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josy's review
4.0
~ 4.5 stars ~
Awesome friends-to-lovers Valentine story. I just wish it had been longer.
Also great to get a glimpse of Gabe and Dylan from [b:Rule Breaker|35826972|Rule Breaker (Mixed Messages, #1)|Lily Morton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501008277l/35826972._SY75_.jpg|57330979].
Awesome friends-to-lovers Valentine story. I just wish it had been longer.
Also great to get a glimpse of Gabe and Dylan from [b:Rule Breaker|35826972|Rule Breaker (Mixed Messages, #1)|Lily Morton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501008277l/35826972._SY75_.jpg|57330979].
regencyfan93's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alisonalisonalison's review
3.0
This was cute and free and short and enjoyable. A nice way to spend some time.
dith_kusu's review
4.0
Same case as the other short story I read by Lily Morton today- this suits the Valentine's Day romance mood, is also a case of best friends turned lovers, also prompted by dumping a terrible ex boyfriend in the picture though this is more recent, and they go on a flurry of specifically three dates here, that were hilariously meant for the ex boyfriend, and the epilogue ends with them being in blissful domesticity while there's plans for a proposal. So this was rather repetitive after just reading the other one, and the author's signature tropes are getting a bit tiring as well.
But this already got more bonus points just by the fact that one of the guys, the hot model on the cover, is Asian (well, technically Eurasian but there's little Asian rep out in these kinds of romances as it is). Also there's the whole cameo of Gabe and Dylan from the Finding Home series! Mick, who spent his childhood in foster homes and is high-achieving as a result, works for Gabe and Gabe is basically his mentor. Archie is a nurse, a popular confident personality type who welcomed Mick in when they met in middle school and have been best friends since; there are extended flashbacks to their younger days showing this.
Overall their relationship was cute enough, if very repetitive to me by this point. I just thought at some point, this dynamic of obvious years of pining for each other while head scratchingly, inexplicably dating obviously garbage men (could NOT understand why Mick was dating with the ex, and even let him live in his apartment) got quite annoyingly frustrating to read. Just want to bash their heads together and be like, KISS you dummies.
But this already got more bonus points just by the fact that one of the guys, the hot model on the cover, is Asian (well, technically Eurasian but there's little Asian rep out in these kinds of romances as it is). Also there's the whole cameo of Gabe and Dylan from the Finding Home series! Mick, who spent his childhood in foster homes and is high-achieving as a result, works for Gabe and Gabe is basically his mentor. Archie is a nurse, a popular confident personality type who welcomed Mick in when they met in middle school and have been best friends since; there are extended flashbacks to their younger days showing this.
Overall their relationship was cute enough, if very repetitive to me by this point. I just thought at some point, this dynamic of obvious years of pining for each other while head scratchingly, inexplicably dating obviously garbage men (could NOT understand why Mick was dating with the ex, and even let him live in his apartment) got quite annoyingly frustrating to read. Just want to bash their heads together and be like, KISS you dummies.
dithkusu's review
4.0
Same case as the other short story I read by Lily Morton today- this suits the Valentine's Day romance mood, is also a case of best friends turned lovers, also prompted by dumping a terrible ex boyfriend in the picture though this is more recent, and they go on a flurry of specifically three dates here, that were hilariously meant for the ex boyfriend, and the epilogue ends with them being in blissful domesticity while there's plans for a proposal. So this was rather repetitive after just reading the other one, and the author's signature tropes are getting a bit tiring as well.
But this already got more bonus points just by the fact that one of the guys, the hot model on the cover, is Asian (well, technically Eurasian but there's little Asian rep out in these kinds of romances as it is). Also there's the whole cameo of Gabe and Dylan from the Finding Home series! Mick, who spent his childhood in foster homes and is high-achieving as a result, works for Gabe and Gabe is basically his mentor. Archie is a nurse, a popular confident personality type who welcomed Mick in when they met in middle school and have been best friends since; there are extended flashbacks to their younger days showing this.
