Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi was excellent!
This was my second book by Shirlene Obuobi and it didn't disappoint!
Beautifully written, insightful, and joyful, this novel is a great woman's fiction, full of layers and so relatable to today's society.
The writing was engaging and the story was fast-paced.

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I am really trying to get into this book, but I don’t think it’s for me. I am not really into the love triangle trope - unless there is a clear front runner. I didn’t realize this would be a love triangle , but as I skimmed through it hoping to latch onto something to pull my interest, I just couldn’t find anything . The author writes beautifully, but I noticed myself drift off into space more than I typically do. I might be in a reading slump, so maybe I’ll go back to this book eventually

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this e-ARC of "Between Friends & Lovers" by Shirlene Obuobi, out on July 30, 2024!

I was so excited to read Shirlene's second book and it did not disappoint. I love the rawness and realness of Jo and as someone who follows Shirlene on social media, I enjoyed seeing some things from her own life or experiences in the character of Jo. I really enjoyed the story switching from Jo and Mal's perspective and it made me really know both characters better and understand them better. This book had me laughing and crying and I highly recommend checking it out!

I want to start this off by saying that Malcom is an incredible book boyfriend. You can tell he is definitely a man written by a woman (ifkyk). I adored Josephine's relationship with him. I was so nervous/curious on how their relationship would progress after their first date but it felt so natural. Nothing between them felt forced and even as Ezra became more of a present character, I still knew that Malcom was it for her. I loved the journey that Josephine took to realize that she deserves love too. I loved Jo as a protagonist. She was smart, funny, quick, a little annoying but it just added to how relatable she was. The writing was wonderful as well. I really enjoyed this!

Thank you so much to Shirlene Obuobi, Avon publishing, and NetGalley for sending me this electronic advanced readers copy of Between Friends & Lovers!
I can’t wait for the world to read and enjoy this story!

+ love triangle
5/5 Stars

This book hooked me from the dedication: For the “strong” girls. For the girls who seem to have it all together even when they're falling apart. For the Megan Thee Stallions of the world, who everyone knows how to consume, but no one knows how to protect. You deserve to be cherished too.”

Dr. Shirlene Obuobi’s debut novel, On Rotation, was an automatic 5-star read for me. I was so excited to settle in and read Between Friends and Lovers even before the download on my Kindle was complete because of her writing style and the premise.

On paper, nothing about this story should be relatable. Dr. Josephine Boateng, a doctor turned influencer, explores a relationship with a popular new author, Malcolm Waters, who is optioning his book with the family of her movie star best friend, Ezra Adelman - who, of course, she’s loved/loves. (Listen...she was confused.) Anyways, now what about that sounds grounded and relatable? Well through dynamic writing, engaging dialogue, and realistic depictions of depression, career doubt, and trusting yourself in love, it 100% worked.

My favorite genre/mini-trope is Black women being loved wholly and given a safe place to land. This book explores and examines how Black women are portrayed and seen not only as potential partners, but as people.

“Strong isn't a personality trait. It's a sign that you're neglected and not protected. It's just as much evidence of your trauma as it is of your triumph. So this year, I say, enough with strength. I'm entering my damsel era. I'm eating cake and being pretty and crying when I'm hurt and apologizing for none of it.”

This is one of the many quotes I highlighted. I absolutely plan on purchasing a physical copy to reread and annotate. This book made me laugh, cry, and throw my Kindle (on a nice, soft pillow) and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC. Between Friends & Lovers will be released on July 30, 2024, and is available for pre-order now!

I kept going back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars but in the end the love and the sweetness overshadowed the gripes I had with it.

In this story we follow our FMC, Jo. Jo is a doctor and social media influencer who is secretly in love with her best friend Ezra. When certain events take place she makes the decision to put herself out there and actually try having some sort of love life. In comes Mal willing to do that but not in the way Jo initially wants to. Between Lovers and Friends, explores love, past and present trauma as well as the journey to healing.

Over all I enjoyed this story but I will admit there were times I was over it. There’s a love triangle that just doesn’t quite make sense to me. Jo and Ezra have been friends for 10 years but the events of one night strains their relationship for months. This conflict just felt so weak and immature. At least in the beginning. I just had so much trouble understanding why Jo was so upset with Ezra and never even affording him an actual conversation. One of my favorite parts of the book was how Jo and Mal communicated, so we know she’s capable of speaking her mind honestly and articulately yet somehow she doesn’t give Ezra that courtesy?

This might’ve been a 5 star read without the love triangle all together. Focusing on this aspect felt forced and made the story feel repetitive and threw the pacing off. Jo and Mal both being on their healing journey from past trauma, dealing with their own current insecurities and navigating love would have been such a beautiful story on its own without the Ezra plot line.

