I didn't finish this one. I don't really care for exes reunite romances. Or off grid parents. It was also odd that it was a teenage romance still deeply effecting adults. This was a miss for me.

Another Sun Rise Cove book to make you laugh, occasionally shed a couple tears, and fall in love with these best friends like family. There is also a hint of mystery!

Olive Porter is heading to Lake Tahoe from her present home in the UK to help her best friend Katie after Katie’s husband is injured with his partner Noah (Katie’s twin brother) while working for the National Park service as agents. Joe was injured more seriously, and is in a coma. Noah re injured his leg from a previous accident. Another part of the story. They’re hoping to keep things somewhat normal for Joey, Katie and Joe’s 5 year old son.
But nothing is normal when Olive and Noah are in the same room. They have a long history of love and serious dislike. Olive grew up next to Noah and Katie being raised by her Gram. Her parents were a bit “drifty” as she was growing up, aging hippies even now. They are assumed on a new adventure, but have not checked in as expected. A side twist to this hilarious romantic comedy. Of course, we have a wonderful dog companion named Holmes, and a feisty kitten named Spice.
Ms. Shalvis writes books that make you smile, feel good and want to read again! Highly recommend.

This was a quick, cute read. It felt sort of like a Hallmark movie — you have to just go with it and not think too hard (ex., I’m not at all convinced the FMC is good at her job?) and then you’ll have a good time. It’s light and sweet and a little bit emotional. Not the most substantive read, but a fun one for the weekend.

3.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one, like all the books in the Sunrise Cove series. I like that they can be read as stand alone or in order. Jill Shalvis has a solid formula that slaps. You want to read more and there's no cookie cutter happy ending. You definitely get the happy ending, but each one is different, all of which I can appreciate. I look forward to reading the next one! Thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️

Another cute romance from Jill Shalvis. It's got the basic Hallmark tropes, but it was an enjoyable read.
*best friend's twin brother
*forced proximity (roommates)
*one bed
*second chance
*he's afraid of commitment
*It's always been you

"Old flames reignite in Sunrise Cove in this charming enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, small-town, forced-proximity love story about family, friendships, and true love." - from Goodreads.

Let's start off with the fact that yes, I still have a number of reviews from 2024 reads that I need to catch up on. I'm determined to finish off strong plus that is actually my first 2025 release that I've read. I love a good romance to mix up my reading especially when I've read a number of darker reads. Jill Shalvis is one of my go to romance authors for this so I jumped at the chance to read this one. It was exactly what I was looking for. This was one of those books that was easy to lose myself in. The budding romance between Olive and Noah was sweet, there was a little bit of intrigue with Olive's missing parents, and the side characters (especially Noah's sister Katie) really added to my enjoyment of this book. I also really loved Katie's son Joey. This wasn't my perfect romance only because I prefer a slower burn. But it was still delightful to read about and root for. The heat between Olive and Noah was perfectly steamy without being too much on page. I feel like Shalvis toes that line perfectly and this book was no exception. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and felt like it was the perfect choice to mix up my reading genres. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Readers who enjoy romance or women's fiction should pick this book up. It's part of the Sunrise Cove series but you can read them out of order and be just fine (I certainly have). Four stars overall!

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this and didn’t realize there were other books within this series. I will be tracking those down and reading more. I enjoyed this so much and I loved the premise and characters.

I really enjoyed this book. Right at the start it sucked me in, and didn't let me go until the end.

Yes, it was predictable, and yes, parts of it were cheesy, but it all went together so well you can overlook those things.

Noah and Olive are the best kind of people. Separately, and together. I'm so glad they were able to get past their past (ha), and their insecurities, to find their way back to each other.

I would recommend this book!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Olive and Noah. They have known each other for all their lives. Noah’s sister is Olive’s best friend. Noah’s brother-in-law has been hurt and is in a coma at the hospital. Olive flies in from London and Noah works out of Yoesmite Park. There is still an attraction. They both have issues but together they work through them and fall in love.

I couldn't get into this one. Not sure if it was my mood or the style or writing but it just never hooked my attention. I gave up about 30% through.

DNF @ 29%
I really was looking forward to this one but just had a hard time getting into it. The plot is a little bland and “whiny” and I’ve realized that I just don’t care what’s going to happen.

I was hesitant to begin this book because it is number 7 of a series and I thought I was going to be lost in this small town world. But it is a complete standalone. My first Jill Sharvis book I was hooked, its been awhile since I stayed up till 3am to finish a book until Better than Friends came along. Just a tiny bit spicy but the emotional tension between MCs was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

First, I just want to start out by saying this review came later than anticipated due to some health issues I've been dealing with that prevented me from finishing this book as early as I would have normally. I appreciate Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for your patience with my review.

