I really enjoyed this sweet small town romance about two best friends and lovers who lost sight of each other due to their different life plans and fears, but could never forget each other and get a second chance at love if they can overcome their insecurities and are willing to compromise. The story is very well written, with very likeable main and secondary characters, a typical small town idyll, full of heartfelt emotions, some challenges and a few steamy love scenes.

Noel Carter and Parker Pruitt were childhood best friends as children before they fell in love with each other. But Noel wanted to pursue his dream and become an actor in L.A. and Parker couldn't bring herself to leave her beloved small town to accompany him into an uncertain future.
Ten years later, Noel has become a famous movie star and Parker is the successful owner of a renovation company and about to realise her pet project thanks to a generous anonymous donation - to revive the run-down town theatre, with which she has many fond memories of her youth. The only catch is that the new theatre is to be named after Noel at the donor's request and he will be present for the ground-breaking ceremony…

All in all, a moving second-chance romance with great characters and a lovely happy ending that I'm happy to recommend!

I received a free ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.

Childhood friends, a love that spans ten years and miscommunication that kept them apart. Noel and Parker are that couple that is meant to be together but they both get in their own way.

This had all the small town feel. So when Noel came back home, it was easy for him and Parker to fall back into their friendship. It also meant it was low in angst. And the way Noel never stopped loving Parker, the sweetest.

Absolutely enjoyed the journey as these two friends found their way back to each other and found love.

Different from her hockey romances, Best Friends for Never still has the same, snark, banter and romance you love from Teagan. I love a good second chance romance and this was just what I needed. From the first words to the last this book had me hooked.

Noel and Parker haven’t seen each other in ten years but once they lay eyes on the other there’s no denying the chemistry and spark is still there. These two are so cute together and the banter is chef’s kiss.

I love the way Teagan weaved a story with humor mixed with small town romance and second chances. A little bit of angst and whole lot of heart this story will give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings.

Best friends standing together just trying to get thru High School. Noel leaves town to chase his dream and Parker went to college, locally. What they had has been lost over the past 10 years. Noel is called back to cut the ribbon on an old renovated theater. This was where his acting abilities came to life, so he returns. Totally feeling a fish out of water in the town he grew up in, he finds many are actually mad he left town and never came back. Most of them except for the ONE that has always held a part of his heart, Parker. Literally bumping into her stirs up feelings and emotions in both in a way neither can, or will admit to the deepest emotion. There is a fine line between hate or anger and love. Noel finds he is jealous that Parker's best friend and business partner is Axel. A man who caused Noel grief in school. Funny how 10 years dissolved feelings can be immediately brought forward. I enjoyed the pull and push of emotions, the depth of the characters and the feel of really small town life.

Oh I love me a sweet and wholesome story sometimes! I'm not big on second chance stories, mostly because the angst is too much for me most of the time, but I LOVE when it's balanced with humor. And this book did so fantastically!

Every character was written beautifully and made the story so lively! I would absolutely read more from this author. I ate this book up once I got started, loved it!

This one was so cute! I love a good childhood friends-to-lovers story and the fact that they were apart for a decade but were able to come back together so naturally was so good!

Noel wanted to leave their small town and become an actor, but Parker is a small-town girl and loves their hometown. These two had been secretly pining for each other, but when Noel asks her to go with him, things don't end as well as he hoped. After ten years of not speaking and Noel never coming back to visit, things are tense when he returns for a ceremony to name the community theater after him.

Of course, they both realize just how much they missed having each other in their lives and little by little they find their way back to friendship and maybe more.

The pining between these two was so good! I also loved Noel's grandma and Parker's mom and the relationship Noel and Parker had with each of them. This book was so sweet and had so many heartfelt moments, but when they finally got together, oh boy!

Thank you to Teagan and Montlake for the ARC!

I love a story that has second chances and found family...this book has both. Teagan hunter gives us a fun read filled with romance and small town vibes. This is Parker Pruitt and Noel Carter's romance.

-Small Town
-Second Chances
-Childhood Friends to Lovers
-Found Family
-Celebrity MMC

I am now such a huge fan of Teagan Hunters. I was sucked in from the beginning and I did not want this story to end. I love the celebrity aspect and how Noel has to come home but the real winner was the small town and all the past relationships he left behind. Noel not only had to reconcile with Parker his "Old best friend" but he also had to come to terms with why he stayed gone so long. The longer that Noel is in town, the more he realizes his mistake of staying gone for so long. I loved how Teagan shows his flaws and that not all relationships are perfect. And Parker....She was the best. The banter between her and Noel and her inner monologue gave me life. This was the perfect book to read on a weekend afternoon. It gave me all the feels and the perfect ending. If you are looking for a book like that, pick this one up!

