Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the chance to read an advanced copy of The marvelous Monroe girls by Shirley Jump. This was a sweet, chick lit romance that would be a perfect beach read. While we were introduced to the 3 Monroe sisters this story centered on Gabby and her forever friendship with Jake. I enjoyed the story, but was confused because it seemed the book was supposed to be about the three sisters. I assume there will be two more books later.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls by Shirley Jump, book one in her Fortunes of Lost Lake series, is about family, friendship, and love that take place in the charming small town of Harbor Cove. Sisters Gabby, Margaret, and Emma were once inseparable and are now drifting apart in adulthood. After their mother unexpectedly passed away, their grandmother helped raise the sisters. Worried about their grandmother's odd behavior, Gabby tries to bring the sisters back together. Helping Gabby search the attic for a vintage dress, the sisters stumble upon letters to Dear Amelia, an advice column possibly written by their grandmother. Together they decide to use this as a way to get their grandmother out of her funk and feel needed again by working together behind the scenes, making sure her advice plays out. It’s also a way Gabby can ignore the problems in her life; a life that seems to be crumbling around her. As she ropes her childhood best friend, Jake, into her plans these two navigate jumping from best friends to dating; with Jake forcing her to face her true feelings for him after telling her how he feels. Gabby tries her best in all that she does, whether it is uniting her family, helping their small town by setting up a historical event to attract more visitors in the off-season, and help showcase their specialties; but is unable to figure out what or who is best for her. Gabby will need to learn to trust herself and let herself fall in love.

Ms. Jump wrote a sweet and endearing love story that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, attraction, chemistry, clever banter, good intentions, and a cast of secondary characters assisting Gabby and Jake admit their feelings and love for one another. I highly recommend The Marvelous Monroe Girls to other readers and I hope there is a follow-up book featuring the other sisters.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

This is a heartwarming story of second chances and repairing relationships. The characters are delightful, the story is entertaining, and I was captivated!

I want to start by saying I got an ARC through NetGalley and it didn't have a cover yet. I love the cover! If you like books with sister and family dynamics as well as some romance mixed in, you'll like this book.

This book focused mainly on Gabby, but also gave some plot for the other two sisters. Gabby is one of those people that feels like it's her responsibility to make everything right for all of those around her. That's a hard row to hoe. She's also dealing with some guilt about the day their mother died as well as fighting her feelings for the guy next door who also happens to have been her best friend FOREVER. Also, her business is struggling. In other words...she is one hot mess.

I really, really liked this book. It held my undivided attention and I really wanted it to go on. I did just check Amazon, and it says Book One. Yea! I can't wait!

I was gifted a copy of this book via Forever Pub and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

What a wonderful book! It's a sweet small-town romance that is full of family drama. It will make you laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between. I loved this book.
I received a complimentary copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Forever for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

The first in a new series, The Marvelous Monroe Girls follows Gabby as she struggles to keep her family together, manage her small business, and figure out her love life. If you liked Sara Richardson’s Juniper Springs series, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on this one too!

Jake was by far my favorite character, seconded by Eleanor. I appreciate Jake’s determination to follow his own dreams, despite his father trying to hold him back. I enjoyed the storyline between Jake, his cousin, and his father, but I do wish it felt more resolved. His love for Gabby was so genuine; I was rooting for him right from the beginning. Friends to lovers is my favorite trope, so I loved learning about Jake and Gabby’s backstory as childhood friends.

I don’t know how these characters found time to sleep! Gabby had a ton on her plate as mentioned, but Jake did as well. He was practically working three jobs, one of which was his own startup, as well as helping Gabby and her grandmother with various chores.

Although I don’t believe a season is mentioned, I’d recommend this as a summer beach read. The Marvelous Monroe Girls tries to tackle a lot of different themes, and in doing so doesn’t go much into depth about any of them. Themes of family, grief, friendship, honesty, and love are all hinted at, but most of the conflicts are either resolved effortlessly or swept under the rug.

This series will be a must-read for fans of Sara Richardson, Jill Shalvis, and Jenny Hale.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls was a great story about sisters, Gabby, Emma and Margaret, who have grown up in the small town of Harbor Cove.

While the girls had been extremely close when they were younger, the past few years find them growing apart a bit as things in their lives ebb and flow. When the sisters are searching for their mother's wedding dress, they find some old letters in the attic at their Grandmother's house. Realizing what the letters are, and given the odd way their Grandmother has been acting, Gabby sees an opening for how the three sisters could work together and grow closer once again.

The letters indicate that their Grandmother has been harboring a secret for years and in order to "help" the girls plot in different ways depending on the situation. Gabby also enlists the help of her long-time best friend Jake. During all of this, will Gabby be forced to face her own feelings for Jake and his for her?

