Jill Shalvis is a great writer. I look forward to reading her books. It took me quite awhile to warm up to The Forever Girl. The main characters all had major hang ups and the groom seemed checked out. The story was disjointed during the first part of the book, but it finally smoothed out. Most of the scenes are zany and eccentric. I was all in for Walker, however. Tall, dark, and calm had me at the first page he was introduced. Heather was my next favorite character followed by Jace. I couldn't warm up to Maze or Cat. It was a good story and the ending was completely Shalvis worthy.

4.5 Stars
I really enjoyed this contemporary romance. It dealt with tragedy, heartbreak, family, friendship, second chances, and love. The writing of Jill Shalvis created a roller coaster ride of emotions that made this layered tale engaging, humorous, tear jerking and so very heart warming.

I read the blurb and knew that this story sounded wonderful in my mind. I don’t want to tell you about the tragedy because it’s a major part of the story and the feelings it evokes should be found out organically.

I will say I loved all the characters.....Caitlin, Maze, Heather and Walker. Their dynamics with each other created wonderful feelings. Some good, some bad, some happy, some sad but always there was a sense of family and love for one another.

If you want to smile, laugh, cry, sigh, and love, The Forever Girl is the book for you.

This is the sixth book in the Wildstone series but it really is a stand alone novel. Having read other books in this series, I can honestly say the only thing they really have in common is their setting. This book really illustrates that family doesn't have to be those that you are related to by blood. For one year, three foster children got to be a part of a wonderful loving family, until tragedy struck. Afterwards, none of them were ever the same. Now years later, they are reunited once again for a wedding. The question is, can any of them really be as close as they once were? And furthermore, can any of them manage to make peace with their past in order to find future happiness?
This was a very enjoyable novel that I would more closely classify as women's fiction rather than romance. While there was a romantic element, that was almost secondary to the inter-personal relationships of the entire group, Each character had their own issues to work out, in addition to issues between the characters. And while there were some difficult topics that were covered, the author did a great job of handling them with sensitivity without letting the reader get too bogged down. All in all, a very enjoyable read which has become the norm every time I pick up a Jill Shalvis book. Even if this wasn't as light-hearted as her romances!

This heartwarming story really touched me. It has its ups and downs of children that grew up in the foster system and finally found their forever home and parents until tragedy hit and then again became separated.

Maze, Heather and Walker came to live with Jim and Sherry and their two biological children, Caitlin and Michael after they had been in several foster homes. Maze was always a trouble maker and went to many foster homes. Heather was always sweeter. Walker was too serious and didn’t say much. However, after living together as a family, they became siblings. Caitlin became the mother-hen always wanting to take care of them. When tragedy hit and their home burned down, with Walker unable to save young Michael, they were scattered again going to separate foster homes. It tore them apart.

Now as adults, they are reuniting in Wildstone for Caitlin’s wedding to Dillon. Their lives have changed, some for the better and some not so much. Maze for one realizes she still has strong feelings for Walker. Heather has a three year old daughter with no support from anyone. Walker left Special Forces and now works for the FBI. As they try to come together as the family they once were, there are obstacles that could separate them again.

This was a beautiful story told like only Jill Shalvis can do.

First, I have read every book in this series and loved them all. Second, this book can stand alone and you do not have to have read the series to read this book. Third, for me this is not a beach read or a light read. I do not find reading about abused or mistreated children, animal or the elderly light reading. I had to lay this book down many times and come up for air because of the emotional content of what I was reading. The writing will suck you in and have you living this book right along with the characters. And no it was not explicit but the writing is such that you will feel their pain. You will want to hug these characters and tell them everything is going to be ok, and you will wish you could have protected them as children. About half way through I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the book and could not stop reading until it was finished. Well done Jill Shalvis!! Thank you NetGalley.

Jill Shalvis is one of my must read authors. She explores the complexities of relationships between an untraditional family and how their past shapes their thoughts about relationships. I would definitely recommend this book (& author). I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I love Jill Shavlis and I’m a fan of this series. That being said something about this book fell a little flat for me. I never really got a sense of who maze, one of the main characters, is. I did like the premise and the ending. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

The Forever Girl is book six in the Wildstone series by Jill Shalvis. I have to admit that Jill Shalvis is one of my go-to authors for books about heart and love and all the good feels. A group of friends as teenagers growing up in the foster are system and now as adults long after a tragedy tore them a part, they are back together to celebrate the wedding of Cat.

