The Friendship Fling is what happens when two wildly different personalities crash into each other’s orbits, ricocheting off the walls of their own emotional baggage. This was my fist romance novel, I was expecting something light, breezy, and packed with charm—after all, a summer in London feels like the perfect backdrop for a dreamy, messy, whirlwind fling. And Georgia Stone delivers, though it took me by surprise.

Rather than leaning solely on the swoon factor, The Friendship Fling digs into grief, self-worth, and the quiet, complicated ways we learn to love ourselves. Finn’s upbringing as a third-culture kid, constantly chasing his father’s approval, and Ava’s lingering guilt over her twin’s struggles are weighty tomes, woven in with a careful hand. However, I wished these emotional undercurrents had surfaced earlier, shaping their choices more clearly from the start.

That said, the dynamic between Finn and Ava is electric. Their banter is sharp enough to slice, their rhythm is effortless —something rarely witnessed in romance even at the best of times. But then there’s the "we are all stardust line", which made me cringe more than needed.

In all, Finn and Ava's story is a thoughtful reminder that we are enough, even when we don’t believe it ourselves.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest opinions.

I should have really enjoyed this book, considering the appealing cover and plot. However, it took a long time for the story to kick in.

The book was a cute love story, but it felt out of place for me. I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. The story felt disjointed.

One thing that bothered me was the author's handling of Josie's visual impairment. It was never explicitly acknowledged, leaving readers to assume. If an author wants to represent a particular group, they should be explicit about it.

I also didn't like Ava's character, and her reasons for befriending Finn didn't sit well with me. Finn, on the other hand, was too sweet.

The book was supposed to be a dual POV story, but it felt like it should have just been written from Ava's perspective. Finn's character was underdeveloped, and we only knew what he told Ava in her POV.

Overall, while "The Friendship Fling" was a cute love story, it took too long to get started, and I couldn't connect with the characters.

Thank you once again for the e-ARC.

A perfect blend of romance and friendship. I loved the bucket list and how we get to see landmarks in London and Finn and Ava bloom in their relationship. I was also really interested in Josie’s are installation. The night at the museum was so cute and was so easy to envision.

Ahhh!! I absolutely adored this - 5 stars from me! It was the perfect rom com for me, and is everything I love about reading friends to lovers. It was funny, heart warming and such a lovely read. It was nice to explore the central characters as well as meeting other characters with backstories. I really like that it spoke about the difficulty of making friends as an adult and deals with other topics to add to the story in a very careful way. Can't wait to read more from Georgia in the future!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved, adored, what a ride. I loved how real this was and would recommend for anyone who likes the hating game. Having the FMC be the grump for once was so refreshing too, and it dealt with real issues, again so refreshing. Highly recommend. Tension was tensioning.

Wonderful debut novel! Grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, British romcom. (She’s the grump!) So many funny one-liners and witty comebacks. Great friendships already set and some that develop on-page.

Some heavier topics discussed (family member with cancer for one) but everything was so well-written to show their journey.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Friendship Fling to come out May 22, 2025.

What an absolutely delightful read.
Finn and Ava have my whole heart. Finn especially, the happy-go-lucky with a sad past character trope is one of my all time favourites. And Ava is extremely relatable.
The London setting is so vivid, all characters are lovely and the banter and yearning well written.
I really have no notes, and I know we’re early into the year but this will definitely make my top 5.

I was such a big fan of this!! I'm so picky with rom-coms but this was perfect for me: a fleshed-out cast of characters and back stories, but with so much time and space devoted to the central romance. I loved the dialogue, the strong London setting, the way the two protagonists complemented each other and were kinda obsessed in a fully non-creepy way. A big recommend if you have similar rom-com tastes to me.

I loved this book! I started reading it as I needed a rom com in between reading a fantasy-heavy book, and I could not put it down! I completely abandoned my other read and read The Friendship Fling in a couple of sittings. Amazing British humour and banter, relatable characters, and the perfect London summer bucket list - how could I not love it?

