Dare to Live, Dare to Love

Dare to Love #1

by Nicole C. Moon

This estranged best friends to lovers romance is full of comfort, mutual pining, and sweet love that finally blooms. Elle doesn't believe in love anymore but she starts to change her mind when her childhood best friend comes back into her life and is determined to prove there is love everywhere around her. 


Elle Jones is a workaholic and doesn't prioritize anything else. She doesn't let people in, and she's terrified she's not good enough to ever find love that is good and soft, and won't break her heart.
Dylan Andrews just moved in with his brother, and he's jobless but full of excitement to figure out what he wants to do with his life. 
When the two of them run into each other, they're overwhelmed by old feelings that never really went away. After a long talk on a quiet beach under a glimmering night sky, Dylan comes up with an idea that could change everything. He writes a list of things to show Elle that love can be real, true, everlasting, and it can find her when the time is right. As they check off the items on a crumped piece of paper, Elle learns there is more to life than she thought, and Dylan realizes he would do anything to fight for love. 

Can the two of them face the feelings they've been trying to avoid for years before the list ends? Can they take a leap towards a future that could be filled with unconditional love, both for each other and themselves, or will it be too late?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Queer, LGBT, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance

364 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

Nicole C. Moon is a romance writer, poet, and YouTuber currently living in a fictional world somewhere. She lives and breathes books, loves going to the movies, concerts, and coffee shops. She spends all her time reading, filming, writing, or cuddling her cats.

If you can’t reach her, she’s probably reading a romance novel on her couch.

Reviews

[Nicole Moon]

So, I wrote a book!!! It's an adult romance, and I can't wait for all of you to read it. You can pre-order the ebook here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0922Z5BYL/... (paperback out June 1!)

Some things to know about it:
💕 m/f romance with bi MCs
👀 estranged best friends to lovers
😳 oblivious dumbasses to lovers
💔 unrequited love (they think)
🥰 super intense mutual pining
🤓 hero with glasses!!!! (he's also the sweetest most romantic cinnamon roll)

You can find all the content warning info here: https://nickicmoon.wordpress.com/books/ I will be updating it, and adding additional info soon!

[Khadidja · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOOK!!! AT MY!!!! EXTREMELY TALENTED FRIEND'S BOOK COVER!!!!!!!! THOSE ARE MY BABIES THEY DESERVE THE WORLD!!!
~~
No bc i had the utmost honor of beta reading this AND IT GAVE ME EVERYTHING!! SO MANY FEELS I LOVE IT AND I WILL GLADLY DIE FOR BOTH OF THEM

[Sabi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... Boring. Too sweet for me, the main leads would've been better friends than a romantic couple.

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 4 out of 5]

You are worthy of love. You’re worthy of happiness. And I hope that you can find it, you can fight for it, and you can learn to let yourself feel it, and accept it without feeling like you don’t deserve it. Because you do.

this is a super sweet and soft contemp romance with recently-reunited-friends-to-lovers between two bi MCs who are both shy, introverted, and anxious.

the tone of this was v wholesome and optimistic (still steamy tho!), so if that’s your vibe you should def give this a try.

in the beginning i wasn’t too sure how i’d like this, but elle confronting her anxiety and the struggle of worthiness & feeling like a burden to others bc of it was so relatable for me, as well as their convo about biphobia.

if you’re looking for a soft boy mmc, dylan is your guy bc he is an absolute sweetheart.

i’m sad to see the author didn’t publish book 2 for this standalone series, i would love to see what happens with nathan!

[Fanna]

May 20, 2021: there can never be too many books with bi main characters in a m/f relationship,

[Inah (Fueled By Chapters)]

I can't do this to myself anymore hahaha! DNF @ 60%

I was so excited to read this because I love mutual pining and idiots in love so much. The premise was really cute and look how adorable the book cover is!!!

Sadly, they weren't enough to keep me going. I really really tried to continue but I just keep dropping it back because I keep losing interest. It started out pretty well, but it felt very inconsistent in terms of pacing and writing. Honestly, the writing felt off and some of the dialogues were awkward. The narration sounds like it was "telling" and not "showing". The writing could've been improved better.

I couldn't connect with the characters as well, and that's a big issue for me.

**
For more book reviews, visit my blog: Fueled By Chapters

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this had its cute moments, the writing was really not great. Also, can someone please explain to this author that sex is not just penetrative sex but also lots of other things, because that was a wildly heteronormative thing to include, especially if you consider neither of them are straight, like why??

