{"id":60292,"date":"2026-01-16T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/?p=60292"},"modified":"2025-12-15T18:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T00:07:11","slug":"friends-to-lovers-romances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/friends-to-lovers-romances\/","title":{"rendered":"Friends to Lovers Romances"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have a favorite plot or trope in romance novels? One of my favorites is friends to lovers (I credit 1990s movies for getting me interested in this plot. Think Sleepless in Seattle<\/em><\/a>, You’ve Got Mail<\/em><\/a>, My Best Friend’s Wedding<\/a>, <\/em>Ten Things I Hate About You<\/a>, <\/em>and so many more). In these novels, the main characters are friends before they fall in love. What interested me in these is that because the characters already have a history, readers see moments that show how well the characters know each other or even how much they already are in each other’s lives.<\/p>\n

As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library (and were published in 2025). Descriptions are provided by the publishers.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Finders Keepers<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Sarah Adler<\/p>\n

Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she\u2019s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town\u2014and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoping the reward promised to whoever finds the rumored riches left behind by the town\u2019s eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate will help her get her life back on track, Nina agrees. Granted, last time the search resulted in a broken heart and seventeen years of silence. But Nina\u2019s older and wiser now. Surely things will be different?<\/em><\/p>\n

Except, Quentin is also older and wiser\u2026not to mention distractingly handsome. As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there\u2019s any hope of finding what they\u2019re looking for\u2014and for a future together\u2014Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.<\/em> – Berkley<\/p>\n

This title is also available in large print.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Friends to Lovers<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Sally Blakely<\/p>\n

Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in touch: they\u2019ll be each other\u2019s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now Joni is back at their families\u2019 shared summer home for her sister\u2019s wedding, and she\u2019s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren\u2014and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?<\/em><\/p>\n

But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she\u2019ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.<\/em> – Canary Street Press<\/p>\n

This title is also available in large print.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Friends with Benefits<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Marisa Kanter<\/p>\n

Evie Bloom pays attention to the details. Her very job depends on it\u2014as an aspiring Foley artist, she\u2019s responsible for every crisp footstep, smacking kiss, and distinct sound in film and television. So when she\u2019s selected for a fellowship opportunity that would make all her career dreams come true, she\u2019s quick to spot the catch: there are no health benefits, and for someone with a chronic illness, that\u2019s a non-starter.<\/em><\/p>\n

Theo Cohen is an elementary school teacher who can’t afford to live on his own in LA, and is facing eviction after his roommates couple up and move out of their rent-controlled apartment. But there is one loophole in his lease: each tenant must meet an income threshold, unless the tenants are married.<\/em><\/p>\n

For Theo, the answer is obvious. Marry Evie, his best friend since forever. It\u2019s not as if they don\u2019t spend all their free time together anyways. Not only will Theo be able to keep his apartment, but Evie can be added to his insurance plan so she can accept her dream fellowship. It\u2019s such a logical, practical solution. Never mind that Evie doesn\u2019t really want to be married\u2014not to Theo, not to anyone\u2014ever. Or the small, complicating fact that Theo has always been a little bit in love with Evie.<\/em><\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t have to be a big deal. Marriage. It will just give them space to breathe, and much-needed relief from the daily financial stress. It won\u2019t change anything.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s . . . going to change everything.<\/em> – Celadon Books<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>The Friendship Fling<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Georgia Stone<\/p>\n

In this delightfully charming and heartfelt debut love story, two lonely and wildly different strangers embark on a short-term friendship over one London summer\u2014only to discover they may be something more by the time the season ends.<\/em><\/p>\n

No one would ever call Ava Monroe a people person, which isn\u2019t ideal for a barista in a busy London coffee shop. She\u2019s sarcastic, blunt, and cynical, and her relationships are strictly no strings attached. With her best friend Josie soon leaving for a year, Ava knows she\u2019ll be all alone unless she shakes up her routine. But she can\u2019t risk bringing chance back into her carefully controlled life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then insufferably cheerful, country-hopping, undeniably gorgeous Finn O\u2019Callaghan rolls into her coffee shop with a horrifying proposal \u2014a strictly friends-only summer fling. Finn needs a local to help him complete his London bucket list, and Ava needs to reassure Josie she won\u2019t be on her own. And it\u2019s only for a few months.<\/em><\/p>\n

