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Cattle Stop #2
While the Sun Shines
Best friends forever means forever, right?
Joined at the hip since high school, Drew and Penny live together, hang out together—and now, commiserate together about their other roommates falling in love. With their foursome suddenly shrunk to two, Drew has to double down on his one rule: never ever let Penny find out he wants more than friendship.
Keeping his secret is easy enough with his focus on his family farm, but when a handsome stranger visits, Drew learns he isn't Penny’s only childhood friend—and that they might not be as close as he thought. As Drew juggles summer on the farm and his hidden feelings for Penny, he’s faced with not just missing any shot he has at romance but losing her friendship too.
While the Sun Shines is a steamy, m/f romance novel that follows Cattle Stop. If you enjoy best friends finding true love with each other, the joy of inside jokes and the wrench of years long pining, then this heartwarming story of found family, friendship, and the bonds between two people is the perfect romance novel for you.
Grab your copy of While the Sun Shines to watch Drew and Penny grow from best friends to lovers and learn how much they mean to each other - and how desperately they'll work to make sure they get to share their lives.
Joined at the hip since high school, Drew and Penny live together, hang out together—and now, commiserate together about their other roommates falling in love. With their foursome suddenly shrunk to two, Drew has to double down on his one rule: never ever let Penny find out he wants more than friendship.
Keeping his secret is easy enough with his focus on his family farm, but when a handsome stranger visits, Drew learns he isn't Penny’s only childhood friend—and that they might not be as close as he thought. As Drew juggles summer on the farm and his hidden feelings for Penny, he’s faced with not just missing any shot he has at romance but losing her friendship too.
While the Sun Shines is a steamy, m/f romance novel that follows Cattle Stop. If you enjoy best friends finding true love with each other, the joy of inside jokes and the wrench of years long pining, then this heartwarming story of found family, friendship, and the bonds between two people is the perfect romance novel for you.
Grab your copy of While the Sun Shines to watch Drew and Penny grow from best friends to lovers and learn how much they mean to each other - and how desperately they'll work to make sure they get to share their lives.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2022
42 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 9, 2023
Bad. 2 stars. I liked Drew, but I hated Penny. Which is really disappointing because I loved her in Cattle Stop and I was so excited to see her and Drew get together, but I just couldn't enjoy them. Penny is so goddamn selfish. The biggest conflict of the book is that Penny is mad at Drew for two things: 1.) he didn't confess his love to her soon enough and 2.) Drew has a job and can't give her all the attention that she wants because he's too busy working and stressing his ASS off. At no point does she try to help him, she just constantly adds to the stress. She is incredibly demanding, selfish, and HYPOCRITICAL, critiquing Drew for everything he does even when he is doing the exact thing she had asked for earlier. My girl Penny from Cattle Stop is a much different person than Penny from While the Sun Shines and I want the original Penny back.
January 27, 2022
3.50 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a cute, albeit not life changing, read. Kit Oliver is an insta-read author for me, and that definitely has not changed. This story revolves around lifelong best friends Penny and Drew, who we meet in Cattle Stop, finally getting their heads out of their asses to be together. Well it’s mostly Drew, who tells this story in singular POV, that does the most removal-of-head-from-ass.
The plot is very, very simple. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing since most of the tension comes from lack of communication. With that being the plot driver though I appreciated that it stayed very rooted in reality, so it wasn’t overblown, contrived, or unrealistically OTT. That said, while I typically love Kit’s stories because they feel so embedded in the real world, something else was needed here because it fell a little flat. Penny and Drew were sweet, but I wasn’t dying for them together either 🤷🏻♀️
All in all it’s a sweet, but mostly forgettable read. I do want to give a special shout-out to the Cooper and Whit moments in this book because they were so 🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️
This was a cute, albeit not life changing, read. Kit Oliver is an insta-read author for me, and that definitely has not changed. This story revolves around lifelong best friends Penny and Drew, who we meet in Cattle Stop, finally getting their heads out of their asses to be together. Well it’s mostly Drew, who tells this story in singular POV, that does the most removal-of-head-from-ass.
The plot is very, very simple. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing since most of the tension comes from lack of communication. With that being the plot driver though I appreciated that it stayed very rooted in reality, so it wasn’t overblown, contrived, or unrealistically OTT. That said, while I typically love Kit’s stories because they feel so embedded in the real world, something else was needed here because it fell a little flat. Penny and Drew were sweet, but I wasn’t dying for them together either 🤷🏻♀️
All in all it’s a sweet, but mostly forgettable read. I do want to give a special shout-out to the Cooper and Whit moments in this book because they were so 🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️
January 26, 2022
We're back at Two Pines Farm, the small family farm from
Cattle Stop
, where Cooper and Whit are now obnoxiously happy together and making Drew and Penny, their best friend and cousin (respectively), kind of sick of how happy they are.
Drew is exhausted, disorganized, very far behind, pining after his best friend Penny, oblivious to her interest in him (he really should have paid attention in Spanish class), completely in over his head with making repairs to the house in addition to running the farm, as well as anxious and most likely depressed. Penny has her shit together except for her crush on Drew, who's barely present for the first half of the book. Sometimes he just fades away in the middle of his own story, letting the noise of his friends wash over him while registering none of it. It's easy to see why Penny is so frustrated with him, and so lonely. Her friend Abelardo comes to visit and he's super delightful and so excited about the farm. I hope we adopt him.
