The Bright Spot
By Jill Shalvis
Pub Date: January 16, 2024
Avon
* Contemporary Romance
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sunrise Cove #5
This book wasn’t 100 % for me. I liked it, I didn’t love it. Missing key information was disappointing. I totally loved The Sweetheart List so here’s hoping the next one will be just as good. For now it’s a 3 star.

BOOK REVIEW:
Title: The Bright Spot
Author: #jillshalvis
Pub Date: Jan 16 2024
Publisher: @HarperCollins

I AM OBSESSED this story was so cute and so sweet I cant wait to read this rest of this series Jill writes such beautiful and heartwarming reads!!

4.5 stars

Luna Wright was the manager at Apple Ridge Farm. The farm was part orchard, animal rescue, and botanical gardens. It offered a farm to table cafe and pick your own fruit options. Luna worked most days from before sun up to long after sun down. She wouldn't choose any other job or live anywhere else. This was home to her. The people she worked with became her family. Her boss, Silas Whittman, had offered her a job when she had been struggling to make ends meet. Silas was gruff and bossy, but he gave Luna free reign to run farm operations as she saw fit. When Silas suddenly died, Luna found he left her half of the farm. Unfortunately, she did not know the person who owned the other half. In addition, the farm was facing a balloon payment for a loan that was coming due in sixty days. Luna knew they operated on narrow margins and would have a hard time paying off the loan in that time period.

Jameson Hayes spent his life working with numbers. He worked in mergers and acquisitions. When Jameson was fifteen, Silas had given him a home when he had no place to go after his mother died. He owed Silas so much and his death hit Jameson hard. Silas left him half ownership of Apple Ridge Farm. Jameson didn't know much about the farm outside of a visit ten years ago. He handled the books for all of Silas' business dealings except for the farm. Silas worked with those on his own. Jameson was curious to find out about the farm's finances since a large loan payment loomed near. Jameson had never met the current manager of the farm and hoped she would be easy to work with. He took a two month leave from his company to work with his new co-owner and to set up a plan for the repayment of the loan. He was sure that would be enough time to determine the future of the farm.

Jill Shalvis writes books that I enjoy. This was no exception. I loved both of the main characters. Luna was full of strength, love and loyalty for the farm and her farm family. She gave 100% to everything she did. Jameson came in with a plan, but soon realized that plan would need to be altered. He was open to the ideas Luna and the other farm employees suggested. He was also open to altering predetermined expectations and assumptions. He was initially very regimented, but soon learned that life on a working farm was anything but that. The secondary characters were so much fun. I fell in love with them and would love additional stories featuring them. I will continue to look forward to new books from Ms. Shalvis as I am a big fan of her work.

I received an e-ARC for The Bright Spot and want to thank Jill Shalvis, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book. The Bright Spot will be published on January 16, 2024.

I have never read anything by Jill Shalvis before and that was clearly a mistake on my part. I enjoyed The Bright Spot immensely! It was so well written and was a very sweet romance. I think all of the characters felt so real, maybe because of how funny and unique they all are. I might want to get a baby goat after reading this even though I know that no goat I ever encounter will I love half as much as I did DZ. This was such a great comfort book, one that I know I'll read again and again. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a good story and a great romance. This book definitely delivers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jill Shalvis' books always provide a 'bright spot' to my queue. Filled with charismatic characters, cheeky moments and challenging situations, the cove series always rises to the occasion.

Luna Wright's world shatters when she realizes her boss was actually her grandfather. She's devastated that he lied to her and the farm he left her is struggling to make ends meet. When Jameson Hayes arrives to assess the situation, Luna is overwhelmed and doesn't know if she can save the business and she's uncomfortable that she's attracted to her new business partner.

Jameson's original goal to was to assess the situation and then leave. Somehow Luna's dedication to the farm and friends got under his skin and he feels the need to protect Luna. Will he break the fragile trust they've formed by telling her the truth?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #TheBrightSpot in exchange for an honest review. Shalvis' characters feel so real that readers would be able to pick them out of a line up as while flawed they tug at your heartstrings. Fans of the Sunrise Cove series will eagerly dive into her latest read.

Another great story by Shalvis. I'm never disappointed. Great characters, a few twists and turns. And lots of cute animals.

Luna Wright manages a farm in Sunrise Cove, California. She considers her co-workers as her makeshift family since Luna knows nothing about her biological family. When her boss Silas passes away, Luna discovers she inherited fifty percent of the farm, along with other startling news. She must work with a partner, the person who owns the other fifty percent, to save the farm from investors. Will Luna figure out a way to save Apple Ridge Farm? Can she trust Jameson with both the farm’s welfare and her heart?
Jameson Hayes is an investment manager and Silas’ former business associate. He promises Silas that he would help Luna make the farm profitable. Jameson never expected to be attracted to his new partner… or be charmed by the farm and its motley occupants. He tries to figure out a way to pay off the money the farm owes to investors. Did Jameson finally find the place he truly belongs? Or will he and Luna fail to save the farm?
Luna and Jameson have a lot in common. They both suffer from trust and abandonment issues, making it difficult letting others in. The latter never found a place where he truly belonged until Apple Ridge Farm. Luna gathered the people she felt comfortable with to form her own place of belongness. Their shared issues helps them understand and relate to each other.
I love the type of friend Luna is to Willow. She gave her friend space when demanded, even though it hurt to stay away. No matter Willow’s cranky demeanor, Luna never gave up on her. She showed up when Willow needed her the most.
Jameson really showed amazing growth. At first, he was a little aloof, but eventually he came around. Jameson could not resist Apple Ridge Farm nor its occupants. He allowed himself to open up to the people there and found the acceptance he craved. What I adore the most about Jameson is how a certain goat wormed into his affections. I love their interactions.
THE BRIGHT SPOT is the fifth book in Jill Shalvis’ contemporary romance series, SUNRISE COVE. Each book in this series stands alone. The only reoccurring thing each story has is the setting: Sunrise Cove, a town near Lake Taho in California. However, I did squee when a certain bakery from THE SWEETHEART LIST (book four) is hinted at. What I enjoyed the most from THE BRIGHT SPOT is a certain grandmother (she’s a riot!) and a certain adorable goat!
I love the feel-good vibes Jill Shalvis brings to her stories! She never disappoints. The author knows how to inject the right amount of humor to balance out serious topics.

