The Best Book Boyfriend

Sunshine Book Club #1

by Holly June Smith

Who needs real-life love when you have a shelf of perfect Book Boyfriends?

Kara has sworn off men ever since The One dumped her without warning. Instead she spends her evenings reading books with guaranteed happy endings, crushing on fictional heroes who’ll never let her down.

Luke is piecing his life back together after the death of his wife. Opening Sunshine Coffee was the first step, but he has no idea where to go from here.

When Kara stops by her new local coffee shop, Luke's clueless comments about the romance novel she's reading are the opposite of a Meet Cute. Determined to make a better impression, he asks for a recommendation to change his mind.

Three books later, he can see the appeal. Who knew reading about fictional people getting laid could teach you so much?

As their friendship blossoms into something more, their painful pasts threaten to keep them apart. But if romance stories have taught them anything, it’s that there are many routes to love.

One road trip, a fake date, and a spicy readathon later, can Kara and Luke separate fact from fiction and find their very own Happy Ever After?

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Slow Burn, Fiction, Ebooks

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2023

About the author

Holly June Smith is a writer and romance addict who is constantly falling in love with fictional heroes and dreaming up new ones.

Originally from the North East of Scotland, she now lives in Hertfordshire, England.

You can also find her on Insta and TikTok @hollyjunesmith

Reviews

[Марина Качинська 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Десь до середини книги ця історія впевнено йшла на 5. Офігезний опис усіх звичок книголюбів, їх почуття, відношення до романів. Господи, у героїні, як і у мене, є свій книжковий гарем. Вона бере участь у «читаю до відключки» та веде читацький щоденник. Goodreads просто офігівав від кількості моїх цитат. Мені дуже подобалися думки Кари, коли вона поводилася дивно, через нерви або почуття. Люк, з його терплячістю, розумінням. Бляха, цей хлопець читав з нею книжки, він автоматом потрапляв до лав моїх улюбленців. Але чим далі в ліс - тим більше дров. Я досі не збагнула, як розрив 12-літніх відносин тут виявився трагічнішим за смерть дружини. Тому що всі носилися за Карою та її «трагедією», а Люк все тримав в собі. Конфлікт пари взагалі висмоктано з пальця. Він не сказав, вона сподівалася, він образився і понеслася. Таке. Обоє одразу закохалися, але не зійшлися не через трагедію минулого, а тому, що не можуть розмовляти. Тю. Хоча таке класне трагічне підґрунтя. Ну, а ближче до фіналу дуже багато скиглення, дуже багато сліз. І Люк виявився не моїм типажем. Занадто він милий, занадто він хороший та занадто не рішучий. Ну і солодкий фінал.
Загалом - дуже класні описи усіх почуттів повʼязаних з книгами, багато гарячих романів, класні сцени 18+, круті подружки героїні та дуже мила позитивна атмосфера.
Мені не вистачило глибини, персонажі трошки здавалися картонними та я б зробила акцент на особистих трагедіях, а не на нерішучості героїв.
Проте, рекомендую!💓

📊 Оцінка -3️⃣➕з 5️⃣

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

She says her ex boyfriend’s name 101 times in 334 pages!! Why would your ex (who left your for another women) text you on your birthday?! I mean how delusional can a person be. I swear if hear the name Adam one more time I might throw my kindle in to the ocean and never read a book again.

[Jill (readinginpjs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book so much!
You can definitely tell it’s written by a true lover of romance books 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Kara and Luke aahhhh I just want to give them both a hug!! They were both just so adorable and shy, and unsure of how to move on from their pasts. They are both grieving the life they thought they were headed towards, and I loved how they helped each other, in more ways than one 😉

The tension in this book 🥵 and I enjoyed the steam - the questions game? The “fake” date? OMG.
I loved how Luke was really trying to learn how to be a perfect Book Boyfriend, even though he already was 🥰 isn’t that what we all want?