I loved Ava and how she was unapologetically herself. I related to her in so many ways, and she felt so real. She made me laugh out loud so many times, and it was amazing seeing her work through her trauma and start to open up to everyone around her. I was obsessed with Finn from the start, and although I liked his cheery attitude, I really enjoyed there was so much depth to his character. The banter between Ava and Finn was top tier, I just could not get enough. I loved how their relationship developed and I could really feel the love they had for each other.

I really enjoyed the story line of completing the London bucket list and I wrote down a couple of things on my own list for when I visit next. The writing set the story and the scenes perfectly, and I found myself longing to join them on their journey to ticking off every items on their list.

I felt like the difficult topics were handled with care and love, and I appreciate how mental health care represented. The last 20% of the book really tugged at my heartstrings and took me through a rollercoaster of emotions, but it was a beautiful ending and I was left feeling so happy. I can't believe I have to wait until May to have the physical copy in my hands, I would happily reread it right now!

Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton, Georgia Stone, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Will just start by saying there is an incredible playlist to go with this book ( I was actually first interested because of a video Georgia posted referencing The Maine 😂), and references to so many of my favourite songs/bands, and my beloved Twilight - (nothing draws me in like pop punk and my favourite cinematic masterpiece...

Barista Ava keeps herself very closed off and doesn't do romance. Enter Finn, with his golden retriever personality and inability to shut up...
Ava and her dry sense of humour are just SO relatable, and Finn - dreamy, too perfect for real life Finn 😭 There was just such incredible character development for both of them, and I loved seeing them both grow as their story progressed.
All of the supporting characters all added something unique: Josie was such a brilliant friend (I think we all need a Josie in our lives), and I just adored Ava and Max's relationship- I was really invested in his storyline, his no nonsense attitude was so refreshing, and the two complimented each other perfectly.
Overall this was a brilliant debut, with a genuine believable grumpy sunshine romance. 🌞

SHE IS THE QUEEN OF ROM COM!! BRITS BOW TO YOUR QUEEN.
Rest of the world: respectfully bow your head, if you wish.
No does witty banter like Georgia. Ava had me laughing out loud on the tube. Calling out the flaws and trying nature of Modern day dating. Enter the sweetest, goofball in the world, FINN! you’ll be begging for him to ask you to complete his london bucket list! PICK ME FINN.
I LOVE A SLOW BURN! AND THIS IS THE SLOWEST OF BURNS - THE TENSION! THE BUILD UP. Georgia has written an ode to friends who fall in love. Being friends is one of the best things when you find your person.
Thank you for making me feel loved Georgia.
Hodderbooks, thank you for the arc. My favourite read of 2025

Loved grumpy and sunshine aspect of this story, and the fact that female lead was the grumpy one, and male was the sunshine. I think that the slow burn of love story between Finn and Ava was great choice, as well as the turn around at the end when you think all is lost and they’ll never see each other again. Really liked this love story, looking forward to more work from the author.

💖THE FRIENDSHIP FLING💖

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐♾️

I read this book when it was released as A Collision of Stars and it was my favourite book of 2024. The Friendship Fling absolutely lived up to expectations and I was soooo happy to be back with Finn and Ava🥰

I've struggled to write this review because I just become an incoherent gushing mess over how much I. Loved. This. Book.

✨Reverse grumpy x sunshine
✨Black cat x golden retriever
✨Dual POV
✨Friends of convenience to lovers
✨Slow burn - not always a favourite of mine but this is done so disgustingly well it makes me giddy
✨The chapter titles in this book are hilarious

Finn is leaving for San Francisco but has a London bucket list he wants to complete and Ava is inadvertently enlisted to help him complete his list.

This read is filled with all the best vibes. Reading it made my heart so happy. I smiled the whole way through, I laughed out loud, I cried🥲

I am so grateful to @netgalleyuk and @publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. My hard copy has been pre-ordered for a while now and I cannot wait to hold it in my hands and probably cry over how beautiful it is🫣🥰

Please please please get yourself this book when it comes out on May 22nd💖 @georgiastonewrites is incredible and I can't wait to see what's coming next👀

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

Oh how I loved this book.

