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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
This book managed to subvert my expectations in the best way. At first, I was expecting a love triangle between the campily out of touch television star and charming neighbor best friend who Sloane loves, but I was very pleasantly surprised when they didn't go that route.
Keeping Aspen so generally high maintenance throughout the book was, quite possibly, one of my favorite parts of it. Was it absurd? Yes. Did I love it? Also yes.
Friends to lovers is always a win, though; I just love it. Especially with the long distance and childhood neighbors bit thrown in... This is a brilliant book. Everyone read it.
Keeping Aspen so generally high maintenance throughout the book was, quite possibly, one of my favorite parts of it. Was it absurd? Yes. Did I love it? Also yes.
Friends to lovers is always a win, though; I just love it. Especially with the long distance and childhood neighbors bit thrown in... This is a brilliant book. Everyone read it.
Sloane is spending the summer in LA with her best friend Liam. She ends up being talked into being a contestant on a reality dating show. The bachelor just happens to be Aspen - the heartthrob from her favorite show, The Cove. But Sloane finds herself falling for Liam.
I thought it was a good read however at times I found myself a little bored. It was also a little predictable. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I thought it was a good read however at times I found myself a little bored. It was also a little predictable. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Rating: Absolutely Loved It
I loved this book for what it is, a fun, light rom com for teens. It was laugh out loud funny and has some of my absolute favorite tropes, such as reality tv/dating setup and friends to lovers. AND it had dual POVs. I think that the friends to lovers was handled really well for the most part, although I did have some complaints every once in a while about the amount of time spent agonizing over everything, for the most part it was super easy to read.
I flew through this one in just a few hours once I had the time to devote to it. I think that my favorite thing about it is that it truly feels like it is written for teens. I would have loved to have this book to devour when I was in high school.
Overall, it was funny, I loved the characters, and I just had a great time. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for a review copy. All opinions are my own.
I loved this book for what it is, a fun, light rom com for teens. It was laugh out loud funny and has some of my absolute favorite tropes, such as reality tv/dating setup and friends to lovers. AND it had dual POVs. I think that the friends to lovers was handled really well for the most part, although I did have some complaints every once in a while about the amount of time spent agonizing over everything, for the most part it was super easy to read.
I flew through this one in just a few hours once I had the time to devote to it. I think that my favorite thing about it is that it truly feels like it is written for teens. I would have loved to have this book to devour when I was in high school.
Overall, it was funny, I loved the characters, and I just had a great time. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for a review copy. All opinions are my own.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I do gotta say I enjoy reality TV books. The drama is 100%.
4.5 stars.
I love a retelling. Not Here to Stay Friends is a loose retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, YA style. Sloane is visiting her best friend Liam for the summer, who she hasn’t seen in years, and sparks seem to fly upon their first re-meeting. But Liam got roped into working on a reality TV dating show to impress his dad, and when there’s a last minute drop out, Sloane fills in as a contestant.
The bachelor is the lead character from Sloane’s favorite show, so Liam watches from the sidelines as Sloane gets “romanced” by this famous actor, Aspen. Aspen, upon realizing that Liam and Sloane are besties, asks Liam for advice to “win” Sloane, hence the Cyrano de Bergerac influence.
I loved seeing both Liam and Sloane slowly come to the realization that their friendship could possibly be more. But even without the romance, their friendship is #goals. Standing up for and supporting each other, being open and vulnerable.
Not Here to Stay Friends was cute, sweet, and fun and I will definitely be reading more by Kaitlyn Hill.
Thank you to Random House and Delacorte Press for the review copy.
I love a retelling. Not Here to Stay Friends is a loose retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, YA style. Sloane is visiting her best friend Liam for the summer, who she hasn’t seen in years, and sparks seem to fly upon their first re-meeting. But Liam got roped into working on a reality TV dating show to impress his dad, and when there’s a last minute drop out, Sloane fills in as a contestant.
The bachelor is the lead character from Sloane’s favorite show, so Liam watches from the sidelines as Sloane gets “romanced” by this famous actor, Aspen. Aspen, upon realizing that Liam and Sloane are besties, asks Liam for advice to “win” Sloane, hence the Cyrano de Bergerac influence.
I loved seeing both Liam and Sloane slowly come to the realization that their friendship could possibly be more. But even without the romance, their friendship is #goals. Standing up for and supporting each other, being open and vulnerable.
Not Here to Stay Friends was cute, sweet, and fun and I will definitely be reading more by Kaitlyn Hill.
Thank you to Random House and Delacorte Press for the review copy.
Really cute! But I wish the main characters had been in their 20s instead of in high school
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bit underwhelming. I love this trope of reality dating show, but the execution feels… forced. The dual POV wasn’t working for me here, and the female lead was… a definite teenager as shown through her main character syndrome. Not an enjoyable person to be saddled with for the story. The male lead is pretty bland and a Gary Stu. The most interesting moments were those with the leads’ respective families, but they were not expanded on well enough for it to be meaningful.
TLDR: good premise and good bones, not super memorable or well-executed; a cute, short read if you’re looking for something light.
TLDR: good premise and good bones, not super memorable or well-executed; a cute, short read if you’re looking for something light.
Take my opinion with a grain of salt because this book was tailor made for me, specifically. A feel-good YA friends-to-lovers that made me lol at least once a chapter, set on a Bachelor-esque reality show, paying homage to the greatest Teen Dramas. It simply doesn't get much better than that. Hill hooked me from the very first sentence and, while I did have problems with the climax, she never lost me.
