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We Can't Be Friends
A fake dating x roommates to lovers slow burn romance.
Callum Sullivan is the definition of all smiles: cool, calm, and collected.
Leaving London for the Chicago opening of Hayes Hotels, Callum is desperate to continue being the person everyone expects him to be—a beloved son and brother, the chief finance officer of his best friend’s hotel empire—except when it comes to love. He’s sworn off it till his mother gives him an ultimatum.
Chloe Henry is the opposite: messy, loud, and overprotective.
Nine years ago, Chloe’s life changed, and not for the better. Leaving home for Chicago, she rooted herself into a picture-perfect life—an impressive job, great friends, and the cutest dog. Years later, that life is cracking.
Stumbling into each other’s life is merely on the foundation of being friends of friends. Or so they thought. As an undeniable friendship and attraction strikes between the two, they find themselves both in need when Chloe’s apartment floods. Callum takes her in on one condition, be his fake girlfriend.
Realizing they are more alike than anyone would know, slowly they uncover the person they’ve shielded everyone else from—the truth of secrets they’ve buried and pasts they both are running from.
As the outline of their friendship blurs, can their relationship stretch past the hurt they keep? Or will they both agree that they can’t be friends?
Callum Sullivan is the definition of all smiles: cool, calm, and collected.
Leaving London for the Chicago opening of Hayes Hotels, Callum is desperate to continue being the person everyone expects him to be—a beloved son and brother, the chief finance officer of his best friend’s hotel empire—except when it comes to love. He’s sworn off it till his mother gives him an ultimatum.
Chloe Henry is the opposite: messy, loud, and overprotective.
Nine years ago, Chloe’s life changed, and not for the better. Leaving home for Chicago, she rooted herself into a picture-perfect life—an impressive job, great friends, and the cutest dog. Years later, that life is cracking.
Stumbling into each other’s life is merely on the foundation of being friends of friends. Or so they thought. As an undeniable friendship and attraction strikes between the two, they find themselves both in need when Chloe’s apartment floods. Callum takes her in on one condition, be his fake girlfriend.
Realizing they are more alike than anyone would know, slowly they uncover the person they’ve shielded everyone else from—the truth of secrets they’ve buried and pasts they both are running from.
As the outline of their friendship blurs, can their relationship stretch past the hurt they keep? Or will they both agree that they can’t be friends?
449 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 11, 2025
213 people are currently reading
2085 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Hamrick
3 books96 followersHannah Hamrick is a romantic at heart who believes everyone has their own happy ever after. She writes swoon and giggle-worthy romance novels. A Midwest girl at heart, she lives in North Carolina with her own Summertime Friend and two fur children, Barrett and Archie. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her with a book in hand, traveling, or watching reruns of Survivor. Current vibes include indulging in Diet Coke, laying in the grass with her dogs, and uncoordinated dance moves to Taylor Swift. To stay current on Hannah’s upcoming books, connect with her on social media, @authorhannahhamrick.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
July 28, 2025
5/5 🙈💞 !!!!UPDATED REVIEW, pls read!!!
I PUT THE CHAPTERS WITH SPICE UP
YES.YES.YES OMG. WHY ARE THE RATINGS LOW?
AN ACTUAL SLOW BURN
HE COOKS FOR HER
SECRET TATTOOS
THEY COMFORT EACH OTHER SO WELL
TAKE CARE OF EACHOTHER, TOOK CARE OF EACHOTHERS TRAUMA
HE ANNOTATES BOOKS FOR HER
HER APARTMENT FLOODED AND HE LET HER STAY IN HIS APARTMENT AND GOT RID OF EVERY SINGLE THING WITH GLUTEN (she cant have gluten) EVEN THO SHE WAS ONLY PLANNING TO STAY FOR A FEW DAYS, THEN SHE FOUND OUT IT WAS GONNA BE MONTHS.
IM ACTUALLY SATISFIED WITH THE ENDING.
I DONT SEE THEM EVER BREAKING UP.
JEALOUSLY SCENES BTW, IN BETWEEN BOTH.
Dual POV
Open door spice 😔
🌶😔 chapters
-Chapter 26- A quick kiss, the last page.
-Chapter 27- About the last 3 pages of Chloe's POV, this isn't them together, just about Callum
-Chapter 43- A kiss, in the last two pages.
- Chapter 44, theres 12 pages in that chapter and its when it goes into Callum's POV last six pages.
- Chapter 50- there's 11 pages in the that chapter, it starts from 5 ends at 9
- Chapter 52, a kiss on page 5 in that chapter.
-Chapter 53- there's 9 pages in that chapter, page 3 of the chapter there's a kiss, and then 5-9 is spice.
-Chapter 59, theres 8 pages, last 2 pages
SIGH...
-Chapter 60, theres 7 pages, theres a kiss on page like 4 and 6
- just the second page of the epilogue
one of the things I didn't like is when callum said good girl 😭
✮ Characters
✮ - FMC- Chloe, He calls her dais,daisy.
✮ -MMC- Callum, she calls him Pretty Boy, or Cal.
☆ Side characters
☆- Seth, Red flag ex
☆- Emerson, Best friends to both
☆- Liam, Best Friends to both
Emerson and Liam have a separate book together, (Summertime friends)
☆- Tucker, Chloe's dog 🐕
☆- Aaron, Chloe's brother
☆- Miller, Chloe's twin brother
☆- Riley, Millers son.
☆- Audrey(I think that's the name?) Callum's sister.
Those I think are the important ones.
some of my favourite scenes.
1
When she was with Seth, at about begginng of the book, Liam, Emerson, Callum, and Chloe and Seth of course went out to dinner together, when the waitress asked what each of them wanted, Chloe was about to speak and Seth ordered for them, it wad pizza, it has gluten, which is something Chloe can't have, it's called celiac disease, Chloe was like "i cant have that" so she corrected the order to the waitress and and Seth changed it again, he said, "I don't care, just pick it off"
she didn't say anything,
BUT BUT BUT, Callum grabbed the waitress before she left and told her to change his order to gluten free. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH YESSSSSSSS
I might add to this later lol I am so lazy...
I PUT THE CHAPTERS WITH SPICE UP
YES.YES.YES OMG. WHY ARE THE RATINGS LOW?
AN ACTUAL SLOW BURN
HE COOKS FOR HER
SECRET TATTOOS
THEY COMFORT EACH OTHER SO WELL
TAKE CARE OF EACHOTHER, TOOK CARE OF EACHOTHERS TRAUMA
HE ANNOTATES BOOKS FOR HER
HER APARTMENT FLOODED AND HE LET HER STAY IN HIS APARTMENT AND GOT RID OF EVERY SINGLE THING WITH GLUTEN (she cant have gluten) EVEN THO SHE WAS ONLY PLANNING TO STAY FOR A FEW DAYS, THEN SHE FOUND OUT IT WAS GONNA BE MONTHS.
IM ACTUALLY SATISFIED WITH THE ENDING.
I DONT SEE THEM EVER BREAKING UP.
JEALOUSLY SCENES BTW, IN BETWEEN BOTH.
Dual POV
Open door spice 😔
🌶😔 chapters
-Chapter 26- A quick kiss, the last page.
