I believe it was Billy Crystal’s character in “When Harry Met Sally” who said that men and women couldn’t truly be friends because if you need to be friends with someone of the opposite gender then something is missing in the relationship.

In a nutshell, that describes Lia and Breaker’s friendship over the last 10 years. Their friendship is tight, the kind that is legendary. But, Breaker never has a meaningful romantic relationship and Lia just agreed to marry a man who is a cold fish.

This is a sloooowwww burn story, then it sets the pages on fire. I like the characterization, but would have liked for Lia to get out of her engagement earlier in the story. The weekends with the fiance’ so soon to going with Breaker felt a bit icky.

Other than that, this was a fun read. I enjoyed the brothers even though I haven’t read their stories. I need to find those books!

Four, maybe 4.5 stars.

💜 A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn 💜
Cane Brothers, Book 3
Interconnected standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Adult • Romance
450 pages

💍 friends to lovers
💒 slow burn
💍 my best friend’s wedding inspired
💒 he falls first
💍 found family
💒 dual POV
💍 no third act breakup
💒 HEA

🎶 Forever (forever), forever (‘ever)
You’ll stay in my heart and I will love you
Forever (forever), and ever (ever)
We never will part, oh, how I love you
Together (together), together (together)
That’s how it must be
To live without you would only mean heartbreak for me 🎶

Oh wait, this has no Juliet Roberts but Breaker sure does fill her shoes marvelously 😜 My Best Friend’s Wedding is a true classic and one of the only two romcom movies I love… the other being Bridesmaids. Oh shoot, I have a thing for wedding romcoms 🤨 ah, who knew. Is that even a thing?

📍“We just matched. Like when everyone left Scrabble that night, and we were alone, I felt like my missing puzzle piece was put into place.”

Knowing My Best Friend’s Wedding so well, I must confess I was a little wary. I need my books with a HEA. Not a bittersweet, not a it will all eventually turn out okay, not a “it was for the best.” Nope. I need to read it. Right there. HEA on the last pages of a book. But I quickly understood that Brian was no Cameron Diaz 👀

📍“I think it’s because in my mind, I’ve always been with you. You’ve always been mine.”

The second half of this book was pure perfection. I was rooting so hard for Breaker that my heart was racing 😱 You get your girl! You go get her! And can I just say… the 🌶️ was superb 🤌🏼

There’s something special about friends to lovers. Specially nerdy ones like these two 😍😍

Now, let me go rewatch My Best Friend’s Wedding as if I haven’t watched it a million times.

This is my favorite of the Cane brothers series so far. The banter is hilarious. This is definitely a slow burn, but so worth it! Definitely an entertaining and enjoyable read!

I'm normally a sucker for enemies-to-lovers books but this made me realize I enjoy friends-to-lovers just as much. The sweetness without all the drama was beautiful.

Breaker Cane is the best friend Lia can have. He is supportive, enjoys the same goofy things as her, is a closet nerd and knows her coffee order (even stocks her favorite kind in his kitchen as his apartment happens to be right next door to hers). When Lia gets engaged, Breaker steps up as her man of honor. Having lost her parents, he's the only family she has.
And what a friend he is, navigating her awful future mother in law and increasingly distant fiance right by her side.

But in the wedding dress shop, Breaker realizes he's in over his head and Lia is really the one for him. Can he continue to be just her friend? Can he support her even though he wants her to choose him?

Wonderful characters, lots of chemistry and spark plus plenty of humor. Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a romantic journey that takes place against the backdrop of wedding chaos and unexpected feelings. Breaker Cane (protagonist) is faced with dealing with his best friend's MIL. As he navigates the complexity of wedding planning, he also discovers his feelings for his best friend.

This is a cute story filled with humor, romance, and a touch of chaos. The premise of tackling the soon-to-be-monster-in-law adds a unique twist to the friends-to-lovers trope. The story is light-hearted and entertaining.

The progression from seeing Lias as a friend to recognizing her in a new light is handled well and I couldn't help but root for the characters to discover their connection. The supporting characters, including the increasingly suspicious fiance and the attempts at dating during the wedding planning, contribute to the humor and charm.

