Shift the Tide is a funny and entertaining read about wanting to be chosen for who you are and being afraid of the future. It has lots of pining and gay panic. The characters are so cute and well-rounded, but should be rewarded an Olympic medal for overthinking. They overcomplicate their feelings... it felt very realistic. It's the 'she says she likes me but I don't know if she really means it' kind of complicated.

The story doesn't follow your usual romance structure. It has a lot of ups and downs throughout and shows the MCs dating.

I'd recommend reading the whole series, because every woman in this friend group is worth a book and it takes a bit of time to get to know them all. It's about a messy friend group on multiple vacations. There are complicated feelings, messy relationships, and funny characters.

In the beginning, there was a little too much tell. It was still bearable, because I appreciated that all the information of book 1 was out in the open quickly. Throughout the book, it wasn't really tell, more like explaining things that are either obvious or just a different phrasing. BUT Oakley's emotional imagery is always so on point that I can forgive the redundancy.

The story was also quite predictable.

However, just as the first book, this one had amazing dialogues and I loved the found family parts, as well as the children and grandparents.

🎧 2,5/5 (see below) I'm writing this after rereading it (first book then audiobook) and finishing the series and you're honestly in for a treat.

The whole series is about a messy friend group on multiple vacations. There are complicated feelings, messy relationships, and funny characters.

📖 One Last Run is a cute and funny read about not being vulnerable and not allowing the other person to see you as you are. It's about a second chance with someone who was the right person at the wrong time, all within a ski-vacation and a completely messy friend group that haven't seen each other in 15 years. I sometimes just wanted to scream at the book, because it was just too realistic. I absolutely loved how each of the five women in this group has a different connection to and perception of one another.

I'd recommend reading the book instead of the audio and also looking up the beautiful character art on Oakley's Instagram. It's a lot of women and they are kind of hard to tell apart; who's got kids, who's got relationship troubles...

The writing is funny in little moments and witty answers, especially in the very chaotic conversations. I loved the descriptions of their emotions; they simply felt real.

In the beginning, there were a lot of physical descriptions and names that confused me a bit or were just repetitive. Although I liked the writing style, some lines were a tad too monotone.

I loved the cute moments and Ski/ Snowboard scenes between the love interests. But I was not a huge fan of Danica's constant anxiety and being uncomfortable with herself. I didn't really see what Pete saw in her. But that might also just hit a little too close to home.

🎧 I didn't like Quinn Riley's voice. However, I did like how she distinguished between different characters, especially Pete's lower voice. But I couldn't warm up to weirdly placed emphases in various sentences.

Old review after first read: 4/5 stars I really liked Pete, but couldn't bring myself to like Danica. The book is funny and I relate to their situation. It's well written and I liked the pacing and length of the book.

I think I was able to appreciate the imperfections of the characters more, so that's probably why I liked it just a little bit better the second time around.