To Ava\u2019s surprise, their mismatched friendship of convenience becomes oddly tolerable, and as they work their way through Finn\u2019s list and around the sun-drenched city, from rooftops and floating bars to nights at the museum, their adventures\u2014and Finn\u2019s company\u2014start to feel . . . nice. Incredibly, terrifyingly, dangerously nice.<\/em><\/p>\n

Still, rules are rules\u2014Ava has good reasons for them\u2014and as the days get shorter, Finn\u2019s departure gets closer. Because that\u2019s the thing about summer: it always ends. Right?<\/em> – Harper Perennial<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Never Been Shipped<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>by Alicia Thompson<\/p>\n

Micah\u2019s relationship to music is complicated. As teenagers, her band took off after being featured on a popular TV show, but the group barely released their sophomore album before breaking up. Now, over a decade later, the band is reuniting for one more performance on a themed cruise, and Micah is determined to learn from her past mistakes \u2014 no losing herself in the music, and no losing her heart along the way.<\/em><\/p>\n

John misses playing in a band, and mostly he misses Micah, who\u2019d been his best friend until the music stopped. Back then, he didn\u2019t take the lead, either in his guitar parts or while he sat back and watched her date another bandmate. John\u2019s never been one to rock the boat, but he\u2019s faced with another chance now that this cruise has brought music \u2014 and Micah \u2014 back in his life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Onboard, Micah can\u2019t help but see John with brand new eyes, and John\u2019s feelings only intensify as the discordant band\u2019s tension grows to a breaking point. With five days at sea, there\u2019s a ticking clock on anything that might develop between them, and they\u2019ll have to decide if their relationship is destined to be more than a one-hit wonder.<\/em> – Berkley<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Only Lovers in the Building<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Nadine Gonzalez<\/p>\n

Wanted\u2014no, NEEDED: a summer escape with beach reads, cocktails\u2026and a little romance on the side.<\/em><\/p>\n

After her legal career comes to a sudden and humiliating end, Liliane Lyon books a restorative summer rental at The Icon, a quintessential Art Deco building in Miami Beach, where her only plan is to bask in the sun, read, and sip cocktails. But soon she\u2019s enchanted by the colorful community, including university professor Benedicto Romero\u2014resident tortured poet, whose sole intention for sabbatical is to indulge in brooding introspection.<\/em><\/p>\n

When they discover a shared passion for romance novels, Lily and Ben are soon spending hours reading together by the pool, the spark between them unwittingly giving the other residents the impression that they\u2019re experts in matters of the heart\u2026no matter that IRL their disastrous love lives bear little resemblance to the stories they\u2019re reading.<\/em><\/p>\n

But while Ben and Lily can pinpoint a trope a mile away and give excellent advice to others, they can\u2019t make sense of the sizzling chemistry between them, and the suggestion of a professional podcast suddenly forces them to consider the long-term. So what if it means working even closer together! So what if their banter makes Lily’s head spin! It\u2019s the summer of taking chances, but a word to the wise: Miami isn\u2019t the place for growth and rebirth. It\u2019s the place to get messy. –\u00a0<\/em>Canary Street Press<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Passion Project<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by London Sperry<\/p>\n

If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where\u2019s that zest she keeps hearing about? She\u2019s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She\u2019s not ready to date. In fact, it\u2019s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports\u2014not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they\u2019ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.<\/em><\/p>\n

As their \u201cpassion project\u201d continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she\u2019s truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark\u2014and igniting happiness.<\/em> – Penguin Books<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Something Cheeky<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Thien-Kim Lam<\/p>\n

Zoe Tran is living her best life, designing plus-size lingerie at her own award-winning clothing boutique, when suddenly her college best friend reenters her life. Derek Bui is offering a tantalizing chance to recapture a forgotten dream: designing costumes for the musical they created together years ago.<\/em><\/p>\n

