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More than Friends #1
Her Best Friend
Mills & Boon Blush series brings you moving, true-to-life romancesWILL IT BE FRIENDSHIP OR ROMANCE?
What’s a girl to do when she’s secretly in love with a friend and he’s married to someone else? She gets over it. That’s what Amy Parker has done. Rather than lose her best bud Quinn Whitfield with an ill-timed, crazy confession of affection, she’s taken the smart route. She’s eased away from him. Just enough to get past the unrequited bits. And you know, it’s working.
Until the day Quinn announces he’s now single. And he wants to hang out with her. Get reconnected the way they used to be. Oh, this is so not good for Amy’s equilibrium. But if he’s free... and she’s free... well, maybe the time has come for one of those crazy confessions.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
44 people are currently reading
1459 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mayberry
159 books1,149 followersSarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When inspiration didn’t strike, she began to wonder if, perhaps, she needed to live some life first before writing about it.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
July 10, 2010
I try to be stingy with my five stars, but I wavered between a four and a five for a few minutes before I decided that it's perfect for what it is - a category contemporary that makes you smile with your whole face.
Amy Parker and Quinn Whitfield have been friends so long that there's a photo of them sharing the same teething ring as babies. They grew up together, played together and were two peas in a pod, until the double whammy of puberty and a new girl named Lisa went and changed everything. Though the three hung together as the Three Musketeers, Quinn and Lisa eventually married - with Amy serving as "Best Person" at their wedding - and moved from their small town near Melbourne to attend law school in Sydney.
Throughout all this, Amy has harbored an unrequited love for Quinn that she never declared. Nearing 30, she decides it's time to stop pining for what will never be and slowly cuts contact with Quinn and Lisa. For the past 18 months she's ignored calls and emails, hoping distance might help her move on. Unfortunately, she's also missed that Lisa's been carrying on an affair and that they're currently going through a divorce.
So, in his hometown to help Amy realize her dream of owning and renovating the historic cinema in town, Quinn reconnects with Amy and wants to regain what they once had, leaving her torn between keeping the status quo or risking it all to chance a romantic relationship with him.
What I loved most about this novel what how well Mayberry handled their relationship. She makes their friendship clear through their actions - their casual banter, remembered food preferences, shared memories - rather than just telling us they were friends and skipping to the lust resisting. She spends the time to establish their friendship for the reader to see before truly pressing the romantic angle. As a result, I could easily feel their angst and confusion along with them, and grin and sigh when it all comes together.
I enjoyed the companion plot about buying and renovating the theater. It was an opportunity to show the two of them working together to make a dream happen, but not in a particularly heavy-handed manner either. The task suits them well - Amy's working to preserve something she's loved for her whole life, and Quinn seeing in it a chance to escape the city life that is increasingly alien to him. The evil competing developer was a bit two dimensional, but not absurdly so. After reading a recent journal article about how most business managers are sociopathic, perhaps he wasn't all that far-fetched. I certainly have had clients with his manner.
I also really liked that Quinn's ex and their childhood friend, Lisa, is thoroughly human. Yes she's a manipulative bitch in some ways, but she was sympathetic in others. There's no Disney-style reconciliation for the three, but the book does a great job of not demonizing her. She and Quinn just couldn't make it work, both regret that it couldn't, and that's that. Refreshing.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes their romance fairly sweet, loves to see friends become lovers and wants to close a book wearing a big goofy grin.
Amy Parker and Quinn Whitfield have been friends so long that there's a photo of them sharing the same teething ring as babies. They grew up together, played together and were two peas in a pod, until the double whammy of puberty and a new girl named Lisa went and changed everything. Though the three hung together as the Three Musketeers, Quinn and Lisa eventually married - with Amy serving as "Best Person" at their wedding - and moved from their small town near Melbourne to attend law school in Sydney.
Throughout all this, Amy has harbored an unrequited love for Quinn that she never declared. Nearing 30, she decides it's time to stop pining for what will never be and slowly cuts contact with Quinn and Lisa. For the past 18 months she's ignored calls and emails, hoping distance might help her move on. Unfortunately, she's also missed that Lisa's been carrying on an affair and that they're currently going through a divorce.
So, in his hometown to help Amy realize her dream of owning and renovating the historic cinema in town, Quinn reconnects with Amy and wants to regain what they once had, leaving her torn between keeping the status quo or risking it all to chance a romantic relationship with him.
What I loved most about this novel what how well Mayberry handled their relationship. She makes their friendship clear through their actions - their casual banter, remembered food preferences, shared memories - rather than just telling us they were friends and skipping to the lust resisting. She spends the time to establish their friendship for the reader to see before truly pressing the romantic angle. As a result, I could easily feel their angst and confusion along with them, and grin and sigh when it all comes together.
I enjoyed the companion plot about buying and renovating the theater. It was an opportunity to show the two of them working together to make a dream happen, but not in a particularly heavy-handed manner either. The task suits them well - Amy's working to preserve something she's loved for her whole life, and Quinn seeing in it a chance to escape the city life that is increasingly alien to him. The evil competing developer was a bit two dimensional, but not absurdly so. After reading a recent journal article about how most business managers are sociopathic, perhaps he wasn't all that far-fetched. I certainly have had clients with his manner.
I also really liked that Quinn's ex and their childhood friend, Lisa, is thoroughly human. Yes she's a manipulative bitch in some ways, but she was sympathetic in others. There's no Disney-style reconciliation for the three, but the book does a great job of not demonizing her. She and Quinn just couldn't make it work, both regret that it couldn't, and that's that. Refreshing.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes their romance fairly sweet, loves to see friends become lovers and wants to close a book wearing a big goofy grin.
November 10, 2011
Complete waste of time and money. I don't care as much about the money, but I wish I could get the three hours of my life back. Maybe I'm just weird, but I didn't find anything about the writing extraordinary as so many readers here have indicated. I thought the writing was mediocre at best. There was no story development other than the constant longing by the heroine for the hero and the constant longing by the hero- for his wife. I never got how or why the hero decides to stay with the heroine. Certainly it was NOT because he fell in love with her because there was never any indication of that whatsoever in this book. At best, the heroine was second best and a choice of last resort for the hero's battered pride. He knew he would lose her friendship if they didn't proceed to something more and he knew he could not forgive his wife for her betrayal, so he settled for the heroine because what the hell else was there to do? She loved him after all, go with the path of least resistance. So when was he supposed to have fallen in love with the heroine when still at the very end he was feeling emotionally tied to his still wife? The ending was so abrupt and so out of left field after that little scene with his wife. I feel cheated and totally unsatisfied.
This is supposed to be a romance book? Weird, because I never did see the romance develop. Maybe it's a new kind of category romance about unrequited love that remains so, except the hero decides to settle for second best in the end and ends up with the heroine even though he is still pining away for his adulterous wife because the heroine is available, loves him and is loyal to him and life is just easier that way. I find that totally romantic. Not.
This is supposed to be a romance book? Weird, because I never did see the romance develop. Maybe it's a new kind of category romance about unrequited love that remains so, except the hero decides to settle for second best in the end and ends up with the heroine even though he is still pining away for his adulterous wife because the heroine is available, loves him and is loyal to him and life is just easier that way. I find that totally romantic. Not.
