Full disclosure: I was in the mood for tropes. As I recently discussed on my Writer Blog, my own writing is very different with an unpredictable reader journey, so picking up a book that’s EXACTLY what I was referring to (where the title gives it all away) was a “research” effort on my part to look at the market for my own readers.

The Pros & Cons

Fortunately this book exceeded my expectations on many fronts. The tropes, while there, were subverted to some extent — (1) They hadn’t been “best friends” in ages, and (2) Blanca had no idea she was dating her best friend’s ex, which went on for at least half of the story. Far longer than I thought it would, which had its pros and cons. On the plus side, there were a myriad of OTHER issues that came way before that, and were just as important as the trope.

Ethan had quite a lot of damage on his own, without even being “forbidden fruit” — and I would have gladly read an entire novel on the two of them without the bestie-ex factor. There was enough there to flesh out something beautiful. His family issues and office relationship aversion are big enough “hang-ups” on their own! So by the time the “big reveal” came, I was just glad that part was over so it could get to the other good stuff! I liked that the main characters both felt fully developed, and I could easily imagine both their family scenarios — the boisterous, raucous overbearing brotherhood on Blanca’s side, and the quiet strained relationship on Ethan’s side.

I actually had no qualms whatsoever about Sierra (the ex) being bitchy (for some readers, I’m sure this would be an issue) but I did wish there was a greater build-up to her back story to create more tension. However, when it came to the side characters, I wasn’t enjoying them as much as I should have. As the writers noted in an afterword, the “Friends” sitcom element was there, with the guys and girls living in apartments right next to each other and being intertwined inextricably. That shadow of “Friends” was a bit too heavy-handed for me, as it seemed like each side character was painted in the broadest of strokes. There were snippets of everyone but it seemed like caricatures of roles without enough depth or subtlety. I realised that the characters were being developed just enough for “future use” throughout the series, but it felt like they were being thrown at me precisely for that purpose, rather than me being naturally inclined to want to know their stories.

Conclusion

Still, overall, I enjoyed the book, and read through it quickly in a couple of days. The writing was light and airy, the dialogue and sexy scenes are just racy enough without being overkill, and there is enough sweetness to make you smile and stay up late at night reading. The story has enough twists and turns to hook you if you’re not as picky a reader as I am. I’m not immediately craving more from the series, but I’d be happy to read another and would also like to try another series from the same writers.

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