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The Forever Girl: A Novel
The Forever Girl: A Novel
The Forever Girl: A Novel
Audiobook9 hours

The Forever Girl: A Novel

Written by Jill Shalvis

Narrated by Erin Mallon

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis does it once again with a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and secrets that have the power to change the course of more than one life.


When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery. 

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger.


LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateJan 12, 2021
ISBN9780062897879
The Forever Girl: A Novel
Author

Jill Shalvis

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning novels wherever books are sold and visit her website, jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Reviews for The Forever Girl

Rating: 4.144444366666667 out of 5 stars
4/5

45 ratings11 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an interesting storyline bringing Foster kids into a reunion. Very compelling read. Shows sad histories, decent outcomes, and how love can build a new family without blood that can stick through life. It was very well written and sad at times with some laugh out loud moments.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it friendship is the best thing to have. Great book?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    With that GORGEOUS summery cover calling your name, how can you possibly resist a trip back to Wildstone? For readers, the obvious answer is YES...but for the characters...you might want to see exactly what they're stepping into, and why running the other way SERIOUSLY crossed their minds...

    Once upon a time, they were tight as tight could be. Brother and sisters of the heart, they knew bloodlines were not all that made someone family, but when tragedy struck, guilt was taken unnecessarily, and deep seated insecurities rear their ugly heads...well, it's easier to run than to face your fears, right? Thing is...you can only run so far, so fast...and eventually it all catches up to you. Grant it, you don't anticipate the catch up time being your life's anchor's wedding, but hey...it WAS coming! Why not face it with pizazz?! Can I just say prepare for fireworks of ALL kinds? Yeah, SO MANY kinds because things are about to come to a boiling point and where there's steam, you're bound to find fire...

    The connection these four had is enviable, but the state we find them in...so much less so. Don't worry, things begin to get sorted, but definitely not before they get much MUCH messier. We get the skinny on events as they unfold from all four of our main characters, which certainly gives us a well rounded picture to play with. Cat is their anchor; she always knew how to draw them together and make things right, but even she's out of sorts at the moment with the wedding (that really shouldn't be because though I love the puppers, Dillion was not growing on me). Heather is definitely the heart, but her reluctance to share her own hiccups over the last few years broke mine. Maze was a wild card, and though she hasn't truly settled her competitive streak, nor her take it all to heart ways, she's definitely grown...and still carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Walker doesn't really have room to talk because HELLO...dude took off and ensconced himself in brick walls of another variety (military, FBI, the works!)...but he did keep in touch with most of them, so there is that. She plus he is also a highly volatile combination...as in hearts have been broken and could still break further, but they could also be the best thing that ever happened to each other if given the proper chance.

    So many roads to travel, but all of them made better with true friends, true family by your side...and these four know that lesson inside and out. A great add to the series, and a great read for Contemporary Romance fans! If you've not picked up a Wildstone book, or a work by this author for that matter, you don't know what you're missing!