Salone is a sweetheart. She has a bubbly, outgoing personality especially around her childhood best friend Liam. She’s also a bit awkward sometimes in a cute way. Salone wants to be a screenwriter and Liam’s father makes a deal with her. He was suddenly short one girl in his new dating show, “Aspen Wood’s Future Leading Lady” (AWFLL for short) and Salone helped him out by agreeing that she would participate and try to make it to the top four and, in return, Liam’s dad would hook her up with some Hollywood screenwriters he’s in touch with. Fair deal, right? Salone didn’t know how crazy her life would become once she started the reality show.
Liam is also sweet, but he doesn’t show it as easily. He cares for Salone a lot, and not just as a friend, so the idea of Salone participating in a dating show with a popular and very attractive actor is not the most ideal idea for him. Salone seems to want to do it so he doesn’t make a big fuss out of it. He’s going to be on set anyways, but just backstage rather than front stage with Salone. Liam would rather be doing his woodworking than working on set, but his father doesn’t consider his woodworking as anything impressive and would rather have Liam working with him.
Salone and Liam were a slow burn for sure. They took their sweet time confessing, not that I mind, but it was a little frustrating having them feel like they like each other but just can’t confess. At the same time, I understand their hesitance as confessing could ruin their friendship. I do have to say Liam definitely fell harder than Salone. Salone did realize she liked Liam eventually, but not as quickly as Liam or as strongly. Liam did do some things that he shouldn’t have because he wanted what was best for her, but in the end that was what got him to end up confessing to her.
The plot was fast-paced and super fun! The dating reality tv show was such a good topic to write the story around. The different dates that the characters went on were fun to read about because of the diverse activities they participated in. Aspen was kind of charming in the way, especially more towards the beginning. By the end of the story, everyone in the book and myself, hated Aspen with a burning passion. Some of the other girls in the story were also absolutely awesome. They supported Salone when she wasn’t sure whether she liked Liam while trying to win Aspen’s heart (well not really but that’s what she was supposed to act like she was doing). I have to say, the last few chapters of the book solidified my 5 stars. Those chapters were hilarious, clever, and a satisfying ending to this story.
I liked how I got to see both perspectives, Salone and Liam’s. I especially love seeing the boys’ povs. Salone couldn’t believe she was falling for her childhood best friend while Liam couldn’t deal with Aspen and Salone hanging out and spending time together. They both found themselves falling more and more for each other, it was so adorable! Some could find some parts more cringy than cute, but keep in mind this is a ya book! I personally think the author executed the scenes in a way that weren’t super immature or cringy.
Overall, I almost went into a reading slump after finishing this one because I didn’t think I’d find a book nearly as good as this (spoiler alert: I did!). If you’re looking for something different and new, this is a great book to pick up. It will leave you feeling giddy and cozy on the inside.
Liam is also sweet, but he doesn’t show it as easily. He cares for Salone a lot, and not just as a friend, so the idea of Salone participating in a dating show with a popular and very attractive actor is not the most ideal idea for him. Salone seems to want to do it so he doesn’t make a big fuss out of it. He’s going to be on set anyways, but just backstage rather than front stage with Salone. Liam would rather be doing his woodworking than working on set, but his father doesn’t consider his woodworking as anything impressive and would rather have Liam working with him.
Salone and Liam were a slow burn for sure. They took their sweet time confessing, not that I mind, but it was a little frustrating having them feel like they like each other but just can’t confess. At the same time, I understand their hesitance as confessing could ruin their friendship. I do have to say Liam definitely fell harder than Salone. Salone did realize she liked Liam eventually, but not as quickly as Liam or as strongly. Liam did do some things that he shouldn’t have because he wanted what was best for her, but in the end that was what got him to end up confessing to her.
The plot was fast-paced and super fun! The dating reality tv show was such a good topic to write the story around. The different dates that the characters went on were fun to read about because of the diverse activities they participated in. Aspen was kind of charming in the way, especially more towards the beginning. By the end of the story, everyone in the book and myself, hated Aspen with a burning passion. Some of the other girls in the story were also absolutely awesome. They supported Salone when she wasn’t sure whether she liked Liam while trying to win Aspen’s heart (well not really but that’s what she was supposed to act like she was doing). I have to say, the last few chapters of the book solidified my 5 stars. Those chapters were hilarious, clever, and a satisfying ending to this story.
I liked how I got to see both perspectives, Salone and Liam’s. I especially love seeing the boys’ povs. Salone couldn’t believe she was falling for her childhood best friend while Liam couldn’t deal with Aspen and Salone hanging out and spending time together. They both found themselves falling more and more for each other, it was so adorable! Some could find some parts more cringy than cute, but keep in mind this is a ya book! I personally think the author executed the scenes in a way that weren’t super immature or cringy.
Overall, I almost went into a reading slump after finishing this one because I didn’t think I’d find a book nearly as good as this (spoiler alert: I did!). If you’re looking for something different and new, this is a great book to pick up. It will leave you feeling giddy and cozy on the inside.
This was such a cute book. Friends to lovers captures my heart in YA novels and this one definitely did just that. I will recommend this to my students.
Thank you for an advanced copy.
Thank you for an advanced copy.