First off I want to say I loved the representation that happened in this book. Lucas going blind is something we don't ever see happening in most books. The way he denied it and avoided it for so long is a very real thing for a lot of people in the disability community because like it was mentioned in the book your angry and grieving all at the same time that it's progressively getting worse. It's hard to explain that to the people you love while it's happening and the way the author showed that was very real.
Lucas and Elodie's relationship is a friend to lover's story which is something that really helps them as their relationship progresses along with his loss of sight.
They're Strictly Friends is a spin-off to the tough love books so we do see Zed and Nairne as they are Lucas and Elodie's best friends. This friendship is one that I love and the conversations they had were important. Nairne's way of helping Lucas coming to terms with things while also showing Elodie how to help or not help in some situations.

Overall I did enjoy this book and how it showed disability in a real and positive light all while being a romance.
I could have done without all of the sex scenes that happened as it was there a way of dealing with things instead of communicating.

Melissa contributed this review to Really Into This

Special thanks to Chloe Liese & Netgalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I really loved this one. STRICTLY FRIENDS is my first title from Chloe Liese. I definitely want to read more of her books. This book is heartwarming, hopeful & romantic.

Lucas thinks he has his future all figured out. Then, he receives debilitating news that upends his plans. We’ve all bee there, right?

I found it very easy to connect to Elodie. She put her foot in her mouth trying to fit in & deal with everything. Elodie is also a very smart, determined, funny & relatable strong woman.

The character development in STRICTLY FRIENDS is incredible. Every character has a purpose & reason. As someone with a disability, I’ve had MS for over 25 years, I related to Lucas as he receives a life-changing diagnosis. There’s also plenty of discussion in this book dealing with physical disabilities that I found to be relatable.

Overall, this is a great read that I highly recommend. read this if you’re in the mood for a pick me up. 4.5 stars for me.

This was a good and interesting book, and certainly had more meat to it than your typical chick lit. I enjoyed that the characters were fully formed, not just chick lit stereotypes. However, it did start to drag a little bit for me. It felt repetitive at some points, and slightly tightening up with editing would take it to 5 stars!

The synopsis sounded great & like everything I love in a romance but I struggled a lot to get into this one and eventually just had to DNF it. I just didn’t care about the characters, finding their personalities cringy.

Elodie and Lucas... You broke me! I am trying to calm myself after finishing this story so that I can write a proper review. This book is very emotional, be sure that it will tug at your heartstrings.

I absolutely loved this story, I mean what's not to love about an inclusive book that talks about disability accurately giving you all the feels ?

If you're a fan of The Flatshare, you'd totally love this book - it just addresses more sensitive topics.

Let’s sum up the plot shall we ?

They're Strictly Friends is a friends-to-lovers romance staring Lucas and Elodie. These two were introduced by their friends and they didn't really get along. Until they do start to get along and not only that,- they form a deep emotional bond. While Lucas gets some devastating news at the beginning you'll still keep rooting for them to find their way to each other. Lucas and Elodie try everything to deny their attraction to each other, but once they succumb to it, there shouldn’t be a going back. I emphasized the shouldn’t because Lucas is an extremely stubborn character who definitely doesn’t want to hurt Elodie with his secret disability. Will they be able to overcome his stubbornness ? His disability ?

The characters and their relationship:

Lucas has been given news that will greatly impact his future. He feels immense bitterness and anger over his disability. You will definitely feel his pain and understand his thoughts when you know what he has to deal with. His denial felt very realistic and not frustrating at all. I liked how he learned to handle what will come, and admired how he longed to still be independent despite it.
I loved how British Lucas was, with his stiff upper lip and his love of drinking a drink during a crisis. I adored how he cared and supported the people he truly loved. But most of all, I loved how he wanted to protect Elodie and her feelings all the time. He didn’t want to „drag“ her into the mess his life has become and I found that so sweet and adorable.

Elodie is a hard worker determined to stand on her two feet without relying on her parents’ help, which really made me admire her. Her love for Lucas was truly inspiring and I grinned every time the two of them bickered. Elodie is french, so there’s a clash of opinion at times, which was cute and funny.

The term „it’s complicated“ is perfect for the relationship these two are in. Lucas pushing Elodie away, them getting back together and so on was a good portion of the book. Again, I’m not judging. I definitely understood Lucas, so him pushing Elodie away but finally giving in to love was a realistic action.

