In a Nutshell Reviews

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The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis
Published by Avon on January 16, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a heartwarming story about the choices we make and the love we let into our lives...

Luna Wright is a lot of things, but sweet and trusting isn’t on the list. However, she’s a sucker for the underdog and a hard-luck story. Adopted at birth, with scant knowledge of her biological family, she’s created her own inner circle, a motley crew which includes her bestie Willow, to help her run the struggling but charming Apple Ridge Farm.

With a farm-to-table café as well as a menagerie of rescued animals (complete with a baby goat who keeps escaping to the pantry to eat the secret stash of decidedly not organic potato chips), it’s the best home she’s ever known. But when the owner Silas, who they secretly call The Grinch, passes away, Luna discovers the farm is now under control of his investment manager, the enigmatic Jameson Hayes….and her. And that Silas had many, many secrets.

Now Luna’s carefully controlled corner of the world is threatened and she—along with some help from her friends—has to dig deep to find true strength and the real meaning of love and family.

When the owner of Apple Ridge Farm passed away, Luna discovered that she had inherited the farm. Well, she inherited half the farm. The other half was inherited by Jameson, aka The Suit, and he had arrived to help Luna save the Apple Ridge.

And the hits keep on coming! I have been a long time fan of Shalvis', but my undying adoration of her books started with the Wildstone series. These books still had all Shalvis' signature elements, but there was a bit of a shift leaning more towards "women's" fiction which really works for me.

In The Bright Spot, Shalvis has created a wonderful world filled with quirky characters, farmland, and baby goats. From the first few pages, I knew this was going to be a hit for me. I mean, BABY GOATS!!! But seriously, there was just something special about Luna that captured my interest and had me deeply invested in her story.

So, what was so special about The Bight Spot?

• Luna was the heart and soul of Apple Ridge Farm. I admired the way she poured herself into every aspect of the farm, and it was very important to me that everything worked out for her. I am not just talking about saving the farm here. Luna had a tendency to keep parts of herself from others. She didn't willing share personal details because she always saw herself as not enough. The irony here was that everyone at Apple Ridge Farm loved her so much and were huge supporters. It was going to take a lot to get her to see what everyone else already did.
• Jameson was a part of getting Luna to see how incredible she was. He had been dealt some blows in his past and was lucky enough to find someone to believe in him. But it wasn't all Jameson being a hero here, he got so much out of his time at the farm. Jameson had lived a fairly solitary life. His job required extensive travel, and he never really put down any roots. Apple Ridge Farm was a magical place where Jameson found acceptance and family.
• The found family element is one Shalvis always does so well, and here, she assembled a most-lovable rag-tag group of characters. They were delightful and hilarious, but mostly, they exuded love and warmth, and heck, I wish I could get a job there.
• Willow's storyline had a great message, too. As Luna's ride-or-die, she was very important in Luna's life, but had been dealing with a lot of inner turmoil related to her future. She made goals when she was younger and was struggling with not being where she thought she would be. A lot of self-reflection and reevaluation were needed, and also Willow had to acknowledge that dreams and plans can change.
• All Shalvis' books feature animals in some way, but she really upped her game with this book. Being on the farm and spending time with the emu, the baby goats, the geriatric dog, and all the other rescues was fantastic. Their antics never failed to bring a smile to my face, and I totally have a soft spot for the critters.

Overall, this was an incredible return trip to Sunrise Cove. This book was packed with humor and warmth and it simply captured my heart.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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Christmas in Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Published by Gallery Books on October 26, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

When the Murphy women are in trouble, they always know they can turn to their mother, Ansley. So when eldest daughter Caroline and her husband announce they are divorcing—and fifteen-year-old daughter Vivi acts out in response—Caroline, at her wits end, can’t think of anything to do besides leave her with Ansley in Peachtree Bluff for the holidays. After all, how much trouble can one teenager get into on a tiny island?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

As the “storm of the century” heads toward Peachtree Bluff, Ansley and her husband, Jack, with Vivi in tow, are grateful they’re planning to leave for the trip of a lifetime. But Vivi’s recklessness forces the trio to shelter in place during the worst hurricane Peachtree has ever seen. With no power, no provisions, and the water rising, the circumstances become dire very quickly…and the Murphy sisters soon realize it’s up to them to conduct a rescue mission. With the bridges closed and no way to access Peachtree Bluff by land or air, they set sail on Caroline’s boat, The Starlite Sisters , determined to rebuild their beloved town—and their family.

Confession: I had only read the first book in this series when my library loan came through. Because there's something wonderful about reading a Christmas book at Christmas, I checked the book out. It didn't seem to matter that I had not read the other two books. I was so happy to be back in this world with the Murphy women, and Harvey did such a great job filling in those gaps. It was very organic, and I never once felt lost in the story.

With that out of the way, I loved seeing how everything worked out for the Murphy girls. Seeing everyone happy and enjoying success warmed my heart. Vivi was still being a bit of a brat and caused major havoc, but like everyone else, she learned and grew from the experience.

The family element is the heart and soul of this whole series, but the community of Peachtree Bluff is a close second. This wonderful place had a starring role in this book, and a natural disaster gave the community a chance to rally and shine. All this was topped off with some lovely holiday celebrations which had me feeling warm and fuzzy and wholly satisfied.

Favorite farm animal?
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