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Count On Me

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Falling in love with your bestie is supposed to be easy. But nothing ever goes smoothly when I’m involved…

Playing professional soccer for Heath Hampstead was supposed to make everything better in my life but instead it’s made it suck.

The press hound me all day long. Coach thinks I’m a screw-up, and everyone believes what they read in the papers. Everyone except my bestie, Edie Bishop. Her voice is enough to whip me out of a bad mood and her smile makes my heart race.
Yep. I’m in love with my best friend. And while that's mostly a good thing, the thoughts I have about her are bad. Very, very bad.

I shouldn’t want her like that. Shouldn’t crave the feel of her lips on mine. Every sigh from her mouth, soft laugh or knowing look she gives makes me want to dive off the ‘we’re just friends’ cliff and take us to a whole other level of together.

So why am I holding back? Continuing this weird friendlationship we’re in. I’m terrified of losing her. Too scared of not having her in my life to admit she is my life. Yeah, I’m good at playing ball games, I’ve made a damn career out of it, but Edie, she’s my endgame.

292 pages, Paperback

Published March 12, 2024

13 people are currently reading
30 people want to read

About the author

Koko Heart

11 books48 followers
Koko Heart is 'just a girl following her dreams and writing love stories straight to the heart'.

After years of being encouraged to publish her work by her loved ones, she finally listened. And can now proudly add published author to her name.

She writes steamy, contemporary romances but admits that she likes to test herself with different styles, so you could be getting a tear jerker or a laugh out loud kind of book with her, but she always guarantees a happily ever after.

She lives with her husband and four children in the UK, which is where she bases most of her stories, but she does like to throw in characters from other places as well.

You can join Koko on Facebook and in her reader group - Koko Heart's Dream Team ❤️
https://www.facebook.com/groups/93959...

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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Philippa - (The British Bibliophile).
Author 4 books40 followers
April 17, 2024
'You can Count On Me to tell you how much I loved this book! Koko Heart demonstrating once again, why she's going to be someone's favourite author' - The British Bibliophile

Thank you to Koko Heart for sending me both an ebook and physical Advanced Reader Copy for me to read and leave an honest review. Thank you to her for being the amazing person she is, and understanding my catching up on this ARC read after it has released. I very much appreciate it this time around

NOTE - This review will be spoiler-free as standard, but will contain references to the contents in the book's blurb. If you wish to go into this read completely blind and without knowing a single thing about it, please scroll away from my review now :)


Count On Me is a standalone friends-to-lovers romance written by the one and only Koko Heart. Someone I'm very proud to call a friend outside of the book world, whose books I'm now having the privilege of reading from her debut novel, Mine, Always . An impressive start to a budding writing career.

If you haven't read any of Koko's books, this is your official sign to start. It's totally up to you where you start, but I personally recommend right at the start. Mine, Always was an impressive debut novel among the many that came out the year of its release, and she went onto write an even more impressive series of books with its own series, called The Cooper Sisters . Featuring--ducking--Marcus. An honorary Cooper sister. These reads will set you up so you can see the clear growth she goes through, so when you get to Count On Me , you'll be a firm fan like myself.

As a reader of almost three decades--ish--, I know by now what I like and what I don't. Tastes do change, but we're naturally drawn to our favourites. This includes such things as tropes, genre and indeed, the authors themselves. Naturally, I'm drawn to Koko as an author. But will I be drawn to a trope that isn't my go-to, with a career for the MMC that is much the same? Will the draw of my author friend be enough to win me over for this standalone romance read? Read on to find out.


Falling in love with your bestie is supposed to be easy. But nothing ever goes smoothly when I’m involved…


Jaxson Brady thought that his playing professional football for Heath Hampstead was going to be the thing that would make all the wrongs in his life, right, and change everything for the better. He couldn't have been more wrong. Things now suck for him worse than they ever have done before.

The relentless media press are hounding Jaxson all day long, his coach now thinks that he's a complete screw-up, and everyone without a right mind is believing everything about him that goes into the newspapers. Well, not everyone. With every grey cloud, there is a silver lining and Edie "Eddie" Bishop is Jaxson's. Her beautiful voice is more than enough to instantly snap him out of any bad mood he might be in, with her accompanying smile making his weary heart race at a wild speed.

