All I Wanted Was You: Ex Bully, Brother's Best Friend, Enemies to Lovers

by Bea Mandy

Brynn Miller has been tormented her whole life; by her older brother, her absent father, her aloof mother. Her own mind. But no one ever got under Brynn's skin the way Mason Hayes did. When they meet as pre-teens, Mason makes it known that he is not Brynn's friend, but she can't escape him because he is best friends with her older brother.
Mason spends years teasing, taunting and humiliating Brynn.
But it's not all fun and games when Brynn grows up and Mason's feelings start to change. But if it were really that simple, Mason would've made Brynn his as soon as he looked at her different.
Mason's world is far more complicated than Brynn could ever imagine and he tries to keep her at a distance, but their chemistry isn't something that can be ignored.
They both know they'll get burned if they allow themselves to fall in love, but will they do it anyway?
Enemies to loversEx bullyBrother's best friendPossessive MMCReformed playboyGood girl x bad boyOpposites attractPLEASE This is a duet. Book 1 ends on a cliff hanger that will be wrapped in a HEA bow in book 2.
The MC's are in high school for Book 1 with a time jump in Book 2.
THERE IS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT AND VERY TRIGGERING TOPICS.

Happy reading!

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2026

About the author

Bea Mandy is a 30-something mom of 3 kids living in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. When she is not wrangling her 3 young kids, you can find her reading and writing romance of all genres. Bea also enjoys baking and talking about Taylor Swift.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the writing style and feel this author has soo much potential but I just was not feeling how adult the highschool romance was. When I realized it was about highschoolers I thought maybe it was an YA but definitely not. I feel like if they were in college or something it would of been better. It was just really hard to read but not because of the writing style just the mature themes at such a young age. Maybe im just old 😂

[April Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute emotional rollercoaster! 5/5 stars.
This book completely tore my heart out. Brynn and Mason’s history runs so deep since they practically grew up together, which made the tension and the bullying hurt even more. Learning about Mason’s childhood and home life completely changed everything for me—it makes so much sense why he lashed out, even though his actions were toxic.
What really made this story click for me was seeing how their shared childhood trauma is ultimately what brought them together. They are both carrying so much deep, heavy pain from what they experienced growing up, and that mutual brokenness binds them in a way no one else can truly understand or heal.
As someone who knows firsthand how messy and toxic high school love can be, this felt raw and realistic. Mason clearly loves Brynn, but he is paralyzed by the fear of failing her and his best friend. His love is messed up, but it is undeniably there. Also, the spice level is an absolute 10/10! I cannot wait for the second book to see how they heal from this. I can not wait for the second book.