Readers looking for a unique and charming read will find themselves drawn to this friends to lovers romance told from the male perspective. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of The Boy Friend by Mika Jolie, along with my impressions of it, then add this delightful romance to your bookshelf!
According to the law of attraction, women and men can't be friends.
Contrary to this myth, my friendship with Coriander Phillips does not rest on unrequited love or un-actualized lust. We've been inseparable since the day I pulled one of her pigtails and she punched me in the gut.
She's hilarious, fun to hang out with. Together, we're like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, wings and beer. A match made in heaven.
She's the bomb.
Did I mention she's smokin' hot? I've checked her out...maybe once or twice. Hey, I'm a guy.
Seriously, no awkwardness, no secret yearning for our relationship to escalate beyond the purely platonic. I'm theboy friend—the loyal shoulder she cries on, the dispenser of coffee, sympathy, hugs, advice, and affection with no expectations.
Until the invisible line between friends and lovers became blurry.
Now I want more. I want her.
All I have to do is convince her we can be more than friends.
Right?
If only it were that easy.
BUY LINKS: AMAZON (KINDLE) | AMAZON (PRINT)
WATCH THE TRAILER here.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Every now and again a book comes along that gives you all sorts of warm fuzzies, charms you on every level, and makes you want to start reading it all over again after reaching The End. This is just such a book! From its charming yet oh so manly male lead to its witty and playful banter I couldn't wipe the smile off my face or turn the pages fast enough. Told from the male perspective it sets itself apart from other friends-to-lovers romances through its realistic voice and the endearingly flawed trio of male friends and their views on love and relationships. It's ultimately a romance worth losing sleep over as readers will become quickly captivated by the romantic web Ms. Jolie's woven with her words!
Dean's just your average guy who comes from a well-off family and understands the meaning of hard work. He's smart, sexy, a god in the bedroom and enjoys playing the field. He's not a jerk though when it comes to his encounters as he makes his rules clear from the start. He may not be ready to settle down but he admires his parent's close connection after years of being together and hopes to have that himself one day...far in the future. The longest relationship he's ever had with a woman is with his best friend of twenty years, Coriander. From the moment she hit him in the stomach as a little boy he knew she was someone special, a girl different from other girls. He cherishes their time together and the bond they have while singing songs from Grease on karaoke nights. He's occasionally had sexual images of them together but for the sake of their friendship he pushes them aside. He's happy with their kind of togetherness but all that changes when she starts thinking of starting a family. A light switch suddenly goes off of her starting a whole other life without him and it pushes him to finally address his long-simmering feelings for her. Working through his feelings brought out inner-dialogues that had me chuckling as well as seeing a softer side to him that was endearing. I love that it was HIM fighting for them to be something more. Once he realized his deeper commitment to her he was all-in and expressed his love in a Grand Gesture that had me swooning. Dean's ultimately the quintessential book boyfriend as he was strong but unafraid of admitting his feelings. He freely expressed his fears and heartbreak, along with owning up to his missteps. He's endearingly flawed but on a whole he's pure perfection!
With this book being told from Dean's perspective we don't really get a grasp on who Cori really is beyond how Dean sees her. Cori's the artsy type and quirky in her looks. She's not one that's obsessed with glamour and prefers a more natural look. She's got curves and enjoys her food, which are just a few of the attributes Dean loves about her. She's loyal to those in her circle and loves kids which becomes the impetus to her and Dean slowly becoming more. Her and Dean are like peas and carrots and their times together are carefree, fun, with an undertone of flirtiness that made them endearingly entertaining. Though I wish we could've gotten deeper insight into Cori's inner thoughts it didn't at all detract from my enjoyment of this book.
