“You matter to me, Jasper. I don’t want to fuck things up and lose this again.”
Jasper and Watt spent most summers together growing up while Jasper visited his great aunt and uncle in Copper County. They were best friends and also friendly rivals as they challenged each other to all manner of silly bets. But then Jasper left Copper County, and Watt didn’t hear from him for 20 years. Twenty years for Watt to remember the kiss they shared on their last day together and wonder what could have been. Well, now Jasper is back in town to get his aunt’s house ready to sell, and he wants to clear up what happened between them all those years ago so they can rekindle their friendship. A friendship that may just grow into more as the men finally give in to the feelings they’ve had for each other for more than 20 years. They may be each other’s greatest rivals, but they soon find that they’re also each other’s greatest love.
This was such a good story! I loved Jasper and Watt. They were so cute together. Even when things were rocky when Jasper first got back to town, you could still easily see their connection that had persisted for all those years. I loved the way they teased and challenged each other. Their bets were so fun, and I enjoyed hearing about all the silly bets they shared when they were younger. It’s not often that the rivalry in rivals-to-lovers stories is a friendly one like Jasper and Watt’s was, but it was a nice twist on the trope!
I loved seeing them find their way back to each other. It was sad that they lost so much time due to the misunderstanding when Jasper left town when they were teens, but I think that their lived experience as they grew up without each other was necessary to get them to where they ended up once they reunited. It was nice reading about mature characters, too. They still bantered and played games like when they were younger, but they also had plenty of mature communication, which I appreciated. They also had such great chemistry, their friends-with-benefits arrangement was hot (even if it quickly became more than friendly between them).
It was also nice being back in Copper County. I loved all the side characters and just the general small-town vibes. It was easy to understand why Jasper was so charmed by the town and why Watt never felt the need to leave!
This was no longer in the same stratosphere as friends with benefits. Our connection was deep and true, unlike anything I’d ever considered with anyone other than Watt.
The Book Boyfriend Addict 