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!

Barista Ava keeps her life self-contained. When her flatmate challenges her to make new friends, customer Finn becomes a convenient excuse to pretend she's doing so. But when globe-trotting contractor Finn convinces Ava to spend the summer with him doing his London bucket list before he moves, little does she realise this might help her learn how to properly live again.

Beautifully written, The Friendship Fling is a sparkling rom com set during London summertime. I loved Ava and Finn's banter and their slow-burn transformative friendship. Ava was spiky with so many walls up, stuck in a rut after a family challenge left her giving up her ambitions out of guilt. Finn was an utter sweetheart who I wanted to hug him. Always personable hoping someone would pick him after being essentially abandoned by his workaholic parents who never put him first.

With its strong characters and plotting, I easily devoured this book in one sitting. Georgia Stone manages to convey a slow-burn romance in a way that never felt laboured or boring. I had a major book hangover afterwards and an urge to book a flight to London. I hope someone makes this a movie (and keeps it set in London).

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.

Most romcoms either try and fail to be funny or are downright cringe, but this was an exception. It was a romance, yes, but I don’t remember when was the last time a book made me laugh so much.

Finn and Ava decide to be friends and not in that cringe let’s-not-have-sex-just-yet-even-though-we-both-want-it way that we so often see in romance. None of them wants a relationship, especially since Finn is leaving at the end of summer anyway. Ava only agrees to help him with his London bucket list…

I always love a good grumpy sunshine story, especially the reverse type. Finn was such a sweet cinnamon roll, I wanted to hug him. I loved their dynamic and chemistry, but what truly shone was the banter. I don’t often laugh out loud when reading, but this was next level hilarious.

I really hope that Julien and Max are getting their books too, because I want more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Initially saw this on TikTok and knew it was a story I had to read. Through requesting it here on NetGallery, I was delighted to be given an electronic copy to read and review, and oh this book did not disappoint and had me hooked from the very beginning. Loved Finn and Ava and the banter between them was superb.

Not many books that have made me cry this year, but The Friendship Fling has been one of them 🥹 So thank you Georgia for writing this book and hope to see more from you in the future,

If I had the time I would loved to have read this book in one sitting, as it had me hooked from start to finish, and when I wasn't reading it, it was most definitely on my mind.

This book was heart-warming and thoroughly delicious. Most definitely a 5⭐ read!! I will be reading this book again, again and again and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it is released in 2025 🥰

3.75

the friendship fling was adorable, funny and emotional in all the ways you want a rom-com to be
georgia stone managed to take a classic trope about friends - to - lovers and make it feel fresh, heartfelt, and so deeply personal, making it a unique read that i adored!

plot ―୨୧⋆ ˚ i loved the whole premise of this book and i felt like the pace moved just right for ava and fin / their personalities ! i loved the london setting and found myself absolutely giggling at some of the situations and events in this book!
this felt very reminiscent of an emily henry ‘you and me on vacation ‘ but with more witty banter !
one thing to mention was this book was a slow burn with a capital s! that meant getting into the book for me took a bit longer than expected but nevertheless i still really liked this book 💌

ava and finn ―୨୧⋆ ˚ what I loved most was how the book wasn’t afraid to tackle the messy emotions that come with loving someone who’s become a big part of your life, especially when there’s the risk of losing it all. the fake friendship pact was both hilarious as they navigated their stranger status into fake friends and heart-wrenching at the same time because you could feel how much they were holding back.

watching them fumble through their feelings, make mistakes, and slowly let their guard down was such a beautiful journey. the growth they both went through individually and together was so satisfying and i loved to see it!

this was such a perfect blend of humor, romance, and emotional depth, and georgia stone wrote it all with so much heart. It made me laugh, cry, and feel everything in between.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hands down my new favourite book and I will take no further questions at this time. Georgia Stone has struck absolute bronze, silver and gold with this one. Her characters are painfully relatable with witty, acerbic and often scathing commentary that gives this London-based story a delightfully British feel. There's not a single thing I didn't love about this book. I laughed (a lot), cried (quite a lot) and laughed again. I'm just sad it's over, to be honest.

Note: this review is based on an ARC and it contains spoilers.

The Friendship Fling by Georgia Stone is a fairly slow burn (fake) friends to lovers story set in London, UK.

Ava and Finn happen to meet one day in the coffee shop where Ava works. Finn is bright and warm and optimistic, whereas Ava is closed off and rude for the most part. She happens to use his name one day when reassuring her concerned friend and flatmate that she is making friends at work, and he ends up being invited to a flat warming party they are hosting in six or so weeks time. Meanwhile, Finn discloses that he has a London bucket list that he would like to complete before his contract ends at the end of the summer (conveniently, at around a similar time to the party). He invites Ava to help him tick the items off his bucket list and she reluctantly agrees. So continues a sort of fake friendship between the two - he agrees to keep up the appearance that he is her friend to her flatmate, meanwhile they go on all these adventures together ticking off his bucket list. They end up forming a genuine friendship (and then romance).

