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Brothers & Best Friends

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Eighteen-year-old Janine Bradley is shy, naïve, virginal, and has a big problem. Her brother's sexy best friend, Jess—a total playboy, and Janine's life-long crush—has a strong, muscular shoulder to cry on. He is shocked to see Janine on his doorstep after three years of no communication. Now a college student studying in New York City he is even more handsome than Janine remembers. Struggling to understand why his best friend’s kid sister decided to come to him for help, Jess finds himself seeing the girl who once followed him around relentlessly in a different light.

Janine moves to New York City to live with Jess, and is quickly taken in by a group of his friends. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to everyone, one of those friends poses a huge threat to Jess and Janine. Demons from past relationships threaten to come between them, as Janine struggles to trust this man she has loved for years.

371 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2013

16 people are currently reading
313 people want to read

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Ashley Rose

6 books62 followers

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5 stars
129 (22%)
4 stars
117 (20%)
3 stars
187 (32%)
2 stars
88 (15%)
1 star
63 (10%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Pam.
32 reviews34 followers
January 7, 2014
This book was just awful. *Spoilers*

The book started out so good. The summary sounded awesome. It was even recommended to me because I had read another book.

The first few chapters were good. The writing style was awesome. I liked the way the author switched easily from Jess, to Janine, and then to John. You really got a good grasp as to who the characters were right from the start.

And then Janine went home and you find that she was a victim of molestation not once but twice! AND she got raped at a party that she doesn't what the guy even looked like. WHAT?!

She supposedly talked with him for a long while, yet the lighting was dark, so she couldn't make out any of his features. And can't remember what his voice sounds like. And she gets pregnant from this one encounter.

It just seems like she is the very troubled girl, yet doesn't harbor any of the traits that someone should have after being sexually abused several times and only ever reporting it once. She was just happy to be pregnant, not knowing who did it to her, and be with Jess.

By the end of the book I wanted to throw my reader across the floor. Granted at one point I didn't even want to continue reading it anymore, but I paid for it so I was going to finish it.

The ending had absolutely no resolve in it. The rapist blackmails her so she has to give him rights to see the baby when it is born, calling her unstable and slightly crazy. If she tries to file a report about the rape or tries to go to court to get full custody, he will make sure she is put into a psychiatric ward and take the baby away from her.

The solution?

Let's run away to Colorado and tell no one!!

Doesn't sound like a resolution to anything. It just sounds like 'Let's hide until our problems go away'.

I think if the author would have done a better ending, the book would have been WAY better. But I doubt I will read another one of her books.


This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for readundancies.
1,124 reviews128 followers
March 1, 2014
I was 30% in and seriously contemplated not finishing this book. Unfortunately my book OCD kicked in and I had to mentally suffer through the rest of it.

And now I've come to the conclusion that there was nothing about this book that is redeeming.

None of the characters were even remotely relatable. Or believable. By the end of the first chapter you know exactly how everything is going to go down. The relationships were either forced or non-existent. Much like the plot. It ambled along like a lost puppy looking for its home but just ends up dying in some ditch. And it's not like it's a cute puppy either. More like a half-dead zombie creature that little children hide under the covers from at night.

The writing was plain and lacking substance. No suspense. No drama. No nothing. It was attempted sure, but not executed properly and therefore was entirely lack-lustre and might as well have been invisible.

And the ending? COME ON! Seriously? Never in a million bajillion years!

This book just drove me insane with how unrealistic and boring it was.

No.

Just no.

Going to try and read a different Ashley Rose book in the hopes that she can even remotely redeem herself.

Not getting my hopes up though.
2 reviews
November 15, 2013
slight spoiler alert!! ok so I haven't really ever had a reason to leave a review before but I have both good and bad things to say about this book.. good: I liked the love and bond between Jess and Janie and her brothers loyalty... bad: never have I been so mad and upset in a story... the story itself was pretty good but the politics and abuse of power was crap! the ending could have explained more into the future but all in all it was ok...
Profile Image for Danielle Oldfield.
86 reviews24 followers
December 4, 2013
I didn't know whether to give it three or four stars, at times I loved the book, but other times I felt let down, I felt that just as it was getting good, at the end, I felt it ended to sort. I was left wanting to know more about after the baby was born, and I felt the whole Will thing felt left unfinished. But on the up side I did love Jess, Janie, and I loved her brother John. I wonder if there is more for them to come?
32 reviews2 followers
December 22, 2013
I hated this book. Spoiler alert people. Seriously wtf. I dont want to fucking read about some rapist asshole blackmailing and bullying his victim about visiting the future child that resulted from her rape. Its wrong on so many levels. Even if it doesn't happen in real life, who the hell wants to read about it. It left me with a sick feeling in my head. The only reason I'm even writing a review is to warn people not to read it. Honest. Its just... I dont even know I'm speechless.
Profile Image for Jessica.
809 reviews20 followers
February 29, 2016
OK DNF at 22% This is getting so out of hand I just can't continue. To me this story and it's characters are weird and creepy and just too much. In 22% the author have managed to have introduced a teenage pregnancy, rape, sexual abuse, sleep walking sex, fake parentage and I do not know what more can happen.. Just no to this one...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kristina.
46 reviews
January 18, 2014
Something between 3 and 4 stars... perhaps 3.2 stars!?? sometimes pretty much liked this story - but there was a part in-between (just a short part) where I had to force myself to read this book... But it got better again pretty soon, so no big deal.

