What do you think?
Best Friends Book Club #4
Gracefully Yours
Six years ago, I agreed to a marriage pact with my best friend, not thinking we’d ever actually use it. Until the day comes when he asks me, and I say… yes.
Charlotte Renyolds
Over the last two years, I watched all of my best friends fall in love. Something I wanted more than anything—a partner, a family, a baby. My heart ached for my own fairytale ending, like in all of the romance novels I read. But despite all of my attempts at a happily-ever-after, I was still the one who was alone. So I agreed to my best friend’s proposal, which lead me to wonder…
Had the perfect man I had been looking for been right by my side all along?
Daniel Bradford
The day she’d first walked into my life, I knew I never wanted her to leave it. I lived for her smiles, her laugh, and being her best friend, well—that was enough. It had to be, because there was no way I was going to risk losing her. At twenty-two, I had stupidly proposed a marriage pact. If neither one of us had met anyone by the time we were thirty, we’d get married. Except, the older we both got, the more I knew I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to risk her meeting someone else. Falling in love with someone else. Because Charlotte—she was mine. She always had been.
And our love was worth fighting for.
Gracefully Yours is a best friends to lovers, marriage pact, fake relationship romance. It is an interconnected standalone, the final book in the Best Friends Book Club Series. Contains steamy sex scenes, adult language, and intentional pregnancy.
Charlotte Renyolds
Over the last two years, I watched all of my best friends fall in love. Something I wanted more than anything—a partner, a family, a baby. My heart ached for my own fairytale ending, like in all of the romance novels I read. But despite all of my attempts at a happily-ever-after, I was still the one who was alone. So I agreed to my best friend’s proposal, which lead me to wonder…
Had the perfect man I had been looking for been right by my side all along?
Daniel Bradford
The day she’d first walked into my life, I knew I never wanted her to leave it. I lived for her smiles, her laugh, and being her best friend, well—that was enough. It had to be, because there was no way I was going to risk losing her. At twenty-two, I had stupidly proposed a marriage pact. If neither one of us had met anyone by the time we were thirty, we’d get married. Except, the older we both got, the more I knew I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to risk her meeting someone else. Falling in love with someone else. Because Charlotte—she was mine. She always had been.
And our love was worth fighting for.
Gracefully Yours is a best friends to lovers, marriage pact, fake relationship romance. It is an interconnected standalone, the final book in the Best Friends Book Club Series. Contains steamy sex scenes, adult language, and intentional pregnancy.
390 pages, Paperback
Published June 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
July 21, 2023
“dress” + “paper rings” + “you are in love” (all by taylor swift) = this book.
the synopsis made the book sound so sweet and interesting that i couldn’t help but pick it up! seriously, a marriage pact between two best friends? an immediate purchase.
daniel loved charlotte so purely, but never treated her as if she would imminently shatter at any given point of time. if she did, he was there to assist her in recollecting herself. there was a sweet delicacy between them that i can’t even put into words. charlotte’s independence was important to her and daniel never diminished its significance or value to make her depend on him.
just… friends-to-lovers perfection!
the synopsis made the book sound so sweet and interesting that i couldn’t help but pick it up! seriously, a marriage pact between two best friends? an immediate purchase.
daniel loved charlotte so purely, but never treated her as if she would imminently shatter at any given point of time. if she did, he was there to assist her in recollecting herself. there was a sweet delicacy between them that i can’t even put into words. charlotte’s independence was important to her and daniel never diminished its significance or value to make her depend on him.
just… friends-to-lovers perfection!
Want to Read
July 11, 2023i see best-friends-to-lovers, i say "hell yeah!!"
July 4, 2024
Така мила книга🥰
Дуже сподобалась ♥️
Не дуже люблю троп «найкращі друзі» адже переважно вони люблять один одного але про це мовчать, а таке мені не дуже подобається
Ще тут троп «вагітність» теж його не люблю
Але скажу чесно тут ще було терпимо, вони обоє хотіли дитину, і були дуже щасливі коли вона завагітніла а за цим так класно було спостерігати 😻
Даніель взагалі така бусинка, однозначно найкращий книжковий чоловік 😍
Моментами було дуже солодко
Мене дуже тішило те що з них не було отих вияснювань, якихось тупих сварок
Через те що вони дружили 10 років вони дуже добре знали один одного і це великий плюс
Я ще хочу познайомитись з іншими парами, дуже зацікавила Анжеліна з Беном тому ще про них прочитаю🥰
Дуже сподобалась ♥️
Не дуже люблю троп «найкращі друзі» адже переважно вони люблять один одного але про це мовчать, а таке мені не дуже подобається
Ще тут троп «вагітність» теж його не люблю
Але скажу чесно тут ще було терпимо, вони обоє хотіли дитину, і були дуже щасливі коли вона завагітніла а за цим так класно було спостерігати 😻
Даніель взагалі така бусинка, однозначно найкращий книжковий чоловік 😍
Моментами було дуже солодко
Мене дуже тішило те що з них не було отих вияснювань, якихось тупих сварок
Через те що вони дружили 10 років вони дуже добре знали один одного і це великий плюс
Я ще хочу познайомитись з іншими парами, дуже зацікавила Анжеліна з Беном тому ще про них прочитаю🥰
July 11, 2023
No because this was so childish the fmc is naive and an idiot and keeps saying fake marriage like what exactly is fake about it … there’s no expiry date, no deadline no nothing it’s a real marriage with kids and omg she’s broke af and thinking of having kids on her own ?? A child shouldn’t be having children. Like if she’s only thought about how this « marriage of concinience » is only convenient for her and how the mmc isn’t getting anything out of it.. ugh this book had so much potential if it wasn’t for such an unlikable fmc
June 30, 2024
Я очікувала чогось більшого від цієї книжки, але в загальному мені сподобалось.
