3.5⭐️

This was such a fun read for me! I really enjoyed the storyline and loved seeing autism representation within literature.

This romance novel follows Penny, who after feeling she will never find a stable partner, asks her childhood best friend BJ for his sperm to help her have a child. Along the way, feelings are recognised but ignored until they can't be anymore!

This book is the second in a series of standalones following the Jackson family members and while I haven't read the first book, I found I still had all of the context I needed. I really loved the relationship between Penny and BJ, she was so open and honest with him at all points which was so refreshing, and BJ truly wanted what was best for Penny, but his own trauma was getting in the way. Things definitely got overly complicated there for a while which was so interesting to read about.

I also absolutely love The Jackson family already!! BJ's mum is the real MVP in this, special mention to her card group as well!! Charlie was also so relatable with her frustration with her brother!!! Such a fun cast of characters, which made for an easy read 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review

Penny has decided that romantic love isn’t part of her future but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a baby. She decides to approach the man who has always been there for her and whom she trusts the most, her best friend BJ.

BJ has also decided that romantic love isn’t part of his future but there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his best friend Penny. He has never considered crossing the line with Penny but now he begins to wonder if the reason he hasn’t committed to another woman is that Penny has always owned his heart.

BJ and Penny have always played a starring role in each other’s life and were destined to be more than friends. Not only have they always been there for each other, but they put each other first which makes their relationship even more special.

Somebody to Love by Mariah Ankenman, book two in the Jackson Family Distillery series, is a delightful romance of friends to lovers to parents. Penelope "Penny" Williams is a shy, socially awkward computer genius who wants to be a mother. But after her last devastating relationship, she realizes she doesn't need a man to have a baby. Technically, she does need a small something from a man and she knows the perfect man to get it from; her best friend. Bravo "BJ" Jackson, an ex-marine, is busy with his family's distillery business, especially now that they have decided to expand and open a restaurant venue. He loves women, but marriage and long-term commitment is not for him; especially after witnessing his mother’s spiral after the loss of his father. Penny has always been his best friend from the time he protected her from school bullies. He is stunned when she tells him what she wants and what she needs. As they spend even more time together, he begins to see her as more than just his best friend. They decide to skip the doctor’s office and have their baby a less clinical way; opening up feelings that have been hidden for years. BJ never realized that Penny has always been in love with him and maybe he has been in love with her as well. This is a beautifully written friends to lover’s romance and I loved the development of BJ and Penny and their relationship. They both are absolutely precious, and I loved how just absolutely lovely and concerned they were for each other. I also appreciated the autism representation, and love the subtleties built into the story to normalize it.

Ms. Ankenman wrote a humorous, wonderful, and endearing romance that I could not put down and should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, attraction, chemistry, clever banter, humor, and a cast of secondary characters assisting Penny and BJ get the love and future they deserve. I highly recommend Somebody to Love to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Mariah Ankenman’s covers always stand out. So, when they pop up at Netgalley, they aren’t hard to miss. Having read (and loved) her Mile High series, I looked forward to the Jackson Family Distillery series, And indeed, these are great as well! Each book concentrates on one of the Jackson siblings and this one is about BJ. When his best friend, Penny, asks him for his sperm to fulfill her greatest wish, it is the start of a shifting dynamic between them. The story is fun and cute and a bit hilarious.

My biggest issue with the book is Penny however. Mariah describes Penny as being autistic and therefore, she wants to become a single mother. However, the character build up of Penny doesn’t show any autistic characteristics. Having an up close and personal experience with autism, I had some reservations about Penny.

Putting those aside, it was a great story and I’ll be looking forward to more stories of the Jackson brothers and sister. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

What would happen if you asked your best friend for his swimmers so you could have a baby?

Somebody to Love is a sweet rom-com centered on Penny, an autistic woman in STEM (web developer) and her best-friend-since-high-school, BJ, a distillery owner. Penny has sworn off men, but wants to be a mom.. so she asks BJ for a “donation.”

I thoroughly love Mariah Ankenman’s chaotic love stories, and Somebody to Love is no exception. It’s an easy, feel-good read that gives you all the fun rom-com vibes you’re looking for!

Somebody to Love is the second book in the distillery series, but can be read as a standalone story.

Holy. Crap. Mariah Ankenman truly has my heart just figured out. Everything I read, I end up loving and this was no exception. Following these two as their love bloomed was just such a joy. Even if I was wanting to help Charlie to smack their heads together sometimes (figuratively, of course). I cannot wait to get the next book in this series and see who can win the next sibling’s heart.

