Love is an Open Book

by Chandra Blumberg

“Blumberg makes the will-they-won’t-they dance believable and exciting with sexy banter and plenty of humor throughout.” —Publishers Weekly

Blurring the line between fiction and reality...

Mia Brady never imagined her romance novels would become bestsellers, much less inspire a hit TV show. However, after signing a deal to write the final book of the series, she’s struck by a serious case of writer’s block. Her fans are clamoring for a passionate payoff, but Mia’s own experience with heartbreak—and current lack of real-life romance—is getting in the way. Do friends who become lovers ever truly have a happy ending?

Gavin Lane would like to think so. As Mia’s ride-or-die BFF, he’s been by her side through it all and convinced himself his crush on her is a thing of the past. He’s not about to let his feelings ruin their friendship, and never will. But things get complicated when Mia pitches a bold idea to help save her testing out tried-and-true love story tropes...together.

From workplace romance to fish-out-of-water, Mia and Gavin embark on a series of “experiments” to spark a little creativity—but they are not prepared for the flame that ignites between them. Does their friendship even stand a chance when pure fantasy suddenly becomes a little too real?

For fans Friends-to-Lovers So.Much.Pining. He falls first Books about books Plant daddies Fish-out-of-water Forced Proximity

Genres: Romance, Books About Books, Friends To Lovers, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Audiobook

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2025

About the author

Chandra Blumberg writes funny, heartwarming love stories about characters that feel real and relatable. When it comes to her writing process, getting to that happily ever after is half the fun.

Born and raised in Michigan, Chandra moved to the Chicago area after majoring in English at Michigan State University. When she’s not writing, she enjoys lifting heavy barbells at the gym, making a mess of the kitchen while baking alongside her four kids, and traveling with her family.

Reviews

[Kaitlynn L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story follows Mia Brady, a romance author that is trying to write her final novel in the series that’s also a television series, and Gavin Lane, who is extremely talented with plants and is her best friend. Mia is struggling to write her novel and proposes an interesting idea to Gavin, trying out different tropes together. Will they just remain as friends? Or will the trope trials show that they deserve to be more than friends?

This book was cute to me, I loved the idea and how relatable it can be. This book has friends-to-lovers, slow burn, and closed doors relationship. Gavin was perfectly written to me and how he showed his love to Mia was perfect, sweet, and tailored to who she is. The problem with me for this book was Mia. She was difficult in some parts of the book and constantly mentioning that she has a fear of dating friends. Now, I understand that, but it’s brought up so many times to the point where it became annoying. She also kept questioning if Gavin actually likes her or not throughout the book when he made it pretty obvious to her I don’t know how many times. Overall, it was a decent book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chandra Blumberg and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Blurb 📚
“Mia Brady never imagined her romance novels would become bestsellers, much less inspire a hit TV show. However, after signing a deal to write the final book of the series, she’s struck by a serious case of writer’s block. Her fans are clamoring for a passionate payoff, but Mia’s own experience with heartbreak—and current lack of real-life romance—is getting in the way. Do friends who become lovers ever truly have a happy ending?

Gavin Lane would like to think so. As Mia’s ride-or-die BFF, he’s been by her side through it all and convinced himself his crush on her is a thing of the past. He’s not about to let his feelings ruin their friendship, and never will. But things get complicated when Mia pitches a bold idea to help save her career: testing out tried-and-true love story tropes...together.

From workplace romance to fish-out-of-water, Mia and Gavin embark on a series of “experiments” to spark a little creativity—but they are not prepared for the flame that ignites between them. Does their friendship even stand a chance when pure fantasy suddenly becomes a little too real?”

🌳 My Thoughts 🌳
The friends-to-lovers trope has to be one of my favorite romance tropes there is. But, as Mia and Gavin saw for themselves, it can be a messy situation when something as great as friendship is at stake.

