Book Review: Better Than Friends

By Melissa Smoot

When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.

As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.

So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I have enjoyed everything I’ve read by Jill Shalvis. There is always so much heart and a deep level of introspection by each character. I love to watch the characters go through the process of growing and learning the underlying reasons for the way they are. 

Better Than Friends pulled me in from the beginning because there was something different from previous stories I have read by the author. There were the usual Shalvis trademarks, but this one felt like it went to a much deeper place for the characters. The past was darker and more complicated, while still being easy to relate to. I don’t know how she does it, but I always fall in love with the main characters and want them to win.

I liked that the book was set back in Sunrise Cove in the Lake Tahoe area. It is such a great setting and I have not come across it in any books by other authors. Having spent time in Tahoe, while living in San Francisco as a child, I can easily picture the beautiful blue of the alpine lake and pine covered peaks surrounding it. 

This story will suck you in and make you want to race to the end. If you are looking for something that will make you smile, laugh, cry, and root for the usual “Shalvis style” cast of colorful characters, this is the perfect book for you.

Thanks to HarperCollins for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jill Shalvis:

The Family You Make

The Backup Plan

The Sweetheart List

(All are from the Sunrise Cove series - standalones)

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