My Rating: 4
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: June 21, 2022
Author: Grayson Avery
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Solving Shelly Blurb
Shelly Larson is in a man drought so dry it makes The Grapes of Wrath look like a Hampton’s pool party.
With most of her besties (The Sweet Water Circle) in good relationship standing, The Circle spins to Shelly with a long-overdue intervention. It’s time for her to find her forever man. Or at least a guy without a foot fetish who doesn’t text pictures of himself in his tighty whities.
Shelly wants no part of the dating scene, but no matter what she tries, The Circle is ahead of her, so eventually she relents to the torturous trio of speed dating, online dating apps, and blind dates. Will she find a diamond in the rough or will it just be rough?
Meanwhile, the only Circle member still looking for love, Donna, is back from L.A., divorced and crashing with Shelly. When Donna’s new man makes a play for Shelly, it sets off shockwaves that could fracture The Sweet Water Circle’s thirty-year friendship, just as Taylor’s wedding to billionaire Ben Bach brings the crew from Sweet Water to Ibiza and Paris, not once, but twice.
Will Shelly risk her friendships for a chance at forever love that could end up in heartbreak? Find out in the series finale of The Sweet Water Circle!
Solving Shelly Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
Romance, especially romcom, readers should flock to this series, but don’t make the mistake I did by starting at book 5, Solving Shelly. Not because you can’t read this one as a standalone, since Grayson Avery puts in all of the information you need, but it feels a little like walking into the middle of a conversation. They can tell you what they were talking about, but that won’t fill in all of the gaps.
I want the gaps.
I’m big on character development and it was obvious that these characters had been on a journey through the first four books, a journey I desperately need to go on.
Solving Shelly is irreverently funny yet full of heart. I can’t explain this type of writing magic, but the story felt humorous while simultaneously exploring relationships in a meaningful way. Plus, there was one heck of a story.
Conclusion
I didn’t know I needed a new series to read, but apparently I did. Time to start with The Sweet Water Circle from the beginning.
*Special thanks to Grayson Avery, Netgalley, and Farcical Press for providing a copy of Solving Shelly in exchange for an honest review.
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