A review by dianaschmidty
Next To You by Hannah Bonam-Young

adventurous emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is an emotional rollercoaster. I love friends to lovers stories for having a built-in connection and the clear connection between Lane and Matt is a clear example of this. Chemistry radiates off of them for most of the book, making their romance so believable. I think they complemented each other well!
I really liked the additions of Lane and Matt’s families. While we’re taught to dislike Lane’s family from the beginning, we learn that there’s more to them than what meets to eye when we meet them, which is really interesting to read because it feels to realistic of real families. I also loved how his family could be a demonstration to hers that it is possible to grow a family in the wake of trauma.
The only thing I didn’t really love was how Matt handled the FWB situation. It was sad to see her tell him that she wouldn’t be able to give him a relationship only for him to get mad a month later when her feelings on the subject hadn’t changed. I get that this is why friends to lovers romances are usually messy, but I think with how well he knew her, he shouldn’t have gotten mad and lashed out at her. It was also annoying because he had agreed to not having a relationship, it’s not like it had come out of nowhere.
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