Fierce Friendships
Platonic love matters just as much as romantic love in these three books!
In genre romance, the love story is the A plot, which often doesn’t leave a lot of time for either character to develop or deepen their relationships with OTHER people. However, these three books in particular made the friendships, some shared, some separate, of the main love interests near-equal in their plot importance, which is both a craft feat and a real treat as a reader. I don’t often cry at great love stories… but stories about friendships? Get the tissues!! (Yes I did cry at every book in this roundup)
One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin. A book taking place over the course of years, where the love interests are forced regularly into each others’ lives because their respective best friends are together. Natalie and Rob meet for the first time at the engagement party, and though they’re pretty different, they REALLY hit it off. Natalie is a debut author (or about to be?) while Rob is in academia, but they both feel the flash of chemistry between them… until minutes before the wedding ceremony months later, when Natalie learns Rob has given her book a one star review online, snuffing out the spark before it has a chance to grow. And not just because the review activates Natalie’s imposter syndrome, but also because Rob feels completely confident in his review for more than one reason.
The book is told over the course of about a decade, taking stops where these two are thrust together over and over again at different milestones of their best friends’ lives, unable to ever fully let the other go. And it turns out that friendship is the reason Natalie wrote her book in the first place… and the reason Rob writes his review. And then when Natalie’s book is adapted into a TV show, old resentments and insecurities rear their heads, finally forcing both characters to reckon with their feelings about their friends, each other, and themselves.
It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling every plot point, but I think it’s a lovely exploration of friendship and the ways in which we value (or not) platonic relationships in contrast to romantic ones, while still very much being a romance at its core. It’s a little meta, a lot messy, and covers a surprising amount of ground for such a quick read.
How hot? 🔥 (closed door)
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce. One of my five star reads from 2024! Unlike the book above, this time our lovers share a SINGLE best friend, which amps up the drama to a thousand when you also factor in the fact that they did try to date back in the day and it ended badly… but they can’t ever truly get over the other while they share a best friend. So when said best friend is getting married and he needs them to team up to save his wedding as disaster after disaster strikes… what are they gonna do but agree?
Georgia Woodward has only managed to survive as long as she has post-breakup with Eli Mora due to ruthless compartmentalization. She literally has a list of rules to maintain the peace when they have to share space or text threads. Unfortunately, when they are thrown together to run around the Napa Valley to help their BFF Adam get the wedding of his dreams, Eli’s no longer interested in following those rules, and she’s running out of excuses to hold him at bay.
This book has it all; second chance, wineries, forced proximity, moments of fake dating to hurry up vendor conversations, angst, and fighting for bravery to live the life you deserve, not the life that you’re accustomed to.
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
But How Are You, Really by Ella Dawson. I’ve had the two books prior to this one in my spreadsheet for over a year, waiting for a third to round up the roundup. And at the same time, I’d seen this book making the online rounds for a while and was awaiting it in my library holds. Imagine my delight that it wasn’t just a great read, but also the perfect finale for this curation!
Charlotte Thorne has been strong-armed into attending her five year college reunion by her terrible tyrant of a boss, who just happens to be the commencement speaker for this year’s graduating class. There’s no way in hell she would go back there of her own accord, even to reconnect with friends she’s been struggling to stay in touch with post-graduation, especially considering her toxic ex will definitely make an appearance, not to mention her NOT toxic ex she maybe hasn’t fully closed the book on. Hm. What’s a burnt-out bisexual to do but brazen through it? That’s how she’s been able to navigate the crumbling media industry the last five years, so surely her strategy won’t need to change much to survive a mere three days?
Except that her friends aren’t willing to accept her brush offs in person, and being around people who love you back at the place you all started to find yourselves makes it difficult to pretend to be OK when you’re categorically NOT OK. Plus, Reece, the non-toxic ex, is making eyes at her like maybe he’s not quite satisfied with the way things ended between them either.
A depressed bisexual millennial in media who both idealizes and disassociates her time in college? Um. Excuse me. I’m in this photo and I don’t like it. (just kidding I LOVED it because I’m actually great at compartmentalizing, also keep your eyes peeled for an interview with author Ella Dawson in the coming weeks!)
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
Next week, I’ll be recommending books with secondary POV love stories embedded within the primary ones!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
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