The juxtaposition of Bree trying to get her sex on while Jill was struggling to overcome her grief at the loss of her husband just didn't work for me. It's as if this book didn't know whether to be chick lit or women's fiction. I couldn't connect with the characters or the storyline. DNF.

Life is only worth living with friends you love and Jill and Bree are the perfect example of this in #friendslikeus
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Bree survives a cancer scare with Jill by her side, just as Jill survives being a young widow with Bree by her side. Best friends side kindergarten they are there for each other through thick and thin. Together they decided to make an anti-bucket list.
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They push each other through the twists and turns of life with a ferocity of love that only comes with the closest of friends. There are bumps along the way but a friendship as strong is worth the price in gold.
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This book has an incredibly supporting cast of characters that I simply adore and the small town atmosphere that I fell in love with. Fans of Virgin River will fall in love with this book as I did.
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I will definitely be reading more books my Mackenzie in the future. She has a new fan from me.
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Thank you to #netgalley and #foreverpublishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Friends Like Us by Sarah Mackenzie!

Friends Like Us is a sweet women's fiction book where two best friends take the courage to go for second chances and to push themselves out of their comfort zone.
Bree has a cancer scare and she decides it's time to change up her life a little, while her best friend Jill is grieving the loss of her husband and is thinking about her future.

I want to move to Cranberry Cove. It seems like the perfect coastal Maine town and loved all of the cute local businesses. While things all work out in the end (and why I love books like this) the women in this book were facing real challenges and struggles and I loved the friendship and women supporting each other.

If you're lookng for an uplifting, women's fiction I recommend checking out Friends Like Us. I want to go read the first book Forever Friends in the Cranberry Cove series, though you don't need to read it!

This is a wonderful book about friendship, love, loss, grief, losing ones self and trying to figure out who you are and want to be, what you want to do next in your life, the loss of great and all consuming love, the possibilities of new love, fear, self doubt and judgment, family, and so much more. Bree and Jill have been friends for what seems like forever. Both are seemingly at crossroads of their lives, but in very different ways and yet both are stuck in neutral. After a health scare Bree makes an “anti-bucket list” to get out of her rut. Jill is mourning and feeling guilt about the loss of her beloved husband. As they both navigate their lives in a sweet small town, they know that what ever happens in their lives they will always be there for each other. Some romance, lots of emotional growth, some laughter, family figuring it all out and really wonderful insight and hope for the next in this really fun series. Everyone should know friendships like these women do.

This is the second book from the series but can be read as a standalone. It tells us the story of best friends Jill and Bree and their other friend Essie. I love the friendship between these three. Jill is still trying to move on from her husband’s death three years ago; she is good at hiding her emotions and has been pretending to be okay for the past three years. Bree had a cancer scare and someone who has stayed within her comfort zone for years. Essie is one friend you got who will tell you things like how it is even if it is hurtful.

This story will explore more about Bree and Jill’s lives, how they will move out of their comfort zone, and see the world from a different perspective. It is a lovely journey towards a new beginning and also will help their friendship grows even stronger. I love the character’s development, the little town of Cranberry Cove, the author’s writing style, and the story’s overall setting. It is a light and feels good read that you shouldn’t miss.

This reminded me a little of Jill Shalvis Wildstone series and if you’ve been following me for awhile you’ll know that I’m obsessed. It had that same small town feeling and there’s multiple storylines and plots to follow, which I love. Bree and Jill are lifelong best friends who are both at a crossroads in their life. Bree just had a cancer scare that made her wake up and reevaluate everything and Jill is grieving the loss of her husband. I adored their friendship and the way they supported and encouraged each other. Following two characters means you get two love interests, and while this definitely leaned more towards women’s fiction, you get a little spice in the romance department as well. Cranberry Cove was the cutest little town, there were some interesting side characters that I figured out were featured more in the first book so I’m definitely going back to read it after liking this one so much. Recommended when you’re in the mood for a feel good, fun and heartfelt read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I'm so bummed I didn't like this one more, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me at all. While the bare bones of the plot was great, and is what drew me to pick it up, but everything else just fell completely flat. The main thing that made this one difficult for me to get through was the super over the top writing. While I knew to expect a certain amount of cheesiness (an was looking forward to a sweet read), it was just too much for me in this case. I found the dialogue to be a bit ridiculous, and it felt like almost the entire story was dialogue. I didn't feel I really got to know the characters since there was so much going on in such a short story, especially with two "main" characters, in Bree and Jill. While this one was a big miss for me, I know it will be the perfect read for many readers!

2/5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I never learn. I should read book synopses but rarely do. I read the blurb that Friends Like Us was for fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery and then requested the arc from @readforeverpub.

It wasn’t far into Friends Like Us that I realized this might be a mistake for me because one of the friends lost her husband a few years ago and has been stuck and unable to move forward while the other friend had a recent cancer scare. I would have known this had I read the synopsis. Jill’s situation is eerily similar to mine.

