The book started out with a bang. Almost literally. The dialogue wasn't the best and the characters were annoying by getting in their own way over the same things. Granted there were a few times I laughed out loud. Maggie made it difficult to like her, Finn was sweet but pushy.

Best friends to lovers is a hard one to pull off, but I think this one nailed it. Really sweet, lots of fun, can't wait for the next entry in the series!

This book had a bit of a slow start for me but after Finn realized his feelings for Maggie it got really good. I loved their friendship and the chemistry between them. It had a bit of a slow burn element that I really enjoyed. Overall I enjoyed this book and will look into the others in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an ARC to review!

Very sweet, spicy read with one of my favorite tropes.

I thought Finn was very sweet but found the FMC, Maggie, pretty annoying, overall a good, easy read bug didn’t feel like it added anything new to the genre.

A solid 3 star rating.

This book was such a fun and fluffy read.
It’s such a great summer read, if you’re looking for something to take with you to the beach this is definitely the book! The banter and spice in this book is sooo good.

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Feelings: 🐢🚓🚔☀️👙🏄🌴🐬🏖️🩴🍹🥃🥤🧉🎸🎸😍🥰😍🥰❤️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5) Story with Smut, and the smut is so delicious.

He is smitten over her! Head over heels, and he is working his magic to get her to stay!

Maggie is a marine biologist in Shell Grove, NC, and she was a bit of a wild child growing up, causing so much trouble. lol Finn was on track to becoming a professional football player but sadly had an injury which he then opened up a bar by the beach. Finn is that golden retriever you'll love, and although this story is a slow burn with some spice toward the end, it's all so good!

Perfect summer read!!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley, thanks to Melanie Munton, in return for an honest review.

DNF
I liked the blurb but when I was reading it the book had its moments. I think I was slightly uninterested because of the long paragraphs and little dialogue. I also felt like up until I DNFed Finn and Maggie are just good friends and they just lack the attraction. Suddenly, when she's presented with a job opportunity, Finn starts to become jealous. I didn't understand where that came from and since Maggie was so excited about her new job I wish and hope she followed through because it would make me mad if Finn didn't ''allow'' her the liberties to be her own person.

I received this book from NetGalley.

I was excited to start reading this book because it sounded really good and I liked the concept of the story. However for me this book fell flat.

It was incredibly slow to read and it took me a long time to get through it. I just didn't have the hunger to want to finish the book - although I did finish it.

I did not like Maggie as a character and that made it more difficult for me to enjoy the story. I liked Finn at the beginning but he started to become a bit annoying as the book went on. It seemed like he was going out of his way to show Maggie how much he cared and she didn't reciprocate as much.

There were also a lot of random bits in the story and I wish there has been a bigger focus on two or three main storylines, instead of so many random ones.

If you're into best friend romances then maybe you'll like this one.

NetGalley provided me with an ARC for my honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this friends to HEA romance. Fell in love with the hero, more so than usual. I found him smart, sexy and funny. What else could you ask for. I thought the heroine, was a bit of a hot mess. Being a rule follower myself, she kind of gave me uncomfortable feels. She needed to be bribed to keep out of trouble on occasion. But her OTT personality became ultra cautious once things got real with her best man friend of a dozen years or so. I wanted to smack her and say get over it! He's the real deal! Sometimes I become too invested when the story is as good as this one is. Well edited with lovable side characters and a shared pet.
Well worth a read. Enjoy!

I love a friends to lovers done right and this one was. I love when everyone in their life knows they are perfect for each other but them and watching them figure it out, especially with a ticking clock like this one had, is really fun. This book was easy to read and fun and the ending was predictable but great.

Finn and Maggie are best friends. They met in high school when Finn was a football star and Maggie was a new student struggling to belong.

They've been nearly inseparable ever since. They even share custody of a dog! What they DON'T do is cross that line into more than friends...

...until a unique opportunity pops up that may take Maggie away from Finn. It makes her realize that maybe their friendship has been holding them back from finding true love, and made him realize maybe they had true love the whole time.

He falls first. Friends to lovers. Small town romance. Dirty talking hero. Hilarious banter. Reasons Why Not to Date the Best Friend has it all!

Watching Finn and Maggie realize what they meant to each other was the highlight of my week. They tried to fight it, but it's difficult to argue with a bond that tight. Finn has been her rock, trying to keep her out of trouble as much as possible while she tries to break Coors Light Carl's arrest record. Maggie's was there to pick up the pieces when Finn's life imploded and he had to reevaluate his entire existence.

They were soul mates too blind or scared to see what was right in front of them.

I was not expecting the pure, delicious machismo that Finn embodied once he woke up. That man knew what he wanted and refused to back down. The things he said to Maggie will forever be etched in that dirty part of my brain, and I'm not mad about it.

It actually took me a few days to write this review because I have three pages of highlighted notes, and most of them can't be shared without triggering online keyword flags. They HAD to be highlighted, though, because each one also showed a depth of emotion often left out of spicier scenes. Each and every utterance from Finn about Maggie carried over a decade of love and devotion, and that is heady indeed!

Now excuse me while I binge read this author's entire backlist!

Favorite quotes:

“Jesus Christ, woman. You’ve got larceny in your heart if you think you can take this away from me now.”

“Remove all other male names from your vocabulary, Mags. Mine is the only one you need to know now. And damn sure the only one you’ll be crying out as you...”