This couple struggled with real issues that couples face all the time. They had to navigate dealing with loss in numerous aspects while trying to navigate falling in love when the odds were against them. We do find that they manage a life together that is comfortable, and at times quite steamy.
They are truly fighting for their love and their relationship, which shows how raw this book really is.

I am rating this book with 4 stars while raving about it , so why am I abducting 1 star ?
I was honestly annoyed by Lucas mentioning Elodie’s butt in every chapter, over and over again. I found it odd that every character freely talked about their sex lives with others, which is to an extent okay. But parents talking about it to their own kids? Definitely weird.
Also, we know that Elodie dealt with quite a hard loss, so I would have loved to see how she coped with that, and what her feelings were. Instead the author pushed these emotions aside and only mentioned the loss briefly. That was quite disappointing.

To sum it up, I highly enjoyed this book and can recommend it to you with good conscience ! The fact that the author includes a disability and writes about it so accurately, shows how important it is to talk about disabilities in general and how to live with them. The book has so much depth and heart, the characters deal with some real life issues and it touches you in many ways.

I tried to like this and at the beginning I was enjoying it, but I felt the author dealt with serious issues in the story insensitively , this made it hard for me to complete but by the end because of this I just wasn’t invested. Sorry.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I liked the characters in the story. The challenges to their relationship were unlike any other I have read. While I believe that we need more stories such as They're Strictly Friends by Chloe Liese, I also feel that the book could stand to be edited for length. Thanks to #Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel. I think occasionally the humor may have flown over my head due to me being American and not British. However, this did not lessen my enjoyment of the book at all. I adored both characters and was really rooting for them throughout the novel.

My only critique (and this is entirely personal) was that too much was happening. I am entirely used to romance books that end with the getting together, I wasn't prepared for the feel of sitting with the characters for a life time. It occasionally felt dragged out, but the ending saved everything. I love a beautiful HEA!

Absolutely awesome book. Just the right amount of strong story telling and sexy scenes to keep the reader interested and the story moving without getting stale. I now want to read the rest of the books linked to this!

3.5 stars
Elodie Bertrand likes Lucas Edwards and she feels he likes her back. So when he suddenly stops pursuing her and ignores all her attempts at flirtation, she’s left confused and slightly hurt. Lucas sees what his actions are doing to Elodie, but after a grim diagnosis, he’s determined to not draw her into his life only to condemn with him. They must remain ‘strictly friends’. But when fate throws them together and Lucas finds his resolve slipping, will he able to protect Elodie? Or can Elodie convince Lucas he could trust and rely on her?
This book deals with loss, grief, and acceptance, but most importantly how to move forward from it. I felt Lucas’s diagnosis was well handled. His reactions as he learns to cope and adjust were quite believable. I wish I could say the same for Elodie’s loss.
I loved how British Lucas was, with his stiff upper lip and love of drinking drink during a crisis. I loved how he cared for the people he loved and understood his apprehensions for what his future held. His denial felt very realistic and not frustrating at all. I liked how he learnt to handle what will come, and admired how he longed to still be independent despite it.
Elodie is French, so there’s a clash of opinion at times, which was cute and funny. Her failed attempts at English idioms left me grinning into my kindle. I loved how caring, supportive, and patient she was with Lucas. Despite being a trust fund baby, she’s hard worker determined to stand on her two feet without relying on her parents’ help, which really made me admire her.
While I loved how devoted to and in love with each other Lucas and Elodie were,
I wish I got to read more of a buildup to them falling in love. Since this book is a spin-off from Liese’s other series, maybe there was buildup there. But still, this book could have benefited some here too. I felt like their relationship progressed way too quickly, that I couldn’t feel their chemistry. For this reason, I felt their intimate scenes also lacked sexual tension.
While the plot intrigued me, I did struggled with the author’s writing style, which is why this isn’t a four star read for me. The lack of buildup, made the sexually explicit scenes jarring to me. And while I understood the focus the emphasis on physical beauty, I was annoyed by Lucas mentioning Elodie’s butt in every chapter, over and over again. I found it odd that Lucas kept track of Elodie’s menstrual cycles before they were even in a relationship. It was also odd that every character freely talked about their sex lives with others, which is to an extent okay, maybe even healthy. But parents talking about it to their own kids? No thanks. I also felt the ending dragged on far too long.
I did enjoy the Harry Potter references sprinkled about, and the various friendships throughout the novel.
All in all, this was an okay read.