This was a very sweet book and it reminded me of a Hallmark movie. I enjoy a good Hallmark movie, so that's a compliment! I'm interested to see what is going to happen with our remaining two sisters in this series - they could be great stories!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for a copy of The Marvelous Monroe Girls. This was a cute small town women’s fiction about the Monroe Sisters. I always enjoyed family drama and would have liked more details on the stress of Margaret’s marriage which felt almost like a non existent side story. I was frustrated at times with all of the characters with their lack of communication. I enjoyed Gabby and Jake’s love story and wanted to see more of it.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls is such a heartwarming story about family, love, second chances mixed with grandmotherly advice. Gabby has been missing the closeness she shared with her sister when they were younger and concocted a plan to get them all together again. While they were searching for their mother’s old wedding dress, they found a stash of letters from the newspaper advice column that sound an awful lot like their grandmother’s words of wisdom. With Gabby’s persistent, the sisters start a new project to improve the lives of those around them all while Gabby ignores her own struggles. Gabby’s shop is struggling, she’s having a hard time figuring out her feelings for Jake and she’s missing that spark in her life.

This book is a great start to the series about the Monroe sisters and I hope in the next book we get a follow up on Gabby and Jake and Emma’s announcement. And also to see how Margaret is doing and how can you forget Grandma and Harry next door. Such a cute book with great characters; it would also make a great tv series.


Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest feedback!

Gabby's life is fine. No, really, it is. So, maybe her vintage dress shop is struggling a little during the off season. And her sisters, once so close, seem to be drifting away. And her grandmother is hiding a secret. And Jake, the boy next door that she's known her whole life, is looking good to her in a way she never noticed before—even if nothing can possibly happen between them…

Okay, so maybe she's not fine. If only she can fix everyone else's problems, her life will fall into place. Right?

This sweet romance has a strong family feel. Jake is my favorite part of the book—he's one of those cinnamon roll heroes you just want to hug. Gabby means well, but her her busybody ways get her into trouble. If you like family-oriented small-town romance, this book is for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Sweet and sappy story of a small-town family, led, in this installment, by headstrong, middle child Gabby, who sometimes spends more time meddling in the affairs of her grandmother, sisters, and best friend, Jake, than she does looking after herself. Reads like a Hallmark movie but that's definitely not a bad thing - totally a feel-good kind of story with all the elements of a romance that I adore. I'm already looking forward to the rest of the series!

The Monroe girls are awesome, but I think Grandma is the most marvelous of all. These characters are wonderful. I think they will make you chuckle and perhaps get a tear or two in your eyes. The storyline is great and it’s not all sunshine and roses, just like real life. These strong characters take on life as it comes at them. I enjoyed being with them and learning their personalities as they dealt with the ups and downs. I would love to hang out with them again. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy of The Marvelous Monroe Girls.

This is a feel good small town book about sisters and family relationships. The three Monroe sisters all live in the adorable town of Harbor Cove. Gabby owns a small boutique and while her and her two sisters Margaret and Emma have drifted apart as they've opened businesses and grown older. Gabby made a promise to her mom that they'd stay close, so she's hoping that she can bring them all closer together. as they work on a project for the town's anniversary. While there is a little bit of love with her neighbor Jake, the book is more about the sisters and their relationships.

If you're looking for a good book, with real characters and a sweet story of family and love then you'll enjoy The Marvelous Monroe Girls

I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the Harbor Cove series about Margaret and Emma!

This is the first in a series about three sisters. This one focuses on Gabby. It took me over half of the book to finally like Gabby. She’s sweet, but took entirely too much responsibility for others on herself. I found myself exasperated at her most of the time. She also tended to run away from issues, like with her father. I thought that was rather childish. It was a very slow build toward the romance with Jake. I liked Grandma Ellie the best. Despite my issues with the ,main character, it’s still a good read.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls
Shirley Jump
January 11, 2022

In Harbor Cove, Massachusetts we find the Monroe sisters living near their Grandmother Eleanor, finished with college and trying to settle into careers. Only Margaret has found and married Michael. She is the eldest. She runs an artists jewelry shop in town. She spends too much time working on websites, accounting and trying to keep her store open. Gabby is the middle sister, still struggling over guilt stresses when her mother, Peggy passed in a car accident when the girls were young. She has opened a Vintage Clothing Store on the square. Emma is the youngest and the go-getter. She is a wedding planner for a local hotel. Aside from work , she is active in yoga and anything else that attracts her attention.
After their mother’s death, their father, Davis became unglued. Eleanor brought the girls to her house. He tried hard to pull his life together but worked too hard and could not bring himself to come back to the house without Peggy.
Gabby’s best friend Jake, who lived down the street ,was her faithful friend since first grade. He is a lawyer but working in his father’s firm was just not what he wanted to do. He loved photography and graphic design. He went to work for the local paper developing ads. The pay was much lower but he was happy at what he accomplished.
This unique, wonderfully written book from Shirley Jump gives us a profile of this family’s life including the best and the toughest parts of growing up. It is very pleasant to read however she doesn't skimp on the trials of her characters. The Marvelous Monroe Sisters will be published on January 11, 2022 by the Hachette Book Group. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review this delightful book. I encourage readers looking for a terrific family narrative. Enjoy this one!