I really enjoyed this one! It tugged on the heart strings and made me happy at the end. Thanks so NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jill Shalvis gifts her readers with a great story of love, family, challenges, and of course romance. Don't miss this one. It will catch you at the first page and hold your interest until the end.

I received an ARC from William Morrow and Custom House through NetGalley for an honest review. Caitlin, Maze, Walker, and Heather were friends as children until a tragedy happened. Now they are all grown up and getting back together for Cat's wedding. Maze and Walker have some secrets, problems communicating, and each is waiting for the other one to speak first.
Cat is getting married and not sure if it will happen. There is thinking to be done and decisions to be made before the wedding takes place. At times there seemed to be a lot of awkwardness because no one knew what anyone else was thinking.
Like life, it will take time and understanding to move on and be open and honest with each other which they start to do. We learn so much once they start opening up to each other that it was hard to put the book down, which I didn't do. It kept me reading and guessing what would happen. Jill wrote this story so you could feel the emotions that they were feeling. There was a wide range of emotions and it just added to the story. The book shows us what it takes to rebuild a friendship, rebuild trust, and not knowing what will happen but it is something they all wanted to find out.

I liked the premise of this book and I usually really enjoy Jill Shalvis’s books, but this one was exasperating for me. I liked the idea of foster children who have built a tight bond from the one year that they spent together. That is a lovely thought and bringing them back together years later when Caitlin, the natural daughter of the family that fostered the other three children, asks them all to come together before her wedding set up some interesting dynamics.

Maze and Walker clearly are attracted to each other but Maze keeps putting up blocks because of the emotional damage she suffered before she went into foster care. I just got tired of her posing and attempts to block the loving relationships she once had with the three other people. Clearly, she and Walker needed to hash out their history together and I just wanted to lock her in a room with Walker so they could talk out their problems instead of her constantly blowing hot and cold with him.

Once you figure out the set-up of the novel, it was all very predictable what was going to happen by the end of the book and the paths the characters would travel to get there.

The other thing is that I didn’t buy the story of the tragedy that separated the four children.

Spoiler alert:

We’re told that the four of them were going to sneak out of the house one day by going out a basement window. But someone knocked over a heater and the entire house burned down killing Caitlin’s younger brother, Michael, by smoke inhalation. It just didn’t seem realistic. First of all, we’re told that the parents weren’t there and had left the older children to babysit the younger ones. And we’re told how responsible and loving the kids felt toward Michael. So why were they going to leave him alone in the house? And if they were there without the parents, why climb out a basement window instead of going out a door? We’re also told that Walker risked his life to go back into the burning house to save Michael, but it was too late and he’d already died. Really? A house with a basement would go up in flames so quickly that a healthy, athletic young man couldn’t run up into a bedroom and save the little boy? I just don’t believe that.

This whole tragic backstory that supposedly explains why Maze has been punishing herself ever since and won’t have any contact with her former closest friends was terribly sad and tragic, but once I found out what had happened, I just kept thinking about how improbably it was. Add in how irritating Maze was and I lost interest in the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This book really hit the spot, finding a satisfying blend of women’s fiction and contemporary romance. This can be read as a stand-alone, but fair warning that you will probably fall in love with the setting and people of Wildstone and want to read other books in this series.

I consider strong friendships, humor, and satisfying romance to be hallmarks of this author’s books, and this one delivered. This story deals with a group of young adults who forged bonds growing up through the foster system. I especially enjoyed how she so successfully incorporated that past into the characters’ backgrounds and frames of reference in a real way that was neither depressing nor stereotypical. This is a wonderful feel-good read.

One moment can change a number of lives. And that moment happened for three foster siblings and two blood siblings almost a decade ago. Now there are four of them. Caitlin, the steady heart of the group; Maze, the de facto leader who is skeptical of love; Walker, the loner who lurks in the background; and Heather, the youngest of them all.