The friendship between Bree and Jill felt so genuine and is really what kept me reading. Both found healing with Bree stepping outside of her comfort zone and Jill realizing that in order to move forward, she has to let Bree in on a secret that has been eating away at her. I kept myself emotionally distanced from Jill’s struggles to move forward in life after her husband died to protect my own grieving heart. The author treated this topic gently but with grief, we never know what might trigger us and unfortunately for me, there were a few areas that caused me to close off from the story. But this has nothing to do with the book but everything to do with my own personal triggers.

I realized after reading this that it is the second in a series but I didn’t feel like I was missing any part of the story. There is romance involved but it is fade to black for those who aren’t a fan of steamy romance scenes.

“What if everything she ever wanted was waiting for her to just have the the courage to reach out and take it?”

I just really LOVED this book.
This is a new to me author, and I will immediately be picking up the first in the series to go back & read because it took me by surprise in the best way. Somehow without knowing anything about the book other than it was from one of my favorite publishers, this book found me at exactly the right time.

“I’ve had to face some hard truths about myself lately, like maybe I’m not as okay as I want to be. I am sort of stuck.”

I felt like this was THE perfect contemporary cozy story. With low steam, great characters, that still touches on "tough topics" in a relatable but still meaningful way you could connect with. Each character was likable and unique, that made me feel like I was in the story along with old friends. This book focuses on besties, Bree & Jill, but you meet plenty of incredible supporting characters who are sure to give us more amazing books as this series continues.

“We, as women, are enough just as we are.”

My favorite part of the book was the small town friendly feels - I immediately felt drawn into the friendship of Bree and Jill. Somehow Mackenzie’s writing style kept me engaged, laughing and on the edge of tears as these characters figured out who they were and what more they wanted from life.

“Well, what if I told you this space was a place where you wouldn’t be alone? Grief is not a club anyone wants to belong to, once you’re in, though, there can be a healing benefit in surrounding yourself with other members who’ve walked a mile in your shoes.”

Jill’s character and how she’s dealing with her grief made this book endearing and absolutely worth a read. Pick this one up if you love strong, fierce female characters who make you feel proud to cheer them on with each new obstacle in their lives.

I cannot wait to get to know the characters of Cranberry Cove even more in the future. I give this book 4.5 stars, highly recommend. Thank you to Forever Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC & finished copy of this incredible book in exchange for my honest review.

Trigger warnings: cancer, grief (husband loss)

I liked this story, but didn’t love it. I didn’t realize it was women’s fiction, which is a genre that can be hit or miss for me. The writing was good and the characters interesting, but there’s a lot going on, with multiple storylines that seemed to wrap up too quickly and conveniently. I feel like I only superficially got to know Jill and Bree and that their deeper issues were revealed then glossed over. There were too many balls being juggled at once. I would have preferred a series books that concentrated on each of the friends rather than lump them all in one.
Still, it was well written but just not my cup of tea. I enjoyed the setting, though, as a fan of Maine and a citizen of New England.

Tender, hopeful, and cosy!

Friends Like Us is a beautifully written, uplifting tale set in the small-town of Cranberry Cove that takes us into the lives of Bree Rhodes, a young woman who after recently having a cancer scare decides to create an anti-bucket list to help her step out of her mundane life and take some chances, and Jill Kelly, a young widow still struggling with the loss of her husband and the all-consuming grief that is preventing her from moving on.

The prose is light and witty. The characters are sweet, attentive, and sympathetic. And the plot is a delightful, heartfelt mix of friendship, family, introspection, support, forgiveness, love, loss, drama, community, new beginnings, and the power of friendship.

Overall, Friends Like Us is a funny, absorbing, compassionate tale by Mackenzie with an abundance of irresistible characters and a storyline I couldn’t get enough of. I really enjoyed the first novel in the Cranberry Cove series, Forever Friends, but I absolutely adored this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Mackenzie and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of Friends Like Us. This is my personal review.
The friendship between Bree and Jill was one that really made me appreciate my lifelong friends. Their friendship was so true and was written in such a way that it was a reminder of how much women need and appreciate the friends they have had in their lives for years.
The circle of friends Bree and Jill have are more family than friends.
This is was an easy read and one I devoured with out even realizing how long I had been reading.

4.5 stars

While I love romance, I have a special fondness for books about friends. Bonus points if those friends have known each other forever, like Bree and Jill, because my own bestie and I have known each other since the first grade. I enjoyed Sarah Mackenzie’s 2019 debut, Forever Friends, but I loved Friends Like Us. It was realistic, funny, hopeful, and heartwarming.

