I read some of this authors newer fantasy work and found the pacing very slow, and conversations very repetitive. But I thought I would give this one a go. I didn't realize this was a republish of earlier self-published(?) work. I finished it but I can't say it was very good. Perhaps I've simply aged out of even being entertained by New Adult? I don't know, could be me. This was a dual POV, friends to lovers romance and it all comes down to massive immaturity and lack of communication keeping our young lovers apart for so long. The "drama" was so far fetched and a bit ridiculous. This confirms this author is just not for me, no matter the genre.

This immediately read as dated. I could tell it was older and then checked the date and saw it was from 2013. I was surprised this got pickup again as the contemporary references read a little poorly in terms of descriptions of women, etc.

This was a really solid book! I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. I wanted more from it overall, but I did enjoy the characters. Also, I think this cover is so cute!

Y’all have no idea how many times I have written and rewritten this review several times.

This is very new adult. Very much so.

I was very surprised there was little mystery/suspense. I mean we had literal gunshots.. and well fireworks (but bedroom kind)

I felt the romance was very “oh we’re doing t this now” but also “yessss let’s get together”

I liked the chemistry and was very into this sinister vibe of the cabin.

A great read

I have never read anything by this author before, but I really enjoyed reading this book. The pacing was good and the character's were developed very well.

REVIEW✨
Frigid
By Jennifer L Armentrout

So I though this was a pretty good romance set at Christmas time that is friends to lovers. Kyler and Sydney have been best friends since kindergarden and fell in love with each other while being in middle school. Over a holiday ski trip, there is a huge snowstorm that prevents anyone else coming to join them and they need to stay close to stay warm. During this time, feelings are revealed and some outside threats emerge.

This is not my favourite book by one of my favourite authors but it was good. There were a few things that I couldn’t vibe with.. the amount of miscommunication and misunderstanding got a little much and I was tired of it. Some of the things that Kyler did, didn’t really line up with what his values were. I did really enjoy this novel and I thought it was fun, spicy, and a festive read.

❄️ Friends to Lovers
❄️ Snowed in together (they need to get warm)
❄️ He’s a player, She’s a “good girl”
❄️ Dual POV

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ 🌶️
Plot points: 💥💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom for the free copy in exchange for a honest review.

I want to have read the same book that 30,000 others did and rated high. I don't even know how I finished this one, but I stuck it out because I'm trying to meet my Goodreads challenge. I honestly wish I hadn't.

Frigid has been on my TBR pile since 2014 (or somewhere around there). I'd moved away from the New Adult trope, so never got around to it. And now I remember why I should have just left it there. I LOVED me some Daemon by JA. One of my favorite series. So was excited when I saw this one on NetGalley for ARCs.

Again, I wish I had skipped this one.

If I had to hear one more time about this dude's damn abs. Holy hell, it was like 75% of the book was focused on their looks, especially his abs. As if the first 6000x wasn't enough, Armentrout felt the need to tell us another 1000x, in case we didn't get it. Heads up, Kyler has some wicked, sexy abs. Or so I'm told.

There was absolutely no show here. Everything was tell. I read 300+ pages and still couldn't tell you why these two were perfect for each other, or why they are so head over heels. Hell, I don't even know why they are besties, and even the two of them mention a couple times how they didn't know how they are friends. Yet, we are supposed to be convinced of their undying love.

Depth was non existent. Chemistry and connection was non existent. Kyler and Sydney are both shallow as fuck. One dimensional. Most often times boring, as we spent so much time with their inner musings.

Man whore meets practical virgin. Syd's been with one abusive person, who gave her the worst first time experience (the only time she's had sex), while Ky paraded chick after chick in front of her for years. And of course when they finally get together, they are both the best the other has ever had.

Don't let me forget the slut shaming. Syd shames the girls AND Kyler. Kyler shames the girls. And through it all we have perfect little Sydney. Who's too good for anyone to put their dirty little hands, mouth, and penis on.

Frigid is one fucking miscommunication after another. HUGE miscommunications. One conversation away from them actually being a couple, except they lack having that conversation, all the way to the damn end. It's so obvious to all around them...but never to them. Of course.

I did like Kyler better than Sydney. She drove me nuts with her childish, immaturity. Those inner monologues of hers... Not to mention, this chick is blind as a fucking bat. And out of touch with reality. How the hell she had no clue Kyler was in love with her was beyond me. I mean this dude interrupted all of her dates or threatened anyone interested.

Now mind you, Kyler wasn't much brighter. His inner monologues could also be just as annoying.

Also, how they hell they didn't know who the mystery person fucking with them was...

Anyway, if I keep talking about this I'm just going to get angrier and angrier.

I don't recommend if you are looking for characters that are multidimensional. Or hell an actual plot with a true suspense factor.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing team for letting me read this ARC of Frigid. It was a great book, the predictable winter trope of friends to lovers, but I did like it. Looking forward to the second book!

Within the first few pages I could tell that this book was originally published in the early 2010s — it would have been nice to see the narrative voice updated a bit in this republication, but once I held it to the rhetoric of that 2010s style romance, I still enjoyed it. I love friends to lovers trope and this book was a great example of that. The chemistry between Sydney and Kyler was clear, and it was great to see their platonic history grow into more.

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: Best friends their whole lives, Sydney and Kyler head up to Kyler’s ski home for their annual holiday trip. When a brutal storm strands them, it forces them to be honest with each other and themselves.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: The first thing that caught my eye was the author. I love From Blood & Ash and didn’t realize Jennifer L. Armentrout wrote contemporary romances as well, so of course I had to jump into this one.

