Series: Sunrise Cove, Book 7
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Source: Author
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Jill Shalvis Reading Order
When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.
As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.
So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward?
Ever since one fateful night over a decade ago, Olive and Noah have avoided each other. Now the two are back in Sunrise Cove to help Noah’s sister, who also happens to be Olive’s best friend. Neither wants to address the past or the spark between them that has never died. But the longer they’re around each other, the harder it is to deny that they’re simply meant to be.
Better Than Friends has all the hallmarks of a Jill Shalvis romance. There’s a smart, stunning heroine who gets into some awkward situations, a handsome, steady hero, a cast of nosy but caring supporting characters, and an adorable animal or two. The result? A cute and light read.
Olive has tried to turn herself into someone who has it all together, but when she comes home to Sunrise Cove to help her best friend after Katie’s husband is hurt on the job, old insecurities and wounds rise to the surface. Olive doesn’t like to rely on people and she needs to learn to lean on others. Noah’s life changed after the accident that ended his future in baseball, but it was Olive leaving town and the strained relationship with his father that really hurt him. Now Noah doesn’t want to put down roots, no matter how much his mother tries to set up him with different women.
Noah and Olive are a good match and they have an easy chemistry that’s typical of a Shalvis romance. Of course, everyone around them is working to push them together which was cute. That being said, for some reason Better Than Friends dragged for me. It took a while for things to get moving, which is unusual for Shalvis. The central conflict keeping Noah and Olive apart really wasn’t strong enough to justify an entire novel and I felt like it would have been better suited to a shorter format. The tension didn’t feel earned and it seemed like Olive and Noah kept going in circles for no particular reason other than to stretch a thinnish plot. That being said, I liked the characters and the story wrapped up in an ending that was sweet and satisfying.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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