashed hopes, and unexpected relationship drama. Sick of putting her dreams to open a spa on hold, not to mention her husband’s lack of support, Joy decides she’s moving forward with her new business—with or without him. The thunderous ticking of Diane’s biological clock has her wondering if her desire to have a baby will ever come true, and her husband’s bizarre behavior has her questioning if he’s still on board. And after witnessing her friends’ imploding relationships, single mother Rochelle is content to do life on her own, but her heart doesn’t seem to get the memo when a new man unexpectedly enters the picture.

Guided by Yvette’s spirit, the friends must lean on each other now more than ever before as they learn to navigate their new normal, take unexpected risks and live life with no reservations.

My Take:
The same reason why I was drawn to this book is the same reason why I avoided reading it: through covid, cancer, and other means, I have witnessed the transition of loved ones and I wasn't sure I wanted to go on this journey. But sometimes the things we avoid are the things we need-including this book.