USA Today Bestseller
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis does it once again with a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and secrets that have the power to change the course of more than one life.
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 … 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.
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The Forever Girl is a story about family. A family that isn’t connected by blood but with bonds just as strong. Ties so strong that time and life have tried to break them but they are still there. They may be buried deep but they still exist. I loved the interactions between all of the characters and the way everyone of them grew during this story. They were all broken in some way but together they were stronger and better.
It’s the story of Walker and Maze as well. They have history that the others aren’t aware of and misunderstanding and past hurts have stood in their way. They come back together for their family and the chemistry and feelings can’t be denied.
Shalvis has interwoven a love story between two people and a love story about a family so well. Their multiple view points that usually get confusing but not in The Forever Girl. It bends and moves the story on seamlessly.
If you can’t already tell I love this book and the journey it took me on while reading it.
Family isn’t only defined by blood. When Maze, Heather, and Walker came to the Walsh’s house as foster kids, a new type family was formed. Caitlin and Michael Walsh accepted their new brother and sisters as if they were real family. Over the years they made many fun and wonderful memories until the night of the big fire when their lives were forever changed. Now as adults their relationships are still strained because of that horrible night.
When Cat announces her engagement she sees her wedding as the perfect excuse to get the entire gang back together again. At one time Maze was her best friend and she really misses her. The week leading up to the wedding brings back all kinds of fun memories, deep emotional feelings, big surprises, and interesting new revelations that really were a surprise to no one!
I just adored this story. The characters were so fun….Maze (the guilty, rowdy one), Cat (the mother hen), Heather (the little sister) and Walker (the mysterious male of the group). Going through the path these people had been on was a great roller coaster of emotions. I laughed, I cried, and I swooned. Jill Shalvis really knows how bring such feelings into every story she writes and this one is no exception. I highly recommend this story.
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis does it once again with a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and secrets that have the power to change the course of more than one life.
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.
Loved this book! Beautifully written and heartfelt!
Loved this story. Maze, Walker, Heather were all in foster care and found themselves in the home of Caitlin’s family for a period of time. There was a fire and the group was separated but still kept in touch due to Caitlin’s diligence. The book starts with an incident three years earlier that leaves the group estranged and now Caitlin is getting married and calls the group together as they are her family. Great read!
Reading a Shalvis book is like being given the key to a fantastic world where bad stuff happens, but so does good stuff and all the feels happen.
Jill Shalvis has to be one of my favorite authors out there and is always a must-read. The Forever Girl only further solidified that opinion for me. This book centers around a set of friends who all met when three of them (Walker, Maze and Heather) were placed with the fourth’s (Caitlin’s) family for a year as foster children. They bonded hard during that time only to be separated once again after a devastating tragedy. Although loosely keeping in touch through the years, the four haven’t really spoken with or seen one another very much over the past three years until they come together for Caitlin’s wedding..
I think what is particularly fantastic about Shalvis’s writing is her portrayal of the found family. The love, emotions, and interaction between all the friends is both genuine and heartwarming. In addition, she finds a way to write about issues that are more heavy and difficult than her straight-up romance novels without becoming too dark. Instead, she creates characters that are multi-dimensional and have real challenges while still finding a way to keep her ever-present fun and lighthearted banter that I love in her writing. Her books are always a comfort read for me because I know I’m going to get laughter, friendship and the HEA I’m such a fan of. Plus, I always love her romantic pairings in her books (this one focuses on Maze and Walker). They are always an enjoyable read.
I read The Forever Girl in one day. I couldn’t put it down and am excited, as always, for more from this author. I would recommend this book to fans of Susan Mallery and Kristan Higgins. A solid 5 star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.
A touching story about Maze and Walker who were together in a foster home and the bond they made with the foster family as well as Cat and Heather (other children that were there). Being put in the foster system, they have trust issues that follow them into their adult lives. This is about how they reunite for a wedding and all try to overcome those issues. I received an ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my honest review.
