The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis (Review by Tricia Nelson)

Rating: 4 Stars

I loved this story about family, forgiveness, trust, and love. In this first installment in the author’s new Sunrise Cove series, we meet a lot of very likeable characters. There is Jane, a nurse who finds herself stranded in a gondola during a terrifying storm with Levi, a man who is visiting his hometown after some years away. They survive the experience, but not before thinking they were going to die. Levi calls his parents to say goodbye, and doesn’t have the heart to do it, but instead tells his mother that he is very happy and in a relationship with a wonderful woman, knowing that this is what she wanted for him. When Jane and Levi survive with minor injuries, she agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend for his parents’ anniversary dinner coming up. This leads down a predictable and enjoyable storyline, but the author throws a lot more into it.

We learn about Jane’s past and the obstacles that it places in front of her and her future. We meet many other characters that the reader grows to love, including Jane’s landlord and best friend Charlotte, who has her own demons she is dealing with, Levi’s family of interesting characters, and even a dog and a cat that have wonderful personalities. Many of the main characters are medical professionals, and the story doesn’t shy away from the seriousness, long hours and toll this work takes on a person, but rather it adds a dimension to the characters that is more than their relationships with each other. The book is set in the fictional town of Sunrise Cove, which is on Lake Tahoe, and will be a great place for future books in the series.

I enjoyed the romance, and the author delivers. But what made this story better than the average romance is the strong theme of family. Sometimes the family we are born into may not be everything you hope for, but you can pick your family based on who understands and accepts you, and who is worthy of your trust. Sometimes we can revisit what we feel about the family we are born into and explore those relationships with an adult set of boundaries and honesty. I think many readers will find something relatable in the characters and the story.

This book is very discussable and would be a great book club choice. It includes a reading group guide which is always a plus! I highly recommend this one!

I received an advance copy of this book from the Girly Book Club Blogger program in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful for the opportunity.