This was a sweet romantic comedy that explored the complexities of love and friendship.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will start by saying that Meghan Quinn books can be a hit or miss for me. Some of them I love them and some of theme I'm dragging myself to finish them. This one goes on the Love them column.

I thought the plot, pace, relationship were great. I am not a big fan of friends to lover but this one just hit right cause the friendship was genuine and the relationship came after. I still think that Lottie is inappropriate sometimes when it comes to the sex talk. I believe you need to ask if people are comfortable before talking about how your husband fucks you.

Breaker is just adorable. I wish more men had friendships with the opposite sex and not pine for them. I loved it.

I got an e-are of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Breaker Cane is ready to be everything Lia needs to support her with her fast approaching nuptials. But maybe he is realizing she’s already everything he needs.

Breaker and Lia are huzzah!!! The illustrations. The spice. The humour. The sibling relationships. The girlfriend relationships. All of it! Huzzah!! “Ummm, did Breaker just win?” Yes. Yes he did! My favourite Cane brother for sure!

Thank you Net Galley!

Breaker Cane met Lia in college and they immediately clicked, sharing so many of the same interests, that he was determined to ask her out by the end of the night. But before he can she admits that she really needs a friend, so he tells her he'll be the best friend she'll ever have. Now it's ten years later and Lia is getting married and asks him to be her man of honor. As they get farther into wedding planning, Breaker is her best support against her horrible future mother-in-law and her spineless fiance who's more eager for his mother's approval than his future wife. And then the truth hits him that he's had feelings for her all along and he can't stand back and watch her marry another man. But is he too late?
As a twist to the classic romcom My Best Friend's Wedding, this story has the ending we all longed for. I absolutely loved Breaker in the previous two books and how supportive he was with his brothers. He's just the best friend that anyone could wish for, and when he started to show his true feelings... just wow! There were so many laugh out loud moments in this book, I just loved it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing the ARC.

I hadn't had a chance to read this book prior to getting this ARC, but I am glad I had the opportunity to do so. This is probably my favorite book of the three and it's primarily due to Breaker.

Breaker is my favorite Kane brother, by far. Huxley is too serious, JP is too wild, but Breaker is a nice balance between the two with an extra bit of nerdiness on the side. He treats Lia as the number one priority in his from the very beginning, even when he didn't realize he had feelings for her. I love how much of an absolute cinnamon roll he was.

Lia was also an excellent character and provides insight into what admittedly was a complicated relationship between her ex and Breaker. While there weren't any strong love triangle situations, the dynamic between the three was tense right from the get go. And as the story went out, the reader saw how all of it unraveled.

Enjoyed this book thoroughly.

I loved this book so much! Friends to lovers is my absolute favorite trope, and Meghan Quinn is one of my favorite authors. The cake tasting scene is epic! So funny, so perfect written, it's everything you could ask for. I love how these two got together. I loved all the history they shared. I don't have a single negative thing to say about this book. Breaker and Lia are one of my favorite MQ couples. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the illustrations, but they're cute, they add a little something extra. With more than a dozen sprinkled it, it makes this book very unique to other romance novels (especially ebooks).

I wanted to like this. I went into this thinking I was going to like this. I am generally a fan of this author so I will keep reading more by her, just other titles.

Okay, this has a romance pet peeve of mine. The supposed love interests are with other people for too large of a chunk of the book. Yes, I was aware before reading that MMC is FMC’s best friend and man of honor for her upcoming wedding to someone else. But here’s the thing, I never really felt like they needed to be together. And this is coming from someone who loves the friends to lovers trope. They are both with people who seem pretty nice. It would be one thing if the FMC is technically engaged but her fiance is absent but no there’s lots of scenes of them hugging/kissing and talking things over. This was starting to feel like a dual romance, marriage/engagement in crisis vs a friends to lovers with a splash of cheating trope.

What saved this for me was the MMC, Beaker. He’s an awesome guy and character. He really looks out for his family and friends. Their codependency in their friendship honestly didn’t bother me, I just needed more romance. A lot of this truly was awkward. And even the initial premise of why they never dated, cause he had a mustache when they first met so he looked unattractive to her? Some overly slapstick feeling rom com stuff really makes me feel like a grinch but I can’t help the way I feel about certain moments like that one.

