Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Forever Girl by Jill Shalvis

The Forever Girl (Wildstone #6) by Jill Shalvis

Published: January 12th, 2021

Publisher: William Morrow Books

Tropes: Found family, forced proximity, friends to lovers

Heat level: 🔥🔥

# of pages: 400

My rating: 4.5 stars

Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration

Add to Goodreads

Buy on Amazon Canada || Amazon US || Indigo

When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery. 

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger.

  

The Forever Girl is the third Wildstone book I’ve read; if I could describe this standalone series with one phrase it’d be “imperfect people finding their perfect match”. I love how Shalvis writes deeply flawed and often emotionally scarred characters who are completely relatable and three-dimensional, and she has them finding love - the love of family, the love of friends, and the love of a partner. The Forever Girl was no different and, as my first read of 2021, it set the bar high for the rest of the year.

Stories about strong bonds, deep friendships, and family - whether blood family or found family - are among my favourites, and Shalvis does those things so well. Maze, Caitlin, Walker, and Heather were brought together in their youth as foster children in Caitlin’s family. They each had their own emotional baggage and trauma to deal with, but they found love and stability with the Walshes until tragedy tore them apart and scattered them. Now as adults, they’re reuniting for Caitlin’s wedding and they have a lot to overcome - past hurts, mistakes, and misunderstandings, along with secrets, resentments, and guilt. Throw in the issues each of them is currently dealing with as adults who have grown and changed, and there’s a lot of tension and emotion bubbling in the lake house.

This story had so much heart. The bonds between these characters ran deep, and yet they had so many things to overcome. There were some heavy themes - grief, mental health, childhood trauma - but it was all handled so well and was balanced by humour and moments of levity and hope. I loved the family and friendship dynamics, as well as the romantic ones. I laughed and teared up while reading - sometimes both at once. I was completely emotionally invested from beginning to end.

Full of heart and humour, The Forever Girl is a beautiful story about chosen family, bonds that last forever, forgiveness, and following your heart. I can’t wait for more Wildstone books.

Read my review of Almost Just Friends

Read my review of The Summer Deal

The publisher has generously allowed me to offer a print copy of The Forever Girl to one lucky US winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. Follow Jill on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Have you read The Forever Girl or any of the other books in the Wildstone series? What are some of your favourite books about family bonds? 

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis: I Officially Want to Move to Wildstone + Giveaway!

The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5) by Jill Shalvis
Published: June 2nd, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow/HarperCollins Canada
# of pages: 384
Tropes: Friends-to-lovers, roommates, second chance, small-town
Heat level: Steamy
My rating: 5 stars
Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration
Add to Goodreads
Buy: Amazon Canada || Amazon US || Indigo

Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for...well, anything. She's fierce, tough, and pretty much the opposite of Brynn except for one thing: they're half-sisters. Kinsey is keeping this bombshell, and a few others as well. Long time frenemies from summer camp, there’s no way she’s going to tell Brynn they’re related.

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey's lifelong best friend, Eli, renewing a childhood crush. He’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. When he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have a sister, love, and a future―if she can only learn to let go of the past.

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

I’m new to Jill Shalvis’s books, and this is my third of hers so far this year. My first - Almost Just Friends, the fourth book in the Wildstone series of standalones - was an excellent start both to her writing and to the year. I went to Shalvis’s Cedar Ridge next with Nobody But You, and now I’ve returned to Wildstone with The Summer Deal. It's safe to say I'm officially in love with Ms Shalvis’s books, particularly the Wildstone series.

The Summer Deal was about love in all its many messy forms. It was about friendship and family - the ones we’re born into and the ones we choose for ourselves.

