When Will I Come Across A Friends-To-Lovers That Sweeps Me Off My Feet

its a hard dynamic to put to paper. i get it. you walk that weird, uncomfy line between "youre the person im most comfortable with in the entire world" and "if you come any closer i will literally combust", and at least one of the two is most often entirely oblivious to the entire situation. so, how the hell do you transition from one stage to the other?

glad you ask. the answer is: not like this. i will not tolerate anywhere this whole "i have never even considered the possibility of becomig romantically involved with you, but it took me exactly seven hours since you confessed to decide you are actually are the love of my life" ordeal. i cannot believe it!!! i cannot!!! this is the bit where it goes wrong. wheres the pining?? wheres the conflict?? i want to be blueballed!!!!!! you cannot throw a "suddenly they look absolutely delectable" thought at me with no preparation!!!!!!!! also: they never said what the hell it is that they like about each other. miss, you're TELLING me they're in love, yet you are not SHOWING me. show me. i wanna see it.

even that aside, nathan is... kind of unlikeable tbh. and everybody is a bitch at preston for no reason??? dude's just existing, living his life, being a pal, and folks just keep getting mad at him left and right and he just. apologizes. bends over backwards. goes along with it. my man is traumatized! at one point nathan cries happy tears and prestons like WAIT HOW DID I FUCK Up NOW IM SORRY like. this shit aint right!! and dont let me start on the way he's borderline being shamed for doing exactly what he's always said he would. because GOD FORBID his partner isnt his absolute number one priority! (this may be a me thing, as we know, im not the most romantic person out there, but regardless, kinda unhealthy imo)

obviously, i liked preston better than nathan, though theyre both SO dramatic for NO REASON. nathan is a bit of a caricature of a gay man, which i dont love either. the dialogue felt forced at times, too, and the prose was fine, but it wasnt remarkable. other bits were confusing, like why the hell is nathan not more comfortable with his best friend's mother if they've known each other since they were like 5? does she suck that much? also, consider they're both, like, filthy rich, so its all very first world problems. also, nathan's sister feels, at times, clinically insane. why is it cool for you to slap preston across the face just because you didnt like a thing he did, natasha? go to therapy, please. also, am i genuinely supposed to believe that the most influential woman in town chose the eighteen years old (that, supposedly, somehow has experience planning events??) to plan the biggest event of the year? just because he seduces her with the idea of taking his son on a trip that she herself could very easily throw together for him? that doesnt seem right.

its not all bad tho: its entertaining. it gets three stars because i didnt at any point consider DNFing it. i liked the idea of having the book be a trip across europe, liked the change of scenery, genuinely liked preston. i have qualms against it because i have very high standards for this trope, and i have read fanfiction that captured the vibes a lot more accurately and... in a more emotionally pertinent way. you know, for free. so. three stars it is.

(and if y'all know of a GOOD friends to lovers pls send it my way im begging u) ( )