Going into a Shalvis book is always a treat. I loved The Forever Girl so much. I neglected house work and everything else just to read it. I have one little nitpick though. Maze! Oh my goodness. All I wanted to do with her for the majority of the book was strangle her. Walker was perfect. I loved Heather. Cat is my spirit animal. Jace is dreamy. Sammie was spunky and cute. The whole story is about family and forgiveness. The family dynamics were my favorite part of the whole thing. Even though everyone starts out estranged, I loved how they still cared and loved each other.

Back to Maze—her character was hard to like but I’m going to be honest, she was probably my favorite. Sounds like a contradiction but it’s true. I felt her character was very real and true. She’s had a terrible life up until she met her foster family. Then a tragedy happened that ruined it all. Maze has trust issues and boy, does it show. By the end, I was sad to see the characters go. I feel like I fell in love with them just a little bit.

Unfortunate, I was not able to finish this book. I struggled to get through the first 15% or so and had to stop. It just wasn’t engaging.

I’ve enjoyed all the books I have read by Jill Shalvis and this one doesn’t disappoint.  But,  I think this one may be my favorite, so far.  As time goes by, I find Jill’s stories get better and better.  She has a way of telling a story that grabs you from the start.  This book has love, humor, laughter, tears, tenderness (the way Walker slides his hands through Maze’s hair, mmm), family togetherness, forgiveness and wonderful characters!  Awesome  job, Jill!😉

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy.

Q: what’s one of your fave romance small towns?

Last week I started Jill Shalvis’s The Forever Girl, immediately had my heart squeezed by the talented hands of an Emotional Wizard, & decided that I would continue reading it another day 🤣.

Yesterday was the day & I approached it full steam ahead, both really enjoying it & determined to see this couple get their HEA.

The book opens with four friends/foster siblings gathered at the grave of the boy they lost & whom they all miss greatly.

Mazey Porter, called Maze & sometimes Mayhem Maze, also feels terribly guilty for his death, a guilt that has made her act out in certain ways & that hasn’t been helped by her fear of abandonment & of being vulnerable w/ others.

Walker Scott is also there at the grave, a man she lived with for a year when they were teens, the man she drunkenly married as a young 20-something in Vegas, the man she tries to ignore—& who does the same to her—even though she can never fully do that.

Three years of not talking later, when one of their foster siblings hatches a plan to have them all back in the same Wildstone house for a week, Mazey & Walker can’t stay away from each other. Maybe this time they can figure it out...once the truth about Mazey’s fake boyfriend/best friend she roped into accompanying her comes out, that is.

This book is hardhitting in the emotional department, from the friendships to Mazey & Walker, to another foster sibling, Cat. If you like found family then The Forever Girl might be your jam because it’s all about grabbing on tight to the people you feel are your own.

While the relationship between Mazey & Walker isn’t quite as steamy as I would like, the chemistry is there & I love how complementary they are.

That leads me to my critique of this novel—it just feels obvious to me that they belong together, that they know it too, despite what they think sometimes & say—& this plus the forced proximity & how he’s always seeking her out—I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️—the tension, the will they or won’t they, is a little weak for me.

Still, this is a really great read written by an author who knows how to play the heart like a musical instrument .


CW:


References to past abuse, parental neglect, & death of a child. There’s also an insensitive joke comparing someone’s dancing to a seizure.


4 ⭐️. The Forever Girl is out on 01/12/21. Thanks to William Morrow & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Maze, Walker, and Heather are three foster siblings who were part of Cat's family until tragedy tore them all apart. While contact was never completely lost between them, they grew up separately and decisively apart until Cat summons them to help her prepare for her imminent wedding. Each carries scars from their childhood, none more so than Maze and Walker, whose chemistry is off the charts. Jill Shalvis gives us another family story that is full of heart, emotion, and humor, with each character ultimately recognizing their strengths, along with the realization that they are better together. I look forward to hopefully seeing more from these characters.

I'm a huge fan of Jill Shalvis' books. They're funny, charming and a perfect escape. However, I struggled a lot with this one. While her writing normally pulls me in within the first few pages, I couldn't get into The Forever Girl. It felt heavier than her books normally are (understandably so, considering the subject matter), and right now I really rely on the light-heartedness she usually provides. While this one wasn't a fit for me, I remain a fan and look forward to her next books.