There's some nice tension in here as Drew tries to be a good friend and not a jealous, heartbroken creep. He doesn't always succeed. He's definitely not being a good friend, and when Penny calls him on it, he finally recognizes what he's been doing to himself, and her, reconsiders his priorities, and makes some big changes to his work/life balance. The stakes are low, throughout, but I really appreciated the way the little things piled up because Drew was fixated on all his problems yet unable take any action to fix them. Depression much?
This book is as much about farming and family (both chosen and assigned) as it is about romance, and I have to say the family and farming parts were my favorite. I like their little found family but didn't feel much chemistry between Drew and Penny. They felt comfortable together because they'd been friends for ten years, since they were kids, and that is a near unsustainable amount of time to be pining for someone, especially someone you live with. The impetus for that to come to a head didn't entirely work for me, though I did like it as another sign that Drew couldn't fake it any longer as everything in his life was slowly falling apart. And by "everything" I mean, like, he couldn't find the shear bolts he bought for the baler, then couldn't buy new ones, or send someone else to do it, or simply ask for help. Low-stakes stuff that takes on big importance as a symbol of greater things.
In other news, Cooper nearly stole this book out from under Drew. He's got a lot of personality and is having so much fun now that he's settled on the farm with Whit. I think he's the perfect balance of lovable and obnoxious, but I'm aware he's probably not for everyone. I love him, though, and it was great to see him so happy.
I received an ARC from the author as a member of their advanced reader team.
Contains: explicit m/f sex; interracial romance; footnotes with translations for about five sentences of Spanish; a lot of cheese (dairy); an old farm dog; absolutely no animal harm; people constantly walking in on Cooper when he's naked in the bathroom and then yelling about it—he doesn't seem to mind too much, but is loudly curious as to why no one knocks before opening the door if they don't want to see his naked ass. Love you, Cooper.
Drew is exhausted, disorganized, very far behind, pining after his best friend Penny, oblivious to her interest in him (he really should have paid attention in Spanish class), completely in over his head with making repairs to the house in addition to running the farm, as well as anxious and most likely depressed. Penny has her shit together except for her crush on Drew, who's barely present for the first half of the book. Sometimes he just fades away in the middle of his own story, letting the noise of his friends wash over him while registering none of it. It's easy to see why Penny is so frustrated with him, and so lonely. Her friend Abelardo comes to visit and he's super delightful and so excited about the farm. I hope we adopt him.
There's some nice tension in here as Drew tries to be a good friend and not a jealous, heartbroken creep. He doesn't always succeed. He's definitely not being a good friend, and when Penny calls him on it, he finally recognizes what he's been doing to himself, and her, reconsiders his priorities, and makes some big changes to his work/life balance. The stakes are low, throughout, but I really appreciated the way the little things piled up because Drew was fixated on all his problems yet unable take any action to fix them. Depression much?
This book is as much about farming and family (both chosen and assigned) as it is about romance, and I have to say the family and farming parts were my favorite. I like their little found family but didn't feel much chemistry between Drew and Penny. They felt comfortable together because they'd been friends for ten years, since they were kids, and that is a near unsustainable amount of time to be pining for someone, especially someone you live with. The impetus for that to come to a head didn't entirely work for me, though I did like it as another sign that Drew couldn't fake it any longer as everything in his life was slowly falling apart. And by "everything" I mean, like, he couldn't find the shear bolts he bought for the baler, then couldn't buy new ones, or send someone else to do it, or simply ask for help. Low-stakes stuff that takes on big importance as a symbol of greater things.
In other news, Cooper nearly stole this book out from under Drew. He's got a lot of personality and is having so much fun now that he's settled on the farm with Whit. I think he's the perfect balance of lovable and obnoxious, but I'm aware he's probably not for everyone. I love him, though, and it was great to see him so happy.
I received an ARC from the author as a member of their advanced reader team.
Contains: explicit m/f sex; interracial romance; footnotes with translations for about five sentences of Spanish; a lot of cheese (dairy); an old farm dog; absolutely no animal harm; people constantly walking in on Cooper when he's naked in the bathroom and then yelling about it—he doesn't seem to mind too much, but is loudly curious as to why no one knocks before opening the door if they don't want to see his naked ass. Love you, Cooper.
August 30, 2024
Ugh. I loved the first book, Cattle Stop, but this was awful. Cooper and Whit's story was cute and funny, Drew and Penny's is just a slog.
First off, while on a language use and sentence level, the writing is good, it's an absolutely oppressive read. Though there's no diagnosis mentioned, the pov character, Drew, clearly has some very serious anxiety, executive function issues, and probably depression. If you told me he's got ADHD or ASD, I'd say, yup, that fits. And I typically really like neurodivergent MCs, but in this case Drew's stress just oozes from the page and I had major contact stress the whole time I was reading this.
Penny, who Drew has been secretly crushing on since high school, is just an objectively horrible person. In my review of Cattle Stop I said:
And yeah, I was trying to be funny, but I also meant it.
This book even made me like Cooper and Whit less. Drew got handed a dairy farm that's been in his family for generations when his uncle retired and moved to Florida, and he's in so far over his head, struggling to manage the farm with only Whit and occasionally Cooper for help, and single-handedly make all the cheese and repair the house. He's flailing and failing and a hair's breadth from losing everything, terrified his uncle will find out and be disappointed in him, and wracked with guilt over it. The man is hanging on by the proverbial thread.