-Chapter 27- About the last 3 pages of Chloe's POV, this isn't them together, just about Callum
-Chapter 43- A kiss, in the last two pages.
- Chapter 44, theres 12 pages in that chapter and its when it goes into Callum's POV last six pages.
- Chapter 50- there's 11 pages in the that chapter, it starts from 5 ends at 9
- Chapter 52, a kiss on page 5 in that chapter.
-Chapter 53- there's 9 pages in that chapter, page 3 of the chapter there's a kiss, and then 5-9 is spice.
-Chapter 59, theres 8 pages, last 2 pages
SIGH...
-Chapter 60, theres 7 pages, theres a kiss on page like 4 and 6
- just the second page of the epilogue
one of the things I didn't like is when callum said good girl 😭
✮ Characters
✮ - FMC- Chloe, He calls her dais,daisy.
✮ -MMC- Callum, she calls him Pretty Boy, or Cal.
☆ Side characters
☆- Seth, Red flag ex
☆- Emerson, Best friends to both
☆- Liam, Best Friends to both
Emerson and Liam have a separate book together, (Summertime friends)
☆- Tucker, Chloe's dog 🐕
☆- Aaron, Chloe's brother
☆- Miller, Chloe's twin brother
☆- Riley, Millers son.
☆- Audrey(I think that's the name?) Callum's sister.
Those I think are the important ones.
some of my favourite scenes.
1
When she was with Seth, at about begginng of the book, Liam, Emerson, Callum, and Chloe and Seth of course went out to dinner together, when the waitress asked what each of them wanted, Chloe was about to speak and Seth ordered for them, it wad pizza, it has gluten, which is something Chloe can't have, it's called celiac disease, Chloe was like "i cant have that" so she corrected the order to the waitress and and Seth changed it again, he said, "I don't care, just pick it off"
she didn't say anything,
BUT BUT BUT, Callum grabbed the waitress before she left and told her to change his order to gluten free. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH YESSSSSSSS
I might add to this later lol I am so lazy...
March 11, 2025
I hate to be that person but… no, just no.
1⭐️ is generous, and mostly for the fact that reading this book convinced me that some of the books I rated 4 or 5 stars were deserving of such high rating.
The blurb and list of tropes was interesting. As soon as I started reading, I already felt that it’s going to be 3⭐️ read. But when I got somewhere around 50% in, it was a downhill from there. I should have DNFed, it would have been a 3⭐️ from me, but because I cannot DNF (it’s my character flaw 🙄), I finished it and settled on barely 1 star.
I know I’m harsh and I hate to be that person but this book was just lacking in so many aspects.
If you take individual scenes or highlights - the writing seems good. But nothing was working here as a whole. It seemed to me like this book was not edited at all. There is no proper characters development, the scenes are not working with each other. There were a couple of interpunction or spelling errors and also the texts were not showing correctly neither in my e-reader nor on my phone (I had to switch between phone and e-reader and also change size of the text to be able to see all text messages or they were cut and not showing on the next page). It’s not a part of my rating, but nevertheless it was frustrating and showing that the last check/edit of the book file was not done properly.
I don’t really want to spend more time writing this review.
Individual sentences were ok, but it wasn’t working as a whole. There were so many tropes and micro tropes thrown in there but not ONE was properly developed. There was barely any fake dating. I still cannot pinpoint when Chloe actually agreed to the deal and when the fake dating started. There were oh so many scenes leading to something and then cut abruptly and not followed on the next page. This book simply lacks proper plot execution.
There were a lot of scenes that were irrelevant to the plot. And don’t get me started on the little bits about couple from book 1. This is not how you incorporate details about other couples into next book. I still wonder who the f is Natalie. It was supposed to be standalone, I read a lot of interconnected series so I know the drill, and here - it’s not how you write the other couples into the main couple’s book.
Check out my reading activity, if you want, I did some rambling and let some of my frustration there, but tbh I had waaay more to say while reading, just didn’t want to pick my phone and comment on every other page I read.
I read a lot. Some books are infinity starts, some are just fine, some are not the best but at least entertaining up to a point. This one just didn’t make sense and I felt too much like all the things that the author wanted to (or at least I guess what the author wanted to) do with the story were just ideas thrown into the story but not really thought through.
I didn’t feel a connection between… any of the characters. Just… so many things in this story made ZERO sense.
1⭐️ is generous, and mostly for the fact that reading this book convinced me that some of the books I rated 4 or 5 stars were deserving of such high rating.
The blurb and list of tropes was interesting. As soon as I started reading, I already felt that it’s going to be 3⭐️ read. But when I got somewhere around 50% in, it was a downhill from there. I should have DNFed, it would have been a 3⭐️ from me, but because I cannot DNF (it’s my character flaw 🙄), I finished it and settled on barely 1 star.
I know I’m harsh and I hate to be that person but this book was just lacking in so many aspects.
If you take individual scenes or highlights - the writing seems good. But nothing was working here as a whole. It seemed to me like this book was not edited at all. There is no proper characters development, the scenes are not working with each other. There were a couple of interpunction or spelling errors and also the texts were not showing correctly neither in my e-reader nor on my phone (I had to switch between phone and e-reader and also change size of the text to be able to see all text messages or they were cut and not showing on the next page). It’s not a part of my rating, but nevertheless it was frustrating and showing that the last check/edit of the book file was not done properly.
I don’t really want to spend more time writing this review.
Individual sentences were ok, but it wasn’t working as a whole. There were so many tropes and micro tropes thrown in there but not ONE was properly developed. There was barely any fake dating. I still cannot pinpoint when Chloe actually agreed to the deal and when the fake dating started. There were oh so many scenes leading to something and then cut abruptly and not followed on the next page. This book simply lacks proper plot execution.
There were a lot of scenes that were irrelevant to the plot. And don’t get me started on the little bits about couple from book 1. This is not how you incorporate details about other couples into next book. I still wonder who the f is Natalie. It was supposed to be standalone, I read a lot of interconnected series so I know the drill, and here - it’s not how you write the other couples into the main couple’s book.
Check out my reading activity, if you want, I did some rambling and let some of my frustration there, but tbh I had waaay more to say while reading, just didn’t want to pick my phone and comment on every other page I read.
I read a lot. Some books are infinity starts, some are just fine, some are not the best but at least entertaining up to a point. This one just didn’t make sense and I felt too much like all the things that the author wanted to (or at least I guess what the author wanted to) do with the story were just ideas thrown into the story but not really thought through.
I didn’t feel a connection between… any of the characters. Just… so many things in this story made ZERO sense.
March 8, 2025
4.5 🌟
You NEED to add this to your tbr. It was everything hoped it would be and more. Hannah Hamrick’s writing style brings you in and you feel like you know the characters. Their stories jump off the page and come to life. I couldn’t put this down and basically finished this in a day!
