This is 3 stars round up from a 2.75 stars that I gave personally and on StoryGraph

I did not enjoy this book until about page 300. I just don’t enjoy jealousy being the primary conflict for 300 pages.
Additionally, I don’t get people who are afraid of commitment so it made me so frustrated when Jo was going on about “but idk if I’d be a good gf” okay babe but you’ve been doing that already for 100 pages!!! 
I understand objectively where her fear of commitment and love comes from but from a subjective standpoint it just annoyed me. 

The ending is sweet though and i appreciate that Mal can stand up for himself. It’s the same kind of 3rd act conflict as in The Flat-Share and Mal handled it so much better than the MMC in the flat share. 

Jo is a “strong” “independent” woman. I quite enjoyed her career related internal struggle and conflict. 

Overall, becuase I didn’t enjoy the majority of this book and felt the chemistry between the two characters was a tad awkward for part of the book, I could not rate any higher. I was going to rate 2 stars but the final 50 or so pages did bring it up.

Gosh I loved this story, a refreshing and nuanced take on the love triangle trope.

The description pulled me in, despite not being a particular fan of love triangles. The author did a wonderful job of eliciting tension and intrigue without villainising any characters, and establishing a deeply romantic relationship. The story had true depth, and handled subjects of race, mental health, gender and relationships with refreshing pragmatism, sensitivity and reflexivity.

The switching between Jo’s first person POV and Mal’s third gave such an interesting sense of perspective. The depth of relationships -friendship, romantic, family, and found family, were deftly explored. I particularly loved the shades of Mal and Jo’s characters - discovering the humanity underneath Jo’s bravado and the confidence and conviction beneath Mal’s gentle demeanour.

One of my favourite books of the year so far, and one I’d highly recommend.

Thank you Hachette Australia & New Zealand and NetGalley for this audiobook. Opinions expressed are my own.

Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi is not normally a book I would read with the whole love triangle approach but I have to say that I did enjoy this book. Well written and characters were easy to get to know. Thanks for the e-ARC

Thanks kindly to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book but it wasn’t my favourite. This novel follows the love life of former doctor and influencer Dr Jo - as she navigates the aftermath of expressing her feelings towards her longtime best friend and developing feelings towards a newfound friend. It does a decent job at traversing themes of racism, particularly the experience of African American folks, identity politics, as well as the realities of medical practice in the US.

However I just found the love triangle not compelling enough? I had expected that the story would at least convincingly explore the option of a relationship between the protagonist and her best friend - even for a little bit. This may come across as an odd comment, but I found the actual storyline unusually pragmatic, honest and annoyingly refreshing. Certainly not what I’d expected when I picked up the book hoping for some escapist fantasy. And while there are points of tension that seek to challenge her developing relationship, I personally feel none were quite legit enough to rock the boat.

Overall a nice read from the author, and a good fit for those after a slightly left field approach to a love triangle romance.

A slow burn, love triangle romance that was definitely worth the wait!

Jojo, Mal and Ezra - you hooked me... Eventually! In the opening few chapters, I was unsure if I would like the characters enough to enjoy this book, but boy I was wrong. They all grew on me. Jojo is a Doctor and social influencer: smart, enigmatic, slightly burnt out and hiding one huge secret. Mal is a top selling debut novelist: he's quiet, self reflective, persistent, and has off page gone through his own growth arc. Ezra is a hot shot actor: he's vivacious, sexy and does care for Jojo. What I thought Obuobi did exceedingly well in this story was create a love triangle where there was no real enemy. Ezra's redemption arc was compelling, raw and felt honest.

Another triumph of this book was the manner that big, heavy topics were dealt with. Depression, anxiety, addiction, suicide and emancipation are just some of the big topics, and Obuobi handles each of these with grace, honesty and accuracy. It was her portrayal of these that was a real winner for me in this story.

I shall definitely be recommending this book to friends. Thanks NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my review.