Review: Lost and Found Sisters

Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women's fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood—perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Susan Mallery, and Kristan Higgins.

They say life can change in an instant…

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.'s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she's looking for a missing piece she can't find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn't quite fit in right away, she can't help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there's another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn't a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she's searched so long for. -- William Morrow

I'm not a reader of romance novels, but I guess Jill Shalvis is a huge fan favorite! I've been hearing about her for years, and I'm amazed by not only her following but how much she's written. Ms. Shalvis has written nine different series. That's not novels -- that's series! Amazing! Her latest story, LOST AND FOUND SISTERS is actually her first foray into women's fiction, and I figured it was high time for me to give her books a try!

LOST AND FOUND SISTERS is touching story about a women who discovers that her life is a lie -- basically, she isn't who she thought she was! Quinn Weller is a chef who seemingly has it all. She has a terrific family, a great job in an L.A. restaurant, and a gorgeous boyfriend. However, life hasn't always been this great. Quinn has worked hard to bounce back from her sister's death in a car accident.

One day, Quinn's life turns upside down when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a secret that makes Quinn question everything. He surprises Quinn by revealing that she has a mysterious inheritance from someone she never knew, and this information throws Quinn into a tailspin. She ends up dropping almost everything from her life and heads north to the small town of Wildstone. It's very different than L.A., but Quinn feels like she belongs there. Of course, the hot stranger who shows up doesn't hurt either!

Quinn doesn't inherit a house or money. Rather, it's a small cafe that needs some work. Quinn also learns that she has a teenage sister named Tilly who basically is all alone. Now, Quinn has to face that her life is far different from what she's thought... and decide if her new life in Wildstone is the right one for her.

LOST AND FOUND SISTERS is a heartwarming story about loss, family, and second chances... with some romance thrown in. I understand that this novel is classified as women's fiction, and rightly so, but there is enough romance thrown in to please Ms. Shalvis' fans (I think -- I'm definitely not an expert on romance novels!)

I liked LOST AND FOUND SISTERS, but I don't know that I'd say I loved it. It's certainly entertaining and I couldn't help but like Quinn... and I was definitely interested in everything going on in her life. However, it's not a book that's likely to stay with me. Overall, I guess I'd say that it was a fun summer read!

There were a couple of things that stood out to me about LOST AND FOUND SISTERS. I actually liked most of the characters in the novel. Quinn was a lot of fun, although I did feel sorry for her at times. It seemed like she was not even over the loss of her sister when she had to face that her parents were keeping some pretty big secrets from her. I definitely liked her love interest Mick (and his smelly dog) as well as many of the quirky people who resided in Wildstone. I even liked the "supernatural" appearance of Quinn's dead sister Beth!

I also appreciated the theme of sisterhood in this novel. Obviously, Quinn didn't set out to find a replacement for her sister, but she ended up discovering that she had Tilly. Quinn's devotion to Tilly was certainly admirable -- it's never easy to raise a teenager, and I had to love her sense of responsibility for her. I also liked seeing how Quinn depended on Beth (or Beth's ghost!) to help guide her to do what was right.

Finally, it was fairly obvious to me that Ms. Shalvis is a writer of all things romance. There were more of those scenes that most women's fiction books (which makes it a good summer read!); and while I'm not really a good judge of love scenes, I could tell that these were way above average. She did a great job of creating chemistry between Quinn and Mick, but she also described their love for each other in a sweet (and sometimes passionate!) way.

There is a reading guide in the back of LOST AND FOUND SISTERS to help enhance book club discussions although I wasn't able to find an on-line link. Some of the topics you might want to discuss include Beth's ghost and the effect it had on Quinn, parent/child relationships, sisterhood, family, friendships, second chances, loss, grief, love, and forgiveness.

LOST AND FOUND SISTERS is a sweet (and fun) story about sisters, family, friendship, and love. I think fans of Ms. Shalvis' will enjoy this book as well as readers looking for a good escape read.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.