REVIEW: Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis

Posted January 22nd, 2020 by in Blog, Contemporary Romance, Review / 5 comments

In Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, EMT Piper Manning has put her dreams on hold to raise her siblings. Her plan is to sell the lake house her grandparents left her and finally go to college to become a physician’s assistant. Then she meets her neighbor’s son, DEA agent and Coast Guard Reserve officer Camden Reid. Sparks fly, but Camden has his own reasons for staying in Wildstone. Piper’s siblings have also returned, with their own secrets and plans for the lake house. When the truth comes out, will it ruin things between Piper and Camden, and will she have to give up her dreams once again?

I felt for Piper. She lives life according to a list she keeps in a journal. She puts everyone before herself, yet it seems like no one has the same consideration for her, except for Camden. Then, when her siblings finally decide to do something for her, they go about it the completely wrong way, which winds up with her having hurt feelings.

Camden himself is dealing with guilt not only over his brother’s death, but from the secret he’s keeping from Piper for her sister. He encourages Winnie to come clean to Piper multiple times but she refuses. It puts him between a rock and a hard place, so it wasn’t hard to feel for the position he was in.

As for Piper’s siblings, I found them to be a bit selfish throughout the book. They confide in one another, but they leave Piper out. After everything she had done, practically raising them since she was thirteen, it felt disrespectful. While I appreciated the effort they made towards the end, they could have handled it better, instead of leaving her feeling like she was blindsided.

There is also a side story of Piper’s brother, Gavin, and his ex-boyfriend, CJ. While I enjoyed it, the storyline felt a bit rushed, which made it hard to buy into their second chance romance. I would have rather have seen it as either a separate novel or novella so the characters and their relationship could have been developed further.

While this is the fourth book in the Wildstone series, it can be read as a standalone. Readers new to the series won’t have any issues jumping into it with this book.

Almost Just Friends is about the ups and downs of dealing with family, the way secrets can hurt someone, and finding love when you least expect it. Jill Shalvis has once again created a heartfelt story with characters readers will be able to relate to and sympathize with.

 

Book Info:

Publication: January 21, 2020 | William Morrow Paperbacks | Wildstone #4

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.

 

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5 Responses to “REVIEW: Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis”

  1. Kathleen O

    I can’t wait to get my hands on this book.. I liked your honest review. Jill Shalvis is one of my top ten authors I love..

  2. Pamela Conway

    *I received an arc from Netgalley & HarperCollins Publishing for an honest review* Almost Just Friends (Wildstone series Book #5) blew me away, Jill Shalvis wrote an incredible, amazing, extraordinary book. Cam who returns home to check on his father Emmitt after the tragic loss of his brother Rowan and Piper who lost her parents at a young age leaving her to raise her younger brother Gavin & sister Winnie meet at the local bar the night a storm hits. This book had all the feels. It was funny, sexy, emotional, tragic, honest. You will laugh, cry & feel like you are experiencing everything the characters are feeling including the extended family. Piper thinks her siblings are off on their own successfully so she can finally have a life of her own until they both come home with secrets they don’t want to tell her because they don’t want to disappoint her. All the while Piper has kept her emotions in check (& never grieving her parents death) to stay strong for her siblings. While Cam & Emmitt are dealing with the grief & guilt over Rowan and trying to repair their own relationship. Piper & Cam help each other heal to get their HEA but it’s not an easy road and neither is it easy for Piper & her siblings to finally get to a good place where they are all finally being open & honest with each other to work through their issues. Gavin also has his second chance with CJ who’s now a town cop, also emotional! This book shows that with love, honesty & perseverance a family that loves each other can work things out if they are willing & same goes for the relationships in the book. Also can’t forget Chance the rescue dog. I highly recommend this book & author, you won’t be disappointed!!