Almost Just Friends (Wildstone, #4)

by Jill Shalvis

[stacey_is_sassy]

I love my family, but I don’t like them sometimes…

I’ve just come back from a 10-day cruise with my family. Not just my little family, my whole bloody family. There were 15 of us in total, setting sail to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Congratulations, Mum and Dad on surviving and conquering 50 years of wedded bliss. Love you both so much and I’m proud to be your daughter.

BUT 10 DAYS STUCK ON A BOAT…BLOODY HELL, THAT WAS HARD WORK!

I love them… but, geez, I don’t like them sometimes. Family dynamics are a wonderful thing. One day we’re all happy, happy, joy, joy (that could have been the wine talking). The next day, there are tears, tantrums and screaming matches (too many wine days, not enough water days). I guess it’s been a wee while since I’ve spent days with my sisters and parents. We love, trust and care for each other which gives us the freedom to be honest, straight-forward and even a little blunt. Honestly, a lot of it was a blast and I loved spending time with my family but I’ve never been so bloody happy to be home from a holiday.

It cracked me up that again, Jill Shalvis has written something so relevant to me and my life. Almost Just Friends is all about family dynamics. I recognised the bossy elder sister who lectures instead of listens. I know that little sister who is determined to be strong and independent… with a little help from family. I may also be somewhat like the middle “peacekeeper” who has been known to go off the rails but never meant to be a burden.

Now, all these traits do not define us (the characters and my siblings) as we can and are so much more. The bossiness comes from love and a need to see their family happy and content. The need to show her independence is from an acceptance that she can do anything because of the love and support at their back. That peacekeeper has seen some tough times so now we want everyone we love to avoid the tough times and lead their best lives.

Almost Just Friends is not just about the family dynamics, though. This story is about a woman who has put aside her wants and needs to raise her siblings. The journal she keeps was her way to stay on track and plan for the future. Piper notes what she hopes to achieve and ticks her successes and rewrites what still needs to happen. Things are finally getting to a stage where she thinks things are going smooth…ish and now Piper can start her own adventure.

Of course, when it comes to family, nothing is ever smooth and of course, the love of your life… I mean, the man of the moment, gets to witness every messy detail.

Camden’s younger brother Rowan died, and the last words Cam said to him were in anger. Now, Cam is trying to fix the mistakes of his past and find his own piece of happiness. Days after his arrival home to visit with his dad, a storm blows in changing everything. One woman is the calm in the middle of the storm. Piper challenges him to be better and makes it easy to laugh again. She’s not looking for a relationship but with the sparks they set off in each other, Cam’s sure she’s his permanent light.

I am convinced that Jill Shalvis writes for me alone. It’s like she knows what I want to read when I want to read it. Almost Just Friends had the perfect mix of humour, emotion and conflict, with a healthy dose of sexy times added for my pleasure. There were times that I found the simultaneous family fireworks (real-life and book life) helped me get through the dramas. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who loves their family while also wanting to murder them.

If you’re a fan of Jill Shalvis, this is one of her best and if you haven’t tried her yet… DO IT! If you’ve followed the Wildstone series, this is a great addition to the series, if you haven't started it yet… DO IT! I highly recommend giving Almost Just Friends a try.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.