Another wonderful book by Jill Shalvis. The book is about four friends - three foster children and the daughter of the foster parents. A tragedy separated them and though they kept in touch over the years, the bond was damaged. As they come together for a wedding, each deals with past issues, finding the way to move ahead and restore the strong bond they once had.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC .

The Forever Girl by Jill Shalvis is the 6th book in her wonderful Wildstone series. I have noted many times that I love reading any books by Jill Shalvis, as they are always wonderful pure romances. I am happy to say that The Forever Girl was one of the best books by Shalvis. I loved every moment of it.

The story focuses on childhood foster sisters/brother and their closeness to each other, but a tragedy years ago caused some estrangement. The group consists of the Walsh family taking care of foster children, besides their own two children (Caitlin and Michael). Maze, Heather and Walker lived with them and they were unseparable. A tragic accidental fire caused the death of the youngest member, Michael. Each year all of them would meet at the grave, until three years ago, when Maze pulled away.

Caitlin calls her bff/sisters/brother to return to Wildstone to attend her wedding to Dillion. Maze comes home to help Cat, and despite her still blaming herself for Michael’s death, she is determined to be there for Cat. Maze is nervous being around Walker, as she still has hidden feelings for him, and brings along a fake boyfriend. Heather returns with a shocking surprise; she has a 3-year-old daughter (Sammie). Walker is a federal agent, but he has continued to keep in touch with both Cat and Heather, always being there to help them if needed; he has always had feelings for Maze, but second chances were slim.

Maze stepped up to help Cat with wedding preparations, and accepted that she needed to try to move forward and express her love, with Walker, as well as her sisters; she was the one who needed to be there to protect them. I loved the reunion and how they all loved each other, and it was such fun seeing them always taking care of their family; especially Cat, who continually would give them love filled hugs.

The story centered on Cat and her upcoming wedding to Dillion. Most of the group did not like Dillion, nor his mom who kept interfering in the plans, sabotaging Cat’s ideas. Maze and Walker slowly dealt with their feelings, and restart a slow built second chance at love. Heather’s little girl was adorable and I loved how Maze’s plus one friend (Jace), became involved with Heather and Sammie. Needless to say, I loved all the characters; Maze, Cat, Heather, Walker and even Jace. It was heartwarming to see how the Walsh mother and father brought them together as fosters, and they truly were a family, and to see how bonded they were was awesome. Shalvis outdid herself in this book.

The Forever Girl was a fantastic, intriguing, heartwarming story about family, tragedy, romance, second chances and love. The Forever Girl was so well written by Jill Shalvis, which I always come to expect from her, as well as being very emotional. I do not want to tell too much more, as this is one book you want to read from start to finish. If you have not read Jill Shalvis, what are you waiting for?

This was heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny. I hope we get to see/hear more of these siblings-of-the-heart.

I enjoyed this book about love, loss, friendship and life. A story about how friendship transcends through time and unrequited love can turn into a beautiful thing! I love the way this author develops her characters and her stories are always thought-provoking. A win for Ms. Shalvis!!

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

This book was received as an ARC from William Morrow and Custom House - William Morrow Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book warmed my heart like all the Jill Shalvis books I have read and I was so happy this book popped up on my list of reviews. At first I thought she took a whole new direction with the book looking at the backgrounds of Maze and her friends but when I finished the book My heart never felt so warm and when there is tears coming out of my eyes, I know this book hit me hard. Jill definitely has a fan club at our library and I know they are highly anticipating the release of this book and I know they certainly will not be disappointed.

We will consider adding this title to our Romance collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Cat was determined to reunite her "family". After years of separation, the foster-siblings are summoned back to Wildstone for Cat's wedding. Once back together, they are flooded with a mix of emotions regarding their past, present, and future together as they work to rebuild the relationships they previously shared.

I know I say this in all my Shalvis reviews, but I have read over 30 of her books, and she never fails to make me laugh, smile, and swoon. Once again, I was back in Wildstone, feeling all the feels and loving every second of it.

Found family takes center stage in this story, and I was rooting for them to renew those bonds that had weakened for various reasons. I admired Cat's desire to bring the siblings of her heart back into her life, but she really did have her work cut out for her. Three of the main characters were foster children, and each walled themselves off in the name of self preservation. It was wonderful and heartwarming seeing them break down their walls, brick by brick.

I loved that all four main characters, Maze, Walker, Cat, and Heather, had their own sub-plots, but it was the romance between Maze and Walker that stole my heart. They were dealing with a whole mess of emotions, which prevented them from fully embracing the things in life they really deserved. Maze was drowning in guilt, while Walker wrestled with a his abandonment issues. My heart broke in two for these two, but watching them slowly work through their issues and open up was a thing of beauty.

The Forever Girl was a beautiful and touching story of family, love, and second chances. As expected, Shalvis packed it with characters I adored, lots of humor, and an overwhelming amount of warmth, which left my heart bursting at the seams.

An enjoyable romance, 3 and a half stars. Jill Shalvis incorporates humor and friendship into this story. Four friends, who are as close as family, come together for Caitlin's wedding. A past tragedy haunts them all and taints their strained relationship. Each of them has secrets, and as each secret is revealed they become closer.
While I enjoyed the storyline, the humor and the characters, at times I felt annoyed with the repeated problems emerging from the characters not being honest with each other. The ending was satisfying and I would be interested to find out where these characters end up next.

Jill Shalvis has to be one of my favorite authors out there and is always a must-read. The Forever Girl only further solidified that opinion for me. This book centers around a set of friends who all met when three of them (Walker, Maze and Heather) were placed with the fourth's (Caitlin's) family for a year as foster children. They bonded hard during that time only to be separated once again after a devastating tragedy. Although loosely keeping in touch through the years, the four haven't really spoken with or seen one another very much over the past three years until they come together for Caitlin's wedding..

I think what is particularly fantastic about Shalvis's writing is her portrayal of the found family. The love, emotions, and interaction between all the friends is both genuine and heartwarming. In addition, she finds a way to write about issues that are more heavy and difficult than her straight-up romance novels without becoming too dark. Instead, she creates characters that are multi-dimensional and have real challenges while still finding a way to keep her ever-present fun and lighthearted banter that I love in her writing. Her books are always a comfort read for me because I know I'm going to get laughter, friendship and the HEA I'm such a fan of. Plus, I always love her romantic pairings in her books (this one focuses on Maze and Walker). They are always an enjoyable read.

I read The Forever Girl in one day. I couldn't put it down and am excited, as always, for more from this author. I would recommend this book to fans of Susan Mallery and Kristan Higgins. A solid 5 star read.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Easy-to-read Entertaining Funny Great world building Happily Ever After Page-turner Romantic Steamy Tear-jerker Tragic Wonderful characters

This was an enjoyable read about a group of once-family, now-barely-friends. Heather, Cat, and Walker all appeared to have remained in touch while Maze disappeared to make everyone else breathe easier. Except, no one really breathed easier. They all have secrets and pain and worries just begging to be set free. So when one thing after another pushes them all closer to either a breaking point or true reconciliation, it feels like half victory, half misery until Walker gets himself together, Maze can face her fears, Heather can be a little more honest, and Cat finds her voice at her very last minute.

Overall, I liked this read. It didn’t take much for me to feel the pain and awkwardness of Maze, and it certainly held my attention. I wanted to cry for all of them at one point, so I’m glad there was realistic happiness to be found here.

I really enjoyed this book about 3 past foster kids and the girl from the family they stayed with for a year until a tragedy broke them apart. It is about how they have moved on and learn to forgive themselves. Another great one by Shalvis and look forward to the next one

A touching story about Maze and Walker who were together in a foster home and the bond they made with the foster family as well as Cat and Heather (other children that were there). Being put in the foster system, they have trust issues that follow them into their adult lives. This is about how they reunite for a wedding and all try to overcome those issues. I received an ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my honest review.

Maze, Cat, Heather, and Walker were once siblings - if not of blood, then of the heart. A terrible tragedy tore the four apart, and now they are pulled together once again with the hope of healing. Shalvis' trademark humor is evident, but so is the true pull of love that runs between this family, as each discover that everyone has secrets, but that those who love you can keep you safe.