Read if you enjoy:
⭐️ Love after loss (in more ways than one)
⭐️ insta- attraction
⭐️ Miscommunication (or lack of it rather)
⭐️ Fun best friends (who will have their own books!)
⭐️ Dual POV/first person

*tw: death of a spouse (cancer), cheating (of an ex), depression/grief

[ThatNerdViolet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible & emotional read that honestly took me by surprise. Kara and Luke are trying to heal from two different types of losses in their lives. They bond over romance books as they try to navigate their grief together. The tension, the romance, the spice--it was everything. There are also some meta moments in the novel where romance books are discussed and it truly felt like a love letter to book babes. The depiction of grief was incredibly beautiful and the amount of tissues I went through during this read should be studied by scientists. I loved the characters so deeply, flaws and all, and even the third act "miscommunication trope" seemed plausible because of the trauma of their pasts. I'm so excited to read the rest of this series.

[Millie Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kind men who turn feral are my weakness.”

Girl same.

“I wrap my arms around his shoulders, stroke his hair, kiss his temple. And there we stay; breathless, satiated, held, loved. I see it in his eyes, emotion flushing his face, telling me wordlessly what I already know. He loves me. He'll never leave me. He'll do anything for me. And I don't doubt any of it.”

Gosh Luke and Kara were just so so special. I have all the feels. The healing they helped each other through😭😭

Anyways, just another book that lifts my expectations for a romantic relationship to new, insurmountable heights lol. Get me Hattie and Robs book immediately.

[jada]

dnf - spoilers
i wanted this to be cute but i was just annoyed the whole time

luke has a dead wife (2.5 years ago). kara’s long term (12 years) bf up and left her a year ago.

i was just irritated the whole time bc it was like neither of them were ready to date but all of a sudden they were? if they would have just communicated things would have been so much better.

neither of them were over their significant others. luke had no desire to move on until he set eyes on kara (okay i liked that). kara’s ex did her so dirty and she was still obsessed with him a year later 😵‍💫 the first time they did anything together (they didn’t even touch!!!) luke felt guilty and kara said it felt like she was cheating on adam (her ex)

i skimmed after that until they had sex for the first time (i wanted to see if there was still guilt etc) well it was WEIRD. for her 30th birthday they role played her favorite book and so when they had sex it was “fake” no that didn’t sit right with me at all. then the next morning she goes on a date with another man??? PLS TALK TO EACH OTHER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. this was 60% in and i just had to stop there

[Anne-Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

really hot but also cute

[lacyreadsromance · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Kara and Luke. Both experiencing heartbreak in different ways. Both hesitant to move on to another relationship.

The first half of the book was fun, with some open door steam I didn’t see coming. I love Kara’s friend group with Hattie and Megan. Their Friday night tradition was supportive and sweet. Luke’s friend Rob seems a bit questionable but Granny Annie is a straight shooting sidekick to love.

Then comes the second half of the book. The miscommunication got to me a little bit, but only a little bit. During all this does he/she want me or not, both the MC’s get that closure they so desperately needed from their previous relationships, each dose of closure served up appropriately to their former loves. And then it wrapped on up in book boyfriend bliss. 💙

[Alina Kravets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Було цікаво, але бісило, що герої не можуть просто поговорити.😂

Кара, дівчина, яка обожнює читати романтичні книги та мріє про ідеального "книжкового хлопця". Після того як вона передиває розрив з своїм хлопцем, з яким вона була 12 років разом. Її ідеали побудовані на образах сильних, романтичних героїв із її улюблених романів.
Однак, реальність підкидає їй Люка — привабливого, але не зовсім ідеального хлопця, який далекий від стереотипних образів із її книг. Люк — справжній, з природною харизмою та почуттям гумору, і хоча він не відповідає ідеальним характеристикам, він має щось особливе, що поступово підкорює серце Кари.
Та в Люка є своя драма, він переживає смерть своєї дружини, і в нього двоякі відчуття що до Кари. Вони обоє погоджуються бути друзями, хоча обоє хочуть іншого.

Кара і Люк проходять шлях із гумором і романтичними моментами, показуючи, що справжнє кохання часто несподіване й далеке від уявних ідеалів.
Їхня історія змушує переосмислити свої очікування і прийняти реальність такою, яка вона є — недосконалою, але щирою.

[Kacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was lovely. All kinds of grief and feelings. The missing half star is only because *I* hate miscommunication and wanted more of them actually together.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Luke was so mature and he was so in touch with his emotions. His grief killed me and his depression was so real.