[cathán · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of proofreading the final version before it comes out and i am in love <33 ill leave a full review after it gets released (and after my emotions calmed down)

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

beta read:

everyone needs to add this sweet story to their TBRs asap!!!!! this was compulsively readable, perfectly paced, and pureeee seratonin with beautiful messages all around. watching elle and dylan open up, unfold, and become more comfortable in their own skin (as they got to know each other again and fall in love) warmed my heart.

cannot wait to read the finished copy :)

[nicolreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

ahhhhh!!! i always say that enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, but i LIED! friends-to-lovers is where it’s at! the cover, the story, the characters, and everything about it is gorgeous!! what i loved the most about it was how beautiful all of the friendships were... i need Nathan and Sam’s story!!!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars 🌟

This was a cute bi4bi romance. The writing wasn't the best but it was a cute read. It's worth checking out.

Read #27 for Pride Month 2022.

Review written on 17th November, 2024.

DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/was average/Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/new favourite

[em/zainab]

my friend wrote this!!!!!

[Sapphire Bubble]

Defined as:
💕m/f romance with bi MCs
😳fools to lovers
💔unrequited love (they think👀)
🤓hero with glasses
📃a list that will change everything

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

[menna]

Nicki wrote this so im 100% sure it's the best thing ever written plus it has all the cutest tropes i literally can't wait!!!!!!!

[Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the Author, Nicole, for providing me with an Arc, in exchange for an honest review

After 6 years, two estranged best friends meet again. Elle jones and Dylan Andrews are surprised to find each other, and anxious about their lost friendship. While catching up Dylan finds Elle to be skeptical about love, and about her worth. As their friendship blooms to something more- they dare each other; To live... and to love.

This book reminded me of "The Sun Is Also A Star" by Nicola Yoon. Because of its similar elements of having a list or plan to make the other person believe in love.

This is actually one of the most comforting books I have read. It feels like someone wrapping you up in a blanket burrito and giving you hot chocolate- with amazing head pats after. It's cheesy and sweet, might give you diarrhea and diabetes IDK. I'd definitely read it when I need some comfort.

"And I guess that was love too, to celebrate someone's win even when it meant you lost. She was my best friend and I wanted her to be happy more than I wanted that for myself.
In that moment, somehow, it felt like there was more to it than that."

One of the great things about this book is how cunningly the author deflects info dump. Information is relayed through Dialogue, which- it also is IRL. The characters are just catching up after years, and It's natural to talk about the past. Or in any case, the author has set natural outlets to relay information, although it might seem to be obvious, it is actually really clever.

I loved the side character Nathan, and his humor; definitely got the giggles. There is some foreshadowing about his book and some teasers, which I'm super hyped about.

Again, this book is very sweet and comforting. At a certain point, it switched to 2nd person PoV, and it seemed as if the book is talking to you in person, and that can be a very heartwarming experience. Again, the author is very clever and aware to weave this naturally into the book.

"After that, we'd walked around town and sang songs without remembering the majority of the lyrics"

One thing that frustrated me was the overuse of "I" in Elle's PoV, but I was patient to see if there were any development of some conflict. Elle putting herself first is nothing wrong, but unfortunately, characteristics like these tend to spark up a lot of drama.

"I craved a romantic relationship. Despite constantly telling myself I was independent, I wanted to wake up next to someone. I longed for cuddles and kisses. I loved the thought of having someone by my side through life. But that didn't mean I didn't have people I could trust, people I could call, or vent to.

While this was acknowledged, I wish that it would hold more significance.

"I know the whole list is kind of for me, which already feels like too much work, but I just feel like we keep talking about my problems, you know? I shouldn't be the one to drop all my shit on you. You deal with your own stuff..."

Subsequently, I wouldn't recommend reading this one if you're looking for some drama. There is healthy communication and an actual romance.

One thing I didn't like about this is the lack of a substantial subplot. While I enjoy romances from time to time and don't mind romance being the main plot, I still need something more to go along with it. Like maybe some work difficulties, or anything tbh. This is just a preference thing tho.

"No hobby needed to manifest in perfect ways, and being bad at something didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it."

I feel that the characters could be better developed, adding a bit more negative traits. Again, this is just a preference thing. I was promised idiot cinnamon rolls and this book delivered.

