Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I didn't like Laniah that much, and a "third act breakup" is not my favorite trope at all. Overall it had a lot of potential but ultimately fell flat.

I enjoyed this book very much. The friendship and love story between Ni and Isaac was wonderful and beautifully developed. It’s a great friends to lovers/fake dating romance!

Such a beautiful love story but there was something about Laniah that held this from being a home run for me. I will say that the way this author writes absolutely worked for me. I never got bored with this story and I really enjoyed watching things unfold between Isaac and Laniah. With that said Laniah annoyed me….like I wanted to shake her and tell her to get herself together. Also that third-act breakup felt so out of place. I almost put the book down but my love for these two together made me finish it. I will absolutely read from this author again!

i think i expected too much from this since second chance is my favorite trope but this fell a bit flat for me

4/4.5⭐️ Another request for me, after seeing so many great reviews for it, and I’m so glad I did!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-fake dating
-childhood friends to lovers
-opposites attract
-chronic illness rep

🎧I listened to the audio and read with the book and loved the immersive read. The narration was so good!

*many thanks to Berkley, prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Unfortunately, I decided that this wasn’t the book for me and have decided to not finish reading.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read this book!

It was fine I guess. Fake dating and pining and friends to lovers except I never really bought the two main characters together. I liked them but I didn't see the chemistry the way I think I was supposed to.

Did I stay up all night reading this book in one sitting and cried my eyes out? Yes. Do I regret any moment? Absolutely not.

A Love Like the Sun is a childhood best friends to lovers romance novel and it’s so beautiful!!😭 I literally went through all the stages of emotions. The angst and slow burn had me screaming.

One of my favorite things about this book (besides the romance) was the perspective of the FMC and how woman are dealt with in healthcare, especially woman of color.

I highly encourage if you’re looking for an emotional yet beautiful book please read this, definitely on my top 10 of 2024 🩷

Oh my god?? This was so beautiful and tender. My heart hurts thinking about how much I adored this book. I felt like it was one of the most natural depictions of a friends to lovers romance, and I was completely caught off guard by how much I was captivated by Laniah and Issac.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to lovers x fake dating is like catnip to me! And boy did this one do it so right.

Laniah and Issac have been friends since childhood and when Laniah and her mom’s business is in a bit of a lull Issac uses his social media influence to bring them more exposure. Now that they have agreed to fake date for the summer, the pull and attraction they have always felt for one another is bubbling to the surface and their feelings are feeling realer than ever.

Issac is the definition of simp and I loved it! And I wish we could have had his POV because I would have ate it up.

While I did enjoy this book, there were a few pacing issues for me here and there, that stopped this from being a complete 5 star read! But I am so excited to continue reading this author’s work.

A LOVE LIKE THE SUN by Riss M. Neilson was the first book I read by the author.

This book was beautiful, it explores friendship, romance, self-growth, grief, self-acceptance, and taking chances. During the read we follow two childhood friends Laniah and Isaac who have deep rooted feelings for each other but yet they both are unable to express their emotions to each other.

The connection and interaction between the two was amazing and felt natural. The progression from friendship to romance was done beautifully, there was so much love between them. One of my favourite moments were the flashbacks scenes during their childhood as well as seeing their journey of overcoming their individual struggles and insecurities. Although Laniah expressed a lot of self-doubt as well as questioned her worth. My heart went out to her and it reminded me the significant impact trauma or losing someone important to you can have on your identity and the way you move forward in the world around you.

Laniah suffers from a chronic illness, I admired how the author discussed important issue in society of the disparities black women face when it comes to accessing health care system. Especially the treatment they received from healthcare providers where their health concerns are disregarded, ignored, or taken less seriously than others. It was honestly thought provoking.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I’m looking forward for what the author has in store next

A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson is a friends-to-lovers romance that blends deep emotional themes with classic tropes. Laniah and Issac’s bond, that has been built up over years of friendship, faces new challenges as they embark on a fake dating scheme to save Ni’s family business. The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and watching them navigate their evolving feelings adds a lot of charm to the story. It feels almost unbelievable that they could have had such chemistry building and never acted upon it sooner.

The book shines in its portrayal of real-life issues, especially the chronic illness storyline, which is handled with care and brings an important layer of depth. However, the pacing slows at times, and the third-act breakup felt a bit forced, but the genuine affection between the characters and the tender way their relationship develops makes it an enjoyable read overall. Overall a touching, slow-burn romance that tugs at the heartstrings.