Даніель — ідеальний чоловік. Нагодує, купить книжки і подарує найкращий оргазм в житті🤫
Але історія Бенджаміна та Анджеліни назавжди в серденьку🥹🫠
4⭐️
Даніель — ідеальний чоловік. Нагодує, купить книжки і подарує найкращий оргазм в житті🤫
Але історія Бенджаміна та Анджеліни назавжди в серденьку🥹🫠
4⭐️
March 5, 2024
I wanted this book to be the best out of the series and I was just bored. I skimmed the last 50% because nothing happened.
Did Not Finish
August 11, 2024dnf'd @ 60%
~
read from september 1st to the 8th, 2023
~
read from september 1st to the 8th, 2023
September 11, 2024
DNF @ 61%
i gave it 3 stars, bc i think other people might like this…
butttttt, it was not it for me. too much miscommunication and smut. and i’m not judging people who like smut, but i want an actual good book please that isn’t completely focused on that! thank you ☺️
i gave it 3 stars, bc i think other people might like this…
butttttt, it was not it for me. too much miscommunication and smut. and i’m not judging people who like smut, but i want an actual good book please that isn’t completely focused on that! thank you ☺️
June 3, 2024
2.5
Дуже крінжова зав'язка історії, а особливо враховуючи вік і роки дружби головних персонажів
Але, крім того, все доволі мило
Дуже крінжова зав'язка історії, а особливо враховуючи вік і роки дружби головних персонажів
Але, крім того, все доволі мило
October 9, 2023
Just realized I forgot to review this one, perfect book to end a perfect series. Cried and laughed and giggled and OHHHHH THIS COUPLE!!! they were so adorable together
July 7, 2023
RATING: 3/5 (kinda confused ngl)
Ok, so I HAD HUGE EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS because of the way they were hyped in fearlessly yours and tbh, I feel disappointed 😭 It was not bad but it felt too messy. Also, it's not the book's problem. The problem is me. I just cannot stand this whole "denial" trope when it stretches for like 60% of the book. And all while being literally married? Also, I'm Indian so I simply don't understand the whole concept of acting like a marriage is fake, if not done for love. Because explain to me why they were acting like they're lying about being married 😭 They were actually married so the whole "fake" marriage irritated me TOO MUCH. Like Oh My God shut the fuck up??? 😭😭 They were literally married and Dan accepted he loves her within 30% of the book, and the next 70% was just watching them try for kids?? The last 20% was literally just the author telling who had what kid, with what hair colour and all 😭
Daniel really carried because oh god he was insane and absolutely perfect. And I think the 3/5 is because I'm attached to Benjamin/Angelina and Gabbi/Hunter and love their friendship, and of course Daniel. It felt too messy and dramatic for me to think of it as anything else 😭
Ok, so I HAD HUGE EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS because of the way they were hyped in fearlessly yours and tbh, I feel disappointed 😭 It was not bad but it felt too messy. Also, it's not the book's problem. The problem is me. I just cannot stand this whole "denial" trope when it stretches for like 60% of the book. And all while being literally married? Also, I'm Indian so I simply don't understand the whole concept of acting like a marriage is fake, if not done for love. Because explain to me why they were acting like they're lying about being married 😭 They were actually married so the whole "fake" marriage irritated me TOO MUCH. Like Oh My God shut the fuck up??? 😭😭 They were literally married and Dan accepted he loves her within 30% of the book, and the next 70% was just watching them try for kids?? The last 20% was literally just the author telling who had what kid, with what hair colour and all 😭
Daniel really carried because oh god he was insane and absolutely perfect. And I think the 3/5 is because I'm attached to Benjamin/Angelina and Gabbi/Hunter and love their friendship, and of course Daniel. It felt too messy and dramatic for me to think of it as anything else 😭
July 10, 2023
can’t believe i am giving a book from this series 2 stars. i LOVED best friends book club series so much so far (especially disrespectfully yours, one of my favorite romance books of all time) and i was super excited for this one but.. it was nothing like i expected. i am sorry but i hated charlotte. she annoyed me so freaking much. daniel was much better than her. i also felt like the whole “fake” marriage thrope was forced in the book cuz it was nothing like it. i was also kinda confused while reading the epilogues with all those kids and their names etc. and ik this is on me but i realized i hate 2nd gen thing cuz while reading the epilogues i couldn’t imagine them as 50 or 60 years olds😭😭😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2023
This is the book in the series I've been waiting for the most.
Friends to lovers;
Marriage pact.
"I saw her. Everything was hazy, and then she whirled around, retreating into a room in a blur of blonde and pink."
"Whatever you want, Charlotte. - I always meant it when it came to her."
"Daniel was just my person"
Daniel is a top book boyfriend. I was happy to see they finally overcome the fear to lose each other and be together.
Friends to lovers;
Marriage pact.
