- Friends to lovers
- Small town romance
- Unrequited love

The idea and main story of this book was definitely cute. I loved the outdoorsy elements with the MMC - Brody - kayaking and hiking. However, I found it hard to relate to the FMC - Kate. Love the dual POV from both projectiles and Brody’s family was the absolute cutest (I would read entire books dedicated to each sibling!)

Overall left wanting a little more depth to the characters and the story

How to Kiss Your Best Friend is a no spice childhood friends to lovers book that was an easy read. Its a perfect summer time romance with a swoon worthy love interest.

4.5 stars
This was just too cute! I have not read many of Jenny Proctor’s books but I am now adding all of her books to my TBR. How to Kiss Your Best Friend is the first book in Jenny Proctor’s new series, How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother. I have not read many friends-to-lovers books but I enjoy this troupe when done well, and this one was perfect.
Kate was just trying to see the world, she ran away from Silver Creek as fast as she could. But now she is back home and suddenly her best friend, Brody, seems different. I loved Kate, she was just trying to find herself and her home. I enjoyed reading from her perspective. She wanted a place to call home but she just didn't know what that meant. Brody was her steady place, but suddenly everything was all upended when she began to see him differently. It was cute to read about her interacting with Brody and finally seeing him. Kate had to figure out what she was running from before she could think of a relationship with Brody.
Ahhh, Brody was just sweet. He had loved Kate for as long as he could remember and he just wanted her to be happy. But he was also trying to figure out if it was time to move on. I adored Brody, he was just a great guy. However he was struggling because he didn't know what to do about Kate and to make matters worse he was dealing with things at work. Brody had to figure out what it meant to love Kate and if it would be worth it.
I loved Brody and Kate’s relationship. They were friends and they had great chemistry. It was so fun to read about them falling in love and their interactions. I loved the dialogue in this book. I also enjoyed the pace of their romance, it did not feel rushed or drawn out. They were both figuring things out as they fell in love.
I just loved the characters and was drawn into the story! Also the side characters were so much fun and I am beyond excited for the next books. How to Kiss Your Best Friend is a wonderful book and definitely a must read. How to Kiss Your Best Friend is a rom-com closed door friends-to-lovers romance.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I ended up really enjoying this book! I am a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, and with the guy falling first, it was an absolute chef's kiss. This book was an extremely sweet read, and this has set the tone of how I want my small town romances to be in the future.

You think you have read all versions of “childhood friends to lovers” until you have read How to Kiss Your Best Friend by Jenny Proctor. This book delivered a sweet and angsty romance set against the backdrop of small-town Silver Creek that has you believing that fate always finds a way. The story follows Brody, a high school chemistry teacher who has been in love with his childhood best friend for his whole life and Kate, a girl who has made her nomadic journalist lifestyle her entire personality. When Kate is forced to return home to clean out her late grandmother’s house, she finally must confront her complicated feelings about her childhood, including her estranged relationship with her mother and deal with the feelings for the boy who has always known her better than she knows herself. This book had all of the elements you know and love about friends to lovers with enough twists and nuances to make it feel like a completely new kind of romance. I fell in love with these characters and couldn’t help but root for them to find their happy endings, whatever that may be.

The story of Brody and Kate. He has been in love with her for years - now she is back in town will he finally get his chance, or will she break him again? I like how it is told from both points of view and is well paced.

Hoping there are more books and we get to see Brody's siblings find love.

How To Kiss Your Best Friend is a cute read. Thank you to NetGalley, Four Petal Press, and the author, Jenny Proctor, for the e-ARC of this book.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick, adorable read. I love the second chance trope. The characters of Brody and Kate were very likable even with Kate being wishy-washy about many things. I don’t even know if wishy-washy is the right word. She feels like she wants to settle but does not think their town of Silver Creek is the place.
The side characters are given so much life that you just hope that perhaps there will be books about Brody’s brothers down the line. I was happy to see there will be at least one!
In the end, this book was a sweet read and I enjoyed getting to know these characters and the town of
Silver Creek. This is a closed-door romance novel with no sex scenes. I did not miss it and still felt that heart pull when seeing a couple discover their love. Would recommend!

As I finished reading this story the first thought in my mind was "I can't believe I've never read any Jenny Proctor books before now!" I will be rectifying that oversight immediately.

I have to admit that the friends to lovers trope is not at the top of my favorites list and that's usually because there is too much pining. But also because I don't like it when they are both secretly in love with the other one and all they'd have to do is communicate and problem solved.

