Wanting My Best Friend

by Elyse Kelly

I'm in love with my best friend. And he has absolutely no idea…

There's no way to deny it, and there's no way to change it. I've been madly and deeply in love with Max my whole life. But he only sees me like a sister—just a girl that’s followed him around since we were kids.

So, how do I tell him? Will it ruin everything? Will he feel the same way? What if he doesn't?

I’m moving on to the next chapter of my life and I need to tell him how I feel before it’s too late. I've known this beautiful boy since the first grade, and we’ve been inseparable since the day we met. It's time to finally tell him that I can’t live without him.

I just hope it doesn't ruin everything.

Wanting My Best Friend is a sweet, but extra steamy friends-to-lovers novella with a HEA!

Genres: Contemporary, Friends To Lovers

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Just a true southern girl, reading and writing books, asking you to love me! My books are contemporary romances, all with HEAs and no cliffhangers!

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Reviews

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute and adorable story. I want a Max in my life!

[Gina Salamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short yet sweet and steamy (yes, at the same time!) story with an introduction to characters this author will give us more of and I can't wait to read the next book!

[Kala McNulty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this book was just so sweet! I LOVE the best friends to lovers trope and this book delivered! Max is just the sweetest ever! This was such a wonderful quick read and it was exactly everything I needed!

[Torri Heat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Elyse's books and this little novella was just as good as everything else I've read by her.

Steamy, romantic, heart warming, and a beautiful HEA are all the things you can expect from her books -- always! Every time she releases something new I get excited because I know it's going to put a smile on my face.

Max and Noelle were so freaking SWEET. But don't think that means they don't get dirty, because...they do. Read for yourself to see exactly how it all plays out!

[Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanting My Best Friend was about Noelle Kelly and Max, who had been friends since first grade. They had been dancing around each other for sixteen years, but when they finally graduated college and were returning home, all of their friends and family told them they needed to tell the other how they felt before someone else snatched one of them up and it was too late.
Although it was a very short story, it was also cute and fluffy, with all the feels a reader could ask for. There was no drama, only a touch of angst (at telling the other how they felt), and a smidgeon of humor. Other than that, it was all smooth sailing from beginning to end. Because of how short of a read it was, it was more of a teaser for the other three books (the trilogy called Magnolia Springs Series), even though they were written before this one. However, when this story started none of the other three characters mentioned anything about a girlfriend/wife/significant other, so it's hard to say if this was a prequel or just a continuation of the series.
With that being said, it was a book worthy of a five-star rating and to be added to the Keeper for the Shelves collection, just for how sweet these two were. I'm ready to enjoy the other three to see how Noelle's brother and his two friends do in the love department.

[Reading With Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanting My Best Friend - Elyse Kelly

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

::: SPOILER-FREE REVIEW :::

Rating: 5 STARS!!!!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

OMG!!!! Talk about knocking it out of the park!!!

I love a good friends to lovers story. Especially when the characters are childhood best friends who have an insane connection before they fall for one another. Noelle and Max have that. You feel their connection before the romance even begins.

Max … Oh my… I fell in love ! 🤤🤤🤤
I had a smile on my face the whole time when I read it. So, so, sweet and romantic….
I absolutely loved this one! It was so cute and sweet and it made my heart all fluttery.

Smut
Absolute Pure Smut
Smut at it’s Best…❤

Oh... this was really really Hoooot!!!🔥🔥

I need a cold shower! 😅😅
Yep, because sometimes you just need a little smut in your life.
Yes, we all get that craving, don’t deny it!

Go get it a copy of this book. You won’t regret it.

[Sarah | Retro Girl Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noelle has been in love with her best friend Max for all of her life, but she’s never had the courage to tell him. Tired of the secrecy, Noe decides to tell him how she feels. Little does she know, however, that Max feels exactly the same about her, and he’s been dying to tell her how he truly feels.

This was my first time reading something by Elyse Kelly, and I loved it! Short but oh so steamy, you could cut the tension between Max and Noe with a knife. It was amazing to see how pure their friendship was, and how flawlessly they were able to transition from best friends to lovers. I definitely recommend!

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noelle and Max become best friends at five years old when he moves in next door. He didn't mind her extreme shyness and she didn't mind his excessive talking and cheer. They were made for each other even at five. As time moved on they even go to the same college always together to the point where everyone thought they were a couple. Now, graduation is over and her college days are over as are, Max’s. A new chapter for them to start back home. When her family corners her as to if she was planning on finally telling Max she loved him... See if Max is feeling the same way. Or will they force a harsh reality of finding out that friendship is all they have?

[Amy Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella follows Noelle and Max as they graduate from college and head back home; both completely head over heels in love with the other, but neither of them know.

I think for such a short story, there is plenty of steam and it doesn't take long to get started. The dialogue felt a bit forced and unbelievable to me but that's just my own preference - I prefer more realism . Lots of people have raved about this in the reviews and so I think it could be the novella for you if you're looking for something short, with best friends to lovers.

