Title: Almost Just Friends
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication: January 21, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Romance
Pages: 384
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
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.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**
When I saw that Jill Shalvis had another book coming out I promptly put it on my Amazon Wish List to price watch it and added it to my Goodreads to-be-read list. Also, because I am that pathetic I applied for multiple giveaways that Goodreads did for it. So imagine my delight when my co-editor sent me the email that she got for the book that I was dying to read. I squealed with delight and promptly signed up for it. I couldn’t wait to read it when it finally came in the mail.
Piper is an EMT in Wildstone. She moved here when problems in Congo caused her parents to send her home. Since she was a teenager she has been caring for her two siblings. Now they are older and grown and she has to learn how to less-mom and more sister them. This book was soooo good. I read it in about three days….only due to me being sick and not even in the mood to read which is rare for me. I loved the character of Piper. She is my spirit animal with all of the journal entries that she has. I have a day planner that I fill with just about everything I can think of, except grocery lists ( I have a separate pad of paper for that). The family dynamic was something that could be found in real life. While in this day and age I doubt a teenager would be allowed to raise her siblings without CPS getting involved at the time.
The issues that the author tackles are something that is happening. The brother that battles drug addiction that only sent him to rehab when he got a DUI. He has had to build his life from the ground up all over again. The sister has a “teen” pregnancy even though she is 20. She decides to raise the child with the help of her family and returns home after dropping out of college. Piper having issues being able to allow herself a relationship and opening herself to someone is something that people have issues with. These are things that people deal with in real life. It’s something that readers can relate too. While most of it wasn’t relatable to me I could see everyone’s point of view and see how these are real-life issues. I can’t wait to see if we find out more about these characters in later books. I can’t wait to read her next book and will be waiting with baited breath for the email asking me to read it!
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your copy of Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can check out more of our reviews from Jill Shalvis’ previous books like Playing For Keeps, Rainy Day Friends, and The Good Luck Sister.