With that being said I loved Mal and Jo’s relationship. I enjoyed how they saw the best in each other even when they struggled with seeing it within themselves. I loved how Mal never settled for the little pieces Jo was trying to give him and made it known they both deserved more. It’s something so beautiful when a person can set healthy boundaries and stand on what they want all while still considering the other person. Both Jo and Mal did a great job with this. I love Jo’s drive and her heart. Even though I found her character contradictory at times especially in terms of her feelings regarding love, I enjoyed being along for her journey.

There are some heavy topics touched on in this story such as depression, child trauma and suicidal thoughts. There are plenty of sweet moments and humor sprinkled in but if you are looking for something fluffy this isn’t it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-arc!

Thank you to Shirlene Obuobi, Avon and Netgalley for a copy to review. My gushing opinions are my own.

Drop everything and go read this book! Not a romance reader - I don’t care. Read it anyway! Obuobi does a beautiful job bringing to life a story that is about more than just the central romance. It is filled with social commentaries, the reality of how social media is influencing every part of our lives, the physical, educational and emotional rigor of medical residency’s, finding love despite oneself, to not settling for what one wants but reaching for what one needs and coming to terms with people who have hurt you in the past. It is an insightful story full of humor and heartbreak that has the audience peek behind the curtain of a successful social media influencers life juxtaposing perception and reality.

Reps: depression, social anxiety, mental health, parent in ICU, therapy, black people in therapy (I know this shouldn’t be a distinction but given how therapy and mental is often viewed for many minority people I can’t help but want to highlight how beautifully if was handled in this book).

CW/TW: parental neglect, cyber bullying, bullying (discussed), suicide, heavy drug use, societal racism (not by characters in the story but by commenters).

Afterthought: What was I thinking??? Honestly I got a copy of this tremendous book a few months ago and kept pushing it further down my TBR list. It’s not like I hadn’t read Obuobi’s debut “On Rotation” and loved it. Clearly I wasn’t ready to emerge myself in her greatness again. So if for whatever reason you’re on the fence - just read it.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up)
2/5 steam.

Insta post will be up about 2 weeks before pub date.

I have loved both of Shirlene Obuobi’s books. Jo is such a strong character and I really enjoyed seeing how she changed over the course of the book. Jo and Mal’s relationship evolved really naturally and I liked how there was a bit of a love triangle but it didn’t take away from the main relationship. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Shirlene Obuobi’s debut, so I was excited to try her next book. Between Friends & Lovers teeters rather delicately between women’s fiction and romance, with a well defined personal arc for Jo, while also giving fleshing out Malcolm as the love interest and even exploring a bit of a love triangle in a way that didn’t infuriate me. There’s also great emphasis on mental health care throughout all the major characters’ arcs.
I really liked Jo and her journey as she opened herself up to love. The exploration of her professional life was cool, especially as she’s both a doctor and a social media influencer around medical stuff. I appreciated her journey as she navigated both these career pathways and the struggles with both, as well as her woes with her love life, and truly taking the time to put herself and her well-being first after having to sacrifice so much from a young age.
Malcolm is just an all-around sweet guy, and I liked how vulnerable he was about his struggles with social anxiety. And while he and Jo initially wanted different things out of a love connection, I loved the way they communicated and tried to make a relationship between them work.
I had mixed feelings about Ezra. He’s definitely rather clueless throughout the book about his impact on Jo, especially going out with someone who Jo has obvious animosity with. But by the end, there’s a revelation about his own struggles, and I appreciated how he apologized for how his behavior and issues affected Jo once he finally came to the realization. And I also appreciate that even though he’s dating her rival, neither he nor the other woman, Prudence, is ever villainized.
This was an affirming and enjoyable read, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a fairly low-drama romance centering mental health and self-care.

I love Obuobi's storytelling style. This one was definitely more of a romance than her debut, but she still has a lot of plot elements beyond just the romance. She's an autobuy author for me now, for sure!