[Alis Renzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max e Noelle sono adorabili!! Sono migliori amici che hanno sempre vissuto tutte le esperienze della vita insieme. Sono cresciuti insieme prima come vicini fino alla fine del liceo e ora hanno finito l'università.
Tornano a vivere nella loro città d'infanzia. Lui avrà il suo proprio appartamento e lei torna nella casa di famiglia...
E se per puro caso i due fossero innamorati ma nessuno dei due vuole dirlo??

Ohhhh che novellina adorabile.
I due sono dolcissimi. Si amano e non fanno nulla senza l'altro. Letteralmente nulla. Neanche il sesso visto che son vergini e stanno aspettando l'altro per crearsi una vita!

Adoro com'è stata scritta la storia. Dolce e veloce.
Veloce per modo di dire insomma. La tensione dei due si sente attraverso le pagine.
💜💘

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded down.
How does such a short novella manage to be so repetitive? The same things are repeated over and over, by different characters, to the point I just was fed up with it. Also, the "I'm in love with her and I didn't know it but everyone else (but her, obviously) does" trope is stupid and I hate it. Makes the character look utterly stupid, no matter how many times the author tells me he's intelligent. She as well, because of course she has loved loved him for forever too and everybody knew but them. So freaking repetitive. That made it very boring.

[Naly Tham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is just so flippin cute!!! It literally brought me back to life after being destroyed by another book. This story is what I imagine love to be like in real life!!

It's really just the cutest story!!! If you have been destroyed by book like I have and are needing a book to bring you back to life then this book is it, well any book written by Elyse is what you are in need of!!



🌟 Ratings: 🌟
Story - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Romance - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[lowkeyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a cute, short novella about Max and Noelle who have been best friends since they became neighbours. Don't know how or when they started developing feelings for each other. And now 16 years later, they are finally going to admit those feelings. I loved this it was a satisfying read and I loved how their families and friends actually knew about their feelings except for themselves and push them to admit it to each other. So sweet!

[Michaella Dieter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear Elyse has some sort of witchy woo-woo going on. Why? Because I generally don't read sweet romances. And yet...every time I pick up one of her books, I spend the entire time grinning away like the Cheshire Cat, enjoying every minute of it.

Wanting My Best Friend is a super quick read, perfect when you need a little pick-me-up. It may be a novella, but it doesn't skimp on feelings, and the bit of spice is just right.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute story! I enjoyed how their friends and family pushed them to realize they needed to admit they loved each other. This was a quick read that draws you in, as they find happiness. If you enjoy friends to lovers stories, I recommend you give it a try.
I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Delaci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not that big on reading novellas that much, but this book gave me so much hope for short reads. It was the right mix of short, sweet and sexy that it had me feeling satisfied. Plus I love the chemistry between the main characters so much that I was practically smiling from beginning to end. Can't wait to read more by Elyse Kelly.

[CLorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Friends to Lovers

I have never read ANY stories by this author so I have to wonder how I missed her! This was an amazingly sweet best friends to lovers story. Max and Noelle met when they were six and remained best friends for the next 16 years. They both know that they love the other….their family and friends know…. but they have to confess their feelings to each other…..

[Hannah | Blessed Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and Noelle were so cute together!! Their story low-key reminds me of my (guy) best friend and I before we told how we felt. ☺️ I have no shame in admitting that I finished the entire story in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. I very much enjoyed reading it, and I would definitely recommend it, especially if it's your first read by this author. :)

[Carolyn Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, quick read. Noelle and Max, friends from as long as they can remember. It was cute that all the other characters, friends and parents went "thank goodness, you finally figured it out!"

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

[The Dragon Den Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Wanting My Best Friend by Elyse Kelly
* * * * *
A sweet little romance story on two best friends taking the change on love...love how everyone around them is just so over waiting. Good giggles, HEA all the way, steamy and cute!

[thebeespot72 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dual POV. FMC/MMC. "Wanting My Best Friend" by Elyse Kelly is a novella that was a sweet read of two childhood sweethearts, Noelle and Max. They were meant to be, and everyone knows it but them. A slow burn, but once it got there --- it got there!

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
I love a good friends to lovers, and this one, although short, was good. I know this is a novella to the Magnolia Springs series, but I feel like this could have been just a chapter or two longer. I can't wait to read more!

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet short read about falling in love. Hits all the feels!

[Vicious but Romantic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sweetest friends to lovers ever! 😭

[Zoey Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book you sent me from the giveaway was absolutely beautiful. It was the perfect short story. The love the characters had for each other was sweet and steamy all at once. Thank you

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, and not much drama which was a nice change of pace. Wish that there was more to explain the story so that we could feel more chemistry.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cutest story of two totally oblivious souls - even their families knew before they did! This short story is equal parts adorable and spicy, I loved every page.

[Jamie Martz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice one.
They went wild as soon they both know their feelings.

[Audrey Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plenty of steam in this little novella, but I felt kind of annoyed that all of their family and friends knew they both liked one another but they were both 'clueless'...