Love for Beginners
By Jill Shalvis
Release Date: June 8, 2021
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
3 Stars - I had to try quite hard to get into this one, but Shalvis' sweet and quirky love story had two great main characters to entertain me. Emma came off prickly at first and it took a minute to find her more relatable side through all her struggles. Simon was an excellent hero from the start though, endearing and always looking out for others. This wordy romance is worth a read if you can get into it.
Shalvis' romances sort of weave across line sometimes between sizzling tension and plain old dramedy. This one is no different. Sparks are flying for the couple Emma and Simon while they're also just plain perfectly polite at the outset. They've known each other for awhile but this isn't really a friends to lovers tale. It's more doctor-patient. But Emma's got a bit of an attitude and a lot of trust issues. Simon's quiet and cautious at first, but his generosity and determination would melt the coldest of hearts eventually. He was almost too perfect with his patience and concern for all the people around him.
At times, this story felt bogged down with details, inner thoughts, and repeat moments. Emma's got so much baggage that it takes awhile to really unload and warm up to her. The struggles she faces aren't exactly relatable for those of us without severe medical problems. But she has sort of an inspiring gritty side to her. She is, however, infinitely more likable than the secondary heroine Ali. I'm still not sure Shavlis adopted this second couple format. More than foreshadowing as Lori Foster and some others have been known to do, this is a whole other story here. Personally, I would have rather seen the book cut down about 100 pages and removed Ali's POV. She was whiny and completely oblivious when it came to her sort of ex-boyfriend Ryan. He doesn't get portrayed in the most flattering light either. They spend way too many pages moping and doing shared custody of their little dog. Dog lovers, rejoice! Shalvis' knack for including pets is on full display in this one. There's still just a bit too much gloom in the recent Wildstone series for me but this one was an improvement. If you're looking for a really heartfelt, sometimes sappy, romance with a little steam, go for it. Anyone looking for a real page-turner maybe skip this one.
(NS)
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