Blog Tour: The Friendship Pact (Sunrise Cove #2) by Jill Shalvis

I am a huge fan of Jill Shalvis and was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Friendship Pact. This is a small-town, second-chance romance, set in Sunrise Cove, Lake Tahoe, California. Each novel in the Sunrise Cove series is a standalone, so you don't need to worry about reading them in order.

Tae and her mother April have lived their lives teetering on the edge of poverty since April became pregnant with Tae at the age of fifteen - and was promptly disowned by her family. Twenty-seven years later, April and Tae are incredibly close, determined that nothing will come between them, until a chance remark by a stranger sets Tae on the trail of the father she thought was dead. She's helped on her quest by her ex-high-school boyfriend, Riggs, recently returned to Sunrise Cove to help his brother Jake run an adventure company for people with disabilities, including ex-soldiers - both Riggs and Jake are veterans.

Despite being intensely drawn to each other, Tae and Riggs agree to remain just good friends, but as they spend more and more time together, keeping their relationship platonic becomes impossible. Should they give up and have a short fling? After all, what could possibly go wrong?

The Friendship Pact is as much about family and friends as it is about romance. It is lovely to see the close bonds between Tae and April, and Riggs and Jake. But both Tae and Riggs have been hurt badly in the past, can they move on from that?

I loved the start of the story, where Tae, who is having a nightmare of an evening, accidently gets into Rigg's car, thinking he's a Uber driver, then walks straight into what appears to be a hold-up at a grocery story - all because she wants to drown her sorrows in ice-cream! Another favourite is the scene where Jake tries to teach Riggs about feelings: in particular, talking about them! It's both hilarious and touching.

The Friendship Pact is a feel-good romantic comedy about second chances and the importance of talking through problems, rather than trying to avoid them, and opening up emotionally - otherwise, how is anyone you care about going to know how you feel?!! It would suit anyone who loves romantic comedy with heart and fans of Sarah Morgan and Susan Mallery. The third story in this series, The Backup Plan, will be out in January 2023 - I can't wait!

Thank you to Jill  Shalvis and Headline Eternal for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

This post appears as part of The Friendship Pact Blog Tour. Do check out the reviews of the other bloggers taking part!

Related posts: 

The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1) by Jill Shalvis

Review: The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1) by Jill Shalvis

I've only recently discovered Jill Shalvis and have been happily working my way through her backlist, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Family You Make.

Levi and Jane are stuck in a ski lift gondola (cable car), halfway up a mountain, when a blizzard hits and the gondola in front of them crashes to the ground. Faced with the very real possibility that they are going to die, Levi phones his family to say goodbye but then can't bring himself to utter the words. When his mother hears Jane in the background, she assumes Jane is his new girlfriend. Unable to tell his mother the truth, he goes along with it. What harm can it do? Except Levi and Jane are then rescued and now his family will go to any lengths to meet her...

The Family You Make features two couples. Commitment-shy Jane trying to navigate her fake/not fake relationship with Levi, and her friend Charlotte, who also has problems trying to form relationships because of trauma in her past, and is trying to ignore her attraction to Levi's friend Matteo. Levi has a large, exuberant family, who love him despite not really understanding him. Jane, after being passed from relative to relative while she was growing up, is so used to having no one care about her, she is always ready to move onto the next job before she outstays her welcome. Can Levi persuade her to stay and give him a chance - despite the 'help' from his family? And can Charlotte learn to trust Matteo enough to take their relationship to the next level?

Warm, witty and wise, with thoroughly engaging characters, I was really rooting for both couples to have their very own happy ever after. I loved Levi's quirky family, especially his niece Peyton, and I can't wait for the next book in the series (The Friendship Pact). A five-star read. Would suit fans of Sarah Morgan and Susan Mallery.

Thank you to Jill Shalvis and Headline Eternal for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.