DNF @ 29%
I really was looking forward to this one but just had a hard time getting into it. The plot is a little bland and “whiny” and I’ve realized that I just don’t care what’s going to happen.

I was hesitant to begin this book because it is number 7 of a series and I thought I was going to be lost in this small town world. But it is a complete standalone. My first Jill Sharvis book I was hooked, its been awhile since I stayed up till 3am to finish a book until Better than Friends came along. Just a tiny bit spicy but the emotional tension between MCs was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

First, I just want to start out by saying this review came later than anticipated due to some health issues I've been dealing with that prevented me from finishing this book as early as I would have normally. I appreciate Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for your patience with my review.

Now, onto the good stuff! This book was really enjoyable to read. I found it super conversational in style, loved that the plot was multidimensional and not only focused on the relationship between the two characters but also on family, friendships, and found family. It was a pretty fun read and once I was able to get into it, I really flew through it, which was great to experience because I love it when I don't want to put a book down. It also, despite covering some topics that may be more challenging to address in other settings, managed to have a pretty relaxing tone and I found myself curling up with it after a long day to enjoy watching the story unfold.

This book is for you if you love:
✌️ Second-Chance Romance
🌄 Small-Town Settings
🫂 Found Family
😂 Laugh-Out-Loud Moments
👀 Complex Backstories
🔁 Switching Between Past & Present POVs

WHAT I LOVED:
Katie, Joe, & Joey - I honestly loved Katie so much!!! She is our comic relief here and she is also a voice of reason for both MCs, and I love her. She is so funny and always knows just what to say (or not, but it's still just as entertaining anyway). The majority of my laugh-out-loud moments from this book came from her and I would honestly love to read a book with her as the main narrator because I would eat that up! Joe is also really straightforward and to the point, and I like that he pushes the MMC to be a better person. (Spoiler) That scene after he woke up where he's in the gym and basically says the MMC is acting like an a-hole is priceless, and I think what a good friends should do in those circumstances. Joey is also comic relief in a lot of cases and he's very cute so I can't not mention him here.

Holmes & Pepper - Again, a cute touch if a bit cheesy. Can't not love them.

Olive's Unique Backstory - I really loved Olive and rooted for her so much, especially after learning about her background and how far she came to get to where she was at the beginning of the story. She's a good person, a good character, unique in her eccentricities, and I appreciated getting a window into how her upbringing shaped her.

Found Family - I love me a good found family element in a story and this one certainly had it! It's a bit more complicated, of course, due to the plot, but overall it was really nice to see how Olive's community assembled around her when she came back to Sunrise Cove and that they'd never really left her to begin with (at least from Katie's standpoint, which I think also made me root for her as a character because she was such a good friend to Olive).

Coma & Mystery Plots - The mystery with the parents and Joe's coma were interesting additions to this story. At first, I thought it might be really emotional given these elements were included in here, but it actually wasn't as emotional or heavy as I thought it would be, and I found myself really interested to see where both of these plots went and appreciated how Shalvis weaved them into the love story.

WHAT I LIKED:
Conversational Tone - Jill's writing style is very easy to read and makes it relaxing to follow her stories. I liked that I could get into the story more easily since the dialogue felt authentic to the characters and the writing style was simple enough to not make me feel like I had to work hard to understand what was going on in the story. I don't mean that as an insult in any way - I think this story definitely tackles hard moments, but it also is a really good light-feeling read and those are the types of books I like best when I'm just trying to relax and escape the day.

Sunrise Cove - This story is set in an interesting small town with a lot of different little areas we get to see throughout the story. I appreciated that Jill took us to various spaces around this town and we got to see more of the local culture/vibe.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
(Spoiler) Wishy-Washy MMC - Okay, so I know this is a romance book and if I don't like the MMC, why am I rating it 4 stars? Honestly, because the other plot points were so well done and I think that the book overall was quite good despite the fact that I didn't personally enjoy the MMC. Going into this, I knew I wasn't always a fan of second-chance romance so I knew I had a bias, but I tried very hard to be more open-minded because this story seemed to have so much depth to it with the other subplots and I can now say that Shalvis has opened my mind to this trope. That being said, I really feel like Olive deserved better in some ways - particularly towards the end of the story where Noah is just going back and forth and back and forth between whether he really wants a future with her - like even Joe was like boy, decide already! And I agree. I feel like Shalvis might have put too much emphasis on that back-and-forth element when executing this trope, and it made the love story feel a bit lackluster in the end even though I did feel like they had a connection - particularly after Olive found out all the stuff about Noah's dad. I figured that would be the dam breaker and it would be smooth sailing from there, but nope! Man's still undecided. It was a bit disappointing if I'm being honest, and I think if he had gone to Olive after the gym scene and committed I wouldn't have felt this strongly, but the fact that he didn't and kept going back and forth made me lose confidence in him as a character and as Olive's love interest.

