The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis | Book Review

 

The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis

Sunrise Cove #4

Published: 13th June 2023 by Headline Eternal

Other works: The Family You Make, The Friendship Pact, The Backup Plan

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This in no way affects my review.

Synopsis

When Harper Shaw’s life falls apart, she knows it’s time for a change. She removes everything that doesn’t spark joy—from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists—and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn’t feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery.

With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she’s never experienced since…well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets…

When those secrets explode, it changes Harper’s new world, and she’ll learn, it’s never too late to start over, it’s never too late to figure out your life, and best of all, it’s never too late to let yourself believe in love.

Review

Warning - potential spoilers!

I have been aware of Shalvis as a prolific romance author for many years, and so I jumped at the chance to finally read one of her works, and I have to say that The Sweetheart List did not disappoint. While I'm maybe more used to romances on the steamier side, I actually really appreciated the mostly cleaner nature of Shalvis's work, and think a series like Sunrise Cove would be a great introduction into the Romance genre for those unsure of it.

I do always worry when I start reading a series mid-way through that there will be too many in-jokes and references to previous stories, but I loved the fact that this didn't even follow another member of the same family, and that the only thing that remained simoilar was the location! This way it feels as though you can dip in and out whenever the premise suits you. The fact that we follow Harper in this book, who is in the process of opening a bakery, made me immediately interested, as it's a secret fantasy of mine, and gave me enough of a secondary plot to focus on while the romance between her and Bodie was building. I love a small-town setting, and really enjoyed the little features of the various town locations like the bookstore and the tavern too.

Harper's business venture wasn't the only secondary plot point that excited and propelled me through th story, however, as I loved how Shalvis navigated the whole teenage-runaway character into something so meaningful and important to the overall plot, as well as Harper and Bodie's blossoming relationship. I think it allowed for a strong level of character development not only for Iris and Bodie, but also for Harper and how they all got through such new and yet such strong relationships being formed. While strong family units are quite common in romance novels, the way in which Bodie's was introduced as part of the larger story felt refreshingly unique, as I didn't find it to overtake the romance, or the newer familial bonds being forged.

The Sweetheart List might not have captured my attention fully throughout the whole book, but I found the story to be very compelling, and I certainly fell in love with the setting of Sunrise Cove, and I will definitely be checking out the other books in this series, and more of Shalvis' books generally!