This was such a cute summer read! Though predictable, Kate and Brody falling for one another gave me all the fluff and fulfilled my romantic heart in the way I needed. Sometimes, it's nice knowing that you'll get a happy ending.
Some of the things I really liked about this book was small town romance, best friends to lovers, and guy falling first. The family dynamics in here were wonderful to read, along with the character development that Kate went through. I also loved how kayaking is introduced here, because it's a sport that isn't often focused on, and I loved reading about it!
If you're looking for a cute, quick read - whether in your house or on the beach or on the plane - this is the book!

This book is full of heart-warming SWOON. I loved this friends-to-lovers contemporary romance and had a hard time putting it down to sleep or take care of my small children. 😉 I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction into the Hawthorne family and will be chomping at the bit to read the next book.

I received an ARC copy of this book but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read if you love friends to lovers, hallmark movies and innocent romance.
All of the characters in this book felt very real and I was emotionally invested rather quickly. The sibling dynamic was so sweet, and the entire close family was done very well.
Brody was one of the favorite book boyfriends, he was care taking, sweet and Kate was just going through the same stuff that the average lovesick girl.
The chemistry is great, the descriptions are a bit over overused but would do okay for an average romcom novel.
Kate didn't treat Brody nicely at least not like he deserved to be treated. They didn't make sense, but they just worked.
The storyline was engaging, delightful and funny. The relationship progress about how they went from friends to lovers, them sharing stories, inside jokes, etc made it a very fun read.

This book was such a cute fast paced read. Absolutely adorable. Perfect summer read! Highly recommend!!

Book: How To Kiss Your Beat Friend
Author: Jenny Proctor
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review ~

How To KissYour Best Friend is a runny romcom. It was such a cute book!!

Brody got a text from his long time friend Katy who he has not seen in 4 years. They have book best friends since childhood but then had a fall back.

Katy was back in town and Brody took every opportunity to be with her. Over time they stared to develop feelings for each other but Katy was scared and held back and left to London. Finally she realized that she would loose the best thing that will happen to her. But did she come back?

Overall this book was amazing. If you love romcoms and childhood best friends then this book is for you. I highly recommend reading this book.

***SPOILERS*** I don't know what it was, but I was hooked on this story by chapter 3. The tension is so good. You clearly see both character's feelings for each other because of the dual point of view but they obviously don't know each other's perspective. I think if the book were any longer, it would have been too much build up. I enjoyed the character development within Kate and her figuring out what is best for her and realizations from her past. One thing I did not like however was the portrayal in the initial chapters of Kate - that she was just stringing Brody along for their entire friendship when they were in school. It was more from secondary characters than Brody; however, it gave the vibe that she "owed" him something when men and women can just be friends. I also did not like at the end when Brody was so upset about her going on the trip to London. Should she have spoken with Brody about what transpired between them? Yes. However, he KNEW about the trip. This wasn't her fleeing the morning after for no reason. He was well aware of this trip and yet he still used that as an excuse to write her off.

Brody and Kate fall back into their easy friendship after her last decade spent globetrotting. Except, this time, something feels different. It doesn't help that Brody's been in love with Kate for as long as he can remember. Brody and Kate have the most exciting chemistry i've ever read about in a book. Honestly i never wanted this book to end it had me feeling so many emotions. The vibe between them made me so excited.

****Book Review****
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: How to Kiss your Best Friend
Author: Jenny Proctor


This was a cute romance book but nothing special. I didn’t care much for the characters. The only thing I did like about Kate was that she found her way and solved some of her issues that were tying her down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Four Petal Press for a copy of How to Kiss Your Best Friend in exchange for an honest review

Although this book had several of my favourite tropes, it didn't quite hit the spot for me. If you love Friends to lovers and small town, then this could be the book for you! But you must also love a healthy dose of Hallmark.

And yet, I am still looking forward to the next one!

Jenny Proctor books are just so swoon worthy and love it. I will read it over and over it again. Must read.

This was my first Jenny Proctor read and it will not be my last!

How To Kiss Your Best Friend had be grinning so much, this is such a fun summer read! It follows two best friends, travel journalist Kate and Brody a chemistry teacher. Brody has been pining for Kate since their childhood, and after four years of not talking Kate’s turned back up in their hometown…

It’s small town, friends to lovers and what could be a perfect hallmark movie plot (without the cheese!). The characters in this book were so relatable and I was so invested in their journeys, individually, re-developing their friendship and then their romantic relationship.