"I saw her. Everything was hazy, and then she whirled around, retreating into a room in a blur of blonde and pink."
"Whatever you want, Charlotte. - I always meant it when it came to her."
"Daniel was just my person"
Daniel is a top book boyfriend. I was happy to see they finally overcome the fear to lose each other and be together.
September 16, 2023
No plot, only vibes, and I’m not mad about it
Fully binge read this in just over 24 hours
Fully binge read this in just over 24 hours
September 23, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 → rounded up to 4)
Format: eBook
Title: Gracefully Yours by Jennifer Chipman
This was such a cute read! The story follows a girl moving into her college dorm, becoming close with her roommate and the girls across the hall—and one of those girls has an older brother who immediately falls head over heels for the MC. Their friendship builds over the years, with a marriage pact thrown in if she’s still single at 30. What starts as a “fake” arrangement quickly becomes very real, leading to a sweet love story full of friendship, growth, and family.
I loved how devoted he was to her from the very beginning—building her a dream house, supporting her through everything, and always putting her first. Their journey from best friends to lovers to husband and wife (with kids!) was really heartwarming. The epilogue even hints at future stories through their children, which was a fun touch.
That said, I wished there had been a little more focus on world-building and what the characters did outside of the relationship—it felt very centered on the romance alone. It was also a bit on the cheesy side, which kept me from fully loving it.
Overall, I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up to 4 on Goodreads. It’s a sweet, easy, one-day read that left me smiling. I’m tempted to check out the other books in the series, though I’m not sure the level of investment is quite there for me. Still, if you love best-friends-to-lovers with a marriage pact twist, this one’s for you!
Format: eBook
Title: Gracefully Yours by Jennifer Chipman
This was such a cute read! The story follows a girl moving into her college dorm, becoming close with her roommate and the girls across the hall—and one of those girls has an older brother who immediately falls head over heels for the MC. Their friendship builds over the years, with a marriage pact thrown in if she’s still single at 30. What starts as a “fake” arrangement quickly becomes very real, leading to a sweet love story full of friendship, growth, and family.
I loved how devoted he was to her from the very beginning—building her a dream house, supporting her through everything, and always putting her first. Their journey from best friends to lovers to husband and wife (with kids!) was really heartwarming. The epilogue even hints at future stories through their children, which was a fun touch.
That said, I wished there had been a little more focus on world-building and what the characters did outside of the relationship—it felt very centered on the romance alone. It was also a bit on the cheesy side, which kept me from fully loving it.
Overall, I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up to 4 on Goodreads. It’s a sweet, easy, one-day read that left me smiling. I’m tempted to check out the other books in the series, though I’m not sure the level of investment is quite there for me. Still, if you love best-friends-to-lovers with a marriage pact twist, this one’s for you!
June 30, 2023
4⭐
La verdad es que esperaba más de este libro porque me venían construyendo la historia desde el primer libro de la saga, pero creo que solo fueron mis expectativas.
The marriage pact? Gold, pure and beautiful god. Nunca había leído un libro con este trope y siento que fue muy interesante y emocionante. Daniel y Charlotte?? Los amé, siempre me pareció que tenían algo muy especial y este libro me lo reafirmó, pero me frustró demasiado algunas cosas.
Amamos un buen friends to lovers, pero si son tan buenos amigos, el miscommunication trope frustra y estresa. Hay un punto del libro en el cual ambos dejan de negarse y hace que todo mejore porque simplemente son y se muestra la belleza de la cotidianidad en su relación.
Sin embargo, el libro te hace sentir muy bonito. A mi me generó maripositas en el estómago. Chillé demasiado. Quise un Daniel en mi vida, quise el tipo de amor que ambos tenían, la complicidad y la confianza, quise una familia como la que ellos construyeron.El found family en estos libros es poderoso, pero precioso. Te hace querer construir ese tipo de relaciones en tu vida. Y que las chicas siguieran con el club de lectura... Hermoso.
🎵 Still falling for you-Ellie Goulding
La verdad es que esperaba más de este libro porque me venían construyendo la historia desde el primer libro de la saga, pero creo que solo fueron mis expectativas.
The marriage pact? Gold, pure and beautiful god. Nunca había leído un libro con este trope y siento que fue muy interesante y emocionante. Daniel y Charlotte?? Los amé, siempre me pareció que tenían algo muy especial y este libro me lo reafirmó, pero me frustró demasiado algunas cosas.
Amamos un buen friends to lovers, pero si son tan buenos amigos, el miscommunication trope frustra y estresa. Hay un punto del libro en el cual ambos dejan de negarse y hace que todo mejore porque simplemente son y se muestra la belleza de la cotidianidad en su relación.
Sin embargo, el libro te hace sentir muy bonito. A mi me generó maripositas en el estómago. Chillé demasiado. Quise un Daniel en mi vida, quise el tipo de amor que ambos tenían, la complicidad y la confianza, quise una familia como la que ellos construyeron.El found family en estos libros es poderoso, pero precioso. Te hace querer construir ese tipo de relaciones en tu vida. Y que las chicas siguieran con el club de lectura... Hermoso.