I adored this one! The Marvelous Monroe Girls by Shirley Jump is a sweet contemporary romance that is as much about the romance as it is about family. Raised by their grandmother, the Monroe sisters – Margaret, Gabby, and Emma – were once a close knit unit. Now they’ve grown apart, concerned with their own adult problems and spending less and less time together. When Gabby notices that their grandmother is a little depressed, she takes it as a sign to get the sisters together and fix the problem. During an attic clean out, Gabby and her sisters discover a folder full of “Dear Abigail” letters and newspaper clippings which lead the girls to discover a whole new side to their grandmother.

This one centers mostly on Gabby, the middle sister. She has spent most of her life living up to a promise she made to her mother’s grave to keep her sisters together and happy. She’s devoted her life to making sure that everyone else is happy, never really focusing on her own happiness. With the discovery about her grandmother, Gabby hatches a plan with her younger sister Emma and best friend Jake to make her happy again. I like Gabby. She has all these good intentions that blow up in her face. Yet she finds a way to make them still work and also grows from them.

Jake is a sweet heart. I love that the author chose to include his point of view for some of the chapters. It is clear from his first introduction that he is madly in love with Gabby. They grew up together, have always been friends, and he is comfortable in that relationship. Seeing Gabby’s grandmother depressed and just not herself however wakes something up in Jake. Does he want to live his life in comfort or does he want to take a risk and live the life he dreams of having? You can guess which he chooses, and y’all I couldn’t be happier with that choice.

In addition to the potential romance, Gabby faces family issues head on. Her elder sister has grown distant and closed off. Emma is flighty and runs from relationships at every opportunity. Then there is their father who was absent after they lost their mother. His absence has left a whole in the Monroe family that could never be filled. Losing their mother so young has affected all the sisters in different ways. Gabby has internalized it and feels responsible for her death. This weighs heavy on her even nearly twenty years later. Add to the fact that their father who she was closest to has moved on with his life, Gabby is angry and mistrusting. It doesn’t help that Jake’s cousin broke her heart a year earlier either.

Overall I really enjoyed The Marvelous Monroe Girls. I found myself cheering them on. I loved the family element in this story. I liked seeing the sisters’ relationship and their relationship with their grandmother. She is the glue of this family element. And then there is Jake. The romance is main plot, and I just fell immediately. Best friends to lovers is my trope, and Jump pulls it off masterfully here. If you are looking for a sweet spring romance, I highly recommend it.

A very sweet, Hallmark movie in the making type of book. I finished in one sitting! I could not put it down. Sappy and sweet enough. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to Forever for providing me with a copy in advance in exchange for my review.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls is the first in a series following a different Monroe sister. This book follows Gabriella Monroe. She owns a vintage dress store in her small Massachusetts town that's in financial hardships. While she's in her grandmother's attic to locate her mother's wedding dress she comes across some newspaper clippings to Dear Amelia and believes her grandmother is the local advice columnist. With the help of her best friend, Jake, she sets out to see if her grandmother is Amelia and hopes to turn around the shop to make it the shop of her dreams.

This novel is part fiction and part romance. It definitely sets up future books with Margaret and Emma, the other Monroe sisters. You also get a snippet of their grandmother's life too which I imagine will play out in future novels as well. I wanted a bit more drama in the story, but that's just my own personal taste. This novel is something that can be easily read in a day. I don't think the story or characters will stick with me long; however, and I don't know if I'll be picking up any future books. It was fine to pass the time but will just be forgettable.

Sisters, small town in trouble, boy next door drama…all the makings of a sweet, fun novel or a movie on *that* channel. Characters are well developed, and the plot is good. I did find it a bit of a slow roll, but good never the less.

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

This is the BEST novel to end my year reading. I was up way later than I ever would have thought

I loved that Shirley Jump creates these beautifully flawed characters, from Gabby's familial history to Jake’s rocky relationship with his father, along with Gabby’s sisters, her father, and many other supporting characters. We can so easily see ourselves, or a snippety of our lives within the lives of these characters.

Gabby works hard to be the glue that holds her adorable, perfectly imperfect family together, and after discovering some secret letters in her grandmother’s attic while in search of her mother’s wedding dress, she hatches a plan with her sisters to cheer up her grandmother.

Along the way her best friend since 1st grade, Jake, is clearly holding a deep love for Gabby- one that has never been expressed, and even though all the signs are there, so much pain has muddied the waters along the way.

What ensues is a beautiful story of not giving up on those you love, learning to let go of the past and love who you are in the present.

Trigger Warnings: parental/loved one loss, relationship failures. Message me if you want more details and be kind to yourself.

If you like childhood best friends to more, taking risks to live the life you want, family secrets, and learning from deep loss, then you will love this novel!

The Marvelous Monroe Girls releases January 11, and you have to message me as soon as you finish reading it, so we can talk!