I adored Jess as a character. What he was willing to do for his best friends baby-sister is just beyond words.
And after all what happened to her, Janine was a strong woman.

It was a pretty good story, just didn't like to be left with all those cliffhangers at the end.
After all Will was really persistent and I would like to have known what happened with him in the end/what he did/felt like after he recognized that he happened to help them with some gas-money for their secret getaway...They deserve their HEA. :)
So after all - It was a predictable but realistic story but in my point of view had some loose ends in the end... which is why I choose to give 3.2 stars for Jess and Janine who would have easily gotten 4 stars for their story if I wasn't left alone with all these unanswered questions... (I hate cliffhangers and loose ends).
1 review
February 5, 2014
Wish there was a sequel!

truly amazing book, couldn't stop.reAding it! the book is full of twists and turns and is full of surprises! truly great book!
Profile Image for Jessica CW.
1,036 reviews12 followers
September 24, 2017
Janine finds herself pregnant and runs off to a trusted person for their support and advice.
Jess is best friends with Janines older brother.

I have a love/hate for this book.
There were twists and usual drama that comes from being a young adult, being a teen mom to be and the usual ness of pregnancy. But there was also this big dark cloud about what happens now.

It's tough enough to sort out a relationship with your crush normally but add in a pregnancy, a horrible conception, an experienced new adult and others and you've got yourself a soap opera.

This book was a soap opera for sure. It was steamy, it was beautiful in parts and it was darn cruel in others.

Let's look at Will- I feel bad for him IF he felt remorse, if he truly was drunk too (cause it's legally proven that someone drunk cannot give permission so he could have not been thinking) BUT he should have to pay for his actions. Even a lesser sentence. Rape sadly isn't all black and white, so give him sexual assault and make him swallow the charges and pay up with the sentencing.

What his solution was with the baby- let's say he was remorseful, a victim of drunkenness and stupidly, let's pretend he blacked out and thought he had permission from her, let's go one step further and say they both were far too gone when intercourse occurred. Let's say someone else drugged her so he was clear of blame there. He should still have penalties -yes, but I think involvement with his child would be okay. If that were the circumstances.

The mother on the other hand is horrible. Finding everything she can to manipulate, hold power and bully Janine for her own good was horrible, and frankly disgusting. She basically said rape doesn't matter, and turned a blind eye. What if she had a daughter in that exact scenario- would she still feel the same?! Parents like that should pay more then the child cause clearly they're part of the reason. If your child does wrong there are consequences.

I love Jess the most. He's stepping up to the plate. He didn't have to. He could have accepted every other decision out there, or every other out but he didn't. He fought for her and his right to raise the baby as his own. Step dads can be amazing creatures.

Janine- oye she's a tough character. I see her grow but I also see her piss me off. Her past sucks- what I don't understand is how she never got defensive training, schooling to protect herself too? I am NOT blaming the victim. I just feel you can only ever really trust yourself, so do the most you can to keep yourself safe. I've been a victim to domestic violence and sexual assault so I feel bad for her, but she's strong too. I wish she was more worldly though too, some of her naiveness was preventable especially with her repeated ability for school. It sucks that three times she faced assault thankfully she never gave up.

The ending- ugh. It skipped so quickly from the wedding to them in a new place. I'm glad they ran, glad they found something they could do to get away from Will's thumb. He I don't think though will ever give up. He'll fight to find her. I just hope he never does this again. Hopefully he's reformed.

The ending needed a quick look in the future. Do they ever come out of hiding? Does someone find them? Does Will? Will Will ever pay? Is Will a wolf in sheeps clothing or a nice guy with a tragic mistake? What about Chad & Karen? John? How come her mom never left Steve? It shouldn't have been Janine's decision it should have been automatically ended marriage, no more questions.

Just way to much going on in this world that leaves you banging your head against the wall.