Overall their relationship was cute enough, if very repetitive to me by this point. I just thought at some point, this dynamic of obvious years of pining for each other while head scratchingly, inexplicably dating obviously garbage men (could NOT understand why Mick was dating with the ex, and even let him live in his apartment) got quite annoyingly frustrating to read. Just want to bash their heads together and be like, KISS you dummies.
But this already got more bonus points just by the fact that one of the guys, the hot model on the cover, is Asian (well, technically Eurasian but there's little Asian rep out in these kinds of romances as it is). Also there's the whole cameo of Gabe and Dylan from the Finding Home series! Mick, who spent his childhood in foster homes and is high-achieving as a result, works for Gabe and Gabe is basically his mentor. Archie is a nurse, a popular confident personality type who welcomed Mick in when they met in middle school and have been best friends since; there are extended flashbacks to their younger days showing this.
Overall their relationship was cute enough, if very repetitive to me by this point. I just thought at some point, this dynamic of obvious years of pining for each other while head scratchingly, inexplicably dating obviously garbage men (could NOT understand why Mick was dating with the ex, and even let him live in his apartment) got quite annoyingly frustrating to read. Just want to bash their heads together and be like, KISS you dummies.
teenykins's review
4.0
I loved Archie and Michael's story. I just started reading Lily Morton and I have to say I love her style and stories.
Yes Patrick's treatment wasn't the best but seeing as I've listened and read worse between the 2 MCs and not even the big bad ex, I can forgive that :)
Yes Patrick's treatment wasn't the best but seeing as I've listened and read worse between the 2 MCs and not even the big bad ex, I can forgive that :)
suzy76's review
5.0
Lily Morton can do no wrong in my opinion, an utterly enchanting wonderful novella. And it was soooo great to see Gabe and Dylan again!
leslie_kent's review
4.0
I realized as I started reading this that I had already read it and just never marked it. But I was enjoying it so much that I kept going and loved the reread. Lily Morton does friends to lovers so perfectly. And for such a short story this felt fully developed and worked for me on all levels. Loved the cameos from Dylan and Gabe too.
haletostilinski1's review
5.0
I always love and enjoy Lily Morton's work, whether they're short stories or full length. I adored this short story, it was classic Morton. Romantic, funny and sweet with some seriousness sneaking in here and there. But for the most part it is definitely a Rom-Com, with a great main couple who get their HEA.
Michael - or Mick, as only his best friend Archie gets to call him - works for Gabe - MC of book one of the Mixed Messages series - and has been best friends with Archie, a nurse, for ten years since high school.
Archie has known his feelings since basically the first time they met, but it takes until well, present day in this book ten years later for Mick to realize what has been right in front of his face.
After he catches his boyfriend of a year cheating on him and breaks it off, he takes Archie on the Valentine's Day dates he had planned for him and said cheating boyfriend, but only as "friends" of course.
But as they go to the places Mick planned, it comes more and more apparent he planned the dates with Archie in mind, not the ex, and Mick's eyes start to open more and more when it comes to Archie.
This was a sweet, wonderful tale of these two best friends becoming lovers, and their chemistry was really well done. Morton has done this before with short stories, packing in the history and everything so that the love doesn't feel out of left field when they fall into it.
Loved this, definitely recommend!
Michael - or Mick, as only his best friend Archie gets to call him - works for Gabe - MC of book one of the Mixed Messages series - and has been best friends with Archie, a nurse, for ten years since high school.
Archie has known his feelings since basically the first time they met, but it takes until well, present day in this book ten years later for Mick to realize what has been right in front of his face.
After he catches his boyfriend of a year cheating on him and breaks it off, he takes Archie on the Valentine's Day dates he had planned for him and said cheating boyfriend, but only as "friends" of course.
But as they go to the places Mick planned, it comes more and more apparent he planned the dates with Archie in mind, not the ex, and Mick's eyes start to open more and more when it comes to Archie.
This was a sweet, wonderful tale of these two best friends becoming lovers, and their chemistry was really well done. Morton has done this before with short stories, packing in the history and everything so that the love doesn't feel out of left field when they fall into it.
Loved this, definitely recommend!