Mia and Gavin’s friendship was the best. They were practically made for each other, but me and Gavin were so ready for him and Mia to take their relationship to the next level. Mia…not so much. 😅

Gavin was a sweetheart. 😍 He was my favorite character, and I enjoyed his point-of-view a lot. Mia was awesome, too, but her constantly being like “I don’t date friends, tee-hee, lol, but I don’t know. Gavin is low-key hot” kinda got on my nerves. I was practically screaming for her to open her eyes and see that Gavin wasn’t like her other boyfriends. But I understand her hesitancy. It’s hard to move on from painful experiences that leave you bandaging your heart alone. It isn’t easy, so I’ll cut her some slack because they were cute together and she eventually saw the light. 😉

This was a sweet story. The plot was intriguing, the writing was engaging and funny, and the ending was perfect. The character development was great and so was the romance. Chandra Blumberg is a fantastic writer, and I plan to read more of her books in the future!

I definitely recommend this book if you like he falls first, books about books, and forced proximity. ☺❤

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own. 🎧

[ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but it didn’t hit home for me. Mia annoyed me. Gavin was cute and how Mia didn’t see him showing his love to her made me want to just choke her out. This is the first time I’ve read from this author and I’d like to check out her other works, I just don’t think this one was for me.

Expected Release Date: 08/12/2025

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the early access. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cozy, sweet, and trope filled delight! 💕 This is a love letter to romance itself, packed with charm and mutual pining as Mia, a romance author, and Gavin, her longtime BFF, fake date their way straight into their feelings 🥹💘

Yes, the premise is a little over the top, but that’s half the fun! The book leans into the genre in such a flirty and self aware way. I adored their friendship and how much they both feared ruining it, even as the chemistry simmered between them. It’s soft, swoony, and the kind of romance that feels like a warm hug ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨ Tropes:
💞 Friends to lovers
📝 She’s a romance author
💌 He falls first
🏡 Forced proximity
💝Fake dating
📚 Meta romance vibes
🔥 Mutual pining

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an adorable book! Mia is a bestselling romance author who is having a case of writer's block while writing the final book in her series. Her BFF Gavin, who's had a crush on her for a long time, suggests they go on some dates to possibly spark some creativity. This was a light, fun, and swoon worthy read. I loved the characters, and watching their feelings towards each other grow as they went on these dates. Overall, just so cute!

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75- 3 ⭐️

About the book:
✨️ Best friends to lovers (no spice)
✨️ Scared to love, treasured friendship
✨️ Author main character
✨️ TEN YEARS of longing
✨️ Chosen family

This book centers around best friends- Mia and Gavin. Gavin likes Mia almost immediately, but unfortunately for Mia, she meets Gavin the day of a breakup. This breakup clouds her judgement FOR TEN YEARS.... because of this she feels like she and Gavin can never have anything more than friendship because "anything other than friends is too risky".

This book had some cute moments, but here's my issue: Mia admits later in the book that this breakup (where they were friends first) was with someone she didnt love and the relationship was very short. As a grown woman in her 30s, she let a short relationship that didnt work out stop her from giving Gavin a chance for the next 10 years. That was hard to believe because over that decade was there was no emotional work or character growth?

The second half of the book was a little repetitive in Mia's mindset and her inability to see anything other than friendship (or that the characters she was writing were a direct reflection of her + Gavin) was pretty frustrating.

I liked Gavin but Im not sure he felt fleshed out as a character. His whole identity was plant man + bestie. He let Mia kind of walk all over him and blamed it on "friendship", apologizing for speaking his mind and being true to his feelings just because it made her have to confront hers. Honestly, Gavin deserved more!

Overall, it was hard to emotionally connect to the characters. While closed door romances are completely fine, I think this book had a missed opportunity for the characters to connect physically (in ANY way other than a simple kiss) because there was a lot of longing (10 years of it lol) but no real reader pay off. Also, we spent a lot of time talking about if Gavin was going to take over his family's farm, but he never actually told Mia he was staying? Did I miss that?!

This book had interesting concepts of a plan, but the execution just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Rachii Reads ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super cute read and I felt that the premise was pretty original and made for a fun time. Something about the story started to drag for me around the 60-70% mark and I struggled to get through that portion of the story - it just didn’t hold my attention. The narrators were great, though, and kept me going!

[AJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

I... did not like this book. It was honestly forgettable; I forgot I had to write a review on it. It's also a closed door romance, which is fine, but if I'm reading about two thirty year olds falling in love and there's no payoff from sexual tension, it kind of kills it for me. Bro, they didn't even CUDDLE.

I feel like the writing was fine, the characters fleshed out and not 2D. However Mia, the FMC, started getting annoying in the last 1/3rd of the book. Gavin is literally pouring his heart out for her, and she just keeps freaking out because "love is chaos". I totally understand her hesitation, but to have this level of anxiety because a guy you dated for a couple months (if that) was actually into your sister TEN YEARS AGO is kind of outlandish. Mia even admits she was never in love with him. So her reasons for being afraid of love didn't make sense to me.

This book just wasn't for me, but I'm sure it has an audience that loves it.

[Ashley (my.bookish.chapter) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself struggling to connect to the characters in this book. When it boils down to it, I think that the timeframe of the story from beginning to end was somewhat unrealistic and had me disconnecting. Years of pining after someone without communicating it? Not noticing that someone cares for you and all the ways they show it until the end? And at their age, especially towards the end? It just didn’t fit for me.

I appreciated all the references to various popular book tropes! That was a fun addition to the story, but did start to feel a little repetitive by the end of the story. Maybe my age has me a little more jaded than readers in their early 20s? 🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s a decent, cute story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chandra Blumberg for the advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was just okay for me! i found it similar to her last book in that i enjoyed it but i wasn’t totally in love w it. it was cool

thank you netgalley & harlequin audio for this arc!

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute romance! I don’t usually gravitate toward friends-to-lovers, but this one was done really well—it totally won me over. I read and listened to this one, and the audiobook narration was so well done. I really think audiobooks make rom-coms even more fun, and this one was no exception. The story made me smile so many times and gave me all the warm, feel-good vibes. If you’re looking for a sweet, heartwarming read, definitely give this one a try!
Thanks to Harlequin Audio and Canary Street press for the gifted ALC and ARC.

[Katy Fann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book so much!! I loved both the MCs and felt so connected to them throughout the story. The journeys they went on together and in their own lives was so beautiful. I also really enjoy the narration for the audiobook.

Huge thanks to Harlequin for sending a physical and audiobook ARC for me to read ahead of release.

[Rosio · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great love story! I loved the characters. How great it is to show you can be best friends and in love at the same time.

[Amanda Nieman · Rating 5 out of 5]

friends to lovers has always been a favorite trope of mine, and this book didn’t disappoint. it’s a unique, engaging spin on the trope and had me smiling all throughout reading it! definitely would read again in the future.

[Teneisha (Teesbookjourney) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had such a good time with Love is an Open Book. It’s clever, warm, and brimming with that friends-to-lovers tension that begs you to keep turning pages. Chandra Blumberg has a knack for capturing those small, vulnerable moments that make you root hard for the characters—not just to fall in Love, but to get each other.
Mia was relatable in the best way: stuck, frustrated, second-guessing herself… basically, human. Her writer’s block was more than just a plot device—it felt real and heavy, especially when paired with the pressure of fan expectations. And Gavin? Total softie in the best way. Loyal, patient, emotionally intelligent—a unicorn of a man, honestly. Their chemistry felt natural, and their banter had me smiling more than once.
I especially loved how this take on friends-to-lovers didn’t fall into the tired trope of one person being hopelessly in Love while the other is completely oblivious. Nope—both Mia and Gavin clearly cared for each other, and past heartbreak and bad timing kept them in the friend zone. It made their journey feel earned and their emotional walls more compelling.
The “romance tropes as experiments” setup was fun, especially for someone who devours romance like me. There’s something meta about watching two people knowingly fall into cliché and still getting swept away by the feelings. The story occasionally leaned heavily on the tropes rather than digging into the deeper emotional stakes. Still, even when things got predictable, the characters carried it through with heart.
This one’s a cozy, proper treat with a bright, emotional core—worth curling up with.

