Forever and a Day By Jill Shalvis

Title: Forever and a Day
Author: Jill Shalvis
Number of pages: 384
Pub date: July 31,2012
Source: Net galley
Star rating: 5 stars
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Thought I had this review up before somehow I must have deleted it :(

This book is part of a series, but can be read as an standalone.

Grace Brooks moved from New York to Washington State for a banking job that quickly turned sour. After that let-down she decides to get in her car and travel as far as a tank of gas could take her, she ends up in Lucky Harbor, Washington. Once there, she meets Mallory and Amy, a pair of quirky, fun-loving girls. Soon they are all three best friends. Now, life would be great if she wasn’t 2000 miles away from home, running out of money, and could just find a job. But her luck begins to change when she answers a call for a man looking for a dog walker.

Josh is a single dad, and doctor in the small town of Lucky harbor. He’s overworked and stretched too thin. This leaves him with NO time to enjoy life. Josh owns his own practice (inherited from father), works at the hospital, and still finds time to volunteer his services to other places. His only priorities are; taking care of his son Toby, caring for his 21 year-old sister, and being the best doctor he can be. He has no time for romance; he barely has time left to breathe. But his mind and body are not on the same page, and Lust is in the air.
Throw in a couple of quirky best friends, the dog from hell, a mean younger sister, a child that barks and you have a story! 

My response
This is my first book from this author, and I feel like I was just invited into a secret club (that other readers already knew existed). I feel like I missed SO much by not reading anything from this author beforehand. Jill Shalvis is a brilliant writer; she brought this story to life. The characters are so fully developed that you feel like you know each one of them personally and their stories felt real. Like the relationship Grace has with her two best friends; Mallory and Amy reminds me of my relationship with my friends, and the connection that Grace develops between herself, Anna, and Toby.

Plus the town’s Facebook page with all the latest gossip was ingenious, I found myself laughing out loud a hand full of times over some of those posts. Also, the short statements before every chapter, referencing chocolate it brought a great added bonus to the overall feel of the book. I personally loved them all! “Forever and A Day” was more than just a “romance” novel it was about acceptance, friendship, and learning to grow up and move on.

Overall, this is a five star book! It has the perfect balance of humor, romance, and sexual encounters. I highly recommend “Forever and A Day.” It’s a sweet and convincing contemporary romance that will not disappoint you. It will definitely be on my “favorites” list for this year!

Characters: 5/5
Writing/error: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Would I recommend it: Yes!