"The Family You Make" tugs on our heartstrings and emotions, making us root for Levi and Jane to find a way to come together without losing their selves. True, their meeting was hardly the standard meet=cute type, with them both facing death at any moment, but it reveals their characters immediately. Levi loves his family and is a giving man, one who calls his mom in what might be his last moment and instead of saying goodbye decides on impulse to tell her he's found someone to love, while Jan shows both her sense of isolation and that, in a pinch, she steps up and helps Levi when he is injured. The story evolves from that point, true, following the ol' fake girlfriend motif, but Shalvis is a master at bringing her characters, both the main ones and the supporting cast, Relationships evolve, including the one between Charlotte and Mateo, and family dynamics are explored. The contrast between Levi and Jane's family backgrounds is huge, tho' in many ways Levi seems to be trying to escape the sense of being too loved as much as Jane is vulnerable and lonely as she was shuffled from relative to relative during her growing years. and finds it difficult to trust others to love her. There's humor, too. One of the ones that stuck with me, maybe because I was just outside pondering the need to clear my own driveway of snow, was Jane's ridiculous reaction to Levi clearing hers for her. Woman, send him up here!
This is a new series for author Jill Shalvis and I'm looking forward to our next visit with her, the families, and collected friends. IF you like women's stories and romance, not to mention lovely winter wonderland settings, you'll love this book.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #WilliamMorrowAndCustomHouse, #WilliamMorrowPaperbacks, and #HarperCollins for the Arc. I'd drifted away from Jill Shalvis' books for awhile and this was a lovely return visit.
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