Another good book from Jill Shalvis. A great story about love, family, and friends. You never know when your first love will pop back up in your life!

Better than Friends by Jill Shalvis is the 7th book in the Sunrise cove series. In this story Olive leaves town in her teen years after an unfortunate accident that happened to her best friend Katie’s twin brother Noah Turner which was kind of her fault. Another tragic accident brings her back. Can she make amends with the love of her life Noah? Will she find her parents who are missing? Can she forgive herself and finally come home where she belongs with family? Jill Shalvis has become one of my go to read authors! Must read! Thank you NetGalley, the author and Avon & Harper Voyager for this Arc read.. this is my honest review.

Better Than Friends was the sweetest read! There’s something so charming about a second chance story and Olive and Noah have that in spades. I was so fond of all the characters and their strong personalities, and I especially loved the friendship and sisterhood between Katie and Olive.

One of my favorite things about this book was the depth of the love between friends. The dynamic between Joe, Noah’s best friend, and Noah was especially beautiful to me. I adore the way that this book spotlighted how important love between friends is in addition to the romantic love there.

This was a beautiful and tender story. It was soft and warm and emotional at all the right moments. It all wrapped up so nicely and I was so content reading the whole story. It was the perfect fireplace read for me!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve read a lot of Jill Shalvis books and enjoy them. I was excited to read this book when I saw it was coming out.
Sadly I found this book boring and didn’t understand why the couple couldn’t be together. This book felt very choppy and manufactured, even like the characters were acting. They also didn’t see to have any chemistry which made it hard to believe some of the actions that take place.
Perhaps had I read other books in this series it all would have made more sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Another great Sunrise Cove novel!

When Olive returns to Sunrise Cove to help her best friend Katie after her husband is in a coma, she doesn’t count on seeing Katie’s brother Noah again. Noah is the one who not only got away, but rejected a fragile teenaged Olive. They’ve both had misunderstandings about each other, and Olive feels guilty for being responsible for ending Noah’s future in baseball.

This was a good second chance romance. Olive had a difficult childhood, and Katie’s family was her safe place. She’s not sure if she can get involved with Noah or if he’s even interested in a relationship. I liked the way they both put the family first. They’ve got a lot to work through if they decide to move forward, but can they take the risk?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The set up in the beginning was really interested and the cast of characters seemed like they were going to be enjoyable but as I read I got more annoyed and disinterested in everyone. It felt like the plot lines were rushed or unnecessary and the lack of communication was the only driving point of the book until suddenly the two main characters had all the confidence in the world to say what they wanted and needed, get laid, and go back to acting like they don’t understand each other. The transitions in scenes was a bit confusing at times and I found myself having to go back and reread paragraphs 3 or 4 times just to see how the characters ended up where they were in the story and setting. The plot line of the feud with the mothers was interesting but came to a head so fast and seemed lackluster when you learn what it was all about. Also the whole family pitying Olive over her parents being hippies into weed in the state of California is a little weird. I get the rest of the reasons they were sad like the instability but it felt like the cast was just very judgmental and didn’t want to truly talk and solve anything until all of a sudden they did all at once. Overall I was a bit disappointed since it seemed like this was going to be a good second chance romance and just got let down.

As always, Jill has written engaging characters and adults who refuse to acknowledge the truth of love. Good story with plenty of laughs and maybe a few tears.

The author has once again given us a second chance love story. There was good dialogue, some snark, characters, both main & secondary, that were likeable, and a good story. Strong (and annoying) family members are a signature. Seeing the main characters rediscover their love and work hard to toss the baggage, made this a book on my “re-read” list. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

3.75 ⭐️

I enjoyed the characters and the plot, but had some issues with the pacing. Really great tension with the MCs though and I feel like had the timelines been a bit more streamlined it wouldn’t have felt so jarring with the back and forth between past and present. Overall though an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Ummm hello?.. if you want a super cute easy read.. this is for you!! This book had been giggling smiling kicking my feet like a little teenage girl and I loved it. It was so cute. Definitely would recommend this book which says a lot because I usually hate second chance romance, but I love this one…….thank you for letting me read this. It was an honor 🫶🏽

Better Than Friends: A Heartfelt Second-Chance Romance That Keeps You Hooked – One of My Favorite Sunrise Cove Books!