January 26, 2011
This might be a misleading score. I didn't like the book not because it was poorly written or anything. I just couldn't get past the subject matter. I found the whole they liked each other as teens but a different girl came on to him so he went with her thing just too sad. Even getting together now didn't save it for me.
I couldn't help thinking about John Greenleaf Whittier's words: “of all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.”
I couldn't help thinking about John Greenleaf Whittier's words: “of all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.”
April 25, 2016
Sarah Mayberry has some excellent books, Within Reach was a five star for me and it has a trope I seriously dislike.
This book did not do it for me although the setup was nice. I like the idea of best friends with an unrequited love, but throwing in another friend as the ex was not good.
I just did not feel the connection and the growth that was needed to accept that Quinn finally fell in love with Amy after all.
It was a very quick read although I did skim.
This book did not do it for me although the setup was nice. I like the idea of best friends with an unrequited love, but throwing in another friend as the ex was not good.
I just did not feel the connection and the growth that was needed to accept that Quinn finally fell in love with Amy after all.
It was a very quick read although I did skim.
March 8, 2010
Very good category romance about two lovely people who grew up next door to each other all their lives. This is the first Superromance of SM's that I have read. She usually does the Harlequin Blaze line instead. I hope that she does more Superromances because I liked how the focus was on the story and the characters, versus the rather forced mental lusting in the SM Blaze that I read.
My primary beef with Best Friend Romances is that most authors TELL me that the H/H are BFs, not SHOW me. Not so here. The H/H are both 30 years of age in the story (the hero is waiting for his divorce to finalize after a yr of separation from his soon-to-be-ex) and I definitely got the feeling the H/H will always love each other and be each other's BFs no matter what comes their way when I finished the book. I also liked how the soon-to-be-ex (who is obviously a selfish, manipulative woman) isn't totally villainized, despite the horrible things she did.
My primary beef with Best Friend Romances is that most authors TELL me that the H/H are BFs, not SHOW me. Not so here. The H/H are both 30 years of age in the story (the hero is waiting for his divorce to finalize after a yr of separation from his soon-to-be-ex) and I definitely got the feeling the H/H will always love each other and be each other's BFs no matter what comes their way when I finished the book. I also liked how the soon-to-be-ex (who is obviously a selfish, manipulative woman) isn't totally villainized, despite the horrible things she did.
May 19, 2012
Uninteresting contrivances keep the couple apart. I wanted better relationship interactions.
STORY BRIEF:
Amy has loved Quinn since she was 14. She is now 30. She never showed her feelings. He has never known her feelings. He dated another, married, and is now in process of divorce. His wife cheated on him. Amy needs legal help and calls Quinn’s wife, but Quinn answers the phone. He gives her advice and then shows up to help her at a public hearing. Amy doesn’t know Quinn is getting a divorce. She wants to avoid being with him because unrequited love is painful.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I wanted something meatier. The set up was ok, but too much vague communication going on. They each feel attraction but they don’t let the other know. Then after she makes a move, he tells her it was a mistake. This happens twice. His thinking is he desires her, but he has nothing to offer her. They work in different cities, and his divorce isn’t final. He won’t have sex with someone because of those reasons? One of the rules of writing is to have characters act in accordance with their motivations and aims. He is not doing that. The author wants them apart. This was no fun.
I was further annoyed that three times the couple began hot and heavy kissing that would have led to sex, when Amy’s mother arrives saying hello, anyone there? Again this was the author wanting them apart and couldn’t figure out how to have the couple do it, so she had the mother do it. Three times?
Lisa comes to town and wants to help with the rehab. Amy should have said no. Quinn should have said something. Lisa and Quinn were in the middle of an unfriendly divorce. Allowing Lisa to join them and spend time with them was too soap opera-ish for me.
A secondary story that was interesting was Amy purchasing and renovating an old theater. She had conflicts with local politicians and an unscrupulous real estate developer who wanted the theater. That was the better part of the book.
DATA:
Story length: 241 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 4 (includes 3 interrupted scenes). Total number of sex scene pages: 8. Setting: current day Daylesford, Australia. Copyright: 2010. Genre: contemporary romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Amy has loved Quinn since she was 14. She is now 30. She never showed her feelings. He has never known her feelings. He dated another, married, and is now in process of divorce. His wife cheated on him. Amy needs legal help and calls Quinn’s wife, but Quinn answers the phone. He gives her advice and then shows up to help her at a public hearing. Amy doesn’t know Quinn is getting a divorce. She wants to avoid being with him because unrequited love is painful.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I wanted something meatier. The set up was ok, but too much vague communication going on. They each feel attraction but they don’t let the other know. Then after she makes a move, he tells her it was a mistake. This happens twice. His thinking is he desires her, but he has nothing to offer her. They work in different cities, and his divorce isn’t final. He won’t have sex with someone because of those reasons? One of the rules of writing is to have characters act in accordance with their motivations and aims. He is not doing that. The author wants them apart. This was no fun.
I was further annoyed that three times the couple began hot and heavy kissing that would have led to sex, when Amy’s mother arrives saying hello, anyone there? Again this was the author wanting them apart and couldn’t figure out how to have the couple do it, so she had the mother do it. Three times?
Lisa comes to town and wants to help with the rehab. Amy should have said no. Quinn should have said something. Lisa and Quinn were in the middle of an unfriendly divorce. Allowing Lisa to join them and spend time with them was too soap opera-ish for me.
A secondary story that was interesting was Amy purchasing and renovating an old theater. She had conflicts with local politicians and an unscrupulous real estate developer who wanted the theater. That was the better part of the book.
DATA:
Story length: 241 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 4 (includes 3 interrupted scenes). Total number of sex scene pages: 8. Setting: current day Daylesford, Australia. Copyright: 2010. Genre: contemporary romance.
November 15, 2010
I learned: category romances can be very very good, despite the embarrassing covers that take romance readers back twenty steps in our fight not to appear as the stereotypical simple-minded, bon bon eating, non-discerning readers of literature.
I also learned that Sarah Mayberry rocks! I wish I had the ability to quantify the exact qualities that differentiate writing techniques that allow one book to be multi-faceted and filled with emotional poignancy and another to be flat. Alas, I fail.
Needless to say, Sarah Mayberry's writing is smooth. She manages to find the exact right balance between action, dialogue, and reflection.
I also learned that Sarah Mayberry rocks! I wish I had the ability to quantify the exact qualities that differentiate writing techniques that allow one book to be multi-faceted and filled with emotional poignancy and another to be flat. Alas, I fail.
Needless to say, Sarah Mayberry's writing is smooth. She manages to find the exact right balance between action, dialogue, and reflection.