The FMC is strong, relatable, and learning to be vulnerable. The MMC is sweet, smart, and caring. The backward hat and thigh tats are just a bonus. 😍 Chloe and Callum both have baggage, and together they learn to heal themselves and each other. Everyone deserves someone to stand up for them like Chloe and someone to care for them like Callum. Chloe really struggles with her grief but it’s authentic and relatable 💜
This is more than a love story - it's about friendship and living with grief. It's about learning to value yourself without input from others. Letting yourself be seen and finding the light in the darkness, trusting it’ll lead you through. 💕 We Cant Be Friends is a beautifully done slow burn with a well deserved HEA. The angst and tension was fun to read, you know we love a London Boy 💕
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Congrats to Hannah on book 2!! We Can't be Friends officially releases March 11
Thanks to LoveNotes PR and Hannah Hamrick for giving me an advanced copy of We Can’t Be Friends. 🤍🤍🤍
You NEED to add this to your tbr. It was everything hoped it would be and more. Hannah Hamrick’s writing style brings you in and you feel like you know the characters. Their stories jump off the page and come to life. I couldn’t put this down and basically finished this in a day!
The FMC is strong, relatable, and learning to be vulnerable. The MMC is sweet, smart, and caring. The backward hat and thigh tats are just a bonus. 😍 Chloe and Callum both have baggage, and together they learn to heal themselves and each other. Everyone deserves someone to stand up for them like Chloe and someone to care for them like Callum. Chloe really struggles with her grief but it’s authentic and relatable 💜
This is more than a love story - it's about friendship and living with grief. It's about learning to value yourself without input from others. Letting yourself be seen and finding the light in the darkness, trusting it’ll lead you through. 💕 We Cant Be Friends is a beautifully done slow burn with a well deserved HEA. The angst and tension was fun to read, you know we love a London Boy 💕
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Congrats to Hannah on book 2!! We Can't be Friends officially releases March 11
Thanks to LoveNotes PR and Hannah Hamrick for giving me an advanced copy of We Can’t Be Friends. 🤍🤍🤍
March 15, 2025
I was looking forward to this one, especially given the synopsis and tropes! However, I found it unnecessarily long in places and the characters not always likable.
Thank you Love Notes PR for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you Love Notes PR for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 16, 2025
five freaking million stars i am so utterly in love w chloe and cal. hes just sooo and shes just soooooo AHHH
October 21, 2025
English version here, Dutch version below
4.25 🌟
Before I begin, I want to thank the author, Hannah Hamrick, for giving me this ARC.
Ever since I saw a reel on Instagram about it, I've been obsessed. I really enjoyed reading this. This was just the perfect mix of yearning, fluff, angst, and spice. I really liked how all the little details were incorporated into the story and how they're not pushed in your face, if you know what I mean. I recently read a book where they kept bringing up a certain shoe, and I loathed how it was done. For example, here with her work bag, it's mentioned just once what bag it specifically is, but the rest of the time when it's mentioned, it's just referred to as a work bag, not “the Louis Vuitton Neverfull in black.” Even when it was explicitly mentioned, it was just “black Neverfull I splurged.” It's just so nicely done.
Overall, I really liked this, and I'll definitely read more from this author because I'm obsessed!
Dutch version here
4.25 🌟
Voordat ik begin, wil ik de auteur, Hannah Hamrick, bedanken voor het toesturen van dit ARC-exemplaar.
Sinds ik een reel op Instagram over dit boek zag, ben ik helemaal geobsedeerd. Ik heb hier echt van genoten. Dit was gewoon de perfecte mix van verlangen, zoetheid, pijn en spanning. Ik vond het heel mooi hoe alle kleine details in het verhaal waren verwerkt en dat het niet te overdreven werd gebracht, als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel. Onlangs las ik een boek waarin een bepaald paar schoenen steeds weer werd genoemd, en ik vond dat ontzettend irritant. Hier bijvoorbeeld, met haar werktas: het wordt maar één keer vermeld wat voor tas het precies is, en de rest van de tijd wordt het gewoon haar werktas genoemd, niet “de zwarte Louis Vuitton Neverfull.” Zelfs toen het expliciet werd genoemd, stond er alleen “zwarte Neverfull waar ik te veel aan uitgaf.” Dat is gewoon zo netjes gedaan.
Over het algemeen vond ik dit echt een heel goed boek, en ik zal zeker meer van deze auteur lezen, want ik ben helemaal fan!
March 13, 2025
⛸️ ARC Review⛸️
💙Dual POV
💙Fake Dating
💙Roommates
💙Strangers to Friends to Lovers
💙Slow Burn (A true slow burn)
💙Mental Health Rep
💙Secret Tattoos
💙HEA
💙No 3rd act break-up
I don't even know where to begin.... This book wrecked me in the best ways. Hannah Hamrick has this way of pulling you into the story from the begining.
From the dedication alone I knew this book was going to wreck me and also heal me.
"To those who have experienced loss in any capacity. To those who feel as if they’ve lost their sparkle amid grief and heartbreak. To those who feel broken. We are our greatest project. Reflect. Redefine. Restart. But remember… this version of you is just as special."
As someone who has suffered from grief this book captured grief in such an amazing way. This book truly captured what it means to be lost to grief and to have someone who will love you unconditionally and walk with you through the storm no matter how dark it gets.
If you are someone who loves a true slow burn, rom-com with whitty banter & angst, fake dating, London boys (who doesn't love a London boy), found family you need to read this book. Not only is the relationship between the FMC & MMC incredible the relationship with the side characters is also amazing. You can truly feel that each character has an important role in this books and in the healing of the FMC & MMC.
Thank you Hannah Hamrick for writing such an amazing book that shines a light on grief and shows us that "Love doesn’t have to be loud. It doesn’t have to be public displays or social media worthy. It can be, but that’s not what I want anymore— I don’t think it’s ever been what she wants. Instead the love I have, the love I want is the quiet kind— seeing, knowing, understanding, trusting, encouraging." (Ch. 53)
I will be reading Summertime friends by Hannah Hamrick and am truly looking forward to her next book!
Thank you to the another Hannah Hamrick and lovenotes PR for granting me the honor of being a ARC reader for this book. 💗
💙Dual POV
💙Fake Dating
💙Roommates
💙Strangers to Friends to Lovers
💙Slow Burn (A true slow burn)
💙Mental Health Rep
💙Secret Tattoos
💙HEA
💙No 3rd act break-up
I don't even know where to begin.... This book wrecked me in the best ways. Hannah Hamrick has this way of pulling you into the story from the begining.
From the dedication alone I knew this book was going to wreck me and also heal me.
"To those who have experienced loss in any capacity. To those who feel as if they’ve lost their sparkle amid grief and heartbreak. To those who feel broken. We are our greatest project. Reflect. Redefine. Restart. But remember… this version of you is just as special."
As someone who has suffered from grief this book captured grief in such an amazing way. This book truly captured what it means to be lost to grief and to have someone who will love you unconditionally and walk with you through the storm no matter how dark it gets.
If you are someone who loves a true slow burn, rom-com with whitty banter & angst, fake dating, London boys (who doesn't love a London boy), found family you need to read this book. Not only is the relationship between the FMC & MMC incredible the relationship with the side characters is also amazing. You can truly feel that each character has an important role in this books and in the healing of the FMC & MMC.
Thank you Hannah Hamrick for writing such an amazing book that shines a light on grief and shows us that "Love doesn’t have to be loud. It doesn’t have to be public displays or social media worthy. It can be, but that’s not what I want anymore— I don’t think it’s ever been what she wants. Instead the love I have, the love I want is the quiet kind— seeing, knowing, understanding, trusting, encouraging." (Ch. 53)
I will be reading Summertime friends by Hannah Hamrick and am truly looking forward to her next book!
