Review – Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis

Posted June 21, 2021 by Carole in Reviews / 9 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review – Love for Beginners by Jill ShalvisLove for Beginners by Jill Shalvis
Series: Wildstone #7
ISBN: 9780063025431
Published by HarperCollins on June 8, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Friendship, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Women
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
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four-stars

What would you change if you had to start your life—and love life—over again?

When Emma Harris wakes up from a coma she learns that her fiancé and her BFF have fallen in love, she’s lost her job, and the life she knew is gone. Overwhelmed but grateful to be alive she starts over from scratch. Not as easy as it sounds, of course. But she’s never been a quitter, even if she wishes she could quit rehab, where her hot but evil physical therapist, Simon, puts her through the wringer. 

Eager for a new beginning, Emma opens a doggy day care. Unfortunately, the only space she can afford is owned by her childhood nemesis Ali Pratt. But hey, she’s been through worse, right? She tries to roll with the punches, but a friend drops his grandpa off at the doggy day care in desperation then on top of that, she and Ali bring the term ‘frenemies’ to a whole new level. And then another grandparent shows up. And another.

In the midst of all that, Emma realizes she’s accidentally fallen for Evil PT. But the most horrifying thing of all is that Ali just might have turned into the best friend she’s ever had. And as Emma grows from the pain of her past and takes on her new path, she comes to realize that life isn’t what you’re given, it’s what you make of it. 

This was great! Over the past several years I have become a huge fan of Jill Shalvis’s writing so there was never a question as to whether I would want to read this book. I have had great luck with these books set in Wildstone and this book was no exception. The Wildstone series can be read in any order since they are really stand-alone novels set in the same town. I enjoyed getting to know the group of characters featured in this book.

Emma is finally ready to start her life over. She survived a terrible accident and has had to fight hard to get where she is. While she was in a coma, her best friend and fiance hooked up with each other so she has had to learn how to make her body do what she wants it to do and find a different support system. She moves into an apartment that her physical therapist told her about. Simon, her physical therapist, lives with his father in the same building and sparks fly every time Emma and Simon cross paths. Emma soon encounters someone from high school that she did not get along with, Allie, who also happens to be Simon’s cousin. Allie is dealing with her own issues in the romance department. Allie and Emma form an unlikely partnership and decide to open a doggy day care.

I loved the characters in this book. All of the key characters have had a lot to deal with and are doing their best to move forward. I loved the fact that we get two romances in this book. Emma and Simon had fantastic chemistry with each other and I thought that they made a fantastic pair. We don’t see quite as much of Allie and Ryan but I loved seeing them work things out. Simon’s father, Dale, had his own challenges as a result of a stroke and I loved what he added to the story. And the dogs! Hog and Killer were both great characters with distinct personalities and they both played a large part in the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this book had the perfect amount of romance, humor, and wonderful characters. I will definitely be reading more of Jill Shalvis in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley.

9 responses to “Review – Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis

  1. Ohh this reminds me of my latest Jill Shalvis book haul. I think I will read them next month. I’m all about Romance in July. 🙂

  2. This sounds fantastic! I love Jill Shalvis’ books – especially when she has a main character connected with animals. And I love books where the heroine is starting over completely so this one sounds perfect. Adding it to my TBR!

  3. This was another hit for me from Shalvis. Emma’s situation was crazy, but there was Simon. The unlikely friendship between Emma and Allie was great too. There were quite a few heartstring tugging moments in that book, and dogs! So much fun-times with the pups.