Review – The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis

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

The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis
Series: Sunrise Cove #1
Published by William Morrow on January 11, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Women
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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“Fall in love with Jill Shalvis! She’s my go-to read for humor and heart.”— Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis begins a new series—Sunrise Cove—set near beautiful Lake Tahoe, with a heartwarming story of found family and love.

During the snowstorm of the century Levi Cutler is stranded on a ski lift with a beautiful stranger named Jane. After strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground, Levi calls his parents to prepare them for the worst…but can’t bring himself to say goodbye. Instead, wanting to fulfill his mother’s lifelong wish, he impulsively tells her he’s happily settled and Jane is his girlfriend—right before his phone dies.

But Levi and Jane do not.

Now Levi’s family is desperate to meet “The One.” Though Jane agrees to be his pretend girlfriend for just one dinner, she’s nervous. After a traumatic childhood, Jane isn’t sure she knows how to be around a tight-knit family that cherishes one another. She’s terrified, and a little jealous. But an unexpected series of events and a host of new friends soon show Jane that perhaps this is the life she was always meant to have.

As Jane and Levi spend more time together, pretend feelings quickly turn into real ones. Now all Jane has to do is admit to herself she can’t live without the man she’s fallen in love with and the family she has always dreamed of.

I had such a good time with this book. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Jill Shalvis’s writing so I was eager to dive into this first book in a new series. I went into the book with fairly high expectations and this story lived up to every one of them. I got the heartwarming romance that I had hoped for along with a wonderful cast of characters that came alive on the page.

This book opens with a pretty intense scene. Jane and Levi are on a gondola during a storm when things go wrong and the one in front of theirs falls to the ground. Things don’t look good for the pair and Levi places a call to his mother hoping to talk to her one last time but instead ends up telling her that Jane is his girlfriend just to make her happy. What a great way to start a story! These two bonded right away because of the situation that they survived and I felt like they seemed perfect for each other from the start.

I fell in love with Jane and Levi right away. They both had some issues to deal with and I enjoyed watching each of them work through everything. They had fantastic chemistry together and the only real obstacle to a relationship was their own fear. Add a little fake dating into the mix and I knew that I would get the happily ever after that I craved. The secondary characters were equally wonderful. Jane’s friend Charlotte has been her rock but she had her own issues to deal with. Levi’s family was just a lot of fun. They were not perfect but you could tell that they cared for each other and only wanted the best for Levi. I really appreciated the fact that we were treated to a secondary romance and I loved being able to see both couples find happiness together.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a wonderfully written story featuring characters that were easy to fall for. I cannot wait to read more of this amazing author’s work.

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

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