Review: "Complete" by Kortney Keisel

Complete by Kortney Keisel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brooke Johnson and Ben Jackson had a series of meet-cutes over the years, starting shortly after she graduated from high school. For various reasons they never managed to go on a date, but when they met up again at a New Year's party during Brooke's senior year of college, it seemed like it might finally be their time. Recently single, Brooke wanted nothing more than to escape the party, but Ben convinced her to share a kiss with him before she went, reasoning that it would be bad luck to start the new year without one. It turned out to be a terrible kiss, but Ben enjoyed their conversation so much that he asked Brooke to be friends with him instead. Five years later, they've become best friends and Ben is practically part of the Johnson family. After he supported them through the loss of her mother two years earlier, Brooke's feelings for Ben began to change, and now she's sure she's in love with him. The problem is that she doesn't know how to tell him without messing up their friendship and losing him completely. When sports agent Ben starts dating his client's supermodel sister and decides to set Brooke up with his client, a superstar wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will that put an end not only to Brooke's secret romantic hopes, but their friendship as well?

This was honestly one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I've ever read. I sometimes get annoyed when reading stories featuring this trope because the protagonists could solve most of their problems if they would just talk to each other. That wasn't the case here; not only did Brooke and Ben have a history that included a terrible kiss, but there were also external factors complicating their relationship. I loved the way their friendship grew and deepened over the years, as well as how cute and flirty they were with each other. There was so much pining and jealousy hidden beneath the surface, but the author handled it incredibly well. My heart broke a little bit for Brooke every time Ben told her just how "okay" he was with her dating his client, Trey. He was obviously not okay with it, as evidenced by his awkwardness (and series of hilarious mishaps) whenever he was around Brooke and Trey. It just took him a while to recognize his feelings for what they were.

Overall, I adored this book and highly recommend it for all fans of sweet contemporary romance and romantic comedy. While I'm sad that this series has come to an end, I'm very much looking forward to whatever the author writes next.

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

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