How to Kiss Your Best Friend by Jenny ProctorMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Even though they've been out of touch for the past four years, high school chemistry teacher and whitewater kayaking instructor Brody Hawthorne still hasn't gotten over his unrequited crush on his childhood best friend, travel writer Kate Fletcher. School's out for the summer and Brody has decided to spend two weeks hiking the Appalachian Trail with his oldest brother, Perry. Just as they're heading out, Kate reaches out to let Brody know she's returning to their hometown to help her mother get her late grandmother's house ready to sell. There's a different vibe between Brody and Kate from the moment they first see each other again (helped along on Kate's side by her cousin Kristyn, who's convinced that they're destined for an epic friends-to-lovers romance), making Brody think that his crush might not be so hopeless after all. But Kate has always wanted more than the small town of Silver Creek has to offer. Can Brody convince Kate that he's enough of a reason to stay?
As someone who grew up in a small town and couldn't wait to get out and see the world when I was old enough, I related to Kate on so many levels. (Sadly, there was no Brody Hawthorne waiting for me back home!) Her character arc over the course of the story was fantastic. She came such a long way from where she started. I especially appreciated that her feelings for Brody didn't change overnight, and that she put so much thought into her future career direction too. All of her decisions were well thought out and made sense, which made everything she was feeling more relatable and believable to me.
Kate and Brody were ridiculously cute together, and I loved his family as well. I empathized with the fact that they were torn between how much they genuinely cared for Kate after knowing her for so many years and their concern that she'd end up hurting Brody (inadvertently or otherwise). Beyond that, the Hawthornes are just so darn lovable. They were one of the highlights of Brody's sister Olivia's book and the same was true here.
Overall, I loved "How to Kiss Your Best Friend" and highly recommend it for all contemporary/sweet romance and romantic comedy fans. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments make my day! While I do not expect everyone to agree with my point of view, please note that I reserve the right to delete any nasty or uncharitable messages, as well as spam. Open discussion is welcome and appreciated, but personal attacks are not. Thanks for understanding and have a nice day. :-)