Thank you to the another Hannah Hamrick and lovenotes PR for granting me the honor of being a ARC reader for this book. 💗
March 18, 2025
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 3 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
i was really intrigued by this book and looking forward to it based on the description and the tropes mentioned. unfortunately some parts of the book felt unnecessary making the book too long for my liking. however, it was an okay read for me and it was still enjoyable!
˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to Love Notes PR and Hannah Hamrick for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
i was really intrigued by this book and looking forward to it based on the description and the tropes mentioned. unfortunately some parts of the book felt unnecessary making the book too long for my liking. however, it was an okay read for me and it was still enjoyable!
˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to Love Notes PR and Hannah Hamrick for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
March 11, 2025
⭐️1.5/5
Thank you love notes.pr for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was initially intrigued because I do love fake dating and forced proximity. Chloe needs a place to stay when her apartment floods and Callum needs a fake girlfriend to stop his mom from setting him up on dates. Should be a recipe for a cute romcom.
But this was just not it for me. There were a few fundamental things about the writing and inaccuracies that I could just not get over. And I apologize in advance that I get quite critical in this one.
In the beginning of the book the tense kept switching from present simple tense to present continuous tense and it was jarring.
The way some of the sentences were poorly structured and the whole time I was reading I rearranged them in my head to make sense. Again, took me out of the story.
There were a few inaccuracies that could have been fixed with a google search: such as using English slang terms in the wrong context, Callum calling his mom “mom” instead of “mum”, misquoting a She’s the Man reference.
And the one that really irked me was saying that the FMC has an identical twin brother. Boy/girl identical twins are so extremely rare and result in genetic mutations that typically give the male twin turner’s syndrome and the female twin Klinefelter syndrome.
I don’t expect books to be perfect and obviously authors take liberties with info for the sake of the plot. But again, inaccuracies like above are just frustrating and take away from the story and make it feel not well researched or planned out.
I wish I could say that the writing issues were all I didn’t like but I also didn’t understand some of the choices characters made and it was obvious it was done for plot and not because the character would do it or even a real person would.
The story involving Chloe’s traumatic event felt glossed over. Almost no time was spent on that healing journey. Meeting a man that loves you doesn’t magically make that trauma disappear.
Truthfully, the book felt like a first draft and definitely needs some extra polishing and editing. I feel bad for getting so critical in this review but I just couldn’t not be honest about it. I’m sure there are some people that can look past a lot of the issues I had with it and enjoy it!
Thank you love notes.pr for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was initially intrigued because I do love fake dating and forced proximity. Chloe needs a place to stay when her apartment floods and Callum needs a fake girlfriend to stop his mom from setting him up on dates. Should be a recipe for a cute romcom.
But this was just not it for me. There were a few fundamental things about the writing and inaccuracies that I could just not get over. And I apologize in advance that I get quite critical in this one.
In the beginning of the book the tense kept switching from present simple tense to present continuous tense and it was jarring.
The way some of the sentences were poorly structured and the whole time I was reading I rearranged them in my head to make sense. Again, took me out of the story.
There were a few inaccuracies that could have been fixed with a google search: such as using English slang terms in the wrong context, Callum calling his mom “mom” instead of “mum”, misquoting a She’s the Man reference.
And the one that really irked me was saying that the FMC has an identical twin brother. Boy/girl identical twins are so extremely rare and result in genetic mutations that typically give the male twin turner’s syndrome and the female twin Klinefelter syndrome.
I don’t expect books to be perfect and obviously authors take liberties with info for the sake of the plot. But again, inaccuracies like above are just frustrating and take away from the story and make it feel not well researched or planned out.
I wish I could say that the writing issues were all I didn’t like but I also didn’t understand some of the choices characters made and it was obvious it was done for plot and not because the character would do it or even a real person would.
The story involving Chloe’s traumatic event felt glossed over. Almost no time was spent on that healing journey. Meeting a man that loves you doesn’t magically make that trauma disappear.
Truthfully, the book felt like a first draft and definitely needs some extra polishing and editing. I feel bad for getting so critical in this review but I just couldn’t not be honest about it. I’m sure there are some people that can look past a lot of the issues I had with it and enjoy it!
March 18, 2025
We can't be friends is a slow burn, fake dating, roommates, friends to lovers romance. It was so fun returning to the Close To You world in Cal and Chloe's story! After reading Summertime Friends it was so fun to follow the threads of Liam and Emme's story into this one. The Chicago setting and the found family friend group continued to shine in this story.
I really enjoyed Chole and Cal's friendship and how it evolved over time. Keep in mind this is an incredibly slow burn so a significant part of the story is the will they won't they of it all. Cal was my stand-out character, and I absolutely loved his demeanor and character. I am sure I will be thinking about him for a longggg time.
I really enjoyed Chole and Cal's friendship and how it evolved over time. Keep in mind this is an incredibly slow burn so a significant part of the story is the will they won't they of it all. Cal was my stand-out character, and I absolutely loved his demeanor and character. I am sure I will be thinking about him for a longggg time.
March 18, 2025
ARC READ!! ••• I couldn’t get enough of this book. The plot, the slow burn, everything was amazing. It’s one of my first romance reads and I am so glad it was! At parts the characters act somewhat unrealistic… And yes, the book is slow-paced (some sections being dragged out a little)… However, the tempo that it’s written at is fitting for building up tension. The dual POV is perfect. I love it.. Being able to read through both sides and what they think of each other is exciting. I’d recommend this story anyone who loves a good slow-burn, fake-dating, roommates to lovers book!
December 28, 2025
very cute story, that last part about cal wasnt really needed but very good
March 8, 2025
Hannah took every part of every romance I love and put it together beautifully, we get friends to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating and it’s a slow burn so we take our time watching Chloe and Callum fall in love.
I got this ARC without realizing it was the second book and I am immediately going back to grab Summertime Friends. The found family that we get to meet through this book wraps you up like a hug and I fell in love with every character, except for Seth, obvi.
The way that Chloe and Callum get each other through grief and big life events is what every looks for in a partner. They are such dynamic characters and so much growth happens throughout the chapters.
I love this group and can’t wait to go back to see Emma and Liam’s story and hoping for a Miller spin off in the future, or honestly anyone else I got to meet in this book.
I got this ARC without realizing it was the second book and I am immediately going back to grab Summertime Friends. The found family that we get to meet through this book wraps you up like a hug and I fell in love with every character, except for Seth, obvi.
The way that Chloe and Callum get each other through grief and big life events is what every looks for in a partner. They are such dynamic characters and so much growth happens throughout the chapters.
I love this group and can’t wait to go back to see Emma and Liam’s story and hoping for a Miller spin off in the future, or honestly anyone else I got to meet in this book.
March 10, 2025
“Just above his knee is a quote from his favorite book, Wurthington Heights, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.””
I was so excited to read this book, I know how much love and energy is put into writing books and I think this one can get there, but this one felt like it was 75% done and needed a few more edits and eyes on the plot.