3.5 stars rounded up

I wanted to love this but I just couldn't get into the story. I ended up DNFing after about 150 pages. If you like heavier/more serious-toned romances, I think you would love this one, but I just couldn't connect with it. I definitely want to try the author again though!

This book is somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3. Parts of were really good and others were not.

The first few chapters were confusing. I was not sure where the author was going with the story line. Later in the book, those chapters came back into the story line. It was sort of a side story that could have been left out. It did not add to the story.

A sweet romance happened and I was enjoying the book. The tension between Laniah and Issac was written so well. It seemed like a tender friendship turning to a romance.

Then all this sexual fantasy and steamy explicit detailed sex was written that could have just been left out. I was skimming so much of this part.

It felt like two different authors wrote the book - one a sweet romance the other a lot of steamy scenes. This part of kind of ruined it for me.

This book was so well written!
I loved the depth of the characters. I loved the honesty in this book.
I found it to be heartfelt and emotional.

*Friends to Lovers
*Found Family
*Fake Dating
*So much chemistry!

A real recipe for a lovely book!

This book was stunning - I was truly captivated and am so mad at myself for taking so long to pick it up. This is the adult, mature romance we wanted and needed, particularly in the sea of lighthearted romcoms these days. The characters were mature, vulnerable and felt so real; the romance was well-developed and you were just rooting for the characters.

Sometimes friends to lovers is so hard to accomplish in a way that makes sense - and without focusing too much on unrequited yearning, but this book handled it delicately and beautifully. Plus the fake dating is always chef's kiss. Finally, while I am not a person of color, this book felt like it had positive representation, particularly around haircare, and carefully addressed women, particularly women of color, being ignored by their healthcare providers.

The spicy scenes are SPICY, and I think they were so well-written - but can understand how it might be a bit much for some readers (again, not this reader - I loved it).

I just loved it and need more from the author immediately.

This was beautiful 🥹

I don’t even know how to write a review about this because it was that good. I’m also not sure how I’m supposed to read anything else after this perfection.

best friends to lovers x he falls first x fake dating

Issac is the dreamiest of book boyfriends. He's so clearly in love with Laniah from the jump and will do whatever he can to support her including using his influencer clout to help save her store. The plan? Fake dating!!!!!!! I love a good friends to lovers story but especially when there's fake dating involved -- it adds so much tension because obviously their chemistry is off the charts and hiding real feelings will be impossible.

Ni is fighting her feelings because they've always just been best friends and she doesn't want to risk her friendship with Issac, so it's a bit of a slow burn but the heat is definitely there. Issac is such a soft boy, pining for Ni the entire time and I do wish we got his POV but I think his feelings were pretty clearly portrayed throughout the book even without it. This book is such a good example of partners being each other's best friends and the unwavering support you have for the ones you love. Their relationship progressed from friends to lovers slowly but pretty realistically for friends who are worried about shifting their relationship in a new direction. A Love Like the Sun really focuses on taking risks and making changes that may be scary but will ultimately lead to better things.

It's a sweet story but with a lot of depth and real issues. Throughout the book Ni is having health concerns that are not being adequately addressed by her doctor. Her symptoms are largely ignored and this medical gaslighting is pretty relatable for many people, especially women and more so black women. There's also a bit of revenge porn which can be predicted from the way the story starts but if that's a trigger, please be aware. Other content warnings include medical gaslighting, undiagnosed chronic illness, prior death of parent/parents, and some online bullying.

Thank you Berkley & NetGalley for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What to Expect:
☀️childhood friends-to-lovers
☀️opposites attract
☀️flash backs
☀️natural hair love
☀️mixed race identity struggles
☀️chronic illness rep

🫶🏽What I enjoyed
As a fellow curly girl, I was immediately invested in Laniah’s natural hair products business with her mom. Childhood-friends-to-lovers is my kryptonite so I ate up Laniah and Isaac's story, especially as her family took him in when they were teens. Laniah is an introvert while Isaac is an influencer, so we also see the ups and downs of social media impacting their relationship. The grand gesture had me tearing up and the epilogue was ✨perfection✨

🤷🏻‍♀️What I didn't love
The third act break up was rough🙈
Mild/vague spoiler: I just can't stand when one character makes a decision for the other without communicating the situation. That said, the reasoning behind this dreaded choice was later revealed, and it made a lot of sense and tugged at my heart strings.

So if you're a fellow lover of the "friends-to-lovers" trope, I definitely encourage checking this book out and dare you to not swoon over Isaac 🤩

I love this book. friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes so I ate this up. I felt like the author covered some heavy topics really well and I loved the romance aspect.