This is such a wholesome read, and sometimes that’s all you need! Also the cover is to die for!

Another sweet and charming romance from Jenny Proctor. I just wish there was a twist from his machinations to getting her to stay. For once I’d like the male character to give up something and leave the small town with the globetrotting love interest.

A Warm, funny and simply joyful read. Wonderful! Had my smile. Perfect summer read. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Great story. Loved the way the story moved. I really liked that the characters had so much history. Easy read, one that was hard to put down.

This book is a perfect summer beach read.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This was a charming and delightful rom-com! Friends-to-lovers, small town, and a bit of a slow burn.

This was a super quick read, and it was so easy to become a fan of Brody and the Hawthorne boys!

I did think the ending and epilogue were rushed, but overall it was still a sweet story.

Hey hey, here I'm with another Rom-Com story and the trope is ⚡ Friends-to-lovers⚡💕💕

This is a story about two childhood best friends Brody💕😍 and Kate🌸.
Brody is a sexy high school chemistry teacher and also a kayaker😍🥵 ( can you believe it).
Kate is a world traveller journalist who travelled to at least 20 countries😳 and is afraid to settle down in one place.

It's a small-town love story, In the past, Kate did everything to leave the small town where she lived with her mother and there was also Brody who was ridiculously amazing at numbers.

Brody was in love with Kate like forever and Kate didn't know that she always thought of Brody as a friend nothing more and without being in touch for like a few years Brody was ready to move on from Kate and boomm🎉 here is Kate right front of him to surprise him.

Kate was back in town she let go of nineteen years back to help her mother to sell her late grandmother's house.
But with just one kiss between Kate and Brody, everything was changed💕😍🥰🌸. Now she wants to live in that small town with none other than Brody.😍😍

💭 I love this story and I love Brody so so so much💕. He is a sexy high school teacher for God's sake and an amazing Kayaker.😍🥵
💭The way Brody described Kate he said she was his Kryptonite. 😩😳
💭 I also like the side characters and Brody's family they were so amazing and supportive of Brody and always wanted to protect him.💕💕🌸

Such a cute story. Heartwarming and keep the reader caught. I really enjoyed it and could relate to some of it and think it's a great summer read.

Maybe it’s just me, but reading friends to lovers tropes just don’t do it for me recently. Especially when there is no spice to the book. Don’t get me wrong, I really did like the storyline of this book but I think I’m all burnt out on being super passionate about friends to lovers romances right now.

Kate is back in town and Brody is still in love with her after all of these years. He’s never told her because he never knew if she felt the same way, in fact he figured she thought of him as just a friend. One hiking trip and Kate begins to feel differently about Brody as he’s not the “boy” she used to know. He’s been working out and is now the sexy teacher she starts yearning for. Will they get together? Obviously since this is a friends to lovers book, they will. That much we know. But will it last? And how will their relationship change?

I loved Brody’s family. The Hawthorne’s just have something about them that is so inviting, it makes me want the kind of small town, farm loving, family oriented life that they so lovingly cherish. The adventurous side of the book is what kept me reading. All the hiking and white water rafting that went on had me picturing beautiful landscapes in my head.

Even though I wasn’t quite feeling this book emotionally, the storyline was believable and kept me reading all the way through. Now I’m invested and I’ll definitely be reading Jenny Proctor’s next book coming later this year!

Thank you to Four Petal Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This review will be posted to both my Goodreads account as well as my Instagram, reaching 1,000 followers and growing on July 6, 2022.

Brody and Kate are so adorable! I loved this small town romcom!

Kate and Brody are best friends until a kiss changes everything, now Kate is back in town and Brody has just a little bit of time to get his best friend to love him the way he's always loved her!

I could not put this book down, you will love this book if you're here for laughs and HEAs!

This sweet romantic comedy starts out with Brody trying his best to pretend he's not in love with Kate which is a lot harder to do when she's living three doors down. Ms. Proctor did a good job of showing the friendship though I must admit I didn't think Kate was a good friend.
Brody was awesome. He was supportive, caring, and willing to put her needs above his. Kate was selfish and insecure only thinking about her needs, yet expecting Brody to drop everything for her the minute she showed up in town even after ignoring him for four years.
I was glad to see that in the end she matured a bit and realized that relationships required two people doing their part.
Readers will be reminded that sometimes home is not a place, it's a person. They will also be reminded that it's necessary to do the hard things even when it scares us.
I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.
Review published on aminatacoote.com on July 4, 2022