Three sisters
Grandmother that needs help
Family drama
Slow burn romance
Thorough in some humorous and heartwarming moments and you get a heartfelt story.
Though the story started slow, It did pick up and the ending was pretty good.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved the sister dynamics in this book! They were authentic and the character development was awesome. The grandma was the standout for me in this one, as she reminded me so much of my grandma. The romances were adorable. This was feel good and full of fun shenanigans! 3.5 ⭐️

I read 28% of this, and I gave up. It just felt too boring and too predictable. I hate to DNF books that I'm reviewing, but this just wasn't for me. I hope you enjoy more than I did.

I liked the family connection and the sister relationship (and the grandma!) in this book. Small town family stories are always a win. But there were times when I felt like most of the characters were being difficult out of stubbornness. So much of this story would have been fixed by a conversation that no one was willing to have. I loved the Jake and Gabby story and wanted more of the background of his childhood and their friendship. there was so much potential here for a story that made us FEEL things, but it just felt a little surface.

Three sisters navigating their way in the small town they've grown up. A life where there mother has tragically passed, their father's coping didn't include them and a grandma who filled-in the blanks from youth into adulthood.

The youngest sister, Gabriella, made a promise on her mother's grave to always keep her family together. But along way she's sacrificed her personal life especially with the boy next door. Jake has always loved Bella-Ella but squashed his feelings down to keep her as his best friend. Slowly, they begin to draw on those long harbored feelings but Bella-Ella prioritize this in her chaotic life of managing the family.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, as the story is only superficial with many of the storylines unanswered. It is a quick read better suited for summer rather than winter. Sweet story of family, love and overcoming heartbreak.

Thank you Forever Publishing for the advance reader copy.

This one pulled on my heartstrings. It's a perfect small-town romance that had all the right pieces. Gabby is a fun heroine. She has a hopeful nature and seems willing to take some risks, at least to a small degree. I really liked seeing her take some more chances and open her heart and mind to the changes. Jake is the perfect hero. I had a big crush on him from the beginning of the story. The story moved at a good pace. There was a great mix of humor and heart. It had all the emotions. I really hope that there are more stories about the other sisters. I'm curious to learn their stories. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A feel good story about family and finding love. Focusing on one young woman who is at a turning point in her life, she reconnects with her family and rediscovers her romantic feelings for an old love.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls is a story about family, friendship, and love. Gabby, Emma, and Margaret lost their mom at a young age and their grandma Eleanor raised them. Although the girls were close when they were young, now Gabby thinks they’re growing apart and she feels the need to pull them all back together so she can keep the promise she made to their mother.

Honestly, at first I thought the first 2 chapters were kind of slow. They didn’t really grab my attention with the back story and Gabby’s efforts to bring their sisters back together. But then there was Jake, the handsome neighbor who also happens to be Gabby’s best friend, and the story picked up the pace.

Boy, am I glad I kept reading! Jake is the most honest man friend anyone could have and I cheered for him all along as he talked himself into why he needed to let his feelings for Gabby be known. Now, Gabby, on the other hand, was a pain. She was unsecured, always minding everyone else’s business but her own. Then her reasoning for not wanting to cross the line and give herself a chance at a relationship with Jake was just dumb. She was so busy trying to fix everyone else’s life that she thought hers was perfect just the way it was. Worst of all, she wouldn’t listen. People tried to communicate with her, but she was so set in what she thought she heard and saw, that she wouldn’t stop seeing red when things were actually blue. IMHO she was annoying.

Jake saved the story for me. He threw caution to the wind and went for what made him happy. I just loved him!

Overall, it turned out to be a great story but only because of Jake and Eleanor.

Thank you Forever for the ARC to read and review.

This is another family drama about three sisters. Entirely adequate, but left me frustrated with long passages of repetition. Gabby is the middle child trying to hold everyone together. She blames herself for the family tragedy. The boy next door is in love with her and she refuses him over and over. Rather aggravating. He’s got family issues, feels bullied by his father, Nothing very original about these issues.

If you like family dramas, this book will be for you.

The middle of three sisters, Gabby hopes to make her grandmother smile again. She and her sisters find some of their grandmother's secrets when going through the attic. Jake, the neighbor Gabby grew up with, agrees to join her schemes.

I really loved the town and the Monroe family right from the start. Matchmaking and meddling abound, with everyone interfering with everyone else. The book is deeply emotional and gets into some tough family drama. This was an incredibly readable book that drew me in.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: death of a parent

I found The Marvelous Monroe Girls to be entertaining, easy to read and with likeable characters. While the book includes all three Monroe sisters and their Grandmother, the book focuses primarily on Gabby which leads me to believe this is the first book in a series.  The book is set in the charming town of Harbor Cove.

The sisters lost their mother in a tragic accident as young girls and were thereafter raised by their Grandmother.  Their father was deep in grief and moved on to another relationship and family shortly after this tragedy.  Gabby blames herself for her mother’s accident and has made a promise to her mother to watch over the rest of the family.  Everything Gabby does involving her family centres around this promise.

