I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. 

The Friendship Pact is the second in Jill Shalvis’ Sunrise Cove series. It can be read as a standalone, and has little connection to the first book beyond the sharer setting. 

This one continues the blend of strong women’s fiction themes with equally strong romantic ones in the first book. And the fact that this one explores a second chance between a family unit created by accident during wild youth is touching. 

The relationship between Tae and April is beautiful, if a bit bittersweet given the state of current affairs in the U.S. right now. Tae and April have an interesting dynamic where Tae sometimes feels like she has had  to be a parent as much as April did. April becoming pregnant when she was still a kid herself explains how she’s not always the most mature. Yet, I love how, in spite of the struggles, they do love and care for one another. And this one heartfelt conversation about how April did have options, and ultimately she chose to have Tae is beautiful and a standout moment. 

I liked seeing them both form (and reform) relationships with Riggs, April’s high school fling and Tae’s father. He has his own complicated past with trauma that is also well explored. I can’t say I was super won over by them as a couple, but given how complex each of these characters is and all the toxicity they deal with individually, I appreciate the way Shalvis attempted to navigate it all, and feel she succeeded in doing so to provide all of them happiness. 

This is a heartwarming read about family, forgiveness, and second chances. If you enjoy Jill Shalvis’ writing, especially in recent years, or enjoy books that explore complex romantic and familial bonds, I recommend picking this up.