I love a good romance where friendship turns into something more, probably because this trope is the closest to real life, especially my own true love story. So, when I got this ARC called Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely, I was excited to dive in.
Joni and Ren have been best friends since anyone could remember. Something happened that has changed all that for them, but they’ve been keeping it a secret from their families. The physical distance they had between them due to their jobs on opposite coasts has disappeared due to Joni’s sister getting ready to marry a friend of Ren’s at the beach house their families have shared for ages. Ren and Joni have to get through all of the activities leading up to the destination wedding without letting their secret out.
There are secrets, misunderstandings, and mishaps in this sweet and funny story. I enjoyed their banter and friendship, but the title was a little misleading. This story is actually more about what happened when they messed up their friendship by crossing a line, told in flashbacks and mixed in with the current event (giving Happy Place by Emily Henry vibes). Joni and Ren made a plus-one pact for weddings, so her sister’s wedding is the current timeline alternating with the past weddings they attended together. If that sounds confusing, that’s because it was slightly hard to follow. However, I found that I just sat back and enjoyed the storytelling to find out what would become of their relationship. I recommend the audiobook read by Patti Murin; she’s read many of Katherine Center’s latest and I adore her narration.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing (Canary Street Press) for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
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