This is a story of family love and romantic relationships.  Gabby is finding it more and more challenging to resist her “more than friends”  feelings for Jake.  With her mother’s tragic death in mind, she does not believe in a happy ever after.  She’s afraid to risk the lifelong friendship she’s had with Jake in the event of it becoming a romantic relationship going wrong.

Margaret is Gabby’s married older sister.  She has not been attending the weekly family dinners for quite some time.  The family is concerned that there is something wrong but Margaret isn’t open to talking about it. Emma is the youngest of the sisters, loves to travel and has no interest in romance.  She also seems to be the focus of the next book in the series.

What I Liked:

The friends to lovers trope involving Gabby and Jake
The small-town vibe of Harbor Cove
The role that the Grandmother has played in the girl’s lives.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls introduces you to the three Monroe sisters and their grandmother (who raised them when their mother died) and takes you through a stressful time in their lives: sensing that their grandmother is depressed, and finding out that she's been the woman behind their local paper's popular advice column. The sisters, particularly Gabby, want to show their grandmother that her advice works to cheer her up, so they do some scheming, which is sort of good, sort of bad. At the same time, Gabby and Jake, her long-time bff, are realizing they have the hots for each other, but Gabby has baggage to sift through before she can make a commitment.

This is a Hallmark movie of a book. Like, it's sweet, it's small-town, the main characters have the odds against them (sort of), families have to reconnect, and by the end, you have a feel-good novel. That said, it's also a bit predictable and trite. Does that stop it from being an enjoyable read? Nah. It's a sweet, easy read, and I'd recommend it as a beach read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC.

The three Monroe sisters have grown up and grown apart, and Gabby wants to change that. After the three girls mother passed away, they moved in with their grandmother. Gabby stopped talking to her Dad, and as they grew up, they realize losing their mother at such a young age, affected them, and things hadn't been dealt with.
The girls get together and go up to the attic at their grandmother's house, and go through the boxes, that are up there. They discover things, and that seems to set in motion discoveries, that can help them heal, discover things about themselves they hadn't realized before, and facing what happened might bring them to a happy and healthy life, but will they have the courage to do it.
I received an ARC from Forever through NetGalley.

The Marvelous Monroe Girls follows Gabby Monroe, one of the three Monroe sisters who is doing everything in her power to keep her family close, and Jake, her best friend who has been in love with her since they were kids. I love friends to lovers and I love it was Jake who was the one to fall first in this since I feel like it’s typically the girl that falls first. I loved Jake—he was so sincere and kind. There was a lot of depth to him, and I loved seeing him strive for his dream even though his dad kept trying to pull him back into the family law firm. He was so genuine and level-headed and his care for Gabby and her family was just so sweet! I loved their banter and support for one another. While it isn’t a steamy read, these two had great chemistry. But more than a lot story, it’s a story about Gabby and her family. Her sisters Emma and Margaret were so interesting and different—I wish there had been more moments to emphasize the growth in their sisterly relationship. I thought Emma was so fun, I loved her spontaneous energy, and I just wanted to give Margaret a hug with everything she was doing through. I did get a lot of Gilmore Girls vibe with this! And their grandmother Eleanor is such a firecracker! She is so smart and wise and loving. It is an emotional and heartwarming story of love and sisterhood and family, and it’s just such a sweet book!

Unfortunately this book could not hold my attention. DNF. I'm a fan of Shirley Jump but was disappointed with this book.


************************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*************************************************

The Marvelous Monroe Girls is about sisters who have grown apart in their lives and are reconnecting. Margaret, Emma, and Gabby are trying to find their grandmothers wedding drees so Gabby can display it in her vintage clothing shop. While looking for the dress they find some old letters that their grandmother had received when she was writing an advice column. These letters are just what they think will make their grandmother feel needed again.
Little did they know that these letters would bring them closer together as sister and help them in their own lives.
I enjoyed this book so much. This was a perfect way to spend my day with this family.
Thank you NetGalley and Shirley Jump for this ARC. This is my personal review.

This is only my 2nd book by Shirley Jump and the last one I read of hers was in 2018. Why oh why did I wait so long? I loved that book and this one was very good also. It’s like a good hallmark movie and a feel good book all around. I really loved Gabby and Jake! Looking forward to the next part of this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great summer read. 3 sisters look for their mother’s wedding dress trying to get closer to one another as they have become somewhat fist ant. They instead find a box of letters explaining a bit more of their grandmothers life. Add in a boy next door for romance and you have the whole package. This was a cute movie that you would probably see on tv.

I received this ARC through #netgalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book

Read this if you:
*have sisters
*are close with your grandparents
*live in a small town
*love Hallmark movies

This book was so incredibly cute. It was heartwarming & charming & just overall a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley & Forever publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Jan 11

This was just a delight.

Like a warm, gooey cookie straight out of the oven!

This has: future hallmark movie written all over it. The will they or won't they trope is always a good one, but I felt this dragged on a smidge too long. The ending was satisfying and the characters were loveable. While not a holiday book, its perfect for this time of year to cozy up with some cocoa!