carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

When I saw some of the mixed reviews that this book was getting on Goodreads, I have to admit that I was a little nervous about jumping into it. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. I liked this book a lot. Something about the way that this story was told just worked perfectly for me.

The main idea behind this novel isn't really original. Friends with benefits who end up wanting to be more than friends. If you are a fan of romance, I know that you have read a book with that general idea. You probably saw the movie too. This isn't even the first friends with benefits book that I have read this year now that I am thinking about it. Let's just say that there weren't a whole lot of surprises in this book but who cares because I really enjoyed the way that the story was told.

This book is told from alternating points of view. I don't always like that method of storytelling but I think it worked really well in this case. I liked Ben and Parker and I really liked knowing what each of them were thinking. I think that this book would not have had the same impact if only it had only been told from one of the character's point of view. Each character had a wonderfully distinct voice and I never had to stop and think about who was telling the story.

I liked the chemistry that the pair had together. Even at the very beginning of the story when they were both firmly in the friend zone, their interactions were comfortably fun with an underlying chemistry that they were keeping under control. Once the benefits portion of the book began and the need for control was gone, I really enjoyed watching the pair realize that what they had was different.

When they came across the big problem in the story, I did want to sit both of them done and smack them. I don't know why they didn't just tell each other what they were feeling instead of making assumptions. They did talk things out fairly quickly and I liked how the book ended.

I would recommend this book to contemporary romance fans that enjoy a good friends to lovers story. I am so glad that I discovered Lauren Layne's books. I just love the way that she tells a story and I am always left with a huge smile on my face. I am wondering if she sleeps because she seems to have a new book out every couple of months. I can't wait to get my hands on more of her work.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
The story was completely predictable but I still really enjoyed reading this short little book.