“At the risk of sounding completely fucking corny or like a total sap, I’m happiest when you’re happy, Kee. It’s always been that way, always will be.”
Keene Waters and Aspen Kohl have been best friends their entire lives. They both considered themselves straight but a kiss they shared on a dare left Keene questioning his sexuality ever since. Fast forward two years and Keene finally comes clean to Aspen about his desire to explore this apparent attraction toward men. It comes as a shock to Aspen but even more shocking is that he finds himself saying yes when Keene lays down new dares, ones that have them crossing lines they never imagined they’d cross. As the nature of their relationship evolves, the one rule they had was that they wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize their friendship which is easier said than done when hearts and big scary feelings enter the equation.
Keene. My best friend. The only person who has the power to completely ruin me. And I might just let him.
Well, after finally reading this book, I can now understand why so many bookstagrammers include this when posting about friends-to-lovers books. Keene and Aspen had a special bond, having known each other their entire lives. I loved how they looked out for each other and complemented each other well. Aspen always wanted to keep Keene safe so it made sense for him to offer to be a safe person for Keene to do some sexual exploration with – particularly because Aspen had always been so good at keeping sex and feelings separate. Of course, having sex with someone he was actually in love with (even if only in a platonic way at first) was a new and scary experience for him which becomes a huge factor in the angst that this book dishes out.
A lot of the book was low angst. There were plenty of steamy scenes and I enjoyed seeing them explore their sexuality together. It was sweet and very hot. But when the angst hits, it hits very hard. I won’t spoil anything in case you were like me and haven’t read this yet, but the actions of one of the characters hurt and my heart broke for the other one in the aftermath. But there was a good grovel and I loved how everything ended up!
It’s always been us. Ever since the beginning.
The Book Boyfriend Addict 