[Julia Boitsova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, in this life, I don’t have enough time to read books I don’t enjoy. I understand that it’s a sweet story with charming characters who poke fun at popular romantic tropes. But, gosh, it was so boring. Sorry, author.

[Jaclyn Brill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Canary Street Press for my eARC!

I liked the idea and loved how sweet Gavin was, but it was hard for me to see mid 30s mcs when they felt to me like they were just out of high school / in college. I felt like it could have even maybe pushed towards YA minus the short romance scenes. Thankful to have read, but probably won’t push on for future readers.

[Cassidy W · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Chandra Blumberg for the ARC.
Mia and Gavin the definition of friends-to-lovers trope. I adored their story so much, the way that their love was written and how it came to life from friends to something more. It was cleaver, witty and the banter. Mia learned a big part with her life to move through obstacles and how to open up her heart from the past. She always had Gavin by her side to lean on when something went wrong, she’s always second-guessing herself when it comes to love and wants to protect her heart. Gavin is the definition of loyal best friend, a total softie and is there for Mia all the time. They know each other and they are in sync with one. When Mia gets writers block for her upcoming novel the idea of trope testing is grown out there and who better else to do it with her then her best friend Gavin, together they test out different tropes to try and help Mia get out of a funk. The lines get a little blurry somewhere along the way. Chandra really wrote a beautiful story and I am happy I got to read it, I loved the writing style and the characters.

[Deanna Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was extremely cute read about two friends who’ve been friends forever but are interested in more. It’s a trope-y on purpose book which is adorable but also obviously, quite predictable, which is why I think it didn’t give me that wow factor.

It took me awhile to get into it. I think I really struggle reading first person povs, and more expository writing - some of it just felt unnecessary. However I really did come to adore Gavin mostly. Mia and her emotions got annoying. Like GIRL, he’s head over heels for you. The conflict was believable at least, but again, pretty predictable. Still very happy for the characters and I think there’s no surprise there is a happy ever after (because obviously).

Cute dialogue with some really funny parts that made me smile. It’s wild that there was so much talk about Wisconsin - so fun to read about where you live.

Overall I’d say it’s more like a 3.5 - it was worth reading but not gonna be something I think about at all after reading. Extra points for having a non-white main character.

Thank you NetGalley, Chandra Blumberg and Harlequin Trade Publishers for an ARC of the book.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC Copy!

—
I finally finished this!! Ouff where do I start I think the beginning and ending felt really slow, but it’s the middle that enticed me and got my attention the most!

Honestly Mia, was kind of annoying and her arguments lowkey didn’t make sense, especially when Gavin was being a perfect MMC. Looking back at this I think 10 years of non-platonic friendship is insane as grown adults, I would’ve definitely changed that cuz I felt the author was trying to prove that they’ve been friends for so long instead of showing us :/

[Melissa Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book! Predictable but intriguing. A book about books, gotta love it!

[Sav · Rating 4 out of 5]

A secondary name for this book should be Trope City. There are tropes on tropes on tropes within tropes and on top of tropes!

Our fmc is a force to contend with. She is an organized, type-A, (accidental) plant-killer, hates change kind of woman. So when she's stuck in writer's block and forced to try her hand at something new in the hopes of rekindling her faith in the friends to lovers trope, she turns to her best friend—the person she relies on the most in the world.

The extremes Mia goes through to write her book are comical, her heart guarded against falling in love. It makes it all the more fulfilling when her guard starts to slip.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves tropes, loves angst and pining, and is looking for a cinnamon roll mmc to add to their book boyfriend list.

thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book, and I am giving it a 4.25. Now admittedly the friends to lover's trope is one I am lukewarm about so why did I choose a book that centers around that trope well it just sounded so cute, and I loved the idea of a romance author having trouble with romance I think it's called is the books on book trope. Now this trope is HEAVELY featured in the book with the MCs as well as within the book the author is writing as well. Now while this didn't convert me to a huge lover of this trope, I still found it to be a really adorable book, and I loved Mia and Gavin.

