Between Friends & Lovers

by Shirlene Obuobi

Talia Hibbert meets Carley Fortune in this swoon-worthy story of love and friendship in the age of social media—where what you see might not be all you get.

To her countless Instagram followers Josephine Boateng is the dazzling Dr. Jojo—and her opinions on health, growth, and self-love matter. Her message: be smart (she has a medical degree after all), be significant, and do not put up with foolish men.

But behind the camera, Jo’s story is more complicated—she finds her influencer career underwhelming; her potential career in medicine overwhelming, and she’s hung up on her best friend, nepo-baby and romcom heartthrob Ezra Adelman. When Ezra shows up to his thirtieth birthday party with her childhood bully on his arm, however, Josephine realizes that it’s time to take her own advice and prioritize herself for once.

No one is more shocked than Malcolm Waters when his debut novel turns him into a critic’s darling. When he’s invited to a swanky penthouse party to discuss turning his book into a film, he knows rubbing elbows with the elites of entertainment will be great for his career. The only problem: he’s not good with people, and even worse at networking.

Just when he’s about to throw in the towel, he’s rescued by none other than Dr. Jojo. He’s been following her on social media for years, and she’s even more impressive in real life. And to his bewilderment, the feeling is mutual.

But in a world where the lines between private and public are as blurred as those between friendship and love, can they risk it all for something real?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Adult, Mental Health

368 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2024

About the author

Shirlene Obuobi is a Ghanaian-American physician, cartoonist, and author who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, Hot Springs, Arkansas and The Woodlands, Texas. When she’s not in the hospital (and let’s be honest, even when she’s in it), she can be found drawing comics, writing on her phone, and obsessing over her three cats. She currently lives in Chicago, where she is completing her cardiology fellowship.

Reviews

[Kezia Duah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t stand these people 😭

[Gry ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond 5 ★'s for this masterpiece
(not me doing a reread barely three months after I originally read it)

When I say I loved everything about this. I truly mean everything.
In the first two chapters I already sensed it would be a five star read, and by chapter five I suspected it would be a new all time favourite—which it is.

✧ “My body buzzed with warmth. Not from the wine we’d drunk earlier, or even from embarrassment, but from the balmy sensation that came with being properly perceived.” ✧

I think it was the writing that originally encaptured me. Shirlene Obuobi created two such distinct characters, their voices completely their own and she used her words to paint their story so clear that you can feel it, taste it and see it playing infront of you. It's not a story of an explosive kind of love, but one set with intention, which I think makes it all the more powerful.

✧ I watched Mal’s brow furrow: a writer, searching for words. When he chose them, he delivered them with care, like he wanted them to be petal-thin, to land softly.
But then he spoke, and I felt them like a bludgeon.
“Seeing me, he said. “You see me, Jo.” ✧

Reading this book I've laughed, I've cried, I've felt irked, I've related, but most of all I've cared and I do still care so deeply for these characters. They aren't perfect, but they are trying. The main characters are in their late 20s to early 30s. You can tell that they’ve lived, lost, learned but are still continually learning, healing and becoming a better version of themselves. Setting boundaries in relationships that no longer serves them, being brave enough to trust, choosing the love that is good to you and for you.

✧ “I had to get to a pretty dark place before I accepted that I needed help. And when I got it, it was all-hands-on-deck.” He knocked his knuckles back against her door, one after the other. “So here I am, being your hands.”✧

If you give this book a chance I know you will love Malcolm James Waters as much as I do. He is the greenest flag fiction has ever seen. He is gentle, honest, secure, wise and such a romantic.
Even in their first meeting the fmc could recognise all of this: “There was a steadiness to his spirit that set me at ease, as if I were talking to an old friend.” If all of that cannot convince you, he is also a successful fantasy romance author battling with imposter syndrome. He is the purest soul and he can do literally nothing wrong.