If you love drama you need to read this.
Profile Image for Kayla Pipkin.
782 reviews38 followers
January 2, 2014
I bought this book because it was recommended to me by another book I had been reading. It looked like an interesting book by the title and cover, so I thought "What the heck?" Turns out it wasn't all that good. The story line is interesting and makes you feel good that the characters were able to find love, but it all seemed implausible. Also, there were way too many J names for me to keep straight lol. The main character Janine finds herself pregnant after she was raped at a party she attended at her brother's college. She goes to the only person she thinks is able to help her, her brother's best friend Jess. This fact alone is the most implausible thing to me. The girl barely had a relationship with him to begin with and hasn't talked to him in over four years; of all the people that she knows, why would she choose him? I know she has had a crush on him this whole time, but still doesn't make sense. If I found myself in that situation, he would not be the first person I would turn to, but again that is just me. The couple ends up forming a relationship together and Jess decides it would be best to tell people that he is the father of her child since she doesn't want people to know how it actually happened. At the end of the book, you find out who actually raped her (because she was drugged, and didn't remember anything) and the guy blackmails her. Jess and Janie end up running away together after their wedding. They don't tell anybody where they are. She ends up giving birth to the baby and that how it ends. The ending is completely unsatisfactory. Nothing is solved. You are left wondering if things blow over with the blackmail. How her family is going to react. Nothing. Just wish there had been an epilogue or something to sum up what happened to everybody.
Profile Image for Magic Within the Pages.
397 reviews15 followers
March 10, 2014
Reviewer: Donna - Magic Within The Pages
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Janine travels to New York City to find her brother's best friend Jess, a guy she has been in love with since she was a kid and now she is eighteen and pregnant, he's the first person she thinks to go to. Jess is surprised when Janine turns up at his door but after hearing that she was raped at a college party and that's how she ended up pregnant, Jess lets her stay with him. She ends up moving back home to her mother's when she finds out and it's only when Jess turns up to her mother's house, saying he loves her that she gives in to her feelings and moves back to New York City with him.

But that is only the basics of the story. A lot situations arise that at some points i didn't think they would make it through. There are a few secrets from Janine's past that are revealed and also Janine didn't know who raped her as she was drunk so they is also a who dun it which is revealed. The only problem i had with that was that it wasn't a shocker and i actually caught on quite quickly, who the rapist was. I would have loved a bit more suspense in that part. It was an enjoyable teenage story as the important topics were only scratching the surface. I did feel that sometimes i never felt any emotion from Janine, especially how she was raped and molested as a child but maybe that was because the topics were mentioned but never explained in detail. I did find it to be enjoyable and an pleasant read.
Profile Image for Lauren Harrell.
100 reviews10 followers
January 17, 2014
Oh this book....I was nice giving it a two star. Yet again another book that is rushed. The main characters are just thrown together. We get no back story of them, to even get excited when they jump into a relationship. I don't feel that Janine and Jess are even really in love with one another. Where was Jess this entire book, besides the one time he came to bring Janine back? What about her relationship with her brother? I mean he is supposedly best friend's with Jess and he does all of those things? I can't really even get into all of the problems especially with the family. It was one big episode of some drama series jammed sloppily into one book. It was a messy read. Very superficial. No solid character foundation. I expected more. I caught myself skimming because it wasn't reality. I couldn't put myself into Janine's shoes because I'm not sure she was wearing hers at the same time at any point during this book. This book was all over the place.I couldn't even find a worthy quote in this read. I want books that change me, my whole way of thinking. I want it to consume me. During this review I actually couldn't remember the main character's name. I had to look back on my kindle. That shows how much I'll think about it after today. Immature read. I've read fanfiction better than this. I can't believe it went to print. This is just my opinion.
Profile Image for Lyn.
539 reviews
January 14, 2014
3.5 Stars

Ok, the story started great. But it slowly went downhill as the story progress. First off, when Janie went home & it was reveal she was raped not once but twice. But then she doesn't have any characteristic of a rape victim. 2nd, WTF? She don't know the face of her rapist? Really? Low lightning but she spend time talking to him for quite a while? 3rd, She didn't report it! But ok, I get she's afraid but WTH!?!? Which comes us to the 4th reason this book didn't appeal to me. When layer she found out the rapist, & said rapist blackmail her into agreeing visitation rights & being a part of the kids life. Really? Really?!? You kidding me?!? Then Janie agrees to it?!? And the 5th & last one when Janie told Jessie, their solution was to disappear in Colorado. Real mature guys, real mature! Anyway, this story just no RESOLVE in it!!!