We meet Ava, the grumpy barista who seems to be content to stay in her lane, and Finn, the adventurous, confident traveller who can’t stay still. Immediately, despite their differences, they are drawn together as they meet each day in the coffee shop.

As the two embark on a friendship of convenience pact, and begin to race through Finn’s London bucket list, over one summer in the city, sparks fly.

This story was slow burn friends to lovers but at exactly the right pace.

The banter between the two characters was off the scale, and their chemistry lifted off the pages. But, most importantly, it was written in a way that didn’t make me cringe. Instead, I found myself rooting for these characters and getting invested in their journey.

If you like a golden retriever x black cat energy, you will love this one.

And it’s not just a romance either. The story is real, heartfelt and explores some difficult themes with care and respect.

The setting was absolutely beautiful and I really felt like I went along with Ava and Finn as they ticked off the London bucket list. The cast of side characters supported the MCs so well and added some diversity to the story.

A satisfying conclusion that had me welling up throughout the final quarter.

A beautiful story that will really brighten up your day. I raced through it in two sittings.

I adored this story.

Finn and Ava were great main characters. I loved the development of their friendship. The chemistry and flirtation were perfection and I loved Finn's flirty side.

The character development was just right and the story behind both of them was heartbreaking. The battles they both had faced.

The book covers some sensitive topics but it was handled with care. I thoroughly enjoyed both the bucket list and reading about Ava's dates.

This is everything I adore about friends to lovers - the banter, the yearning, the love that begins on a level so much deeper than attraction. Add to that the fun exploration of London and the excitement of trying new things, and you've got the perfect summer read. It also explores the difficulty of making friends as an adult, and delves into some heavier topics that are handled with the utmost care, adding depth to the story without weighing it down.

This book made me laugh out loud sooo much,l don't think any other book has done this before. All the classic British references were so enjoyable to read as a British girl - especially the big Tesco reference es. If anyone wants to try and understand how we think as Brits - just read this book! This also made me discover my love for funny chapter titles, my faves were: 'I'd let Shrek do some very not-feminist things to me' and 'cause of death: men leaning'.
The characters were also very enjoyable and I loved how much Ava and Finn were complete opposites. Ava working in a coffee shop also unlocked the fun I used to have working in Starbucks and building those bonds with the regulars. The character development was great and I actually really enjoyed having a grumpy FMC, it made it a very relatable read. Finn is just so adorable and I just love how much he understood Ava.
I honestly loved this so so much and encourage anyone who loves rom coms to give this one a go. It is sooo well written - Georgia your writing style is truly incredible and I can't wait to see where you go next. I know I will definitely be picking it up.

Thank you once again Georgia for creating this beauty of a story and for letting me be one of the first to read it fa

The indie version, A Collision of Stars, was one of my top reads of 2024, so I was intrigued to find out what changes were made. I know some things had to be cut, but at its core it’s still the same heartwarming, cute, snarky and delightful story that I fell in love with last year 💕

🗺️ I really enjoyed revisiting all the places around London with Ava 🐈‍⬛ and Finn 🐕 as they tick off bucket list items and go on some crazy adventures 🦖 There are some really great side characters, and I’m trying to figure out who will be the MCs for book 2… I think any of them would make for a great read! 📗

Finn, is in London for work for a limited time and has a bucket list he wishes to complete before he leaves. Ava, works in a coffee shop, but her friend has concerns about her and her lack of a social life. In a panic she tells her friend she has another friends called Finn. The form a mutual agreement, to act a friends and complete the London bucket list.

The book is dual POV for both Ava and Finn, but Ava is the main narrator of the book compared to Finn.

Ava and Finn are so grumpy x sunshine with Ava being the grumpy one. But there friendship I liked, the grumpy x sunshine dynamic worked well with their friendship, the way they bounced off each other. But there was entertainment while reading because they were completing Finn bucket list.

The character feel like normal people, as they find their way through there feeling while slowing growing to trust the other person and letting guards down along the way.

I am OBSESSED with this book, Ava, Finn and everything in between. Georgia Stone's writing is hilarious and sassy and I absolutely loved it. If I could give it more than five stars, I would!