There were several sentences missing words, passages that I had to read, re-read, and read again to follow what was going on. Several chapters ended abruptly and I had to go back and try to figure out what happened because I was lost. The plot had a ton of holes - the stress about cleaning when Cal and Audrey were preparing for their mom’s visit, and the scene was set for a big event and then that was it. It was also mentioned that Chloe was an identical twin with her brother; identical twins can’t be the same gender.
This story has great bones, excellent characters, but it feels sloppy and it needs more work to get the polish that’s expected with a novel. Similar to the prequel, Hamrick touches on trauma and the healing process and for the level of trauma she’s introduced one with her characters, she needs to spend significant more time on the healing journey. With the level of trauma that’s introduced, it’s not a quick check in with the traumatized and “poof” you’re healed.
The other part that I was frustrated with was the lead up to Aaron’s death. The flashing in and out felt overly dramatic and the actual death felt off. I was following where Hamrick was going but the reality of the situation and Chloe’s level of “trauma” from it, didn’t make sense. Maybe if she was the driver, maybe if she was crossing the street running to Aaron, maybe if there was some other distraction. But it felt forced.
Hamrick mentions Magnolia Parks a couple times, and I kept getting the feeling she was trying to emulate parts of Magnolia and Daisy. Their voices and Hasting’s writing style is distinct, and the snippets felt inauthentic to Chloe and Callum’a story and the voices that Hamrick was developing.
Overall, I know this is a very critical review, and I hope Hamrick and team take another pass at this story to give it the polish it deserves. The bones are there, the plot is forming, but it needs more work, and I’d love to see Hamrick be successful with it.
I was so excited to read this book, I know how much love and energy is put into writing books and I think this one can get there, but this one felt like it was 75% done and needed a few more edits and eyes on the plot.
There were several sentences missing words, passages that I had to read, re-read, and read again to follow what was going on. Several chapters ended abruptly and I had to go back and try to figure out what happened because I was lost. The plot had a ton of holes - the stress about cleaning when Cal and Audrey were preparing for their mom’s visit, and the scene was set for a big event and then that was it. It was also mentioned that Chloe was an identical twin with her brother; identical twins can’t be the same gender.
This story has great bones, excellent characters, but it feels sloppy and it needs more work to get the polish that’s expected with a novel. Similar to the prequel, Hamrick touches on trauma and the healing process and for the level of trauma she’s introduced one with her characters, she needs to spend significant more time on the healing journey. With the level of trauma that’s introduced, it’s not a quick check in with the traumatized and “poof” you’re healed.
The other part that I was frustrated with was the lead up to Aaron’s death. The flashing in and out felt overly dramatic and the actual death felt off. I was following where Hamrick was going but the reality of the situation and Chloe’s level of “trauma” from it, didn’t make sense. Maybe if she was the driver, maybe if she was crossing the street running to Aaron, maybe if there was some other distraction. But it felt forced.
Hamrick mentions Magnolia Parks a couple times, and I kept getting the feeling she was trying to emulate parts of Magnolia and Daisy. Their voices and Hasting’s writing style is distinct, and the snippets felt inauthentic to Chloe and Callum’a story and the voices that Hamrick was developing.
Overall, I know this is a very critical review, and I hope Hamrick and team take another pass at this story to give it the polish it deserves. The bones are there, the plot is forming, but it needs more work, and I’d love to see Hamrick be successful with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2025
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know Summertime Friends was my top read last year, which made this my most anticipated release—and it was absolutely worth the wait!
This book has so many layers. Not only do we get to see Chloe and Callum develop a beautiful friendship, but we also get to follow their journey of falling in love and realizing they deserve that love. On top of that, both characters are navigating grief and figuring out their place in the world, which adds so much emotional depth.
Chloe and Callum both hide a lot of their pain from the world, but they couldn’t hide it from each other. I loved how they never let the other forget that. They were always there to remind each other that while it might be acceptable to put up walls with everyone else, with each other, they had to be real. All of their cute little moments at home had me smiling from ear to ear, especially Chloe getting Callum hooked on survivor lol
I loved that Callum called her “Daisy” and she called him “Pretty Boy.” And Callum’s thigh tattoos? A vision I didn’t know I needed, but thankfully, we got it! Chloe’s funny graphic tees were another highlight—they had me laughing every time. This is one of my favorite friend groups, so I was so glad we got to see them all together again.
As someone who considers their best friend their soulmate, one of my favorite scenes was when Emerson had to tell Chloe about London… I cried. Wanting to be happy for your friend finding love while also selfishly wanting to keep them to yourself? Very relatable. Also, George’s baby shower was everything I’m so glad he forced them to throw it —I loved getting more of Audrey too! The few times Natalie was mention I definitely was side eying her! Lol
It makes me sad to say this, but I think we might be done with our London boys since the next series is set in college. I’ll be impatiently waiting!
This book has so many layers. Not only do we get to see Chloe and Callum develop a beautiful friendship, but we also get to follow their journey of falling in love and realizing they deserve that love. On top of that, both characters are navigating grief and figuring out their place in the world, which adds so much emotional depth.
Chloe and Callum both hide a lot of their pain from the world, but they couldn’t hide it from each other. I loved how they never let the other forget that. They were always there to remind each other that while it might be acceptable to put up walls with everyone else, with each other, they had to be real. All of their cute little moments at home had me smiling from ear to ear, especially Chloe getting Callum hooked on survivor lol
I loved that Callum called her “Daisy” and she called him “Pretty Boy.” And Callum’s thigh tattoos? A vision I didn’t know I needed, but thankfully, we got it! Chloe’s funny graphic tees were another highlight—they had me laughing every time. This is one of my favorite friend groups, so I was so glad we got to see them all together again.
As someone who considers their best friend their soulmate, one of my favorite scenes was when Emerson had to tell Chloe about London… I cried. Wanting to be happy for your friend finding love while also selfishly wanting to keep them to yourself? Very relatable. Also, George’s baby shower was everything I’m so glad he forced them to throw it —I loved getting more of Audrey too! The few times Natalie was mention I definitely was side eying her! Lol
It makes me sad to say this, but I think we might be done with our London boys since the next series is set in college. I’ll be impatiently waiting!
July 8, 2025
ARC Review for Love Notes PR.
I almost DNF’d this book several times, including when I started the epilogue (but that was more a trope hating issue on my part). It took way too long to get to the connection from the prologue to the plot. The plot twist at almost 90% felt completely unnecessary (as did many other parts of the story). I felt like somethings were mentioned that could’ve been touched on again or explained better but weren’t (again unnecessary fluff). The way the MCs acted at times felt unrealistic just to add more conflict to the story. The idea was there but I just felt like it wasn’t executed well.
Remember that not every book is for every person and reading is not linear! Just because I didn't love it doesn't mean you won't!
I almost DNF’d this book several times, including when I started the epilogue (but that was more a trope hating issue on my part). It took way too long to get to the connection from the prologue to the plot. The plot twist at almost 90% felt completely unnecessary (as did many other parts of the story). I felt like somethings were mentioned that could’ve been touched on again or explained better but weren’t (again unnecessary fluff). The way the MCs acted at times felt unrealistic just to add more conflict to the story. The idea was there but I just felt like it wasn’t executed well.
Remember that not every book is for every person and reading is not linear! Just because I didn't love it doesn't mean you won't!