A friends-to-lovers romance set to warm your heart. Sweet and cute 💗 Once again, Mariah Ankenman came in strong with disability rep. I enjoyed the autistic representation. Thank you!

Somebody to love. This an excellent romance showing the difficulties of social situations for people in the spectrum. But it’s a tricky situation when it involves romance with a friend, for everyone

A delightful romance of friends to lovers to parents? Penelope “Penny” Williams has given up on the happy-ever-after marriage, but she so wants to be a mother. She is a computer genius with an IQ “off the charts”, but that isn’t helping her have the baby she so desperately wants. She has already talked to her doctor, but the only one she would ask for help is her best friend Bravo “JB” Jackson. Can she work up the courage to ask him to provide what she needs to have a baby? What will he say? Will he be shocked or understand how difficult it was for her to ask him? Penny has always been his best friend from the time he protected her from school bullies. He is a bit stunned when she tells him what she wants, what she needs. As they spend even more time together, he begins to see her as more than just his best friend. What if they skip the doctor’s office and have their baby a less clinical way? What he doesn’t realize is that Penny has always been in love with him and maybe he has been in love with her as well? A beautifully written friends to lover’s romance. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Special thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was absolutely adorable! Filled with quirky and charming moments, I found myself both chuckling and swooning!

Let's take a closer look:

Penelope "Penny" Williams is a shy, socially awkward computer genius who wants to be a mother. But after her last disastrous relationship, she realizes she doesn't need a man to have a baby. Well, technically, she does--a small something from a man: his sperm. And she has an idea of where to get it.

Bravo "BJ" Jackson, an ex-marine, is busy with his family's distillery business, especially now that they have decided to expand and open a restaurant venue. He loves women, but marriage and long-term commitment? That's just not for him, especially after witnessing a terrible loss in his life.

But when his best friend Penny approaches him with an unusual request, he begins to reconsider the idea of fatherhood... among other possibilities for his future.
---

Honestly, I thought I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this ARC. I was expecting more of a pregnancy trope-type story, where the two best friends agree to a pregnancy pact, and then navigate their feelings during the pregnancy. So, if you are worried about a book filled with pregnancy shenanigans, don't worry! This story hinges on this pact, whether they should or shouldn't and their feelings for each other.

The cast of characters are HILARIOUS! I love how distinct each character is, which I think is important when developing a huge gathering of people. I wish I would've read the first book before this book (my fault!) because there are parts that serve as an extended epilogue of the first book--so if you like a lot of updates about previous characters, jump into this series... but don't be like me. Lol read the first book first!

I loved the development of BJ and Penny and their relationship. They both are absolutely precious, and I loved how just absolutely lovely and concerned they were for each other. BJ is a fabulous book boyfriend, BTW!

I appreciated the autism representation, and I love the subtleties built into the story to normalize it!

My only "complaint"--and this can all be a matter of preference (who am I to tell an author how to write THEIR story?)-- is it felt repetitive. There were a lot of recaps that stated the premise of the story again and again, and maybe it's to create tension, but for me, it was noticeable and distracting.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this story, and I am so grateful I had this opportunity to read it before others!

⭐️- 4.0/4.25
🌶- 2.0

I really enjoyed this story!

I thought that the story was well written and it had a great flow to the story.

The characters were well developed and they worked well together.

There was some really great interaction between them - trying not to fall in love is hard!

It was a romantic and sexy story that had me turning the pages.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

Somebody To Love By Mariah Ankenman is a perfect book for friend to lover romance reader.

This book have a interesting storyline where Penny needs BJ help to become a mother. As a friend, BJ will do anything to help his best friend which includes donate his little swimmer. This story are full of sweetness and angst at the same time.

✅ Childhood friend
✅ Friend to lover
✅ Friend with benefits agreement
✅ Angst
✅ Plenty of Spicy scenes intense and explicit

I'll definitely looking forward to read the next book by Mariah Ankenman which is about Charlie.

I love Ankenman's writing so I was super excited to see she was releasing a new book. And it's friends to lovers baby pact? Eeeppp!

Penny and Bravo "BJ" were so cute! I loved their relationship both the friendship & romantic one. I thought Penny was a great heroine that a lot of readers will relate to. She's shy & really wants to be a mom so it makes sense that she doesn't want the donor to be a stranger. I liked her character a lot. She was sweet and felt realistic. I also liked BJ's character a lot too. He was a wonderful friend and love interest. I liked that he had reservations about donating his sperm to Penny. To me, this is very realistic. These two together were very heartwarming and sweet.

If you love friends to lovers romances, give this a try!