Thank you, NetGalley and Melanie Munton, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟✨ 🌶🌶✨

Overall a very cute book. Friends to lovers, quirky FMC and a super dirty talking MMC. Did not expect that level of smut from Finn. Interconnected, stand alone series from a town full of quirky and loving friends.

One thing I think the book could have improved on was the timing of the book. One comment was saying something happened two days ago and then next second it was several days. It was unclear the length of time this book proceeded over.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of Reasons Why Not to Date the Best Friend for the advanced readers copy.

* Best friends to lovers
* small beach town romance
* Spice
* Dual pov

Finn and Maggie have been best friends for 10 years until a major life change brings to light the feelings both swept under the rug in order to keep each other near.

Maggie Breedlove is a marine biologist who owns a scuba and surf shop in town. When she begins to feel restless and solo when her friends start to get married and start their own little families a new job in Florida opens up, but can she leave her best friend behind.

Finn Caldwell was the NFL hopeful until an injury stopped his career, and he and Maggie brainstormed an idea for him to start a bar where he finds undiscovered musicians to play. It’s been Maggie and him since senior year but with a new job opportunity doing what she loves on the horizon he realizes he can’t live with out her. Now all he has to do is convince her of this too.

Was slow burn until around 50% then things started to heat up quite a bit. I did feel like a lot of the dirty talk could have been lessened as it felt overdone and kind of ruined the steamy moments for me.

Berkeley was absolutely adorable I loved reading his cameos they were so funny.

I felt the book ran long and the inner monologues would sometimes run off on tangents that I would skim through.

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

This was my first book read from Melanie Munton and if won’t be my last. I absolutely loved it and loved the relationship between Finn and Maggie. This was my first friends to lovers book and I literally gobbled it up. It was so great and transported me to a different town. A small beach town in South Carolina. I can’t wait to recommend this book to my friends and read more from Melanie! #ReasonsWhyNottoDatetheBestFriend #NetGalley #melaniemunton #Romance #romcom

Thank you Netgalley and Melanie Munton for this ARC.

This is the first book that I read in the Shell Grove series, and it will not be the last! That being said, I struggled to get into this book early on and it took me a few chapters to become invested in Finn and Maggie's relationship. I loved how their friendship developed into a romantic and very spicy love story. Both characters had unique personalities that really complimented each other. I had some issues with aspects of Maggie's personality and her child-like behaviour. This was less of an issue for me as she seemed to grow up (a little) as the book went on. The ending was perfect, all the feels <3

Overall, I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars.

Though I was incredibly excited for Maggie and Finn’s story, I had to DNF at 35%. I had read the book previous to this, and the set up to this story was full of angst and tension, but the execution fell flat.

I really didn’t like the main characters. They felt very immature and acted as if they were indeed the main characters of their world thinking everyone around them appreciates their obnoxious behavior.

I had to stop when they were in the car and blasted “Sweet Caroline” and that somehow made everyone’s day better. No thank you.

Maggie and Finn read as if they were actually 16yrs old. Honestly, if this book was changed to them being in high school, that might change my experience significantly. Even when Finn’s parents entered the story, it felt like it was the first time Maggie met them as if they hadn’t known each other for ten years.

Lastly, I wasn’t seeing why they decided that *now* was the time that they should be together. If the idea of losing the other was what it took to catch feelings, that wasn’t good enough for me. It just didn’t feel like a strong enough reason. Granted, I only made it to 35% of the way through, so take this with a grain of salt.

Thank you so much for the arc. I’m disappointed I didn’t like the book, but grateful for the opportunity to read.

⭒ Rating: 4,2 stars
 
This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed her writing as well as this group of friends. I just might have to go and read the rest of the series!

But best friends to lovers and a promising summer read? Of course I just had to read it! And I’m so happy I did because it was the perfect summer read.

I gotta say I loved both the character’s jobs! It was so fun to see them making their dreams come true. The heroine had such an amazing dream job, I loved watching her achieve something she longed to for years.

This story was filled with angst and I loved it. The heroine was struggling with where she was in her life and where she thought she would be by now. It was relatable and heart-wrenching to watch her struggle through such a big life decision.

But it was so endearing and fun to watch her bestfriend show her she had everything already at her disposal and that she had to stay in her hometown, with her friends. With him.

I loved Finn! Loved watching him finally realize that she wasn’t just his bestest friend but that he had been in love with her for years. It was such an amazing journey. Loved the small town vibes, all the summer activities and the whole group of friends!

This was the perfect summer beach read.
Set in a cute little oceanfront town, with the sea turtle loving wild child and the hunky ex football/bar owner. These two were friends for over a decade before things took a turn… a very spicey turn.
The banter in this book was great, the conflict was believable and I thoroughly liked this book.

Moral of the story: do date your best friend.

While making it 76% of the way through, I just couldn't anymore. The possessiveness, masculine pride and icky dirty talk were too much. If I read the words pussy or cunt anymore, I might gag, and the unholy jealousy and mineness of Finn's thoughts towards Maggie were just cringy. She is not yours! She is her own person.

I actually liked Maggie’s job and would have loved to see her take on that new challenge, but of course, Finn was never going to let that happen because not letting the woman you love take an amazing job opportunity just because it meant moving away is ok.

No, thank you.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This book is full of all my favorite rom com things... Small town.... Friends to lovers... What more could you ask for?! This book was fantastic and the perfect pool read.