    **copy received for review; opinions are my own
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I think I like Jill Shavis better when she's being hysterically funny. There was nothing wrong with this book which is more women's lit than romance (there is romance, but it's pretty serious). It's a quick read with some interesting characters. Maze is a little whiney, but she does grow up some. Walker is fine, but the Caitlin/Dillon stuff was just sad. I really wanted more about Heather, Sammie, and Jace because I found their romance (Heather is the single mother of Sammie and her romance is with Jace - I realized how weird that sentence sounded) the most interesting. There are angst and drama and some real tragedy, and it's all fine, a quick read, but not my favorite.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've become a huge fan of the Wildstone series and this book is the latest addition to it. I started this series (although I say series loosely...as far as I can tell the only thing that connects each book is Wildstone itself) in the middle and I'm completely hooked at this point. Each book has featured characters that I cannot help but care about with storylines that keep me turning the pages. In this book, we meet Maze, Cat, Walker, and Heather who all spent one wonderful year together as kids but that year ended in a horrible tragedy. As adults they are still dealing with the fallout of that year and their relationships with one another. Maze and Walker have always had a certain chemistry to their relationship but for better or worse things have kept them apart. Oh but how I adored watching them work towards trying to find their happy ending together. They both had a lot of deep rooted issues that came from their childhood and being a part of the foster care system. What made this book really great for me though was besides these two great characters we also had both Cat and Heather. I spent my entire time reading this book rooting for Maze and Walker but also for Cat and Heather to figure out their relationships as well. I'm trying not to say too much here but there was a lot going on for all of these characters. I honestly could have read a book that focused just on Heather and a certain someone and their relationship. I won't say more than that. And while this book had a serious side due to all of the issues that these characters were dealing with (like things from their past and that shared tragedy), this book also had me laughing out loud at times. The bachelorette party scene was absolutely priceless! At this point, I've enjoyed this series so much that I instantly add the next upcoming book to my TBR after finishing the latest book. I really need to grab the earlier books in this series and catch up on them as well. I think that fans of contemporary romance and women's fiction especially shouldn't sleep on this series. It's so good and just the perfect blend of romance and relationships! Highly recommended!Bottom Line: Another great addition to what has become one of my favorite romance series!Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. Honest thoughts are my own.CW: Loss of a sibling, abuse, loss, foster care, trust issues
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Maze must attend the wedding of her estranged best friend. This turns into more than she bargained for. It becomes a walk down memory lane to some unpleasant memories. Maze must face up to these memories and her attraction to Walker.This story has a lot of characters to keep up with but once you get the hang of who, what, when and where…it takes off like a rocket. I enjoyed the interactions between Maze, Cat, Heather and Walker. These people had me laughing out loud and wanting to slap them all at the same time. I also loved Maze and Walker! OMG…WHAT A GREAT TEAM.No one does snarky like Jill Shalvis. I swear this author can make me cry, laugh and snort all in the same sentence.Need a fun, sometimes serious romance…this is it!I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Jill Shalvis writes the type of books that pull you into the characters lives, loves, family & pain. It’s the type of story that you can’t put down until it’s done & you struggle the next day. I read this twice because I knew I missed things & enjoyed it just as much the second time. The measure of a 5 star read for me is that the story has to pull me in & feel every emotion the character has to be feeling. I cried. I laughed. I felt happiness, grief, guilt & love all between the covers of this one story. I could basically restate the blurb in different words but to me, this story was all about the emotion, the family that was chosen not related by love & their desire to get past their feelings from the past to come back together. This was a wonderful story & one of Ms. Shalvis’ best.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    #FirstLine - PROLOGUE: Maze Porter was good at pretending to be fine, but since no one could see her, she dropped all pretense and stopped twenty-five yards short of her goal, unable to so much as swallow past the lump stuck in her throat.I loved this book so much. It had such great character development. You got to really know each character; where they came from, what their struggles were, and what was holding them all back from being together. It was beautifully paced and you really get drawn into the story. There are some great side stories and some big surprises. I will definitely be checking out other books in this series. A must read for those who want to get lost in a great story!!!Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was fantastic! It is no secret that I have been a fan of Jill Shalvis's writing for a while so I was really eager for the chance to read this newest installment in the Wildstone series. The Wildstone series are all set in the town of Wildstone but can be read in any order so you can feel free to jump in anywhere you like in the series. When I picked this book up, I planned to read about half of it if I could but by the end of the day, I had finished it because it was simply too good to put down. Cat is getting married and she wants her family to be with her in the week leading up to the big day. Maze, Heather, and Walker are the foster kids that lived with her family for one wonderful year until tragedy struck and she considers them to be her family. The group has gone their separate ways during the past three years and they have some catching up to do and some wounds to heal. Cat is determined to bring everyone back together so that they can reestablish the close bond they once shared.Maze and Walker have a little secret that the others don't know about. Nobody knows about that weekend in Vegas that they shared years ago but neither of them can forget. Maze and Walker had fantastic chemistry and I thought that they were absolutely perfect together. I love that they shared a past and had so much in common with each other. All of the characters in this book have been through a lot and while the events from the past have stayed with them, they are working hard to have the best life they can. I loved watching Maze and Walker work through their issues and try for a second chance. This book was very well written. I love the fact that the book dealt with some pretty tough issues but was also able to make me laugh. The relationships between all of the characters changed and grew throughout the book and I loved the way that things progressed in a way that felt authentic. I liked that the relationships between the core group of characters were as much of a focus as the romance between Maze and Walker. There is even a bonus romance to keep things even more interesting. I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this book to be filled with fantastic characters, the perfect dose of humor, and a lot of heart. I cannot wait to read more from this fantastic author.I received an advanced review copy of this book from William Morrow Paperbacks.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Maze is returning to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff Caitlin which is also bringing together her former foster siblings Heather and Walker. Once upon a time, Maze, Heather, and Walker were fostered into Caitlin's parent's home. For a year, they grew to be family to one another, but a tragedy tore them all apart and long-held guilt has continued to strain their relationship especially within the last three years where they have barely spoken to one another. Now, forced to be around one another in the week leading up to the nuptials, Heather, Walker, Maze, and Caitlin will begin to heal old wounds and put the past to rest. I probably say this every time I finish with a Wildstone book, but I'm pretty sure The Forever Girl is my new favorite. All the elements just fit together so perfectly. The sisterly/female friendships, found family, second-chance romance. It's all there and Jill Shalvis executes everything perfectly. This is one of the few books in the series where I hope Jill Shalvis will give a couple of the more secondary characters (i.e. Heather and Caitlin) their own stories as was previously done with [book:Lost and Found Sisters|32319723] and [book:The Good Luck Sister|37758704]. The Forever Girl mainly focuses on Maze and Walker. Both of them put into the foster system at a young age, both of them still dealing with the tragic events of the past, yet still they are drawn to one another. They complete each other through their shared, yet different, experiences and the paths they've taken in their lives. They are a good compliment to each other, it's just that they haven't figured it out yet. Luckily, we get a front row to Maze and Walker dealing with the past and seeing if they can have a future. It's sweet and I was immediately drawn into their story. I was rooting for them from basically the first page and I liked that Jill Shalvis doesn't really string readers along in regards to the fact that both Walker and Maze have long-held feelings for one another. What we have to brace ourselves for throughout is whether they can move forward with their feelings. If they can set aside their fears from their childhoods and give someone else a chance. Besides Walker and Maze's romance, I did like that we got some focus on the healing that needed to happen between Caitlin, Maze, Walker and Heather too as a group. Their lives all changed one fateful day when they were teenagers and they've each dealt with things differently and subsequently they've pulled apart from one another. I liked that Jill Shalvis shows us the different ways of grief, but then also shows readers the light at the end so to speak. That having and keeping the people you care about close is essential. That there are people in your life, no matter what, who will stand by you no questions, no matter your faults. I loved seeing that close, unshakable bond within this group, and loved seeing them find it within themselves again. It kind of nudged the romance out of first place as the thing I loved most about the book. Really a standout story in this series. If you haven't read the other books in the series, you're in luck because they perfectly standalone. But I promise you won't want to just visit Wildstone once.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 Stars. I’m fairly new to Ms. Shalvis’ books. Even though this is #6 in a series, it can be read as a stand-alone, as I did. Ms. Shalvis is pegged as a romance writer, but the past two books I’ve read, she tackles some pretty tough subjects too. This book explores family, something a lot of us may take for granted. But, if you are a foster kid, family is something you wish for. Finding a good, loving foster family isn’t easy but once you have it, it can change your life. Five ‘siblings’, 2 birth and 3 foster, are close until tragedy tears them apart. Their relationship changes but thru all the misunderstandings, love is there. So hard to open up feelings when you’ve learned to keep this closed up and not trust. Enjoyable storyline with realistic, damaged and traumatized by events up in their childhood. Thanks to Ms Shalvis, WIlliam Morrow and Net Galley for this ARC opinion is mine alone.