USA Today Bestseller
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 … 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.
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Jill Shalvis is a master at writing fantastic contemporary romances and Almost Just Friends is one of her best! I love small town family centered stories and the story of Piper and her siblings Winnie and Gavin just warmed my heart. Their parents died when they were pre-teens and younger and Piper felt the need to help parent her siblings when they went to live at Wildstone lake with their grandparents. When they passed, Piper continued to parent her younger siblings even if it meant putting her dreams on hold. Now that she is turning 30 and her siblings set in their paths (or so Piper thinks) she plans to sell the family home, divide up their inheritance and pursue her dream of continuing in school to become a physician’s assistant. Well change is coming on the horizon for Piper and it starts with meeting an attractive stranger at her birthday celebration. Cam is the older, elusive son of her neighbor and he has a different set of plans that unbeknownst to Piper will intersect their lives. Piper, Cam, Winnie and Gavin were such fun characters and I loved how each of their stories tied together so well in Almost Just Friends. It was told from multiple POV’s and was full of Jill Shalvis’ trademark witty, funny, spicy dialogue and was a real treat to read! I highly recommend this book and I plan to check out the rest of the Wildstone series.
This book is not only about Piper and Camden’s romantic story but about the importance of family relationship. Both characters have their own issues to work with but in the process they fall for each other. This is a very interesting story worth reading a couple of times. I love reading this book and the story. I received an advance reader copy in exchange of my honest review.
I absolutely loved “Almost Just Friends” by Jill Shalvis. This Wildstone series has been a refreshing surprise. Usually most series are extended serials- but these are all uniquely different but set in the same town. Every once in a while you may get a reference or two to a character from one of the other books – but it’s subtle.
The writing is outstanding as usual – but the character development in this book just struck me in a way that a book hasn’t in a long time. They are beautifully flawed and as the book unfolds – they become some of my all time favorites.
This is a book/series/author that deserves to be in your book collection.
Happy Reading…enjoy!
I have really enjoyed all of the Jill Shalvis books I have read but Almost Just Friends has to be one of her best works. I fell in love with the characters. The family of Piper Manning is broken and has suffered much tragedy. Piper’s siblings are dealing with more than she knows. Piper meets someone new to town only to find out he is her neighbor’s son. Cam has also suffered loss in his life. But he is learning life lessons as a result. I was intrigued from the first paragraph of this book and could not put it down. This must read 5 star book from Jill Shalvis will keep you riveted.
Another great addition to the Wildstone series!!
Piper was thrown into adulthood when her parents died and she had to become both mother and father to her brother and sister, at the age of 13. She’s tuff as nails, she’s an EMT and she’s also very sweet and caring. She looks after her neighbor, Emmitt, even though he’s a man and thinks he’s okay.
When her and Jenna see this gorgeous man in town, she never dreamed that she would cross paths with him again, but he’s the son of her neighbor. She has a bucket list of wishes journal and one hot man named Camden inspires her additions to that journal.
Her brother and sister are both in town and both packing secrets. She did the best she could parenting them both, and she definitely gets her feelings hurt by the secrets they keep from her.
Cam has come to town and is spending time with his Dad at the marina. He doesn’t know his dad has so many health issues until his dad’s neighbor comes over to check on him. Turns out you gotta watch what you say to people in small towns because chances are you’ll be seeing them again.
I’ve read all of Jill Shalvis’ books and she is by far, my favorite author. I love how when starting her books, I just settle right in like I’m catching up with a friend, visualizing it in my mind. This story had all the elements I love and even a twist that I’ve not read in any of her books.
The was a wonderful sweet touching story. Piper raised her siblings, Gavin and Winnie, after their parents died. She has been trying to keep everything together than she meets Cam. He is home to take care of his dad. Piper and Cam have an instant connection, but Piper has walled off her heart after all of her loss and Cam is grieving. This is a great story as Piper works on accepting that her siblings have grown up and it is time to be a sister not a mom and that she can take time for herself. This was a great love story with Piper and Cam but also with all of the siblings “growing up”.