🎵 Still falling for you-Ellie Goulding
September 2, 2023
AO3 Tags: best friends to lovers, in denial, marriage of convenience, planned pregnancy, marrying your best friend, he falls first, slice-of-life, naive fmc, low stakes, mutual pining, plot what plot, miscommunication
SPOILER ALERT
Review: I think the author's first mistake was having the love interests have sex at the beginning of the story. The whole point of mutual pining is that they /don’t/ know how each other feels, but if they already had sex literally like a few chapters in, AND they’ve been friends for 9 years, there is no plot. They could literally just get together at that point.
PLUS, they’re getting married and trying for a baby. I don’t understand why they’re deluding themselves that the other has no feeling for them BECAUSE THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED AND TRYING FOR A BABY. MY GOD! The conflict was nonexistent, and the plot was nonexistent. They’re bffs; they get married; they try for a baby, and she gets pregnant. That’s it, that’s the book. Still it was a cute read if you want to like not think for a few hours.
SPOILER ALERT
Review: I think the author's first mistake was having the love interests have sex at the beginning of the story. The whole point of mutual pining is that they /don’t/ know how each other feels, but if they already had sex literally like a few chapters in, AND they’ve been friends for 9 years, there is no plot. They could literally just get together at that point.
PLUS, they’re getting married and trying for a baby. I don’t understand why they’re deluding themselves that the other has no feeling for them BECAUSE THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED AND TRYING FOR A BABY. MY GOD! The conflict was nonexistent, and the plot was nonexistent. They’re bffs; they get married; they try for a baby, and she gets pregnant. That’s it, that’s the book. Still it was a cute read if you want to like not think for a few hours.
July 4, 2023
Ahh the long awaited conclusion to such a beautiful series! I had high hopes for Daniel and Charlotte's story, and this truly blew them out of the water.
💜 Best Friends to Lovers
💜 Marriage Pact
💜 Fake Relationship
💜 Found Family
This hooked me from the literal prologue! Then I hit the first official chapter and well...we were off to a good start to say the least 🫠🥵. Getting to go back and see how Daniel and Charlotte's friendship had bloomed over the years, and all the pining they've had for one another was so exciting.
Daniel was a GONER for Charlotte since day one! I knew he only had eyes for her based on his actions in the previous books, but damn he really has been pinning this whole time. Loved that 😅. He was so supportive, loving, and just the perfect partner to Charlotte.
Charlotte was so sweet! She was always so quiet in the previous books, but I knew there was so much more to her. Her ache for a family to love and be loved by, was so palpable through the pages. I was truly rooting for her every step of the way to finally have a little baby.
Also I thought this couple would be more sweet than spicy compared to the first three books, but *ahem* that was CERTAINLY not the case. Daniel came to play with this one and I was not mad about it 👀🔥
Also LOVED getting to see all the couples together in this final book. The found family was already there with the girls, but seeing all the guys together really solidified things. Then seeing all of them so many years in the future was too much! 😭
I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but let's just say I am so excited for what Jenn has planned in the future! The book teased at the end of this one though...👀 MA'AM I NEED IT NOW.
Everyone read this series! It's so cute, and wholesome (and suprsing spicy 🥵) you won't be disappointed. Then you can all be obsessed with this found family like I am!
💜 Best Friends to Lovers
💜 Marriage Pact
💜 Fake Relationship
💜 Found Family
This hooked me from the literal prologue! Then I hit the first official chapter and well...we were off to a good start to say the least 🫠🥵. Getting to go back and see how Daniel and Charlotte's friendship had bloomed over the years, and all the pining they've had for one another was so exciting.
Daniel was a GONER for Charlotte since day one! I knew he only had eyes for her based on his actions in the previous books, but damn he really has been pinning this whole time. Loved that 😅. He was so supportive, loving, and just the perfect partner to Charlotte.
Charlotte was so sweet! She was always so quiet in the previous books, but I knew there was so much more to her. Her ache for a family to love and be loved by, was so palpable through the pages. I was truly rooting for her every step of the way to finally have a little baby.
Also I thought this couple would be more sweet than spicy compared to the first three books, but *ahem* that was CERTAINLY not the case. Daniel came to play with this one and I was not mad about it 👀🔥
Also LOVED getting to see all the couples together in this final book. The found family was already there with the girls, but seeing all the guys together really solidified things. Then seeing all of them so many years in the future was too much! 😭
I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but let's just say I am so excited for what Jenn has planned in the future! The book teased at the end of this one though...👀 MA'AM I NEED IT NOW.
Everyone read this series! It's so cute, and wholesome (and suprsing spicy 🥵) you won't be disappointed. Then you can all be obsessed with this found family like I am!
September 22, 2023
4.25
i have been waiting for charlotte and daniel’s story and it did not disappoint!! i have been putting this book off because i did not want to say goodbye to these characters! i absolutely adore every single character in this series! the found family in these books are phenomenal. i absolutely adored the relationship between charlotte and daniel. daniel was the sweetest, i loved how he cared for charlotte. also the love confession made my heart so happy!! this was such a sweet and wholesome book!
also the extended epilogue?? already can’t wait for the next generation!
i have been waiting for charlotte and daniel’s story and it did not disappoint!! i have been putting this book off because i did not want to say goodbye to these characters! i absolutely adore every single character in this series! the found family in these books are phenomenal. i absolutely adored the relationship between charlotte and daniel. daniel was the sweetest, i loved how he cared for charlotte. also the love confession made my heart so happy!! this was such a sweet and wholesome book!
also the extended epilogue?? already can’t wait for the next generation!