Please note: I received an advance digital copy of this book through NetGalley from NetGalley Connect and Chloe Liese in exchange for a honest review. This does not influence my opinions in any way.

Lucas is struggling with some life altering news that he’s recently received. Elodie is still reeling from a decision that forced her to walk away from her parents and their company indefinitely. The two are close friends with a mutual attraction and as far as Lucas is concerned that’s all they’ll ever be because he refuses to put Elodie through what he will soon face. But this stubborn English bloke is no match for the fiery French stunner, and Elodie nuzzles her way into Luc’s life in a way that he can’t resist just by being herself. Chloe tells this all at once heartbreaking and heartwarming story in the uniquely intellectual and interesting way that I have come to love and expect from her. I rooted for LouLou and Elodie from the beginning, laughed with them, cried with them, and cheesed so hard at every Harry Potter and Shakespeare nugget Chloe weaved within these pages. Bravo, my friend! Thank you so much for the arc 💗 I can’t wait to see what journey you take us on next!

This is the first book in the Tough Love spinoff series and can be read as a stand alone. I loved this friends to lovers romance but It’s so much more than that.

Lucas and Elodie have a few things in common, both former professional soccer players, wealthy, mutual hot attraction and their best friends are married to each other.
As Lucas is set to take on the family business he receives bad news about a health condition, meanwhile Elodie is broke and homeless due to her parents cutting her off financially for refusing to commit to an arranged marriage.
Lucas gives Elodie a job and a place to stay. This brings them closer together and harder for Lucas to fight his feelings for her due to his illness.
Difficult to ignore the chemistry they succumb to temptation. It’s not all hearts and flowers as they deal with loss, heartache and hard real life emotionally draining situations.

With drama, humor and swooning moments you are captivated by this story. The plot was good and nicely paced.

You’ll cry, laugh, roll your eyes, swoon, cry again, you’re heart will break for them through this journey.
I enjoyed the interaction with the secondary characters. The relationship was well written as was the progression of Lucas’s illness.
It’s an emotionally packed story that easily draws you in.
If you want a quick emotionally packed steamy read with humor and drama then I highly recommend you pick this one up and If you have not read the Tough Love series you should. It’s feisty, witty with a strong female character and lots of steam.

I felt misled by the blurb for this book (and the title) which made it seem as though the book would all be a slow burn romance. Instead, Lucas and Elodie got together quite early on.
Also, all of the redundancy of all of the talk about the main character's physical appearance and how perfect they were and how everyone fell immediately in love with them.

I felt that the plot line of the PCOS and miscarriage was insensitive both by the author and the way it was handled in the book, itself.

I found myself torn between enjoying this book and also wanting it to end.

Elodie runs away to London after her mother and father give her an ultimatum that she refuses to oblige. In London she finds herself falling apart during a party at her friends house but Lucas, the sexy off-limits friend offers to get her away from the party so she can think. Lucas has always been standoffish and refuses to acknowledge the chemistry between them. He has been distant for a few months and Elodie has noticed the purposeful switch I'm his demeanor. The real reason behind Lucas's behavior is he has recently recieved some news causing him to create barriers for those he loves, because soon everyone will despise the man he will become.

I few things I loved: this book touches on some heavy and emotional events. Elodie was an imperfect, strong and engaging character and easy to love. Nairne and Zed and their friendship and how the couple had similarities with Elodie and Lucas.

Things I didnt love: this book touched on a lot of Life. Between marriages, babies, parties, jobs, health. At one point I was unsure why it touched on so much. I would have loved to experience more of the back and forth between Elodie and Lucas prior to the news of his downward spiral. But they were living together and sleeping together so quickly and we didnt get to enjoy much of that friends-to-lovers trope we all love. Then provided a quick epilogue in the future for a good amount of closure. A few scenes lost me and I wish they wouldn't have been there.

I think if you love contemporary womans fiction that touches on serious life events than this book is perfect for you! I admittedly was expecting more light, heart-warming romance.

This book was unexpected for me because i thought it was going to be your typical lovers to friends romance book but wow, so different because they both deal with heavy things and have to come to terms with their internal struggles while navigating a relationship.

Elodie and Lucas are fun, sexy, complicated and so fun to read french and english banter. i highly suggest you read it if you like more darker, funny and sexy but still full of fluff and love romance books.

