I really wanted to love this book, but there was something about the age gap that just made me uncomfortable. I know two year isn't a big gap but something about Sophie being under 18 didn't sit right with me. Especially when there were lines in the book commenting on how "good the last two years" looked on her once she turned 18.
The duel timeline also didn't work for me because the two times were so close together, especially near the end of the book that it got confusing trying to keep them straight.

I didn't love this book but I would be willing to give this author another shot and try one of her other books.
As I hate leaving bad reviews for indie authors, I will not being posting reviews for this book on my social media. I hope you understand.

Perfect for fans of Anna Todd’s After series or LJ Shen’s All Saints High Series. Cooper and Sophie’s love story is an emotional heart punch story that sucks readers in from the first chapter. Matthew’s blends the perfect amount of will they won’t they to produce a novel with the perfect amount of angst and tension. There is no choice but for the reader to be invested in the characters.

Dual POV, Dual Timeline, Spicy, College Romance, Childhood friends to lovers, It’s always Been You

BFFs since birth.
Soulmates.
Friends to lovers to strangers to friends to lovers.
Right person wrong time.
Second chance.
Popular guy x sunshine, bookworm girl

It’s the most heartwarming journey I’ve read in a long time.Their friendship, love and mistakes were everything to me. Beautifully written story. Thank you NetGalley❣️

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this ARC of ‘Can We Just Be Happy Now?’ by Tisa Matthews

I immediately need to read the rest of the series. This was amazing from the very start. There was a perfect dual timeline which I don’t always like but in this case I definitely did. Sophie and Cooper just have the most amazing love story.

I started reading this book and just had a difficult time getting started. Overall, the writing wasn’t bad, I just didn’t find myself as wrapped up the story line as I would have liked.

In Tisa Matthews' third installment of the Finding Home series, "Can We Just Be Happy Now?", Cooper Montgomery and Sophie Porter's childhood friendship blossoms into a passionate love affair. However, their age difference and differing life paths threaten to tear them apart. Cooper, a pragmatic planner, leaves for college two years before Sophie, leaving her to face the reality of their changing relationship. Sophie, a dreamer lost in fictional worlds, struggles to balance her feelings for Cooper with her own need for independence. The tension between their conflicting desires creates a rift that tests the strength of their bond. As Sophie searches for her own path, Cooper embarks on a journey of self-discovery, determined to prove that love and adventure can coexist. He believes their relationship doesn't have to hinder their individual growth and sets out to bridge the gap between them. The narrative alternates between past and present, offering readers a glimpse into the evolution of Cooper and Sophie's relationship. Through flashbacks, we witness their childhood camaraderie, the blossoming of their romantic feelings, and the obstacles they face as they navigate the complexities of young love. Matthews' writing is engaging and emotive, capturing the rollercoaster of emotions that accompany first love. She skillfully delves into the characters' inner thoughts and struggles, making them relatable and sympathetic. The supporting cast of characters adds depth to the story, providing insight into Cooper and Sophie's individual journeys. "Can We Just Be Happy Now?" is a heartwarming and poignant exploration of young love, friendship, and the challenges of growing up. Matthews' ability to craft authentic characters and her talent for weaving a compelling narrative make this a must-read for fans of contemporary romance. Overall, this book is a delightful addition to the Finding Home series and a satisfying read for anyone who enjoys stories about love, loss, and the pursuit of happiness.

Oh man....I wanted to love this book so much but I can not tell you how infuriating it was. The main characters had terrible communication and I honestly couldn't stand it. This was also a huge slow burn and was way too long. I will likely not read another book by this author.

"Can We Just Be Happy Now" by Tisa Matthew had potential, but unfortunately, I had to mark it as Did Not Finish (DNF) around 50%. The story's frequent time jumps became a challenge for me, making it difficult to stay connected and engaged. In my opinion, these jumps didn't significantly enhance the narrative's overall greatness. Despite the struggle to continue, I acknowledge that others might have a different perspective on the storytelling style.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. First of all I LOVE that this is Dual timeline and POV. This was such a good representation of first loves and the push and pull you have towards that person, on one hand you want to learn about yourself but on the other hand you also want to grow with the person you love and I think this was done really well in this book. There were so many swoon moments like when Sophie got Cooper the signs he collects for secret santa and when she realised he had wrote a note in the back of every book he had bought her for her birthday and to not forget Cooper teaching Sophie to drive, it had me kicking my feet smiling while I was reading it. Don’t get me wrong though I did want to hit the characters over the head to make them understand that they don’t need to go through the pain they were putting on each other but I did enjoy the way the whole story unfolded in the end. First loves/relationships are hard and I feel like this was a true representation of having to fight for each other no matter what.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced ePub
✨ best friends to lovers
✨ second chance romance
✨ it’s always been you

I almost dnf'd it but kept going. I was gating Cooper very early on.. then as I pushed through I realized how great the relationship with Sophie was actual quite perfect... I enjoyed this book.