(Spoiler) Parental Trauma Not Addressed - I really feel like there should have been more conversational scenes between Olive and her parents. Even Noah's mom was telling Violet off and saying what needed to be said, but Olive just seems to take the "be grateful and shove it under the rug" route instead of actually addressing the ways her parents have harmed her - both throughout her upbringing and through not telling her where they were and not even calling her, but calling Buddy first. Like what??? What are you doing people??? This is your DAUGHTER! I feel like she should have been more mad at them - I certainly would have been if I was in her place. I also feel like there's just so much grace given to her parents for "letting her take her own path" when in reality they actually kind of abandoned her and she left because they were not taking care of her like she needed and putting her as a priority in their lives. Like who takes their eight-year-old to a nudist camp? Is that even safe? Who knows who's out there and are they even watching her and how is that okay when she is still developing and learning what bodily autonomy/healthy boundaries are? I was concerned for her childhood self reading that, and I can't imagine a real child going through that and not being mad about it later.

Anyways, those are my full thoughts and feelings about this book lol. Again, apologies to the publishers for taking so long to actually get this book read and reviewed. I appreciate your patience and look forward to reading more of your books in the future should I be a good fit for them! Despite the fact that I wasn't personally a huge fan of the romance in this book, I actually loved Jill Shalvis's writing style, narrative, humor, dialogue, and plot lines, and I will be sure to check out more of her books in the future thanks to that.

I always love being in Sunrise Cove! This lovers to enemies to lovers book will have your feelings on a roller coaster, and it is well worth the ride! Noah is back in town after an investigation leaves him and his best friend injured. Olive, the best friend’s sister, is home to help her brother and his wife as he recovers from his injuries. With Noah and Olive being pushed together, the tension is high in this small town. This is a fantastic read!

Injured and recuperating, Noah reluctantly agrees to help his ex-girlfriend, Olive, find her missing parents. Their renewed connection forces the two to confront their past feelings and risk heartbreak for a second chance at love.

The plot of this novel is strongly focused on family dynamics in addition to the romance. The characters are interesting and quirky. I liked the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

"Olive had three pet peeves: loud chewers, the word "moist," and... in the number one spot... love."

Any book that starts with 2 of my own pet peeves (hello loud chewers and the word moist) is bound to be a winner, and that’s exactly what Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis was. I adored Olive and Noah, and while I have become used to instalove in this author’s books that is not what these two had at all. Instead, we revisit an old flame and get a second chance romance that was both entertaining and endearing. The story layers peel back like an onion, until we are left with the hurt and pain that becomes understanding and forgiveness. Not only of other people, but yourself as well. I loved that we got some forced proximity and only-one-bed goodness mixed in as well, and the tension and chemistry between our two MCs was off the charts.

Better Than Friends is written in third person with both Noah and Olive's viewpoints and I think it would have been weird for me to read it, but it came across really well in the audiobook. I always enjoy Andi Arndt’s narration and while it would have been nice to have a male narrator for Noah, it didn’t bother me at all that it was just Arndt. She brought the characters alive in a way only she can, and she was perfectly matched for this book. Another thing I loved was the moments that were literally laugh-out-loud funny, and there was a of couple times I almost had tears in my eyes because I was laughing so hard. Shalvis’ writing always clicks with me, and this might be the first time I knowingly read a series out of order. I loved being back in Sunrise Cove (I did read the first 2 books, and this is book 7), and I immediately put the next one on my TBR.

Read this if you enjoy casts of relatable and likeable characters, books that make you laugh, and stories that will tug at your emotions.

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

In this enemies to lovers, small town, forest proximity, second chance romance, we see a flame reunite with Olive Porter and Noah Turner in Jill Shavis’s latest release Better than Friends.

Some say that fate works in mysterious ways well that may be the case with Olive and Noah. A tragic accident when they were in their teens, tore them apart and then many years later another tragic accident puts them back into each other’s lives.

In true Jill Shalvis fashion, she has given us a fun and witty story. Loaded with Snark and humor you can’t help but to laugh out loud. We do get the romantic feel, but the spice happens behind closed doors. But we have a story of a second chance at romance, feelings that never left story. i there is such the presence of friendship and family throughout the stories, all of Jill's stories that it is something that I have come to look forward to with each of her books.

This was my first book I've read by Jill Shalvis and it did not disappoint! halfway through I was already adding her other books to me TBR list! I enjoyed the childhood friends to more than friends story line so much, on top of the best friend's brother trope *chef's kiss*. My heart was melting all over the pages with Noah & Olive's long overdue realignment of their lives.