** I received an ATC in exchange for an honest review.**
I love a romance that can tackle tough subjects and still keep me interested and rooting for the couple. However, this book really got bogged down in internal musings and conversations that went nowhere or took place during really inappropriate times.
Neither of the characters caught my attention and I felt like I was peering into their story instead Of being in their story.
I really had to push myself to finish this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
This is the first book I've read by this author, and it probably helps to have read the previous series to know Nairne and Zed and the other characters.
It is well written, with the language and most scenes easy to follow. I found the characters a little bit inconsistent in their personalities when they were at work, but maybe that's just me.
The issues the author covered were deeper than I anticipated, which caused the story to be less lighthearted, however it still worked out in the end.

This is possibly the best book yet from author contemporary romance author Chloe Liese. They're Strictly Friends revolves around Lucas and Elodie, true friends, who share a powerful attraction that extends beyond the physical, but are also experiencing setbacks that make them reluctant to get romantically involved. They have a lot in common: a history of playing professional soccer, wealthy upbringings, and a head for math and business, plus their two best friends are married to each other, and they both adore their godson Jamie. Though imperfect, these are two very good, substantive and lovely people, and that's incredibly refreshing.

While Lucas comes from a loving supportive family, however, Elodie is all but estranged from her controlling and emotionally abusive family from the start. When that family finally cuts her off financially and Elodie suddenly finds herself without a job or a place to live, Lucas takes her in without hesitation. That puts them in close proximity, and, inevitably, that shaky reticence quickly crumbles. It's a great set-up, and it is easy to see how the relationship grows and deepens organically from there.

Elodie and Lucas still face important obstacles, however. Even after Lucas and Elodie give in to temptation, the health issue Lucas is facing complicates their relationship in a very credible way. I was easily drawn in and quickly invested in their love story. It's funny, touching and original and compels you to keep going. I recommend.

I am thankful to have received an advanced review copy through Netgalley.

I felt misled by the blurb for this book (and the title) which made it seem as though the book would all be about the dance between an uptight Englishman and a fiery Frenchwoman as they flirted but never quite got together. Instead, Elodie and Lucas get together quite early on in the novel.

Lucas is about to take over his family business when he receives some bad news from his doctor, news which puts his career and his life plans in jeopardy. Irritatingly, we don't know exactly what this news is for quite a long time. Through mutual friends he has met and flirted with Elodie for some time, but with his diagnosis hanging over him he knows he can never act on the attraction.

When Elodie's career-driven mother gives her a draconian command to marry the son of a rival in order to consolidate a merger between their two businesses Elodie flees Paris to London for her best friend's wedding. When she breaks down in tears Lucas comforts her and offers her a place to stay in London while she gets back on her feet without the support of her parents' money.

Living together and working together Lucas and Elodie become even closer, but will Lucas' diagnosis break them apart forever?

As I say, I thought this book would be all about the unresolved romantic tension between Elodie and Lucas, instead it was all about Lucas suffering from his undisclosed medical condition and pushing Elodie away. Oh, and lots and lots of sex. And more sex. And pushing Elodie away, and refusing to tell anyone what the problem was, and more sex.

I wanted to DNF this book at about 14%, but I recently got a comment from someone who read one of my reviews which queried how I could possibly judge a book after only 16%, Although I stand by that decision I decided to press on with this book right to the bitter end, but having put the book down at about 90% and having to force myself to finish it I 've come to the conclusion that I know quite early on whether I want to read about the characters and whether I like the writing style. In this case, I thought early on that Lucas was a pretentious ass who nevertheless also spoke quite coarsely, and I didn't change my opinion.

I would definitely classify this as women's fiction (which rightly or wrongly I consider to be long-winded and a lot of talk about not very much).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

There were parts of this book that I enjoyed, but there were some major problems with it.

What I liked:
The progression of Lucas’ condition was interesting to read about. I had guessed early on what the problem was, and enjoyed reading how it played out throughout the book. This aspect seemed very realistic and it seems like a lot of research went into this. The relationships—both romantic and platonic—were well written.

What I didn’t like:
The main reason I didn’t care for this book was the way it jumped into the story. The summary of the book was misleading, because I thought I would be reading about the progression of their entire friendship/relationship. Instead, it fast forwarded and assumed you knew all the context. If it was a sequel, I would understand, but since it’s a spin-off, the author should have given the reader more context and background. Second, I did not find any part of it believable. Élodie goes from being a trust fund baby with a single internship and no work experience, to getting a high paying, top corporate job at the same company Lucas is running. The author sets it all up as a coincidence.