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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Lovely story about foster siblings. I love the characters and strong and unique they are. Maze and Walker are great and I like how their story evolves. This is a great story to read and I love the ending. I hope there are books about the rest of the characters. I received an advance reader copy in exchange of my honest review.
OMG…so good. I love how this book isn’t just centered around one relationship. It focuses on so many different kinds of relationships. There is so much love, hurt, and healing in this book. Truly one of the best books I’ve read in 2020. Also Dillion is a complete douche.
3.5 Stars.
I’m fairly new to Ms. Shalvis’ books. Even though this is #6 in a series, it can be read as a stand-alone, as I did. Ms. Shalvis is pegged as a romance writer, but the past two books I’ve read, she tackles some pretty tough subjects too.
This book explores family, something a lot of us may take for granted. But, if you are a foster kid, family is something you wish for. Finding a good, loving foster family isn’t easy but once you have it, it can change your life. Five ‘siblings’, 2 birth and 3 foster, are close until tragedy tears them apart. Their relationship changes but thru all the misunderstandings, love is there. So hard to open up feelings when you’ve learned to keep this closed up and not trust. Enjoyable storyline with realistic,
damaged and traumatized by events up in their childhood.
Thanks to Ms Shalvis, WIlliam Morrow and Net Galley for this ARC opinion is mine alone.
Oh, how I loved this story!! Cat, Heather, Sammie, Jace, Walker and Maze made me laugh, swoon, grumble and ultimately HAPPY. This group of friends stole my heart right from the start and proved that family of the heart can be stronger than family by blood.
They were brought together when Cat’s parents fostered Heather, Walker and Maze for a year before a horrible accident tore them apart but due to Cat’s determined nature they kept in touch. Sadly, guilt and hurt caused them to scatter but Cat finds a way to bring her family together again and what a reunion it is! Each person has kept secrets and as each one is revealed love and acceptance is given in spades. I don’t want to give too much away because the journey with this group is so fun. Just remember that saying, “I love you” can be so rewarding.
I am a huge fan of this author, and once again, she delivers a story filled with heart.
Maze Porter, Walker Scott, and Heather met when the Walshes fostered them for a year. They became great friends and a “new” family was created, with Caitlin and young Michael Walsh. Until the day tragedy occurred and the foster kids were separated. Kids that had suffered a childhood of abandonment. Once again feeling they were being left behind and not good enough to keep.
The friendship/family, filled with hurt but also with love, get back together at the Walsh cabin. This time they are called “home” by Cat , who wants her “family” with her on her wedding day.
Not only is Cat struggling with the wedding plans, but everyone is keeping secrets. In the meantime, the attraction, as well as the hurt between Walker and Maze is palpable, and Heather brings an unexpected guest.
As we get to know this “motley crew”, we get to fall in love with each and everyone of them. At times you’ll want to cheer for them, as well as cry for them, at others you’ll want to shake some sense into them, but in the end you’ll want to just love them and tell them they truly can find their happiness if they give it a try.
A quote from the book really summarizes it:
“We’re more than our circumstances. We deserve hopes and dreams and love like everyone else.”
Once again, the reader is presented with a wonderful and engaging plot from the first page to the last. One with characters that are complex and perfect in their imperfections.
I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Jill Shalvis is my absolute favorite writer. There is just nothing like delving into one of her books. The characters she creates are so rich and emotionally complicated that she never fails to completely transfer me to the world she has created.
In The Forever Girl, Shalvis has four characters that have melded into a family inside of the Foster System. I found it very interesting that one of them was actually the biological daughter of the parents. The closeness that the four kids ( Cat, Maze, Walker and Heather) developed in their youth was destroyed by a tragic event. Now years later, Cat has brought the four of them back together to try to recapture their relationship as a “family”. Their emotions and mindsets are all over the place as they struggle to recover what they lost so many years ago.