I enjoyed this book. It had humor, romance, and friendship all wrapped up in one. It was also about family coming together to save a farm. It was heartwarming to read. I am grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Such a wonderfully written book. It’s got a lot of humor in it. The farm animals are so cute. The characters are quirky. It was such a feel good book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book is so much fun. Luna is quirky, charming, likable and so easy to root for with her love of her community and her vulnerability. Jameson appreciates Luna from the get-go while still finding her lifestyle confounding. The way their stories intertwine is interesting, and kept me reading til the end.

4 solid stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

This one just wasn’t for me, sadly. The plot was too slow moving and read very flat. The characters were boring IMO, as well.

Super sorry for the review, thank you for the opportunity.

You should already know that I will always read any of Jill Shalvis' works. She writes incredible books in the romance and women's fiction genres. And I always love each one of them. So of course I had to read her newest book, The Bright Spot.

The Bright Spot puts Luna Wright in a difficult spot after she inherits the Apple Ridge Farm and other things as well. I won’t say what else she discovers, but it does come into play later on in the book. Let’s circle back to Luna Wright, whose main focus is Apple Ridge Farm and the crew. She may not live up to her family's expectations, but she is more than that. She is living her own dreams, which make her happy. That’s what counts.

While Luna is living her dream of running Apple Ridge Farm, she may have more to handle when she co-inherits the farm with Jameson Hayes (one of the investment managers). Jameson may be the type of suitman when he walks into Apple Ridge Farm, but there is more than meets the eye. What can you say? Sometimes, people change when they move to different locations or meet someone who motivates them to change. It happens, and it’s something Jameson slowly realizes as he spends more time with Luna and her crew at Apple Ridge Farm.

If you are into found family tropes with cute baby goats running over, then you will enjoy the hell out of The Bright Spot. It’s such a cute women's fiction read with a bit of romance in between.

This book was a bit like coming home for me. It was such a great comfort read! It had pretty much everything you could want in a book.

Luna finds herself between a rock and a hard place when she finds out that she is now a 50% owner of Apple Ridge Farm, especially when the rest of it is owned by Jameson. The two need to work together to keep the farm in the black and pay off the balloon payment. Can the by the book numbers man break down his walls and work with sucker for the underdog woman? And what wil happen to the farm filled with all of it's misfit occupants? With a wonderful storyline and a group of amazing characters, Jill Shalvis once again leaves her readers with a smile on their faces and warmth in their hearts.

The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis Enjoyed that a colorful group of unconventional characters (everyone should have a Stella in their life) and outsiders came together as a family. Jameson and Luna are so right for each other. Loved the quirky, adorable farm animals especially the baby goat, Ziggy aka DZ. The traces of snarky dialogue added humor to the story. Looking forward to the next book set in Sunrise Cove.

Thank you to the author, Avon Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Thank you NetGalley and
2.5 stars. Sigh... I really don't like giving negative reviews especially for one of my favorite authors. However, I only liked this story but I didn't love it. There were elements that were very enjoyable like the quirky, adorable farm animals (DZ rules!) and a smattering of Shalvis' brilliant snarky dialogue. However, I didn't 100% click with the two main characters and I found Shayne and especially Willow really annoying.

Parts of the story seemed to be only roughly sketched out with missing key information. Luna's relationship with her adoptive parents, what happened to her with her first boyfriend after Chef, Willow's relationship with her family, and Silas' motivation for how he handled the whole farm situation and his relationship with Luna.

I totally loved "The Sweetheart List" the prior "Sunrise Cove" book and am hoping that the next one in the series, "The Summer Escape" is as good. AND... there's always my two favorite Jill Shalvis series: "Heartbreaker Bay" and "Lucky Harbor". I have read them both a bajillion times and will continue to do so.

Jill Shalvis books always bring a smile to my face. This stand alone book, while very predicatable, did just that. I enjoyed the main characters and felt the colorful supporting band of eccentrics and outsiders came together to really become family. There were a few parts of the book that made me wonder "what were they thinking?" but overall the book flowed well and made me laugh. I look forward to the next book set in Sunrise Cove and would love to see some characters return. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book even though it was predictable. You will really enjoy the main character Luna Wright who is managing a farm, an animal rescue and her eclectic staff. The farm is owner by a prickly older gentleman. When he passes away and leaves her 50% of the farm, the other 50% owner comes to put all the books in order . A balloon note is due in two months and the farm operates at a monthly loss. Enjoy the characters and ensuing romance.