So yeah... that's it for my thoughts on this one. Personal rating- 6.5/10

I'd recommend checking it out when you're feeling down. Happy reading!

[talia ♡]

BI4BI BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMCOM! BI4BI BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMCOM! BI4BI BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMCOM! BI4BI BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMCOM! BI4BI BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMCOM!

i am ordering the hell out of this one!!

[Shannon O'Connor]

DNF @ 30%

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such acute book, bi MCs best friends to strangers to friends to lovers romance with mutual pining.
I looking forward to Nathan and Samantha book.

[sil ♡ the book voyagers]

happy release day nicole!!! this is your debut romance book and I'm so excited for you. this book has estranged best friends, so much pining, bisexual main characters, and cuteness overload.

[mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the soft vibes, significant conversations, and surely the cat. It felt like a hug

[Shreeya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very (not-so) patiently waiting to get my hands on this book ever since I heard about it. Dare to Live, Dare to Love was captivating and delightful; it was everything I hoped it would be. The moment I met the characters, I was in love and I could not put the book down. This book had humour, banter, mutual pining, heart-melting romance, a wonderful cast of characters and powerful emotions. An absolute delight in every way.

This is a character-driven book that focuses on self-love and dealing with anxiety about being unlovable. And these characters? I would gladly take a bullet for all of them. Elle and Dylan, our main couple, are obviously lovable, but so are all the side characters. In a Q and A session, the author said that if she is not dying to write their own story or book, then they are not good enough side characters. And it shows in the book. All the characters are well fleshed out and easily distinguishable. Ever since I finished the book, I have been asking myself who my favourite character is and I still can’t figure it out. I love them all.

Elle and Dylan are the cutest, most adorable idiots ever. The angst, the mutual pining, the hesitation are all top notch. Even though I have never been in an estranged-best-friends-to-lovers situation, the way their relationship progressed seemed very relatable somehow. While the two of them are catching up after years, Elle mentions that she has given up on love and feels that unconditional love doesn’t exist, at least for her. When Elle says she “doesn’t know how to dream anymore”, Dylan gets an idea. He wants Elle to believe in love again and believe that she is worthy of love. So he creates a list of things they could do together. While doings all these things the two of them grow closer and you know what happens next, it’s a romance after all.

Listen, friends to lovers is my favourite romance trope and any book with multiple POVs gets a bonus point from me. So it is no surprise to anyone that I immensely enjoyed Dare to Live, Dare to Love. This was a serotonin shot masquerading as a book. I just know I will be rereading this book whenever I feel down.

Full review: https://absorbedinbooks.wordpress.com...

[Nehir · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE STARS READ!!!
Read just in one day, and absolutely loved it!
This book made me feel things I didn't even know I needed. Lately i'm having hard days with the anxiety, future concerns, stress of growing up and more. And this book was exactly the book I needed to read. I'm saying this because I bonded very easily with the characters, I saw myself in Elle, and everything they went through with Dylan made me think about my own life and gave me morale which i needed the most these days. This wasn't just a cute adult contemporary romance, there was much more. The author wrote about identity discoveries, difficulty of finding out who you really are, worries about the future, regrets, relationships, love and much more. which are all very important.
I really don't know what else to say about this book. I hope anyone who feels like me and has trouble trusting themselves read this. Just trust me. This will give you the courage, hope and joy you don't even know how badly need to.
I will never forget the feelings this book felt me. I am so emotional rn.
Thanks for writing this book, Nicole C. Moon. I feel understood and better than I have felt in a long time. Oh and FYI, I'm keeping an eye on your upcoming books😎 keep writing! 💗💗

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book made me feel so many things. i was worried at first because it seemed like it was trying a little too hard to be woke but once you get past the first few chapters it’s perfectly fine.

i need a person like dylan, he is literally the sweetest person ever and did so much for elle and they just made each other feel so validated.

[Shelby Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean, can we just take a moment for this book cover for starters? Elle and Dylan are just absolutely gorgeous, I can’t deal with them! Best friends to lovers isn’t typically a trope I find myself reading very often, however, after reading this delightful book, I think I need to look in to this trope some more.

