I’m writing a book that’s about friends so of course I had to talk about my fair share of friends-to-lovers books that I’ve read, loved, and want to read as soon as possible.

I usually prefer enemies-to-lovers, something to do with a guy seeing the worst parts of me and still staying, just because he doesn’t find it ugly will do it for me every time. But friends-to-lovers work their magic on me too, for obvious reasons [a] I never got my HEA with my friend and [b] the angst between two friends who don’t think of each other as just friends is another level of torture.

My book featuring first love and young best friends is coming soon [more updates about that on my ig] but in the meantime, please read these books if you haven’t already.

[note:- I love adding books to my TBR so if you have got any recommendations for me, don’t forget to comment it!]

Read and Liked:

People We Meet On Vacation – I think if I count all the times I reread certain annotated parts along with reading it from the beginning to end, the total count will be more than what’s normal. I have two copies which I read as soon as I got them at different points. I first this book on my phone during the rise of EmHen works, so including those three times, I’ve read this maybe five or seven times? I can’t be sure. This book used to be my top friends to lovers. I have cried with it. I felt seen in it. It’s just THE book you think of when you hear the phrase friends-to-lovers.

“Sometimes it feels like I didn’t even exist before that. Like you invented me.”

– People We Meet On Vacation, Emily Henry

PWMOV follows Poppy and Alex who have stopped talking because something happened between them. They used to go on vacations together until they stopped. Now, they are reconnecting on a vacation which is …well not going in a way either could’ve imagined. Things happen, they talk through it and at last of course they get to live their HEA.

A few things I like about this novel – the friendship, usually we believe to be considered best friends you must spend every minute of your life together, but that’s not the case with these two. They have mostly spent their vacations together and still consider each other their best friends. Next, I like the confession scene which for some reason always tears me up. And lastly, it’s second chance romance so they finally get over their misunderstandings leading up to their happy ending which is again something I really wanted in real life but never got.

“Why can’t everyone be like you?”

“I can be enough of your world that it feels like everyone is.”

– Love and Other Words, Christina Lauren

Love And Other Words – I reread this book a few months ago for research purposes and although I still remembered the “plot twist” or the revelation part, it still gutted me as hard as it had the first time. There’s nothing romantic or comedy or light hearted about two friends falling out of touch as it is, and add to that the reason these two characters haven’t talked in years? The authors were really coming for our hearts with this one. This novel follows Macy and Elliot’s journey of being friends as kids to more to nothing at all to reconnecting years later. It’s a really well written book that never fails to make you cry and think how life is unfair and uncertain. If you need some tear-jerker friendship story, pick this one.

Normal People – I think I could be remembering wrong but I’ve read this book thrice – once when it was getting popular [didn’t like it, or even enjoyed it for that matter], second time I had it on my phone but I don’t remember if I ever read it fully, and the third time was recently and I liked it a lot. Having lived a good part of my life being the “introvert” and not one of those “cool girls” to becoming a “fun” person, I related to both the characters so much. Their story feels like a comfort blanket, that’s the only way I can describe this. Connell and Marianne go to the same school and they become friends, despite coming from different backgrounds. I want to say more here about these characters but I feel like it’d be giving away too much of the story and I’m certain many people still haven’t read it so I’ll shut up.

Before We Were Strangers – a book that had me crying my eyes out at eleven p.m. and I couldn’t stop, especially during those last few chapters. This book follows two students who meet in NYU dorm and become friends until of course something happens and they grow apart. From the way their friendship blooms to the way they reconnect, it was so real because life isn’t like the fictional stories we read. We all make mistakes, we do things we wouldn’t have done otherwise, and most often than not, if we never get the second chance, they wouldn’t know our side of the story.

“I loved you so much it sometimes burned in my chest.”