Now before Cattle Stop, while Cooper was away, Drew asked Whit to manage the farm part of things, but Whit is kind of witless, the sort of person that just keeps doing what he's doing even when it's clearly not working, just because that's the way we've always done it. Cooper, who's worked on a bunch of different farms, and has a lot of ideas about and knowledge of better ways to do things is clearly better equipped to run the farm side of the business, but despite having been back for months doesn't seem to have done shit beyond what he did in the last book, set Drew up with a big distributor for the cheese. That may be bringing in some money, but has only added to Drew's workload.
They all seem to be vaguely aware Drew is stressed out, but there's no indication they realize the extent, even though it's hard to think after the events of the last book, they don't understand the situation with the farm is precarious. And yet Cooper and Whit have not stepped up in any meaningful way, and Penny, OMG! Penny's a bartender and seemingly living rent free at the farm with Drew, Cooper, and Whit, doesn't lift a finger to help for years, is constantly complaining about not having her own (rent free) bathroom, and screaming about why no one is putting her needs first. Girl, if you care about Drew like we're supposed to believe, you need to be lockin up the guns and pills and be thinking about where you gonna live when he loses the farm, but all you're doing is whining.
And I'm supposed to be rooting for her and Drew to get together? No!
When things finally do turn around, Oliver fails to give events the weight they require. The conversation with Bert was a start, but there should have been something about asking for help. The subsequent conversation with Whit was too brief, to the wrong guy, and should have been a big dramatic meeting with all four of them. The Travis thing should have resulted in something more concrete. Everything that happened needed more heft to sell the idea there's been an actual change and everyone's not going to fall back into the old patterns.
The scene at the bar was fun. It didn't have the oppressive tone that most of the book did, but you know what? I don't give a crap if Penny's happy. The real problem Drew was dealing with was the farm, and that's the part that needed a more solid wrap up.
Hope the next thing I read by Oliver is better.
First off, while on a language use and sentence level, the writing is good, it's an absolutely oppressive read. Though there's no diagnosis mentioned, the pov character, Drew, clearly has some very serious anxiety, executive function issues, and probably depression. If you told me he's got ADHD or ASD, I'd say, yup, that fits. And I typically really like neurodivergent MCs, but in this case Drew's stress just oozes from the page and I had major contact stress the whole time I was reading this.
Penny, who Drew has been secretly crushing on since high school, is just an objectively horrible person. In my review of Cattle Stop I said:
honestly, I'm not sure I'm on Penny's side after this. Like seriously, this whole book could have been a short story if Penny, seemingly the only character in the book with a clue, had whacked these boys upside the head, but noooo, Penny just gonna sit back and let everything go to hell, almost lose the farm while these clowns grouch around each thinking the other hates them while they secretly pine for each other. Like, seriously, the whole thing's Penny's fault.
And yeah, I was trying to be funny, but I also meant it.
This book even made me like Cooper and Whit less. Drew got handed a dairy farm that's been in his family for generations when his uncle retired and moved to Florida, and he's in so far over his head, struggling to manage the farm with only Whit and occasionally Cooper for help, and single-handedly make all the cheese and repair the house. He's flailing and failing and a hair's breadth from losing everything, terrified his uncle will find out and be disappointed in him, and wracked with guilt over it. The man is hanging on by the proverbial thread.
Now before Cattle Stop, while Cooper was away, Drew asked Whit to manage the farm part of things, but Whit is kind of witless, the sort of person that just keeps doing what he's doing even when it's clearly not working, just because that's the way we've always done it. Cooper, who's worked on a bunch of different farms, and has a lot of ideas about and knowledge of better ways to do things is clearly better equipped to run the farm side of the business, but despite having been back for months doesn't seem to have done shit beyond what he did in the last book, set Drew up with a big distributor for the cheese. That may be bringing in some money, but has only added to Drew's workload.
They all seem to be vaguely aware Drew is stressed out, but there's no indication they realize the extent, even though it's hard to think after the events of the last book, they don't understand the situation with the farm is precarious. And yet Cooper and Whit have not stepped up in any meaningful way, and Penny, OMG! Penny's a bartender and seemingly living rent free at the farm with Drew, Cooper, and Whit, doesn't lift a finger to help for years, is constantly complaining about not having her own (rent free) bathroom, and screaming about why no one is putting her needs first. Girl, if you care about Drew like we're supposed to believe, you need to be lockin up the guns and pills and be thinking about where you gonna live when he loses the farm, but all you're doing is whining.
And I'm supposed to be rooting for her and Drew to get together? No!
When things finally do turn around, Oliver fails to give events the weight they require. The conversation with Bert was a start, but there should have been something about asking for help. The subsequent conversation with Whit was too brief, to the wrong guy, and should have been a big dramatic meeting with all four of them. The Travis thing should have resulted in something more concrete. Everything that happened needed more heft to sell the idea there's been an actual change and everyone's not going to fall back into the old patterns.
The scene at the bar was fun. It didn't have the oppressive tone that most of the book did, but you know what? I don't give a crap if Penny's happy. The real problem Drew was dealing with was the farm, and that's the part that needed a more solid wrap up.
Hope the next thing I read by Oliver is better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2022
(I was given an advance copy of the book to read and give an honest review.)