April 12, 2011
Her Best Friend is a wonderful book. It combines my favorite theme friends to lovers but also my least favorite one unrequited love. Amy has loved her best friend Quinn since she was fourteen. But then Lisa moved to town and became a part of their trio and it was Lisa, Quinn dated and subsequently married. Amy kept quiet through-out, sad as well as happy for her friends. She learnt to hide her feelings around Quinn. She dated and even moved on but that love never really went away. So, for the past 18 months she cut of that contact with her friends to be happier. She threw herself in fulfilling her dream of owning and restoring the Grand theater. Things go south and she calls Lisa for help and instead ends up talking to Quinn(they are lawyers). Quinn we find out is going through a divorce. Lisa cheated on him for 2 years. Things went south for them because of Lisa's ambition in life. Quinn has not told Amy about the divorce so when he comes to town suddenly at the Council meeting Amy is surprised and asks him about Lisa. Quinn comes through for Amy and she gets the Grand and seeing the amount of work it needs he volunteers to spend his vacation helping her. Amy is initially not in favor of this as in the past few months her defenses against Quinn have eroded because of not being in contact with him and when she finds out about Lisa, she feels guilty as well as hope. Quinn wants to get back his friendship with Amy. The question here which comes is about friendship, when things happens between them there is this question in Quinn's mind, does he want to loose his friendship with Amy?We also find out that things between Quinn and Amy were not one-sided during their teens but Quinn chose to keep Amy's friendship rather than gamble it on a relationship. I loved the way Quinn got Amy, he knew when she was lying, I loved how Amy shouted on Quinn and took care of him. The drunken confession of Amy's feelings made me cringe and happy in equal measures. The book was so well done. I will read more of her Super-romances now.
Rating 4.5
Rating 4.5
July 3, 2011
I'm not sure what I didn't like about this story but I had to push myself to finish it. Maybe I'm just not a fan of the best friends turn to lovers. I always end up rolling my eyes through most of these type of stories. This story had pretty good reviews so I gave it a shot. I can see why people liked this story, the author has a talent with characterization, but the plot just didn't work for me.
February 1, 2012
Overall impression: Well-written HQ with believable characters and fairly realistic plot development. Her Best Friend is a surprisingly grounded look at three-way triangle of friends-turned-lovers.
Stop reading here if you haven't read the book. It's definitely worth reading and I don't want my personal feeling to influence another readers first impressions.
Caveats and Spoilers: While the portrayal of the three main players was refreshing in many ways, the realism actually ended up detracting from the enjoyment for me. I hereby admit to being a hypocrite! I keep saying I want realist portrayals of characters, then when I get it, I end up wishing we had a less qualified "HEA." My apologies.
Stop reading here if you haven't read the book. It's definitely worth reading and I don't want my personal feeling to influence another readers first impressions.
Caveats and Spoilers: While the portrayal of the three main players was refreshing in many ways, the realism actually ended up detracting from the enjoyment for me. I hereby admit to being a hypocrite! I keep saying I want realist portrayals of characters, then when I get it, I end up wishing we had a less qualified "HEA." My apologies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2010
I seem to be the only romance reader in the world who doesn’t much care for “friends-to-lovers” stories, and Her Best Friend has all the elements that I usually don’t like in them. It's a credit to the intelligent writing that I still enjoyed it. Yeah, there's a lot of unrequited longing and anguishing over whether they'll ruin their friendship if they give in to their feelings, but it's not driven into the ground, making me want to slap people silly. The main characters are likable and believable and there are some chuckles along the way.
March 27, 2022
⭐ 5.0 ⭐
Oh, that unrequited love... My heart...💔
My cup of tea. What can I say? Unrequited love, friends-to-lovers, contemporary romance, drama, OW drama... This book is totally right for my mood, right now.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You’re my bud. Always were, always will be."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Some smart woman will snap him up. And it won’t take long, either."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And she was sick of not knowing. Of wanting and not having.
It was now or never.
Now.
Or never.
Her heart pounding...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“It was a mistake.”
“Why?”
“You’re a smart guy. Work it out.”
“I don’t want to guess. I want to know.”
Oh, that unrequited love... My heart...💔
My cup of tea. What can I say? Unrequited love, friends-to-lovers, contemporary romance, drama, OW drama... This book is totally right for my mood, right now.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You’re my bud. Always were, always will be."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Some smart woman will snap him up. And it won’t take long, either."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And she was sick of not knowing. Of wanting and not having.
It was now or never.
Now.
Or never.
Her heart pounding...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“It was a mistake.”
“Why?”
“You’re a smart guy. Work it out.”
“I don’t want to guess. I want to know.”
November 16, 2010
4.5 stars.
Yet another gem from Sarah Mayberry. This is exactly the type of contemporary I love. It isn't flashy or dazzly. It doesn't have Navy SEALs jumping out of planes and stalkers behind every door. It is a good relationship drama that hits on a lot of themes: unrequited love, the value of friendship, and betrayal and trust.
The set up of the story is very well done. Amy and Quinn grew up together practically from the crib. They were always the best of friends. Then Lisa came along and the three of them became the three musketeers, teenagers who did everything together. Amy fell in love with Quinn when they were 14 years old but it was Lisa who was the bold one and got his attention. It was Lisa with whom he moved from a platonic relationship into a boyfriend girlfriend relationship throughout high school and college. And it was Lisa that he married, with Amy standing up for both of them as their 'Best Person'. But Amy never fell out of love with him and she subsumed her pain under a mask of happiness. She still loved both her best friends but it was hard for her to be with them so over time she slowly, through careful neglect, removed herself from their life.
But Quinn is back and he and Lisa are divorcing. SO now what?
This is a great premise and it is the type of a plot that I just adore. It is a story that a good writer can wring a lot out of and a reader can sit back and sink into.
As in another book of hers I read The Best Laid Plans, Mayberry executes this story brilliantly. Amy and Quinn don't just fall into each other. While Amy has always been hyper aware of Quinn, Quinn is allowed to slowly become aware of Amy as someone other than just 'Ames', his best friend. And Lisa, although she is the architect of her marriage's downfall, isn't made into an out and out villain. She is portrayed as someone who really didn't know what they wanted and screwed up seriously.
Mayberry also allows the three of them continue to negotiate the fluid lines of their friendship outside of the romance. As Quinn reflects on his divorce, he mourns the loss of Lisa his friend and much as the loss of Lisa his wife. Amy, as much as she is disappointed in Lisa for hurting Quinn, doesn't choose sides in their marriage problems, knowing that that is a boundary she can't cross. And in a master stroke, the thing that prevents Quinn and Amy from getting together right away even when Quinn finally acknowledges that he is attracted to her is his fear of losing her as a friend as well. This isn't a contrived obstacle, but a very valid consideration he needs to make before he embarks on changing the tenor of their relationship. He's already lost that with Lisa, he was terrified of losing it with Amy.
And I was also glad to see that when Amy reflects on how different their lives would have been had she been the bold one and made the move at the age of 14 instead of Lisa, Quinn doesn't go there. He acknowledges that things may have been different but he was in love with Lisa even though he no longer is. This is the type of nuance and adult storytelling that makes the contemporary novel my favorite subgenre but is,sadly, not found very often.
I knock off half a star because the ending felt rushed. I know this is because of the book length constraints in the Superromance line, but I can't help but lament how much richer the story would have been if it had another 100 - 200 pages.
Highly recommend.