After a cancer scare, Bree makes an anti-bucket list: things that will push her outside her small life and her comfort zone and help her truly live. Her first task seems simple but it sets a whole new life into motion. Jill is grieving the loss of her husband, along with the life she knew and the life they’d planned together. She has a successful business, but the rest of her life is a mess; she’s stuck and doesn’t know how to move on or even if she wants to. With each other’s love and support, both women learn to take chances, open their hearts to love (and not just romantic love), and see the possibilities life has to offer.

Friends Like Us spoke to me in so many ways. I loved how Bree and Jill leaned on each other and were strong for each other, but also learned to be strong for themselves. I loved seeing them both open themselves up, and I cheered them on throughout the story. I enjoyed the romance storyline in this one more than the first book, I think because I relate to Bree much more than I did to Sadie or Renee. I also appreciated that Jill’s story didn’t include a front-and-centre romance because she was still deep in grief and figuring things out. I can’t say much more without the risk of spoilers, but I was pleased and satisfied with how the romance storylines progressed. I also enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book and ‘catching up’ with them and seeing them happy. I hope there’ll be more books in this series because I’d love to see Essie and Ashley get their chances at happily ever after.

Friends Like Us is going to be one of those books I recommend often. Love books about friendship? Self-discovery? Taking chances? Finding love in unexpected places? This is the book for you. Also, if you love Jill Shalvis’s Wildstone series (which I discovered last year and continue to love this year with the newest installment), Friends Like Us has a similar vibe - an emphasis on character growth with a swoony side of romance.


*Links will be updated with blog and bookstagram reviews when they go live

I didn't realize when I requested this ARC that it was the second in the Cranberry Cove series but I didn't feel lost at all. The book is told for the perspectives of Bree and Jill, who are best friends. Other women in the friends group include Bree's sister Renee, the local baker, Essie the local real estate agent, Jill's newly present mother, Linda, and new to town Ashley, who we meet about halfway through the book. After Bree gets the "all clear" after a serious health scare, she decides to create an anti-bucketlist and start living life to the fullest. Taking chances with her home, love life, and her career. What I really liked about this book was the strong sense of women supporting women. Each of them truly wanted what's best for the other and their friendships felt real and genuine. Bree and Jill welcome Ashley to town and offer a helping hand when she gets in a rough situation even though they haven't know her very long. It definitely had me missing my girlfriends and wishing we could all live in their small town. This book had clean elements of romance and had me longing for a beach getaway as soon as possible.

This is the second book in the Cranberry Cove series. I think it can be read as a stand alone though I would certainly read the first book as it was very good.
Friends Like Us is a sweet, light story with delightful characters. A story of two best friends, Bree and Jill, who share this special bond. They have helped each other conquer so much. But, each carry a few secrets they have not shared.
Loved, loved, loved the romance aspect!
Loved, loved, loved the friendship aspect.
I hope to read the next book in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last! This is the second book in the Cranberry Cove series, but I didn’t feel lost or have any issues connecting with the characters.

Bree and Jill are best friends.. Jill lost her husband over two years ago, but is stuck in her grief and unable to move forward. Bree has a serious health scare, leading her to create her anti-bucket list. There are other women friends who are all associated with the Old Red Mill shopping area, Bree’s sister Renee is a baker, Essie is a real estate agent and Sadie is a very pregnant Mom. Jill’s mother Linda slo plays a role..

I really liked the way the characters supported each other, and the way their relationships with the men in their lives grew. This is a sweet, mostly clean romance with strong emphasis on women helping other women, particularly Ashley, a character introduced about half way in..

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

“If life doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”

It’s passages like this in Friends Like Us by Sarah Mackenzie that layered me in like a cozy blanket.

Set along the coast of Cape Cod, the story centers around Bree and Jill who have been best-friends since kindergarten. Life has taken them on two very different albeit parallel paths. What unfolds is a quest to find themselves after a health scare and the most tragic of events.

Let’s face it, this week has been chaos in terms of current events, and this past year has been anything but comforting. This read has a little bit of everything to help with all of that.

I’m not going to lie, I miss being with my girlfriends in person. I miss the spontaneous laughter that could never be the same on a video call. I miss happy hours that turn into dinners.

THIS book will give you that and more. A way to feel the magic of friendship. It will remind you that no matter how much time passes, there’s nothing quite as great as experiencing all of life’s trials and tribulations with your best-friends.

A perfect read during the winter months to help you imagine all of the good things to come.

Thank you to @hachettebooks, @grandcentralpub, @readaloudrevival, and @netgalley for this advanced reader copy to be released on January 26th, 2021.

Great novel to chase away the winter doldrums! It has enchanting characters, a great story, and loving friendships. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise of an anti-bucket list after being diagnosed with breast cancer seems like a wonderful plot for a book. However friends friends Bree and Jill turn it into a quest for love rather than adding anything interesting to their lists. Lovers of romance novels might enjoy this book but it was not for me.

Fun summer read about two best female friends overcoming personal issues independently and together. Very similar to "The Friendship List" by Jill Shalvis.