From start to finish I felt as though I was wrapped up in a warm blanket of love. Dean was everything you want in a boyfriend and he and Cori just crackled as friends...and ultimately lovers. Their sexual encounters were scorching yet playful as their friendship still shone through the erotically-charged haze. Dean embraced his flaws and worked hard to be the man worthy of being Cori's boyfriend in a heartwarming journey of introspection that made me smile. He could be snarky too but he was always full of heart when it came to Cori. His interactions with his buddies, Cam and Lucas, were also entertaining and realistic in their depiction. They talked like men with their playful and ribald comments, but when it came to matters of the heart they showed surprising depth in their support of Dean. Cam and Lucas have their own issues when it comes to love too. I'm hopeful we'll get to see that play out as both men are immensely appealing and I'm intrigued by the groundwork laid here that hints at their own conflicted emotions. This is my first book by Ms. Jolie and won't be my last as what a delight it is! I can't wait to re-read it so I can be charmed all over again by the delicious Dean who makes other book boyfriends pale in comparison.
Dean's just your average guy who comes from a well-off family and understands the meaning of hard work. He's smart, sexy, a god in the bedroom and enjoys playing the field. He's not a jerk though when it comes to his encounters as he makes his rules clear from the start. He may not be ready to settle down but he admires his parent's close connection after years of being together and hopes to have that himself one day...far in the future. The longest relationship he's ever had with a woman is with his best friend of twenty years, Coriander. From the moment she hit him in the stomach as a little boy he knew she was someone special, a girl different from other girls. He cherishes their time together and the bond they have while singing songs from Grease on karaoke nights. He's occasionally had sexual images of them together but for the sake of their friendship he pushes them aside. He's happy with their kind of togetherness but all that changes when she starts thinking of starting a family. A light switch suddenly goes off of her starting a whole other life without him and it pushes him to finally address his long-simmering feelings for her. Working through his feelings brought out inner-dialogues that had me chuckling as well as seeing a softer side to him that was endearing. I love that it was HIM fighting for them to be something more. Once he realized his deeper commitment to her he was all-in and expressed his love in a Grand Gesture that had me swooning. Dean's ultimately the quintessential book boyfriend as he was strong but unafraid of admitting his feelings. He freely expressed his fears and heartbreak, along with owning up to his missteps. He's endearingly flawed but on a whole he's pure perfection!
With this book being told from Dean's perspective we don't really get a grasp on who Cori really is beyond how Dean sees her. Cori's the artsy type and quirky in her looks. She's not one that's obsessed with glamour and prefers a more natural look. She's got curves and enjoys her food, which are just a few of the attributes Dean loves about her. She's loyal to those in her circle and loves kids which becomes the impetus to her and Dean slowly becoming more. Her and Dean are like peas and carrots and their times together are carefree, fun, with an undertone of flirtiness that made them endearingly entertaining. Though I wish we could've gotten deeper insight into Cori's inner thoughts it didn't at all detract from my enjoyment of this book.
From start to finish I felt as though I was wrapped up in a warm blanket of love. Dean was everything you want in a boyfriend and he and Cori just crackled as friends...and ultimately lovers. Their sexual encounters were scorching yet playful as their friendship still shone through the erotically-charged haze. Dean embraced his flaws and worked hard to be the man worthy of being Cori's boyfriend in a heartwarming journey of introspection that made me smile. He could be snarky too but he was always full of heart when it came to Cori. His interactions with his buddies, Cam and Lucas, were also entertaining and realistic in their depiction. They talked like men with their playful and ribald comments, but when it came to matters of the heart they showed surprising depth in their support of Dean. Cam and Lucas have their own issues when it comes to love too. I'm hopeful we'll get to see that play out as both men are immensely appealing and I'm intrigued by the groundwork laid here that hints at their own conflicted emotions. This is my first book by Ms. Jolie and won't be my last as what a delight it is! I can't wait to re-read it so I can be charmed all over again by the delicious Dean who makes other book boyfriends pale in comparison.
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Mika Jolie lives in New Jersey with her Happy Chaos, her husband and their energizer bunnies. A sports fanatic and a wine aficionado, she's determined to balance it all and still write about life experiences and matters of the heart. Let's face it, people are complicated and love can be messy. When she's not weaving life and romance into evocative tales, you can find her on a hiking adventure, apple picking, or whatever her three men can conjure up. She loves to hear from readers.
I ❤️ this so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Boy Friend. Xo Mika
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