To Mal's gentleness we have Josephine's perceived harshness. She might annoy some of you, with her straightforwardness, overly directness and being unapologetically herself, but I love her and resonated so closely to her. Were there times where she annoyed me? Sure, but much like you can be annoyed with yourself or someone close to you, because you know exactly why they are the way they are, and wish they could remove those unhealthy mindsets for the betterment of themselves.🧡
She has so many walls, shields and defence-mechanisms in place for her trust issues and warm, kind, loving center.

The communication between her and Mal was so refreshing. It is so open, honest and clear. (Do not worry about any miscommunication trope here.) Even if Mal definitely had to fight for the right to love her at times, he did and eventually won her over. Seeing how Mal loved her, cared for her and saw her healed something in me. We all deserve the Malcolm Waters kind of love, first step is just realising that you do deserve it.🥹

✧ “I’m loved you know,” I told her. “I found a family. One of them is out there right now, waiting on me. And a partner too. A man who tells me he loves me and shows it too.” ✧

The pacing of Between Friends & Lovers is not necessarily slow - I was never bored - but it is calm. It's not overly dramatic, instead it has such depth. Covering themes of mental health, racial and women's issues but combines these serious topics with the purest most beautiful love story you can imagine. Manages to make it both feel lighthearted and true.
It's a book that was good for my soul.🧡
___________
⌞Pre-read:⌝

The gorgeous cover already had me convinced, but my fyp just showed me a beautiful quote from this book so it is definitely jumping up in priority.🙂‍↕️

[Khalilah D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️A beautiful love story in every sense of the word. I love that it touches on childhood trauma and the many different ways it can manifest itself but also what healing means to different people.

[manas · Rating 4 out of 5]

➳ 4 ☆

this was such a fun and wholesome read. this story reminds me a lot of emily henry's writing. while it is a romance, it goes beyond that. i like the overall character development that happens to our main character jo. while i lot of people found her a little annoying, it took a while for me to warm up to her and understand her story and why she was acting certain ways. malcom is the other prominent character in this book and he is such a green flag sweet guy. i loved every part of him.

i really liked the communication in this book as well, and i found the mental health representation to do quite well done. thank god for no third act breakups either. overall, i am glad i picked this up right after onyx storm because i physically cannot read anything after that. i am happy i liked this one though!

thank you to my favorite bestie gry for recommending this book.

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
- This was such an incredible story!! Love that the author touched on so many deep themes within this book. Loved seeing the representation of depression in this story and how so often we want to run from our feelings. If you typically read contemporary fiction, this is a great romance to read because of the deeper themes but also PERFECT for all of us romance lovers.
- Absolutely fell in love with how unique the romance is in this story! If you’re not a fan of a love triangle, I still think you’ll really love this story because it’s written in such a non traditional way.
- If you like strong characters, you will LOVE Jo. I loved her confidence and how we were able to really peel back her layers by the end of the story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is definitely for the girlies that want the nice guy to win in love triangles aka not me. i think this was a well written book and so much fun, i just wish the author would’ve given the angst she gave to jo and ezra to jo and mal as well. i enjoyed mal but the romance between jo and mal was very lackluster meanwhile ezra and jo had sooo much angst, so tea! some of the best parts in the book was their scenes. i wish the author would’ve given mal that as well.

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I’m all for healthy love representation but I need sexual tension too, gaddamit!!!! 😌 Mal and Jo’s relationship felt very meh(can’t think of a better word to describe it).

One thing that annoyed me about this books if when the FMC expressed the feelings she’s been harboring for her best friend for years and proceeds to swiftly cut him off when he didn’t declare his love in that instant. Like give the person a minute will you. You’ve had years to process and come to terms with your feelings. Give the guy the chance to process what you’ve hit him with especially since he was interested and you friend zoned him in the beginning in the first place.

Also best friend Ezra and Jo had the chemistry in my opinion.

I don’t know what that last 20% was 🤷🏾‍♀️

[Booked and Busy]

I loved this so much. Wherever my Malcolm is, baby please come home

[kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually can't tell if I liked this book or not...

