The Forever Family by Shirley Jump: Book Review

The Forever Family is an engaging story of the youngest of three sisters who has a reputation of making bad decisions. Would marrying a virtual stranger change that?

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From The Publisher:

A heartwarming story about sisters, falling in love, and discovering life’s greatest adventures are made with those who matter most by New York Times bestselling author Shirley Jump.

The youngest of the three close-knit sisters, Emma Monroe is the family wild child. She’s never stayed with anything—job, apartment, boyfriend—for long, and she likes it that way. Except lately, her freedom has seemed less like a gift and more like a burden. Maybe that’s why a yoga retreat in Las Vegas leads to a spur-of-the-moment decision to marry Luke Carter, a man she’s met exactly three times. 

The next morning, instead of facing Luke, Emma sneaks back home to Harbor Cove, where she should have nama-stayed in the first place. Still, it shouldn’t be difficult to annul their hours-long marriage.  Except Emma’s brand-new husband arrives in town to convince her to give their marriage a chance. With the support of her family, can Emma envision a future where her biggest adventures come not from running away but from staying… and risking it all on love?

My Thoughts:

This was such a lovely story. It’s the second book in the author’s “Harbor Cove” series and revolves around Emma, the youngest of the three Monroe Sisters. This book can easily be read as a standalone.

Emma is the Monroe sister that enjoys travelling and living in the moment. She’s not interested in a long-term relationship and can’t wait to leave her small town. Her heart’s desire is rather in enriching the lives of children who are facing challenges. Having lost her mother at the age of five, she can relate.

The book opens with Emma waking up at a Las Vegas retreat – married. Her new husband Luke, while not a stranger, is someone she’s only met in yoga classes around the U.S. She flees the retreat and returns home to begin the process of annulment in hopes she never sees Luke again.

Luke is a single parent and estranged from his daughter’s mother who is currently in rehab. He’s not been a big part of his child’s life up to the time her mother dropped her off. He knows he needs to provide roots for his daughter, and moves to live with his uncle in Harbor Cove.

Now living in the same small town, Emma and Luke run into each other and begin a friendship and much to Emma’s chagrin a budding romance. But with the annulment finalized in a few weeks, and Emma heading out of town for several months, is this relationship something she should pursue?

The Forever Family is an emotional read with some very funny moments. Luke’s four-year-old daughter Scout was a highlight of this book. I loved how her manner changed as Luke began parenting her more effectively and she felt more secure. I appreciated the discussion of Luke’s Uncle’s depression as well as Scout’s mother’s alcoholism which helps to normalize mental health and addiction issues.

The book also brought the readers up to date on what was happening with Emma’s sisters and Grandmother. I love reading about a romance between older characters and I enjoyed this part of the story. It appears to me that it’s time for Emma’s oldest sister Margaret to be the focus of the third book in the series. I look forward to reading it.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy Romance and Women’s Fiction. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

What I Liked:

• The personal growth of many of the characters as the book progressed
• The emphasis on respecting children by actively listening to their needs
• The romance developing between older characters in the book

Other Books In The Series:

Book One – The Marvelous Monroe Girls