A great sequel to and continuation of the familiar characters from Cattle Stop! I related immediately to our protagonist, Drew, and his hugely busy and overwhelming duties of running the farm, and kept finding myself saying "Just ask for help!!" while the hits just kept coming. Poor guy can't get a break. His pining for Penny was realistic and continuous, but not forced, and resulted in another cute rural romance from Kit Oliver, which I would highly recommend reading if you have already read Cattle Stop, or if you would enjoy a nice escape into the intersection of farming and romance. Or even just romance, with a great cast of characters and lots of excellent banter to keep it going.
(POTENTIAL SPOILERS:)
My only issue with the story is how Penny's expectations of a relationship with Drew are either all or nothing, and while she tells us she suffers from Drew's singlemindedness towards the farm, she doesn't actually ever offer any potential solutions to their situation, always leaving to Drew to fix things, almost always resulting in miscommunication. While this was important to initially drive the story toward a conclusion, it ended up making me frustrated with Penny's character in general, and wonder a little bit why Drew would want to be with her. It was only on advice from Cooper and Uncle Brad that Drew actually figured out how to get his life into a comfortable place. While it should never have been left solely to Penny to figure out, it would have been a good opportunity to show this pair working together to figure out a future where they're both happy AND kissing each other, rather than what almost feels like Drew dropping to his knees and vowing to make up for some fictitious mean-spirited treatment of Penny, which just isn't what I got from his POV. He was having a rough time of his own!
Ultimately this review is still pretty high, because I did still enjoy the book immensely, but I thought I'd offer this one perspective.
A great sequel to and continuation of the familiar characters from Cattle Stop! I related immediately to our protagonist, Drew, and his hugely busy and overwhelming duties of running the farm, and kept finding myself saying "Just ask for help!!" while the hits just kept coming. Poor guy can't get a break. His pining for Penny was realistic and continuous, but not forced, and resulted in another cute rural romance from Kit Oliver, which I would highly recommend reading if you have already read Cattle Stop, or if you would enjoy a nice escape into the intersection of farming and romance. Or even just romance, with a great cast of characters and lots of excellent banter to keep it going.
(POTENTIAL SPOILERS:)
My only issue with the story is how Penny's expectations of a relationship with Drew are either all or nothing, and while she tells us she suffers from Drew's singlemindedness towards the farm, she doesn't actually ever offer any potential solutions to their situation, always leaving to Drew to fix things, almost always resulting in miscommunication. While this was important to initially drive the story toward a conclusion, it ended up making me frustrated with Penny's character in general, and wonder a little bit why Drew would want to be with her. It was only on advice from Cooper and Uncle Brad that Drew actually figured out how to get his life into a comfortable place. While it should never have been left solely to Penny to figure out, it would have been a good opportunity to show this pair working together to figure out a future where they're both happy AND kissing each other, rather than what almost feels like Drew dropping to his knees and vowing to make up for some fictitious mean-spirited treatment of Penny, which just isn't what I got from his POV. He was having a rough time of his own!
Ultimately this review is still pretty high, because I did still enjoy the book immensely, but I thought I'd offer this one perspective.
February 7, 2022
Awesome but frustrating. I almost deducted a star because of how deeply annoyed I was by one of the characters in this m/f relationship story, until I realized that bringing out such strong feelings is a testament to Kit Oliver’s talent as a writer. And maybe there’s a reason she is typically a m/m romance author. Bear with me…
Kit Oliver does a great job of portraying an ADHD brain under stress. She may not have consciously done so, but I’m here to testify that she captured with eerie precision the distracting, unrelenting, oppressive noise of my brain when I am aware that I should be paying attention because something important is happening. Utter panic spinning out of control - even on meds.
So Drew is my guy. I get Drew. But Penny? Look, I was a fan of Penny’s quick wit in Cattle Stop. I really liked her. But Jesus, Penny! Have a heart! I don’t get her crazy level of blame am anger at Drew from when she finds out about his feelings for her. Prior to that, I completely understand her hurt loneliness…but is she not an adult with the power to choose where she lives and how she lives? She’s a bartender. She can be a bartender anywhere, but she is living RENT FREE with no real responsibility for taking part in the running of the farm. I mean, she should at least be in charge of the chickens or something. Also, she’s pissed about the farm stressing Drew out and coming before her, but she is equally guilty of not making her feelings for him clear. She seems to be selfishly annoyed about Drew’s struggles rather than showing even an ounce of sympathy or understanding. Honestly - she’s acting like an entitled brat.
I don’t like her. Drew deserves better.
Kit Oliver does a great job of portraying an ADHD brain under stress. She may not have consciously done so, but I’m here to testify that she captured with eerie precision the distracting, unrelenting, oppressive noise of my brain when I am aware that I should be paying attention because something important is happening. Utter panic spinning out of control - even on meds.
So Drew is my guy. I get Drew. But Penny? Look, I was a fan of Penny’s quick wit in Cattle Stop. I really liked her. But Jesus, Penny! Have a heart! I don’t get her crazy level of blame am anger at Drew from when she finds out about his feelings for her. Prior to that, I completely understand her hurt loneliness…but is she not an adult with the power to choose where she lives and how she lives? She’s a bartender. She can be a bartender anywhere, but she is living RENT FREE with no real responsibility for taking part in the running of the farm. I mean, she should at least be in charge of the chickens or something. Also, she’s pissed about the farm stressing Drew out and coming before her, but she is equally guilty of not making her feelings for him clear. She seems to be selfishly annoyed about Drew’s struggles rather than showing even an ounce of sympathy or understanding. Honestly - she’s acting like an entitled brat.
I don’t like her. Drew deserves better.
