New Release: The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis + Review

 The Family you Make by Jill Shalvis is now available!

Blurb:

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis begins a new series--Sunrise Cove--set near beautiful Lake Tahoe, with a heartwarming story of found family and love.

During the snowstorm of the century Levi Cutler is stranded on a ski lift with a beautiful stranger named Jane. After strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground, Levi calls his parents to prepare them for the worst...but can't bring himself to say goodbye. Instead, wanting to fulfill his mother's lifelong wish, he impulsively tells her he's happily settled and Jane is his girlfriend--right before his phone dies.

But Levi and Jane do not.

Now Levi's family is desperate to meet "The One." Though Jane agrees to be his pretend girlfriend for just one dinner, she's nervous. After a traumatic childhood, Jane isn't sure she knows how to be around a tight-knit family that cherishes one another. She's terrified, and a little jealous. But an unexpected series of events and a host of new friends soon show Jane that perhaps this is the life she was always meant to have.

As Jane and Levi spend more time together, pretend feelings quickly turn into real ones. Now all Jane has to do is admit to herself she can't live without the man she's fallen in love with and the family she has always dreamed of.

Links: https://www.jillshalvis.com/the-family-you-make

Review:

3.5 - 3.75 stars

***

 This was a pretty good book. The Family You Make is Levi and Jane's story. The two of them meet in a rather terrifying way. Jane is a traveling nurse working in Sunrise Cove temporarily, while Levi is visiting his family who lives there. They both happen to be the only passengers on the same ski gondola on the side of a mountain when the power goes out and the track breaks. They think they are going to die and Levi even gets injured. But that meeting leaves them feeling a connection they want to explore temporarily while they are in town. Jane also agrees to be Levi's pretend girlfriend in front of his family. And that pretend feeling very quickly starts feeling very real. Jane and Levi find they really are meant to be together.

I found this book entertaining and the story interesting. I did find the book a little slow moving and meandering at times. I liked Levi and Jane. They were sweet together and had a good connection. I just felt the romance lacked a little focus, adding in their friends Charlotte and Mateo's romance on the side. But the book's ending was cute and worthwhile. I was happy Jane and Levi were able to overcome their issues and get their HEA. I do miss the more romance focused feel of the Heartbreaker Bay series though.

Overall, this was a pretty good read. I look forward to more from Ms. Shalvis in the future.