Yes, folks. If you thought that this was starting to sound and look like the start of something more, you would be right. For our dear, sweet Jaxon was and is very much so, in love with his best friend Edie. Whereas thankfully he sees this as a good thing for the most part, there is one thing about it that is not so good. His thoughts. Namely, his thoughts about her. Those, dear readers, are anything but good. They're bad. Borderline dirty for all the forbidden, delicious reasons.

He knows that he shouldn't want her the way he does right now. That he shouldn't be craving the feeling of her lips on top of his own. Several times. All the time. But he is, and he does. There's no trying to resist every sigh that comes from out of her mouth and across those kissable lips, or her soft laugh that tugs at everything within him. To top it all off? The 'knowing looks' she throws at him without mercy, makes him feel like he wants to hurl himself right off the 'we're just friends' cliff, and into the sea of something more. Specifically, a whole new level of togetherness.

So if he knows and is aware of all of this, what is it that is currently holding him back from acting in the ways he has ever desire to do so? He wants to continue this friendship he's in with her--albeit how weird it is at the moment--, but he also doesn't want to run the risk of losing her. He's downright terrified of the thought and real-life possibility that she might not be in his life, as much as admitting that she is his life.

Jaxson might be good at what he does by playing his chosen sport as his career, but out of all the opportunities presented to him, she is his endgame and the only one that he plans on making come true.


Seven books deep into the brilliant world of Koko Heart, Count On Me came at the right point in my life where in the real world, I was going through multiple kinds of different things all at once. With ARCs piling up and the subsequent reviews thereafter, the delivery of this book's paperback was the saving grace I never knew I needed as much as I did.

Aside from the handwritten signature message on the inside cover just about taking me out with happy tears, the story inside echoed much the same. I'm not a reader who normally sobs or cries while reading. As an empath who always puts themselves in the shoes of the characters, feeling their emotions, going through what they would do if I was the one experiencing the story, it has to be done just-so in the book world for me to connect to these two-dimensional characters to invoke the emotional response as it would do in the real world. That's what Koko did here. I felt like I was Edie at several times during this story, as her circumstances, feelings and emotions did echo my own while relating to my own experiences. I wanted to reach into the pages and scream, throttle and slap Jaxson to wake the heck up and smell the coffee. Shedding also, a tear or ten, when things really hit in the feels.

Despite Koko being an author and real-life friend, what she'll always get from me is one-hundred precent honesty when it comes to her books. If I felt her book was a three, four or five star, I would say so. I'm not obligated as a friend to automatically five her the full five, but I'm proud as punch that I was able to do that here with Count On Me , as it genuinely deserved every single one of those stars.

From the budding romance, the jealousy and angst, to the moments that had me laughing out loud and cheering from my side of the pages, Count On Me was a genuine literary treat that fans of sports romance, friends-to-lovers and happily ever afters all must take a chance on, recommending to all their fellow readers and friends.

Hawaii, Koko. Hawaii .
Profile Image for niki_reads_romance.
883 reviews9 followers
March 15, 2024
This is a strong start to a new series, featuring characters briefly mentioned in a previous story. It’s a complete standalone, but I really enjoyed the very brief glimpse of those characters. While I did like the story overall, I also struggled with it a bit.

Positives— the characters themselves are interesting, but the supporting cast was hilarious! The authors ability to create such “real” characters is a true testament to her skills. Also, there was definitely an unexpected twist, giving the story more depth. The book flowed so well, I didn't even realize how fast I was consuming it before I was suddenly done.

Negatives— I really dislike how Edie becomes a woman who plays games with a man, and blames Jaxson for not picking up on what she wants when she refuses to actually voice it. And making him “prove” himself when she should be groveling for her behavior too.

This is neither bad or good, but as a person with a very small family, I struggle to understand why people allow their family to behave in such overbearing ways, or have friends who constantly steamroll them. Though it is interesting to read about, and adds another layer to the story.
Profile Image for Marie Evans.
571 reviews27 followers
March 19, 2024
Koko Heart so totally wowed me with the beginning of her new series!!!

I have never cheered so hard for a friends to lovers couple to get their hard earned HEA!!!!

Edie and Jaxon don’t make it easy, but trust me when I say that every struggle and frustration will be worth it if they can trust in each other, as well as themselves!

The emotions that Koko Heart pulls from these amazing characters are gritty, sweet, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and in the end, down right beautiful!

An incredible story that has me hooked and already anticipating the next book!!!

