Hi there! I’m here with my second post in my 2023 Buzzword Reading Challenge series! **And every day we are reminded that discrimination against marginalized communities is still a serious problem, so click here to find a compilation of resources where you can donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support these communities. I still encourage you to research these causes on your own to educate yourself and find the best way to lend your support.**
This is the second installment of my Buzzword Reading Challenge series of posts for 2023. In case you’re new here, the Buzzword Reading Challenge (also called Buzzword-a-thon or the Buzzword Readathon) was originally created by Kayla at the YouTube channel booksandlala. It centers around readers choosing books that include specific words or ‘types’ of words. This is the third year where all 12 prompts were selected in advance and it’s being loosely hosted once a month on sites like Goodreads and Storygraph. Each month we search our shelves for books with either specific words in the title, or title words that fit a specific theme. Previous years I’ve done recommendations, or multiple books for each month, but in 2023, I think I’m just going to stick to one book per prompt, as to [hopefully] prevent burn-out later on in the year. This is a reading challenge after all, and it’s supposed to be fun. In February, we settled on a theme instead, and had to find a book with a verb in the title. I originally wanted to pick up As You Walk On By, the newest YA release from Julian Winters, but couldn’t quite get around to it as I was in a bit of a slump in the middle of the month, but I was still able to tick this prompt off my list.
“verb” – A Guide to Just Being Friends by Sophie Sullivan
A Guide to Being Just Friends is the third and final book in the “Jansen Brothers” romance series and follows the eldest brother, Wes, and his love interest, Hailey. The books can be read as standalones, but the other brothers, Chris and Noah, and their respective love interests from the previous books, do appear in this book. I personally have not read the first two books, as I received a copy of this book with notes and annotations from the author as a fundraising incentive from SteamyLit Con, but now I may go back and read them to get the full story of Chris and Noah’s romances. In A Guide to Being Just Friends, Hailey is the sole owner of By the Cup, a new salad shop she opened in a new city to have a fresh start after a disastrous breakup, and Wes has recently moved across the country to join his brothers in business. The two do not get off on the right foot, introduced at a meeting that wasn’t intended for them. But when Wes reaches out to Hailey to apologize, the two strike up a friendship. Others can see that sparks fly between the two, but both have been burned by love before – Hailey’s ex was emotionally manipulative and left her questioning her self worth, and Wes isn’t a fan of the whole “love” thing, having a front row seat to his parents divorce due to his father’s abuse. So friends is all they can be. What could possibly go wrong? I thought this was a perfectly fine romance. It’s clear the connection between Wes and Hailey, and even the side characters and their significant others, are genuine. There is a heavy focus on found family, which matters a lot when parents aren’t supportive or are manipulative in some way – everyone needs someone in their corner to fight for them. I think where this started to falter for me was that when a relationship does begin to form between Wes and Hailey, they’ll have arguments, discuss why they are upset, make up, and then keep having arguments for those same issues. It became repetitive when characters are fighting for the same reasons, even if it can occasionally be reflective of real-life relationships. I think a lot of the time, Wes and Hailey just come from very different lives, so when Wes wants to show affection by providing for Hailey, she believes it’s because he thinks she can’t take care of herself, even when they have discussions about how that isn’t, and never will be, his intention. I will say the third-act conflict was different, so I did appreciate that. Overall, this was a cute romance that I enjoyed in the moment, and I will recommend if you’re into more of a friends-to-lovers story, but this doesn’t make my list of new favorites.
In conclusion, that’s two months down. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.
Where to find A Guide to Being Just Friends:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Storygraph
Sophie Sullivan’s site
Thoughts About Things 