Wildstone series, #4
Publisher’s Description
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home.
Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.
When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.
Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.
Piper Manning is determined to sell her family’s property so she can leave her hometown behind, but when her siblings come back with life-changing secrets and her sexy neighbor begins to feel like “The One,” she might have to redo her to-do list.
Details
- Title: Almost Just Friends: A Novel
- Author: Jill Shalvis
- Publishers: Harper Collins/William Morrow
- Publication Date; January 21, 2020
- Hardcover: 384
- Read A Sample
My Thoughts
Piper is trying to get the lake property she and her siblings inherited fixed up so that she can sell it. But before she can accomplish that goal, her brother Gavin and sister Winnie, show up to surprise her on her 30th birthday.
Piper, who basically helped raise her siblings is immediately suspicious that something is wrong. Why else would the two show up? Certainly not for her.
In fact, Piper’s reaction is more than suspicious, she acts upset. After giving up so much of her life to take care of the two, she feels it’s time to make her dream come true. She wants to sell the property and make enough money to leave the town and its memories, and head to school. Now with the two showing up, she wonders what problems they have and how it will affect her life.
And Piper isn’t too far off in thinking her siblings have some real problems.
But they aren’t willing to share their predicaments with Piper, though they’ve been completely open with each other. And even the neighbors are privy to Winnie’s current concern.
It seems everyone has issues in this story. But Piper has not only her siblings to deal with but her handsome neighbor, Cam. And to complicate things the siblings refuse to share with Piper why they’ve come to her.
My thanks to Harper Collins Publishers and #NetGalley for an ARC and the ability to freely express my thoughts.
What Concerned Me
Though I realize Piper is fighting inner turmoil over losing her parents and feeling obligated to help raise her siblings, I didn’t find her character very likable throughout much of the book.
I also felt the siblings’ refusal to share their secrets with Piper a little annoying and silly.
What I Liked Most
This story covers various family issues. And though the characters are flawed, each begins to accept who they are and how to improve. The story flowed and kept my attention.
Recommended for
those who like a touch of romance with complicated family relationships.
About the Author
Jill lives with her family in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters (Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is mostly coincidental). She does most of her writing on her deck surrounded by more animals than humans. Which is quite astonishing considering she’s a city girl who was plucked from the wilds of L.A. to the wilds of the Sierra’s. Most of her books come from a combination of hard work, cookies, and hot guy pics, and not necessarily in that order.
Jill often travels to reader weekends & conventions where she LOVES getting to meet and hang-out with readers. The only problem being she tends to get lost in her hotels. So if you ever see NYTimes Bestselling author Jill Shalvis roaming the halls, someone please return her immediately.
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