I enjoyed Between Friends & Lovers. Mal really made this book for me. He was the sweetest book boyfriend. Mal had all of the qualities you would want to see in a book boyfriend: level-headed, sensitive, and a good communicator. He was a good counter balance to Jo. I thought Obuobi created a realistic and flawed character in Jo. I liked watching Jo open up to Mal and overcome her relationship obstacles. Although some of Jo's pessimistic thoughts on relationships frustrated me, Obuobi did a fantastic job showing why Jo was hesitant. I didn't care for the whole "ghosting" scene with Jo. It was always one step forward, two steps back with Jo's feelings....which got a little frustrating. I thought the depression representation was done nicely. For a not so heavy plot, Between Friends & Lovers surprisingly read smoothly and quickly. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

This was my first book by Shirlene Obuobi and it didn't disappoint. Initially I didn't know the direction this book would go, especially with this being a love triangle to a certain extent (loved that we didn't get Ezra's POV so I immediately knew my personal pick would come out on top lmao) but it turned out really well. Typically in love triangles like this when there is long time unrequited love between two best friends they end up together despite the great qualities of the second male lead and I'm happy that wasn't the case here. In this case our second main lead was the Main lead. I'm so happy Malcolm was end game lol.

I really liked the relationship between Josephine and Malcolm. They were opposites to a degree, but grew close despite this. Josephine entered the relationship with Malcolm not expecting anything serious because she was trying to move on from being in love with her longtime best friends whole seemingly didn't a feel the same (but actually did, of course). Malcolm challenged her and her feelings and her approach on love. He really brought her walls down and allowed her to be vulnerable with him despite her fears.

Sometimes the flashbacks confused me because there was no distinct difference in the writing between what was a memory and what was a present thought. It wasn't hard to figure out, but just something that came to mind. I'm also very curious about the decision to make Josephines POV in first person and Malcom's POV in third person. It wasn't distracting because I didn't notice until about half way through the book, but it made me go oh!

Overall, I loved this book a lot! 4.5/5 Stars!

I feel like I keep searching through so many anticipated releases, waiting for something that will break the reading slump. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't the one to do it. I just felt bored.

Being alone, to me, is different than being lonely. I’ve been alone for a long time, and there’s a lot of freedom in that. Freedom to do what I want when I want, freedom to be selfish, freedom to always choose me. But if I’m honest with myself, there’s also fear. Fear of change. Fear of letting someone close. And lately, I’ve been asking myself — am I choosing myself out of fear? Because I’m afraid of choosing someone else? Afraid of giving them the power to hurt me?

I had the pleasure of receiving the ARC of this book and I cannot wait to get a physical copy to go back and annotate. The he falls first trope always does it for me and Mal did not disappoint. I really enjoyed that this was not the typical take on a love triangle. Going through the journey of Mal and Jo growing as not only a couple but individuals will forever warm my heart.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

If you have followed me for a bit you know I absolutely loved Shirlene’s debut On Rotation! I’m happy to report her sophomore novel is just as good!!!

The synopsis of this one will set you up for the story… but omg what’s within this glimpse is just soooooo good! The way she writes Dialogue, Banter, and Characters feels fresh and incomparable in the genre. Also hello love triangle… I wasn’t prepared for it nor did I mind it. All the characters were authentic and had a purpose… I dare you not to adore them by the end. I will hands down read all that Shirlene puts out into the world.

Thank you Avon 📖
Releases 7/30

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I enjoyed this story a lot. I loved how bold Jo was and that she spoke her mind with Malcolm at all times. She didn’t keep secrets that came back to bite her in the behind. I loved Malcolm too. He knew his worth and spoke his mind in his own way as well. These two together was prefection. I was rooting for them from the start and I’m glad this wasn’t a love triangle. I came to like Ezra but I really enjoyed Jo’s roommate, Renata and Malcolm’s friends. I cannot wait to read more books by Shirlene Obuobi!

ARC Review

This was my first book by Shirlene Obuobi, but it must definitely won’t be my last! Her style of writing is very compelling, and this is the first time I’ve truly enjoyed a love triangle.

This book follows Jo, a medical doctor/influencer who has been in love with her best friend of ten years, Ezra. It also follows Malcolm, an author who is two years out of a ten year relationship. The chemistry and dialogue is amazing. I really felt connected to the characters, and not once did a character do something that had me questioning their motives for the sake of controversy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I struggled with whether to give a 4 or a 5 because, as much as I love the story and the characters and settings, I didn’t love the writing style. Like, the sudden flashbacks or the all-of-a-sudden details kinda thrown at me. I don’t really know why it bugged.

But, let’s call it a 4.5 and talk about the good stuff. I LOVED the secondary characters in this story, especially Amal’s pals Kelechi and Kieran. And, oh, Dahlia. Jo is so lucky to have her. I even really dig some of the frequent commenters from Jo’s site. 🤪

I also really enjoyed the virgin/sex/healthcare aspect of the story, having been a long-time member of that club myself. Also, the emancipation storyline was super interesting to me, as I have had students in similar situations. Gawd, I had no idea how ridiculously lucky I was, having been raised by my parents.

Obviously, this book touched me. Huh. Interesting. 💜📚

This was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of this story line and characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.