A great new book in the Wildstone Series. This book delves into the complex feelings of three foster kids and the family they spent one year with before an unthinkable event changed their circumstances. Maze, Walker and Hannah came to live with Cat’s family for one year and the four of them, along with Cat’s younger brother Michael, quickly bonded and became “siblings of the heart”. When tragedy strikes this family, the foster kids are split up, however, they try to keep their bond tight. But given their background – Maze, Walker and Hannah have trust issues they must overcome and Cat wont’ give up on them being a family. When Cat is to be married, she asks her siblings to return to Wildstone for a week and learn again how to be a family and not give up on those that love us no matter what. A great book!
Wonderful. As joyful as it is heartbreaking. The love story of Maze and Walker two foster kids with so much emotional baggage they can barely maintain relationships. Now grown adults they reunite for a friends wedding. As always the secondary characters try to really steal the story, Ms. Shalvis had a rough time reigning these guys in. But Maze and Walker prevailed.
The strength in this story is the relationships between the 2 main characters and the extended family around them. While there were a few tears there were many more laughs. Flawed and beautiful in their flaws the leads take you on a beautiful journey of love and friendship.
Please keep writing and I will keep reading. Thank you.
This is story of friendships gone wrong that now have a chance to reconnect. It’s a story of second chances, not just with romance, but friendships as well. The characters are all well developed, so different yet alike, and hooked me. I understood where they all went wrong and I felt for Maze. This was one story I couldn’t put down.
I really enjoyed this story by Jill Shalvis. Having not realized this was part of a series I hadn’t read any of the prior books. This fact made no difference as The Forever Girl reads as a complete stand alone. The writing of Shalvis in the 3rd person perspective lent itself to allowing me to fully immersed in the world of Maze, Walker, Cat, Heather and their hilarious antics. The sense of family, even if not by blood, is strong with this zany, motley crew and that thread keeps the trajectory of the story moving at a great, entertaining pace.
The over arcing romance of the book is a slow burn, second chance where two people fight their own demons to understand the closeness and intimacy of their want for each other. It was a great romance, indeed. But, for me, the best of the book was the friendships. These people have been through a lot of pain and when they’re finally reunited after being apart, ultimately the love of friendship and how your friends are just as much your family, is the really moving and heart warming aspect of the book.
The Forever Girl is a great women’s fiction read. It’s easy to read, simple to fall in love with, and perfect for a lazy day of reading.
This story is nothing short of amazing! It really illustrates how your friends are really the family of your choosing. Maze and Walker reconnecting and falling for each other is just a sliver of the story of this group of friends. I don’t want to spoil the story so just grab it for yourself. Even though it’s book 6, it’s truly a stand alone. Enjoy!
I received an advanced reader copy to leave an honest review of this book. I have read the entire series and it does not disappoint. I would highly recommend this book and all the others in the series. Shalvis does an amazing job of incorporating the angst of the characters with all their quirks, the heartwarming side as they work through issues and still makes the books funny. I just love the combination of all the elements.
This book is mainly about Maze but really follows four characters including her: Walker, Cat and Heather. There is a lot that happens in this book so I don’t really know what to include and I don’t want to spoil anything. Basically Cat’s parents were a foster family and Maze, Walker and Heather all ended up at their house when they were young and scarred. When a tragedy struck, they all got separated and Maze never really recovered. The four would meet up every year but had a falling out for about three years. Cat desperately needs them back in her life so she cons them to come stay for a weekend for her wedding without telling them that it is actually a week later. Needless to say, having everyone back together causes all kinds of craziness. Add in two pugs, a small child, a momma’s boy fiancée and a boss/pretend boyfriend, a secret marriage and all bets are off.
This is a fun read but definitely has some emotional depth to it. I would definitely recommend.