Read
August 5, 2023DNF @ 18%. Drew’s stress is stressing ME out!
July 21, 2023
Is goodreads deleting reviews because I could’ve sworn I gave this a review ages ago… WHEN I READ IT ?!
January 16, 2022
Such a sweet, realistic, and witty friends to lovers story about two long time BFFs working together on a farm. I was laughing my way through this book. I also thoroughly enjoyed the setting and the strong, unapologetic female lead. Girl knew what she wanted and wasn’t going to compromise her standards. Love that!
Sincere thanks to Kit Oliver and Parrot Cat Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sincere thanks to Kit Oliver and Parrot Cat Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2022
This story had me hooked from the get go. I enjoyed how thoroughly each scene was set, I fell in love with Drew and Penny, and I couldn't put it down. Drew's stream of consciousness was so relatable throughout, and Penny was bold and had standards!! I laughed out loud, my heart soared, and I couldn't stop smiling by the ending.
A sweet, entertaining read.
Huge thanks to Kit Oliver for the advanced reader copy of this book. :)
A sweet, entertaining read.
Huge thanks to Kit Oliver for the advanced reader copy of this book. :)
January 25, 2022
I loved the first book in this series and I really enjoyed being able to see Cooper and Whit in a good (and disgustingly adorable) place together in this sequel. The farm, and the friendships at the heart of it, are charming and warm and the source of so many good things– like cheese, of course, but also comfort and camaraderie and lots of love as well. There are disasters aplenty (stubborn sheep. treacherous farm equipment), but there are also so many little moments that show why it’s all worthwhile. I also found it really to empathize with Drew, who is doing the best he can with a lot of responsibility. Does he take on too much? Yes, but he’s so clearly motivated by the desire not to let anyone down or inconvenience anyone but himself that it’s easy to understand why he does it, and liked that both Whit and Cooper have endless patience for his foibles and try, as much as possible, to help him through them. And I kind of hated that Penny, the ostensible love interest, did precisely none of that.
To me, the burden of expectations on the relationship between Drew and Penny felt off balance, with all obligation and work being thrown squarely onto Drew’s shoulders. She tells him he has to strive to meet her “standards,” and blames him for doing exactly the same thing she does– sitting on feelings rather than taking the chance and expressing them. (When he does, of course, it isn’t to the right person and it doesn’t go well). Penny’s desires to be seen, and to be a priority, aren’t unreasonable, but the way she expects things to magically change, without reaching out and talking about it, or asking for what she wants, is.
Even though I’m not a fan of Penny and Drew as a couple (in her defense, she seems like a totally awesome human as relates to literally anyone who isn’t Drew), I do love the setting, the supporting characters, and the friendships that link them all. For the chance to experience them, I’d highly recommend this novel.
*An ARC of this book was provided by the author, and I have chosen to publish an honest review.
To me, the burden of expectations on the relationship between Drew and Penny felt off balance, with all obligation and work being thrown squarely onto Drew’s shoulders. She tells him he has to strive to meet her “standards,” and blames him for doing exactly the same thing she does– sitting on feelings rather than taking the chance and expressing them. (When he does, of course, it isn’t to the right person and it doesn’t go well). Penny’s desires to be seen, and to be a priority, aren’t unreasonable, but the way she expects things to magically change, without reaching out and talking about it, or asking for what she wants, is.
Even though I’m not a fan of Penny and Drew as a couple (in her defense, she seems like a totally awesome human as relates to literally anyone who isn’t Drew), I do love the setting, the supporting characters, and the friendships that link them all. For the chance to experience them, I’d highly recommend this novel.
*An ARC of this book was provided by the author, and I have chosen to publish an honest review.
March 23, 2023
I had to read this one because I loved the last one and particularly loved Drew as a side character. Penny wasn't my favorite; I felt like she was a little less developed than the rest of them, though that improved by the end of this book.
I was initially uncertain because I thought it was going to be another book where the characters have been in love with each other for years and the only reason they haven't talked about it is because they're bad at talking about feelings (like the last book in the series, with Cooper and Whit.) I definitely buy it for Drew, but not so much for Penny. I was glad to find out that there was a real, serious reason underlying her hesitance. Drew didn't have his shit together, he didn't listen, and he didn't make time for her. Completely understandable that she felt like she deserved to be treated better than that.
I felt like Drew's efforts at the end to make things right were lovely, and also realistic. Someone with that much anxiety and that much work to do isn't going to get everything running perfectly right away, but he makes an effort to do something special for her and also starts some realistic plans about how to get things working better on the farm.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I am definitely going to be reading Kit Oliver's other book next, then watching out for their future work!
I was initially uncertain because I thought it was going to be another book where the characters have been in love with each other for years and the only reason they haven't talked about it is because they're bad at talking about feelings (like the last book in the series, with Cooper and Whit.) I definitely buy it for Drew, but not so much for Penny. I was glad to find out that there was a real, serious reason underlying her hesitance. Drew didn't have his shit together, he didn't listen, and he didn't make time for her. Completely understandable that she felt like she deserved to be treated better than that.
I felt like Drew's efforts at the end to make things right were lovely, and also realistic. Someone with that much anxiety and that much work to do isn't going to get everything running perfectly right away, but he makes an effort to do something special for her and also starts some realistic plans about how to get things working better on the farm.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I am definitely going to be reading Kit Oliver's other book next, then watching out for their future work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2022
Ended up reading this book first instead of Cattle Stop. I didn’t want to put it down once I started it though.