Yet another gem from Sarah Mayberry. This is exactly the type of contemporary I love. It isn't flashy or dazzly. It doesn't have Navy SEALs jumping out of planes and stalkers behind every door. It is a good relationship drama that hits on a lot of themes: unrequited love, the value of friendship, and betrayal and trust.
The set up of the story is very well done. Amy and Quinn grew up together practically from the crib. They were always the best of friends. Then Lisa came along and the three of them became the three musketeers, teenagers who did everything together. Amy fell in love with Quinn when they were 14 years old but it was Lisa who was the bold one and got his attention. It was Lisa with whom he moved from a platonic relationship into a boyfriend girlfriend relationship throughout high school and college. And it was Lisa that he married, with Amy standing up for both of them as their 'Best Person'. But Amy never fell out of love with him and she subsumed her pain under a mask of happiness. She still loved both her best friends but it was hard for her to be with them so over time she slowly, through careful neglect, removed herself from their life.
But Quinn is back and he and Lisa are divorcing. SO now what?
This is a great premise and it is the type of a plot that I just adore. It is a story that a good writer can wring a lot out of and a reader can sit back and sink into.
As in another book of hers I read The Best Laid Plans, Mayberry executes this story brilliantly. Amy and Quinn don't just fall into each other. While Amy has always been hyper aware of Quinn, Quinn is allowed to slowly become aware of Amy as someone other than just 'Ames', his best friend. And Lisa, although she is the architect of her marriage's downfall, isn't made into an out and out villain. She is portrayed as someone who really didn't know what they wanted and screwed up seriously.
Mayberry also allows the three of them continue to negotiate the fluid lines of their friendship outside of the romance. As Quinn reflects on his divorce, he mourns the loss of Lisa his friend and much as the loss of Lisa his wife. Amy, as much as she is disappointed in Lisa for hurting Quinn, doesn't choose sides in their marriage problems, knowing that that is a boundary she can't cross. And in a master stroke, the thing that prevents Quinn and Amy from getting together right away even when Quinn finally acknowledges that he is attracted to her is his fear of losing her as a friend as well. This isn't a contrived obstacle, but a very valid consideration he needs to make before he embarks on changing the tenor of their relationship. He's already lost that with Lisa, he was terrified of losing it with Amy.
And I was also glad to see that when Amy reflects on how different their lives would have been had she been the bold one and made the move at the age of 14 instead of Lisa, Quinn doesn't go there. He acknowledges that things may have been different but he was in love with Lisa even though he no longer is. This is the type of nuance and adult storytelling that makes the contemporary novel my favorite subgenre but is,sadly, not found very often.
I knock off half a star because the ending felt rushed. I know this is because of the book length constraints in the Superromance line, but I can't help but lament how much richer the story would have been if it had another 100 - 200 pages.
Highly recommend.
January 26, 2013
4 Stars ~ Quinn was literally the boy next door and Amy has always loved him. They were best buds, and then when they were 14, Lisa moved up the street and then they became the three musketeers. Amy had always dreamed that Quinn would be her first real kiss but it was Lisa that Quinn kissed and then as they got older dated, went off to university with and then married. All through those 16 years, Amy has always been their friend. But for her own sake, Amy had been pulling away from them, trying to build her own life. Which was working pretty well with Lisa and Quinn now how powered attorneys in Sydney and Amy still in their home town. It's finally time for Amy to have one of her dreams come true, as she's about to purchase the Grand Picture Theatre that had once been her grandfather's pride and joy. Only there's been a hitch and Amy suddenly needs some legal clout and so she turns to Quinn. Just like a gallant knight Quinn comes to her rescue and the Theatre becomes Amy's. Quinn's missed Amy tremendously and now that he and Lisa are negotiating their divorce, he needs Amy's friendship. So he decides to stick around on some vacation leave and help Amy restore the Grand and hopefully restore their friendship too. Working so closely with Quinn, Amy's not so sure she can keep hiding her feelings, and just when she thinks Quinn feels the same as she does, Lisa comes to town.
I'm not usually a friends-to-lovers romance fan, however, Ms. Mayberry makes Amy and Quinn's evolving relationship a story well worth reading. I fell in love with Quinn right from the beginning. Never did he falter in loyalty and his resolve to protect Amy. Quinn cannot envision his life without Amy in it and he's scared that if they act on their intense attraction they'll risk their friendship. When Lisa turns up, my heart ached for Amy when she realized that she'd never have her dream. Quinn and Amy are great together and I enjoyed reading their journey to HEA
I'm not usually a friends-to-lovers romance fan, however, Ms. Mayberry makes Amy and Quinn's evolving relationship a story well worth reading. I fell in love with Quinn right from the beginning. Never did he falter in loyalty and his resolve to protect Amy. Quinn cannot envision his life without Amy in it and he's scared that if they act on their intense attraction they'll risk their friendship. When Lisa turns up, my heart ached for Amy when she realized that she'd never have her dream. Quinn and Amy are great together and I enjoyed reading their journey to HEA
March 8, 2010
I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers theme. I can't help it. This one had a pretty exceptional premise.
Amy, our heroine, has been in love with her best friend Quinn since she was 14. But, when her good friend, Lisa, starts dating Quinn, she has no choice but to be supportive. 10 years later, the couple is married and Amy is still alone. Another 6 years later, Quinn returns, this time as a divorced man to the still single Amy, hoping to return to the one solid thing, their friendship. But Amy has been distancing herself, since she never fell out of love with Quinn. Now that he was single, would this be her chance to be with him, or would she be better off not breaking their friendship. But Amy isn't the only one with these thoughts. Of course, it is no story if Lisa didn't return for Quinn, hoping to patch up their relationship.
To me, while I liked the book, I felt like there was something missing. I'm guessing that it is the tension, which existed on Amy's side since the beginning, but not on Quinn's until the last half. Maybe this was all too realistic to me, the bittersweet relationship that Amy and Quinn shared for years.
I liked their childhood memories and how Amy's mother had the knack for interrupting at the most inopportune times. It was cute and very easy to read.
Amy, our heroine, has been in love with her best friend Quinn since she was 14. But, when her good friend, Lisa, starts dating Quinn, she has no choice but to be supportive. 10 years later, the couple is married and Amy is still alone. Another 6 years later, Quinn returns, this time as a divorced man to the still single Amy, hoping to return to the one solid thing, their friendship. But Amy has been distancing herself, since she never fell out of love with Quinn. Now that he was single, would this be her chance to be with him, or would she be better off not breaking their friendship. But Amy isn't the only one with these thoughts. Of course, it is no story if Lisa didn't return for Quinn, hoping to patch up their relationship.
To me, while I liked the book, I felt like there was something missing. I'm guessing that it is the tension, which existed on Amy's side since the beginning, but not on Quinn's until the last half. Maybe this was all too realistic to me, the bittersweet relationship that Amy and Quinn shared for years.
I liked their childhood memories and how Amy's mother had the knack for interrupting at the most inopportune times. It was cute and very easy to read.
June 20, 2017
Oh my God! I just wanted to hit a few heads together!! (And smack my forehead a couple of times. Another reviewer mentioned that some of the contrivances keeping Quinn and Amy apart were annoying. I'm inclined to agree. It just got in the way of their union.)