It took way too long for them to get together and I enjoyed the pacing of some of Meghan’s other books more. Thank you to Bloom Books for this eARC. I am loving the updated covers!

3.5 stars rounded up - I really enjoy Meghan Quinn's sense of humor and rom-com antics, so I was excited to be approved for this ARC! This is the story of Lia and Breaker, two nerdy best friends who are denying their obvious feelings for each other. Breaker only realizes his feelings as he tries to be a supportive Man of Honor and help Lia plan her wedding - to someone else. Throw in a horrible, cliche monster-in-law and a simpering mama's boy fiance, and antics ensue. This is a he falls first, friends to lovers, STEAMY rom-com. And overall, I enjoyed the experience reading it. Will it be memorable and stick with me for months to come - no. Did it hit all the romance beats necessary to be an enjoyable read - absolutely. And I'm kind of loving the no third act break-up trend in romance right now. Things can be not fully smooth sailing without a full on break-up.
Here are my thoughts:
Pros - I was rooting for the couple. They were nerdy, their banter was cute, and I enjoyed their interactions, especially at the beginning of the novel. The sexy times weren't cringy (more on that later) and, like I said, I liked that there was no 3rd act breakup. The side characters were some nods to past books, so we got to catch up with them. The sexual tension leading up to the actual sexy times was awesome. I enjoyed the dual POV, although I connected with Breaker more and thought he was a much more fleshed out character overall. The first few sexy times were hot. I love that Breaker wasn't afraid to compliment Lia. It was a sweet, fun story.
Cons - why does everyone still have to be a billionaire? I did like that that aspect wasn't flaunted as much in this book, but it was still there. Some of the dialogue was a bit awkward and stilted - not so much between Lia and Breaker, but between those two and other characters. I just couldn't see actually people saying those things out loud. I also felt like it went from zero to sixty in a moment. The entire last 40% of the book was basically all sexy times whereas before there were none. Breaker, it turns out, is a cinnamon roll in life but an alpha in the bedroom. It was hot at first, but then just seemed out of character. I also felt like this relationship was a bit one sided. Breaker does literally everything for Lia and to her liking. She doesn't often reciprocate that, so it didn't really feel like a partnership necessarily. They do have all of the same things in common, so maybe it didn't matter, but it still felt like Breaker was giving more than Lia.
Things to consider - This was a bit more of slapstick rom-com instead of witty rom-com which is what I generally like better, but I know others really enjoy the slapstick. It was just getting to the point of too much when Quinn dialed it back (thankfully). The sexy times involve some spanking and lots of dirty talk. I didn't understand the need for these things (especially the spanking) it just seemed a bit out of left field for either character. It was light though and didn't detract from the moment, just seemed a touch out of place.
Overall, this wasn't my favorite Meghan Quinn offering, but still an enjoyable read that I think fans of her or of steamy rom-coms will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to review this ARC copy.

#ALongTimeComing:⁣
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Major thanks to @read_bloom partner for my gifted copy!⁣
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Meghan Quinn is auto-buy for life. Between the Agitators, Huxley/Lottie, and Lilly/Keller, Meghan Quinn can do no wrong. Like I said when I read the other books, if there is one smuttastic, one steamy, one pearl clutching book you allot yourself a year, let it be this one. A Long Time coming is best friends to lovers, Best Friends Wedding, it’s always been you/possessive over her, slow burn, Billionaire banter extraordinaire tropes all rolled into one hilarious and page turning read. ⁣
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We’re introduced to this cuties in college bonding over Scrabble. Present day, Breaker is having issues at work, and Lia, well, she’s getting married. Her future MIL is trash and controlling, and it’s not ideal. Thankfully Breaker is there for her every step of the way, including when it stops being a wedding.⁣
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Listen, I’m with Lia on this one. Friends to lovers is always awkward to me because it’s like, “hey you’re joking, now we banging?” Her hesitancy saying “it’s weird” fiftyleven times, I get it. Quinn does a great job of bringing the friend/lover gap in a not too instalove way. But also, I love this girl group that’s become of our previous faves, Lottie, Kelsey, and Myla. Their talks were like a breath of fresh air and gave best friends (queue Sex & the City) vibes. ⁣
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In typical Meghan Quinn fashion, the spice is hot. Out of the three in the series (which can be read as standalones) this was by far the spiciest tamale around. Breaker Cane is something else. However, there are always the sweetest little moments that make me look like this emoji: 🥺. The wedding dress scene? 🥺 Disneyland? 🥺⁣
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Overall, a spicy, fun read to conclude our Billionaire Cane brothers. The banter is there, and the story is a page turner. Re-reading January 2nd, y’all better grab it!⁣
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QOTD: What are you trying to finish reading before 2024 starts?