Elle and Dylan, two bisexual best friends, reunite six years later, after losing touch when Dylan left for College in London. What I loved about this book was that the first few chapters were fast-paced, in which Elle and Dylan reunite immediately, with very little slow-burn. When the pair find themselves reunited, it doesn’t shy away from the fact that these two had very clear feelings towards one another in the past, and still in the present. However, things have changed since they last saw one another, especially for Elle, who is now struggling to realise her worth in love and accept that she is worthy of such love. I couldn’t believe how much I resonated with Elle so much throughout this story – I, myself, strongly struggle with knowing my worth when it comes to relationships and always manage to sabotage them, as I’m waiting for the worst to happen and want to protect my heart for when that time comes. It takes so much time and patience to find your self-worth and learn to love yourself – for Elle, that’s when Dylan becomes the best person who could have ever returned to her life.

Dylan, being the absolute cutest cinnamon roll to ever exist, decides to dedicate his new-found time to showing Elle that love does exist and all you need is to have a little faith and belief. Dylan creates the idea of collating a list of activities the pair can do together, in order for Elle to realise that although she may have been treated poorly in the past, there will be a time when someone shows up and treats her in all the right ways. I absolutely adored the friendship between Elle and Dylan, they were so clumsy around each other, with their angst and mutual pining, it was just lovely in every way. I also loved how their friendship started to rekindle in to so much more, as they grew closer and the romance began to blossom. When the two had finally accepted their feelings for one another, oh my goodness, there were just the softest and fluffiest moments ever. They were just so innocent and wholesome with everything they did and said, it was just the sweetest, I honestly don’t think I could ever have enough of these two. One of my favourite scenes definitely has to be when Dylan made Elle write love letters to herself, I think that is definitely something I need to start doing!

Every single character written in to this book were just absolutely precious, you immediately just form an attachment with them all and want to pretty much protect them with your life! Elle’s best friend, Dana, was just an absolute delight – from her fashion sense, her personality, right down to the relationship with her girlfriend, Nina. Dylan and his twin brother, Nathan, were just an iconic and comedic duo to have had the pleasure in reading about – Nathan is a very laid-back, doesn’t take life too seriously type of guy, who has a new girl every night. He offers Dylan a lot of douchey, but useful advice and is pretty much one of Dylan and Elle’s biggest shippers, which is super cute! Although his story-line is quite minimal, we discover that he has some unresolved feelings towards his high school sweetheart, Samantha, and with the way the book ends, I have a feeling that book two will be on these lovebirds, at least I hope I’m right!

Dare to Live, Dare to Love, will bring you nothing but joy and happiness. I completely fell in love with each individual character and really loved delving deep in to the POV’s of Elle and Dylan. It is the perfect read that will have you speeding through the pages, until you have finished it in one sitting. Nicole does a great job in subtly mentioning that both of our leading characters are bisexual and highlights a really special moment between the two, in which Elle was exceptionally supportive and understanding when Dylan was still figuring out his identity as teenagers. Nicole also touches on mental health and how it can often throw off a person’s life and how they think and react to certain situations. I really saw myself within these characters and this was definitely a book I needed in my life. Everything about these best friends was just so beautiful, so loveable and I would love to just give them both a massive hug! Congratulations, Nicola, on your debut – roll on book number two!

[Trianna/Treereads]

I loved the characters in this, they are so soft and cute!! Plus, both main characters are bisexual.

This is a self published, debut novel and parts of it were a bit rough, but it was a fun time.

[Šárka Ondrouchová · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweetest, most precious book I have ever read. I can't believe or count the number of times this book has made me smile and grin when I thought I was having a bad day and it gave me the little nudge I needed to feel alright. I CAN'T WAIT for the next one ❤️

[Louis C · Rating 4 out of 5]

it took me way longer than I thought and should, but it is done. I read my first romance novel and I liked it, though I don't think it will be a genre I grab often. anyway, love the soft vibes, the important talks, and of course the cat so yeet i say, mission accomplished

[B · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. Poorly written and really weird MCs who definitely spoke like twelve year olds and not any twenty five year olds I know. Can’t believe I slugged my way through this.

[pri. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so lighthearted!!!!!!!!!!!!!and i loved it sm 🥲 its the fact that I impulsively read this but safe to say this did not disappoint!!! the poems was so cute ksshdshh

[decklededgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

trigger warnings: sex and sexual content, alcohol mention, anxiety and panic disorder, panic attacks

This books gives you that intense squeeze your heart feels while reading and I enjoyed it so much. It's been a hot minute since I've read a romance where my stomach has been in twists due to feels. Super cute and soft. So much conversation around consent and boundaries and just open and honest communication. Obsessed.