Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Love Fix by Jill Shalvis Narrator: Andi Arndt
Series: Sunrise Cove #8
Published by Avon, HarperAudio on June 24, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Life Fiction
Pages: 320
Length: 9 hours, 26 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Lexi Clark’s life is falling apart around her, so when she’s summoned home to Sunrise Cove, the last thing she wants to do is face all the complications she left behind. Her past, her stepsister Ashley, and especially her infuriatingly gorgeous childhood nemesis-turned-crush Heath Bowman.
Yep, Lexi’s pretty sure being home again just might kill her. She’s an overachieving art appraiser who doesn’t believe in trust, love, or Happily Ever Afters. Free spirit Ashley, on the other hand, is so full of life it hurts to look at her. But Lexi can’t refuse Ashley’s plea to honor their late mother’s final wish to make amends with the people she’d wronged. So, on behalf of her estranged mother’s estate—and with Heath in tow as the executor—Lexi embarks on a road trip to repay all the people her gambling addicted mother owed money to.
Complicating everything are the feelings that well up for for her mom, for Ashley, and most of all, for Heath. And for the record, she doesn’t like it, or the way he has of scaling the walls she’s built around her heart. The road trip shenanigans that ensue are both funny and heartbreaking, but Lexi finds something shocking along the way. Acceptance. Family. And unbelievably—if you ask Lexi anyway—love.
The Love Fix is another tale of a dysfunctional immediate family leading to closed off young adults who struggle to accept relationships until they build a found family. Jill Shalvis is my favorite when it comes to heart and humor. Topics which are uncomfortable and tragic are worked through with care and compassion.
The characters are often flawed but with good reason and positive intentions. Lexi has always been the outsider including to her own mother, Daisy who hung on to her new step daughter rather than her own child. Now Lexi had her boss dump her and become a prime suspect in a theft at their workplace. Since her stepsister Ashley wanted her to come and go through Daisy’s things and Daisy had envelopes for them to give to 6 people after her death, she goes back to her hometown but reluctantly.
Lexi feels jealous of Ashley who got her mother’s love and attention, while Lexi was shipped off with her Dad, where more new stepsiblings abused her. Daisy had a gambling problem and took Lexi’s college fund from her grandparents. So Lexi has been on her own a long time.
Coming back to her hometown and Daisy’s house, Ashley is very excited because she has no one left but Lexi and she always loved Lexi. Lexi also runs into Heath, who was the boy she competed with from kindergarten forward; he was always besting her. He became a lawyer, but he’s home again looking after his grandfather, and his brother. They also seem to end up kissing every time she is home. Heath doesn’t trust any romantic relationship; Lexi trusts no one.
Ashley longs for Lexi to stay. She and Heath tell Lexi that Daisy wants them to hand out one envelope a week over 6 weeks to get her to stay around. Ashley wants her sister to stay in her life, and even in their hometown. Heath is supportive of them both, learning how much they have handled in their lives. And over time, Lexi comes to see the life she could build there with them.
The Love Fix is the final in the heartwarming Sunrise Cove series. Each book is completely a standalone sharing only the location.
 Narration:
Andi Arndt is a favorite narrator and this is her first series with this author. I enjoyed her performance and the voices for the characters were appropriate and comfortable. The emotional tones enhanced my reading experience. I was able to listen at 1.5x-1.75x speed.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
About Andi Arndt
Andi’s relatively neutral US English accent is a product of a Minnesota childhood, New Jersey high school years, and Maryland/DC/Virginia adulthood. Firm grounding in both theatre and broadcasting led to full-time work in voice over.
About Jill Shalvis
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
I love a road trip book! 😀
It didn’t feel like a road trip, more like a trip back home. But it was the usual Shalvis stir of emotions.
My heart hurts for them and that’s just from your review thoughts on it. Another good one from Shalvis, then.
yes another good one with real characters with real feelings.
It’s been forever since I’ve read JS and I do enjoy her stuff. I am adding this series to my TBR and I like how they only share the location.
It’s a great series which could be read in any order. I think you’d enjoy it.
Wonderful review, Anne💜 I need to get back to this series.
Jill Shalvis is my go to longtime favorite in this genre.
Lexi’s mother sounds like a piece of work! No wonder she has baggage! I enjoy Shalvis’ romances. I’ll have to add this one, too.
She’s a favorite. I’ve gone to 3 events which she didn’t end up attending and wanted to meet her. You live not too far from her. But I have traveled to meet people even to California on my Harley.
Sounds like a lovely way to end the series. 🙂
All the books in the series are excellent and only connected by location so they could be read in any order.
I really enjoyed this one as well. I thought Shalvis did a good job showing each of the sisters’ coping methods.
yes these books are more in depth than her earlier works more Life fiction than contemporary romance.
I have the ebook. I got an ARC, but it didn’t show up on Edelweiss or NetGalley, so I thought I missed it and took it off my review schedule. I figured I would order it after release because I love this series. Low and behold, I went to order from my kindle and the arc was on there. It is so weird, but I am delighted and reading it now. (yes, I checked, reviewed and feedback..thinking I accidentally inserted the wrong review from another book. Nope, not there either.) Glad you enjoyed it!
So glad you are enjoying it. She’s a must read for me.
I usually like her books and this one is definitely on my list.
I hope you enjoy it. This whole series is really good.
I’ve enjoyed this author in the past and need to read more. Like you Andi Arndt is a favorite narrator of mine as well. Great review!
Thanks Lisa. I really enjoy her. She’s a favorite for me in this genre.