Nothing does it for me like a Jill Shalvis book. She brings the emotion as well as the absurdity that is human nature and makes me laugh even as I’m crying.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
I’m pretty sure I’ve said this about every Jill Shalvis book I’ve read lately, but I’ll say it again. If you want to read about real, relatable (and yes, dysfunctional) characters that love each other dearly and deeply, grab yourself one of this author’s books. The Forever Girl is her latest Wildstone story, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Maze and Walker were the main storyline here, but there were a couple minor stories as well, and I personally loved how Jill Shalvis did this. I always enjoy her side stories as much as (and sometimes more than) her main one.
Maze and Walker were amazing together. They clearly had a connection, and with the wedding/reunion, they got to work through their past for another chance together.
Once again, I’ll be anticipating the next book.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the author.***
Jill Shalvis has a way of writing that pulls you in and engages you in the story from the outset and The Forever Girl was no exception. This book touched on so many different things from family, family of the heart, friends, second chances, love and forgiveness and it was definitely not short on emotion, humor or heart.
Maze has come back to Wildstone for her friend Caitlin’s (Cat) wedding and in the process, she reunites with the other two, Heather and Walker, who as teenagers made up the foursome that spent so much time together and were bonded by both wonderful memories and hardships.
While the four of them have been apart for many years, when they find themselves under one roof again, many things revert back to “normal” pretty quickly, while there are other things that time has changed about each of them causing some issues and bringing things to the surface that weren’t dealt with years before. Will they be able to re-establish the connections that they once shared or has time separated them too much?
You really get a bit of everything with this book; romance, friendship and family. Each of the characters, along with the secondary characters, are well defined, so you find yourself rooting for each of them to end up exactly where they are supposed to be. This is another fantastic addition to the Wildstone series!
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved this book! Family, friends and love come in all shapes and sizes. Jill Shalvis has put together characters who understand that though they weren’t born family, they belong to each other just the same.
I read an advanced copy of this book
I’ve enjoyed all the books I have read by Jill Shalvis and this one doesn’t disappoint. But, I think this one may be my favorite, so far. As time goes by, I find Jill’s stories get better and better. She has a way of telling a story that grabs you from the start. This book has love, humor, laughter, tears, tenderness (the way Walker slides his hands through Maze’s hair, mmm), family togetherness, forgiveness and wonderful characters! Awesome job, Jill!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy.
This is the sixth book of the Wildstone series by Jill Shalvis. This is the best book in this series so far and I have loved all of them. This is about Maze, Heather, Walker, Caitlin, Jace and Dillon. Caitlin’s parents had fostered Maze, Heather and Walker. Michael was Caitlin’s younger brother that had died in a fire at the family home. Maze was always the reckless one and she wanted them to sneak out of the house and go back to the fair. Maze tipped over the heater and the house went up in flames. She always blamed herself. Then her and Walker end up in Las Vegas and surprise a drunken marriage. But weren’t together anymore and hadn’t seen each other for 3 years. But Caitlin’s upcoming wedding to Dillon is what brings all of them back together! Maze shows up with Jace her boyfriend but really he was just her boss trying to make Walker jealousy. Loved the shower scene. Heather was the youngest and she shows up with a surprise? Maze and Walker did not like Dillon but was not going to interfere. Dillon’s mother was so over bearing about the wedding and Dillon couldn’t stand up to her. Walker was working for the FBI but really wanted to come back to Wildstone and live, Maze was missing Wildstone. I loved the bond between all of these adults that had came from broken homes and lived with Caitlin. True friendship through the tuff times and the happy times. Best book of the series so far. I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to know if Caitlin was going to get to the alter and couldn’t wait to see how Maze and Walker end up! Trust me you will love this book!
I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!
Jill Shalvis writes the type of books that pull you into the characters lives, loves, family & pain. It’s the type of story that you can’t put down until it’s done & you struggle the next day. I read this twice because I knew I missed things & enjoyed it just as much the second time.
The measure of a 5 star read for me is that the story has to pull me in & feel every emotion the character has to be feeling. I cried. I laughed. I felt happiness, grief, guilt & love all between the covers of this one story. I could basically restate the blurb in different words but to me, this story was all about the emotion, the family that was chosen not related by love & their desire to get past their feelings from the past to come back together. This was a wonderful story & one of Ms. Shalvis’ best.