I loved the characters in this book. Brynn was always different and was often alienated, but it didn’t stop her from having a big heart. Her moms helped with that; their unconditional love and support, while at times bordering on smothering, taught Brynn to have an open heart and mind. Kinsey masked her pain and fear with a prickly personality, and kept people at arm’s length for their own good since she knew it was only a matter of time before her kidney gave out. She’d been best friends with Eli forever, so she let him love her, along with Eli’s younger brother Max, but other than that, she kept her distance from people, thinking she was saving herself and others a lot of unnecessary pain. She had trouble keeping her distance from Deck, though. The big, sexy nurse and father of an adorable little boy started out as a ‘friend with benefits, minus the friends’, but quickly turned into much more. He was so kind and caring, and he saw beneath Kinsey's tough exterior and fell for her even though he knew she didn’t want any attachments. And finally, there was Eli; he was patient, understanding, easy-going, and incredibly sexy. These characters were perfectly imperfect, relatable, and so much fun to read about.

I wanted to move into the beach house with Eli, Max, Kinsey, Brynn, and their big goofy dog Mini. They were all misfits in a way, they’d all experienced hurt and trauma, but their shared history - even though it left a rift between the girls - created a connection that couldn’t be broken. Their dynamics made for an entertaining, frustrating, hilarious, heart wrenching, heartwarming read. I loved the sibling relationship between Eli and Max, the tentative, budding sibling relationship between Brynn and Kinsey, and I also really loved the platonic friendship between Eli and Kinsey. The book I read immediately before The Summer Deal (Always a Bridesmaid by Cindi Madsen) had a great male-female friendship, and it made me realize how those friendships are lacking in romance. Ms Shalvis did a fantastic job of showing Eli and Kinsey’s bond, their affection for each other, and the deep connection they shared.

The Summer Deal made me laugh out loud, tear up, and swoon. It was such a lovely story about unconditional love, healing and forgiving past hurts, and allowing yourself to love and be loved.

The publisher has generously allowed me to offer a print copy of The Summer Deal to one lucky Canadian or US reader. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. Follow Jill on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Have you read The Summer Deal? Have you read any of Jill Shalvis's other books? What are some of your favourite books with sibling relationships and/or found families?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

*Please note I'm an Amazon affiliate, and some of the links in this review are affiliate links. All income made through affiliate sales goes directly back into maintaining Ramblings of a Daydreamer. Thank you for your support!  

Blog Tour Review: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Published: February 6th, 2018
Publisher: Berkley
394 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction/historical fiction
Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration
Rating: 4 stars
Warning: May contain spoilers
GoodReads || Buy the book: Amazon US ~ CAN || Chapters || B&N}

After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...

Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

I’ve been a fan of Chanel Cleeton’s books since her debut I See London. After her Wild Aces trilogy, she became an auto-buy author for me. I was certain her newest book, Next Year in Havana, wouldn’t disappoint, and I was right. This story weaves together an alternating narrative between present day and late 1950s Cuba and tells the stories of Elisa Perez and her granddaughter Marisol Ferrera. It’s a story of love, sacrifice, hope, and perseverance.

As someone who was extremely close to her grandmother and still feels the loss of her almost seven years later, I connected to Marisol’s grief and her desire to find answers about Elisa. Both women were strong, tenacious, and learned so much throughout the course of the book.

I’ll admit, I knew little to nothing about Cuba and its history. It was fascinating, horrifying, and heartbreaking to learn about the struggles and oppression its people have faced and continue to face. At times I felt like I was reading about a post-apocalyptic, dystopian society, because it’s hard to believe a place like that could really exist outside fiction. That being said, I was deeply touched by the pride of the Cubans who lived in the country as well as those who had left, and those, like Marisol, who had always considered herself Cuban despite never stepping foot in the country until after her grandmother died. As heartbreaking and at times bittersweet as this story was, it was also full of so much hope.

Romantic and rich in detail, Next Year in Havana is a beautiful, compelling story that’s sure to surprise you and touch you. It’s certainly a story that will stick with me for a long time to come.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. 