It was however, really realistic, as one would expect from a Sarah Mayberry book.
Amy's desires and strong pull of attraction to Quinn was incredibly believable. Who hasn't ever felt that irresistible attraction when you're falling for a friend (or anyone for that matter?), and her internal debates for and against voicing her attraction was so true.
Quinn............ I understood that he had been blindsided by many of the events going on in the book, but sometimes I just wanted to hit him for his insensitivity. Seriously. Your best friend just told you that she loved you, and you couldn't give her your response?? And then he comes out fighting for her, and then I was: YES! You love her! Go for it! And then... contrivances. They just made me want to tear my hair out in frustration. There was however, one last contrivance that I adored: when Amy's mum heard a sound out in their backyard and came out to investigate. You know the one, if you've read it. Hilarious!
So, apart from the stuff keeping Amy and Quinn apart, it was an adorable story, and their concerns were all so real. Hence, my rating.
It was however, really realistic, as one would expect from a Sarah Mayberry book.
Amy's desires and strong pull of attraction to Quinn was incredibly believable. Who hasn't ever felt that irresistible attraction when you're falling for a friend (or anyone for that matter?), and her internal debates for and against voicing her attraction was so true.
Quinn............ I understood that he had been blindsided by many of the events going on in the book, but sometimes I just wanted to hit him for his insensitivity. Seriously. Your best friend just told you that she loved you, and you couldn't give her your response?? And then he comes out fighting for her, and then I was: YES! You love her! Go for it! And then... contrivances. They just made me want to tear my hair out in frustration. There was however, one last contrivance that I adored: when Amy's mum heard a sound out in their backyard and came out to investigate. You know the one, if you've read it. Hilarious!
So, apart from the stuff keeping Amy and Quinn apart, it was an adorable story, and their concerns were all so real. Hence, my rating.
January 10, 2011
Hands down the best Superromance you’ll find.
This wonderful, nuanced story of two Australian thirty year olds getting through their muddled lives the best they can doesn’t feature anything grand or exciting; it’s all about the details in life.
I loved the conflict between Amy and Quinn. By not wanting to ruin their friendship they waited sixteen years before acting on feelings that began when they were schoolkids. Amy’s pain at watching Quinn marry another woman, and the ways she coped were heartbreaking. This story felt very real to me.
Now, if only this book didn’t have so much American English it would be a wonderfully realistic portrait of small town Australia.
Just a wonderful book.
This wonderful, nuanced story of two Australian thirty year olds getting through their muddled lives the best they can doesn’t feature anything grand or exciting; it’s all about the details in life.
I loved the conflict between Amy and Quinn. By not wanting to ruin their friendship they waited sixteen years before acting on feelings that began when they were schoolkids. Amy’s pain at watching Quinn marry another woman, and the ways she coped were heartbreaking. This story felt very real to me.
Now, if only this book didn’t have so much American English it would be a wonderfully realistic portrait of small town Australia.
Just a wonderful book.
April 1, 2020
3.5 stars I generally enjoy Mayberry's writing, but this one just wasn't my favorite. The initial plotline of Amy restoring her beloved theater with help of her newly single best friend Quinn generally worked for me. While Quinn had been previously married to another close mutual friend, Lisa, the story initially made it sound like both had basically started to move on even though their marriage didn't work.
However, the book eventually started to feel like a love triangle. While it's good and believable that none of the characters here are eeevil people, the fact that all have good qualities and a history of friendship made this a sometimes awkward read. The story had some great emotional moments to it, but it didn't really feel like romance to me.
However, the book eventually started to feel like a love triangle. While it's good and believable that none of the characters here are eeevil people, the fact that all have good qualities and a history of friendship made this a sometimes awkward read. The story had some great emotional moments to it, but it didn't really feel like romance to me.
July 25, 2014
Amy Parker is about to fulfil her childhood dream of owning Daylesford’s Grand Picture Theatre, that her grandfather built before she was born. There’s just one big bureaucratic hurdle she needs to jump through, and unfortunately her two best friends are just the lawyers to help her.
Lisa and Quinn Whitfield moved to Sydney after they got married, joining a big law firm and living the high-life in the city. Quinn and Amy grew up together, and Lisa joined their trio as a teenager, but eventually Lisa and Quinn became more than friends and now they’re one of those sickeningly sweet high school sweetheart couples. And Amy is happy for them, that they seem to have the perfect marriage and idyllic work/home life, even while she’s avoided talking to them for the last year … because Amy has been in love with Quinn since they were fourteen.
For years she waited for her best friend to notice her, and then Lisa came along and whisked a teenage Quinn off his feet with an itty-bitty red bikini.
Amy was happy that they were happy, and was even best man/bridesmaid at their wedding. But once they moved to Sydney she decided to edge them out of her life completely – let go of her doomed crush and the guilt she’d been feeling for lying by omission to her best friend.
But after one innocent phone-call to Quinn asking for advice with the Grand, next thing she knows he’s flying down to Melbourne and offering to spend his vacation days in Daylesford, helping her renovate the rundown place … because it turns out Quinn and Lisa’s idyllic life has been anything but, and they’re currently separated and heading for divorce.
Now Quinn is home, for four weeks, and single once again. Amy’s unrequited love might suddenly have a chance, if she’s willing to take it?
‘Her Best Friend’ is a 2010 Harlequin romance novel from Australian author Sarah Mayberry.
Sometimes when you’re in a reading-rut you turn to the old faithfuls for brain candy – Harlequin, Mills & Boon – and you go looking for your favourite story tropes. For me, it’s unrequited love stories and if it’s unrequited love stories between friends I go to my happy reading place. So when I recently found myself in a reading-rut I turned to Goodreads and Listopia to find my perfect book cure … which is how I found Sarah Mayberry and ‘Her Best Friend’.
First of all – what rock have I been living under that this is my first Sarah Mayberry read? This author is beloved in the romance community and the Australian romance community especially – she’s also been a scriptwriter for TV show ‘Neighbours’. After I read ‘Her Best Friend’ I bought a couple more Sarah Mayberry books and tore through all of them in a matter of days – I am now a full-fledged fangirl.
Part of the reason I love unrequited love stories is the immediate tension and emotional stakes for the characters – and because, outlandish as romance storylines can sometimes get, readers can all sympathise and understand the complications of loving someone who doesn’t love you back/know that you exist. It’s pretty easy for an author to get me hooked just with the premise of an unrequited love story, but Mayberry really had me rooting for Amy and getting emotionally invested in her story. When we meet her she is reluctantly calling on Quinn and Lisa for legal advice – and we learn the reason she’s been dodging phone-calls from her best friends ever since they moved to Sydney last year. In love with her best friend since the age of 14 and having to be best [wo]man at his wedding is about as painfully unrequited as it gets.
She was too afraid to find out there really was no hope. She preferred to live in a kind of never-never land where she could angst over Quinn but still indulge the fantasy that one day, maybe, if the moon and planets were all aligned, he might possibly return her feelings.