I loved Kara too. She was so relatable to me.

Luke and Kara. Kara and Luke. He is everything. My friend, my champion, my love. My nice man who turns feral. The one Book Boyfriend I’ll never want to replace.

Swoon 😍

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I snagged this story with the plan of reading 'something light' to hold me off until a recently released high-fantasy story was available for reading.. I was not expecting to be swept off my feet by the heartachingly raw story of two characters navigating life after devastating losses. I will say, this book lovingly and compassionately discusses loss, grief, depression, and loneliness but they are major plot points and you'll want to proceed with respect to your mental peace if any of these are triggering for you.

Kara is reeling almost exactly one year after the man she thought was the love of her life, the man she dedicated 12 years of adulthood to, the man who embedded himself into the very fabric of her existence completely blindsided her with "I'm moving out, I've met someone else." What better way to recover (read: disassociate) from the pain than throw herself headfirst into the world of smutty romance novels. Her 2 best friends have been her lifeline and everyone deserves to have a support group like the three of these women give to each other.

Luke is still wading through the grief of having lost his childhood sweetheart to a drawn-out battle with cancer. His way to cope is to gradually establish a coffee shop in a space previously known as a haberdashery. While his wife has been gone for a couple of years, he has found that he's not sure how to re-enter the social scene - or even if he wants to. With the unending support of his grandmother and playboy best friend, he's got folks in his corner that he counts on to take each day as they come.

As fate would have it, they meet in Luke's coffee shop as Kara engrosses herself into her latest spicy book when Luke teases her about the genre. Where Kara is passionate and lively and filled with energy when she's talking about her books or her business, Luke is introspective and deeply feeling, preferring to enjoy the world from a seat removed from the action. The way they each shyly and tentatively find themselves more at ease, more honest, and willing to be vulnerable with the greatest arc of this story.

If you like:
- spicy book clubs at quaint coffee shops where the MMC is more than willing to act out the Best Book Boyfriend's hottest scene to show the FMC how much she deserves happiness
- stories that don't sugarcoat or standardize and judge the way people navigate loss, nor compare one person's loss to someone else's
- breaking through The Book Wall when the author starts shouting out fictional spicy romance books and their characters, which will in turn make you wish someone would write the stories and let us read them, too..
.. please read this beautiful story. Your chest will squeeze and you may get emotional but it is worth every single second to see Kara and Luke have a shot at a second chance.

[Kristin Shorb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly emotional read as both MC’s are dealing with the grief of loss/ failed relationship. My heart ached for Luke in the grief he felt over his late wife. But what a perfect match Luke and Kara were from the very beginning!

[Nana in books · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did try to enjoy the story. But I felt really bored e pussed at the FMC talking about her ex every page and sobbing and wining about everything. It didn’t feel real to me her feelings towards Luke, who I was ok with and found him really sweet. But lots and lots of scene were cringing, specially the smut on her birthday.
I always look for Goodreads rec’s with my reading, but when I seen 98% are 5 stars I’m wondering if they’re real thoughts.
I did really other book of the author, where I enjoyed a lot. But this is a no for me.

[Robin (DocRobReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read everything Holly June Smith writes and thank me later. 🥰
Honestly though, the study of grief in its various forms, along with the super well-done tension, kept me rapt throughout. For the first time, I actually saw myself in the character of Luke (which does not happen very often). It is rare for an author to "take" something out of my brain and plop it on the page. I laughed and cried as I read this story, and I just truly, truly loved it.