The main characters of this book are Drew and Penny with Whit and Cooper from the first book.
Drew seemed a bit scatterbrained throughout this book since he now runs his Uncles farm and makes/sells cheese as well. He worries so much because he has a constant list of things that he needs to do but he doesn’t want to put everything on Whit and Cooper. Penny is his best friend and has been for about 10 years. Drew has also been in love with her pretty much that whole time.
Penny doesn’t know it though until she accidentally over hears him talking to Cooper. She then gets upset because Drew spends so much time dealing with the farm, the animals and the cheese business.
She didn’t seem to pitch in and help much though. Penny wanted his attention and was lonely even though she lived in the house with her three best friends; but then didn’t really help with the farm or cheese business. Drew had to find and ask for advice from other people on how to manage everything.
I did enjoy this story and the characters but I kinda felt bad for Drew and how much he felt like was on his shoulders to deal with.
The main characters of this book are Drew and Penny with Whit and Cooper from the first book.
Drew seemed a bit scatterbrained throughout this book since he now runs his Uncles farm and makes/sells cheese as well. He worries so much because he has a constant list of things that he needs to do but he doesn’t want to put everything on Whit and Cooper. Penny is his best friend and has been for about 10 years. Drew has also been in love with her pretty much that whole time.
Penny doesn’t know it though until she accidentally over hears him talking to Cooper. She then gets upset because Drew spends so much time dealing with the farm, the animals and the cheese business.
She didn’t seem to pitch in and help much though. Penny wanted his attention and was lonely even though she lived in the house with her three best friends; but then didn’t really help with the farm or cheese business. Drew had to find and ask for advice from other people on how to manage everything.
I did enjoy this story and the characters but I kinda felt bad for Drew and how much he felt like was on his shoulders to deal with.
January 25, 2022
WHILE THE SUN SHINES follows the story of Drew and Penny, best friends who live and work together on Drew’s family farm. Drew, who has been in love with Penny for as long as he’s known her, has no intention of telling her how he really feels, worried that it might ruin the friendship that’s so important to him. But when Penny’s very handsome childhood friend shows up very unexpectedly, Drew has to decide if he’s willing to share his true feelings with Penny or come to terms with being just a friend, forever.
I loved seeing the inside jokes and comfortable conversations flow between Drew and Penny that comes from years of knowing each other. My heart also squeezed with the secret that he was so determined to hide: that he was in love with his best friend. Reading his overwhelming feelings that he was doing everything wrong on the farm really made me feel for him. I’m glad he was finally able to find the courage to reach out to his family and friends for help. May the be a lesson to us all to reach out when we need it!
I also adored all of the side characters—Cooper, Whit, Abelardo, Uncle Bert—who helped Drew get out of his head and back in the game. The rapport they all had with each other was great! I found myself laughing out loud at various parts of the story. Of course, the main relationship we follow is that between Drew and Penny, and it doesn’t disappoint. I appreciated Penny’s strong and steadfast personality and that she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. She was the perfect balance to Drew’s character and I loved seeing the journey to their happily ever after.
A huge thank you to the author, Kit Oliver, for the early copy of WHILE THE SUN SHINES. It comes out on January 25th!
I loved seeing the inside jokes and comfortable conversations flow between Drew and Penny that comes from years of knowing each other. My heart also squeezed with the secret that he was so determined to hide: that he was in love with his best friend. Reading his overwhelming feelings that he was doing everything wrong on the farm really made me feel for him. I’m glad he was finally able to find the courage to reach out to his family and friends for help. May the be a lesson to us all to reach out when we need it!
I also adored all of the side characters—Cooper, Whit, Abelardo, Uncle Bert—who helped Drew get out of his head and back in the game. The rapport they all had with each other was great! I found myself laughing out loud at various parts of the story. Of course, the main relationship we follow is that between Drew and Penny, and it doesn’t disappoint. I appreciated Penny’s strong and steadfast personality and that she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. She was the perfect balance to Drew’s character and I loved seeing the journey to their happily ever after.
A huge thank you to the author, Kit Oliver, for the early copy of WHILE THE SUN SHINES. It comes out on January 25th!
February 17, 2022
3 stars cause I liked the first book more and I did not cry during this one.
So parts of this is cute friends to lovers romance. The rest is Drew driving himself crazy by trying to do so many things on his farm, that he cannot take break and he is still behind schedule so his anxiety levels are of the roof. And mine were too at times. Cause Drew is one those people who gets so anxious that they cannot see that they already accomplished a lot and can´t seem to find confidence in their work, but also are not able to ask for help. So yeah I have been stressing with this man and I am on my break, which was supposed to be stress free...
And the romance? I do not think there was that much of it. Penny and Drew knew other since high school and ever since they met Drew liked her, but was afraid of things changing between them. Drew needs a little push, which arrives in a form of Abelardo, Penny´s handsome childhood friend, who seems to be really close to her. Overall it was sweet, cute and short read.
So parts of this is cute friends to lovers romance. The rest is Drew driving himself crazy by trying to do so many things on his farm, that he cannot take break and he is still behind schedule so his anxiety levels are of the roof. And mine were too at times. Cause Drew is one those people who gets so anxious that they cannot see that they already accomplished a lot and can´t seem to find confidence in their work, but also are not able to ask for help. So yeah I have been stressing with this man and I am on my break, which was supposed to be stress free...