[patty ✿⁷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

what do you MEAN there’s a book that has a beautiful portrayal of black joy and love, amazing character EQ, no third act breakup, thoughtful inclusion of issues surrounding trauma and mental health, and so much more, and it’s not #1 on every bestseller list that exists???? what do you MEAN??????????

[ahana ⊹ [ ia ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

― ✶ 3.5 stars . . . ⛲️

this book was as pretty as it's cover, my heart is so full 🥹💗

[reading historical romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a solid 3-star read for me. I enjoyed this book, but there was something ... missing. I think that the main plot might be just too shallow to support a full-length novel. There definitely isn't enough conflict, and there aren't any fully fleshed out subplots that really contribute well to the themes of the book. This one reminded me quite a bit of Olivia Dade's latest, At First Spite.
Dade's book makes this one feel flat and superficial in comparison, especially when it comes to its exploration of mental health and the ability to pursue and maintain healthy personal and professional relationships.

I think the author has an engaging voice and I did love her characterizations of Malcolm, Josephine, Malcolm's friends, and Josephine's roommate. I felt like I got to know them and understood their motivations throughout the book. The banter is cute, and I was #TeamMalcolm from the very beginning so I loved that he enjoyed such a satisfying ending.

My hot take is that the story would have worked a lot better if one of two things had happened: Ezra became part of the action so that there was a true love triangle, or cut entirely from the present narrative and referenced only in flashbacks as context for Josephine's insecurities. As it is, his character kind of straddles the line between "this guy is trouble for our MCs, what's going to happen next" and "sigh... who cares about this jerk."

This is only the author's second book, and there is enough good stuff happening here that I think it will be interesting to see how she progresses in the craft and learns how to construct a story.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.

[AsToldByKenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
don't let my complaining fool you this is an enjoyable book and you should try it out.

[mackenzie (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i see what the author was trying to do here but ultimately it just didn’t vibe with me. i see a lot of reviews saying they love jo but i found her to be, like, past independent baddie. she was just straight up rude and too straight-forward at times. and then, somehow, even with that personality, the miscommunication was RIDICULOUS. it turned me off of the story sooo fast omg.

but with all that being said, it was still a decent read. like i said i do see what the author was trying to do & i liked it for the most part. could the execution have been better? absolutely. but overall not a terrible read, just nothing remarkable either.

pre-read:
this cover is so gorg, let the story be just as perfect pls 😌

[Mika Auguste · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! the writing in this was amazing, especially considering that i’ve recently felt like so many romance books out right now simply lack basic good writing. every thing about it felt REAL. as if these characters were people you could know and be friends with in your personal life.

with that being said….i’m not a huge fan of a predictable love triangle. i like angst, will they—won’t they, and true indecisiveness when reading a love triangle, and this just didn’t do it for me in that way. love triangle aside, i absolutely loved everything else about this story. the trials and character development of Jo were sooo important to me.

towards the end of the book, I was honestly rooting for her to just choose herself, but then it wouldn’t be a romance book so 🤷🏾‍♀️ i do believe who she ends up with makes complete sense for her growth and shows us as readers that it’s okay to lean on others for love and support even if you believe you’re not worthy of it

i stayed up all night reading this so can easily say you have to pick this book up if you’re looking to be sucked into a whirlwind of emotions and amazing storytelling

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

I really liked Between Friends & Lovers although surprisingly the romance isn’t what sticks out in my mind the most. Instead what I’ll remember is Jo is intelligent, upfront, and not afraid to make a big change in her professional life. Has she got it all figured out? No, but she’s unapologetically herself and that is something I was really drawn to.

After years of crushing hard on her best friend, Ezra, Jo decides it’s time to move on. She meets author Malcolm Waters at a party and he’s impressed that Jo AKA Dr. Jojo is the popular influencer he follows on social media. Jo is a fan of his debut novel. Maybe they should go on a date since there seems to be some mutual admiration going on.

