Goal: Find a boyfriend, get married, buy a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, and pop out 2.5 kids.
Deadline: Sixty days.
That’s possible, right?
HAHAHA. *Faints*
I’m kidding. Well, kind of. I mean, I’m not going to attempt a shotgun wedding or try to get knocked up by some guy I met on the internet, but there is no doubt that, this year, home for the holidays takes on a whole new, terrifying meaning.
I have to travel from New York City—my home and safe haven for the last fifteen years—to my tiny hometown in Vermont for Christmas, my baby sister’s wedding, and my high school reunion.
Talk about a trifecta of single-doom.
Throw in Callie Camden—aka my high school class’s version of Regina George—and it’s a recipe for certified disaster.
Especially since my mouth ran away from me when she asked me if I’d be bringing someone to our reunion, and I told her to put me down for two.
Gah. Now I can’t go alone.
But the online dating world is a cesspool of bad manners, speedy hookups, and outright weirdos.
Handsome, single, successful—that’s what I’m looking for.
And it just so happens that my best friend Luke London fits all of the criteria.
The only problem is best friends don’t kiss…
But maybe it doesn’t count if it’s pretend?
Best Friends Don’t Kiss is a best-friends-to-lovers, holiday-themed, feel-good, full-length, standalone romantic comedy with witty banter, so many laughs, and so much swoon. Readers can’t read the first ten pages without cracking a smile and laughing their you-know-whats off. Consider this a Max Monroe smile and laughter guarantee.
Disclaimer: The Max Monroe smile and laughter guarantee applies to normally happy and pleasant individuals. Those that have Grinch-like tendencies and do not smile at things such as puppies or kittens or rainbows or Christmas—well, even a Max Monroe Rom Com can’t help you.
This was my first Max Monroe book so I can’t wait to check out more. Ava and Luke’s story was adorable and so much fun. They’ve been the best of friends for fifteen years and there’s no awkward will-they/won’t-they for our MCs, even though their friends always insist they’re perfect together.
Ava needs a fake boyfriend for her baby sister’s wedding and high school reunion. She’s tired of her family’s sad efforts to fix her up and just wants to enjoy herself without anyone focusing on the fact she’s single. When she announces that she won’t be alone when she comes home for the holidays this year, Ava has no idea how difficult it’s going to be to fill the fake boyfriend role. Luckily, her bestie Luke is always there to help and this time is no different, even though he makes it clear that faking it is a terrible idea.
The MCs in this story are so lovable. Ava’s funny and smart, so her quirkiness is endearing rather than annoying, as is the case with so many characters. Luke is probably the perfect man. He’s sweet and smart and fun and he wants to be an astronaut, he’s completely awesome. I don’t get hooked on book boyfriends very often, but Luke London is one of the very few, along with Roman “Bane” Protsenko and Hawks #11 star Alex Waters.
They’re great together and soon realize that their fake relationship doesn’t feel fake at all. Luke isn’t scared by that because he’s always loved Ava, but didn’t want to risk their friendship. Ava’s not as comfortable diving in, but when things start to get complicated, she realizes that she’s been blind to the truth for half of her life and it’s time to do this.
Ava’s family is hilarious and really add to the story. There’s a big, fantastic cast of supporting characters, including private pilot Luke’s rich passengers who have become friends. The guys and their wives from Max Monroe’s Billionaire collection are here and they’re great, so that’s probably my next series to tackle. This was a sweet story with realistic MCs. They had issues and angst but held it together and communicated like adults, which is always good to read. One of my favorite things about this story was that the HEA really was just that; When the going got tough, they found a compromise that worked for the both of them so they could be together and I love that. After all, the idea of sacrificing a lifelong dream or once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity isn’t likely to be part of HEA. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more about the billionaires.
