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mariettula's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 friends-who-are-obviously-in-love stars
Ari and Carter are best friends. They are the definition of best friends who spend that much time together, put each other first no matter what and ignore the fact that everyone thinks they're dating, because you know...they basically are. Carter can't hold onto a relationship for more than 6 months and picks up and leaves whatever he has going on, if Ari calls. Ari is afraid to trust her relationships because they don't completely feel right and can't help but share everything with Carter.
One thing the book tries to relate is that they've been in love with each other subconsciously forever, yet neither one of them ever actually thought about it. And that is my major "I call BS" issue with the book- neither one of them ever thought of the as attractive? And then suddenly, all of a sudden, basically on the same day, they each have a moment of clarity like "oh sh!t, my best friend is hot".
I can buy that they're best friends who never went there cause they were afraid to lose the friendship/afraid to be rejected. But to say that neither ever thought about it?
Other than that and the unecessary third-act "I am not telling you I love you because if I tell you, you won't chase your dream" trope, this was a fun, friends-to-lovers story.
Ari and Carter are best friends. They are the definition of best friends who spend that much time together, put each other first no matter what and ignore the fact that everyone thinks they're dating, because you know...they basically are. Carter can't hold onto a relationship for more than 6 months and picks up and leaves whatever he has going on, if Ari calls. Ari is afraid to trust her relationships because they don't completely feel right and can't help but share everything with Carter.
One thing the book tries to relate is that they've been in love with each other subconsciously forever, yet neither one of them ever actually thought about it. And that is my major "I call BS" issue with the book- neither one of them ever thought of the as attractive? And then suddenly, all of a sudden, basically on the same day, they each have a moment of clarity like "oh sh!t, my best friend is hot".
I can buy that they're best friends who never went there cause they were afraid to lose the friendship/afraid to be rejected. But to say that neither ever thought about it?
Other than that and the unecessary third-act "I am not telling you I love you because if I tell you, you won't chase your dream" trope, this was a fun, friends-to-lovers story.
cynic_reader's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Surprisingly good. The right amount of banter, spice, romance and emotions. She fell first, he fell harder.
A light humorous read. Absolutely lovely characters. I'm interested in reading Whitney G's other books.
A light humorous read. Absolutely lovely characters. I'm interested in reading Whitney G's other books.
anacecisolvel's review against another edition
4.0
El libro vale muchísimo la pena, el mejor friends to lovers que he leído so far.
golly_missmolly's review against another edition
4.0
I did enjoy this book. It was cute, heartwarming and fairly steamy. A great friends to lovers, a difficult trope for many writers to attack. The characters were believable, falling for one another in a way that didn’t feel forced or fake. The only part of this book I found problematic was that all the minor characters continually asserted that the two had to sleep together because “guys and girls can’t be just friends” which is a sexist assertion that only hurts relationship boundaries for young womxn. If the cast had asserted that while men and womxn could totally be platonic friends, but these two specifically were obviously in love with one another romantically, that would have been fine. Unfortunately that takes my 5 stars down to 4. I just can’t love a book that yanks me out of the story so often.
mjennings17's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. It was an easy read and had me glued after the first couple chapters. It would be a great summer read.
i_mane's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.5
bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
3.0
I am obsessed with the friends to lovers trope like seriously, this trope is my thing. I love the subtle descent from hey you're my bestest friend I enjoy being with you to I want to be with you and never be without you. But with Sincerely, Carter it just felt random and completely out of the blue. Like yesterday they were disgusted with the idea of sleeping with each other and then today they suddenly saw the light and saw each other differently. Carter and Arizona literally saw each other differently on the same damn day. Cheesy much?
Anyway, I really enjoyed the beginning, the letters, text messages and the small glimpses to the growth of their friendship over the years that I'm willing to overlook all this book's faults.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the beginning, the letters, text messages and the small glimpses to the growth of their friendship over the years that I'm willing to overlook all this book's faults.
farhana101's review against another edition
3.0
Friends to lovers is the best trope but this book was a little too rushed for me to fully feel the connection between the 2 characters. Some moments were really cute, other parts boring and repetitive.
rlisaacs's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
This book made me smile. The banter between these two main characters? Love it. (So don't be fooled by my bits of ranting below. I enjoyed my time here. Time well-spent. There's just some stuff I feel like nit-picking about. So I apologize in advance..., but if you've read my reviews before, you knew it was gonna happen at some point anyway, so here we go!)
A couple of reasons, just to clarify, why I'm saying 3.5 and not a full-on 4 stars. For starters, it took me a bit to really get into the story. Not really long, mind you. Somewhere between 25 and 30 percent, and then I was hooked.
Then there's the BAM, moment. In general, I'm not a fan of these. Nothing really wrong with them, and when done well, even my mind can be changed! But, I wasn't a fan of this one, just because so much time has passed where these two are best friends, and literally neither of them saw the other as anything more than that until... well... BAM! (And Carter is studying to be a lawyer. Aren't they supposed to be smart? Not that, that necessarily has any bearing on his ability to see Arizona clearly, but I'm just saying.)