And the romance? I do not think there was that much of it. Penny and Drew knew other since high school and ever since they met Drew liked her, but was afraid of things changing between them. Drew needs a little push, which arrives in a form of Abelardo, Penny´s handsome childhood friend, who seems to be really close to her. Overall it was sweet, cute and short read.
January 23, 2022
Drew and Penny are long-time friends, every since Drew came to live with his aunt and uncle on their dairy farm after his parents died and made friends with Penny and her cousin Whit at school. When Drew took over the farm, Whit and Penny moved in with him to help with the farm. His best friend Cooper is also back at the farm helping out.
When Drew inadvertently blurts out his love for Penny, it forces him to stop hiding it. You feel for Drew - he is a mess of nerves all the time, worried he is disappointing everyone in a variety of ways, disorganized and overwhelmed. Could Penny and her clear focus be just what he needs to get unstuck?
I did read the first book in this series (Cattle Stop). I really liked it as well - it tells Whit and Cooper’s love story. It would be helpful to read it before this one but not necessary. I really loved all the characters.
I read an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
When Drew inadvertently blurts out his love for Penny, it forces him to stop hiding it. You feel for Drew - he is a mess of nerves all the time, worried he is disappointing everyone in a variety of ways, disorganized and overwhelmed. Could Penny and her clear focus be just what he needs to get unstuck?
I did read the first book in this series (Cattle Stop). I really liked it as well - it tells Whit and Cooper’s love story. It would be helpful to read it before this one but not necessary. I really loved all the characters.
I read an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
June 13, 2025
Drew, you sweet summer child ..
This book was sweet. I read it to get an update on Whit and Cooper from book 1, but this was a decent beach read. I loved that this story was told from Drew’s POV. I find that most MF romances are from the FMC’s POV or dual POV. I really enjoyed only knowing Drew’s side of this story. He is such a sweet soul. He worries so much about everyone and everything. Unfortunately, without her POV, I really wasn’t a fan of Penny. I found her impatience with Drew’s running of the farm horrible. She could see her best friend was struggling with the farm, the house, and the cheese business. Instead of rolIing up her sleeves and helping, she just piled on her own demands and demanded he adjust his priorities. I found her selfish. So that dinged off a star from me. Also, I don’t enjoy books with a plot driven by miscommunication so that was a bit annoying after a while.
This book was sweet. I read it to get an update on Whit and Cooper from book 1, but this was a decent beach read. I loved that this story was told from Drew’s POV. I find that most MF romances are from the FMC’s POV or dual POV. I really enjoyed only knowing Drew’s side of this story. He is such a sweet soul. He worries so much about everyone and everything. Unfortunately, without her POV, I really wasn’t a fan of Penny. I found her impatience with Drew’s running of the farm horrible. She could see her best friend was struggling with the farm, the house, and the cheese business. Instead of rolIing up her sleeves and helping, she just piled on her own demands and demanded he adjust his priorities. I found her selfish. So that dinged off a star from me. Also, I don’t enjoy books with a plot driven by miscommunication so that was a bit annoying after a while.
February 1, 2022
4.8 💖💖
best friends to lovers - check
angst and pining - check
it was a sweeet, sweet sweet story which feels too short really. i want more time with them ugh.
Drew, god i ADORED him. he is the sweetest protagonist i have met. he is flustered easily, worries so easily but also so so eager to fix his mistakes, and so so genuine and sincere it squeezes my heart every time he speaks. or thinks about Penny and his farm.
and we got to see Cooper and Whit being so cute and in love again, it was so wonderful. the foursome and their friendship really warms my heart. esp Cooper and Drew. their bromance is just top-tier okay? i love them all.
best friends to lovers - check
angst and pining - check
it was a sweeet, sweet sweet story which feels too short really. i want more time with them ugh.
Drew, god i ADORED him. he is the sweetest protagonist i have met. he is flustered easily, worries so easily but also so so eager to fix his mistakes, and so so genuine and sincere it squeezes my heart every time he speaks. or thinks about Penny and his farm.
and we got to see Cooper and Whit being so cute and in love again, it was so wonderful. the foursome and their friendship really warms my heart. esp Cooper and Drew. their bromance is just top-tier okay? i love them all.
May 5, 2023
East read, as with all of Kit’s books. Drew was great, although bad with words. He just clammed right up. Come on buddy, communication. My issue with this story is Penny. She gives Drew a really hard time about not paying enough attention to her and spending all his time on the farm. Does she forget she lives rent free at the farm? The farm is Drew’s life and livelihood. He’s responsible for it running. She was so frustrating and also bad with communication and storming off like a little kid. Blah! I needed more Cooper and Whit in this one. Sorry, but I just loved them so much in the first book.
January 24, 2022
4.5 / 5 ⭐
Ahh the pining was so strong with this one. As someone who stresses and is anxious A LOT, I found his circling about the farm very realistic. I love how bold Penny is. I love how she stood up for herself in terms of what she deserves in a relationship. I love how she demanded more.
Overall great read! I just wish we got more from the confession part. I still loved reading how they worked through the relationship together and how Drew had to learn to take less on and prioritize what he wanted to do.
Ahh the pining was so strong with this one. As someone who stresses and is anxious A LOT, I found his circling about the farm very realistic. I love how bold Penny is. I love how she stood up for herself in terms of what she deserves in a relationship. I love how she demanded more.
Overall great read! I just wish we got more from the confession part. I still loved reading how they worked through the relationship together and how Drew had to learn to take less on and prioritize what he wanted to do.
