Do you like to read thrillers that verge into unhinged and bizarre territory? If you do, this one may be for you. I like when things get kinda weird, I’m always looking for a unique angle and I think the author found one here. The setting was great and super atmospheric, you have an isolated estate with an epic snowstorm so you get a locked room style mystery. You also have a book within a book as there’s chapters from Alex’s book sprinkled in as she works on her novel during the retreat and I live for that stuff. I also always like reading about toxic female friendships and Wren and Alex have some serious drama both in their past and the present. It’s a slow burn but still has suspense and dread and the lead up to the ending was pretty out there but also fun. A solid debut, it won’t be for everyone but if you like weird, outlandish and dark try it. 

Does anyone else have a thing for celebrity romances? I loooovvveee them and this one was really good! 

Read this if you like:

👶🏼 Single parent mom

🤩 Swoony celebrity hero

💕 Emotional depth

🔥 Slow burn romance 

🐶 An adorable dog

❤️ Bisexual rep

🫶🏻 Found family

😍 Friends to lovers

Overall I really enjoyed my time with this debut, the characters felt authentic and it was a sweet read.

This had a cute concept, I especially liked that Eli was the one getting a makeover and part of the process included him watching classic rom com movies from the 80s and 90s. Leah was a really likable character with an interesting backstory but Eli really annoyed me. He spent most of the book pining over his ex girlfriend and it was just too much for too long for me. But I did enjoy the themes of found family and friends to lovers even if it took waaayyyyy too long for Eli to stop being an idiot. I listened to this one and thought Erika Schindele was a fantastic character and probably helped my irritation with the hero come down a notch. I’m going with 3.25/5 here, I usually don’t do quarter stars but it’s what I’m feeling here. 

Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite authors and this books is a great example of why I love her so much. It’s so much more than just the typical romance that follows two people as they fall in love. You definitely have that, but you also have friendship drama between Alice and Lauren as well as all three main characters dealing with some heavy issues individually. There are so many layers here and I loved every single one. I ran through so many emotions while reading this, from laughter to empathy and understanding this one took me on a sweet and heartfelt ride. You definitely don’t have to read the first two books in the series before this one but you should because every minute spent with a JS book is an absolute delight.