This book is a standalone and follows movie star heartthrob Noel Carter and designer and dreamer Parker Pruitt.

With his movie career, Noel Carter never expected to go back to the small Oregon town he once called home. One that held too many memories and people he missed. One person in particular. And when he's called back for a special event, the one person is the last person he thought he'd run into right away. Parker Pruitt. His former childhood best friend was now in business with his childhood enemy. When her current job puts them in each other's orbit, these former best friends find themselves slowly stitching a broken friendship back together---and leading them directly to the realization that broke them apart.

Best Friends for Never was a fun, easy read. I enjoyed both Noel and Parker's characterization. The book is full of Teagan's brand of humor, which is always top-tier. The banter was always bantering. The side characters were also great; I loved Parker's mother and Noel's grandma, who sat back and watched our two stubborn characters fight their feelings. The book itself is a good length; not to long, not too short, which I appreciated. The spice was nice.

If you enjoy small town, second chance romances with humor, Teagan Hunter's Best Friends for Never is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Montlake, and Teagan Hunter for a copy of this arc.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔨 Small town
🎭 Hollywood heartthrob goes back home
🔨 She's a business owner
🎭 Former Best Friends to Lovers
🔨 She holds a grudge
🎭 “You're my home.”
🔨 She reads romance novels
🎭 He's a grandma's boy
🔨 Semi-public sexy times
🎭 Second Chance

“𝒴𝑜𝓊. 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”

Second Chance is my favorite trope then add in childhood best friend and a nosy small town I am all the way in.

The emotions of going through not only losing your best friend but navigating the fact that they are in love with each other.

I really enjoyed this story from the beginning I mean that dialogue had me right away and when Parker and Noel reconnect the banter the push pull will have you sucked in.

As much as I love these two the side characters are just as amazing Gran, Parker’s mom and Axel add so much fun to this story. This was my first Teagan Hunter book and won’t be my last.

~~What to Expect~~
🎬Small Town
🎬Celebrity
🎬Second Chance
🎬Friends to Lovers
🎬Found Family
🎬Childhood Friends
🎬Close Proximity

~~Quote~~
🎭Running from my past and the heartache here was easier than facing it.
🎭I’m in love with a man who doesn’t want to stay.
🎭You’re here, and you’re my home, Parker. You always have been.
🎭I love Parker. I have loved Parker. And no matter the time, distance, or status of our relationship, I always will love Parker.

After ten years away, Noel finally returns to his hometown, Emerald Grove in conjunction with the renaming of the town’s theatre in his honour. He also finally gets a chance to meet his former best friend, Parker, and an opportunity to reconcile with her.

However, the issues which led to the demise of their friendship remain. While Noel dreams of leaving their small town to pursue acting, Parker is happy living here with her mom and friends, and has started an amazing business too.

Besides the second chance romance, I really enjoyed the close friendship between Parker and Axel. I loved those scenes where he was so protective over her, in the initial days when Noel had just returned. Subsequently, as he got to know Noel better, I liked how he was wise enough to be there to support Parker through those difficult moments and to give great advice!

The ending was a lovely one and we definitely need meddling grandmas and mothers in every romance. 😆

Loved this one so much! This second chances, childhood love on this one is just perfection. I loved it! I mean ADORE IT.

I loved this second chance, small town romance! Add in that he's a movie star now, and that just adds to the hotness of Noel. Your heart will love Parker, she's really been through a lot. 5 stars for this one!
Parker won't forget that Noel walked away from her years ago. And with her project of renovating the local theater coming closer, is she ready to face him again?
Noel didn't want to stay in their small town, he set out for bigger things, leaving the most important things to him behind. This town holds memories, some great, some not so great! But his gram and Parker, are the most important things, but it's been ten years since he's been back, will the town welcome him back?
Their story is a sweet second chance story, their feelings for each other have not changed in the time they've been apart, but can they make the second time work?

Best Friends For Never is Parker Pruitt and Noel Carter’s small town, second chance romance. It’s book three in the Everhope Road Series and it’s set in the Emerald Grove, Washington. From the moment I picked this book up I was captivated and there was no putting down until I had read the final line. Movie star Noel broke Parker’s heart but now he is back home and when they reconnect they realise they both still have feelings for each other. So can the big movie star win back the heart of the towns sweetheart…. What follows is an entertaining, witty and passionate story as Noel and Parker look at their past and get to know each other all over again.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice 🌶️🌶️

Noel and Parker were inseparable as kids. But life took them in different directions. Parker wanted to stay in their small town and a Noel wanted to chase his Hollywood dreams.

