The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis

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.

 

 

Book 1
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William Morrow (HC)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series, and as I love everything I have read by this talented author, I am delighted to have a chance to read it.

We meet Levi and Jane in the most harrowing of situations, and whilst I knew it had to turn out okay, it was quite stressful. I am not a great fan of gondola ski lifts in good weather, so it was easy to imagine the imminent disaster.

Then the story unfolds about these two people who believe themselves to be misfits in the world, and a really delicious story of trying to get them to acknowledge the truth, rather than the fakeness of their relationship. Be ready for some truly funny moments, but also some very poignant ones. Some misunderstandings of youth being righted, and a genuine opportunity to lessen the burden on their shoulders and be happier, more fulfilled people.

As well as family helping them make their realisations, so do Levi's best friend, and Jane's landlady. As it happens, they also have feelings for each other which are subject to complications of their own. They do provide a great mirror to the couple and serve to stabilise and question their decisions. Of course I could not fail to mention Alley Cat, as her importance in creating a family cannot be denied.

Delicious, heartwarming read, and I can't wait for the next one!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆
I must say this book didn't grab me the way Jill Shalvis' books normally do. The premise of the book was one that I think we can all understand – who would be our last call and if we could, would be let them know that we found the one who made us happy? That's what Levi did, then he perpetuated the fib after the danger was over because he didn't want to see the disappointment in parents’ eyes again.

Levi, doesn't quite fit in with his family. They are boisterous and outgoing, and he can be a bit introverted. He needs the quiet in order to let his brain relax and calm itself, and his parents and sister never understood that. Nor did they understand why he always had his head in a book when he wasn't on the slopes. Like a square peg in a round hole, loved but didn't quite fit.

Jane knows all about being the square peg. Her own mother dropped her off at her grandparents when she was just a child and left to live her life. Being shuffled from one relative to the next left her with a sense of insecurity that has never faded. She knows that the only person she can depend on is herself and when it appears that she only has moments to live – well, no great loss.

This book had so much potential. Shalvis explored a lot of the reasons of why Levi moved away from Sunrise Cove but did little to really delve into Jane's backstory. Yes, the reader was given the high points, however, I would have liked to have known more about Jane's mother and if Jane had tried to make contact as an adult. Or been in therapy.

I will read book two as once I start a series, I find it hard to put it down.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1) by Jill Shalvis to read and review.