An unusual second-chance romance. Quirky characters galore. There is a young boy that does provide heart and misty moments. I zip over the intimate scenes, but at least there didn't appear to explicit details. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This story is part of the Sunrise Cove series set in Lake Tahoe but I believe it can be read as a standalone. This about Olive and Noah. Olive comes back home to help her best friend Kat/ Noah’s sister. This a story of hope, love and forgiveness.

Jill Shalvis is my top go to author. I love all of her.books and this is no exception. She always has excellent storyline that grabs you from the start and keeps you reading to the last page. Wonderful characters, humor, delightful settings and HEA. My only problem with Shalvis stories is waiting for the next book to come out. You cannot fail with books by Jill Shalvis. Her books are all best sellers in my opinion.

A non stop reading. Really liked how the authors framed the characters and the speed of the story. Great read. Great ending.

This is my first book by Jill Shalvis, and have heard wonderful things! However, this book was not for me. It definitely felt like a slow burn, and the narrative style was a little confusing at times. I like the idea of a former lovers to enemies to lovers trope, but I just couldn’t get into this one as much as I hoped. Perhaps it’s on me for not starting at the beginning of the series, and I will be trying another book by Shalvis.

I absolutely LOVED the bestieship between Olive and Katie as well as between Noah and Joe. Mostly the one between Olive and Katie though, because they were so different but so devoted to each other and there was so much love and joy and respecting each others needs and boundaries....it was beautiful!!!

Ok but Olive and Noah's part of the story was also lovely. A second chance romance with a LOT of history, some pain, and some secrets that have been held for years makes working together to support their friends and find Olive's parents very tense. I loved this roller coaster!!

When Jill Shalvis writes a book, it is a must read. She never disappoints!!! I love this series!!!! The unique characters that you feel like you know. The settings and descriptions are so vivid. This book is a treat with a cozy small town setting and a captivating read! Thanks to #Netgalley and Jill Shalvis for this amazing read!

I’ve always been drawn to second-chance romances, even though I can never quite wrap my head around how two people can be so deeply attracted to each other after being apart for years. This one was no exception. The writing completely pulled me in—beautifully crafted, with descriptions that made every scene vivid and emotional. I could picture everything so clearly, from the setting to the smallest gestures between the characters.

The romance itself was what I focused on the most, and I loved it. The emotions felt raw and real, and I appreciated how the characters dealt with their shared past while navigating their feelings in the present. That being said, I did find some parts, like the parents’ drama, a bit illogical. But honestly, I let that slide because it wasn’t the heart of the story for me.

What I truly connected with were their feelings now, in the moment. Watching them rediscover each other and work through their baggage was so satisfying. It reminded me why I love this trope, even if I can’t always relate to the idea of reconnecting after so much time. Overall, it was a beautifully written story that left me completely invested in their love.

Jill Shalvis is an auto read for me, and 9 times out of 10 she is a 5 star read for me. This one is a solid 4 star. I have issues with second chance stories and the reasons were up front and center in this book. The main leads were 2 neighborhood sweethearts who lost touch with each other for 10 years. Their love story started when they were teenagers. But, I never really was made to believe that Noah cared that much for Olive. In fact he humiliated and belittled her in front of the whole senior class. And when Olive left town he just never spoke of her again. This is not what I would call love.

I had a real hard time with the 2 main lead characters. Olive came across as very weak and insecure. Noah just seemed like a total d++k. And really if they loved each other so much, why was there 10 years where neither really cared about the other. Again, the whole second chance thing of - how about just talking to each other. - No, well here we are 10 years later. AAARGH.

So, even though there were so many issues why did I give this a 4 stars. The writing is great as always. And, the secondary characters are fantastic. I still enjoyed the story, I just found the premise kind of unbelievable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for this ARC.