Website || Facebook || Facebook Reader Group || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Newsletter   

Learn more about Next Year in Havana including downloading the book club guide and more here

Add Beatriz Perez’s story When We Left Cuba on Goodreads 
 

Have you read Next Year in Havana? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of Chanel's other books?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

Follow Ramblings of a Daydreamer on Bloglovin'

Blog Tour Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I'm honoured to be part of Simon & Schuster Canada's blog tour for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I've been a fan of Ms Jenkins Reid since her debut novel, and she's got another winner with her latest release. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Series: Standalone
Published: June 13th, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
400 pages (ARC)
Genre: Women’s fiction
Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: This review contains marked spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters/Indigo}

Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Filled with emotional insight and written with Reid’s signature talent, this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it takes—to face the truth.

Having read all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, I know one thing for sure: when you read one of her books, you can expect the unexpected. Going into The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I knew absolutely nothing about the story. I didn’t care. From the time I finished TJR's debut, Forever, Interrupted, she’s had a spot on my auto-read list, so it didn’t really matter what her latest book was about, because I knew I’d likely devour it and love it, and I was right.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a story about love, friendship, secrets, loss, and doing whatever is necessary to survive and succeed. It takes place from the 1950s until present day, alternating between modern day, with Monique’s story, and spanning through the decades with Evelyn’s story about her humble beginnings through her success as a Hollywood star.

Evelyn was an incredibly complex character. She was deeply flawed, but she was refreshingly aware of those flaws - in fact, she’d be the first to point them out. She was ruthless at times, and she knew it. She did whatever it took to rise to the top - used people, hurt people, told lies. She was criticized for the things men often do that no one thinks twice about, and she was shameless in that. She used her body and her sex appeal to get what she wanted. She did whatever it took to get ahead, to keep her secrets, to live the life she wanted. Her strength and her vulnerability made me truly feel for her.

This story really makes you think about Hollywood and how things are handled. I loved the addition of the tabloid articles every few chapters. You’d see things from Evelyn’s perspective as they happened and then get the media’s skewed version, almost always more salacious. There’s so much speculation and out-and-out lies told about celebrities, and this book really showcased that. It was sad that Evelyn had to be careful who she trusted, but it was also fascinating how she learned to spin the press to her own advantage on many occasions. I’m not the type to believe anything in tabloids (I don’t actually read them, but I’ve made a game out of reading the ludicrous headlines in a scandalized voice while waiting in line at the grocery store - as you do), but I do see occasional celebrity gossip/news online, and it makes me wonder about some of the things I’ve read and heard about my favourite celebrities. It’ll definitely make me stop and think about certain things I hear from now on.

SPOILERS AHEAD DEALING WITH THE ROMANCE IN THE BOOK

Before I read this book, I saw several people shelve it under LGBTQ+ on GoodReads, and I was curious. I thought maybe Evelyn had kissed a woman or even had sex with a woman, or that maybe one of her husbands was gay, hence the LGBTQ+ shelving. So I was shocked - pleasantly so - to discover Evelyn Hugo was bisexual. As a bisexual woman myself, I think the storyline was handled well, and I was impressed and pleased with how TJR captured the complexities and nuances of sexuality, and the fact it’s not black and white (as Evelyn once said Celia saw it, depending on whether she loved or hated Evelyn). It was heartbreaking and eye-opening to see how Evelyn and Celia had to hide their relationship for fear it would ruin their careers or possibly even put them in danger. I rooted for them, laughed with them, cried with them. Their relationship was tumultuous, frustrating, passionate, full of heartache and joy, and was ultimately so beautiful and meaningful. I was glad that in the end, Evelyn wanted people to know her true self and who her one true love was.

