Since We Were Friends

After getting the opportunity to read this ARC i can honestly say i couldn't put it down.
Wow i dont think iv ever fallen in love with characters so quickly.. straight away i got the vibes of The After Collection only a less xrated version which did nothing to detract from the story it was still amazing and gripping.

The ups the downs the real teen agnst the characters faced between them and the situations they encountered made loving them and hoping that they got their HEA so much more that i read the book straight through as i couldnt walk away until i knew how it ended.

Loved loved loved definitely worth reading and i will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

Great book on childhood friends to lovers, growing up and navigating family and love. Great characters and dialogue.

Regan and Harper have been friends a long time. So why did things change that summer? And now he’s living with her family ?! And she realizes she’s in love with him. I enjoyed this story. It was a quick read with great characters.

Rating: 3.75/5

Review:
This book was quite enjoyable. There were many moments that I found myself making cute faces because of something the characters would do or say. I enjoyed reading the jealousy and the yearning that both Harper and Regan had for each other and the way the author wrote that but some things about this book made me want to DNF. I found myself getting upset that Harper would constantly give Regan mixed emotions and play with her feelings for the majority of the book. I think that after the first few times I got annoyed that Harper thought his actions were excusable when they weren't. I think that while the book was good I just couldn't find it in me to forgive him of all the bullying he did throughout both their childhoods while claiming to be her so-called “best friend”

I enjoyed this book enough to give it 3.75 simply for the parts that made me laugh and for Reagan's siblings and Sophie.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC
ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op

This book started off really great, and I just had to know what happened...but then I really started to dislike Harper and I did not ever recover from that feeling. It was a cute, friends to enemies to lovers romance but I really needed more resolution of the broken trust between Harper and Regan.

For me, it went from a situation where there was bullying but also protectiveness, to borderline emotional manipulation, to insta-love and problem resolution. I'd recommend giving it a try and seeing what you think!

I’m in the mood for all the romcoms lately and I couldn’t resist this one! It was so cute. I loved the romance, it gave me all the feels. It was just so romantic and sweet. The family dynamics were fun to read about and I loved the read about the brothers. There were some things I didn’t love. First, the story says its a best-friends-to-lovers but that wasn’t developed. It was like mentioned they were best friends but they never even talked. The romance was a little jumpy. Like anger, resentment, rude, hold hands under table, hate, rude, and confusion. It was just a little jumpy. The dad was the worst. He was mean and unfeeling and I hated him.

So, I really liked it as a sweet romance and if her brothers get a book I will for sure read it, but I just had some issues with some stuff in this one.

I had a great time reading this story! It was really well written, had great pacing, and great dialogue. The brothers had me laughing in the prologue and consistently throughout the rest of the story. Basically, I loved the whole family dynamic. The problem that sparks the whole story is not what I was expecting and that made me love it even more than I already did. It was something so small and yet so impactful and emotional that it was something I could easily connect with and empathize.

One thing that I needed more of were instances of Regan and Harper being friends or even having a close relationship. Most of the scenes about them being best friends (or even friendly in general) were told through backstory and never really in present day. Everything about their present day relationship was just so antagonistic that I am confused as to why the family never picked up on or questioned what happened to make them this way. Especially since they had apparently been super close since before they were seven years old.

Overall, this story had an amazing and addictive beginning, but after about the 3/5ths mark, the story lost momentum and had less interesting scenes. However, I would still recommend this for anyone who wants a great YA friends-to-lovers story!

I was given this eARC by NetGalley for an honest review.

I actually adored this book. It had a similar premise I have read before. However, it felt new. the plot was overall predictable and cute. I loved, and I mean loved Regan and Harper’s friendship. I am a sucker for friends to lovers type books and from page 1 you knew where they was most likely going. I didn’t want the book to end and I am so sad it did.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Since We Were Friends in exchange for an honest review.

So in all fairness, I should probably start by explaining that I normally would not request books like this and probably shouldn't have because these kinds of romances are not my style. I thought the "discovers the world of girls" line in the description meant that this was going to involve the MC discovering her own bisexuality, not making female friends for the first time. That's also a perfectly fine plot, just not the kind I veer towards.

So taking my opinions with a grain of salt, I didn't like the romance in this romance. Harper pissed me off and I don't think it was earned and while I love that this focuses on a girl-girl friendship in a way similar stories lack, I wish more page time was given to making me believe the MC and Harper were a good pair.

Overall I liked the book, it’s a cute young adult romance. But it started off really slow & I wasn’t sure where it was going but midway & especially towards the end, I did start enjoying it.
Harper is a bit of a jerk to begin with & Regan doesn’t really help matters but again, as the story unfolds & you begin to see where it’s going it’s a better read. I would definitely recommend this book to middle school to high school age students that enjoy this genre of books.

Since we were friends is an adorably fluffy coming of age romance that as a fun piece of escapism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I did forget to download this and bought a copy so I could complete my review.

Plot summary:
With some fiercely protective brothers and father, a tomboy attitude and a best friend who is kind of attractive, Regan Clarke already has it tough. When her best friend, and adoptive fourth brother Harper, starts to ice her out of his friendship circle she has to find a lot of courage, friends and support when she returns to school that year.

To make matters worse, Harper has to move in with them and being around him all the time while he is stone cold towards her is painful. Will they ever become more than this?

Review:
Plot and World Building – This was a really intriguing premise which made me request this book. I will admit it is pretty predictable what will happen, but it was a cute and fluffy read which I enjoyed. I will say the writing style took me a few chapters to get used to, as I am primarily a fantasy reader, but no issues once I adjusted.

. Overall pacing of the story was very fast and it worked well for the plot for the most part, although there were points I felt were slightly rushed/overlooked towards the end of the book. ..

Characters and Development- Regan was brilliant, and her development was great and most importantly she was a teen protagonist that actually acted her age! I sometimes struggle with some teen protagonists being too mature but Regan was very well developed throughout.

Harper was actually my biggest dislike throughout. His attitude was not just cold, it was close to uncomfortable for me to read his attitude towards Regan to be honest, but I am aware that due to the lead characters being teenagers this was potentially intentional. He felt hostile and potentially looking towards controlling at points and that was just a massive red flag for me but towards the ending I felt that ease slightly. The romance side was well written overall.

The side characters, inc. brothers, dad, mum, best friend etc. were all well developed and all had a part to play which supported the story wonderfully.


Final Thoughts:
A fluffy YA romance read with some fun and light moments, but the characterisation of the love interest put me off..

Actual rating: 3.6

Now and then, I am in the mood for something light & sweet & fluffy... and this book showed up at exactly the right time.

The premise was not the most original one (for reference, just take On the Fence), but it was really cute nonetheless.
The side characters were all well developed and played a huge role in making this story an enjoyable reading (I adored Regan's brothers above all).

What didn't convince me (at all) was the best-friends-to-lovers trope. We know that Regan and Harper were best friends - Regan stressed the point more than once. But this (supposed) friendship was something that was mentioned but never showed.
Even in the prologue, which takes the reader just before the said friendship imploded, I never felt any connection between Regan and Harper, nothing that denoted they were something more than mere acquaintances. And considering how crucial this point is for the entire plot development, it's really a sore point, making the romance feel rather out of the blue.

Nonetheless, it was a very cute and fun reading. I'd recommend giving it a try and seeing what you think!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.