⭐️ 1/5 |  🌶️ 1/5 
Third Person Narrative  |  MF Closed Door Romance 
Lexi is FMC, Heath is MMC
Triggers: Challenging family dynamic, death of parents, childhood cancer, abandonment, job loss, gambling addiction. 

This is my first book of Jill Shalvis that I’ve read and I was really excited as she has so many with decent reviews. With this being “Sunrise Cove #8” I wanted to make sure whether I had to read the other 7 in the series first. I found out that you can read Jill Shalvis's books in any order because they are written as stand-alones. However, if you like reading series you can read them in order and enjoy cameos from characters in other books.

I really was looking forward to this book. I love a good cozy romance and with huge character growth and challenging family dynamics. However, I hate to say it but I DNF’d it at 80%. I started the New Year vowing that I wouldn’t force myself to power through to finish a book that was a lost cause just because I felt guilty or felt that I owed it to the author. I have also been trying not to give away 5 stars so quickly too and actually give  helpful, honest critique. And believe me, I really tried finishing the book here. I really did. Especially with how promising the author’s star ratings are for other books. I paused and re-read pages several times just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things and going crazy.
There were too many confusing, inconsistent, irrelevant details for my liking.

For starters: It wasn’t clear right away how the sisters were related. I’m actually still not entirely sure even after going back for clarity. And personally I didn’t think this was a book where I would have to highlight details and reference back complex information in order to keep up with the storyline (like when I dive into world-building books I am 100% prepared to have to do that. Cozy romance? Not so much).

The timeline is also unclear: It is mentioned that Lexi and Heath were childhood friends, going to school together, and Heath’s grandpa lived right behind Lexi. But then it goes on to also say “He actually didn’t know much about her childhood in this house other than the few tidbits Ashley and Daisy had doled out over the years.” If Heath and Lexi were such good friends growing up, wouldn’t he know about her childhood? 
Additionally, the apparent traumatic memory of her childhood that had her resenting her mom the rest of her life was because her mom forgot to pick her up from school one day. That just seems a bit dramatic to me.

This is also apparently a nemesis-turned-crush but other than some teasing in elementary school, I’m not really sure where their tension comes from? Why did they despise each other in school other than they were both competitive and that’s what boys and girls do sometimes when they like each other? 

And when Lexi and Heath kissed at Ashley’s graduation and she immediately assumed the worst because he “had a horrified reaction on his face.” You know what could’ve cleared that up real quick? Communicating! But instead they continued to bring out the worst in each other and be jerks whenever Lexi visited.

Next, with the inconsistency: in one scene, it is said: that Lexi “was in a little summer dress that showed off her long legs, a fitted, cropped jeans jacket, wedge sandals on her feet.” But then a few pages later still in the same scene, she’s having trouble getting out of her jeans and t-shirt because she’s all wet.
Also, with the staple gun and glass paperweight baseball and Vinny. That information was inconsistent, and also Ashley introduced herself to him, a MOB BOSS, by HER FULL NAME, left a check with address information and then Lexi staples him in the balls and they run and aren’t worried?!

Lastly, the spice and sex scenes were absolutely pathetic and weak. There was definitely potential there. 

I know I read an unedited version but man this was just all over the place, amateur, and poorly written.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.