Having just read Tisa Matthews’ other books in the series to understand the background before reading this ARC, I appreciate the focus of each books in the series is on finding yourself when you’re a young adult, putting yourself first to get to know who you are and want you want. But I just don’t think it worked into a nice story in this book.

The book focuses on Cooper and Sophie, who’ve been neighbours and best friends their whole lives. They are two years apart and that creates some friction as their priorities don’t align, which impacts their friendship and then relationship. Although the flashbacks and now vs then timelines worked well to pull you into the story, I just didn’t understood he 2 years age gap being made into such a thing… even at their ages, it’s practically nothing? It just made most of the difficulties in their relationship look quite meaningless and the fighting and drama felt like it was exaggerated. The character of Sophie is a little annoying with her playing hot and cold with Cooper so often - he made one mistake but she’s made dozen of them. Sure it’s teen love and they’re meant to be immature, but she was just too uncertain and at every point where she needs to make a decision, she keeps making the bad one and not liking the consequences… you get to be young and figure your shit out, but it’s not an excuse to hurt other people and expect them to stick around for more. Unfortunately, they didn’t feel meant to be to me by the end of the book because of her behavior.

"Can We Just Be Happy Now" offers a compelling journey through the complexities of young love and self-discovery. The dynamic between Cooper and Sophie, childhood friends turned potential lovers, adds depth to the narrative as they navigate the challenges of growing up and pursuing their dreams. While I found Sophie's tendency to escape into fictional worlds rather than face reality a bit frustrating, her character ultimately undergoes significant growth and redemption by the story's end. Cooper's unwavering determination to prove that love and adventure can coexist provides a refreshing perspective on relationships. With its dual timeline and spicy romance, this book captivates readers with its exploration of friendship, love, and the pursuit of happiness amidst the trials of youth

Dnfed at 8%

Oh god, you mean that he is mad she is sleeping with someone else while they are not together. That just made me uncomfortable, I get that you're in love with her but if she wants to sleep with another man, when she's not in a relationship with you, that's okay and you have no right to judge her or get in the way.

Sorry, not sorry.

I loved everything there was about this book - even though there was the miscommunication trope 👀 which funny enough, the main character talks about hating in her books 😂

You’ve got all of my favorite things in this one…

✨ best friends to lovers
✨ second chance romance
✨ it’s always been you

Sophie and Cooper have the most insane chemistry and have from the very beginning. It’s the true definition of right person, wrong time.

While they both want the best for each other, they push each other away while trying to “experience life.” But ultimately they find their way back to each other through lots of push and pull 🥰

This was my first Tisa Matthews book & now I will immediately be going back to read the rest of this series (can be read as stand alones) to get more of this world 🌎

A 4.5 ⭐️ read for me!

Thank you to the author & netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Can We Just Be Happy Now?” Is out now & even on kindle unlimited!

📖 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙚 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘽𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙉𝙤𝙬? 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙞𝙨𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬𝙨

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘴."

Cooper and Sophie have been best-friends their entire lives. When they start feeling more than just friendship between them, they start dating. Everything is perfect between them, but unfortunately, nothing is truly perfect in the real world. When life gets in the way of their relationship, things begin to fall apart. Can they work through finding themselves in order to find their way back to each other?

This book was a whirlwind of emotions. The love between Cooper and Sophie is so precious in the beginning of this book that you just want to wrap them up and keep them safe. It shocked me how two characters that were so sweet became so toxic and vindictive as they got older. The miscommunication between them drove me nuts, but ultimately I understand that, if they couldn’t vocalize what they were feeling, nothing was going to change. It was fun to watch them grow up throughout the course of the book. Sophie’s dad is the freaking worst. 🤬

Overall, I enjoyed this book! Just be warned that there is a lot of what I would consider cheating in this book, and a TON of miscommunication. There is a happy ending at the end that makes it all worth it though! Just stick to it and you’ll get there!

