raynerira21 's review for:

Wyatt by Jessica Peterson

3.0

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Wyatt Rivers is the town Casanova in dusty boots with a thing for his best friend, Sally, who’s just returned to Texas after finishing her vet residency. Sally’s got a dream job lined up in Ithaca, New York, but before she heads out, she wants to have a little fun (read: sexual awakening). Trouble is, she keeps getting stuck in her own head. Solution? Ask her bestie of 20 years to fake date her and teach her how to live in the moment. Totally normal. Absolutely not complicated at all.

Of course, the fake dating gets real fast when Sally realizes Wyatt’s been secretly in love with her too. Cue the friends-to-lovers moment we all came for. The two decide to give dating a shot, all while her cross-country move looms in the background.

Look, I love a good friends-to-lovers story. I’m a sucker for years of quiet pining and slow-burn chemistry that finally erupts into something swoony. But this didn’t quite deliver on that front. We got one sweet memory of childhood friendship (which gave me hope!), but the rest leaned way more into “how many positions can we try before we have an emotional conversation?” territory. The angst and stakes I was hoping for just didn’t land. It wasn’t bad—the spice was solid, and the writing easy to fall into—but it lacked the emotional pull I got from the first book in the series.

That said, I’m still here for this cowboy crew, and I’m eagerly waiting for Sawyer’s story next. Hopefully with more tension and fewer premature declarations of love between orgasms.