One potential downfall of the unrequited love story is loving the romantic underdog, but being frustrated or unconvinced of the person they’ve been mooning over for years. Not so with Quinn – and that’s partly because Mayberry ensured he had his own interesting emotional back-story and teased out his and Amy’s years of friendship. I completely understood why Amy was so invested in her love for Quinn, even after all these years, because he was a pretty great guy.
I also love Sarah Mayberry books because she’s damn funny. Injections of humours amongst all the emotional turmoil are always appreciated, and Mayberry has a particularly good funny bone:
“Is there somebody out there? Amy, is that you?” her mother called.
“No. Tell me this isn’t happening.” Quinn rested his forehead against hers. “Has she got a wiretap on you or something? I swear, she’s like a walking hard-on detector.”
Amy bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Quinn levered himself up on his arms.
“Mrs. P., if you value your life, you’ll go back inside and turn off the light right now.”
Since finishing ‘Her Best Friend’ I’ve read three more Mayberry books, and with all of them I find myself wishing for an extra five chapters or so … just because I so want to spend more time with her characters. I’ve definitely found a new go-to author for my romance reading cravings.
Lisa and Quinn Whitfield moved to Sydney after they got married, joining a big law firm and living the high-life in the city. Quinn and Amy grew up together, and Lisa joined their trio as a teenager, but eventually Lisa and Quinn became more than friends and now they’re one of those sickeningly sweet high school sweetheart couples. And Amy is happy for them, that they seem to have the perfect marriage and idyllic work/home life, even while she’s avoided talking to them for the last year … because Amy has been in love with Quinn since they were fourteen.
For years she waited for her best friend to notice her, and then Lisa came along and whisked a teenage Quinn off his feet with an itty-bitty red bikini.
Amy was happy that they were happy, and was even best man/bridesmaid at their wedding. But once they moved to Sydney she decided to edge them out of her life completely – let go of her doomed crush and the guilt she’d been feeling for lying by omission to her best friend.
But after one innocent phone-call to Quinn asking for advice with the Grand, next thing she knows he’s flying down to Melbourne and offering to spend his vacation days in Daylesford, helping her renovate the rundown place … because it turns out Quinn and Lisa’s idyllic life has been anything but, and they’re currently separated and heading for divorce.
Now Quinn is home, for four weeks, and single once again. Amy’s unrequited love might suddenly have a chance, if she’s willing to take it?
‘Her Best Friend’ is a 2010 Harlequin romance novel from Australian author Sarah Mayberry.
Sometimes when you’re in a reading-rut you turn to the old faithfuls for brain candy – Harlequin, Mills & Boon – and you go looking for your favourite story tropes. For me, it’s unrequited love stories and if it’s unrequited love stories between friends I go to my happy reading place. So when I recently found myself in a reading-rut I turned to Goodreads and Listopia to find my perfect book cure … which is how I found Sarah Mayberry and ‘Her Best Friend’.
First of all – what rock have I been living under that this is my first Sarah Mayberry read? This author is beloved in the romance community and the Australian romance community especially – she’s also been a scriptwriter for TV show ‘Neighbours’. After I read ‘Her Best Friend’ I bought a couple more Sarah Mayberry books and tore through all of them in a matter of days – I am now a full-fledged fangirl.
Part of the reason I love unrequited love stories is the immediate tension and emotional stakes for the characters – and because, outlandish as romance storylines can sometimes get, readers can all sympathise and understand the complications of loving someone who doesn’t love you back/know that you exist. It’s pretty easy for an author to get me hooked just with the premise of an unrequited love story, but Mayberry really had me rooting for Amy and getting emotionally invested in her story. When we meet her she is reluctantly calling on Quinn and Lisa for legal advice – and we learn the reason she’s been dodging phone-calls from her best friends ever since they moved to Sydney last year. In love with her best friend since the age of 14 and having to be best [wo]man at his wedding is about as painfully unrequited as it gets.
She was too afraid to find out there really was no hope. She preferred to live in a kind of never-never land where she could angst over Quinn but still indulge the fantasy that one day, maybe, if the moon and planets were all aligned, he might possibly return her feelings.
One potential downfall of the unrequited love story is loving the romantic underdog, but being frustrated or unconvinced of the person they’ve been mooning over for years. Not so with Quinn – and that’s partly because Mayberry ensured he had his own interesting emotional back-story and teased out his and Amy’s years of friendship. I completely understood why Amy was so invested in her love for Quinn, even after all these years, because he was a pretty great guy.
I also love Sarah Mayberry books because she’s damn funny. Injections of humours amongst all the emotional turmoil are always appreciated, and Mayberry has a particularly good funny bone:
“Is there somebody out there? Amy, is that you?” her mother called.
“No. Tell me this isn’t happening.” Quinn rested his forehead against hers. “Has she got a wiretap on you or something? I swear, she’s like a walking hard-on detector.”
Amy bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Quinn levered himself up on his arms.
“Mrs. P., if you value your life, you’ll go back inside and turn off the light right now.”
Since finishing ‘Her Best Friend’ I’ve read three more Mayberry books, and with all of them I find myself wishing for an extra five chapters or so … just because I so want to spend more time with her characters. I’ve definitely found a new go-to author for my romance reading cravings.
August 13, 2016
2.5 star..While this book is in no way a bad read, it was also not a memorable one..A typical unrequited lovers,combined with friends turned lovers book which could have been much better but only ended up being an okay story..For me this was a 2.5 star read..here's to the reasons why..first, the pros:
* It's actually quite well written
* The major focus of the story was on the MCs.
*The characters felt pretty real and it was quite angst ridden
Cons:
* Though i could see how much Amy loved Quinn,not for once did i feel that quinn felt the same,it was like quinn chose her BECAUSE he and lisa didn't work out..like he was settling for the second best.
* Amy had very low self respect. Almost for the entire length of the book, Amy kept on pining for her,hoping he would somehow reciprocate her love..
*There was also a bit of double standards. While we get to know that Quinn did sleep around somewhat, about Amy,we just know that she was with a guy when quinn and lisa married..
* It seemed Amy had no personal life..As if she held on to the hope that one day, quinn would finally realise that he loves her and then they will have their happily ever after..And when the opportunity presented itself, she took it..to me..it was pathetic...
* About quinn, not a male hero, i want my heroine to fall in love with..to me what he felt for Amy was just curiosity and lust..not love.. he made out with Amy twice and once Amy confessed her feelings and all he could give as a reaction was a dialogue that it was a mistake and a blank face?
* I would have been a little bit satisfied if quinn had even a little bit of competetion vying for Amy's attention!..i mean almost the entire book was about Amy feelong jealous,amy feeling guilty, Amy feeling something for quinn..but quinn just feels confusion, more confusion mingled with lust and wham,realizes he loved her all along but was afraid to tell her..goes to tell Amy that...and after about 2 secs of playing hard to get,albeit seriously,Amy gives in..
* And out of all these they conveniently forget Lisa..who was their best friend..i wonder,after all that happened doesn't Amy feel even a little bit guilty? Ex or not after all Lisa had been her best friend..and by getting into a relationship with Lisa's ex, it was like Amy announcing, you had your chance, its now my turn..so whatever little respect i gathered for Amy, its now gone.
