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Friday, June 24, 2022

Book Review: Solving Shelly


By Sara Steven

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. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

I’ve read every single book in The Sweet Water Circle series, and this was a great series finale. As mentioned in the synopsis, Shelly’s story has been long overdue, since she’s been content to let everyone else have their turn in finding love while she watches from the sidelines. Given her past, she’s had a tough time with trusting anyone she’s romantically involved with, preferring the safety and security of being alone. 

I liked the prospect of having two best friends (Donna and Shelly) deal with developing feelings for the same man. And the man they’re feeling for did come as a shock to me–he’s been part of the series and readers have learned a lot about his backstory too–but everyone deserves the chance to find love again, and that can apply to all three characters. The bigger question becomes: at what cost? For Shelly, there is nothing that is more important to her than her friendships. The Sweet Water Circle is a tight sisterhood. Should she set aside her strong feelings in order to spare Donna’s, or should she do something that is out of the ordinary and do everything she can to live a happy existence? 

The same quirky group of characters are back for this last hurrah, which was really nice to see. It felt fitting that they’d all gather at Taylor’s wedding, sort of like the perfect ending for everyone. I also thought that the use of a wedding plotline was a great way to bring out the various emotional dramas that I think can often occur at real-life weddings. It can bring out the best and the worst in someone, which was highlighted well for both Shelly and Donna, and those romantically linked to them. 

To say I’m sad to see this series end would be an understatement. It’s been a lot of fun, with a lot of emotional growth. This was Shelly’s story, but it was the Sweet Water Circle’s send-off. A job well done.

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Grayson Avery is the author of The Sweet Water Circle Series, a romantic comedy series that focuses on childhood friends in their thirties and forties as they help each other navigate the stormy waters of dating, marriage, divorce, and a whole lot of inappropriate, naughty, and downright hysterical situations.

Visit Grayson online:
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