[Becki S · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it

Coffee shop romance. . . Yess please. Loved it. Slow burn. I thought the grieving experience the MMC went through was well done, respectful and moving at times. Lots of romance books skim over grief and makes me wonder what level of respect we are giving those who have actually lost someone. This was a light hearted but respectful experience for me as a reader.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This book was good, but I really felt like throwing other books and their plot lines in there read as a filler and I started skimming those parts because I didn’t want to lose the main story. There were things that fit but I felt Kara was constantly talking about a plot of a book (especially in the beginning) and though I love a good recommendation, this just didn’t feel important to her moving through her life. The books themselves maybe helped her cope but I didn’t need to know what happened in every book she mentioned. It just confused me.
The moments that she had with Luke though? Those were so important and captivated me. I was able to watch her character grow in those moments as well as Luke.
There was a lot of push and pull with feelings that made me want to shake the characters but they also made sense with what the person is going through and regaining that confidence back to take a leap is challenging.
If you aren’t familiar with some of the lingo being used it can also get confusing on what’s being said. I didn’t realize when I picked up this book that it was set in Europe.
Overall I enjoyed the majority of the book, but I’m not sure if I would recommend it unless someone was looking for this specific trope.

Books, coffee shop, across the pond, England, Interior Designer, love after loss, friends to lovers, HEA, ARC for Honest Review, BookSirens

[priiiii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well well, if anyone ever needs a book that pays homage completely to the 'book boyfriend' idea, it's this one! While friends to lovers romances are often slow burn, this one felt a tad too slow in my opinion, even though the main leads were very much into each other. I will say though, that the sensitivity with which the grief and emotions around the loss of Luke's wife was handled was really beautiful. In fact, I think I was more in love with seeing that evolve than the actual romance if I'm being completely honest. It was cute still, with moments of lighthearted banter and a couple of steamy scenes sprinkled in and around. So if that's your cup of tea, then this might be for you.

[Chelsey Readsbooks_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d been in a reading slump and this book pulled me right out of it.

I went to bed and woke up, immediately reaching for e-reader to finish this. Any time I couldn’t be reading, I was thinking about it.

Luke is SUCH a great book boyfriend. The best (clearly). I tend to steer away from books that will make me too emotional, but this book had me in tears three times and it was BEAUTIFUL (NO REGRETS!!!). Such a beautiful love story.. I think I’ll be thinking about this story for a LONG TIME.

[Charlotte Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great!
Very funny, very relatable and very hot! I love HJS's work on Quinn and her other short story but this was a great introduction to longer works from her. The fact she chose to delve into the world of book boyfriends, was hilarious and made for a really fun read and some spicy scenes. The way the writer encorporated how the real world feels about romance and turned that on its head, made it even better. Luke, while a bit too cookie cutter for me was a solid book boyfriend and was just giving all the feels with the sweetness and emotions. I liked the widower aspect which was handled really well and loved the friendship dynamic with megan and hattie. they were so supportive of Kara after her horrific breakup and it was great that it showed positive female friendships and support.

[Marissa Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute. Kara and Luke were meant for each other. I love that she got him into romance novels…and what that leads to 🤪. This book was just so sweet. I wish Kara would’ve opened herself up to the possibility of love a little sooner but I think the way it all happened was just perfect.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was heartache and remedy at the same time. Luke and Karas story is heartfelt and might hit a little too close for some. I loved the slow burn and the spicy scenes. Luke is everyone's book boyfriend ❤️

[alex :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

this book left me with VERY conflicting thoughts overall. i really did not like the first half of the book, i wanted to dnf it SO many times. the fmc isn’t my favorite character, so it made it hard to enjoy the chapters from her pov. once i got to the last 25% though, i was SAT!! i binge read it so quickly because i was super invested. if the whole book would have been like that, it would have gotten a much higher rating. i’m gonna continue the series though because i loved kara’s group of friends! hopefully i’ll like the next book more 🤞🏻

tropes 💌
📚 bookish characters
💜 friends to lovers
🍃 swoon worthy mmc
☕️ they take care of each other

[Nicola Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well she's done it again! Fantastic book from Holly June Smith. Great characters, story and steamy sex scenes! What more could a girl want in a book boyfriend?!

[Marguerite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet.

[Marisa Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 !!!!!

[Jewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh - this was so cute.
Luke is the ultimate book boyfriend.

[Micca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t bring this book on the plane because you’ll be paying A LOT of baggage fees.

But in all seriousness, this was such a sweet book that shows us the power of romance novels, and that there are different pathways to love.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book

[Victoria Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

*adds Luke to personal list of best book boyfriends*

This would have been an easy 5 stars if it weren’t for a bit of annoyance I had for Kara during some parts of the book.