February 22, 2025
such a sweet story.
The girl he always loved, their marriage pact and defeats he could never really love her.
I think this was every girls dream growing up.
Your best friend’s cute older brother trope, except my friends never had older brothers to crush on… so I had to go out there and find myself an oldest brother anyway 😂
The girl he always loved, their marriage pact and defeats he could never really love her.
I think this was every girls dream growing up.
Your best friend’s cute older brother trope, except my friends never had older brothers to crush on… so I had to go out there and find myself an oldest brother anyway 😂
August 26, 2023
I mean it started off strong but just got silly at the end
Did Not Finish
November 13, 2023dfn at 38%. I can't do this to myself. They mention they're best friends and that their arrangement is fake every other sentence. The words "best friends" are mentioned 183 times in a 390 page book, we get it they are best friends... Also these characters are so immature and childish.
November 14, 2023
3.5 super cute and made me feel giddy. The denial for 60% of the book was a little much tho.
April 7, 2025
⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
So fun! Ever since book 1 in this series, I have been so excited to get Charlotte's and Daniel's story. Sweet and precious are the perfect words to describe their dynamic. They had such a solid foundation of being best friends that made their transition to a couple so seamless.
So fun! Ever since book 1 in this series, I have been so excited to get Charlotte's and Daniel's story. Sweet and precious are the perfect words to describe their dynamic. They had such a solid foundation of being best friends that made their transition to a couple so seamless.
October 2, 2026
One-liner sentence: Best friends, marriage of convenience to baby agreement, no love = all perfect ingredients for emotional chaos with a LOT of spice along the way.
"But she was mine. Truthfully, gracefully mine.
And I was hers.
Forever."
...
Daniel Bradford: The older nerdy engineer brother of Angelina bumps into the blonde, grey eyed girl outside of his sister's dorm, and decides that he's going to marry her one day. Yes, this guy fell and he fell hard. He knew that this girl was going to spend every day with his sister, which meant that he could never avoid her. So instead, he decided to be friends with her to keep her in his life. And keep her he did, but only as a best friend. He knew that she was too good to lose and didn't want to go beyond the labels of best friend and lose one of the best girls in his life.
Nine years later, they are still best friends and spend everything in hour with one another. He still feels the same unrequited feelings of love towards Charlotte, but he doesn't wanna scare her off so he cares for her and his own way.
So when she asks him to be her first kiss, he gladly helps and when she asks him to be her first, he stepped up to the course. He even asks that they create a marriage pact, promising to marry each other in their 30s when they have no one else to marry, crazy right?
And now, nine years later, Charlotte wants to have a baby. And what does Daniel do? He volunteers as tribute. He can't imagine Charlotte having a baby with anyone else but him. He wants her in his life and he dreams of one day building a family with her. Will she say yes? Will he finally get his dream girl?
...
Charlotte Reynolds: Hailing all the way from California, Charlotte picks this small private college in Oregon to find a sense of community, a place where she'll be able to set roots and find her people. And find her she did. Her roommate Noelle loves to read the same type of romance books as Charlotte and she says from the get-go that they're gonna be really best friends. And she also meets her dorm buddies across the hall, Gabbi and Angelina, and meeting those three girls are the closest thing to love at first sight for her.
While moving and she also bumps (literally) into Daniel, Angelina's brother who is helping her move in. She admires how caring a brother Daniel is his sister and that point on Daniel becomes one of the biggest constants in her life, and most importantly, her best friend.
Over the next few years, they spend all of their time together.
She feels safe with him and she trusts him. At this point in her life, she realises that she hasn't kissed anyone is very curious so she asks Daniel for some advice. Well... not really advice she outright asks him to kiss her. After some hesitation, Daniel willingly decides to help his friend. She hopes that this won't ruin the dynamic that they have. And it doesn't they continue to be best friends. But when she finally asks him to be her first, she goes down this whirlwind panic, and avoids Daniel. She fears that she has ruined what they have as best friends but Daniel being the ever-so-supporting best friend reassures her that nothing will change and he will always be there.
She is fully surprised when in her junior year of college, Daniel asks her to agree to a marriage pact, she willingly agrees, but doesn't think that anything will come out of it.
Nine years after they meet each other, they are still best friends (even after their first kiss and first time together, but Charlotte feels that something is lacking, she wants a baby.
She shares this with Daniel, who cancel so much for his friend that he is not willing to see her raise a baby on her own and volunteers to be the father and to also be your husband.
Another request from a best friend, you get two for the price of one.
All of this thrown at her, a solution to her ever growing problem, will she say yes? Can she really have a family with her best friend without having love involved in the mix?
.....
Favourite quotes:
"I could still remember the first day I’d seen her in Angelina’s freshman dorm, with that blonde hair, her bright gray eyes.
and yep—I was a goner. I laid in bed that night, preparing for my sophomore year, thinking about only one thing.
I’m going to marry that girl someday.
Had I known anything about her? No. Not yet, but I would.
I would, I promised myself."
"Who did she want to have a baby with?
The thought of her having a baby with someone else… It hit me like a sucker punch.
Because I wanted her. And I wanted her to have my baby."
“Like… What happens if we meet someone else? If you fall in love, I… I wouldn’t want to keep you from that, and…”
I squeezed her thigh again. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
I wouldn’t fall for someone else. For the last nine years, I hadn’t.
