My reviews always contain spoilers, I write them so I can remember the story.
So I really struggled to finish this one, not because it wasn’t good but because friends to lovers isn’t my favorite trope.
What I liked was the two main characters and I really enjoyed the interaction between the brothers and the sister-in-law‘s. Sterling and Alyssa have been friends since elementary school. Everyone in both families can see how they feel about each other. But both are afraid that if they say anything they could lose each other as friends. The brothers and sister-in-law‘s start planting the seeds in to their minds that they are more than just best friends, but the two fight it a lot, especially Alyssa. That’s the part that was hardest for me. They were each always doing sweet and special things for one another, dinners together every night, movies, family dinners, family trips, and special outings with just the two of them. It’s like come on guys you already act like a couple, just figure it out and move forward. I didn’t get how Alyssa couldn’t figure out how Sterling felt, he really ramped up the heat, ramped up the touching, the kisses, and the slightly suggestive banter, yet this girl constantly either didn’t accept it or fought it. It finally takes a mean girl who has been trying to get her claws into Sterling for Alyssa to really lose it. She thinks she’s lost him, but thankfully Sterling’s sister-in-law Kennedy is there to tell him what the mean girl did to Alyssa to make it seem like they were going to be dating. He rushes to her house and at about 85% into the book they finally confessed their feelings to one another and have their first time together. He’s been celibate for two years she just says she’s clean but I assumed roughly same time frame since previous books don’t have them being with anyone else. Bedroom banter was ok, they allude to their past lovers. After that, it’s more feel good times with the family, telling her parents who knew this was inevitable one day, telling his family, they also all knew it was inevitable. They move in together and Sterling proposes in a cute way with pics of all their milestone moments, and of course, she says yes.
I understand the whole doubting and being scared is supposed to build sexual tension in the story but it just felt like it wasn’t necessary. Especially since Alyssa ignores the building tension. I would’ve liked to have seen them confess their feelings at the 50% mark and then them building on that relationship as a romantically together couple. I loved seeing all the other family members and look forward to the other single brother’s books.