July 28, 2022
Apparently I’m just gonna love all of Kits books even if it’s f/m romance which I usually don’t read but again the dynamic between the two MCs is just so good. I loved Drew to death with his unorganized and uncertain and anxious kind of character and Penny who was the total opposite which just made them both perfect together.
But reading m/f was really something new because the dynamic is kinda different. It felt like Drew had to do all the work and Penny not really getting his problems, just complaining.
But reading m/f was really something new because the dynamic is kinda different. It felt like Drew had to do all the work and Penny not really getting his problems, just complaining.
September 27, 2022
This finishes the story that starting in Cattle Stop # 1. this time it was the Drew and his lifelong hidden love for Penny Morales.
The farm is doing well, but Drew can't keep up with it at all and tries to do it all himself. Whit and Cooper do their share and want to do more, but Drew is the boss.
Finally, when Penny overhears something that Drew says to Cooper--his world changes--and so does he.
Although I find Drew to be a pathetic character through most of the book, he is kind of loveable too.
The farm is doing well, but Drew can't keep up with it at all and tries to do it all himself. Whit and Cooper do their share and want to do more, but Drew is the boss.
Finally, when Penny overhears something that Drew says to Cooper--his world changes--and so does he.
Although I find Drew to be a pathetic character through most of the book, he is kind of loveable too.
October 28, 2023
I loved Kit Oliver’s other books, and I like Drew and Penny as characters, but I just… this book was boring? It honestly could have been a 100-page novella. It was basically “Drew’s an anxious mess who refuses to ask for help, so he asks for help, and they all live happily ever after.” I felt his anxiety, the writing did a good job conveying it — but it was definitely not the kind of tension I enjoy reading for 200 pages in a rom-com. Anyway. Glad I read it (was definitely thirsting every Whit and Cooper scene), but it was ultimately forgettable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2024
Cattle Stop is one of my favourite romances, my comfort read that still after four re-reads makes me all swoony for Cooper and Whit. I wasn’t so invested in Drew and Penny and I confess I only read this sequel to get glimpses of how in love Cooper and Whit are.
I really liked Drew but all his farming problems (there were a lot and they kept piling up) stressed me out. Obviously I’m glad he got the girl of his dreams but without Cooper and Whit being ridiculously in love in the background I wouldn’t have finished this sequel.
That said, Kit Oliver is an autobuy novelist for me because he has a masterful, unique way of building romantic tension.
I really liked Drew but all his farming problems (there were a lot and they kept piling up) stressed me out. Obviously I’m glad he got the girl of his dreams but without Cooper and Whit being ridiculously in love in the background I wouldn’t have finished this sequel.
That said, Kit Oliver is an autobuy novelist for me because he has a masterful, unique way of building romantic tension.
March 2, 2022
Not quite as good as the first book.
This was certainly enjoyable but ultimately I liked the first book better. Partly I think that’s because I could connect with Cooper better than with either Drew or Penny. In large part, though, Drew was so stressed and it was making ME stressed. He was looking for the shear bolts and trying to remember everything he needed to do and no one would stop /talking/ to him and it was driving me crazy.
This was certainly enjoyable but ultimately I liked the first book better. Partly I think that’s because I could connect with Cooper better than with either Drew or Penny. In large part, though, Drew was so stressed and it was making ME stressed. He was looking for the shear bolts and trying to remember everything he needed to do and no one would stop /talking/ to him and it was driving me crazy.
August 20, 2022
Drew’s anxiety is incredibly relatable (and justified!), and it completely overshadows the blah romance.
Penny seemed to keep demanding his time, while also complaining about jobs he hadn’t done, like he should have twice as many hours in the day. It was really stressful, he couldn’t get 5 mins peace. The only HEA I was interested in was between Drew and his to do list.
Cooper was 10/10 as per.
Penny seemed to keep demanding his time, while also complaining about jobs he hadn’t done, like he should have twice as many hours in the day. It was really stressful, he couldn’t get 5 mins peace. The only HEA I was interested in was between Drew and his to do list.
Cooper was 10/10 as per.
October 26, 2022
The second book was better then the first in my opinion! Drew and Penny’s story was one you saw coming. Drew gets so caught up in his farm and cheese duties that he totally neglects his friendships… especially the one with Penny. His cluelessness makes him almost loose his best friend and his chance at love with her. Penny’s friend shows and it puts him in a bad head space. Until a weekend away at his aunts opens his eyes to what he needs to do. Such a cute read
March 1, 2022
Actually rating 4.5, but I'm rounding down because the level of stress and disorganization in Drew's brain was A LOT. And I still with this was dual POV so I could get Penny's perspective. But overall, I loved this even more than Cattle Stop. The "not talking about" actually made sense in this case, and the yearning was excellent.
April 20, 2022
I really really enjoy Kit Oliver's writing and this sequel was no exception. Cooper continues to be hilarious and wonderful, and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to see Whit continue to love Cooper's crazy.
And as a fan of the first book, it was great to see Drew and Penny figure out that they're in love...or rather, figure out how to talk about it.
And as a fan of the first book, it was great to see Drew and Penny figure out that they're in love...or rather, figure out how to talk about it.
November 30, 2024
This was cute! I was so excited to read this after the first book, and it was really good! I think I liked the first one better, but was glad to get this love story. I think it was the perfect length for Drew to figure his shit out, and the lightbulb moment could have felt rushed, but instead felt like things just finally clicked for him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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