But this!! Yes! This was friends to lovers done right. Jenny Proctor blended the romance and the friendship and the conflict all so perfectly. I didn't feel excess pining, I believed in their friendship, and I was routing for the romance one hundred percent.

I loved the small town feel, the entire Hawthorne family, and I really enjoyed reading and learning more about kayaking. It really kept my interest throughout.

The chemistry and attraction between both MCs was just the right amount of swoony and sweet without getting spicy. It was perfect.

Things to know about content: no language, mild kissing, no violence.

Ah, this book was such a nice surprise. It's the first book I've read by Jenny Proctor and it has set such a high standard for small-town, rom-com books for the future.

Finished in one day, I actually finished the last quarter of the book at the gym (I have no self-control). I found myself smiling throughout so many chapters, even more parts with more of a slow-burn type of feel. Loved the writing, loved the characters even more. I can get kind of picky when it comes to somewhat lighthearted contemporary romance/rom-com books and I genuinely loved this book so much.

Side note, this book included so many adventurous moments with hiking and white-water kayaking which I found to be so refreshing! Not many books out there include hiking in their plot (can you tell I love hiking myself haha) so it was nice to read how two people with differing personalities can come together and enjoy a hobby they both love.

I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

Childhood friends to lovers in the setting of a small town with baby goats.
Although I am not a fan of secret pining for years, (seems a little creepy), I found Brody and Kate's relationship to be enjoyable to read. The setting and minor characters were the most compelling parts of the story, and enough that I definitely plan to see what happens with the other Hawthorne brothers!
This is a very low stakes, sweet romance novel with little to no spice but plenty of tension.
Content Warnings: divorce, cheating, (minor) narcissistic parent

This is a captivating, hard-to-put down book. Masterfully crafted romantic comedy that left me swooning for the hero.

How to Kiss Your Best Friend
Jenny Proctor
3.88/5

After reading and reviewing a bunch of smut.. and I mean a Bunch, this book was a breath of fresh air.
Jenny Proctor delivers a fun, light, clean story of childhood best friends Brody and Kate and their
journey in discovering that their feelings for each other might be more than simply platonic.
This is my first book by this author and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was sweet, very Hallmart
vibey.. but better. The lead couple was likable and realistic with real life struggles making them easy to
relate to. The secondary characters, were just down right perfect. The Hawthorne brother, in my
opinion, made this book. I am so glad that Proctor will be writing a book focusing on each of their
stories. Each time they were mentioned I couldn’t help but smile. Brody and his family ties are
something to be desired.

The friend to lover trope was mostly paced out well; a slow burn that kept me turning the pages. The
one thing that I wasn’t sure about was Kate and her initial attraction to Brody. One minute she doesn’t
think of him as anything but her long lost best friend, and then the very next page (once she saw he
turned hot) she was instantly in love with him. It felt way to insta love to me. Sure the couple may have
not “gotten together” until later, it just felt way to rushed at first.

Over all, this was a super cute book. I would 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a Clean, fun,
adventurous romance. I will also be reading part two whenever that comes out. Crossing fingers for
Perry’s story!

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGally for providing me with an ARC of this book in
exchange for my honest review.

This is now my second Jenny Proctor book and I will forever read anything she writes. This was such a happy breath of fresh air, and a perfect summer read.

Brody Hawthorne is a math genius, a chemistry teacher and kayak enthusiast. He’s had quite the glow up since high school and has been in love with his best friend since then. Kate is a travel journalist and doesn’t ever want to stay in one place too long but came back home to clean up and sell her grandma’s house. She hasn’t seen Brody in years and can’t understand what she’s now feeling around him.

I was cracking up. I was swooning. I just wanted Kate and Brody to kiss already! 😂 I loved every single character, the adventure, the depth of the characters and the raw secrets uncovered as the book progresses. I loved a certain towel scene. 😉

This is the first book of Jenny Proctor’s newest Hawthorne Brothers series and I am so excited to see where Perry, Lennox and Flint will find love next! If you’re a fan of The Cheat Sheet, you need this book in your life.

Quick Summary: K & B's love story was so very grand and so incredibly sweet. I loved it!

My Review: As soon as I read the title of this book, I knew that it would be special. How to Kiss Your Best Friend by Jenny Proctor had me from the first two sentences in chapter one all the way until the final lines of their romantic tale. What was there not to like about this incredibly sweet love story?! I adored B. He was likable, decent, just, and quite simply good at heart. K was easy to appreciate. She was a seeker, trying to find her way in life. I understood her character well. She seemed to be grounded most especially when it came to B. They had a solid friendship, which served as a fantastic foundation for what was to come.

