Almost Just Friends
(Wildstone #4)
Jill Shalvis

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Release Date January 2020

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home.

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

Graphics from Author's Facebook page

This is another stand-alone Wildstone book. This series tends to focus not only on romantic relationships, but complex family relationships.

Piper Manning has basically raised her younger siblings since she was a teen and they lost their parents. She thought she helped them get started on their own lives, but they have made mistakes and lost their way. She has always been the one in control and the caretaker who plans everything...even in her job as an EMT.  She is finally ready to get the family property fixed up and sell it so she can finally follow her own dreams of going to school.

But then she meets tall, dark, and intense Camden. He is her neighbor's son that has returned home to help him. He is a DEA agent and Coast Guard reservist that is not planning on sticking around. And then her wayward siblings, Winnie and Gavin return. All of them have secrets, guilt, and issues holding them back. And they all seem to be keeping them from Piper.

But being back in Wildstone is cathartic for them in ways. And eventually, the secrets will start gradually being revealed. As they open their hearts and risk sharing their emotions, it could lead to more hurt or more healing. Piper and Cam seem to be able to read each other better than most. They are used to being the strong one, the caretaker, the responsible one. They are used to control and keeping their feelings buried. But they will find themselves scared and needing to learn to trust, take a risk, and be vulnerable in ways they have never dared to be.

I loved Cam. He was this tough, protective alpha with this soft core that felt deeply and was battling his own demons. Piper was strong and had to be, but she also had dreams that had been on hold for the sake of others. But she was also good at self-sabotage due to fear. I will admit she could be stubborn and frustrating. I loved her charismatic brother, Gavin who was trying to get his life together and her plucky sister, Winnie who was trying to prepare for where her life was headed. His adorably cranky father, Emmitt was also quite a character.

This is a messy and emotional story about loss, reconnection, family, and finding purpose and hope. They all have their flaws, but at the core of their chaotic dynamics are love and a need to help the others be fulfilled. It is not an easy road for them and they have a lot to learn about themselves and each other. It deals with current topics and relatable family misunderstandings and drama. But it is also a love story between two people who never saw the other one coming. 

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women's fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood—perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Susan Mallery, and Kristan Higgins.

They say life can change in an instant…

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.'s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she's looking for a missing piece she can't find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn't quite fit in right away, she can't help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there's another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn't a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she's searched so long for.