Now, onto the good stuff! This book was really enjoyable to read. I found it super conversational in style, loved that the plot was multidimensional and not only focused on the relationship between the two characters but also on family, friendships, and found family. It was a pretty fun read and once I was able to get into it, I really flew through it, which was great to experience because I love it when I don't want to put a book down. It also, despite covering some topics that may be more challenging to address in other settings, managed to have a pretty relaxing tone and I found myself curling up with it after a long day to enjoy watching the story unfold.

This book is for you if you love:
✌️ Second-Chance Romance
🌄 Small-Town Settings
🫂 Found Family
😂 Laugh-Out-Loud Moments
👀 Complex Backstories
🔁 Switching Between Past & Present POVs

WHAT I LOVED:
Katie, Joe, & Joey - I honestly loved Katie so much!!! She is our comic relief here and she is also a voice of reason for both MCs, and I love her. She is so funny and always knows just what to say (or not, but it's still just as entertaining anyway). The majority of my laugh-out-loud moments from this book came from her and I would honestly love to read a book with her as the main narrator because I would eat that up! Joe is also really straightforward and to the point, and I like that he pushes the MMC to be a better person. (Spoiler) That scene after he woke up where he's in the gym and basically says the MMC is acting like an a-hole is priceless, and I think what a good friends should do in those circumstances. Joey is also comic relief in a lot of cases and he's very cute so I can't not mention him here.

Holmes & Pepper - Again, a cute touch if a bit cheesy. Can't not love them.

Olive's Unique Backstory - I really loved Olive and rooted for her so much, especially after learning about her background and how far she came to get to where she was at the beginning of the story. She's a good person, a good character, unique in her eccentricities, and I appreciated getting a window into how her upbringing shaped her.

Found Family - I love me a good found family element in a story and this one certainly had it! It's a bit more complicated, of course, due to the plot, but overall it was really nice to see how Olive's community assembled around her when she came back to Sunrise Cove and that they'd never really left her to begin with (at least from Katie's standpoint, which I think also made me root for her as a character because she was such a good friend to Olive).

Coma & Mystery Plots - The mystery with the parents and Joe's coma were interesting additions to this story. At first, I thought it might be really emotional given these elements were included in here, but it actually wasn't as emotional or heavy as I thought it would be, and I found myself really interested to see where both of these plots went and appreciated how Shalvis weaved them into the love story.

WHAT I LIKED:
Conversational Tone - Jill's writing style is very easy to read and makes it relaxing to follow her stories. I liked that I could get into the story more easily since the dialogue felt authentic to the characters and the writing style was simple enough to not make me feel like I had to work hard to understand what was going on in the story. I don't mean that as an insult in any way - I think this story definitely tackles hard moments, but it also is a really good light-feeling read and those are the types of books I like best when I'm just trying to relax and escape the day.

Sunrise Cove - This story is set in an interesting small town with a lot of different little areas we get to see throughout the story. I appreciated that Jill took us to various spaces around this town and we got to see more of the local culture/vibe.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
(Spoiler) Wishy-Washy MMC - Okay, so I know this is a romance book and if I don't like the MMC, why am I rating it 4 stars? Honestly, because the other plot points were so well done and I think that the book overall was quite good despite the fact that I didn't personally enjoy the MMC. Going into this, I knew I wasn't always a fan of second-chance romance so I knew I had a bias, but I tried very hard to be more open-minded because this story seemed to have so much depth to it with the other subplots and I can now say that Shalvis has opened my mind to this trope. That being said, I really feel like Olive deserved better in some ways - particularly towards the end of the story where Noah is just going back and forth and back and forth between whether he really wants a future with her - like even Joe was like boy, decide already! And I agree. I feel like Shalvis might have put too much emphasis on that back-and-forth element when executing this trope, and it made the love story feel a bit lackluster in the end even though I did feel like they had a connection - particularly after Olive found out all the stuff about Noah's dad. I figured that would be the dam breaker and it would be smooth sailing from there, but nope! Man's still undecided. It was a bit disappointing if I'm being honest, and I think if he had gone to Olive after the gym scene and committed I wouldn't have felt this strongly, but the fact that he didn't and kept going back and forth made me lose confidence in him as a character and as Olive's love interest.

(Spoiler) Parental Trauma Not Addressed - I really feel like there should have been more conversational scenes between Olive and her parents. Even Noah's mom was telling Violet off and saying what needed to be said, but Olive just seems to take the "be grateful and shove it under the rug" route instead of actually addressing the ways her parents have harmed her - both throughout her upbringing and through not telling her where they were and not even calling her, but calling Buddy first. Like what??? What are you doing people??? This is your DAUGHTER! I feel like she should have been more mad at them - I certainly would have been if I was in her place. I also feel like there's just so much grace given to her parents for "letting her take her own path" when in reality they actually kind of abandoned her and she left because they were not taking care of her like she needed and putting her as a priority in their lives. Like who takes their eight-year-old to a nudist camp? Is that even safe? Who knows who's out there and are they even watching her and how is that okay when she is still developing and learning what bodily autonomy/healthy boundaries are? I was concerned for her childhood self reading that, and I can't imagine a real child going through that and not being mad about it later.

