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Review

“You’ve been there for every moment of my life and I’ve been there for yours, too … I am in love with you.”

4.5 stars

I love a friends-to-lovers story. I love the sense of anticipation as you wait for two people to experience that inevitable moment of realisation that they have fallen for their best friend. It’s like book crack for me. Whitney G has given us a wonderful story full of humour, sex and romance between two characters that already have an intense connection, and I loved it!

Carter and Arizona have been best friends since the fourth grade (or possibly the fifth – depends on who’s telling the story). They are now in their early 20s and in all of the years in between they have been as close as two people can be – talking about anything and everything, usually multiple times a day, living in each other’s pockets and sharing every moment of their lives together.

Obviously they have a lot in common, but when it comes to relationships they are incredibly different – Carter is a bit of bit of a manwhore, unable / unwilling to make any relationship last longer than six months, while Ari looks for an emotional connection with a boyfriend before she even considers anything physical (going so far as to keep a spreadsheet as to how things are progressing) – and their teasing and joking about their love lives is hilarious!

“It would be nice to have some amazing sex before I leave for culinary school.”
“Then have some, I can help you with that.”
“What? Not with you with you. Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m definitely not talking about sex with me. You wouldn’t be able to handle me…”
“Please!”

I love how their openness and candour with each other is so natural for them. It’s easy and hilarious (the conversation about Arizona’s waxing appointment had me laughing out loud) and also heartfelt as they are there for each other during the hard times as well as the fun. It’s the kind of friendship that everybody wants in their lives. And in all of their time together they have never crossed the line into something ‘more than friends’. Never even thought about it! Until one day… they do.

“I think you’re sexy as fuck, and if you weren’t my best friend, and this wasn’t a dream, I’d totally fuck you right now…”

It only takes one moment of them seeing each other in a sexual way for things to change between them. Suddenly their imaginations and their hormones are running wild, and the sexual tension builds brilliantly until they can’t hold back any longer. They don’t talk about it, they don’t analyse it, they just go with it, and it is hot as hell!

“Am I allowed to fuck you the way I want to … Or do you have a spreadsheet for that too?”
“The…the first one.”
“Good.”

They promise not to allow their night together to change anything, although it is immediately clear that one night isn’t enough for either of them. And even though they are unable to keep their hands off each other, they don’t talk about what is happening between them. They carry on with their lives as normal – having fun together and still as close as ever… though now with more orgasms – but subtle changes start to happen as things shift between them, and watching it all unfold was absolutely gorgeous! But then Ari gets the opportunity of a lifetime to study overseas. Will she be able to leave Carter behind? Will he be able to let her go? And how will they cope without each other?

I loved this book! It’s funny, entertaining and sexy as all hell, and the romance is gorgeous! Ari and Carter are fantastic characters, I love them both so much, and the dynamic between them was something truly special. Although I must say – I thought it was a little weird that after ALL of their years together they’d both all of a sudden look at each other and feel something more – at the same time. But it was intense and exciting, and I was so excited to see how it all progressed, I easily suspended belief and just went it. There is a bit of angst in the story when they finally start to open up about their feelings, and it’s not an easy road for them, but of course they get their happy ending, and it’s beautiful and swoony and had me grinning like a love-struck idiot.

“You belong to me, Ari, and you always will…
You’re more than ‘just’ my best friend, and I never want to be ‘just friends’ again.”

4.5 stars

 

Sincerely Carter series