There's no light at the end of the tunnel. Wish the ending was different 'coz the story has great potential, thus the 3.5 stars. It just need some editing and re-writing. Oh well, that's my review for this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Marianna.
Author 16 books10 followers
September 17, 2014
Oh god... I am usually reading a good book, i read the reviews before i started this one, and i thought maybe i give it a try, bad choice...
The story was good. But it was sooo complicated. I just wanted to kill Will and his mother, they were cruel and like two psicho!!!! I almost deleted the whole book in that point, i was that fed up with them... Jess was cute as hell, Janine was really naive. I dont know...
And the end?! What the hell?! She gave birth and what? Do they really thought Will gonna vannish??? I dont know, not really adds up to me...
Idk
Profile Image for Jen J.
82 reviews
May 15, 2018
This book was frustrating as hell
At the end of the middle of the book I was so peed off at Caroline that I just had to get it all out so of course, I go to my friends and rant for 30 minutes about the whole story. Then i finish the book and nothing.NOTHING
She has a baby, gets her brother back, ends up married to hot man Jess and it doesn't say anything about whether or not they live in peace or if Caroline and Will come find them NOTHING

IT JUST ENDED
I don't even think I'm going to go look for a second book I'm turned off by Ashley Roses book Brothers & Best Friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
363 reviews1 follower
November 11, 2013
I have only read to 9% but I don't think I will be able to finish it. It reminds me of a Wattpad story. Not the storyline, but the actual writing. Don't get me wrong, I did read some good stories on there and I am all for supporting indie writers, but this one just isn't happening for me... I mean who has sex in their sleep and doesn't know?! Idk... If I do decide to continue I will update my review
Profile Image for Natalie.
288 reviews9 followers
January 24, 2014
***I Received this book from a libraryThing Giveaway***

Not the best book I've read but not the worst either. Some scenes were completely unbelievable but most of the book was an enjoyable story of young love and the struggles of Jess and Janine. The ending sets the scene for a sequel but I'm not sure if there is one in the works. Hopefully the author will take some time to give us more time with Jess and John, rather than focus so completely on Janine.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,227 reviews13 followers
January 28, 2014
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of Janine who gets raped, keeps the baby, brothers bf steps in(after 3 years) and offers to raise baby and she gets blackmailed by baby daddy. Yeah that's a lot but it is only the start in this book. This book seemed to lag in some spots and could have been shorter. The characters lacked depth, no emotional connection. I love Ashley Rose and her work but this falls short of her other works.
Profile Image for Sami.
269 reviews4 followers
September 15, 2014
I thought the storyline was decent but I felt like it was a little too dragged out. Also, I was VERY disappointed in the ending. I was glad that her brother was able to be there for the birth of the baby but what happens after that. You can't tell me that Will and his mother don't try to track them down or that they can just live there happily ever after. Some of the middle should have been cut out to make room for a more extensive ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Caitlin Mcclain.
4 reviews
March 17, 2015
Worst book ever.

I would recommend this book to No One. It didn't make sense. None of the characters were described enough to understand. The story line is all over the place, and there is no ending any where. It's completely appalling that I actually paid for a book that I hated and wasn't even able to finish. 10 thumbs DOWN. MOVE ON AND DON'T READ THIS. TRUST ME. Worst book I've ever read.
Profile Image for Tanya.
116 reviews
December 23, 2013
Predictable but good

First of all Will is a saint. For him to take Janie for all her baggage..wow. I was waiting for the father to be unveiled, but wasn't surprised. I think the direction of book was predictable but the ending wasn't. I hope there is a sequel to see how their lives end up
Profile Image for Azra tariq.
404 reviews1 follower
December 14, 2013
It was a good story just felt it's left on a cliff hanger as you don't get to know what happens with will as he was so persistent of being in the baby's life. Overall, even though it had a realistic story, there still were too many loose ends.
Profile Image for Miranda Elaine.
582 reviews25 followers
August 2, 2015
I loved this story. It was deep and sweet. I was at time so sad for the pain Janine feels and the hardships she has to go through. As a leading man I found Jess to be so manly and sweet at the same time. I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop.
1 review
February 9, 2014
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656 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2014
This book was all over the place. I've situation would start and not be resolved. There was some funny parts to the book but the overall story needs work. Horrible ending. There were too many unanswered questions.
Profile Image for Sarah Black.
155 reviews3 followers
August 3, 2015
I loved this book completely.
It's amazing in every way possible.

Loving your brother's best friend and finding out he finally feels the same way.
They're made for each other.

Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.
Profile Image for Anica.
117 reviews37 followers
December 1, 2013
Okay story. It kinda jumped ahead. Like one paragraph this is happening and the next its a different day or place.
And it just ended with a WTH feeling. Dont know if theres going to be a 2nd book.
Profile Image for Annmarie.
1,245 reviews51 followers
November 23, 2013
I really liked this book, but the end? What? There has to be a sequel, that can't be all.
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