Aww such a wonderful and emotional story. A bit of angst and lack of communication and misunderstanding on Maze and Walker’s parts but they managed to finally get it right in the end. But what I really loved was the love these foster siblings shared with eachother. I loved how they were so supportive of one another. There some really fun moments with them too. Definitely a heart warming story all around.
*I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book*
When Maze Porter set out for Wildstone for her foster sister’s wedding she expected a reunion with her friends… but not with the man she walked away from years ago. Walker Scott was once her everything, but then she let her demons take over, which eventually pushed him out of her life.
But now he is back, in the flesh, and asking for a chance… question is will she let old hurts take control once again or will she finally let herself be loved?
The Forever Girl is a heart-squeezing story of friendship, love, second chances, forgiveness, and family. In this one we meet a whole cast of characters who were joined in friendship as children, and their friendships have withstood the test of time. You will get glimpses at several of their lives, but the story mostly surrounds once couple, now somewhat enemies Maze and Walker. They were once in love and making plans for the future, but suddenly Maze’s demons started to seep into their relationship and it forced them apart. It has been a long time since they have seen one another, and this unexpected reunion is bound to stir up a bit of drama, and old feelings of course too. These two tortured me a bit, I could see what they could be together, but the picture wasn’t as clear to one of them and that meant a torturous slow burn romance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this newest offering from Ms. Shalvis, it had emotional depth, bits of humor, and the promise of a happily ever after. All the things I really look for in a story, with a few unexpected moments too! Highly recommend!!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my unbiased and honest opinion.
Just when I think Jill Shalvis can’t surprise me, she does. The Forever Girl was simply amazing! I mean I stayed up till midnight reading even though I had to get up early for work. This whole story proves that family is not just blood but one you choose to make yourself. The layers in this story was insanely good. Every single character in this story had depth and were all sort of maybe damaged in different ways. But it also showed the strength, determination and love each character had inside them whether they knew it or not. I seriously got chills reading this story. It wasn’t just about romantic love but about friendship and family. Each character brought something very important to the story and connected it all. I loved this book so much!
Tragedy, anger, self doubts, longing, heartbreaking, all will be felt in this reunion of 4 foster friends who love each other. To heal their relationship can they each open themselves up to each other with that love in honesty and find what they’ve always been looking for. Keep the tissues handy in this journey of healing and a forever love of 2. I volunteered an honest opinion for this book.
Though this book is set in Wildstone you can read it as a stand alone. This was another tear-jerker for me. This book is about for people (sibling) who need to overcome a lot of their pasts, coming together to help Cat before her wedding. They all have a past that haunts them and a love that defies it all. It may be hard for some of them to come to terms with that love but it’s there. This book is about the bonds we make and the friends we consider family.
*I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily giving my honest opinion*
The Forever Girl (Wildstone, #6) by Jill Shalvis I love this series Jill…
This is Maze and Walker’s story..but it is also Catlin, Heather, “Michael”, Sammy, Dillon and Jace’s. There are so many feeling in this book my heart could almost not take it. The angst, misunderstandings, love, fear, family, BFF’s, laughter and tears and some steam all getting us to a very HEA. This is book six of seven in the wildstone series and I can’t wait to see what is next.
Emotions are messy!
Forever Girl is the story of four adults coming together to celebrate, make amends, regain trust, and strengthen bonds. Once brought together as kids by foster care, they were torn apart by tragedy. Are they ready to put the past behind them and forge new friendships as adults? Watching them try to navigate all the new emotions was maddening, heartbreaking, and finally swoon-worthy!
Maze Porter was so sure she was all alone but she forgot family is forever and everyone deserves love. Family comes is all different shapes and sizes. Maze, Caitlin, Heather and Walker are family. What a beautiful story of friends and sticking together through good and bad times. I couldn’t put it down.