Tropes:
🫶🏼 Childhood Friends to Lovers
💞 Second Chance Romance
🌻 Dual Timeline/POV
🔥 Spicy Romance (2🌶️)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my early copy of this story so that I could share this honest review!

"𝘚𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮, 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧****** 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸?"

3.5 stars.

This book made me feel all the feels. This book is about 2 friends that had been friends their entire lives crossing that line into a relationship. The book then shows the fallout that crossing that line can cause. It also touches on how being young can cause you to second guess if your first love is also your soul mate, and how letting others opinions can cause issues in relationships. This book definitely took me back to being young and end love and it was a very sweet story. I enjoyed their awkwardness and their struggles. I also enjoyed seeing them work through issues and remember that sometimes love and a relationship is worth fighting for. Normally I would rate a book like that higher, but there were a few things that bothered me about this book. The main one being the entire book is the miscommunication trope. The fact that they said at the beginning they wanted to always be open and honest with each other, and then the entire book is them not doing that. It drove me insane. Also, as much as I loved Cooper him being mad at things she was doing while he was also doing those things drove me insane as well.

Overall, I feel the story was sweet and enjoyable, but if you don’t like miscommunication, this is not the book for you. Also, there were some spicy scenes while under age, but it happens and it was done tastefully.

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read the ARC.

✨ I have received this copy for free and giving my review voluntarily ✨

The review has been posted on my Book Instagram at the_velarhys_archives.

Can We Just Be Happy Now tugs your heartstrings as you follow them through their journey, going through all the relationship dramas we went through with our first love: second-guessing, betrayal, and petty revenges. It had a highly relatable plot, and I appreciate the character development for both— despite it not being consistent.

The Dual POV and Dual Timeline were such a treat— giving us a glimpse of how both characters see the situation. It was almost done perfectly however, other sections weren't as clear and that it would turn off the readers. Fret not, all will be explained in the next chapters ahead.

This was such a rollercoaster read for me. As someone who has experienced the same relationship with Sophie and Cooper, I empathize with their feelings and reasons. I understand Sophie's insecurities all too well, and I understand the pain Cooper has gone through as he constantly reassures Sophie. The novel honestly took me back to my first love days. I think it would too for most readers.

The novel was only a 3⭐ rating for me as I find myself constantly exhausted by their repeated fights and the passive-aggressive behaviors from both characters. They both suffered from their miscommunications, often leading them to hurt each other more. I find it a toxic cycle that wasn't addressed as much in the novel.

Overall, if you're looking for a novel that deals with first love, friends to lovers, and first relationship dramas, I recommend this novel.

dnf’ed at 22%.

i am a big fan of friends to lovers and second chance romances but i could tell within the first few chapters that this book wasn’t going to be the one for me.

it made me uncomfortable that our mmc was 18/19 and interested in a freshly turned 16 year old??? i also don’t mind a then/now timeline. i actually normally really enjoy the build up to finding out what went wrong in the main characters relationship but this one was difficult to follow.

i might try to revisit this book down the road but only if i’ve read the first two and enjoyed them.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Review posted on Goodreads on 2/11, will be posted on Amazon 2/14. This was a cute childhood friends to lovers/second chance romance book. I enjoyed the dual POVs. I think the author did a great job of writing the chemistry and tension between the two MCs. I do think the story itself was a little too YA for me. I just got very annoyed with the characters and their repetitive behaviors. It felt like they were having the same arguments over and over. But I think it was just showing what relationships can be like when you’re young. The characters were definitely flawed but they did learn a lot about how to navigate a relationship. Overall, there were some parts of this one that I enjoyed and others that I didn’t. I would still recommend it for someone looking for a very YA romance book who enjoys the tropes included.

✨ To all the girls who look back on their early 20s and cringe a little ✨

I’ve never read any of Tisa Matthews books before and I went in blind with this one …. I did not disappoint! The book dedication sold me so I knew I’d love the rest of this book 💕 I loved the complicated trope with the 2 characters going from childhood neighbours to best friends then to lovers to strangers then to lovers, so much history and chemistry 😍 the character development between the 2 main characters really flowed and was built up wonderfully, the dual timeline was the best in doing this. The way these characters were so relatable tugged on my heartstrings and reminded me of the ups and downs of being in love as a teenager. The miscommunication is strong but plays a massive part in Cooper and Sophie’s story so do no let that put you off!

Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions, published on 14th February 🥺💫