Flirting with My Best Friend

Harbor Highlands #1

by Gia Stevens

One night.
One kiss.
A whole lot of messy feelings.

Liana Pierce has been my best friend since freshman orientation at Harbor Highlands College. I knew all her secrets, and she knew all mine, but apparently there was one secret we were hiding from each other.

Sure, I may have flirted with my best friend, but there’s nothing that ruins a friendship faster than feelings. And I’m not in the market to find a new best friend so I’ll keep my hands and lips to myself.

Until Liana took a bet.

I bet you won’t kiss the next guy who buys you a drink.

As I pulled out my wallet, I unknowingly became the next guy.

Kissing my best friend changed everything, and all it took were three little words to spark this new desire ….

I bet you.

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, Ebooks, Novella, Rom Com, College

68 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2022

About the author

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Gia Stevens is a romantic comedy author who believes love should come with plenty of laughs—and maybe a little heat. Known for her fun, lighthearted, and spicy stories, Gia writes the kind of books that let readers escape into swoony romances filled with witty banter, quirky characters, and happily ever afters that feel both cozy and exciting.

She lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and their cat, forever counting down the days until summer and surviving long winters with tea, blankets, and a stack of romcoms. When she’s not busy writing your next book boyfriend, you can usually find her binge-watching shows everyone else finished years ago or curled up with a romance novel.

If you’re looking for stories that guarantee laughs, swoons, and plenty of LOLs, you’ve come to the right place.

Reviews

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wanted to read before bed… But I am not a read to fall asleep girl, I am a read until 3 in the morning and then be really grumpy the next day girl- so I was on the hunt for a quick novella. Flirting With My Best Friend popped up on Facebook so I took a chance on a new author and I am so glad I did!

Liana and Mark have been best friends since their freshman orientation at Harbor Highlands College bonding over their mutual love of baseball and making fun bets on the things in their lives. Will one bet change their friendship forever?

Flirting With My Best friend is the prequel to Gia Steven’s Harbor Highlands Series and I am super excited to read the whole series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

[Mel (whilemelwasreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ "His green eyes search mine before asking, "Are you sure? Because if this happens, you're mine. I'm never letting you go."

What You'll Find:
✔️College Romance Novella
✔️Friends to Lovers
✔️Secret Feelings
✔️Feel Good Feels
✔️Dual POV

MINI REVIEW
This was such a sweet friends to lovers romance novella. It starts with a bet that leads to a kiss and suddenly things are forever changed. It has all the good feels including some lovely open door steam. It young, fresh, well written, and quick to read. I could picture everything perfectly, which I love in a read, and thought was so well done for a debut. I look forward to seeing what's next to come from this author!

[My_every_day_chilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick, sweet romance (took me two hours to read, so this is a great one for a train, bus or short plane ride). Collage best friends, that love to make bets and watch sports. At first both didn't want to spoil their great friendship by showing their feelings for one another, but it took a kissing bet to change it all.

(I got this book for free after signing up to the authors newsletter)

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such fun, sweet, friends-to-lovers novella. I swooned so hard for these two!

If you need a feel-good romance--with the naughty bits left in--Flirting with My Best Friend is for you.

[MissPetiteBrunetteBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, short novella about friendships and taking the plunge into wanting more. I enjoyed this debut novella for this author and look forward to seeing what’s next. If you enjoy a friends to lovers romance check this one out. I’m so proud of Gia for taking the chance and becoming an author. Told in dual POV

[Cindy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute prequel to what’s bound to be a great first book by Gia! It has a little bit of everything that comes with two best friends that are destined for each other! I loved that Mark stepped up to be the hero. I wasn’t sure he’d have it in him but he proved me wrong! All the characters have great personalities that shine and I can’t wait to get to know Bennett better! I wanna be in their circle!

[lexi ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5

if you like the book/movie love rosie, then you’ll love this one. i really do love mark & liana’s friendship. i love all their bets & mark is right liana is someone who is super confident & even if she’s wrong she keeps moving forward. one of the best parts is that liana’s brother’s friend trey set up a bet where liana had to kiss the next guy to buy her a drink & that person ended up being mark. seeing their true feelings for each other come out was amazing. . i love how they didn’t know how to express their feelings after. seeing them navigate through those feelings was great.

i honestly really wish this was longer i think i would’ve liked it even more. it was still so good, but i think adding more detail to this one would’ve made this a 10/10 for me

i can’t wait to read the next one though!!

[LAJordan Leigh Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romcom novella perfection! I believed it, I felt it, and want more.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨ (I kinda want to give it five but it’s a novella 🤷🏼‍♀️)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
I’m totally recommending this for people who want to quickly try a new romcom author!

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was short, cute and fun.
A great novella, interesting concept and unique execution of the romance.
It was clearly present, with tension right from the get go.
This was better written than the first few books in the series, the writing was mature, and with no errors.
Enjoyable overall.

[Madzieł · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nowelka nowelką. 8 rozdziałów w skrócie, więc krótka piłka. Rzeczywiście ten zakład jest i szczerze świetny plan jednego pobocznego bohatera, aby głównych ze sobą zbliżyć.

Plus praktycznie razem z nią mamy dodatkowo 5 rozdziałów kolejnej części, tym razem o innych bohaterach.

[bailey (taylor’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a very short and very cute prequel to the series. I can tell I’m going to like the characters a lot

[Pauline (booksofviolette) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuties 🥰

[Dawn Schock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good best friends to lovers trope. Probably because my husband is my best friend, so I see a little bit of us in each of these stories. So, the title alone drew me to this book. Anything that hints at this trope gets my attention.