I absolutely adore Breaker Cane and Ophelia Fairweather-Fern together. The best of friends for years, having no interest in anything more. Until that is, Lia gets engaged and Breaker becomes her Man of Honor. He suddenly realises he wants more (with the help of the perfect dress), and Lea’s new fiancé makes it easy for him to make a play for her, because quite frankly, he’s not the man for her, not by a long shot. Breaker is swoon-worthy throughout, he really makes it easy to fall in love with him. As is the case with Meghan Quinn’s stories, it’s laugh out loud funny, it’s totally entertaining, a little emotional and a whole lot of scorching hot! A friends to lovers true romance. I adore the Cane brothers, they banter so together so well, and when they start texting each other it’s truly hilarious. Wonderful characters, an entertaining storyline, and, if you listen to the audio version you’ll be captivated by perfect narration (in duet) from Erin Mallon and JF Harding. Feel good romance at its best. A full five stars from me again after a re read of the written word.

4.5

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this one! Well, I love all of Meghan Quinn’s books that I’ve read. But this is a favorite from her! I binged the book, stayed up way too late trying to finish it.

Breaker is my favorite! I almost forget he’s a billionaire businessman…he’s so laid back. Complete opposite of Huxley. I love him so much. I love the banter between him and Lia a lot, very witty and entertaining.

I’m glad there wasn’t a third act breakup, I thought that’s where it was leading to but it turned around beautifully.

Highly recommend.

Breaker and Lia have been friends since college and do everything together. When Lia gets engaged to her boyfriend, Breaker helps with the wedding planning to ward off her evil mother-in-law-to-be but soon realizes that he is in love with Lia. With the help of his brothers, he tries to prove that he is right for her.

A Long Time Coming is the third book of the series of the Cane Brothers which are based off popular Romcom movies. The nice thing about this series is you don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy the third – which was the case for me. You couldn’t help but root for Breaker as he is so much better than her fiancé, Brian, and his friendship with Lia was so special. The other characters were also likeable, and I appreciated that all the women were hyping each other up instead of being catty. The book contained many illustrations throughout the story – even from some steamy moments (but don’t worry, they were tastefully done that left some thoughts to imagination).

I loved this book. It moved quickly and was a perfect friends-to-lovers steamy slow burn. I would recommend it to all the romance lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

All time favorite of Meaghan Quinn. I love her Kane brother trilogy and I think this one might be my all time favorite. Definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a friends to lovers trope.

I really, really thought JP Cane was going to be my favorite. But then Breaker entered the chat and it was game over. This book was by far my favorite on the series. Friends to lovers is slowly becoming my favorite trope, and this book did it so, so well. I loved Breaker and Lia’s friendship. It’s always amazing to see such a solid foundation for a romantic relationship, and this one felt very real. Lia is so relatable while she’s struggling with her engagement, and with her real hesitation when it comes to changing her relationship with Breaker.

But Breaker Cane is DIFFERENT. His support for Lia before he realizes his feelings was already next level, and only gets better as their relationship changed. And man oh man is he HOT! I loved, loved, loved this book. Definitely in my top 5 romances of the year.

Meghan Quinn's latest rom-com, A Long Time Coming, is the story of best friends (a man and a woman) who are planning the woman's upcoming wedding, with the male friend serving as her "man-in-waiting". What ensues are a list of foibles, some funny, some not, all leading to an ending of predictability and tedium that the reader will most likely figure out in the first chapter. The book is a light read, with likable characters, so that will carry it far with fans of Ms. Quinn and her Cane Brothers series.

This was my first Meghan Quinn book and likely won’t be my last. I enjoyed the slow burn. The illustrations in this edition were a fun addition that I imagine many fans will love.