“I didn’t realize it would be so good,” she murmured
“Sex. Is it… always like that for you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what your books say,” “But it’s not. This thing between us? It’s never been like that for me before.”
“Good,” she said, eliciting a laugh from me. “I don’t like thinking about you with someone else.”
I liked that my girl was possessive over me. Because I was over her too. I’d gotten almost all of her firsts, and I’d be taking all of her lasts, as well."
"But fuck, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
What was I going to do to make this our everyday reality? I needed her by my side every night. Needed her to not pull away."
"Suddenly, I couldn’t think about anything else besides seeing our baby bundled in her arms, running my fingers across tiny little chubby cheeks that resembled my wife. Because fuck, I wanted it. I wanted to be a dad, wanted to raise a whole bunch of kids with her."
“Well…” I looked at the sleeping puppy in my arms. “You’ll wake the baby.”
“Let’s make one.”
“Now?” I blinked."
“The only one,” I agreed. My first, and my forever. “No one else will ever have me.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you’re my husband,” I said, my eyes fluttering shut with the words. “And I’m your wife.”
“That’s my good girl,” he praised"
“Worried about a single dad sweeping me off my feet and stealing me away from you?” I flirted, running my hand over his thigh.
“Yes. I’m worried you’ll find someone better than me.”
“There’s no one better than you,” I mumbled, looking straight out the window instead of at his face.
There never has been, I thought to myself."
"I grinned. “I can think of a few ways.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m still on my period.”
“So?” I raised an eyebrow."
“I don’t think that will ever get old.”
“What?”
“You in my clothes.” I wrapped both of my arms around her middle. “It makes me feel like a caveman, like I take one look at you and all I think is mine.”
“Yeah. She’s my wife.” It still made me smile to say that. My wife. God, I liked it. “She’s Mrs. Bradford now.”
“Her big gray eyes blinked open, looking up at me. Even now, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. And mine. My wife. All mine."
“Make love to me,” she whispered, already a writhing, needy thing as she rocked against my thigh. “Please, I need you.”
“But—” I ran my fingers over her head, tenderly. “Are you sure you’re okay? After yesterday…”
“I’m sure.” She took my hand in hers, placing it on her breast. “I want my husband to remind me who I belong to.”
Fuck. ”
"My best friend turned fake husband turned real. The only man who’d ever been for me. Who’d ever known me, inside and out, and made me feel like I was home. "
"But she was mine. Truthfully, gracefully mine.
And I was hers.
Forever."
...
Daniel Bradford: The older nerdy engineer brother of Angelina bumps into the blonde, grey eyed girl outside of his sister's dorm, and decides that he's going to marry her one day. Yes, this guy fell and he fell hard. He knew that this girl was going to spend every day with his sister, which meant that he could never avoid her. So instead, he decided to be friends with her to keep her in his life. And keep her he did, but only as a best friend. He knew that she was too good to lose and didn't want to go beyond the labels of best friend and lose one of the best girls in his life.
Nine years later, they are still best friends and spend everything in hour with one another. He still feels the same unrequited feelings of love towards Charlotte, but he doesn't wanna scare her off so he cares for her and his own way.
So when she asks him to be her first kiss, he gladly helps and when she asks him to be her first, he stepped up to the course. He even asks that they create a marriage pact, promising to marry each other in their 30s when they have no one else to marry, crazy right?
And now, nine years later, Charlotte wants to have a baby. And what does Daniel do? He volunteers as tribute. He can't imagine Charlotte having a baby with anyone else but him. He wants her in his life and he dreams of one day building a family with her. Will she say yes? Will he finally get his dream girl?
...
Charlotte Reynolds: Hailing all the way from California, Charlotte picks this small private college in Oregon to find a sense of community, a place where she'll be able to set roots and find her people. And find her she did. Her roommate Noelle loves to read the same type of romance books as Charlotte and she says from the get-go that they're gonna be really best friends. And she also meets her dorm buddies across the hall, Gabbi and Angelina, and meeting those three girls are the closest thing to love at first sight for her.
While moving and she also bumps (literally) into Daniel, Angelina's brother who is helping her move in. She admires how caring a brother Daniel is his sister and that point on Daniel becomes one of the biggest constants in her life, and most importantly, her best friend.
Over the next few years, they spend all of their time together.
She feels safe with him and she trusts him. At this point in her life, she realises that she hasn't kissed anyone is very curious so she asks Daniel for some advice. Well... not really advice she outright asks him to kiss her. After some hesitation, Daniel willingly decides to help his friend. She hopes that this won't ruin the dynamic that they have. And it doesn't they continue to be best friends. But when she finally asks him to be her first, she goes down this whirlwind panic, and avoids Daniel. She fears that she has ruined what they have as best friends but Daniel being the ever-so-supporting best friend reassures her that nothing will change and he will always be there.
She is fully surprised when in her junior year of college, Daniel asks her to agree to a marriage pact, she willingly agrees, but doesn't think that anything will come out of it.
Nine years after they meet each other, they are still best friends (even after their first kiss and first time together, but Charlotte feels that something is lacking, she wants a baby.
She shares this with Daniel, who cancel so much for his friend that he is not willing to see her raise a baby on her own and volunteers to be the father and to also be your husband.
