A review by daisyknox
The Best Friend Zone by Nicole Snow

5.0

All reviews posted at Tales of Love, Life, and Murder

I fell in love with this book from the first page and couldn’t put it down. This is my first Nicole Snow book but certainly will not be my last. This book was everything: smart, sexy, funny, suspenseful and sweet. I’m a sucker for a good friends to lovers but this one had so much more going on, I’m worried about leaving something out.

Tory Redson-Riddle-Coffey grew up spending summers with her grandma in her father’s hometown of Dallas, North Dakota. One of the things she loved the most about Dallas was Quinn Faulkner. He was her best friend and her biggest crush but he was never interested in her as more than a friend. When Tory visits to recuperate from a grueling dance injury, they meet again, for the first time in nearly a decade. She’s not surprised to find all the old feelings rushing back, but she values his friendship too much to risk it by making a move, so Tory is determined to keep things platonic. She’d rather have Quinn in her life as a friend than lose him altogether.

Quinn Faulkner has been in love with Tory since the day they met, but being three years younger, she was jailbait the last time he saw her before enlisting. He’s thought about her so many times since then, even writing to her when he was deployed, but he never sent the letters. Now he’s got a second chance with the woman he’s always loved, but his former career in the FBI has made him a target of some very bad people and he won’t put Tory in danger by letting her be part of his life.

Aside from lusting after her best friend, Tory’s struggling with her place in life. Dancing is the only thing that’s ever mattered to her, but does she really love dance or is it just that she’s never known anything else? She’s been living her mother’s dream of being a ballerina all her life, but now Tory needs to decide if it’s actually her dream as well or if she has a different place in the world.

I loved everything about these characters individually and together. Their chemistry was off the charts so it’s a slow-burn but once things ignite, it’s super steamy. Tory is strong, smart and determined, so I loved the way she took charge when he continued to hesitate, afraid to cross the line. Quinn Faulkner may even have unseated Alex Waters as my favorite book boyfriend ever, I just loved everything about him. From the way he dealt with Tory’s annoying ex to his awesome, filthy mouth, he was perfect.

Tory’s dog Owl, her goats and her grandma are all big parts of their story and they couldn’t have been more perfect, either. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series about Quinn’s friends, Ridge and Grady but I adore this book completely and will definitely read it again at some point, probably after checking out the others. The author also offers a bonus epilogue showing their lives a year later that's lots of fun.