Jo and Malcolm had chemistry but it wasn’t the off the charts, swoon worthy type. With this novel being strong in other non romantic elements, it wasn’t a big issue for me. Liking the characters was enough and Jo’s storyline arc held my interest.

If you enjoy contemporary fiction, give this one a try.

Thank you Avon for providing a free advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think this book was for me. It was extremely childish and the ending had no kind of pay off. I have no idea why this was considered a love triangle LOL this was soooo stupid. A three star is generous I think…

[kia (uni era) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✧.* 4 stars
╰┈➤ ❝ I really want to kiss you. Just wondering if it's a bad idea.''
----------🌱----------
about
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ dual pov
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ depictions of mental health struggles
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ explores themes of race & gender
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ self discovery
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ self growth
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ love triangle
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ found family
📷 ⋆｡˚꩜ bit of spice
great chemistry
----------🌱----------
dedication
🪐 ''For the ''strong'' girls. For the girls who seem to have it all together even when they're falling apart. For the Megan Thee Stallions of the world, who everyone knows how to consume but no one knows how to protect. You deserve to be cherished too.''
----------🌱----------
beautiful cover
----------🌱----------
Independent FMC who always had to fend for herself x a soft MMC who makes her feel safe enough to accept love

----------🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･----------

⤷ ''What's more important is that we're considerate of each other. That we communicate. Keep each other in the loop.''

----------🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･----------
𓂃⋆.˚ Malcom
⤷ our MMC
⤷ Writer
⤷ Kind, gentle, sweet and charming
⤷ dirty talker
----------🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･----------
𓂃⋆.˚ Josephine (Jo)
⤷ Doctor
⤷ Smart, ambitious, smart and witty
----------🌱----------
💭 their first meeting
⤷He walked into her room at a party and they got to know eachother.
⤷Apparently they talked online for a few months before meeting eachother in real life

⤷ 💭

''What's the name of your book?'' I said
''She Blooms at Dusk. Came out last winter.''
My jaw dropped. She Blooms at Dusk had topped the New York Times adult hardcover list for three weeks straight, and I'd seen it all over my feeds, and, more recently, on Renata's bookshelf.''

⤷ 💭 she crashed into his book event with a boquet of flowers while girls were hitting on him so she said that she's his 🤭

⤷ He sets up a picknick because she wanted that as a date, she mentioned that ages ago and he acted upon it

----------🍵⋆｡°🍡°⋆. ࿔*:･----------
🦢⤷

''So I'm yours huh?'' he said, tilting her chin up to him. ''If that's okay with you.'' she said softly. ''It is.'' Mal said. ''but only if you promise to be mine too.''

🦢⤷ ''I think I might adore you, Malcolm Waters.''
🦢⤷ ''Please kiss me whenever you want.''
🦢⤷ ''She tasted vaguely of spearmint, and her kiss was declarative, as much a statement as it was a show of affection.''
🦢⤷ ''Then what happened? Is sweet Writer Boy into some freaky shit? Like, does he like to make girls cry or something?'' - her sassy friend
🦢

⤷ ''You nervous?'' he asked softly, trailing his wet fingers to join mine. I laughed, breathless. ''A little?'' I confessed. He nodded, serious as sin. ''Dont be.'' he said. ''I got you.''

⠀
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀:¨ ·.· ¨:
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ `· . 𐙚 the book felt a bit slowish in the middle so thats why the 4 stars

[Jess Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this but like another reviewer mentioned, something is missing.

The writing is great and I think the characters were well written for the most part but I wasn’t rooting for the endgame couple to be together.

I liked the angst between Jo and Ezra. But with Mal it felt dull. He’s a good guy and has little baggage and trauma (which is nice. He’s up front with his feelings. He’s a successful author. Has a great relationship with his parents. He was just so nice. Maybe I’m in the mood for something more angsty.

I would read from the author again because I liked her writing but I needed to feel more between the characters to be invested in their love story.

[Adesuwa Emma-Omogiate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. This book exceeded all my expectations.