Anyways, those are my full thoughts and feelings about this book lol. Again, apologies to the publishers for taking so long to actually get this book read and reviewed. I appreciate your patience and look forward to reading more of your books in the future should I be a good fit for them! Despite the fact that I wasn't personally a huge fan of the romance in this book, I actually loved Jill Shalvis's writing style, narrative, humor, dialogue, and plot lines, and I will be sure to check out more of her books in the future thanks to that.

I always love being in Sunrise Cove! This lovers to enemies to lovers book will have your feelings on a roller coaster, and it is well worth the ride! Noah is back in town after an investigation leaves him and his best friend injured. Olive, the best friend’s sister, is home to help her brother and his wife as he recovers from his injuries. With Noah and Olive being pushed together, the tension is high in this small town. This is a fantastic read!

Injured and recuperating, Noah reluctantly agrees to help his ex-girlfriend, Olive, find her missing parents. Their renewed connection forces the two to confront their past feelings and risk heartbreak for a second chance at love.

The plot of this novel is strongly focused on family dynamics in addition to the romance. The characters are interesting and quirky. I liked the audiobook narration.

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

"Olive had three pet peeves: loud chewers, the word "moist," and... in the number one spot... love."

Any book that starts with 2 of my own pet peeves (hello loud chewers and the word moist) is bound to be a winner, and that’s exactly what Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis was. I adored Olive and Noah, and while I have become used to instalove in this author’s books that is not what these two had at all. Instead, we revisit an old flame and get a second chance romance that was both entertaining and endearing. The story layers peel back like an onion, until we are left with the hurt and pain that becomes understanding and forgiveness. Not only of other people, but yourself as well. I loved that we got some forced proximity and only-one-bed goodness mixed in as well, and the tension and chemistry between our two MCs was off the charts.

Better Than Friends is written in third person with both Noah and Olive's viewpoints and I think it would have been weird for me to read it, but it came across really well in the audiobook. I always enjoy Andi Arndt’s narration and while it would have been nice to have a male narrator for Noah, it didn’t bother me at all that it was just Arndt. She brought the characters alive in a way only she can, and she was perfectly matched for this book. Another thing I loved was the moments that were literally laugh-out-loud funny, and there was a of couple times I almost had tears in my eyes because I was laughing so hard. Shalvis’ writing always clicks with me, and this might be the first time I knowingly read a series out of order. I loved being back in Sunrise Cove (I did read the first 2 books, and this is book 7), and I immediately put the next one on my TBR.

Read this if you enjoy casts of relatable and likeable characters, books that make you laugh, and stories that will tug at your emotions.

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

In this enemies to lovers, small town, forest proximity, second chance romance, we see a flame reunite with Olive Porter and Noah Turner in Jill Shavis’s latest release Better than Friends.

Some say that fate works in mysterious ways well that may be the case with Olive and Noah. A tragic accident when they were in their teens, tore them apart and then many years later another tragic accident puts them back into each other’s lives.

In true Jill Shalvis fashion, she has given us a fun and witty story. Loaded with Snark and humor you can’t help but to laugh out loud. We do get the romantic feel, but the spice happens behind closed doors. But we have a story of a second chance at romance, feelings that never left story. i there is such the presence of friendship and family throughout the stories, all of Jill's stories that it is something that I have come to look forward to with each of her books.

This was my first book I've read by Jill Shalvis and it did not disappoint! halfway through I was already adding her other books to me TBR list! I enjoyed the childhood friends to more than friends story line so much, on top of the best friend's brother trope *chef's kiss*. My heart was melting all over the pages with Noah & Olive's long overdue realignment of their lives.

Olive and Noah are high school friends that fell apart after a tragic accident. Around 10 years later another accident brings them back together.
Olive and Noah’s sister, Katie, are best friends and keep in touch despite the fallout between Noah and Olive. Olive and Noah both come back to town after Katie’s husband Joe falls into a coma.

I actually really loved the tropes in this book, so I was really excited to read this story; I enjoyedthe first 30% of the book but after that it felt kind of flat for me.

I really liked the friendship between Katie and Olive’s throughout the book. They were both so supportive of each other and had some really great moments, and weren’t afraid to put each other in their place when needed.

Like I said before I liked bit of the book, there was some good tension / conflict between the Olive and Noah. However, I feel like a lot of their conflict was solved like 40% of the way through the book; we got a lot of hot then cold interactions that didn’t quite make sense and made me feel like I was getting whiplash at some points in the story

Overall I think that it was a cute story about forgiveness, friendships, and love but I think it could have been fleshed out a bit better.

Thank you NetGally and the publisher for a copy of this book !