Loud and Loving ‘Rainy Day Friends’ Give a New Widow a Second Chance at Life [REVIEW]

In Jill Shalvis’s new novel, Rainy Day Friends, a California winery offers a young widow a fresh start, a new career, and a family to call her own. (Photo by Harold Litwiler, Flickr)

When a shy young widow finally discovers the reason why her marriage to her late husband had never felt quite right, it rocks her to the core. Then a new job prospect at a winery in California’s Central Coast region appears on the horizon, and it offers her hope, a zany group of friends, and even a chance at love. But will she seize the day or run and hide from this new beginning? Find out in Jill Shalvis latest novel, Rainy Day Friends. 

William Morrow

It has been six months since Lanie Jacobs’ husband died. While this period in her life should have been a time of grief and healing, she receives a revelation that helps her move on with lightning speed: she discovers that she wasn’t her husband’s only wife! The cheating scoundrel left behind several women who thought they were his one and only.

The news shakes her confidence, and suddenly she’s left questioning her own judgment. After all, how could she not know? Did she miss obvious clues? Is her personal radar on the fritz? And will she ever be able to trust another man again?

Eager to get out of Santa Barbara and start a new chapter in her life, Lanie takes a job at the Capriotti family winery. When she arrives in Wildstone, she’s suddenly thrown into the midst of the outrageous clan, and her first instinct is to run. The big Italian family makes her stay, however, and they quickly become the family she’s never had. Loud and exceptionally kind, they win her heart, especially Deputy Sheriff Mark Capriotti, an Air Force veteran who makes her believe in love again.

But then the arrival of sweet-as-pie 21-year-old River Green makes unexpected waves in the now placid waters of Lanie’s life, for the young woman has secrets, and they threaten everything Lanie has come to trust.

If you have a case of the blahs this summer, Rainy Day Friends is the perfect antidote. This is a novel that is simply infused with joy and warmth, populated as it is by the kind of family everyone deserves to have. The Capriottis are quirky and fun, crazy (in a good way), and overflowing with charm. Most of all, they are nurturers who revel in their idiosyncracies and are more than willing to share their home and hearts with a stranger in need. It’s no wonder that Lanie falls for them as rapidly as she does, and it makes sense why they draw us into this story so quickly, and make us all want to plant vines, share wine under the California sun and simply enjoy life.

While the characters are strong and vibrant and totally delightful, what I love most about Shalvis work is her sense of humor. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I had to stop reading because I was simply laughing too hard to continue. Shalvis doesn’t just season her story with laughs, she steeps each page in irresistible, perfectly timed comic relief. She has a knack for reminding us that every bad thing that happens in life can be made better with laughter, quick wit and easy banter. All of this makes for a novel that you won’t want to end, and one which will win your heart. It also makes this reviewer pray that we’ll encounter the Capriottis again very soon. With such a big family, they certainly have plenty of great stories to tell!

Jill Shalvis
(Photo by Susan Zweigle, ZRStudios.com)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning writer Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than three dozen romance novels, including About That Kiss, Lost and Found Sisters, and Second Chance Summer.

For a complete book list and a daily blog chronicling her I-Love-Lucy attempts at having it all (the writing, the kids, a life…), visit her home on the Web at JillShalvis.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

RAINY DAY FRIENDS
By Jill Shalvis
384 pgs. William Morrow. $14.99

Purchase Rainy Day Friends at one of these fine online retailers: HarperCollins, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and IndieBound.

Rainy Day Friends is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.