B's family...I absolutely adored them. I want to read every one of their stories. No kidding!

This book was a winner. I now want to read all of the stories associated with Silver Creek and Stonebook Farm.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA/A
Keeper: Yes
Re-read: Yes
Favorite: Yes
Series Interest: Yes

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own and have not been influenced by the aforementioned parties in any way.

An adorable friends-to-lovers trope with so many fun characters, different emotions, and utterly sweet moments.

Brody first met Kate when they were nine years old as she sat next to him on the school bus. Sparking a lifelong friendship between the, although he has been in love with her for possibly just as long as their friendship. They haven’t spoken in four years after Kate stopped responding to texts, so receiving one out of the blue as he prepares to head off on a hike with one of his brothers has put him into a spin, especially as she is returning home for the summer.

Travel writer Kate was in a hurry to leave Silver Creek behind and hot fitted out of there as soon as she could after high school. She has travelled the world and stayed with her father in Paris, only making the return journey home a few times over the years. A difficult relationship with her mom led to her not coming back for her Grandma’s funeral four years ago but now she needs to sort out the old how. Which also means seeing her best friend Brody and apologising for disappearing from him.

An off the cuff comment from her cousin about Brody and their relationship has kate thinking about him in a different light, especially when she sees how buff he has become in her absence as she surprises him on the hiking trail he is on with his brother. Friendship revived and time spent together only makes Brody hope for more but Kate is a flight risk and when feelings are finally revealed will she stay or go?

I love a good second chance romance/friends to lovers combo and this didn’t disappoint.

Kate and Brody have been best friends since the 4th grade. Like, the inseparable kind. But now Kate is a travel writer and Brody is a chemistry teacher/kayak instructor back home and they haven’t spoken in four years.

I think they only improvement I could have made on this book is for there to be more about how Kate and Brody initially fell out. How they both felt about it and dealt with it. It’s heavily alluded to, but only mentioned enough to work as an excuse to not see each other.

Other than that, this is a really delightful submission into the romcom formula. It’s not overly stressful if conflict isn’t your thing. No spice if you’d like to stay on the more innocent side of the aisle.

Ah! I loved this book! Such a sweet, small town romance! Brody, a chemistry teacher, and Kate, a travel writer, are childhood best friends. Kate finds herself back in town after being away for years to renovate her Grandmother’s house. Sparks develop between her and Brody. This was such a fun story. I loved both characters as well as Brody’s relationships with his brothers! I can’t wait to read more about the Hawthorne boys! I also loved the setting of this book as I’m from North Carolina. It was so fun to read about familiar places.

It's been a minute since I last devoured a book in a single day, but Jenny Proctor really did it with this wonderful and wholesome rom-com. How to Kiss Your Best Friend is the first in the series that follows the Hawthorne brothers finding love.

Brody has loved Kate since they were childhood best friends. But Kate wants to travel & see the world, while Brody wants to remain in their hometown, get married and settle down. When Kate returns home, she calls Brody and can't deny the spark - or is she just imagining it? Brody is trying to be a good friend but also protect his heart - can he survive the summer and just remain friends?

I adored every single word of this beautifully written story. The dialogue and banter was laugh out loud funny, and you can't help but want to join the family and live on their farm. I cannot wait to read more about each brother and catch more glimpses into their family life.

I also really liked the pop culture references, "he is like Roy Kent without the swearing" 🤬 was probably my favourite, because OH MY WORD, Roy Kent 🥰🤌👌. Bur in all honesty, it was refreshing having modern tid bits added to this sweet & comforting romance.

Definitely one to add to your TBR this weekend, AND it's available from Kindle Unlimited, so get on it.

➡️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
➡️ Spice: /5
➡️ Available on KU

* I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

A funny, cute, and steam-free rom-com that will have you grinning at your phone like an idiot from page one.
How to Kiss Your Best Friend is a light, fun and entertaining story about a chemistry teacher, Brody, and his travel writer best friend, Kate. Brody has been in love with Kate for as long as he can remember, but she doesn’t feel the same way until many many years later when she returns to their small town and sees for herself how changed and grown Brody’s become.

She believes they don’t make sense together. He is convinced they make each other whole.
I did enjoy the dynamics of this story, but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of steam and romantic anticipations. I also had some problems with the way Kate treated Brody in several occasions. Her attitude got on my nerves, hence my three stars rating. I expected more given the selected trope.