Another request from a best friend, you get two for the price of one.
All of this thrown at her, a solution to her ever growing problem, will she say yes? Can she really have a family with her best friend without having love involved in the mix?
.....
Favourite quotes:
"I could still remember the first day I’d seen her in Angelina’s freshman dorm, with that blonde hair, her bright gray eyes.
and yep—I was a goner. I laid in bed that night, preparing for my sophomore year, thinking about only one thing.
I’m going to marry that girl someday.
Had I known anything about her? No. Not yet, but I would.
I would, I promised myself."
"Who did she want to have a baby with?
The thought of her having a baby with someone else… It hit me like a sucker punch.
Because I wanted her. And I wanted her to have my baby."
“Like… What happens if we meet someone else? If you fall in love, I… I wouldn’t want to keep you from that, and…”
I squeezed her thigh again. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
I wouldn’t fall for someone else. For the last nine years, I hadn’t.
“I didn’t realize it would be so good,” she murmured
“Sex. Is it… always like that for you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what your books say,” “But it’s not. This thing between us? It’s never been like that for me before.”
“Good,” she said, eliciting a laugh from me. “I don’t like thinking about you with someone else.”
I liked that my girl was possessive over me. Because I was over her too. I’d gotten almost all of her firsts, and I’d be taking all of her lasts, as well."
"But fuck, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
What was I going to do to make this our everyday reality? I needed her by my side every night. Needed her to not pull away."
"Suddenly, I couldn’t think about anything else besides seeing our baby bundled in her arms, running my fingers across tiny little chubby cheeks that resembled my wife. Because fuck, I wanted it. I wanted to be a dad, wanted to raise a whole bunch of kids with her."
“Well…” I looked at the sleeping puppy in my arms. “You’ll wake the baby.”
“Let’s make one.”
“Now?” I blinked."
“The only one,” I agreed. My first, and my forever. “No one else will ever have me.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you’re my husband,” I said, my eyes fluttering shut with the words. “And I’m your wife.”
“That’s my good girl,” he praised"
“Worried about a single dad sweeping me off my feet and stealing me away from you?” I flirted, running my hand over his thigh.
“Yes. I’m worried you’ll find someone better than me.”
“There’s no one better than you,” I mumbled, looking straight out the window instead of at his face.
There never has been, I thought to myself."
"I grinned. “I can think of a few ways.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m still on my period.”
“So?” I raised an eyebrow."
“I don’t think that will ever get old.”
“What?”
“You in my clothes.” I wrapped both of my arms around her middle. “It makes me feel like a caveman, like I take one look at you and all I think is mine.”
“Yeah. She’s my wife.” It still made me smile to say that. My wife. God, I liked it. “She’s Mrs. Bradford now.”
“Her big gray eyes blinked open, looking up at me. Even now, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. And mine. My wife. All mine."
“Make love to me,” she whispered, already a writhing, needy thing as she rocked against my thigh. “Please, I need you.”
“But—” I ran my fingers over her head, tenderly. “Are you sure you’re okay? After yesterday…”
“I’m sure.” She took my hand in hers, placing it on her breast. “I want my husband to remind me who I belong to.”
Fuck. ”
"My best friend turned fake husband turned real. The only man who’d ever been for me. Who’d ever known me, inside and out, and made me feel like I was home. "
October 1, 2023
Sweet and spicy.
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Humour: 😂😂😂
Fluff: ☁️☁️☁️☁️
Predictability: 🎱🎱🎱🎱
Spice quantity: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Spice quality: 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
*WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*
*
*
*
*
*
Well, this one actually gave me the franny gallops.
Beautifully written tale of best friends to soul mates. It’s hard not to fall deeply in love with Daniel, he’s patient, caring, loving and of course he’s fantastic in the bedroom. This guy will have you sobbing down your thighs!!!
Loved the friendship group dynamic and I will definitely read more of the books in the series.
Lovely epilogues with the final one being a flash forward to more than twenty years later, when their youngest child is graduating from college.
HEA. Best friends to lovers. Fake relationship.
F(r)anny Gallops
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Humour: 😂😂😂
Fluff: ☁️☁️☁️☁️
Predictability: 🎱🎱🎱🎱
Spice quantity: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Spice quality: 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
*WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*
*
*
*
*
*
Well, this one actually gave me the franny gallops.
Beautifully written tale of best friends to soul mates. It’s hard not to fall deeply in love with Daniel, he’s patient, caring, loving and of course he’s fantastic in the bedroom. This guy will have you sobbing down your thighs!!!
Loved the friendship group dynamic and I will definitely read more of the books in the series.
Lovely epilogues with the final one being a flash forward to more than twenty years later, when their youngest child is graduating from college.
HEA. Best friends to lovers. Fake relationship.
F(r)anny Gallops
August 2, 2023
3.5/5 she was cute and fluffy
Update: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them and I reread this book and realized how much I relate to Charlotte so I’m changing it to 5 stars
Update: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them and I reread this book and realized how much I relate to Charlotte so I’m changing it to 5 stars
April 27, 2025
Another apollycon find I have only read Angelina’s book prior to this one and I do like Angelina’s book better for a lot of reasons.
This book is cute. I originally liked the idea of best friends turned romantic partners, because that is a trope I like. But I felt frustrated by a few things in this story.