First off, this is a super short read (only 54 pages), so I finished it in one sitting. The characters are likeable and relatable, and aside from some mild jealousy that develops, this Novella avoids my least favorite trope - the miscommunication trope (HATE IT!).

It's an easy lighthearted read with one 🌶️ scene near the end of the story. It wasn't the best 🌶️ scene I've ever read, but it was decent. I think some of the word choices and phrasing are what threw me.

Now, for the nit-picky side of me to emerge. There were several typos or grammatical errors in the text. Some of which could have been avoided with better editing. They weren't aggregious but, for this English degree holding mama, they were a bit annoying.

Aside from that, the story was enjoyable, lighthearted, and fun.

[Amy.Reads.Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re wanting to read a cute short novella love story, but let’s *add a little spice to it* then stop here! You have found your next read!

Best friends Liana and Mark are a match made in heaven and anyone within their orbit can see it, except them! When Liana starts looking at another guy, Mark gets a bit jealous but of course he doesn’t realize it. Then Liana does the same thing when Mark has a girl interested in him. But Mark only has eyes for Liana and he becomes her knight in shining armor and in a moment of vulnerability the walls come crumbling down!

This book I read in one sitting and I couldn’t put it down! Even though it was a short read it didn’t leave me feeling like it was rushed or unfinished! I HIGHLY recommend this read!

[Jami Birnbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Friends to Lovers genre have always been one of my favorites and Flirting with my Best Friend sure didn’t disappoint. Liana and Mark met at Harbor Highlands College’s freshman orientation and have been best friends ever since. They knew everything about one another… except for keeping the one thing quiet that could ruin their friendship… their real feelings for one another. Then a bet made by Trey, Liana’s brother’s best friend, changed everything.

This novella makes a great prequel to Flirting with the Playboy (Book #1 in the Harbor Highlands series). Since Liana and Mark make multiple appearances in the first book, it was great to read their backstory.

[Rachel (storybookcorner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flirting with My Best Friend is a short and sweet novella that gives us Liana (Bennett's sister) and Mark's love story. I'm not going to lie... I loved it! It was just the perfect best friends to lovers story that I didn't know I needed. It was a beautiful story of best friends finally realizing they love each other. While the road to get there might have been tricky with a horrible experience in the mix, it just goes to show sometimes you have to go through the muck to see what's been right in front of you all along!!

[Jamie Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flirting with my Best Friend is the novella that begins the Harbor Highland series. We are introduced to Liana and Mark, who are college best friends. They love baseball and making bets. One bet leads to a first kiss, and that may lead to a HEA, neither ever imagined.

This is a cute friends to lovers story. I struggle with it being too short, like most Novellas. I can't wait to meet the other characters in this series

[book_nerd13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends to lovers
Meant to be
He falls first

This is such a quick adorable friends to lovers read. It’s clear from the start Mark is head over heels in love with Liana. He’s so protective of her and their friendship but unsure how to admit feels without messing up what they already have.

Liana gets one kiss from Mark and she’s immediately hooked, and wanting more.
Their friendship, the banter, and jokes are absolutely goals. Overall an enjoyable read, definitely has me wanting more.

[MissMaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Super short. You can literally finish it in less than a day, or in my case, three work break times combined.

Cute. Funny. Likeable characters.

I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a super quick read, and almost drama-free storyline.

I do find that “that scene” was not needed and ending felt rushed, though.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short novella, with the friends to lovers trope. It gives the backstory of a side couple in book 1. Liana and Mark end up kissing as part of a bet and then realize they have feelings for each other. There’s one scene you should check the trigger warnings for, but this is a really cute short story!

[Tiffany W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a was cute and quick novella, I do plan on reading this entire series so it was nice to see how it start. Lana and Mark were best friends since their freshman year, they both had feeling they were scared to act on, until an incident at a party they were invited to.

** trigger warning**
Sexual assault

[greenapplemojito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read - a novella, which is both good and bad because one, I wanted more story and more connection with the characters, and two, it was quick to complete. Overall, it was a decent read but I would have loved more than a silly pact made by them to have been the reason he has kept her at arm's length.

[Bookishbish84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story and a quick read.
I read it in one sitting and I really enjoyed it!
Loved Mark and Liana's relationship and how it morphed into more than friendship.
I am going to totally check out the authors other books!!!

[Melanie Hoffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting! Absolutely loved it! The chemistry between Liana and Mark was super sweet and the slow burn was worth the hawt wait! ;) This story totally made me miss the college days of bee pong and the dining hall! Can't wait to check out Bennet's story and Trey!

[Ebony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet story from Gia Stevens! I felt as if I was falling in love along side Liana and Mark ❤️❤️
I could not put this story down once I started reading it and look forward to reading more from this author in the very near future!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

MF - CR - Best Friends to Lovers - 4 stars. Fun short read available for free on the author's website. I liked the friendship between the two. I wish their first hook up had been from the heroine's POV.

[Ashley Jeffers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first novella and it did not disappoint! It was cute, sweet, and very relatable when it comes to relationships with friends. I love the chemistry between Liana and Mark, and how they are always making bets with one another. Because one bet is what starts it all!

[Jenny Supporting Authors Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the energy and humor this book brought. The characters a real, raw, emotional and show alot of growth. This book holds your interest all the way through. With real like struggles and imperfections! I've come to look forward to each new release by this author. Great read highly recommend.

[PollyAnna Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark and Liana slide into my heart just as easily as the rest of their friend group. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series!

1. Bennett and Charlie
2. Seth and Parisa
3. Van and Hollyn
4. Olivia and Ledger
5. Tatum and Connor
6. Mark and Liana
*Trey and ?

[Breanna Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75