This book follows Jojo who is a social media influencer but also a Medical doctor . Jojo is in love with her best friend of many years, Ezra who she believes doesn’t feel the same way about her. In this book Jojo try’s to navigate her life , her feelings for Ezra and she’s introduced to a special new person , Malcom

Jojo is such a confident , funny , hardworking woman .The way she handled situations with grace was so beautiful to read about . She’s the type of character you get excited to read about or the ones you think about regularly. Reading about Jojo back story was so sad , how she had care for herself at such young age without any support/ guidance from adults.

From the moment Malcom was introduced I fell in love with him .Malcom is a debut novelist, working with Ezra mom . He is such a sweet boy 😭. Malcom is this introverted man , that also has social anxiety 😭. I loved how the Malcom was vulnerable with his struggles .

Can’t speak too much on Ezra 😑. There were moments I felt resentful and angry with how clueless Ezra was but the more I read the book and his backstory , I empathize with him a little .

I loved the relationship development between Jojo and Malcom , it strengthened with each page .I loved how Malcom cared for Jojo . He was patient with her , never pressured her into making decisions, stood by her side even when she was going through some difficult times in her life . I love reading about black women being loved and appreciated.

I am usually not a fan of love triangle romance books but in this book , I ate it up . I learned a lot from this book ( especially from jojo ) .I cried , laughed ,swoon .Despite this being a sweet romance book, there were heavy topics that were discussed . The ending of this book was beautiful and loved how everything turned out for everyone .

The moment I finished this book , I wanted to go back to the first page and read it all over again . I highly recommend this book . I will be preordering the physical copy

Thank you Netgalley , Avonbooks and HarperVoyagerUS for this Arc . This Arc is provided in exchange for my honest review.

[Cydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between Friends & Lovers was cute a lot of time and frustrating sometimes, but I overall really, really enjoyed this.

First, I did not care for Jo. I am straddling the fence though—I loved that she was a virgin by choice and that she had de-prioritized men so much in her life that she had full control over when she was ready to sleep with someone. I also liked that she was given the space to make mistakes and learn from them in real time. Placing her chapters in 1st person and Mal's in 3rd made Jo's exploration feel very intimate and personal. I disliked feeling like she led Mal on at first, or at the very least entered into things with him with another in mind.

I absolutely loved Mal. Even though some of his actions gave me the ick, he is a true lover boy and he is kind and patient while also being ambitious and dedicating his time to be of service to the people he cares for. Ezra was very irredeemable for me; I empathized with how he and Jo even came to be in each other's lives, but I also felt like he was very petty and selfish. Also, there is no way he thought it was okay to date his childhood best friend's racist bully?!

This is a story about belonging, and how sometimes people leave behind their blood family to embrace others, but sometimes found family can cause harm as well. This is a story about a young Black woman living her life on her terms and being messy and imperfect and having ambition and drive but difficulty with intimacy and being taken care of, and how she grows.

The writing was absolutely beautiful. The overall messaging was succinct and timely. I will be reading Obuobi again!

4.5 ⭐️s
2.5 🌶️

[amarachireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you’ve been living in darkness so long, you learn to function within it. You start to feel like the light is just a myth, like everyone else squints their way through life too. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You deserve more than a perpetual dusk.

This was a cute and heartfelt romance along with the journey of the FMC as she deals with her career, love and mental health issues. I thought it was written well and depicted the FMC love for her career, upbringing and how she felt about love and intimacy. As a black woman there were so many beautiful sayings that I took to heart and there was some humor. The romance was okay but what I really enjoyed about this was the journey and development the FMC went through. I appreciate the fact that the author is a doctor and it's evident in the way she depicts her female main characters that are all doctors. Overall a good read!

[DesanaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed to sit with my thoughts before writing this review. Right off the bat, I immediately hated Ezra. Dating your bestie’s bully—are you crazy?! But I was also really annoyed with Jo for having feelings for a man-child who clearly spent years showing he wasn’t ready to settle down and now displays a serious lack of emotional intelligence.

