Scan barcode
A review by micaelamariem
Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you so much to HarperCollins and to the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review! These thoughts are my own.
Between Friends & Lovers is an adorable romance that follows 29-year-old Jo and her quest to get over her unrequited love for her best friend by dating the next eligible bachelor. In a world of fame and social media, though, love triangles are not so simple.
What I appreciated most about this book was that it’s not just about the romance. The biggest overarching theme was the mental health awareness. All of the characters seemed to experience their fair share of trauma and depression and worked to normalize these experiences, and this is something we should be doing more of these days. As someone with depression, I very much related to Jo’s episode.
The problem with the book, or maybe just me, is the romance itself didn’t captivate me. I was bored with it. Maybe there wasn’t enough drama. The book was well written, the characters well built, but for some reason I just couldn’t be entertained.
However, that may just be a “me” problem. I think most people who will read this will love it, especially if they’re a fan of cute romances!
Between Friends & Lovers is an adorable romance that follows 29-year-old Jo and her quest to get over her unrequited love for her best friend by dating the next eligible bachelor. In a world of fame and social media, though, love triangles are not so simple.
What I appreciated most about this book was that it’s not just about the romance. The biggest overarching theme was the mental health awareness. All of the characters seemed to experience their fair share of trauma and depression and worked to normalize these experiences, and this is something we should be doing more of these days. As someone with depression, I very much related to Jo’s episode.
The problem with the book, or maybe just me, is the romance itself didn’t captivate me. I was bored with it. Maybe there wasn’t enough drama. The book was well written, the characters well built, but for some reason I just couldn’t be entertained.
However, that may just be a “me” problem. I think most people who will read this will love it, especially if they’re a fan of cute romances!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism