## Tropes
- frenemies to lovers
- second chance
- fake dating
- spicy

## Recommended To
Perfect fit for readers who crave a spicy, friends-to-lovers romance with a dash of fake-dating and privilege, and who enjoy stories about strong, independent women navigating the complexities of relationships and identity. Readers must also appreciate a douche of a MMC with a redemption arc.

## 📖 My Thoughts
Dual POV; Synopsis: Two fiercely independent young professionals begin an “arrangement” where they have pre-scheduled hookups, but the situation grows complicated when feelings get in the way.

Characters: This book was a maybe for me, I generally liked it once it was all wrapped, but I don’t feel like I would jump to recommend this read to others. What hit me first was Heath (MMC) being an absolute douche canoe of a guy, only wanting to hook up, and generally being a _Chad_. The first chapter from Heath's POV was him picking a date he could score the easiest with, even drunk. Luckily that female character shot him down. Teagan (FMC) was likeable, and while she struggled with external pressures, her struggles with Heath were mostly driven by not wanting to see what was right in front of her. Luckily for Heath, his redemption arc lead us to see a really kind human being that loved Teagan for the amazing person she is.
Plot: The plot was a mix of both internal and external forces. The internal forces are what kept Heath and Teagan from really seeing each other and how much they love one another until 90% in (that also came with a plot spoiler in the trigger section). The external forces these two overcame revolved around their small friend group and their family. Friends being mostly privileged assholes and parents with high expectations each of the characters struggled to meet.
Writing: The style of the writing contained a lot of slang common for 2024. The pace for me was a bit off though, as it wasn't until 90% into the book that we finally understand a huge portion of the MMC/FMC's background including why they split up when they were younger. This is a bit of a spoiler, as the book could also be marketed as a second chance romance, but it is not. I did like how the author wrapped up everything, but the ending was super rushed, with all that wrap up happening in the last 5% of the book.

## ⚠️ Triggers
- Sexually explicit scenes (lots of them, like more than 10)
- Homophobia
- Racism
- Misogyny
- Eating disorder
- Anxiety
- Slut Shaming
- end of book spoiler ||Pregnancy/Abortion||
- Drug misuse (secondary character)

## 🌶️ Spice
The spice in this book was 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ simply due to the quantity. The premise of the book is regular hookups, so the MC's were getting it on, on page, multiple times a week. Overall the quality of the spicy scenes was ok. Lots of detail, but also the scenes wrapped up within a couple of pages, sometimes even rushed. On page sex scenes were mostly vanilla with some use of toys thrown in.

## 🗺️ Representation
There was quite a bit of representation in this book. The FMC is a black female, with adoptive white parents, and two adopted Asian brothers. The struggle of being black and growing up in an affluent white household was a theme throughout the book, including the FMC's struggles to be perfect for her parents and fit in with her mostly cis-hetero male friend group. The FMC's social and family struggles play a large part in the story including conversations of marginalization as well as trying to be perfect for parents that 'rescued' adoptive children. In addition to BIPOC characters, there are queer secondary characters within the MC's friend group with a smaller theme of homophobia (her friends are mostly assholes). Additionally, one of the FMC's younger brothers is disabled as a result of paraplegia after a car accident. The storyline for her brother's recovery revolves around the MMC's choice of work and his own recovery from a sports injury preventing him from playing soccer at the college+ level.

## 📝 Special Notes
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley and am providing an honest review. While the book formatting through the NetGalley shelf app was ok, the formatting sent through for read on Kindle needs improvement, as there were regular misses starting new paragraphs (text sections ran on), and the line spacing/formatting between paragraphs was missing in about half of the book. I'm hoping this is resolved once the book is digitally published across multiple platforms.

## 🌐 Links
At the time of my review: This book is being published by Frayed Pages x Wattpad Books, and releases April 29, 2025. I absolutely adore the cover.

Teagan is so easy to relate to with her independent and overachiever personality. She tries so hard to keep everything and everyone together all while excelling in law school and planning a wedding (what can't Teagan do?) Heath is the perfect contrast to Teagan. These mcs balance eachother out so well (and their banter is top tier)

I love how we're kept unsure about the cause of Heath and Teagan's past problems until so close to the end. Even though you can guess at some of their history the plot twist still hits you.

