Always each other’s plus-ones, but never each other’s real dates, two childhood best friends have one last summer wedding to fall in love in this dual-narrative debut. Available while supplies last, this stunning edition features designed sprayed edges!
One of The Washington Post’s ‘8 Romance Novels to Read this Summer’!
“Left me feeling desperately romantic. Prepare for a book hangover—I loved it.” —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Romance
Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.
It’s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.
Now Joni is back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, and she’s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren—and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?
But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she’ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.
“Your heart will explode when you read this book. I defy you not to fall in love with Joni and Ren.” —Tessa Bickers, USA Today bestselling author of The Book Swap
Perfect for fans The Summer I Turned Pretty and People We Meet on Vacation Reunion romances Forced Proximity Dual narratives & Single POV
One of The Washington Post’s ‘8 Romance Novels to Read this Summer’!
“Left me feeling desperately romantic. Prepare for a book hangover—I loved it.” —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Romance
Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.
It’s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.
Now Joni is back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, and she’s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren—and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?
But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she’ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.
“Your heart will explode when you read this book. I defy you not to fall in love with Joni and Ren.” —Tessa Bickers, USA Today bestselling author of The Book Swap
Perfect for fans The Summer I Turned Pretty and People We Meet on Vacation Reunion romances Forced Proximity Dual narratives & Single POV
Title: Friends to Lovers
Author: Sally Blakely
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press
Expected Publication Date: 7/22/25
Review:
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
If I didn't know better, I would have never thought this could possibly be a debut for this author. But it is. And what a fabulous job she did with it. I loved every single minute of this book. It made me laugh, cry, and want to smack the characters at times but all in a good way!
Ren and Joni have been best friends forever. Always each other's plus ones for weddings and experiencing so much together. Until a falling out puts an over two year rift in their friendship. But their families have no idea there's anything wrong. When Joni's sister is getting married, and they are all together once again, it's all Joni can do to keep her walls up around Ren, to keep her distance and not allow him back in. But her walls are really not as strong as she thinks they are, and her heart has never really given up hope that they can heal from what they have suffered through.
This book is a roller coaster ride of emotions. I loved the flashbacks that gave us the build up of the friendship between Ren and Joni. It created such a rich picture of their relationship and how it had formed, progressed, and then finally broken apart.
Joni always tried to be perfect and happy with her job and her move away from her family. Even though she never truly felt she fit after moving from Oregon to NYC. But she doesn't want her family to think she's anything more than holding herself together given her history of panic attacks that tore her apart. She lives her whole life to ensure others don't worry about her. But she never worries about herself and what she actually needs and wants. She closes herself off from her family and friends because she thinks it will save them from anything complicated in her life but it only. causes them to worry more. And, even though Ren has always been the constant in her life, she she shuts him out when she thinks it's best for him, as well. I will say there were so many times I wanted to yell at Joni in this book. To tell her to look at what was right in front of her. To tell her to open her mouth and let others know how she feels. That showing those emotions and having moments of doubt or moments where she might fall apart are normal. That a balance between job and life is so very important but nothing is more important than your mental health. I know she had to learn it throughout the story but I did want to shake her and tell her to snap out of it.
We see Ren through Joni's eyes. I just loved him so much. He is tender and real. You see his love for Joni. You see how much he cares about her. I normally like my romances to be dual POV, but this book was not about Ren. It was about Joni and who she is around all those around her. Especially Ren, who has always seen her and knows her better than anyone else.
I loved all the secondary characters in this book. It was fun to watch how they were important in Joni's life and how they supported her, even when she thought she wasn't worthy of it. Each character helped us see Joni's frustrations that can come with family/found family. But also helped to see the comfort they can bring. There was never an interaction on the page that didn't showcase a move forward for Joni.
The beach house setting in this book is probably one of my favorite settings for romance. And the fact that the two families who own it together continue to vacation their yearly makes my heart so happy. I love tradition and the role it plays in how our lives and personalities are formed. Blakely did a great job with framing the atmosphere and making me really feel like I was at the beach watching this story unfold.
If you're looking for a second chance romance with some forced proximity that's filled with humor and nostalgia, pick this one up. I'm really looking forward to whatever Blakely writes next!
Author:
Sally Blakely studied theatre, media arts, English, and education at The University of Montana. When she's not writing, she's reading, or making far too many playlists. She lives in Montana with her husband.
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