Cover Image: Love for Beginners

Love for Beginners

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Member Reviews

Love Jill Shalvis and all her books. This was another great read and introduction to a beautiful scenery.

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Shalvis is one of my go-to romcom authors; she always makes me laugh. This was had the usual heart, but I didn’t find myself laughing quite as often. Hog (emotional support dog) definitely carried the humor load and even his moments felt fewer than normal. Overall an enjoyable light read.

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I loved the friendship between the women in this book. The romantic elements of the book were highly enjoyable as well. I felt the flow was good and I highly recommend it.

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Love for Beginners (Wildstone #7). By Jill Shalvis. 2021. William Morrow Paperbacks (ARC eBook).

More romance and friendship in Wildstone. Per usual with Shalvis’ work, Love for Beginners showcases her strong writing and deft hand at handling multiple relationships intertwined in one book.

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Jill Shalvis writes novels that readers enjoy. Her characters feel like real people who are coping with life’s vagaries and the romance that is part of her stories allows for a nice break from the real world.

This time, protagonist Emma is the focus. She is pictured on the cover of the novel with her trusty, sweet, sometimes fearful dog, Hog. Emma has been in an accident, spent time in a coma and is literally struggling to get back on her feet. She is working with a physical therapist, Simon, who has his own issues. Simon’s dad has had a couple of strokes and is sometimes a bit inappropriate. Helping to run his father’s company keeps Simon from the work that he would prefer to do.

There are some secondary characters who also play their part, especially Simon’s cousin Alison. Alison has many reasons to not trust and let people in. She has let this stand in the way of the relationship that she most wants.

Readers will enjoy spending time with these folks as they develop and grow. Yes, the romance may have predictable elements but so do fairy tales and we read those.

All in all a good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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I loved this story! I know that I'll always enjoy a Jill Shalvis book.I really like all of the characters. The friendship between Emma and Alison was my favorite part. I would definitely recommend this series and book!

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While I always enjoy Jill Shalvis romances for the way she has her characters work through their problems and the found family cast of characters, I found the redemptive friendship arc particularly appealing in this novel.

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Loved this one! I know I say this all the time but it's really hard to go wrong with Jill Shalvis. She's such an amazing writer and I love the worlds she builds and the characters she develops. I enjoyed the romance between Emma and Simon how Emma has to overcome the betrayal of her fiance and former-BFF as well as the horrific car accident she was in. I liked Simon but Emma and Alison were particular favorites in this one and both characters really shined. Both have their issues and I loved watching them overcome them as they try to make the transition from former high school enemies to business partners. The rest of the cast of supporting characters including Simon's dad, Emma's dog, a a few other odd ball characters were great and had me laughing out loud at moments. Really just a great read to escape into!

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This is not just Emma's story but also Ali's and I found it a little confusing at first but the way the story wrote the story had me engrossed in nonetheless. It's a story of new beginnings and will have you rethinking your life right along with the characters. I may have cried but I also laughed and smiled. There are some things thrown in that I didn't like and I didn't think had a place in the story but overall it's another great addition by this author that will have you maybe making some changes in your own life.

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I usually read and review anything Jill Shalvis writes as soon as it comes out on the other platforms. As always I forgot to leave my review here. I really loved the book.

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What would you do if you had the chance to start over in life and in love? Emma Harris got that chance after coming out of a coma and finding out everything she knew and loved was gone. Her fiancé fell in love with her best friend, lost her job, and now she has to start over from scratch. Emma was lucky to get help from her physical therapist Simon Armstrong, when he finds her an apartment in his home. Her part time job at a doggie daycare turns into ownership but with strings attached. Her new partner is none other than her high school nemesis, Ali Pratt, who is also Simon’s cousin. The author created a really unusual situation for Emma and it’s a good thing that Emma has a new attitude and rolls with it.



The author has created another delightful addition to the Wildstone series and these characters have so much growing to do to find love and their way in the world. Both Emma and Simon are attracted to the other but they’re keeping it professional while she is his patient. But the undercurrents are too much and when they start spending time together on the rooftop, one thing leads to another, and before you know it, things get complicated. When Ali becomes Emma’s partner at the doggie daycare, they have to deal with their pasts and how to make their business relationship work and maybe become friends along the way. An added romance is when Ali is trying hard to improve herself to win back her boyfriend Ryan and prove that she can be more than the introvert she is. All these characters are a little stunted because of their past. They are always trying to please others rather than finding a balance of pleasing both themselves as well as others. With her usual with and humor, Ms. Shalvis has created an engaging and entertaining story about second chances. I always looked forward to her stories and this one was exceptional.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review! I enjoyed getting to know the characters and this story line so much. Would recommend to anyone to read!!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, I have loved any book I have ready by this author...including this one. I am pretty sure I have only read Wildstone books but I might be wrong about that...I discovered this author maybe a year ago on Netgalley and have been trying to read any that have come out since and also trying to read some of the past books. Initially, it is always the cover that draws me in...I think in most of the books I have read by her, there is a woman looking away and a dog with her...maybe sometimes just the dogs. Well, der, of course I am going to want to read that book. I love the colors, the font, the dog, the picture in my head, all of it. And I always love the characters and the storyline...I really really want to meet who these people are based on because they are people I would like in my life for real. :) I would recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary fiction and loves to laugh...

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This should have been that easy book candy that I devour in one sitting, but for some reason it took me all week to finish. I can't really put my finger on why,it dragged, but I was disappointed.

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This was my first book from Jill Shalvis and I adored it! I loved her characterizations, the story, the setting (especially the setting!) and I just thought it was really sweet. I have another by her on my book shelf and I can’t wait to read it.

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While this love story is PG in my opinion it was full of so much love that I didn’t mind one bit.

I can always enjoy a sweet romance. But what stole the show here was for sure her adorable Saint Bernard dog. I mean who doesn’t love a good dog friend in a story!

I think this is such a great overcoming adversity book with the addition of a sweet love story.

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I had just finished a long paranormal series and needed something lighter to read. This book fit the bill perfectly. This author is a comfort read for me. I know exactly what I will get when I read her books, which can be both a positive and a negative. Her characters are all pretty similar and I feel like we’ve read the enemies to friends storyline before (maybe even in this series?). But sometimes I just want to escape in a heartwarming, funny read with a hot male lead in a henley.

While this book is set it Wildstone, it can be read as a standalone without having read any of the other books in the series.

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Jill Shalvis always writes about characters you wish you actually knew. I enjoyed the frenemies almost as much as the romance.

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Jill Shalvis had long been one of my favorite authors. This story was fantastic, as usual. The love story was a little less interesting than the friendship story between Emma and Alison, maybe because Emma and Ali’s cousin, Simon, we’re clearly meant to be. Definitely will recommend this book.

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I just absolutely love Jill Shalvis but it has been a while since I had read one - this was a reminder that I need to go through the rest of her recent releases and pick them up asap.

I love that she always has fun banter, relatable characters and a swoony HEA!
Thank you so much for sharing this early!

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