I picked up Rainy Day Friends because I was looking for a cozy beach read. I like the relationship focus of Rainy Day Friends, and the serial adulterer husband angle adds a dark tone to what would otherwise be a perfectly cozy beach reach.
From the first pages, Jill Shalvis’s voice captured my attention. It was as if I was in Lanie’s mind reading her thoughts as they came to her. I felt immediately vested in Lanie’s situation and curious about where she was going.
Meeting the Capriottis made the read with their good-natured humor and banter. I love books in which family is prominent. They bring warmth and joy to the story, and I love how fiercely protective they are of their own. Large families like the Capriottis bring especial joy because they remind me that, no matter how much family may quarrel or get under each other’s skin, they’re there for you at the end of the day.
Rainy Day Friends explores complex relationships and issues. These complexities bring heart and greater depth to the characters. While Lanie struggles with her feelings about her recently deceased cheating husband, other characters deal with their own struggles with love, hurt, and betrayal. Their growing relationships with one another help them work through these issues and reach their own happy endings. Shalvis works through these issues with sensitivity and attention while maintaining the overall light-hearted feel of the novel. In fact, she gives them the same heart that the Capriottis give to the hurting hearts they nurture.
What caught me by surprise is how the novel interweaves the stories of Lanie and River. Given the amount of attention to her, Lanie appears to be the main protagonist, but the novel switches to River’s POV enough that she seems to be a secondary lead. I appreciate how Shalvis interweaves the two women’s stories and uses them to bring healing into each other’s lives, and River is a likable young woman. That said, I was more invested in Lanie’s story by the time River came into the picture. A danger of multiple POVs is when the reader is more invested in one plotline than the other.
I also wasn’t fond of the fast-paced romance. Things get physical pretty quickly. It’s only later that Lanie and Mark allow themselves to get emotionally invested. (Which is understandable given their pasts.) I prefer stories that explore the emotional side more than the physical, the latter of which featured quite prominently in this novel.
There is also quite a bit of mature content, which may be a deal breaker for some readers. (I myself wasn’t fond of how heavy language kept being dropped on a fairly consistent basis over the course of this novel.) If you’d like to see the details, scroll down to the table under the heading “more about this book.”
Rainy Day Friends is a heartwarming feel-good read. It explores the complexities of human relationships while simultaneously giving hope for love and redemption. While I was not a big fan of the larger dose of mature content, I appreciate the humor and the comforting presence of the large, loving family found in the Capriottis.
Who would I recommend it to?
To readers who enjoy contemporary romance novels and don’t mind a heavier dose of mature content.
A comparable series: the Sweet, Texas series by Candis Terry. (Which still has the smolder but less sex scenes.)
Content
- Alcohol: some drinking – at home and at a bar. Someone does get drunk at one point, smashes a car window, and gets sent to jail.
- Language: heavy cussing & swearing, irreverence of God, taking the Lord’s name in vain, inappropriate jokes
- Kissing, making out, sex scenes, sexual thoughts & talks
- Plenty of smoldering eyes (described in various ways)
- Some LGBT* references (such as mentions of different forms of sexuality, a lesbian relationship)
Chat with Me
What do you look for in a beach read? What is your ideal summer getaway?
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
bn100 says
beach
Angie @ Ba_BAMB says
This is the second review I’ve seen for this book today, and I have to say that I do love this synopsis. I’m glad you enjoyed the family dynamic so much. That’s always a favorite of mine, too.
Great review.
Crystal says
Thanks, Angie. Good to hear! 🙂
Christy LoveOfBooks says
I really need to read one of her books. I love good banter.
Crystal says
Shalvis is great with banter. I hope you enjoy her work!
Sophia Rose says
Yay a beach read! I never quite understand if its b/c its a summery setting or tone to the book or if its something I would read in a summer setting, LOL. I guess this one is both.
Like you, I tend to prefer one lead character’s narration over the other though I can see where the secondary one would be interesting too.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one.
Crystal says
I agree. There’s just something to certain books that make it a summer read. This one has the humor, the heart-warmining feels, and the summer-getaway adventure with the winery setting and the starting over in a new place.
The secondary lead is interesting in this novel. I’d totally read a book featuring River as the sole protagonist. This novel just happened to open with Lanie’s story first, and the greater focus on her led me to be more invested in her story.