When it comes to Mia, she was just a really fun character who is struggling with her next book because these are characters that at the start she may have wanted to get together but due to her own experience with her friend turned boyfriend who it turns out was actually interested in her sister turns her off to the whole friends to lover's experience. So, now she doesn't think it possible for friends to really become lovers, and it doesn't think it's worth putting what could be lifelong friendships at risk for romance that might not last. So with her experiences it's understandable why she is so resistant to this and why she would be so protective of her friendship with Gavin because they are just so in sync that she would rather have him in her life as a friend than possibly lose him if they cross over into romance territory. With Gavin while he doesn't have the same reservations, but he too would rather have her in his life as a friend than lose her forever. He was just a total softie all around but especially when it came to her and he is just quietly pining for her, and I just loved seeing them take care of one another. Which is why when she has writers block for her next book who does she turn to for help but Gavin of course. What she comes up with is that to break her out of her rut they need to test out different romance tropes together. This puts them in new situations where lines become so blurred that feelings start emerging. With these emerging feelings comes the rise in even more pining as well as tension as to whether or not they will transition from friends to lovers. It was all that tension, and the will they, won't they combine with the interfering friends, the banter and just great characters who also show how human they are with their vulnerabilities that made this book such a fun, flirty and heartwarming story.

Now as much as I enjoyed the experience, I will say the middle did dip a little for me, but I loved how it started and ended.

---------

This book is about Mia never imagined her books becoming bestseller let alone being turned into a hugely popular TV show. So popular everyone is clamoring and pushing for her to write the final book as soon as possible so that it can go into production. But the fans are not pushing for a story of the main couple but rather for the lifelong friends to take the next step into a relationship. The issue is that based on Mia's own heartbreak she doesn't really believe in the friends to lovers' trope and can't think of a way to make it work and it has given her writer's block. But when her best friend Gavin who has been by her side through everything and is her ride or die comes up with an idea to test out tried and true love story tropes to give her inspiration and that they should act them out together. Now they are going out on "dates" trying out different tropes ranging from workplace romance, forced proximity and fish out of water but the lines are starting to get blurred and feelings that were suppressed are now starting to burn hot between the two of them. But can their friendship survive these growing feelings, or will they be putting their friendship at risk when the fantasy becomes a little too real.

I received and ARC copy from netgalley/HTP in exchange for an honest review.

[Cee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a soft, sparkling ode to romance tropes and the power of choosing love—again and again. It's warm, self-aware, and sweet in a way that sneaks up on you, like your BFF casually ruining your emotional stability by being the one.

🏷️ Tropes You’ll Find:
💞 Friends to Lovers
📝 She’s a Romance Author
💌 He Falls First
🏡 Forced Proximity
💝 Fake Dating
📚 Meta Romance Vibes
🔥 Mutual Pining

Blush Meter 💖💖💖/ 5
This one's mostly closed-door but emotionally intimate in all the right ways. It simmers with slow-burn tension, loaded glances, and yearning touches. It’s a warm mug of feelings rather than a shot of spice—and sometimes, that’s exactly what your heart needs.

🌟 TAK Girlie Rating: ★★★★☆
This is the kind of story that wraps you up like your favorite blanket. Four solid stars for its clever premise, emotionally intelligent leads, and the way it lovingly pokes fun at the genre while delivering on every promise. It loses a little momentum toward the middle when the tropes do a bit of the heavy lifting, but the heart always comes through.


I had such a good time with Love Is an Open Book. It’s cozy, clever, and brimming with that best friends-to-lovers tension that begs you to keep flipping pages. Chandra Blumberg absolutely gets the assignment when it comes to romance readers—especially those of us who dog-ear pages and yell at characters to “just talk already! just kiss please!”

Mia, a romance author battling creative burnout, felt deeply relatable. Her self-doubt was palpable, especially in the face of publishing pressure, and her vulnerability gave the story a grounded emotional weight. She’s stuck in a way that feels real—not just creatively, but emotionally. And Gavin? A cinnamon roll disguised as a man. Steady, kind, insightful… the kind of love interest who listens and remembers and isn’t afraid of feelings. An actual unicorn.

