🎧︎The Friendship Pact, the latest novel by Jill Shalvis, transports the reader back to Sunrise Cove. This time around, the reader gets the chance to take an emotional roller coaster ride with a new set of character.  🎧︎The Friendship Pact introduces characters who will win your heart and have you craving a visit to the Cove.

In this installment of the Sunrise Cove series the reader meets Tae Holmes and her mom April. April was a teenage mother who chose to raise Tae on her own. Since then it was them against the world. Tae had a hard life growing up, but now she’s an event planner and is determined to support her mom and herself. Growing up without a father affected her poorly, and she closed off her heart and refused to get close to anyone. Things seem to be looking up when she got the contract with an adventure company, Adrenaline HQ, to plan events for wounded soldiers and athletes with disabilities.

Riggs Copeland a silent partner for Adrenaline HQ, came to Sunset Cove at his brother’s request to assist with the summer program at Adrenaline HQ. He has no plans to stay, as he has a job in DC waiting for him.  He and Tae had a fling in high school, but things ended on a sour note.  Since then they haven't spoken to each other. When their paths crossed once again, sparks flew, but being the broken persons, they were a relationship was out of the question. The best thing would be to remain friends. Will they be able to keep their pact of friendship, or will they give into their desire for each other?


I had a wonderful with 🎧︎The Friendship Pact. There were so many things happening. Romance, drama, and secrets flowed through the pages of the story.

I loved the relationship Tae shared with her mother. It may not have been perfect, but the love between them shined throughout the story. As I mentioned, it was far from perfect, which in of itself is fine. However, what had me all riled up was April’s decision to lie to Tae under the guise of protecting her.

Like Tae, Riggs didn’t have the best life growing up, which was what drew them together years ago. Now, as adults, the baggage of the past weighed heavily on their present. I enjoyed seeing how they eventually came to terms with their past and, in doing so, paved the way for healing, forgiveness, and love.

The secondary characters added depth to the story, with my favourite being Riggs's brother. I admired how he didn’t allow his disability to hold him back.

This was my first experience with narrator Andi Ardnt. She did a great job with the characters. I enjoyed her male voices, despite her not sounding like a guy. Her performance in this regard was done with ease. Her variation in tone reflected the gender of the characters. She gave the story life and made it a pleasurable listening experience.

Once again Shalvis created a story aimed at captivating readers. A story to put some joy in your heart and a smile on your face.  🎧︎The Friendship Pact is perfect for fans of women's fiction with a mix of romance, drama, comedy and sass 

The Friendship Pact is just like Gilmore Girls, but if it took place in a coastal town instead of New England. This is my first Jill Shalvis book and the second in The Sunrise Cove series (which can be read as standalones). Tae and April have always been there for each other no matter what, because often they’ve only had each other to rely on. With Tae taking on more clients and April exploring photography, maybe they’ve reached a point where they can finally relax. Enter Riggs, a tightly wound soldier who is shocked to rediscover Tae when she mistakes his car for an Uber. Riggs and Tae initially met as teens, when they briefly crossed paths. Now, is there a chance for more? But April has been hiding one very big secret that is about to come to light. 

The Friendship Pact is a delightful beach-read romance! Tae and Riggs both showed a lot of character growth and I enjoyed the flashbacks to their experiences in high school. This is a romance but Shalvis creates a compelling secondary plot that feels realistic. Tae and Riggs have a lot of familiar tropes such as the good guy/bad girl trope, second-chance romance, and a dash of ill-timing. I enjoyed how Tae and Riggs had built such a solid friendship as a foundation. Overall, this was a lighthearted and sweet romance.  
 
Thank you to Jill Shalvis, William Morrow, Avon, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.  

 

Whew! This story is emotional and fun and lovely all at the same time. Tae and Riggs are fire together and their first time seeing one another since they were teens starts off as a sort of meet (again) cute and winds up going off the rails. In an intense and scary way, but it all ends up good.