March 18, 2025
I want to start by thanking Love Notes PR for the arc. Going into this book, I really wanted to love it. The tropes the story builds upon are some of my favorites, so I thought loving it would be a no brainer. While I know I read the unfinished copy of the book, I felt that there were too many grammatical errors being made, which took me out of the book itself. I would be reading and all of sudden have to reread a sentence several times to figure out exactly what was supposed to be said because there was either a word missing or the structure was confusing. As for the story itself, I felt that the character's personalities were inconsistent, especially Chloe's. I think of myself as a black cat type, but it was kind of jarring to hear her say things like "I pick boys I know that I can kick to the curb" then somehow not have kicked Seth to the curb within the first two seconds of being around him. It made zero sense to me, and I just wasn't convinced that she felt anything for that man. I also think with grief being such a large part of her story that it could've been better explored. I think the readers would have benefitted from learning what happened sooner so that we could watch Chloe actually work through it all. I also happened to guess within the first 100 or so pages where that whole story was going, so dragging it out only frustrated me. The romance itself had it's moments, but I just found the story to drag without really developing their relationship in a substantial way. Just because a story is slow burn doesn't mean it needs to be nearly 500 pages with a lot that feels like filler moments to somehow build up a relationship that is destined to happen from page 1. Also what happened to her hating him? It felt like that got resolved too quickly as well for the length of the book. Overall, I felt the story itself was half-baked. There is a lot of potential here, but it felt like more editing and cutting was needed to really make this story shine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
This book was honestly a pleasant surprise. It's the first book I've read by this author, and I loved it so much that I already need to read the companion story—Emerson and Liam’s. But that’s not the point of this review, so let’s get to it.
Here we meet Chloe, a 29-year-old woman who’s grounded, independent, and real. Her job doesn’t exactly make her happy, but it gets the job done—it pays the bills. She lives a simple life with her adorable six-year-old Golden Retriever, Tucker, and is surrounded by amazing friends like her best friend Emerson, and her new friend Callum… who quickly becomes something much more.
Callum, our male lead, is 30 and one of the CTOs of a hotel company, along with his best friend Liam. He’s a character I really liked because, despite being a millionaire, that doesn’t mean he’s free from pain or emotional struggles. I really appreciated how the book emphasizes that money can’t fix everything—something that often gets overlooked in romance novels.
The story follows a really well-done Strangers to Friends to Lovers arc. There’s even a touch of Fake Dating, not central but enough to spice things up a bit. It’s a beautiful romance, but also a heavy one. There’s a fair amount of angst, especially surrounding Chloe’s past, which makes her feel incredibly real and relatable. It’s easy to empathize with her pain—and with Callum’s challenges too.
Around the 80% mark, there’s a plot twist that, to be honest, I didn’t feel was completely necessary. Still, I understand that it added important context and helped tie up parts of the characters’ backstories.
All in all, it was a beautiful, emotional, and well-crafted story. It pulled me in completely. I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author.
Here we meet Chloe, a 29-year-old woman who’s grounded, independent, and real. Her job doesn’t exactly make her happy, but it gets the job done—it pays the bills. She lives a simple life with her adorable six-year-old Golden Retriever, Tucker, and is surrounded by amazing friends like her best friend Emerson, and her new friend Callum… who quickly becomes something much more.
Callum, our male lead, is 30 and one of the CTOs of a hotel company, along with his best friend Liam. He’s a character I really liked because, despite being a millionaire, that doesn’t mean he’s free from pain or emotional struggles. I really appreciated how the book emphasizes that money can’t fix everything—something that often gets overlooked in romance novels.
The story follows a really well-done Strangers to Friends to Lovers arc. There’s even a touch of Fake Dating, not central but enough to spice things up a bit. It’s a beautiful romance, but also a heavy one. There’s a fair amount of angst, especially surrounding Chloe’s past, which makes her feel incredibly real and relatable. It’s easy to empathize with her pain—and with Callum’s challenges too.
Around the 80% mark, there’s a plot twist that, to be honest, I didn’t feel was completely necessary. Still, I understand that it added important context and helped tie up parts of the characters’ backstories.
All in all, it was a beautiful, emotional, and well-crafted story. It pulled me in completely. I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author.
March 7, 2025
⛸️ARC Review of "We Can't Be Friends" by @authorhannahhamrick 💙
⛸️ Fake dating
🩵 Dual pov
⛸️ Slow burn
🩵 Roommates
⛸️ Mental health Rep
🩵 Secret tattoos
4.2/5 ⭐ 3/5 🌶️ 4.2/5 🩷
The truth is that I don't know where to start, the book touches on themes of grief and loss, but also healing and finding love and it has been nice to read.
Callum is not a man, he is THE MAN, such a beautiful man that you read and say "Awww" and I have fallen in love, of course reading Chloe and her internal battles has also been a great challenge but it has also been a learning experience and that says a lot.
Personally, the book caught my attention because of its name (We Can't Be Friends by Ariana Grande has a lot to do with it because it's one of my favorite songs) and the truth is that it has been interesting to read in general, the dynamic that Emerson and Chloe had seemed unique to me because it is seen very little in the stories, Emerson is one of those friends that without you telling her anything she understands you and gives you your space and that was very nice to read, I would have liked to read her book first, but to tell the truth, it has caught my attention and that's why I added it to my TBR.
I admit that there were times when the characters seemed tired to me, but I think it was more because of the size of the paragraphs that personally many times was filler, but this does not detract from the fact that the story is good and catches you.
The epilogue was too sweet and fair, the author made her characters develop but without losing their essence and that says a lot, I found it very tender to read and the truth is that I quite enjoyed reading it 🥹🩷
📌We can't be friends will be available this March 11th ✨
Thank u so much For this ARC @lovenotes.pr y Hannah
⛸️ Fake dating
🩵 Dual pov
⛸️ Slow burn
🩵 Roommates
⛸️ Mental health Rep
🩵 Secret tattoos
4.2/5 ⭐ 3/5 🌶️ 4.2/5 🩷
The truth is that I don't know where to start, the book touches on themes of grief and loss, but also healing and finding love and it has been nice to read.
Callum is not a man, he is THE MAN, such a beautiful man that you read and say "Awww" and I have fallen in love, of course reading Chloe and her internal battles has also been a great challenge but it has also been a learning experience and that says a lot.
Personally, the book caught my attention because of its name (We Can't Be Friends by Ariana Grande has a lot to do with it because it's one of my favorite songs) and the truth is that it has been interesting to read in general, the dynamic that Emerson and Chloe had seemed unique to me because it is seen very little in the stories, Emerson is one of those friends that without you telling her anything she understands you and gives you your space and that was very nice to read, I would have liked to read her book first, but to tell the truth, it has caught my attention and that's why I added it to my TBR.
I admit that there were times when the characters seemed tired to me, but I think it was more because of the size of the paragraphs that personally many times was filler, but this does not detract from the fact that the story is good and catches you.
The epilogue was too sweet and fair, the author made her characters develop but without losing their essence and that says a lot, I found it very tender to read and the truth is that I quite enjoyed reading it 🥹🩷
📌We can't be friends will be available this March 11th ✨
Thank u so much For this ARC @lovenotes.pr y Hannah
March 18, 2025
totally enjoyed the slow burn, fake dating and teasing game between Callum and Chloe.