Then there’s Malcolm. Sure, he has a history of social anxiety and staying in relationships with overbearing women for too long, but other than that, he’s written almost too perfectly. I wasn’t convinced he was going to be a good thing for Jo either. And don’t even get me started on Ezra, who kept buzzing around like a garage fly, trying to justify his trash behavior.

All in all, this was a good book. I wouldn’t say it’s a love triangle in the traditional sense—it’s more about three people overcoming trauma to move forward toward something healthier and better. I definitely recommend this book.

[Grace Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuanced, thoughtful, and deeply romantic. Jo, Mal, and Ezra (gasp!) have my whole heart.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't for me. And I tried to like it so so bad, I've been really excited about reading it, but I had trouble liking the characters and found their story to be boring, even on audiobook. But I'd still recommend it to people who think they might like it.

2.5

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like any of the characters in this book. Jo is just rude to the people around her (especially Mal), and it’s baffling to me that he’s always at her beck and call. I understand that her mother did not treat her well as a child, and I actually liked how she explores her relationship with her mother throughout the book. But everything else about her not so much.

Mal is a pushover and lets Jo walk all over him.

And Ezra dates literally everyone except Jo for YEARS in front of her and then comes back saying he loved her the whole time. Crazy work😭😭 By the time they got to his confession near the end of the book I literally didn’t even care because it’s not like he had years or anything to tell her he had feelings for her-_-

Besides all that, if you wrote this exact plot and made the characters teenagers it’d be a YA book, which is how it reads. That’s not bad in of itself, but it felt like this book mostly lacked depth. The love triangle was just annoying and I was struggling to finish the book because it was dragging everything out.

[Jaleesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so I enjoyed this book but I have to be honest it felt like something was missing. I just didn’t believe the romance between Malcolm and Jo…..and for it to be a love triangle I needed to feel that so I could root for them and I don’t care for Ezra so it should have been easy for me to do and I just didn’t. I liked them as individuals but them together just didn’t hit for me. I will say the author did a great job with banter and really fleshing each character out. Malcolm is such a cinnamon bun MMC, he really liked Jo and I appreciated that he really wanted to take the time to get to know her and build something real with her. I liked the side plots too and I was glad they didn’t feel forced. This is my first read from this author but I’ll definitely read more from her!

[Tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is for the burnt out overachievers, the late bloomers, the chemically-imbalanced medics, and the lovers of trope subversion.

This is an incredible sophomore release from the brilliant Dr. Shirlene Obuobi. You will fall in love with Mal and Jo in all of their beautiful imperfection. One of my favourite things about Shirlene’s writing is her characterization- her characters feel so true and tangible! By the end of the book, they felt like friends that I was heartbroken to say bye to.

On a more personal note, I’m so grateful to have read a book about someone like Jo. There is an indescribable joy that comes from feeling represented. I know I’m a niche audience- unambiguously black, worn out woman in medicine, able to feel both pride in exactly who I am while hurting from the sting of rejection. Jo is a reminder that you can be resilient and capable at the same time as being vulnerable and sensitive. We are strong, but we need love too!

I can’t wait to have this one on my shelf next to On Rotation, and I can’t wait to read what comes next!

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ listen, any story that takes place in my favorite city (chicago), I’m gonna read it! I enjoyed this read - and less for the romance component but moreso for the strong female lead. Jo was the epitome of strength, confidence, and all the things I love to see in a black main character. there were so many times where I forgot this story was about a love triangle, because I was mainly focused on how comforting it was to read about a black FMC being loved without stipulations or obstacles. very demure. very cutesy. very mindful.

[Hiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I ugly cry at times while reading this book? Yes. Did I burst out laughing from time to time? Absolutely. This book reminded me a lot of Abby Jimenez books, I saw some people compare this one to Emily Henry's books too so I think this will be an amazing read for fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez. And one more thing, if Jo gets on your nerves in the beginning of the book, just give her a chance.