The book flips between Ava and Finn as our two narrators, though Ava gets far more of a voice than Finn. Given how uneven this was, I'm not sure that I felt it was necessary. Or rather, perhaps I would have wanted it to be more evenly split and Finn's storyline with his parents/upbringing could have been fleshed out a little further.

I found the friendship side of their relationship very readable and while I felt the grumpy-sunshine dynamic was a bit overplayed (though this isn't a trope I'd usually reach for so maybe a lot of grumpy-sunshine romances are like this?), I enjoyed their adventures and was enjoying ticking items off Finn's bucket list.

I liked the message of encouragement within the book for figuring out what your dreams are, allowing yourself to pursue them, and also taking time with yourself to process trauma and be able to move forward in a healthy way.

I also thought that the introduction of Max, Ava's brother, was a clever one as it allowed us to get to see a softer side to Ava early on in the book and we started to see some of her personal values come through as we watched them interact and heard the way she felt about him.

As the friendship turns into romance, I found that I had to suspend disbelief a little to overcome the somewhat corny nature of some of the scenes and the way their feelings seemed to become extraordinarily intense very quickly. I felt like we skipped the parts where people naturally start to develop feelings for someone and went straight to "I would do anything for this person" type of declarations. It was a little intense and involved basically an entire personality transplant for our Ava, who had been dismissive, cold, sarcastic, and closed off for the other half of the book.

There are a couple of open door sex scenes in the book. Perhaps I was distracted by how strangely their relationship was shifting between these extremes, but I found it difficult to get lost in the sex scenes. I owed this, at least in part, to the way they were written. There's one point where she pulls a vibrator out of a bedside table but doesn't actually name the object, so I was very confused in thinking perhaps it was a condom she threw at Finn. Then the way the author describes orgasms as being a heaviness below the stomach was a little strange. And the general flow of the sex scenes were just a little stilted or clumsily written for me.

All-in-all, a light read which has the underlying message of figuring yourself out, and a fun friendship between two very different characters.

Tropes: grumpy=sunshine, (fake)-friends=to=lovers, only one bed.

When Ava’s flatmate challenges her to make a new friend, Finn happens to be in the right place at the right time. In exchange for his friendship, Finn convinces Ava to join him in working through his London summer bucket list before he leaves the city for good.

What starts as a fake friendship quickly deepens into something real—but the thing about summer is that it always ends. Or does it? What if this last summer in London is just the beginning?

This book was such a joy to read! It’s a rom-com that’s genuinely funny, with endearing characters and a charming storyline. Ava and Finn’s chemistry is undeniable, and I loved the way their friendship evolved so naturally into something more. The London setting was vibrant and added so much to the story - it felt like a love letter to the city.

Fans of The Flatshare and One Day will absolutely adore this one. It’s warm, funny, and full of heart. A must-read for anyone who loves contemporary romance!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in advance.

This was a gorgeous rendition of grumpy/sunshine (and I LOVE when a FMC is grumpy) and a bit of a love letter to London, which I also loved. I had high expectations when I saw the alternative/pop punk songs on the author's playlist at the beginning of the book, so I was really glad that I fell into this so hard.
I loved following Finn and Ava, and their friends were also wonderful. I felt that the last 10-15% was perhaps a bit rushed/fast but overall I loved the push/pull romance and found myself almost squealing whenever there was tension.

Oooh this was so fun! Put the ‘com’ in rom-com! Laughed out loud several times!

Deliciously witty dialogue, a fabulous grumpy-sunshine dynamic and enjoyable antics while adventuring around London.

The humour was just so in line with mine. Really hit the spot and felt very British!! I enjoy romance so much more when it’s not just super slushy and intense. Ava and Finn joke around and engage in general silliness even in sappy moments. I think that makes it feel way more real, entertaining and moving.

It was an unusually believable story all round. The friendship and subsequent romance unfolded so beautifully because it felt so natural. Plus, I really liked the inclusion of both of their very different family issues. It actually felt like genuine problems people face and made so much sense for their personalities and character development.

Even the small separation at the end fit the story perfectly and didn’t bother me at all or come across like pointless drama. That’s usually my biggest annoyance of the genre!

A really feel good read. Full of heart, humour and loveable characters. Will definitely be reading any future books by Georgia Stone!

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Georgia Stone for an advanced digital copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. My review is pending as I’m currently writing it up - will post ASAP and edit here. 3.5 ⭐️