Way beyond five stars!!!
Profile Image for Liz Kearns.
105 reviews5 followers
March 19, 2024
Yes yes yes!!! I love this story and all the Easter eggs! Lucy Score, The Coopers…very well written! I can’t wait for the next installment!!!
Profile Image for Brayzen Bookwyrm.
372 reviews50 followers
March 14, 2024
An Angsty, Beautiful HEA You Can Count On

One thing I know I can count on with any Koko Heart book is the emotional depth she brings to her stories. I know she’s going to tear my heart apart before putting it back together. And I know she’s going to bring her characters to their beautiful HEA with the help of amazing family and friends. And while her newest novel Count on Me, book one in her On Me series, may be lower on the spicy factor, it more than makes up for it with epic pining and passion.

I fell in love with Edie and Jaxson right away. They’re so beautifully well-developed and real. Their road to happiness isn’t easy, but it is absolutely worth it. Friends to lovers is always such a difficult road to write, but Koko handles it so well, infusing so much depth into their relationship. When they finally come together, the result is truly wonderful. Talk about a grand gesture! Yes, please!

Koko does a wonderful job of upping the angst throughout the story, and just when you think that HEA is within their grasp, she throws in a twist readers will never see coming. Yes, you will need tissues. Yes, you will shake your fist at the injustice. And yes, you may even get angry at one or both main characters, but it is all so freaking worth it.

Amping up the emotions and the angst, the banter in this book is fantastic. Not only between the characters in their daily personal encounters, but in the group texts. And those group texts bring an entirely new level to the story, creating that family and found family bond. Koko builds such solid and amazing connections between all of her characters, and the hints she gives for future books in the series are too good to ignore.

Count on Me is definitely a solid series starter and I can’t wait to see where the next books take her characters. She also infuses several cameos from her Cooper Sisters series, and I have no doubt readers who jump in at Count on Me will want to live in their world too.
Profile Image for RomanceLand65.
453 reviews
March 26, 2024
A fantastic beginning to a new series. What a beautiful read this was. Best friends to lovers is a fantastic trope. Add some low angst and you got yourself a perfect romance. This book just made me fall for Jaxson. I loved his character. At times I would like to bop Edie aka Eddie on the head but this is nothing new for a Koko heart read. She has a tendency to let her readers get annoyed with the stubborn female characters she writes. You as a reader say come on girl this guy is your perfect match. But Koko gives her reader the best scenario for her female characters fall from the princess pedestal they think they should be on. She lets them learn humbling experiences to remove their heads from their posterior regions. She gives them a wake up call. Boy did Edie get her wake up. But as much as I want to bop Edie in her head I think she learned a tough lesson. Pride gets in the way until you admit that you have a shot. Koko gives her characters the best hea. The princess has a ball at the ball. Dresses shoes and the man. It's got it all.
I also need to tell the reader Koko can write a story just from her characters text convos. They are her trademark. It's signature her!
Oh and btw Marcus our beloved makes a fabulous ducking appearance. It's wonderful to still see the coop sistas and almost a kupa.
Love love love this book 💕
Profile Image for Liz Matzen.
145 reviews2 followers
April 22, 2024
Best friends to lovers is a fun genre to read because the characters always need to get out of their own way and find their way to loving their best friend. This story is all of that plus meddling friends, family texts, and Marcus. Because of course, Marcus makes an appearance!

Count On Me is the first book in Koko Heart’s new series/spinoff On Me. We first met Jaxson and Edie in “The Forever Kind” the third book in the Cooper Sisters series. Jax is a football (soccer) teammate of Antony and he and Cleopatra make appearances in this story.