Olive and Noah are high school friends that fell apart after a tragic accident. Around 10 years later another accident brings them back together.
Olive and Noah’s sister, Katie, are best friends and keep in touch despite the fallout between Noah and Olive. Olive and Noah both come back to town after Katie’s husband Joe falls into a coma.

I actually really loved the tropes in this book, so I was really excited to read this story; I enjoyedthe first 30% of the book but after that it felt kind of flat for me.

I really liked the friendship between Katie and Olive’s throughout the book. They were both so supportive of each other and had some really great moments, and weren’t afraid to put each other in their place when needed.

Like I said before I liked bit of the book, there was some good tension / conflict between the Olive and Noah. However, I feel like a lot of their conflict was solved like 40% of the way through the book; we got a lot of hot then cold interactions that didn’t quite make sense and made me feel like I was getting whiplash at some points in the story

Overall I think that it was a cute story about forgiveness, friendships, and love but I think it could have been fleshed out a bit better.

Thank you NetGally and the publisher for a copy of this book !

Noah never felt like he was living his own life. His school career, especially his position on the baseball team, wasn't what he wanted, but what his father expected of him. The one thing that was his was his crush on his sister's friend, Olive. But he didn't have time for a girl friend, So he settled for friendship.

Katie and Olive have been best friends since high school. Noah rounded out their trio. Though Katie knew, Olive tried hard to hide her crush from Noah, settling for the friendship Noah was willing to share. Then came the accident that changed the course of all their lives. Olive ran, eventually settling in London. But now she's is back in Sunrise Cove having come home to support Katie. when her husband, Joe, was seriously injured in a car accident.

Noah and Joe were partners working for the forest service. And Noah was driving the car when the accident happened., suffering his own injuries. But he can't escape the guilt. At the same time, he's questioning a lot of things about his life. All his life he's tried to please his family. he's tired of trying to meet their expectations. But he can't get a handle on what's next..

The characters are what really make this story. Their pain and frustrations, their insecurities, and their efforts to hide old feelings that were lying just beneath the surface. are clear, as is the stress caused by their efforts to sort through all those feelings. And because they are in a similar place, Olive and Noah find it's easier to unload on each other, Only that just deepens those old feelings. Then there's Katie. She steals the show in this story. She has no filter. She unabashedly says what she's thinking, points out what she observes, whether Olive and Noah want her to or not. She provides humor in just the right spots.

Like the books in the Sunrise Cove series that came before, this was a heartwarming, cozy romance infused with a myriad of emotion and a touch of humor It provides a perfect way to escape.

This follows Olive and Noah when Olive returns to their small town for longer than she has in years. They are brought under the same roof and forced to face their shared past when the husband of Olive's best friend (and Noah's sister) is hospitalized and in a coma after a work accident. Olive and Noah must work through their collective hurt and previous miscommunication as they support Katie.

I adored this novel. It wasn't easy to put down once I started, so I read all of it during a train ride. While it is a wonderful romance that explores the growth of Noah and Olive, we also get a lot of background on the other characters. I think other romances tend to lack these attention stories and focus their attention on the couple themselves, so this one stands out a bit more.

The sex scene was pretty tame and had very little description, so it's good for people who might want a bit more than what comes with a closed-door romance.

Joey was such a sweet and humorous character. So many of his comments put a smile on my face or made me chuckle. This novel shows the importance of both a found family and the family one is born into, demonstrating the complex relationships that can be found in both.

It was a wonderful novel, but it did not impress me enough to receive a 5-star rating.

Overall, while a few of the background characters were a bit wacky, the characters, relationships, and events felt realistic and true to the story.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. Though it was fine to read as a standalone, I felt like I was missing context between these characters. Liked I jumped into a movie and had missed the first 10 minutes or so. I am a huge sucker for best friend's sibling which this was. And though I did enjoy that part, I found myself irritated with Olive and Noah. They had a weird falling out forever ago and though Olive stayed in touch with her best friend Katie (Noah's sister)- their relationship seemed to be all over the place. They reconnected at one point but never addressed it. There was a little too much hot and cold for me. With that being said, I could feel the chemistry between these two. We all know there is a fine line between love and loathe- these two had that part down. I liked the quirky side characters- especially Joey and how he kept popping up at the most inopportune moments. I also liked the dog and kitty as characters! I liked the suspense aspect. I also liked what these characters had been through- the definition of family for them was slightly different than most which added layers to them as people.

