Sunrise Cove Series: Book 7
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Old flames reignite in Sunrise Cove in this charming enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, small-town, forced-proximity love story about family, friendships, and true love from New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis.
When Olive Porter’s off-the-grid parents go missing, she reluctantly seeks out Noah Turner, her ex and the only person she both trusts implicitly and not at all.
As a special investigative agent for the National Park Service, Noah’s used to living under intense pressure. Or he was until he got injured on the job. Now unhappily recuperating at home while being smothered by his loving but nosy family, he’d love nothing more than a good distraction.
So when Olive shows up looking like a million bucks, he has to do a gut and heart check. Because nope, no matter what, he can’t fall for her again, the woman who once blew up his entire life and never looked back. How ironic then that his own personal hell (Olive) is also his ticket out of town. The question is, will the risk be worth the reward?
In Jill Shalvis‘ 7th book in her Sunset Cove series, Better Than Friends, is a stand-alone book that brings Olive back to the small mountain cove near Lake Tahoe. This is where she left her hippie parents when she was thirteen and moved in with her Gram. Right next door was a family that became an extension of her new home with Gram.
As she navigated high school and all the emotional snafus, she was drawn to her neighbor, Noah. It was easy to stay in his presence since his twin sister, Katie, was her best friend. He became her protector and her secret crush. But in a freak accident, Noah is the one who gets crushed by an ATV that Olive was driving! The accident sets into motion a reason for her to leave Sunset Cove and take her life across the ocean to London—for years.
Years later, Olive is needed by Katie. Katie has always needed Olive, just like Gran, but they have accepted Olive’s escape to her successful life far from their small town. But now Katie needs to be at her husband’s bedside, and she begs Olive to put aside whatever has kept her away so she can help with Katie’s 5-year-old son. Little does Olive know that Noah will be just as needed in this crisis.
The storyline of how a family was built to support Olive in her teen years as she was searching for a love she could count on is very unique. Her hippie parents are woven into the threads of the story in its present-day story as well. However, this part felt forced to me, as did the resistance Olive used to keep Noah away.  Yet, the bonds of friendship and love prevail as the author plants scenes full of fun; like a thrift store game and a snowy hunt for a yurt!
There are plenty of sayings about how friends make the best family and lovers. If these adages strike your heart, then Better Than Friends is a good read for you. 
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.