Some heavy topics such as racism, homophobia, eating disorders and adoption trauma are discussed so be prepared for that. While these topics are brought up they don't take away from the story. These discussions are handled so well and add so much to the plot and the development of Teagan and Heath's characters. On a side note, is it acceptable to hate a fictional group of friends?

Situationship perfectly blends romance with spice. This enemies to lovers, with a bit of a reverse grumpy/sunshine feel is a must read. I cannot get over how much I loved this book and would like to personally request Levi and Rowan books.

As somebody who identifies heavily with Teagan, I really enjoyed this book! Teagan tries so hard to be perfect, keep everything together, be ambitious, and keep her friend group together all in the midst of planning a wedding for one friend, there’s just one problem Heath. Heath is devastatingly handsome and Teagan’s nemesis for reasons unknown until the end of the book! They start to hook up during the summer as stress relief for both of them!

I know it’s classified as erotica, but there’s definitely a romance story running at the same time! Think like equal parts erotica and romance - there is a lot of sex and spice, BUT ALL so well done. Heath and Teagan’s banter at first was kinda stale but got better throughout the story as they spent more time together. I also really liked how the story/plot was written. Like the big reveal of WHYYYYY Heath and Teagan were enemies was beautifully done and like what a plot twist! I was not expecting that at all!

The only things that didn’t work for me were at one point, I did get a HEAVY amount of second hand embarrassment at one point, but that’s might be a personal issue. I also felt like the issues with the friend group being homophobic and racist should’ve been resolved different with even more confrontation. I also felt like Teagan’s parents were too accepting of her blow up, I would’ve enjoyed a little more friction, but alas!

Overall, would recommend for a reader who is looking for ALOT of spice with like a good helping of romance, who enjoys enemies to lovers with a plot twist, lowkey annoying/unlikeable main character (Teagan) and good banter. Thank you so much NetGalley and the Publisher for this early ARC in exchange for a review!

I DNR the book half-way, before I would've finish the book but I am comfortable enough now to DNR some book that I don't feel attracted to it and having a hard time with it. To be honest it's not the author and publisher, they did an amazing job, it's my personally who just didn't like it. One of the reason I didn't like it it was hard to follow as I think this was originally posted to Wattpad?

When I was younger I did read a lot on Wattpad, but as I grew up physical books became a big part of me, and since I have my Kindle, I don't have places for Wattpad reading. But like I said it's nothing the author did, it's really just a preference opinion from the point of view of the reader.

On this, I hope the author continues to write their heart out cause I know they are doing a great job, and writing a book is challenging, I would know.

Cheers,
Cass's Bookshelf
xo

This book is for anyone into tropes like friends with benefits, friends-to-lovers, and a bit of drama when feelings sneak into "just hookups." Teagan is this smart, independent, boss-level, very overachiever law student who doesn’t want to settle for anything —or anyone— boring. She’s stuck going to fancy weddings and events alone after ditching her boyfriend that didn’t know how to satisfy her. Then, she finds herself in an agreement with Heath. He’s hot, flirty, and knows exactly how to keep things casual. The spicy scenes are super detailed and definitely not fade-to-black, and there’s a LOT of it. It’s got also some good banter, emotional moments, dual POV, and “scheduled hookups”, literally.

If you’re into romances with a modern twist, sassy leads, and a ton of chemistry (again, a heads-up: it’s not for the shy), this book is for you. For me, it lacked a little bit of depth in the relationship, feeling like most of the times, the fmc was a little bit cold and left me stressed out. I couldn’t really relate to her that much, but I liked the mmc and the story made more sense towards the end, where I got a little bit of the depth I was expecting as to why these people could connect or feel anything towards one another for it to become something.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story had a ton of potential but I feel the focus on the very problematic friend group brought the vibes of romance down. Also a good edit of this story is needed because there were multiple times where the same thing was happening-the two characters have sex, exchange banter and it starts happening again-chapter after chapter. The ending felt rushed and some hidden plots were weaved in.

This book is the perfect blend of spice, sass, and emotional tension, making it a must-read for fans of smart romance with a touch of angst. The chemistry between Teagan and Heath is electric, and their banter is witty and sharp, making them impossible not to root for. As the stakes get higher and the boundaries start to fall apart, it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of self-discovery, vulnerability, and the messy but beautiful nature of falling in love when you least expect it. The twists and turns keep things fresh, and the characters are easy to fall for. Overall, this book is an unforgettable ride that will leave you yearning for more.