Even when Tae get frustrating with her very linear thinking, she always remains a sympathetic character. It’s easy for the reader to see where Tae is coming from and why she reacts to things the way she does. Tae has been an adult since before she was a teenager. Her mom, April, is wonderful and loving. But she was a baby raising a baby and made some missteps along the way. For her part, April is now trying to set Tae free. In hindsight she is able to see the things how she should have done thing differently and wants Tae to live the life she wants instead of the life she feels she needs to live in order to keep control.

Riggs has his own issues. A lot of his own issues. He’s only back in his hometown because of a promise he made to his brother, and he’s only there for the summer. Running into Tae and then finding out she works hand in hand with the company he owns with his brother is a shock. Tae is the one Riggs let get away. He hurt her but has never forgotten her, and vice versa. These two have a lot to work out. Not only for their second-chance romance, but also as adults that have to figure out what they really want to do with the rest of their lives.

In all this is Tae’s search for her birth father, who she thought had died before she was born. It adds a whole other element to this story that really deepens the readers connection to the characters. It hurt my heart when Tae would run into people in town who didn’t have great memories of her teen years. The way they acted as though a person cannot change and weren’t willing to help her or give her the benefit of the doubt was infuriating. I love that Riggs stood by her back in the day and continues to stand by her now.

I love this story. I love the romance. I love the familial relationships and the growth in those areas. I love the representation of athletes with disabilities. I love the outreach to the community children who are less privileged. This is a wonderful story all around.

 **I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely** 

Note: Thank you to Lori Edelman from Get Red PR for providing me with an ARC via BookFunnel in exchange for an honest review. 

I’ve heard of Jill Shalvis and I’ve seen her books several times but this is the first time I actually read something written by her and I need to fix that ASAP.

The Friendship Pact is the second book in Jill Shalvis’ Sunrise Cove series. I haven’t read the first book but each book can be treated as a standalone.

Tae and Riggs had a short but spicy past together and I immediately felt the chemistry as soon as they met again. Riggs is only planning to stay in Sunrise Cove during the summer so he tells Tae that they should just be friends; but a unicorn onesie (and a shocking discovery) changed all of that.

There’s a lot of hurt going around in this book but it’s not a depressing read. There’s a lightheartedness to it that balances it all out. In fact, I think I can actually say that this book is a comfort read.

I loved all the characters in this book. I really got invested in their lives and when the big dramatic moment came near the end, I actually got teary-eyed. The writing is great and easily digestible so it’s perfect for bingeing. Heat level is perfect (imo)🔥🔥.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’m definitely gonna be looking into Jill Shalvis’ other books! (my tbr is crying)

BLOG | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER 

This will be a surprise to probably nobody, but Jill Shalvis has a new book out next week and I freaking loved it! This is the second book in a series but you don’t have to read them in order as really the only thing they have in common is the setting of Lake Tahoe 😍 You have a second chance romance between Tae and Riggs and then Tae’s mom, April is also a huge part of the story as well. April got pregnant with Tae when she was a teenager and their relationship dynamic was so interesting, oftentimes more like sisters or best friends than a traditional mother/daughter. I always enjoy the way the author writes such emotionally deep stories but infuses them with humor and some sexy, witty banter. Another hit for me and an ideal summer read! 

Thank you the author for a copy of The Friendship Pact. Jill Shalvis always delivers a romance with so much depth. Set in beautiful Lake Tahoe, this book is about the Tae and Rigg's romance, the mother/daughter relationship with Tae and April and Rigg's relationship to his brother Jake. 

I love seeing all aspects of the books and seeing how these relationship all had ups and downs. I was hoping some of the characters from The Family you make would be in the book but they didn't make any appearance.

Two words: Unicorn! Onesie! That’s it, that’s the review. 

Ok, no, I have more to say. Like how much I love Tae, who is fierce in her love for her mom and determined to make her life better than it was. She is so good, so giving, so strong, and I love that she is someone who can see beyond the pain and heartache that life has given her. 

Riggs….I just want to hug him. And shove him when he’s being hard headed. But mostly hug him. He is so lost and hurt and damaged, but also so giving and loving. 

I loved this book! I loved the depth of the characters, their heart and struggles and joy. And even the pain…it’s real and heartbreaking, but understandable. Jill Shalvis is brilliant. Also, now I want a unicorn onesie.