Spoilers follow
Charlotte is super annoying. She doesn’t really have any drive she’s kind of lost and then she agreed to marry Daniel, who has obviously liked her for a long time, and she just is kind of dumb because she “never saw it” and calls their marriage fake because she only agrees to it because she’s jealous her other friends are married and partnered up and she wants that too. She’s also baby obsessed which I wish I was warned about because that is not a trip that I like.
So she keeps telling Daniel that their marriage is fake even though he keeps treating her like it’s real and her words have a real impact on poor Daniel who really likes her and cooks her dinner and goes to her dance school recitals and she just doesn’t do a lot for him. She never meets his coworkers or shows an interest in his work. She doesn’t cook. She just sits and talks about their fake marriage. It’s an entire miscommunication trope that doesn’t work here. And then even when they agree that it’s real she’s still like oh this is pretend.
And then she decides she wants a baby and gets upset when she doesn’t get pregnant right away even though that’s super normal. And I wish that had been more apparent that she was really uneducated about it and overreacting. And she finally gets pregnant and just decides to quit her job even though they definitely live in an area and make a huge house that would be impossible to afford on a single income.
Anyway, it was cute but I couldn’t get my head about of the unrealistic things that kept happening because they just were not believable. I do like that we learn more about all of their futures and kids and that there’s going to be a spinoff.
This book is cute. I originally liked the idea of best friends turned romantic partners, because that is a trope I like. But I felt frustrated by a few things in this story.
Spoilers follow
Charlotte is super annoying. She doesn’t really have any drive she’s kind of lost and then she agreed to marry Daniel, who has obviously liked her for a long time, and she just is kind of dumb because she “never saw it” and calls their marriage fake because she only agrees to it because she’s jealous her other friends are married and partnered up and she wants that too. She’s also baby obsessed which I wish I was warned about because that is not a trip that I like.
So she keeps telling Daniel that their marriage is fake even though he keeps treating her like it’s real and her words have a real impact on poor Daniel who really likes her and cooks her dinner and goes to her dance school recitals and she just doesn’t do a lot for him. She never meets his coworkers or shows an interest in his work. She doesn’t cook. She just sits and talks about their fake marriage. It’s an entire miscommunication trope that doesn’t work here. And then even when they agree that it’s real she’s still like oh this is pretend.
And then she decides she wants a baby and gets upset when she doesn’t get pregnant right away even though that’s super normal. And I wish that had been more apparent that she was really uneducated about it and overreacting. And she finally gets pregnant and just decides to quit her job even though they definitely live in an area and make a huge house that would be impossible to afford on a single income.
Anyway, it was cute but I couldn’t get my head about of the unrealistic things that kept happening because they just were not believable. I do like that we learn more about all of their futures and kids and that there’s going to be a spinoff.
August 3, 2023
Eek. Oh the value of beta readers and an editor.
I'll start with the positives first. I really enjoy how the books in this series are intertwined together, letting readers see interactions with the past characters and continuations in their stories. And the pop culture references are fun little editions too (which seemed correct in this one, unlike the video game references from book #2...not that those are still bugging me or anything...).
Now time for the not so warm-and-fuzzy. While I noticed some typos in the first half of the book, right around 50% is when I really noticed some blatant grammatical errors and typos that were really jolting and distracting to my reading experience. I am unsure if this book had an editor (a good one), but I think it could have really benefited from utilizing the reading community. So many here would probably be more than happy to beta read, which would help catch many of the little typos that authors might not notice on their own work(s).
50% was also when the story became very linear...it really could have been summed up and finished in about another 10% or so. Many of the chapters ended in a way that led you to think there would be some sort of conflict but it never came. Which is fine if you want to read a 100% feel-good story, it just felt fluffy to me.
I have also never wanted to punch the main characters of a book in the face more that both of these. To avoid spoilers, I won't go into details, but oh buddy do I have a rant ready if you ever want to know. Charlotte in particular was just not what I thought she would have been. She started the book pretty weak and one dimensional...and stayed that way. Perhaps the linear plot is to blame for this, but I was really hoping she would have experienced some personal growth. Alas.
I'll start with the positives first. I really enjoy how the books in this series are intertwined together, letting readers see interactions with the past characters and continuations in their stories. And the pop culture references are fun little editions too (which seemed correct in this one, unlike the video game references from book #2...not that those are still bugging me or anything...).
Now time for the not so warm-and-fuzzy. While I noticed some typos in the first half of the book, right around 50% is when I really noticed some blatant grammatical errors and typos that were really jolting and distracting to my reading experience. I am unsure if this book had an editor (a good one), but I think it could have really benefited from utilizing the reading community. So many here would probably be more than happy to beta read, which would help catch many of the little typos that authors might not notice on their own work(s).
50% was also when the story became very linear...it really could have been summed up and finished in about another 10% or so. Many of the chapters ended in a way that led you to think there would be some sort of conflict but it never came. Which is fine if you want to read a 100% feel-good story, it just felt fluffy to me.
I have also never wanted to punch the main characters of a book in the face more that both of these. To avoid spoilers, I won't go into details, but oh buddy do I have a rant ready if you ever want to know. Charlotte in particular was just not what I thought she would have been. She started the book pretty weak and one dimensional...and stayed that way. Perhaps the linear plot is to blame for this, but I was really hoping she would have experienced some personal growth. Alas.
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