Now Noel is back to help with a dedication to the town theater being rebuilt. And to face the one that got away… Parker. But their story may not be over and the love was need lost.

Thank you to Valentine PR for allowing me to review this book.

#teaganhunter #bestfriendsfornever #ContemporaryRomance #RomanticComedy #SmallTown #SecondChance #FriendstoLovers #ReturningtoHometown #Superstar/Celebrity #valentinepr

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 is a rom-com standalone by Teagan Hunter that features a second chance romance for the famous actor and the small town girl he left behind! Noel and Parker brought all the feisty banter, some public spicy scenes, and an obvious soul-deep connection that had me loving them! The Emerald Grove setting brought endearing family, quirky townspeople, and irresistible small town charm. From a charity date auction to a temperamental pet cat, to an unusual but perfect friendship between Parker and Axel, I was hooked for every fun and emotional moment. I may have wanted to shake their younger selves for their poor communication and decisions, but I enjoyed the ride as they decided if they could build a future with their drastically different lives!

I received an ARC for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶🌶.5

#teaganhunter #bestfriendsfornever #SmallTown #SecondChance #friendstolovers #valentineprlm #romancebookstagram #bookstagram #romancereadersofig #NetGalley #arcreader #bookreview #romancebookreview #arcreviews #netgalleyreview #ARCreview

4.5

Teagan's newest book is a cozy small town second chance love story. Parker and Noel were friends growing up. Noel went to Los Angles but Parker stayed in their small town. Fast forward 10 years, Noel's small town is dedicating a theater to Noel and they want him to come for the dedication.

This also means that he will see Parker for the first time in a decade.

In true Teagan fashion, you get the banter, the push and pull of the characters, and the quirky townsfolk that enhance the story. This is the perfect book when you are looking for a book that gives you the warm and cozy feelings.

Thank you to Valentine PR for gifting me this E-Arc of Best Friends for Never by Teagan Hunter! This was such a cute small town romance story between two child mood friends 🥹💖

If you know me, you know I love a good small town childhood friends story and this one delivered! This story focused on Parker and celebrity Noel who is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. He ends up going back to his hometown, Emerald Grove and faces Parker , and feelings start to grow with mixed emotions.

The relationships in this story made me smile because not only did I like how Noel was so supportive of Parker but Axel and Parker’s relationship was just adorable and everything! He was a true friend to her 🫶🏼

Tropes:
Small town
Second chance
Lots of banter
Childhood best friends
Celebrity X Small town girl

I love a good friends to lovers romance - make it friends to enemies to lovers romance - even better! Noel & Parker are best friends growing up. Noel has big dreams of heading to LA to become an actor after they graduate. The night before he leaves he tells Parker how he truly feels about her & asks her to come with him.

Ten years later, he returns to town and they finally reconnect. This one has a bit of a slow start, but once it gets going, it really pulls you in. I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters of this one. I love a small-town with a found family vibe. It's one of my absolute favorite things.

Teagan Hunter delivers a charming and heartfelt romance with Best Friends for Never, a story that perfectly blends humor, slow-burn tension, and just the right amount of spice.

The novel follows Parker and Noel, best friends who have always had an undeniable connection. But when Noel moves to LA, everything changes. Now, years later, he’s back—and Parker isn’t ready to face the feelings she thought she had buried. What follows is a witty, emotional, and engaging journey as they navigate their complicated past and the undeniable chemistry that still lingers between them.

Hunter’s signature humor shines throughout, making this an entertaining and lighthearted read, while the slow-burn romance keeps readers eagerly turning pages. The balance of fun banter, emotional depth, and steamy moments makes Best Friends for Never a delightful book that romance fans will adore.

With lovable characters, a captivating friends-to-lovers dynamic, and a feel-good storyline, this novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys sweet, funny, and swoon-worthy romances.

It’s been 10 years since Noel and Parker have seen each other and a lot has changed during that time. Including the fact that these two best friends are no longer friends.

Noel is now a big Hollywood star who left his small town. Parker stayed in the small town she grew up, but she has become a major pillar in the community. Despite not seeing each other for a decade these two still have a ton of chemistry, however, there is also a lot of pain and hurt from how things ended between the two of them.

I enjoyed the secondary characters in this story, especially Grams, Parker’s mom, and Axel. Emerald Grove brings all the PNW small town vibes and I absolutely love that.

I went between reading the ebook and listening to the audio for this one. The audio was great and both narrators did a great job at bringing Noel and Parker to life. Definitely worth the listen.

If you’re looking for a small town, second chance, childhood friends to lovers romance check this one out.