The way these characters have depended on each other for most of their lives makes it hard for them to make the leap into the love that they both want. In true Koko Heart fashion, she built the angst and tension between the two and brought it to the grand gesture that gave us the HEA we all love.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series! I can’t recommend this enough to anyone who loves a story with an HEA ending. Five stars plus for me!
622 reviews10 followers
March 16, 2024
This is a wonderful start to a new series though I guess it could be considered a spin off as we see the Cooper clan and the wonderful and funny Marcus in this book. I loved Jaxson and Edie so much, from the memories they shared as kids to how their friendship remained constant through the years even though he lived in the states and she lived in England. They truly had their ups and downs and there were some issues with communication but it was understandable. The banter was spot on and the family texts were hilarious! I loved the sass that Jax got from his sister Penny and Edie's other bestie Angie.
Profile Image for Laura.
438 reviews
March 20, 2024
It's a wonderful start to a new world from this author. I really did love Edie and Jaxon, but at times, I wanted to knock some sense into both of them! Their journey to love had a few bumps in the road, but like real life, if it's worth it, you will fight for it, which they both did! If you love an angsty, slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance, this is the one for you. I have no idea who will be next in the series. Will it be one of Jaxon's teammates, or will it be his family, but I'm looking forward to whoever it is.
Profile Image for K.M. Lowe.
Author 39 books609 followers
May 15, 2024
I think this is the first book I’ve read by Koko Heart, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a slow burn romance between two childhood friends that can’t get their act together to tell one another how they feel. It’s back and forth between them, their antics, and how they eventually pluck the courage up to say we’re doing this. For me, the secondary characters made this book. The brothers, Lockhart, Angie, even Jax’s mum and dad… they all had moments that just shone through the book and made it LOL at bits. Definitely worth the read if you like romance. 😌
335 reviews2 followers
March 15, 2024
Right off the bat the flirtatious banter had me hooked! I love the brief view of their past to start off the story! There are ups and downs in their story and I think the plot was well written and kept the reader wanting more!
The story has it all - Friends to lovers, slow burn, heartfelt moments, meddling best friends, low angst and a happily ever after.
My favorite side character is definitely Pops! He's hilarious and I love him so much! I can't wait for more from this series!!
Profile Image for Hannah.
77 reviews
March 19, 2024
These 2 stole my heart. The story has so much to connect to, haven't we all been friendzoned and wanted more? Haven't we all known wholeheartedly what we want but been afraid to put our hearts on the line to achieve it.

Koko's story weaves so much into it, with mentions to the most honourable in Romancialand and really showing that even if it takes years love wins.
Profile Image for DeDe Ramey.
Author 10 books41 followers
February 28, 2025
Jax and Eddie. Who doesn't love childhood friends to lovers. GAH! I loved their relationship and hated it at the same time. I rooted for them to figure things out the whole time because I loved both of them. I identified with Edie because I am a curvy redhead and I too have struggled all my life with loving my curves. what a rollercoaster of a love story
Profile Image for Julie's Romance Escape.
177 reviews8 followers
March 17, 2024
What a beautiful start to a brand new series.
I enjoyed the characters and the deep friendship they had. The love they had was so strong. Though it was a rollercoaster for a bit, the HEA was beautiful.
112 reviews
March 19, 2024
funniest book I’ve read in a long time

Funniest book I’ve read in a long time.

Had me laughing so much I had to stop reading to calm down so I could continue, these text threads had me in stitches, I’m So excited for the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Author M.J. Hestand.
Author 1 book7 followers
April 2, 2024
Just finished this gem!!!

Friends to Lovers is one of my most favorite tropes, and ‘Count On Me’ was everything!! 👏🏼
Jaxson and Edie’s love story is beautiful, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead in the ‘On Me Series’
Profile Image for Rebecca Martin.
210 reviews3 followers
March 24, 2024
Amazing start to a new series! Jaxson and Edie are perfect ❤️ Cannot wait for Jensen and Angie!!
Profile Image for Anita.
40 reviews2 followers
April 9, 2024
Jaxy and Eddie 4eva

I loved this first book in the On Me series. We see some familiar characters and get to know new ones too. I’m looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Teresa Lenihan.
178 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2024
This is the first book of a new series. Jaxson and Edie are life long friends who love each other unconditionally. Only they both want to be more than friends. But Jaxson is afraid to take the next step. We get to meet Edie's bestie Angie who is hilarious. And Jaxson's family and his best friend & team mate Lockheart. I loved the part where Jaxson was drunk and texting Edie. I definitely laughed out loud for that part. But I was a bit confused reading the group text with 3 brothers
names beginning with J.
This story has it all. From friendship to suspense. Playful family & friends. And even a life threatening situation. Koko is really keeping us on our toes with these two love birds.
15 reviews
March 19, 2024
I loved this story! It's a best friends to lovers story. It's so well written that I was immersed right away and didn't come up for air until the last page. Who needs sleep anyway!
I love that members of the Cooper family made an appearance!
56 reviews2 followers
April 11, 2024
Funniest book I’ve read in a long time.

Had me laughing so much I had to stop reading to calm down so I could continue, these text threads had me in stitches, I’m So excited for the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Susy.
41 reviews
May 27, 2024
Such an amazing start to a new series. I loved it and can’t wait to see what Ms. Heart has in store for us.
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