I tried to, but couldn't get into the story. I believe it was more my mindset then the author. I definitely will be going back to the story at a later date to see if my view changes.

Marlee Rice is a romance-reading executive assistant to one of her best friends, a tech nerd, though she has a computer science degree herself. Her biggest crush - her Prince Charming -is Copper Fallon, the other partner in the business. Her boss is about to get married so she comes up with a plan: woo Cooper at the wedding. When she finds out he's already taking a date, she accepts the help of her friend and co-worker, Tyler, who'll pretend they're dating. Well, dear Marlee, you have read enough romance novels to know that this will not go as planned...

Told entirely through Marlee's POV in first person (except for the epilogue, where we get Tyler's), you kinda want to smack her upside the head for most of the book! Girl, wake up! She's fun and cute but, for the life of me, she can't read the room! Tyler is so obviously into her that it hurts to see how she treats him, shoving him so hard into the friend zone he might get injured! But it's a romance novel and it all works well in the end. 

And, oh boy, Tyler is one sexy computer geek....

Marlee is also dealing with accepting that her father is showing early signs of dementia or Alzheimer's and it's really hard on her, as he's her only family and they are truly devoted to each other. 

I'm very intrigued by Cooper, though. I might we might get some surprises in his book. Hmmm...

Fun, steamy (but slower than slow burn) read.

Possible triggers: Marlee is dealing with her father's early onset Alzheimer's and the heartache and tough decisions that come with that

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A friends to lovers romance that has an unrequited love bit as Marlee has a crush on her boss and Tyler has feelings for her.
It was a quick read with some chemistry between the characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of the workplace romance trope.  So when I was given the opportunity to read Friend Me by new to me author Michelle McCraw, I jumped at it. This is a well-written slow-burn, with a hot happily ever after.  This is the second book from the Synergy series and it can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Marlee has a lot going on in her life.  She is an executive assistant with a computer science degree. She could do so much more with her career, but family comes first, so caring for her beloved dad takes all of her extra time.  For three years Marlee has been lusting after Cooper, an executive she sits a few feet away from. Cooper never mixes business and pleasure.

Tyler is a smart programmer with a career on the rise. He and Marlee are good friends, however, he wants much more. A wedding between two colleagues brings them closer together, but Marlee is still stuck on Cooper. Luckily, she realizes that Tyler is her Prince Charming.

I really enjoyed this workplace romance. All the characters were likable and easy to get to know. This story is a bit emotional, so you may want to have a tissue handy.  Overall, this is an engaging book and I plan on reading more from this author.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC ! Marlee loves being in love and everything about it. This book isn’t just a romance it’s also a book about her growth. This book was entertaining and I can’t wait for the next book in the series !

I'd say this is a pretty okay read that doesn't hold very special with me, but is till worth a read.

Friend Me is the 2nd book in the Synergy Novel series.  I did not read the first one, though based on the characters I think I have a good idea who the first one was about. (I'll go back and read it eventually, though.) Not having read the first, I didn't feel at all like I was behind on the story and it was easily read as a standalone.  As a software engineer, I probably would have started this book sooner had I known it was about a programming firm! I liked all the little programming jokes/notes injected throughout the story as well - and ironically enough was reading it on the plane on the way to a business trip. I told my coworker about it and was teasing that it was VERY niche - programming romance novels - and now she wants to read it as well.

To the story - Marlee is the executive assistant to Jackson at Synergy.  She's great at her job.  She also has a massive crush on her coworker Cooper and has been scheming on how to be alone with him when her boss is off on his honeymoon by hiring a steady stream of crappy assistants for him.  To further put her plan into place, she needs a date for the wedding to make him jealous, because he has invited one of his good friends who is very beautiful and maybe a bit intimidating to Marlee.  Coworker and BFF, Tyler, steps in to aid her in her schemes and be her wedding date.  But is there maybe something more there?

Does her scheming work out? Will she end up with Cooper even though it may be against company policy? Or will she realize she is just being silly?

I read this book pretty much straight through once I started it, couldn't put it down.  (I had to save the last 30 minutes or so for once I got to the hotel for my business trip - but definitely stayed up too late to make sure I finished it!) I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

Marlee wants a chance with her boss, so fakes a romance with her friend Tyler to get his attention. Will it back fire on her when she realises she feels more for Tyler that friends? A great read.

Marlene, a super fan of romance and an PA working in a tech company has been in love with her boss Cooper for the past 3 years. Everyone knows it except Cooper. If only she can convince him that she is the love of his life. For her best friend Alicia’s wedding, she accepted her buddy, Tyler’s offer to attend together with a plan to make Cooper jealous.

This romance is all about friendship turn into office romance. It started with one sided love both from Marlee and Tyler and story develop to a totally different direction after that. At one point, I even have this thinking that this story may end up with a totally different ending. Love both Marlee and Tyler but abit skeptical with Cooper’s character.

I thought this book could have been a little better written. In my opinion, Marlee was kind of dumb for not noticing Tyler's feelings towards her. To me, him holding up a neon sign declaring his feelings to her would have been less obvious. She was also oblivious to her dad's state of mind, it was clear something was off with him. I feel her character could have been written better. Overall I feel the book was just "meh".

