A review by betwixt_the_pages
Friend (with Benefits) Zone by Laura Brown

4.0

I’m ridiculously attracted to my best friend.

Today is a bad day. The worst actually. After dealing with the constant manhandling that comes with being a cocktail waitress at a dive bar and surviving a date from hell, I see an eviction notice slapped on the door of my sketchy basement apartment. Great.

When my best friend Devon shows up at my door and uses his stubborn charm (emphasis on stubborn) to get me to move in with him, I give in. We’ve had about a million sleepovers since we met in the kindergarten Deaf program, but this time it’s different because I can’t stop thinking about his hard body covering mine, every single night.

I know Devon would do anything for me, but I’m afraid what I want to happen will ruin our friendship forever. And the more time we spend together in close quarters, the harder it’ll be to resist the spark of attraction I’ve always felt. But maybe it’s possible to have the best of both worlds: keep the one relationship I can’t live without and indulge in an attraction I can’t deny.

I guess the only thing we can do is try…

Rating: 4.25/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: believable, realistic, awesome characters; SO STEAMY I CAN'T EVEN!; mature subjects handled with sensitivity and poise; I am much more open-eyed on hearing impairments/deaf culture after this read; just enough drama and angst to keep my penguin heart cold

Huge thanks to Laura Brown, Avon Impulse, Partners in Crime Book Tours, and Edelweiss for sending me a free egalley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.

So once again, I find myself on the other side of a book I never even took the time to read a blurb for--and feeling SO very glad that I went into this read blind. I was honestly surprised with what I discovered between these covers--and what a steamy, sexy cover it is. I mean, just LOOK at him, with his brooding face and black leather jacket and... GAAAAAH. Someone, quick, find me my partner in crime and bestest panda buddy Annelise--those abs are just BEGGING her to lick them!

Dev leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to my temple before gathering up his dinner.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I figured you'd yell at me if I kissed your lips while you were eating."

I choked on a laugh and a noodle. "Smart man."

This romance was steamy and heart-wrenching in turn. I have always been a fan of "friends" to "lovers," and this story BEAUTIFULLY encapsulates that journey in a dramatic, angsty, fear-for-the-outcome way that kept me enthralled and entertained. The love between Jas and Dev was believable and endearing, and I loved learning about them from not only THEIR POV...but from the other's as well. The fact that these characters are also diverse and well-rounded only made me fall even more in love with them. Honestly, I'm going to be picking up more of Laura Brown in the very near future--I had such a great time rooting for (and shouting at) this couple. Their dynamics and antics are just... AGGGGGGH, I just want to hug them both!

This was a super fun, light-hearted (though still painful at times!), and diverse read--and I adored every minute of it! The characters are well-rounded, the romance is believable, and the angst only helped to cement me more fully into their journey. I definitely recommend this to lovers of contemporary romance, complex growth stories, and the flight from "friends" to "lovers." Sparks are flying, Penguins; take a seat and watch the show!