What a read! This isn’t exactly the usual light rom-com from Jill Shalvis, don’t get me wrong it has all the usual suspects of a good read, quirky and zany characters, LOL moments galore, great storyline and plenty of feels but this book also has a heavier undertone too. The Manning family has had a hard time of it, young when their parents died, living with their grandparents with older sister taking on a more of a parental role as a young teenager. Piper has finally gotten her younger siblings onto their own lives and at thirty she’s ready to start her life, right? Meeting a handsome stranger is not on her list, the lists she lives by, she has no place for him in her life, but when her younger siblings show up and throw a wrench in her plans of selling the family property and going back to school. With a sexy man showing that she can have fun in her life and her siblings hiding secrets she clutches to her plans. This is a bittersweet story about growing up and letting yourself be open to possibilities, it’s okay to be scared but it’s better when your with someone. Entertaining story but be prepared with tissues, the story will melt your heart.
Score another winning release for author Jill Shalvis!
Honestly, I’ve adored pretty much everything I’ve read from this author so far and ALMOST JUST FRIENDS was definitely one of my top picks. The lead characters were each amazing in their own way, and the atmosphere itself was charged with the sparkage between Piper and Cam. The supporting characters each have their own semi-feature roles to play as well (another bonus for this author’s writing…she doesn’t introduce many people JUST to have them on the sidelines!). I love the relationships she built, what with the sibling love-you-but-sometimes-want-to-strangle-you-but-will-always-support-you bits, the deeply felt loss for the brother/friend no longer with them shown from all sides and possible relationship angles, the oh-so-strong self resilience of each sibling from both families, and of course the romantic entanglements that get (at times) very much entangled. *giggle*
All in all, a great addition to the Wildstone series and a title that I definitely recommend for my fellow Contemporary Romance fans!
**copy provided for review; opinions are my own
ARC received via author for an honest review.
I love the worlds that Jill Shalvis builds, and I am enjoying my visits to Wildstone.
In Almost Just Friends, everyone is a little broken, yet however imperfect they are, they are all someone’s perfect.
Piper’s family return unannounced, and so begins a rollercoaster of a story.
Broken dreams. missed opportunities and oh so many secrets and lies. Will this family bring all the truths out, and will they be able to survive once they do.
Oh, how I adored Piper and Cam. I need them to be together with every fibre of my being. Neither is looking for a relationship, but sometimes fate has other ideas.
I want so much to be a part of this Manning family. As flawed as they are, they love each other, and at the end of the day, isn’t that what matters most.
I was completely drawn in to Almost Just Friends. I flopped myself down on my couch and I didn’t get up until I had finished reading. Sweet, tender, emotional and sexy too. The characters, there is something in there that all of us will relate to.
I hope we get more of the Wildstone series in the future.
I love Piper and her crazy siblings Gavin and Winnie. JS knows how to write crazy family dynamics lol. Piper pretty much plays the mom role and it is an interesting dynamic between being a sister and being a mom. The first meeting between Piper and Cam is classic Shalvis. Cam comes in with his own family situation. Watching these 2 and their families is a real page turner. Original characters, witty dialogue and a HEA that is classic Jill Shalvis.
I love the way Ms. Shalvis can craft a story with real life characters & get her readers so involved. Both Camden & Piper have their own faults, issues & problems but they manage to overcome them. As a reader, you can identify with their issues & their lives & it gives you hope that you can make it through too. The plot flows at the perfect pace & keeps you enthralled.
I loved this book, no big surprise as I love everything I’ve read from this author. Their wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book. You get two main love stories in this book, family drama, tragedy to overcome, characters that we all have in our lives or would like to know and a happily-ever-after for everyone. If you haven’t read Jill Shalvis before start with this one and work your way backwards.
I think I discovered a new favorite author! “Almost Just Friends” by Jill Shalvis was the second book by her that I’ve read. She really played with my emotions. I had my heart ripped out, tears running down my face, I laughed out loud and giggled many times and even got angry a few times. When an author can pull that many emotions out of me while reading a book, it becomes one of my favorites and one I won’t forget.
I was drawn into the story and the character’s lives and could not put the book down. I literally ate, slept and read until I finished the book. The relationship between these characters and how they interacted with each other was most interesting. I really came to care for all of them and will miss them for a while.
If you love a good story that pulls at your emotions and heartstrings, you will enjoy this book. If you have read anything else by Jill Shalvis, you will probably want to read this one too. For myself, I am going to go back and read the first two books in the series and then look forward to number five. The books in this series seem to be stand alone stories so, don’t be afraid to jump in anywhere.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
#5stars for this endearing, sweet, sexy, emotional story about family and all the ways you love them, even when they drive you crazy!
Well, I thought I knew what to expect in Jill Shalvis’s latest Wildstone series release—Almost Just Friends, but I should know better by now. Know that one of Ms. Shalvis’s stories is going to be so much more—deeper, sweeter, sexier, thought provoking—than anything I could imagine.