What I especially loved was how the Chandra handled the “friends-to-lovers” arc. There wasn’t a sense of imbalance where one character was clueless while the other pined. Instead, it felt mutual and messy in the most honest way—two people circling each other for years, both scared to say too much and lose what they already had. That slow shift into something more was deeply satisfying.

Also, the meta romance vibes? A whole treat. Watching two characters essentially go through classic romance tropes while trying to deny their feelings? Peak content. It leaned into the genre with a wink, but never lost sight of the emotional stakes. And even though some moments felt a little predictable, the story still delivered on charm and sincerity.

💝 Final Thoughts:
If you’re the kind of reader who dog-ears your favorite slow-burn moments or squeals when a book mentions fake dating, this one will feel like home. It's smart, heartfelt, and wears its love for the genre on its sleeve. And while it doesn't reinvent the trope wheel, it spins it with intention—and heart.

For Fans Of:

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan

[Kaitlynd · Rating 5 out of 5]

My. Heart. 🤭

Love is an Open Book follows Mia and Gavin, best friends who meet in college under interesting circumstances. After some light (not so) breaking and entering and the exchange of a plant and a manuscript, the two become inseparable. We meet them again ten years later to find Mia landing her dream career as a best selling author suffering from writer’s block and Gavin… well Gavin is pining after his best friend of a decade with no seeable way out of the friend zone. Until he finds himself doing the unthinkable by suggesting he and Mia fake date to inspire her writing and hopefully get out of this major slump—you know, for the plot 😂

In this book we get a summer of laughs, tension, and almost every trope imaginable as we follow two friends grappling with whether or not this plan will make or break their friendship.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I find myself kicking my feet and giggling 🤭 I don’t normally like best friends to lovers tropes, but Chandra Blumberg really had a way with making it fun and engaging.

I’m not gonna lie, parts of the book had me stressed. There are some elements of miscommunication that had me screaming at the characters wishing they’d just talk, but it was necessary to the plot. I would have loved to dive a bit deeper into their wounds, more specifically Mia’s. We know why she feels the way she does, but giving us more depth would have really sealed the deal. Lastly, I can’t decide how I feel about how meta the book got. Mia is writing a friends to lovers story as we’re reading about two friends on their journey to love. The irony is heavy, but I see how it was used to help Mia process her own love life and lead her to face relinquishing control and learning that you can plot out incredible books and storylines, but that doesn’t translate well to the real world.

Overall, I had a great time with this book and honestly wouldn’t change a thing about it!

Love is an Open Book is for those looking for a cozy, no spice, friends to lovers book embedded with tropes, humor, pining plant daddy’s, and a good time! I will definitely be recommending this book to a few friends!

Thank you Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for this fun arc!

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC!

Love is an Open Book is a friends to lovers tale about Mia, a popular romance author, and Gavin, a lover of trees.

The premise of the book is pretty generic: two best friends fake date by testing out book tropes for Mia’s new romance and of course fall in love.

The development of the love story was paced very weird in my opinion. We start the story with how Mia and Gavin meet, and then we jump 10 years into the future where they’re already inseparable best friends crushing (secretly) on each other. This felt very odd, as usually you want to either see the characters’ friendship develop prior to the love story occurring, or have the friendship fully established and scripted in the text. This book was missing both of those, and so their friendship did not feel believable. I wanted more of their friendship prior to the talks of feelings to see the true friends to lovers story develop.

The author did a good job of building tension between the characters, but then she abruptly cut the tension off. The scene of their first kiss needed more angst, more tension, as the buildup makes the reader anticipate it. It felt rushed instead of a culmination of the buildup the author had worked to develop.

While the story summary is about the characters exploring book tropes, it got to be too much in the story. You had the book tropes the characters were experiencing (unknowingly) as well as the tropes they were experiencing to develop the story for Mia’s romance novel. It was too much, and felt immature.

Finally, the characters were not memorable and needed more development. I liked Gavin, but he was very 2-dimensional. I will not remember him after this book. I disliked Mia for a good portion of the book, although she did have a slight character arc by the end. Overall the characters and their story were forgettable, and that’s not what you want for a romance novel.

[ShelfLoveWithDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟
🚨Warning: This book contains the infamous miscommunication trope! I just learned that's my least favorite trope - can't these people just talk to each other?Mia and her love interest are friends, so you'd think they'd be able to communicate their feelings without all the drama. But nope! Mia's got it bad, saying,'I want you, but not like this, not with risk and ruin. Um, what? And then there's him, all 'I want you, but I won't settle, and we can't go back to being friends. Mia's response? "See, this is all love is good for - tearing people apart!' Girl, he's got feelings for you! So frustrating... but worth it! I devoured this read in about a day and a half and enjoyed every minute of it.

Narration:
I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator's voice - she nailed the character differentiation, adding just the right amount of fun and sass to bring Mia's personality to life. The male narrator took a bit longer to grow on me, initially coming across as too prim and proper for Gavin's character. But as the story progressed, I realized this was a deliberate choice to highlight their cultural differences while also showcasing their shared humanity beyond ethnicity.


There's just something about books that celebrate book lovers that just resonate with me. This one was beautifully written, with a steady pace that kept me hooked. It's not a deep, complex story - just a sweet tale of two friends who realize their feelings for each other. I had a blast reading it, and I'd definitely pick it up again. In fact, I'd love to add it to my physical library! Thanks to Netgalley for the audio, an ARC copy of Love is an Open Book. I'm excited to read more from this author in the future!

[Kassandra Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this gifted ALC copy in return for my honest review!

Love Is an Open Book started off so promising for me. I loved the setup with our FMC Mia, a bestselling romance author struggling with writer’s block, who decides to “test out” different romance tropes with her best friend Gavin (who, of course, has secretly been in love with her for years). Her best selling novels are being turned into tv shows and she only a set amount of town to finish book four, before the writers create the show and she can finish out the characters story.

The first 60% was really fun and creative, with all the trope role-playing (forced proximity, workplace romance, even a bit of fake dating energy) and plenty of sweet moments. Friends-to-lovers and he-fell-first are some of my favorite tropes, so I was hooked early on.

But as the story went on, I felt like it lost some of its spark. Mia’s emotional hesitancy started to drag, and I never fully connected with the characters on a deeper level. Gavin was easy to root for, but I struggled a bit more with Mia’s side of things. By the end, I wanted more emotional payoff than I got.

It’s also very much a closed-door romance, sweet and wholesome, but with no spice on the page, so if you prefer a steamier read, this might not hit the mark. Overall, I’d call it a cute, trope-filled romcom that starts strong but fizzled a bit for me toward the end.

[Lyndi (mibookobsession) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia and Teddy had been close friends before trying for more, but after his confession that he was more attracted to her sister, their relationship and friendship fell apart. And that was the night she met Teddy's roommate Gavin. While consoling her over her heartbreak, he somehow falls for her himself, but if friendship is all she's willing to give he'll take it. Nine years later Mia is a famous author with a tv series based on her books. The final season is supposed to be based on two best friend characters finally giving in to love, but no matter what she does, the story just won't come. Gavin suggests fake dating and testing out some other tropes to give her ideas, but once she starts to look at him as potential dating material, even if it is fake, she can't turn back. Maybe friends can become lovers with an HEA.
Gavin is the loyal protective best friend every girl should have, but he's an even better boyfriend. His secret pining for years was hard to read and I'm so glad this golden retriever softie got his HEA with the woman of his dreams!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet contemporary about a romance author who's convinced that dating a friend will never work out in the long run and her landscaper best friend who's been down bad for her since the moment they first crossed paths. I really liked the overall premise of this one, with Gavin stepping in to help Mia overcome her writer's block by acting out different romantic tropes with her, but I kind of wished there were more trope scenarios for them peppered throughout the story and that their friends-to-lovers arc was more of an overall slow-burn in terms of pacing. At times, it felt like these two already had a built-in attraction to each other and there was very little stopping them from taking the plunge, so their emotional hangups (Mia's fear of commitment and Gavin's repressed feelings) became somewhat repetitive to read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.