/END SPOILERS

Words can’t do justice to how impressed I am with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s storytelling abilities. Once again, with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, she has blown me away. This is an emotional story with characters that leap off the pages. If you’re looking for a unique, fast-paced, compelling story with plenty of twists, I highly recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

 

 

{My review of Forever, Interrupted || My review of After I Do || My review of Maybe in Another Life || My review of One True Loves}

Have you read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of Taylor Jenkins Reid's other books? If you could read a biography about any celebrity, who would it be?{Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

Blog Tour Review: On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton

 
On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton
Series: Wild Aces #3
Published: January 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Berkley
336 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers, and will contain some spoilers for Fly With Me and Into the Blue
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Kobo || B&N || Google Play || iBooks}

A year after losing her husband, Joker, the squadron commander of the Wild Aces, Dani Peterson gets an offer from his best friend, Alex “Easy” Rogers, to help fix up her house. Dani accepts, and their friendship grows—along with an undeniable attraction.

Racked by guilt for loving his best friend’s widow, Easy’s caught between what he wants and can’t have. Until one night everything changes, and the woman who’s always held his heart ends up in his arms. Yet as Easy leaves for his next deployment, he and Dani are torn between their feelings and their loyalty to Joker’s memory.

But when Dani discovers something that sends them both into a spin, the conflicted lovers must overcome the past to navigate a future together…

Last year when I read Fly With Me, the first book in the Wild Aces trilogy, I fell completely in love with Noah, Jordan, and the cast of characters. I thought I couldn’t possibly love the next book, Into the Blue more, and yet Thor and Becca captivated me as much as Noah and Jordan did. Again, I didn’t think I could love the final book, On Broken Wings more than the first two, but I did. It’s hard to choose since all the books and all the characters are amazing, but Easy and Dani’s story might just be my favourite of the bunch. This whole trilogy grabbed my heart from the beginning, making me laugh, cry (and I do mean cry...like, ugly cry at times), swoon, and fall in love.

I knew On Broken Wings would be emotional. Considering I sobbed like a baby when Joker died in the first book, I was sure it would be painful to read about Dani moving forward with her life. Pair that with how much Easy loved Dani and was completely prepared to never act on his feelings, and I was sure I was in for an emotional ride. I wasn’t wrong. Within the first few pages of On Broken Wings, I was already tearing up, and I cried several times throughout. Dani’s grief really resonated with me. She and Easy both had grief and guilt to deal with, and had to find the strength to move forward with their lives even when it hurt like hell. I found myself nodding along in agreement to a lot of the things Dani was thinking and saying about grief. Cleeton captured that feeling - the sadness, the anger, the regret, the confusion - so well.

I’ll admit, I was a bit worried how things were going to be handled in regards to Easy and Dani’s relationship, since Dani was a widow, and Easy had been a close friend of Joker’s. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say I thought it was handled really well - with respect and care - and was one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve read in a long time. It was both heartwarming and heartwrenching, and I loved every moment of it. 

On Broken Wings is the perfect end to an amazing series. With a complex set of characters, beautiful romances, and real emotion, the Wild Aces trilogy has become an all-time favourite. The characters in this series have a special place in my heart and won’t soon be forgotten.

Check out Book 1 in the Wild Aces series, Fly with Me:

GoodReads

Amazon || Chapters/Indigo || B&N || iBooks || Google Play
Read the first chapter of Fly With Me

Read my 5-star review

Check out Book 2 in the Wild Aces series, Into the Blue:
Amazon || Chapters/Indigo || B&N || iBooks || Google Play
GoodReads

Read my 5-star review

After years spent studying international politics in London and a stint in law school, Chanel Cleeton found her passion crafting smart and sexy contemporary romances and thrillers. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she's happiest curled up with a book, her three dogs lounging beside her. Chanel is a lover of big sunglasses, irresistible handbags, food covered in sprinkles, and pint-sized pups with larger-than-life personalities.

She is published by Harlequin and Penguin and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, Assassins, and Wild Aces series.

Find Chanel online:

{Website || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram}
You can also sign up for Chanel's newsletter and join her Facebook reader group

Have you read any of the Wild Aces books? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Have you read any of Chanel's other books? Have you read any books with characters who are in the military?

{Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}