I connected with Piper Manning from the start. The oldest sibling, the responsible one. The one always looking out for everyone else in her family. The one who’ll take care of herself last—including putting her own hopes, dreams and wants on hold.
Until now. Now Piper sees a bit of the light at the end of the tunnel. Once the house is sold, she can finally do something for herself for once. Grab hold of the future Piper and drag past Piper along for the ride.
But funny how fate and family have a way of interfering. Again. But this time it’s different. This time Piper’s not willing to cast herself aside. Well, not for long anyway. She’s found someone to spend some time with—not fall in love, nope, that’s not an emotion Piper’s willing to feel. Especially not with smart, sexy, amazing Cam Reid.
Just when Piper thinks she’s finally got her future figured out, the secrets her siblings have been hiding start being revealed. And Piper’s realizing just how much she really doesn’t know. Doesn’t know about her brother and sister. Doesn’t know about her place in the family. Doesn’t know about Cam. And doesn’t really know about herself. And she doesn’t know how to handle it.
I loved how Almost Just Friends unfolded and told the Manning family story and the interwoven the Reid family tale too. This is more than a romance between two people. It’s a story about two bent—not quite broken—families that somehow figure out a way to work all the differences out. How to love and listen. How to just be. No matter how much the family may drive them absolutely crazy.
Another wonderful read by Jill Shalvis. She really does relationship stories so well. It is a total joy to read about a family so messed up that you realize you are not alone. That those family photos and comments posted on social media where everyone has their collective s**t together, except of course for you, are not real. Real family is messy, beautiful, ugly, happy, terrifying. And here we are with another great story about a crazy, loving family and how they strive to achieve their HEA.
Piper and Cam are great together. Two people who are trying so hard to not connect but truly can not help themselves. These are beautifully well developed characters. And this includes Piper and Cam’s family members. Garrett and CJ’s story was a joy to read (although could have been a short story, perhaps). Thank you for taking us back to Wildstone and letting us share in the lives of the people who live there.
Piper had finished raising her two siblings and was ready to embark on her own adventures at last. While having served in the Coast Guard and working with the DEA Camden was ready to be stationed close to home and settle down. Have you heard the one about the EMT and the Sailor meeting at a bar? Boom things were about to get messy. I loved this love story. I will admit it made me cry but most of the time I laughed. You are going to love this book.
I received this ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Such a great book.
Piper gave up her childhood to help raise her siblings. Cam went with his mom when his parents divorce hoping to help her. Neither had an ideal childhood but can these two people with massive issue find the right stuff together.
Great main story and minor character arcs. Loved it!!
Holy hotness and hot cakes. Emotion – check. Angst – check. Romance – check. Tears – check. Sexy – your gonna haveta read this book !!!
Jill always captures all the feels. Cam and Piper were meant to be, although love doesn’t always happen easily. Loved how the siblings grew up and together in spite of all the tragedy. Experiencing this family suffering frotheir guilt, grief, and struggles and finding their happiness made this a wonderful book. Jill’s writing always leaves me with a smile on my face and contentment in my heart. I received this arc for an honest review.
3.5 stars. I liked this book, even if I didn’t totally love it. This is Piper and Cam’s story. Piper is an EMT in her small town and is trying to fix up her family’s home she and her siblings inherited. Her life is shaken up when she meets her elderly neighbor’s hot Coast Guard son, Cam. It keeps getting more crazy when her brother and sister, who she raised when her parents died, both move back in with her and they bring their own boatload of problems with them. They all have a lot to work through and to learn about family. Cam is just what Piper needs when she needs it and gives her someone to take care of her, while she takes care of her siblings.
This was a really good story and good writing. I liked Cam at lot. He was a dream; very understanding and gracious of Piper. I had a harder time with her. She was very prickly and closed off. I have a hard time connecting with heroine’s like that. She was also a little immature at times. But Cam loved her anyway and never seemed to mind her prickliness. It was nice to see her finally let him in and let herself fall in love. They made a good couple. The story was a good length and enjoyable in general. I liked Piper’s brother, but found her sister annoying and childish. However, the story was good and I really enjoyed how everything resolved in the end.
Overall, this was a good book. I found it entertaining and enjoyable. I liked the strong themes of family and small town life. I liked Piper and Cam’s relationship progression and the way that she worked everything out with her siblings. I have enjoyed the Wildstone series and look forward to more from Ms. Shalvis in the future!