They are amazing and complex characters, yet easy to love and relate to. I appreciate the way their challenges are written, heavy but with the right comfort. I am not acquainted with grief like Chloe had gone through and I felt the pain of it. Hugs to everyone who has lost that kind of relationship. At some points while reading I was overwhelmed with the slow pacing, like I knew where the story is heading and im excited for it to finally happen, but I did enjoy how each scene fold, specially since Callum is such a green flag to alsmot every part towards the mid-end of the book.
It's a journey to read this book and I am honored to be part read an Advance Review Copy. Thank you for sharing this book to us, Hannah. Cheers! 🥂🌼
+++ also, I soooooo love that he calls her Dais/Daisy, knowing the backstory to the nickname just makes me melt and its so unique!!
They are amazing and complex characters, yet easy to love and relate to. I appreciate the way their challenges are written, heavy but with the right comfort. I am not acquainted with grief like Chloe had gone through and I felt the pain of it. Hugs to everyone who has lost that kind of relationship. At some points while reading I was overwhelmed with the slow pacing, like I knew where the story is heading and im excited for it to finally happen, but I did enjoy how each scene fold, specially since Callum is such a green flag to alsmot every part towards the mid-end of the book.
It's a journey to read this book and I am honored to be part read an Advance Review Copy. Thank you for sharing this book to us, Hannah. Cheers! 🥂🌼
+++ also, I soooooo love that he calls her Dais/Daisy, knowing the backstory to the nickname just makes me melt and its so unique!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2025
Thank you Love Notes PR for the ARC!
Unfortunately this book was not a hit for me. I do think it will find popularity in the right crowd though!
I enjoyed the FMC being the grumpy one in the grumpy x sunshine trope and loved her golden retriever. I also liked the roommates trope and felt like that was done well too!
Some issues I had with it were the insane amount of grammar and spelling errors, a difficult timeline to follow (you never really knew when things were happening, suddenly it was Christmas and idk how we got there or what time of year the story ended??), and the ending felt rushed while the middle of the book seemed to drag. It felt like a lot of irrelevant events happened to try explaining the characters past trauma/ issues, but then they were resolved/ moved forward so quickly?? It made me feel like I knew the characters at the beginning and then things went downhill with consistency.
Unfortunately this book was not a hit for me. I do think it will find popularity in the right crowd though!
I enjoyed the FMC being the grumpy one in the grumpy x sunshine trope and loved her golden retriever. I also liked the roommates trope and felt like that was done well too!
Some issues I had with it were the insane amount of grammar and spelling errors, a difficult timeline to follow (you never really knew when things were happening, suddenly it was Christmas and idk how we got there or what time of year the story ended??), and the ending felt rushed while the middle of the book seemed to drag. It felt like a lot of irrelevant events happened to try explaining the characters past trauma/ issues, but then they were resolved/ moved forward so quickly?? It made me feel like I knew the characters at the beginning and then things went downhill with consistency.
March 12, 2025
Firstly, a massive, heartfelt thank you to Hannah Hamrick and Love Notes PR for selecting me to be part of this ARC release! Seriously, I feel so lucky to have gotten my hands on this book early.
Secondly, and honestly, if you don’t read another word of this review, GO READ THIS BOOK NOW! Like, drop whatever you’re doing, one-click it, and clear your day. Trust me.
Okay, now that I’ve screamed my excitement, let me break this down for you.
What do you get when you mix a meet-cute (and a very naked one at that 👀), a swoon-worthy British MMC with the kind of accent that’ll make your knees buckle, a grumpy FMC who’s secretly a ball of sunshine, and two perfectly imperfect characters just trying to figure their sh*t out? You get an instant 5-star read that grabs you by the heart, wrecks you in the best possible way, and leaves you emotionally raw but also so damn fulfilled.
I was expecting a cute romance with some steam (which, don’t worry, the spice is chef’s kiss), but what I wasn’t expecting was a story that would have me confronting my own grief and flaws right alongside the characters. Like… excuse me, Hannah, who gave you permission to wreck me like that?!
The burn is deliciously slow, the tension is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife, and the spice? Whew. It had my smutty little heart racing. But the best part? The raw, real, imperfectly perfect characters. Callum isn’t your typical book boyfriend with zero flaws. He’s messy, complicated, and human. And Chloe? She’s not the FMC you wish you could be. She’s the one you already are. Flawed, grieving, trying to piece herself back together. She is heartbreakingly real. Watching these two grow, stumble, and choose each other despite their baggage was pure magic.
And let me just say, if you’ve ever suppressed grief, doubted your worth, or struggled to accept love (raises hand hi, it’s me), this book is going to hit you right in the feels. It’s not just romance. It’s healing.
This was my first read by Hannah Hamrick but it sure as hell won’t be my last. I am obsessed.
So, seriously. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book. Read it. Cry a little. Swoon a lot. And then come back and thank me later.
If I could give it more stars, I absolutely would.
Secondly, and honestly, if you don’t read another word of this review, GO READ THIS BOOK NOW! Like, drop whatever you’re doing, one-click it, and clear your day. Trust me.
Okay, now that I’ve screamed my excitement, let me break this down for you.
What do you get when you mix a meet-cute (and a very naked one at that 👀), a swoon-worthy British MMC with the kind of accent that’ll make your knees buckle, a grumpy FMC who’s secretly a ball of sunshine, and two perfectly imperfect characters just trying to figure their sh*t out? You get an instant 5-star read that grabs you by the heart, wrecks you in the best possible way, and leaves you emotionally raw but also so damn fulfilled.
I was expecting a cute romance with some steam (which, don’t worry, the spice is chef’s kiss), but what I wasn’t expecting was a story that would have me confronting my own grief and flaws right alongside the characters. Like… excuse me, Hannah, who gave you permission to wreck me like that?!
The burn is deliciously slow, the tension is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife, and the spice? Whew. It had my smutty little heart racing. But the best part? The raw, real, imperfectly perfect characters. Callum isn’t your typical book boyfriend with zero flaws. He’s messy, complicated, and human. And Chloe? She’s not the FMC you wish you could be. She’s the one you already are. Flawed, grieving, trying to piece herself back together. She is heartbreakingly real. Watching these two grow, stumble, and choose each other despite their baggage was pure magic.
And let me just say, if you’ve ever suppressed grief, doubted your worth, or struggled to accept love (raises hand hi, it’s me), this book is going to hit you right in the feels. It’s not just romance. It’s healing.
This was my first read by Hannah Hamrick but it sure as hell won’t be my last. I am obsessed.
So, seriously. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book. Read it. Cry a little. Swoon a lot. And then come back and thank me later.
If I could give it more stars, I absolutely would.
March 12, 2025
I wanted to love this book but I struggled to get through it. I know this is a slow burn but it was 70% through the book before anything actually happened with Cal and Chloe. There were parts of the story that felt unnecessary to the plot. I felt like the MCs were unrealistic and the MMC mom was so unlikable. Her few parts were hard to read because it just annoyed me how she acted. I feel like this lacked plot execution. There were scenes going one way then just abruptly stopped.