– Maybe In Another Life, Taylor Jenkins Reid

Maybe In Another Life – Taylor Jenkins Reid isn’t just a normal, regular famous writer for me. She’s one of the best storytellers who aren’t a fantasy writer in this era. The way she can make me feel like I’m a part of her fictional world, and the way she writers stories that feel so real, it’s commendable. This particular book follows Hannah whose life changes when she moves back to her hometown. One night, one choice, one decision, and it could change the trajectory of her life as she knows. Although it’s a book that doesn’t give a clear ending [and I’m one of those few who hate cliffhangers and ambiguous endings] I do like the way it ends. It’s about choices and how our life is made up of small, little details that we ignore or don’t pay much attention to. I personally love multiverse, alternate universe stuff so this book was a perfect quick read.

“It was heaven. It was hell. It was wrong and right and I wished I’d never started yet I never wanted to stop.”

– A Love Letter To Whiskey, Kandi Steiner

A Love Letter To Whiskey – this one holds a special place in my heart because it’s way too personal. I read it months ago and I can still remember everything that happened in this book and in my heart. I cried so much during this book.

We follow a girl who collides with a guy and although she saw him first, it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t fall for her, or so it seems. Soon, they become best friends and yes, there’s a lingering tension in the air because of course they like each other but the timing is never right!

We see them meeting again and again as they grow up and I know fictional stories should be fictional but their struggle and reasoning is so real, I can’t help but wonder if this was ever a real story the author lived or someone she knew had go to through. Their hugs, their friendship, the angst, I think I might reread it soon. It does seem a bit toxic the way they feel for each other and show their love but to me, the little moments, the brief meetings that solidifies their friendship, the long distance, and breaks in between was everything.

Honorary Mention – Addicted To You which is part of a long series and I’d prefer if you read the whole series to actually get into their world. That’s the only reason I haven’t added it separately here.

Read and Didn’t Like:

One Day – ugh, I swear I’m being honest when I say this, if it weren’t for the show’s release, I would have never, ever picked up this book and if I had, I would have never put myself through the torture of finishing it because what the actual hell was this book. I feel like I am the only person who didn’t get the hype. Now, I hate it when I can’t join the club of loving a popular book but I’m glad I’m still outside.

The guy in this book was toxic, insufferable, and not at all a person I’d ever be interested in reading about. The girl put up with him for some reason. If I choose to overlook the characters, the story or the overall plot was kind of interesting. But that’s it. I don’t even have anything to say about it.

Read and Forgot About:

The Cheat Sheet – I honestly don’t remember a single thing about this book except that one scene where they are making a board about how to get the girl to fall in love with the main guy. I thought it was cute. I didn’t hate the book but it was just like a cute read. I’d love to reread it at some point.

The Problem With Forever – I don’t remember a thing about this book except there’s an abusive parent in it if I’m not wrong.

To Love Jason Thorn – a fake dating, old friends [he’s actually her brother’s childhood friend], he’s an actor and she’s the writer who wrote the book, a cute, fun read and I remember being obsessed with the characters and this story.

Other Books That I’ve Read About Friends:A Thousand Boy KissesThe Summer I Turned Pretty SeriesHook, Line, And SinkerThe American Roommate ExperimentFinal OfferBetter Than The MoviesA Thousand MilesFrom Lukov With LoveOn My TBR:

I still have a lot of books on my TBR that I need to read so I don’t know how I’ll like them. Maybe once I’ve read them, I’ll update this. But in the meantime, here’s my TBR [friends-to-lovers edition].

Second Chance SummerPoetry Of FlowersLovelight Farms

There’s this book called A Summer of Broken Rules and another called If He Had Been With Me. I don’t think they are friends-to-lovers centric book but they were in my TBR list for some reason. I will have to read it and then check why these two books were in this particular list.

Anyway, that’s all the book recs I have for today. I wish I could add more but these books were all I could think of. I know all of the above mentioned books are quite popular and you must have already read it. So…I can’t wait to read more and make another list featuring some of my underrated reads from all of my favorite tropes.

Happy Reading<3

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