Olive is going home for one reason and one reason only- her best friend needs her. Katie NEVER asks for help and she asked. So Olive has answered. As much as she is looking forward to seeing people she hasn't seen in a while, she is not looking forward to seeing Noah, Katie's brother. The man who has been on her mind for the last 10 years. The man who she has been running from. The man who she now finds herself living across the hall from. Of course there is animosity between them. They have never talked through anything. They have let their bodies do the talking instead. Well now feelings seem to be involved. Feelings Olive doesn't know if she wants to define. Feelings that seem to be all consuming at times and maybe not welcome. But she seems them in Noah too. When she asks for his help and he comes willingly, she doesn't know what to think. The man who doesn't do relationships keeps showing up for her. He keeps confusing her. He lets her in then pushes her away. All the while Olive has to decide if she is going to speak what is in her heart and decide to stay or leave like she did all those years ago.

Noah is in the middle of medical leave for work when his life implodes again. His sister's best friend and woman he hasn't been able to get out of his head Olive is back in town. Not only that, she is living in the same house with him. The woman who up and left all those years ago. The woman who drives him crazy in a good and bad way. The woman he finds himself wanting to be different for and help like he hasn't before. So when she asks him for help reluctantly of course he helps. He wants to show her that she is loved. That even though she may not "need" it people are willing to help. The more time they spend together the more Noah finds himself terrified and intrigued. She makes him want more. More than he has ever thought he could have or should want. But there is an end date looming on when Olive will leave. Will Noah be able to decide if this is what he wants? And not only that will he be able to finally tell her how he feels? How he has always felt?

This was a super fast and easy read. Like I said I liked the brother's best friend aspect and the characters in general. I didn't like the back and forth. But I liked how everything tied together in the end. The closed door spice worked with the vibe of the book but I can't say I wouldn't have liked to hear Noah and how he may or may not have talked in bed LOL.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Better than friends by Jill Shalvis is a wonderful story about family, friends and second chances. Olive and Noah had sparks when they were in high school until an accident tears them apart. Noah’s parents step in and ask her to take a step back and instead she leaves town and doesn’t come back until another accident happens. She comes back to help her best friend and literally runs into Noah... with her car . The sparks are still there. This book gave me all the feels… It is well written, I couldn’t put it down.

I’m not sure why I didn’t connect with this book because I truly love Jill as an author and her previous books. I would say the biggest thing that I struggled with with this book was the miscommunication. There was a lot of points where I feel like our two main characters could’ve had a conversation and work things out in a healthier way.. I also think the running him over by accident was made to be very silly and slapstick while there was actually a lot of serious issues going around the incident and it could’ve just been handled better.

Love friends to lovers stories and this one was no exception. I hate that life got in the way and I had to put it down for a few weeks but it was worth it in the end. For two people who fought so hard against loving each other they are the most lovable. Love that you see their history and what got them to where they are but also how they’ve grown. A few spicy scenes but not much detail. Great little epilogue with a very happily ever after. Another solid book by this author and solid addition to this series.

I have read a lot of Jill Shalvis books but this one didn’t connect with me. Olive and Noah have history and each harbors feelings for the other. They were in an accident together as teenagers and each blames themselves for it. However, years and numerous encounters later they haven’t talked about it (they have sleep together but not talked). Olive left their town after the accident at the bequest of Noah’s father (his mother knew this) but they never talk about it. Olive is best friends with Noah’s sister, and they never talk about these circumstances truthfully either. Throughout the book their lips meet up but they don’t talk about what that means. If you can get beyond the implausible, there are sweet moments in the story but that was a tall task for me. This won’t keep me from reading the author again but i did not connect with this offering.

Enjoyed this quick read. Wasn’t a huge fan of the past flashbacks, but other than this, it’s a nice read. I enjoyed the cast of characters.

This book and I really struggled - I'm not sure if the problem was me and because I had never before read anything by Jill Shalvis? But from the beginning I found it very hard to stay engaged, and to even care about the story, or the characters. I sometimes like the 3rd person POV but in this book it was just a fact I could not get over and I really struggled as a result.

The only character I even remotely enjoyed was Katie because her snark was utterly enjoyable and relatable. The romance, the tragic past, the banter - none of it was enjoyable. I didn't even enjoy the setting, which to me is very telling. I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book however and I do believe a great number of readers would absolutely love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Very delightful second chance/ enemies to lovers romance that is part of the Sunrise Cove series. It is also a cozy small town romance.

Another solid read from Jill Shalvis and the Sunrise Cove series! I look forward to these books every time a new one is being released and am never disappointed. I love this town, the scenery and the characters. This one was lacking some of the emotional depth for me, I just did not feel the connection quite as well as I have with some of the other characters in other novels, but it was still an overall good read! This is still a book and series that I would recommend to others and will continue to pick up for myself!