I must admit that I didn’t expect this book to start off the way it did, but then I had to keep reading because I wanted to know more about these great characters and what happened in the past. I liked getting to know our group of friends – Maze, Caitlin (Cat), Heather and Walker and enjoyed watching their relationships or lack there of with each other and everyone had their own dynamic in this group. During their time together secrets came to the surface as well as some past hurts which were able to be put in the past where they needed to be. This is such a great story and there were some sad parts, but the story gave us and the characters the closure that they have all been on their individual journeys to find. I must admit I wasn’t necessarily a fan of Dillon or his mother and was probably a little too excited when they got what they deserved. The ending was so perfect for this group of friends. This book and story is definitely in my top five favorite books by Jill Shalvis.
Family, drama, love, angst…Jill Shalvis’s newest book has it all, and it is So. Freaking. Great! Sometimes it’s so hard to review a book you love hard, because it can be difficult to walk that fine line between gushing too much and not giving major plot points away. I will say that as intriguing as the blurb for this book is, the actual story has so much more to offer.
Forgiveness and acceptance are big themes of the book, especially where Maze is concerned. She keeps herself very contained into herself and away from Caitlyn, Heather and especially, Walker. The dynamic between this patched-together family is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, with lots of laughter and tears.
I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this book, because I just could not put it down. Filled with trademark Shalvis humor and emotion, The Forever Girl is a 5 star winner in this readers book!
Jill Shalvis at her warm, witty best.
Jill Shalvis finds the sweet spot with The Forever Girl. She delivers a cast of unforgettable characters whose lives are deeply entwined. Friends bound by time, circumstance and love brought together to reconnect. Shalvis reminds the reader that families aren’t always born but rather chosen.
Not since Sawyer Thompson have, I fallen so hard and fast for a leading man. Walker is worth the wait. Maze is vulnerable, stubborn and quirky. Together Maze and Walker, along with the rest of the gang, will melt your heart. I hope to hear more from Cat and Heather in the future.
Highly recommend reading The Forever Girl. Run don’t walk. You won’t be sorry.
My favorite part about the whole Wildstone series are the friendships. There is just something so wonderful about reading about a group of people who each have flaws that contribute to the conflict of said friendship while also bringing each their own wonderful qualities that make all those flaws seem wholly unimportant in the long run. Jill Shalvis does a great job of introducing these characters in a way that totally allows readers to understand their history and how their present has been affected by it, while not bogging us down with the past.
The romance between Walker and Maze managed to remain the focus of the story without excluding Cat and Heather’s stories and making them feel any less important.
Jill Shalvis has always been a go-to author for me but has truly become my comfort author in the past 10 months. I’m never let down when I open one of her books!
*I received an ARC from the author for voluntary review
The feels! Jill Shalvis always delivers a fabulous story! This is #6 in the Wildstone series and just as wonderful as the rest.
We get to follow four friends journey to love …..all the ups, downs, backtracks, running and finally staying!
A MUST read!
4.5*
The Forever Girl was a wonderful story about love and friendship, and found family. While I’ve enjoyed every Jill Shalvis book I’ve read, there was just a little something more about this one, that helped propel it to the top of the list.
It was emotional, complex, funny, heartwarming, and heart-tugging.
I loved Maze, Caitlin, Heather, and Walker. Although these friends were only together for a year when they were children, as Caitlin’s family took Maze, Heather, and Walker in as foster kids, an unbreakable bond developed between the four, that distance, time, nor stubbornness, could break.
Brought back together for Caitlin’s wedding, the four friends have the chance to work through past hurts, reopen the lines of communication, and learn to forgive themselves- some more so than others. While a lot of the story centered around Maze, I loved that we got the chance to know Cat, Walk, and Heather as well. This is truly an awesome group of friends, with so much love between them.
I really enjoyed everything about this story- the laughter, the tears, the wanting to smack a certain someone upside the head, the second chance/s at love.
Don’t let the fact that this is Wildstone #6 keep you from starting this one right away- it can be read as a standalone, as can all the books in this series. Though there might be some mention of characters from other books in the series, the only real connecting factor is the location. So do yourself a favor and grab The Forever Girl, you won’t be sorry!