Friends to lovers? Definitely my favorite romance trope.
Fake dating, uncomfortable friend zoning, I was absolutely sold.
"The Cheat Sheet" is your typical friends to lovers romance novel with just the right bit of humor.
From the writing, to the banter, to the fake dating and the eventual climax, this book was almost perfection.
Bree Camden and Nathan Donnellson are best friends in every sense of the word. They complete each other's sentences, they have a ritual of running together every Tuesdays, and they know basically everything about each other inside out, except, the both of them have something hidden from each other.
Bree dates boys that are not Nathan, and Nathan dates lots of girls that are not Bree. The both of them are secretly pining for each other, but Bree thinks crossing the lines of friendship will make her lose Nathan, and Nathan believes Bree has nothing but platonic love for him.
They continue their friendship amidst longing for each other, until Bree accidentally spills too much to a reporter over too much tequila.
Her confession causes a shift in their friendship, as they not only have to be friends, but also fake date each other for the world.
Will they eventually have the guts to spill their feelings for each other? or will their fake relationship ultimately put an end to their long lasting friendship?
I am always a goner for the fake dating and friends -to- lovers tropes, especially when those involved have deep feelings for each other. It just makes the whole reading exciting, and you cannot just wait until the characters finally get to be together.
It's like delayed gratification that gives you fulfillment at the end.
I loved so many things about this entire novel. I adored how much Bree and Nathan's friendship was true and genuine.
The support they had for each other and the fact that Nathan secretly helped her every time, even if she was too cautious to ask, that was too adorable.
For me, a good friends-to-lovers plot is one that has the right amount of chemistry. And this author gave us just the right dose of it.
From the secret glances, the heated stares, to the hidden desire for each other. It was just the right amount of buildup for Nathan and Bree.
I also loved how much the author made sure that romance didn't kill their individual passion.
Nathan is shown as just the passionate and devoted NFL player he is supposed to be, and Bree maintains her undying passion for dance, even after a career altering injury.
The banter between Nathan, his teammates, and Bree is not left out, on the things that made this plot so wholesome, and the fact that they eventually were the catalyst that triggered Nathan to act on his feelings for Bree, I felt like giving each of them a well-deserved hug.
Bottom line, this novel is a reminder, that it is never too late to leave the friend zone, and that unrequited love, might just be as a result of lack of communication.
Character wise, I loved both protagonists and the other characters. There were no favorites, and definitely no character I didn't find interesting.
I flipped through the pages of this novel is one sitting, and the best friends to lover’s tropes may not be a popular one, but if you love romance like me, and you're a sucker for this type of romance, then you should read this book.