Maybe if Amy didn't say anything and let Quinn come to that conclusion after a bit of jealousy display probably over some guy Amy was dating, then it would have been a great book for me..but the author chose to do it in the way that reminded me of the MB books..
* It's actually quite well written
* The major focus of the story was on the MCs.
*The characters felt pretty real and it was quite angst ridden
Cons:
* Though i could see how much Amy loved Quinn,not for once did i feel that quinn felt the same,it was like quinn chose her BECAUSE he and lisa didn't work out..like he was settling for the second best.
* Amy had very low self respect. Almost for the entire length of the book, Amy kept on pining for her,hoping he would somehow reciprocate her love..
*There was also a bit of double standards. While we get to know that Quinn did sleep around somewhat, about Amy,we just know that she was with a guy when quinn and lisa married..
* It seemed Amy had no personal life..As if she held on to the hope that one day, quinn would finally realise that he loves her and then they will have their happily ever after..And when the opportunity presented itself, she took it..to me..it was pathetic...
* About quinn, not a male hero, i want my heroine to fall in love with..to me what he felt for Amy was just curiosity and lust..not love.. he made out with Amy twice and once Amy confessed her feelings and all he could give as a reaction was a dialogue that it was a mistake and a blank face?
* I would have been a little bit satisfied if quinn had even a little bit of competetion vying for Amy's attention!..i mean almost the entire book was about Amy feelong jealous,amy feeling guilty, Amy feeling something for quinn..but quinn just feels confusion, more confusion mingled with lust and wham,realizes he loved her all along but was afraid to tell her..goes to tell Amy that...and after about 2 secs of playing hard to get,albeit seriously,Amy gives in..
* And out of all these they conveniently forget Lisa..who was their best friend..i wonder,after all that happened doesn't Amy feel even a little bit guilty? Ex or not after all Lisa had been her best friend..and by getting into a relationship with Lisa's ex, it was like Amy announcing, you had your chance, its now my turn..so whatever little respect i gathered for Amy, its now gone.
Maybe if Amy didn't say anything and let Quinn come to that conclusion after a bit of jealousy display probably over some guy Amy was dating, then it would have been a great book for me..but the author chose to do it in the way that reminded me of the MB books..
December 30, 2015
Why I Read this Book: I love reading romance – everything from contemporary to paranormal to romantic suspense. From time to time I enjoy reading realistic romance novels. As much as I love my vampires and werewolves, sometimes I need a taste of reality. And a love story about two people who go from friends to lovers fits the bill just nicely.
What I Liked: Amy and Quinn’s story is tangible. Her Best Friend is a novel from Harlequin’s Superromance line, a line in which they describe:
Why yes, I do like reading about believable characters who get a HEA. And this, my dear Watson, is what drew me in. Our two main characters, Amy and Quinn, grew up next door to each other. They were the best of friends, two peas in a pod if you will, all through their adolescence. Then Lisa moved into town and the three of them became the three musketeers. But when Quinn and Lisa started dating, Amy felt more like a third wheel. Quinn and Lisa eventually married, forcing Amy to stash her more-than-friendship feelings for Quinn away. Dilemma, dilemma.
Speaking of dilemma, there’s another rock in Amy’s shoe; A man who is trying to prevent Amy from fulfilling her lifelong dream: to buy and revitalize a grand theatre her great grandfather once owned.
A romance story wouldn’t be interesting if one of the main characters didn’t have at least a dilemma or two, now would it. There’s years of feelings that Amy has kept bottled up. Then there’s a conflict which brings Amy quite the opportunity. Then a conflict that threatens this opportunity.
What I Didn’t Like: It kind of bugs me when characters don’t speak up about their feelings. Amy was 14 when she first started having feelings for Quinn but never gave him a clue. Quinn himself had thought about Amy as more than a friend a few times himself but never acted on any of it either.
Overall Impression: There wasn’t anything that really put me off about this book but there wasn’t anything that blew me away about it either. Her Best Friend was rather predictable in that I pretty much knew how things were going to end up. It was the finding out how everyone gets there that makes Her Best Friend an enjoyable read.
Her Best Friend is a sweet love story. It’s not heavy on love scenes; it’s more about getting to that point. If you’re looking for a light read for your afternoon, this book is it.
What I Liked: Amy and Quinn’s story is tangible. Her Best Friend is a novel from Harlequin’s Superromance line, a line in which they describe:
If you want to read about believable characters and their journey to happy-ever-after, then Harlequin Superromance is the series for you.
Why yes, I do like reading about believable characters who get a HEA. And this, my dear Watson, is what drew me in. Our two main characters, Amy and Quinn, grew up next door to each other. They were the best of friends, two peas in a pod if you will, all through their adolescence. Then Lisa moved into town and the three of them became the three musketeers. But when Quinn and Lisa started dating, Amy felt more like a third wheel. Quinn and Lisa eventually married, forcing Amy to stash her more-than-friendship feelings for Quinn away. Dilemma, dilemma.
Speaking of dilemma, there’s another rock in Amy’s shoe; A man who is trying to prevent Amy from fulfilling her lifelong dream: to buy and revitalize a grand theatre her great grandfather once owned.
A romance story wouldn’t be interesting if one of the main characters didn’t have at least a dilemma or two, now would it. There’s years of feelings that Amy has kept bottled up. Then there’s a conflict which brings Amy quite the opportunity. Then a conflict that threatens this opportunity.
What I Didn’t Like: It kind of bugs me when characters don’t speak up about their feelings. Amy was 14 when she first started having feelings for Quinn but never gave him a clue. Quinn himself had thought about Amy as more than a friend a few times himself but never acted on any of it either.
Overall Impression: There wasn’t anything that really put me off about this book but there wasn’t anything that blew me away about it either. Her Best Friend was rather predictable in that I pretty much knew how things were going to end up. It was the finding out how everyone gets there that makes Her Best Friend an enjoyable read.
Her Best Friend is a sweet love story. It’s not heavy on love scenes; it’s more about getting to that point. If you’re looking for a light read for your afternoon, this book is it.
September 26, 2010
3 stars
POV: 3rd person: Amy, Quinn
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
Amy Parker has been in love with her best friend for 16 years. Quinn Whitfield married Amy's friend Lisa, so he has been off-limits all this time. Now they are getting divorced and he's single. She still loves him, but he is her friend. She's been avoiding him for 2 years, but now he is in town helping her out and being in such close proximity is driving her crazy.
Hmm...the story was well written, the characters were done fairly well, the story developed well, and the characters feelings were all plausible. Overall, it is a decent story. It just didn't get me too much. To me it was just your average Harlequin romance.
POV: 3rd person: Amy, Quinn
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
Amy Parker has been in love with her best friend for 16 years. Quinn Whitfield married Amy's friend Lisa, so he has been off-limits all this time. Now they are getting divorced and he's single. She still loves him, but he is her friend. She's been avoiding him for 2 years, but now he is in town helping her out and being in such close proximity is driving her crazy.
