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Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi
4.25
emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Between Friends & Lovers is a deep and fun romance full of wisdom and reflection. Dr. Josephine Boateng, Jo for short, is an accomplished, confident doctor in her late 20s who has also made a name for herself with her social media persona: Dr. Jojo. She's in love with her best friend Ezra Adelman, an actor and the son of a high powered Chicago family. Jo was functionally adopted by Ezra's family back in college when fate brought them together. And while she's loved Ezra as a friend and more ever since, she's watched him jump from woman to woman while keeping their friendship flirtatiously platonic. And most recently, Ezra has been seeing Jo's childhood bully! 

Enter Malcolm Waters (Mal), an attractive, shy writer who's into Jo from the start. She definitely wants to spend time with him and date him, but can she open her heart to him before he moves on to someone who can give him what he's looking for? And will Ezra come around to finally see what's been right in front of him this whole time? 

This romance was a breath of fresh air: Smart, fun, sexy, and not as predictable as most - at least for me. I highly recommend if you want a slightly less formulaic romance that still hits all the high points of the genre. I mostly read this via audiobook and thought narrators Mela Lee (Jo) and JD Jackson (Mal) did a fantastic job. Last, author Shirlene Obuobi is a doctor herself and it shows! Do yourself a favor and pick this one up soon.