While I do prefer the romantasy series I’m still in the middle of, this was a nice winter palette cleanser with all the cozy snowy vibes to curl up with. I don’t know if I bought Kyler’s “voice” the whole time, but it’s definitely a good rec if you like the friends-to-lovers trope and I cannot wait to read book two Scorched because I can already feel the 🔥

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮:
❄️want to curl up with romance for the winter
❄️love a friends-to-lovers redemption story
❄️enjoy forced proximity mixed with some sabatoge

✨Book Review✨

Romantic suspense is a new genre for me and I really enjoyed this. Childhood besties who both have feelings for each other but suppress them. They need up on a friend trip but oh guess what there's a massive snow storm and only they're able to make it 🙈 what do you think happens when you add in some forced proximity? I really liked the plot of this. They're feelings and then all these weird things are happening I couldn't stop reading!

Thank you to @read_bloom and @netgalley for the gifted eARC

I debated posting a review on this book but in the end thought that someone out there might really enjoy it. Especially if they really like the playboy trope. That’s not really my thing and I don’t enjoy it. So as much as I liked the friends to lovers part I could have done without the other girls being on page. It wasn’t well written and there is a mystery that plays out with Kyler and Sydney while they are snowed in. It’s a well written, cute college romance. It wasn’t for me but I think it could absolutely be amazing for someone else!

3⭐️

Tropes: friends to lovers, miscommunication, secret pining

Sydney & Kyler were a good time! I did feel like the miscommunication and friends to lovers trope went on a little long but I did enjoy it overall. It was a quick easy read and I really enjoyed the side characters. There’s just something about friends to lovers that hits a little different!

Very interested to see what’s gonna happen in the next book with the next couple!

I really wanted to love this book! Like, really wanted to. The cover makes you feel like you're in a winter wonderland, which is perfect since it's almost Christmas. I didn't get very far into this book before I had to stop. The characters weren't calling out to me like I wanted them to, which was a little disappointing. I might give this another try in the future.

Spicy, male female, dual point of view, friends to lovers, contemporary romance. There is a bit of mystery/peril and a whole lot of miscommunication. The main lead has a "playboy" history that rubbed me the wrong way but aside from that he was a great character. I didn't love this but it was a quick easy read. I'll definitely try more books from this author.

Sydney loves Kyler. Kyler loves Sydney. They have been friends their whole lives so neither one of them thinks they can be together as more than friends. When they find themselves snowed in together, will they finally realize that they belong together or will they continue to live in denial?

Sydney is a nice person. She thinks she is frigid after one of her boyfriends was cruel to her. She has a lot of issues wrapping her head around the fact that she isn’t frigid. The author did a good job showing how Sydney developed confidence in herself and her desirability. Kyler is a hot mess. He seems like he’s on top of the world but he is terrified of disappointing people. He knows he has made some terrible choices and he knows he can’t go back and erase them. I understand why he is convinced he isn’t good enough for Sydney. The author chooses to have them deal with their attraction only because they are stuck together, alone, in close proximity and under threat from a bady guy. Yes, there is a bad guy. I think his reasons for being the bad guy are both believable and ridiculous. What he adds to the story is the element of the unknown danger from the outside world. I liked the addition of a bad guy to the story.

I have a lot of issues with Kyler admitting he has loved Sydney for years but he chose to parade woman after woman in front of Sydney. I don’t know how anyone could overcome being treated that way by someone who claims to love them.

I enjoyed this story when I could put Kyler’s history aside (even though the couple discussed it repeatedly). This isn’t my favorite story I’ve read lately but I think it was well written and will appeal to a lot of readers. I will read more from this author in the future.

Sydney and Kyler have been friends since childhood and they have been in love with each other for years…but neither one knows this. So, when they are suddenly snowed in for days, you know the tensions were high. With confusing emotions, high hormones, and a little bit of trouble, will they get together in the end?

I loved this book! It hooks you right away with high tension between the two main characters who are best friends. Throughout the story we see Kyler continuously and unknowingly throw Sydney through a roller coaster of emotions that hit her self esteem. All the while Kyler feels as if he’s not good enough for Sydney and tries to stay away. The miscommunication is the driving factor that holds the main characters back in this book. If you’re looking for an entertaining story, steamy plot, friends to lovers, and a fast read then this is the book for you!

Kyler and Sydney are best friends that have always been in love with each other. They just don’t know it. This book was great! I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. This book had a little bit of everything; from spice, to thriller, to love and connection. It was perfect. To be honest, the thriller part of the book definitely kept me on my toes. There was so many people I could think of that would’ve been the assailant. If you are looking for the perfect winter read, this is it! This new edition is now officially out today! And it is so pretty! Go get it now!
Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for a copy of this ARC!

This was a fun romance to read. The friends to lovers trope is done really well, and if you know me at all, you know that’s my favourite trope. Not only was there a great romance, but there was also a bit of a dark plot that kept things interesting. It didn’t overshadow the story, but it was a nice addition.

Kyler and Sydney had a lot of great chemistry, and the spicy scenes were fire. But despite the fact that I really enjoyed this book, I have to admit that both main characters drove me nuts. Kyler seemed like a grade A douche, and Sydney seemed a lot younger than she was meant to be (which is only 21, so you can imagine how juvenile she seemed). Her constant negative interpretations of Kyler’s actions were exhausting. Girl, you’re supposed to be best friends with this guy.

Anyway, I just accepted the MCs for who they were and enjoyed the writing. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to Bloom Books for my gifted copy!

Not her best work unfortunately, just wasn't for me. I felt the characters were too flat and it felt like they were probably better apart.