And the moment of... I'm going to call it miscommunication, even though it's not exactly miscommunication.. In general I don't like the 'miscommunication' trope (or maybe it's misinterpretation? Either way!) But again, when handled well, I can be swayed. Didn't like it here though. (There's literally actually nothing to misinterpret, and it's not miscommunication as much as just a straight up lie of magnitudes that, at least for me, would never sit well.) But potentially that's literally just me and everyone and anyone else would be like "Aw, but did you keep reading? He did it for her?" Yes, I kept reading. Still think he could've come up with about a hundred better solutions to what he saw as a problem, then the one solution he settled on.
But again... I kept reading, people! This book is good! After I was finally hooked, I was all in. Arizona and Carter are wonderful. The way they always have each other's backs as friends. This is literally the type of relationship I have with my own family and friends. Yeah, we have our own lives, our own schedules, our own plans. But if my brothers or cousins or parents call me suddenly and need me to come get them or help them, I'd drop everything and go to them. That is what Carter and Arizona are for each other. Always there, through thick and thin. And then even after they cross the line between friends and something more, there is still that solid foundation, that knowledge that they are still always there for each other.
I love the banter between these two. They made me laugh. And the tension and the steam and them together... it just made me happy. (And blush a bit as I was reading it. Lol)
My copy of the book also contained the epilogue, which is listed as book #1.5 in goodreads, so I was able to read that as well. And if you want to know if you get an HEA --->
On both counts, just FYI. And you can end it with just Sincerely, Carter and be just fine and still happy and content there. But I enjoyed reading the epilogue called Sincerely, Arizona with it too. The first one ends happily, but that little bit you get extra with the epilogue really makes you feel like you come full circle in their story.
So yeah, I really enjoyed this! Fully plan on reading the second one at some point. (Adding it to my TBR right after this.) And I will definitely be looking into Whitney G. for more books to read. Cause while the moment of miscommunication was a bit of a turn-off for me, the rest of the book was still good enough that I didn't throw my kindle across the room and shout "Damnit, not this again!" (And again, hating on the miscommunication thing in books is probably, literally, just a me thing. So do with that what you will.)
As always, brief comment about grammar and typos. There were a few, but not so many as to take away from the story. Just, you know, that acceptable amount that tells you that someone really did try to get rid of them all, and just happened to miss a few here or there. (We're all human, after all.)
So yeah, glad to have read it, glad to have found it, and will be happily soaring into the next one at some point. Yay!
This book made me smile. The banter between these two main characters? Love it. (So don't be fooled by my bits of ranting below. I enjoyed my time here. Time well-spent. There's just some stuff I feel like nit-picking about. So I apologize in advance..., but if you've read my reviews before, you knew it was gonna happen at some point anyway, so here we go!)
A couple of reasons, just to clarify, why I'm saying 3.5 and not a full-on 4 stars. For starters, it took me a bit to really get into the story. Not really long, mind you. Somewhere between 25 and 30 percent, and then I was hooked.
Then there's the BAM, moment.
Spoiler
Meaning, these two have been friends since fourth grade. (Yes, FOURTH grade, not fifth, Carter. LOL) And both claim to have never noticed the other one in a sexual type of way until their both well into their college years. (If I'm remembering right, pretty sure they both graduated with a bachelor's or something and are both planning on still going to school after that. Talk about a desire to learn!) Anyways, all this to say, it's literally like one day, for no real reason that I can see, they both get smacked in the face with "Oh, wait, they're actually hot and pretty and now I want them."And the moment of... I'm going to call it miscommunication, even though it's not exactly miscommunication.
Spoiler
Carter does a stupid thing. He has good intentions, I don't deny that. But it was, in my opinion, a seriously stupid thing. Not a fan. Nope, not one bit.But again... I kept reading, people! This book is good! After I was finally hooked, I was all in. Arizona and Carter are wonderful. The way they always have each other's backs as friends. This is literally the type of relationship I have with my own family and friends. Yeah, we have our own lives, our own schedules, our own plans. But if my brothers or cousins or parents call me suddenly and need me to come get them or help them, I'd drop everything and go to them. That is what Carter and Arizona are for each other. Always there, through thick and thin. And then even after they cross the line between friends and something more, there is still that solid foundation, that knowledge that they are still always there for each other.
I love the banter between these two. They made me laugh. And the tension and the steam and them together... it just made me happy. (And blush a bit as I was reading it. Lol)
My copy of the book also contained the epilogue, which is listed as book #1.5 in goodreads, so I was able to read that as well. And if you want to know if you get an HEA --->
Spoiler
Yes, you do!On both counts, just FYI. And you can end it with just Sincerely, Carter and be just fine and still happy and content there. But I enjoyed reading the epilogue called Sincerely, Arizona with it too. The first one ends happily, but that little bit you get extra with the epilogue really makes you feel like you come full circle in their story.
So yeah, I really enjoyed this! Fully plan on reading the second one at some point. (Adding it to my TBR right after this.) And I will definitely be looking into Whitney G. for more books to read. Cause while the moment of miscommunication was a bit of a turn-off for me, the rest of the book was still good enough that I didn't throw my kindle across the room and shout "Damnit, not this again!" (And again, hating on the miscommunication thing in books is probably, literally, just a me thing. So do with that what you will.)
As always, brief comment about grammar and typos. There were a few, but not so many as to take away from the story. Just, you know, that acceptable amount that tells you that someone really did try to get rid of them all, and just happened to miss a few here or there. (We're all human, after all.)
So yeah, glad to have read it, glad to have found it, and will be happily soaring into the next one at some point. Yay!