The four of them haven't been in one place in years but now they are gathering for Cat's wedding to Dillon. Unfortunately, none of them seem to actually like Dillon. Which is going to be a problem since Cat has actually inveigled them all out to the family lodge a week before her actual wedding date and is asking them to stay. They each have their own reasons for not wanting to spend a week together but the family ties are too strong.
Most of the story focuses on Maze and Walker. Even though Maze brings a fake boyfriend, their attraction is strong and she finds herself drawn to the man she walked out on years ago. We also get glimpses of Cat and Dillon's relationship but, because their parts in the story are so brief, Dillon is more of a two-dimensional character. Heather, we see least of all though her story seems like it could have been interesting.

Three stars
Follows The Summer Deal
This book comes out January 12th
ARC kindly provided by William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The forever girl is a novel of friendship, second chances and the transformative power of love in all its forms. This is the 6th novel in Ms. Shalvis' Wildstone series, but it is not necessary to have read the previous 5 to enjoy this. It's a stand alone book, and I enjoyed it so much I'm going to find the rest of the series.

Maze has been hurt and rejected her entire life and has learned to shut everyone out to protect herself. And it is the same for Walker. They are forced to be together the week leading up to Caitlin's wedding and they slowly learn that past events may not have been exactly the way they had thought. Watching them overcome and learn to trust themselves and each other was heartwarming and enjoyable. Through the course of their story you come to care so much about these characters that you almost forget they aren't real. Normally I speed through books but this time I dragged my feet a bit. I didn't want it to end.
*A few scenes are for mature audiences.

I loved this book and it was simply wonderful.
I definitely recommend this book, series, and author.

After tragedy separates best friends Caitlin, Maze, Heather and Will as teenagers, they each go their separate ways. After not seeing each other for three years, Caitlin is determined to bring them together for her wedding. They have not seen each other for three years. Caitlin is having doubts about her fiancé. Maze is carrying the guilt from the tragedy years ago, Heather has a surprise for them all and Will and Maze still have feelings for each other. Can time together heal the wounds of the past? Another great read from Jill Shalvis!


Thanks to Jill Shalvis, William Morrow and Custom House

The Forever Girl tugs the heart strings and will run you through the gauntlet of emotion. Maze is wonderful, rebellious, full of life and everyone can see it but Maze. No one is harder on Maze than herself. She's a bundle of insecurity and low self esteem who accepts the blame for every bad thing that has ever happened. A foster child, Maze thought she had found her forever home when Cat's family took her, Walker, and Heather under their wings until tragedy struck. Guilt ridden, Maze has withdrawn from the others. Heather has her own secrets and struggles. Walker is doing his own secretive thing. Cat just wants her family back and she manages to bring them all home for her marriage. The chemistry between Walker and Maze is off the charts and Walker's back story is a little heartbreaking all on its own. Maze and Walker work on a second chance at love while the family works on forgiveness, understanding, and healing for a hard fought HEA. The characters in this book quickly become like the reader's best friends and make the ending oh so bittersweet. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

The Forever Girl is the sixth book in the Wildstone series and I enjoyed it so much. I love series and Jill Shalvis is a wonderful author so you can.t go wrong on any of her books. I love all the family drama, second chances at romance and laughter. This would also be a great stand alone read but do yourself a favor and read the series.
I received a ARC by the publishers and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I really liked the tension on this book. But the constant communication issues were exhausting. Not only between the hero and heroine bit between all the main characters. Also sometimes their inner dialogue seemed incongruous with their actions. Overall it was a sweet story and it was nice to see all the relationships improve.

This was my first Jill novel and I have no idea why it took me so losing to read her! I loved how you get not just the hero and heroines perspectives but some of the important side characters!

Maze and Walker have had a rough life but when it came to their attraction that was undeniable! Now as they converge together again for their “sisters” wedding Maze and Walker have to face their truths and start to heal. Through their healing; more than their relationship will mend they just have to find the strength to do it!

I loved this “family” I loved how resilient and through everything they didn’t give up on each other or themselves! I also loved the sentimental moments but more than anything I enjoyed how they called one another out and found a way to make light of situations and find some humor!