Not Here to Stay Friends by Kaitlyn Hill
This friends-to-lovers spin on The Bachelor follows two
childhood besties reuniting to spend the summer in L.A.
after five years apart—but when they both get involved with
a teen reality dating show, their lives take an unexpected
turn for the unreal.
Sloane McKinney feels like a background character in her own
life. But this summer will be different, because she’s
spending it with her childhood best friend, Liam Daniels, in
her dream city, Los Angeles. Sure, she’s surprised to find
that Liam just happens to have had a Hot Guy glow-up since she
last saw him, but so what? A little attraction won’t ruin her
plans for their fun—and completely platonic—reunion.
What might, however, is that Liam has been roped into working
for his producer dad’s new teen reality dating show, Aspen
Woods’s Future Leading Lady. Liam figures Sloane can still
hang out with him on set while he fetches coffee for the film
crew, or whatever it is that production assistants do. Except
it turns out the show is one contestant short . . . and Sloane
is the perfect last-minute addition.
Once cameras are rolling, the whirlwind of dating teen
heartthrob Aspen Woods feels way more real than Sloane
expected, and Liam doesn’t exactly enjoy watching it all
unfold. But it’s behind the scenes where the drama really
picks up. . . .
Not Here To Stay Friends was a YA friends-to-lovers romance set around
a teen dating show and it surprised me with how much fun it was! It
had the right dose of humor, fun and romance without too much drama -
I thought it'd have more drama or some love triangle-ish scenario but
thankfully there wasn't much of that, so I'm very happy about this😂
Also, extra points for the dual pov!❣️
Sloane McKinney is pretty excited about coming to LA for the summer to
meet her childhood best friend - Liam Daniels. It's been a few years
since they last saw each other and though they've kept in touch, it's
not the same thing as spending some time together, especially when
they share a lot of common interests - mainly tv shows and this also
includes The Cove - a teen drama that stars Aspen Woods. And to
Sloane's surprise she finds out that Liam might not have that much
time to hang out with her as he'll be working on the set of the dating
reality show that his dad is producing - Aspen Woods Future Leading
Lady(AWFLL - this acronym is too funny lol 🤣). And 25 girls will be
competing for the chance to date Aspen and in an unexpected twist when
they find themselves short of one girl, Sloane ends up agreeing to
participate as Liam's dad promises to help her with her future in
screenwriting. But, in an unexpected plot twist, Sloane and Liam find
themselves falling for each other.
I absolutely loved both Sloane and Liam in this one - they were so
cute together! The friendship that they have is so beautiful and
enviable tbh! They are so comfortable around each other and make each
other so happy while being supportive without any judgment. At the
same time, there's this spark of attraction between them as they're
meeting in person after many years and this brings up some hidden
feelings to the surface. The friends to lovers development was done so
well here!
And Sloane was an amazing MC - she's funny, smart and relatable with
her own set of insecurities that stems from being the middle child in
her family, but she doesn't let that stop her. Liam is also a genuine
guy who cares about everyone while trying his best to make his dad
happy too. I was quite intrigued by how the reality show angle would
play out here, especially after Aspen's entry. It was pretty hilarious
at times with some nice moments between Sloane and the other girls. I
also loved the fact that none of the characters were stereotypically
bad/good and they all had a role to play. There was a nice twist at
the end with the finale of the show and that was pretty satisfying to
see😆
In the end, this was an amazing read that surprised me in a good way
and I think many others would love it too!❣️✨
You can also find this review on my bookstagram here
*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest
review*
Kaitlyn Hill is a writer, reader, and sweet tea enthusiast who believes
that all the world is not, in fact, a stage, but a romance novel waiting
to happen. She is the author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay
Friends. Kaitlyn has a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and German Studies,
which means that she can tell you way too much about the Communist
Manifesto in Karl Marx’s mother tongue. Before landing on writing, she
worked in roles from city government intern in a small German town to
Haunted
Mansion Maid at Walt Disney World, and most recently, at her hometown
public library. Aside from books, Kaitlyn’s favorite things are
giraffes, ABBA, and excessively long naps. She lives with her real life
romance hero in Lexington, Kentucky.
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