Hmm...the story was well written, the characters were done fairly well, the story developed well, and the characters feelings were all plausible. Overall, it is a decent story. It just didn't get me too much. To me it was just your average Harlequin romance.
December 18, 2013
Cute best friends turn to lovers read. It took forever for them to get together though! I almost wanted to give up but it was angsty (they should make that a real word) enough to make me keep turning the pages. No love scenes until the very end in this one, and it was frustrating to say the least. This was a rec that I asked for where the OW loved the hero and had realistic feelings in losing him to the heroine in the end. It was nicely done. SM knows how to bring her characters to life. That's what I liked the most about this book. The slow pace romance was a little hard to stay with though. I will still recommend this book because SM knows how to tell a story with depth and realism.
November 12, 2018
This was a reread. 3rd time I think. It's been a fair while. I don't know what it is about this book, other than it's one of my favourite tropes, but it grabs me by the throat every time. There is something so infinitely sad about being left on the sidelines, longing, pining for someone and watching them find their happiness with another. Another, who is also a good friend.
At the end, I wasn't convinced his love for her is anywhere near her kind of love for him and that still leaves me with an lump in my throat. It's that which prevents this being a 5* in my book.
At the end, I wasn't convinced his love for her is anywhere near her kind of love for him and that still leaves me with an lump in my throat. It's that which prevents this being a 5* in my book.
June 13, 2012
A good friends-to-lovers story with a heaping dose of unrequited love (by the h for the H) tossed into the mix. I liked it, but I also thought the characters were kind of...bland.
3+/3.5 for the quality writing and the realistic storyline.
3+/3.5 for the quality writing and the realistic storyline.
September 18, 2016
Not particularly original (there are standout Mayberrys better than this) but sweet and sensitive and nice.
February 14, 2019
Such a cute Harlequin Romance.
Hero and heroine both grew up together with their other best friend. Hero was in love with other girl and heroine watched them get together, date and get married.
I felt bad for her, but I admire her when she kept her distance from their couple. Unlike that other book I read (Unbreak my heart) she was willing to move on with her life.
And one day, bam, he is back in her life... It was so cute watching them fall in love, well especially him because she was already in love with him lol
4 stars. Not angst and over the top drame, just a cute romance easily read!
Hero and heroine both grew up together with their other best friend. Hero was in love with other girl and heroine watched them get together, date and get married.
I felt bad for her, but I admire her when she kept her distance from their couple. Unlike that other book I read (Unbreak my heart) she was willing to move on with her life.
And one day, bam, he is back in her life... It was so cute watching them fall in love, well especially him because she was already in love with him lol
4 stars. Not angst and over the top drame, just a cute romance easily read!
November 17, 2020
Interesting reading but somehow bitter sweet. I liked the heroine and feel sorry for her. The friendship between the two women was a bit hard to swallow because I can think of some lingering resentment despite everything. The almost ex wife seemed self centered and manipulative. The heroine wasn’t as straight forward with her feelings in the beginning and lost. The H was not a chaser in this story. But there’s a HEA. Only If he still could keep the heroine as a friend would the H and ex wife get together again? That was a bit disturbing for me.
April 23, 2015
Of course, after my almost a week long break because of finals, the first book that I am going to review was romance. Truth be told, I was reading this while I had my breaks while studying, and within two nights, I finished this. I must say, I had been dying to write something about this book!
Once again, I found a friends-to-lovers book, and Her Best Friend is one of those who willingly reciprocated and fulfilled my guilty pleasure. What I loved the most about this book was how Sarah Mayberry had evidently portrayed the friendship that existed on the two characters before they were even lovers. It wasn't forced, nor did it feel that way on the readers too. It came natural, as though it really was bound to happen, but without making the reader forget that they were friends first. Does that make sense? Also, it wasn't as angsty, which was exactly what I needed. They were already around 30s anyway, and it was finally great to have characters that were acting like they were supposed to. I've read books before that had characters that were supposed to be around that age as well, but acts as though they were fresh in university because of their angsty-ness (example: me). It's safe to say that the plot that revolved around romance was well-written, in my opinion. The hero might have made second doubts at some point because he wanted to play it safe for the sake of their friendship, but it didn't take long for him to realize that he was hurting our lovely heroine by doing so. It also happened the other way around. See! That was the part I loved. It might have caused a little bit of turning point because of their decisions and doubts, but the characters didn't act like an idiot. They knew what they wanted.
On top of all of that, the characters were all loveable. There were some interesting back stories between the friends, and I would be up for a more complex stories for the secondary characters, if that was given.
However, the only thing that I wasn't really a fan of was about this guy who wanted to take the Grand (which was the theatre that Amy worked so hard to get). He was there, and I expected him to be a significant antagonist in the story, but for some reason he just.. disappeared. The story didn't really show any resolution and it didn't feel complete to me. Even if the romance was somehow transitioned very well, it lacked on its antagonism element that was introduced but was never developed any further. It sucks because it would have made this story better.
Anyway, if you are looking for a friends-to-lovers story that isn't heavy but guilt-pleasure fulfilling, then Her Best Friend is the perfect story for you!
And brb, I have to hunt for a boy bestfriend that I can potentially in love with (since childhoold lovers won't work anymore since .. well .. I am already 18) ..Wish me luck!
4/5!
Once again, I found a friends-to-lovers book, and Her Best Friend is one of those who willingly reciprocated and fulfilled my guilty pleasure. What I loved the most about this book was how Sarah Mayberry had evidently portrayed the friendship that existed on the two characters before they were even lovers. It wasn't forced, nor did it feel that way on the readers too. It came natural, as though it really was bound to happen, but without making the reader forget that they were friends first. Does that make sense? Also, it wasn't as angsty, which was exactly what I needed. They were already around 30s anyway, and it was finally great to have characters that were acting like they were supposed to. I've read books before that had characters that were supposed to be around that age as well, but acts as though they were fresh in university because of their angsty-ness (example: me). It's safe to say that the plot that revolved around romance was well-written, in my opinion. The hero might have made second doubts at some point because he wanted to play it safe for the sake of their friendship, but it didn't take long for him to realize that he was hurting our lovely heroine by doing so. It also happened the other way around. See! That was the part I loved. It might have caused a little bit of turning point because of their decisions and doubts, but the characters didn't act like an idiot. They knew what they wanted.
On top of all of that, the characters were all loveable. There were some interesting back stories between the friends, and I would be up for a more complex stories for the secondary characters, if that was given.
However, the only thing that I wasn't really a fan of was about this guy who wanted to take the Grand (which was the theatre that Amy worked so hard to get). He was there, and I expected him to be a significant antagonist in the story, but for some reason he just.. disappeared. The story didn't really show any resolution and it didn't feel complete to me. Even if the romance was somehow transitioned very well, it lacked on its antagonism element that was introduced but was never developed any further. It sucks because it would have made this story better.
Anyway, if you are looking for a friends-to-lovers story that isn't heavy but guilt-pleasure fulfilling, then Her Best Friend is the perfect story for you!
And brb, I have to hunt for a boy bestfriend that I can potentially in love with (since childhoold lovers won't work anymore since .. well .. I am already 18) ..Wish me luck!
4/5!
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