Sweet Little Lies is the first book in the new Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis. I have enjoyed books by Jill Shalvis for years, and she has always been one of those contemporary authors that you just know are going to be good regardless of the story. While I do still enjoy her books, her last several have been on the predictable side. I think part of that is the number of books she has written at this point and the fact that her stories are similar. Sweet Little Lies was still a good read, but if you are a contemporary romance reader don't expect this one to break any new ground.
Pru captains a San Francisco tour boat and admires Finn O'Riley from afar. She knows that he is Mr. Right, but she also knows that he isn't for her. But when she becomes part of his circle of friends, an accident leads to them acting on feelings that are more than friendly. Though Pru wants to be with Finn and wants him to be happy, she has a secret that could destroy everything.
Jill Shalvis is great at creating likable characters and these two were no exception. Finn and Pru were both genuinely good people who wanted the best for those they cared about. They were loyal and had great chemistry. I enjoyed seeing them get to know one another and grow closer as their banter was fun and playful. I kept waiting for the big secret to come out because I knew that was going to be a big deal and I was worried about how it would affect both of them. But I really liked these two together and I really believed that they were supposed to be together.
I have to admit that part of my problem with this story and some of Jill's books being so predictable lately is that I am kind of over the "big secret" that isn't revealed until the story is almost over. I feel like so many times it is held back just for the drama and it did feel a bit like that here. I also felt like this book was one of those where it felt like she was trying to throw all the tropes into one story. While I understand that it is impossible to avoid some things being predictable, it just came off as too much for me here. While I love Jill Shalvis and she is one of the reasons I started reading romance novels in the first place, it just feels like her stories seem to be mostly the same with just some of the details changed at this point. I still enjoy her books, but at this point it seems to be that I just like them rather than love them. If you are a fan of contemporary romance books, Jill Shalvis should definitely be on your go-to list. But if you are looking for something new or really different, this might not be what you are looking for.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
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