Apart from the story, there were some spelling and grammar errors. This book has so much potential to be great but it feels a little sloppy at parts and needs some editing and reworking to make sense.
Thank you Love notes PR for this ARC
Apart from the story, there were some spelling and grammar errors. This book has so much potential to be great but it feels a little sloppy at parts and needs some editing and reworking to make sense.
Thank you Love notes PR for this ARC
March 15, 2025
This was my first time reading a book by Hannah Hamrick and I'm a sucker for these tropes so of course I had to get it!! And I really enjoyed it. If you love a slow burn with a little roommates to lovers book, you are in for a treat with this one.
The start of the book felt a bit slow. However, as I kept reading I ended up really enjoying the characters and the story. I love both Chloe and Callum and I loved how they became friends and connected with each other. This book deals with some heavy topics like loss and grief, however I think it was done beautifully while being a cosy romance book.
I will be definitely keeping an eye on Hannah's books because I just can't wait to read what's next!!
Thank you Hannah Hamrick and LoveNotesPR for the arc.
The start of the book felt a bit slow. However, as I kept reading I ended up really enjoying the characters and the story. I love both Chloe and Callum and I loved how they became friends and connected with each other. This book deals with some heavy topics like loss and grief, however I think it was done beautifully while being a cosy romance book.
I will be definitely keeping an eye on Hannah's books because I just can't wait to read what's next!!
Thank you Hannah Hamrick and LoveNotesPR for the arc.
March 17, 2025
ARC
I think this was a cute easy fun read. But for me it was a lot of telling me, not showing me. For example, I wish we would've gotten a scene of them dancing together instead of just saying that they did. There also wasn't a lot of fake dating involved in my opinion, again a lot of telling not really showing. I felt like a lot of the writing jumped around a lot. I did really love the tension the two characters had for each other, and how overprotective and caring they were. I did enjoy reading it, it was nice break from reading sad books. I think the author has really good potential, and I will def read another one of her books.
I think this was a cute easy fun read. But for me it was a lot of telling me, not showing me. For example, I wish we would've gotten a scene of them dancing together instead of just saying that they did. There also wasn't a lot of fake dating involved in my opinion, again a lot of telling not really showing. I felt like a lot of the writing jumped around a lot. I did really love the tension the two characters had for each other, and how overprotective and caring they were. I did enjoy reading it, it was nice break from reading sad books. I think the author has really good potential, and I will def read another one of her books.
March 18, 2025
Thank you so much to Love Note PR and Hannah Hamrick for the ARC! I enjoyed this book, and I really love the travel aspect of Hannah's books! I really loved the living together trope when Chloe had to move in with Callum while her apartment was being fixed. I also really liked seeing some of the characters from the first book making an appearance :)
I do feel like the book dragged on a bit at points, but something about Hannah's writing feels very nostalgic to me so I didn't mind - excited to see what she comes out with next!
I do feel like the book dragged on a bit at points, but something about Hannah's writing feels very nostalgic to me so I didn't mind - excited to see what she comes out with next!
April 5, 2025
DNF at 86%
This is my first time ever DNFing something so late into the book. I really wanted to give this my best try, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Additionally, I don’t typically review or rate books that I DNF, but I feel that 86% is a good enough chunk to merit a review.
I really had high hopes for this. I love to support indie authors, and I typically try to review them with a lot of grace. I saw character art that was gorgeous on Instagram, and was interested in the tropes. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. It started off pretty good, but just progressively got more and more disjointed. It really felt like there should have been a lot more time spent on the editing process. The scenes were disjointed, we were jumping around all over the place, same with the dialogue at some points. Lots of errors as well, I usually can excuse spelling or grammar errors here and there, I’m really not that picky & honestly errors just show it was written by an actual human, but this was a lot. I also felt there were quite a few déjà vu moments for me, I know I know, nothing is 100% original these days, and many books on the market have similar tropes, but once again, it was a lot.
There were some strong quotes and moments sprinkled in here and there, but overall it just wasn’t connected well, and was entirely too long for what it was. It was a lot of words, yet at the same time, saying nothing. It felt like the story and the characters just weren’t fully developed.
I think that the bones are there, and with time, effort, and proper editing, it could have been a great book. I, unfortunately, would not recommend this one.
Edit: Now that I’ve gone through and read other reviews, I really wish I would have read them before picking up the book. So many points made in the other 1 and 2 star reviews are exactly what I’m also saying here. Glad I’m not alone!
This is my first time ever DNFing something so late into the book. I really wanted to give this my best try, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. Additionally, I don’t typically review or rate books that I DNF, but I feel that 86% is a good enough chunk to merit a review.
I really had high hopes for this. I love to support indie authors, and I typically try to review them with a lot of grace. I saw character art that was gorgeous on Instagram, and was interested in the tropes. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. It started off pretty good, but just progressively got more and more disjointed. It really felt like there should have been a lot more time spent on the editing process. The scenes were disjointed, we were jumping around all over the place, same with the dialogue at some points. Lots of errors as well, I usually can excuse spelling or grammar errors here and there, I’m really not that picky & honestly errors just show it was written by an actual human, but this was a lot. I also felt there were quite a few déjà vu moments for me, I know I know, nothing is 100% original these days, and many books on the market have similar tropes, but once again, it was a lot.
There were some strong quotes and moments sprinkled in here and there, but overall it just wasn’t connected well, and was entirely too long for what it was. It was a lot of words, yet at the same time, saying nothing. It felt like the story and the characters just weren’t fully developed.
I think that the bones are there, and with time, effort, and proper editing, it could have been a great book. I, unfortunately, would not recommend this one.
Edit: Now that I’ve gone through and read other reviews, I really wish I would have read them before picking up the book. So many points made in the other 1 and 2 star reviews are exactly what I’m also saying here. Glad I’m not alone!
March 4, 2025
I binged read this book in one sitting. I was hooked! Chloe and her smart mouth!! She definitely has you kicking your feet and giggling at half the things that come out her mouth! And sweet Callum!! The way he steps in for Chloe. This man had it badddddd! I ate this story all the way up!
March 9, 2025
I really fell in love with Callum and Chloe!
The beginning felt a little slow for me, but once it picked up, i couldn’t put it down. I love Chloe’s tough exterior and how hard Callum works to break it down while respecting her space and how she learns to the same for him in return!
The beginning felt a little slow for me, but once it picked up, i couldn’t put it down. I love Chloe’s tough exterior and how hard Callum works to break it down while respecting her space and how she learns to the same for him in return!
March 18, 2025
Thank you Love Notes PR for sending me this ARC!🤍
This book was definitely a slow burn, but worth it. I loved Chloe’s character. Her smart remarks had me laughing. And Callum?! He was so sweet and fell so hard 🥹
The side characters and the found family in this was perfect. Definitely going to be reading the first book so I can learn more about them! Overall I really enjoyed this book and the way it touched on mental health and grief.
This book was definitely a slow burn, but worth it. I loved Chloe’s character. Her smart remarks had me laughing. And Callum?! He was so sweet and fell so hard 🥹
The side characters and the found family in this was perfect. Definitely going to be reading the first book so I can learn more about them! Overall I really enjoyed this book and the way it touched on mental health and grief.
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