This was not what i expected it to be, so i was left feeling a little disappointed.


Also DNF around the 60% mark or so.

This book surprised me! I know I can be picky when it comes to romcoms and I really enjoyed this one!

There are actually quite a few tropes in this story and they all worked really well together without making it feel like too much or too ridiculous.

// What it is about:

Marlee works at a tech company and she has been into her boss for a couple of years. No longer willing to let more time go by without doing something, she decides she needs to get his attention. Luckily, her work friend Tyler is there to help by being her date to their other boss’ wedding. The wedding weekend changes everything. Marlee thought her and Tyler were just friends, but then…she ends up questioning who she really wants to be with.

•workplace (tech)
•close proximity
•friends to lovers
•fake dating
•MC is into her boss
•one bed

*Marlee is also a caregiver for her dad and the subject of caring for a parent and Alzheimer’s was handle carefully by the author.

The story is kind of predictable which is great when you just need something happy and fun to read.

This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Marlee and Tyler. They both work for the same company. They have become very close friends. Marlee thinks she has a crush on one of her bosses, she ask Tyler to help her make her boss jealous. He agrees even though he is in love with Marlee. They each have some trust issues but work them out together and fall in love.

This book was unexpectedly wonderful and the ultimate slow burn. It touches on some complicated emotions related to being a caregiver and how consuming that can be.

Marlee was a hard sell for me in the beginning but watching her take control of her life was so worth the struggle. Her dynamic with Tyler was adorably frustrating and full of heart and those magical sparks.

‘Nothing had ever felt as good as his fingers in my hair, his lips on my skin.’

Tyler and Marlee were so deserving of their happily ever after and the fireworks that come after ALL that build up! So excited to have found Michelle McCraw and this series!

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Friend Me by Michelle McCraw. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy to read. I really loved our hero, Tyler. He is the person all of us should aspire to end up with. I was frustrated with Maggie. Her crush on Cooper was over the top and stalker-ish! I loved that Tyler really tried to be there for her over and over and she really didn't do a great job of appreciating him. I did, however, really like how the book was wrapped up and was satisfied with the Epilogue. A 3 3/4 stars rounded to 4.

I Loved reading about Marlee Rice who is an executive assistant of one of the company she works for. She may have a bit of a crush on one of her bosses Cooper Fallon. But how to get him to notice her finally? In lies the problem, she doesn’t know how to tell her feelings. Should she be grand jester like the romance novels she reads? Or how her parents loved came to be? But, she gets help from one of her best friend Tyler who works for the company as well. Can she get Cooper or will she see her best friend in another light? This had me laughing at the nerdy one liners of Marlee. Oh and Ben’s comments got me cracking up too. But, I swooned ever so much for Tyler and my heart ached for Will Rice.

Marlee is a young woman in her twenties who works as an executive assistant at a San Francisco technology company. A fan of romance, she sees her boss as her Prince Charming, so all she has to do is convince him that she is the love of his life. To do so, she enlists her friend Tyler in an operation that will allow her to conquer her boss, but after a magical kiss with Tyler, her feelings are put into question.

This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

I liked this book. I read it fairly quickly and even though I had not read the first in this series, I did not find myself lost.

Marlee is an engaging young woman, but also annoying at times. She has built her life around the idea that her parents were an ideal couple and that in order to find happiness she must live the same way they did even if it means forgetting to really listen to what her feelings are telling her. As for Tyler, he is a (boy)friend that everyone wishes they had. He is there for Marlee in all circumstances and bends over backwards for her. I must admit that there is an aspect of him that we don’t get to know until the end of the book that I particularly liked (but I won’t say more so as not to spoil).

The saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover applies very well here. I was only expecting a cute romcom, but it was much more than that. At one point in the book, Marlee sees herself becoming her father’s caregiver and this whole aspect of the story shows just how difficult is this role that you should never have to do in an ideal world (I speak from experience).

For me, it is a big 4/5.

I recommend it and will probably read the other books in this series at some point.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lazy Dog Books and Michelle McCraw for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the friend relationship in this book, it's funny how sometimes you want to be there so much or help a friend out so much bc you care or even love them but in the end that might be the thing that hurts your relationship the most>
One ended love is hard to realize
But this book was amazing as telling this friends to lovers story
the work environment the friends and even down to the animals in their lives we told so descriptively and so well
it took me a few days to read only bc it was a longer book bc I really didn't want to put it down, there were so many ups and downs and events that you just needed to know more
so glad to have gotten this ARC book and hope to read more from this author in the future

This was a quick read, would make a great beach book, it’s cute and very much in the line of a new adult rom-com. Marlee and Tyler were interesting characters, though a bit immature. Overall, I enjoyed this book - it is part of a series but I read it as a stand-alone and had no trouble following the storyline.

I really enjoyed this 2nd book in the Synergy series. The story of Marlee and Tyler was even better than I thought it would be. I laughed so many times during this book and I loved how Marlee was such a romantic. I was holding out for the time when Tyler and Marlee would get together, it seemed really obvious that they were meant for each other. As a daughter taking care of an aging parent, this book really resonated with me. I had so much empathy.

I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.