Derek has loved Zoe since freshman year but never had the guts to confess his true feelings. Now he\u2019s directing the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they dreamed up in college. The stakes are high: it\u2019s the first production with an all-Asian cast and creative team at Washington, D.C.\u2019s largest theatre and if they can make it work, they\u2019ll head to Broadway. But his real goal: get Zoe back in his life.<\/em><\/p>\n

A proud demisexual, Zoe only ever saw Derek as her best friend, but working on their dream production together brings them closer than ever. Sparks ignite under the hot spotlights. But when the theatre\u2019s artistic director pressures Derek to make the musical \u201cless Asian,\u201d he and Zoe clash on whether to stay true to their vision or compromise to keep the production alive.<\/em><\/p>\n

Will Zoe and Derek finally let love take center stage or will their creative differences close the curtains on them forever?<\/em> – Avon<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>When Javi Dumped Mari<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Mia Sosa<\/p>\n

One engagement. Two best friends. Three\u2019s a crowd.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier B\u00e1ez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn\u2019t approve of. Now, almost a decade later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he\u2019s secretly pined for since sophomore year, is engaged\u2014and Javi didn\u2019t even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff she plans to marry.<\/em><\/p>\n

A successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, Mari is no longer seeking Javi\u2019s dating advice or waiting for him to declare his love. Instead, she\u2019s made a different pact\u2014with herself. And to succeed, Mari\u2019s vowing to build a future with someone who wants to commit to her.<\/em><\/p>\n

With his life and career finally on track, Javi\u2019s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari\u2019s changed the script and moved on without him. Javi has just six weeks to convince Mari this marriage is a flop. If that means he needs to ruffle some feathers to help her avert disaster, well, he\u2019s up for the challenge. After all, isn\u2019t that what best friends are for?<\/em> – G.P. Putnam’s Sons<\/p>\n

This title is also available in large print.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>With Stars in Her Eyes<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Andie Burke<\/p>\n

Seconds from a meteoric career launch, cellist Courtney Starling suffers a frightening migraine attack during a key performance. While harmful rumors fly, she escapes to her happy place\u2014her best friend\u2019s Kansas bookshop. Courtney\u2019s working incognito when a scream sends her leaping off a shelving ladder to find the woman who screamed cowering near the register.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Thea Quinn dropped in for a misdelivered package, she did not expect a mortifying encounter with a bearded dragon in front of an inconveniently attractive bookseller. Clutching an upcoming book club flyer and the tattered shreds of her dignity, she heads back to her new piercing job at the tattoo shop next door. She moved to this quirky place for a fresh start. But maybe the meet-disaster was a sign? Maybe Thea needs to branch out beyond her photography hobby and connect with new people\u2026like at a historical romance book club run by a particularly mysterious and sexy bookseller with a pixie cut?<\/em><\/p>\n

Friendly lunches become stolen moments between the bookshelves. Courtney and Thea’s old problems feel ages away. But just as their chemistry heats to a combustion point, consequences from Courtney\u2019s past arrive literally on her doorstep at exactly the wrong moment. New revelations and surprising connections take the pair from feeling joyfully lovestruck to confusingly star-crossed. Both women must decide what they\u2019re willing to give up for happily ever after.<\/em> – St. Martin’s Griffin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you have a favorite plot or trope in romance novels? One of my favorites is friends to lovers (I credit 1990s movies for getting me interested in this plot. Think Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Ten Things I Hate About You, and so many[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,5,1,8],"tags":[6479,11557,402,11541,10937,11543,11551,11546,11544,11555,11548,11549,11547,11545,408,11542,7198,11552,11550,11553,11554,11556],"class_list":["post-60292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-read-a-likes","category-reference","category-staff-picks","tag-alicia-thompson","tag-andie-burke","tag-fiction","tag-finders-keepers","tag-friends-to-lovers","tag-friends-with-benefits","tag-georgia-stone","tag-london-sperry","tag-marisa-kanter","tag-mia-sosa","tag-nadine-gonzalez","tag-never-been-shipped","tag-only-lovers-in-the-building","tag-passion-project","tag-romance","tag-sally-blakely","tag-sarah-adler","tag-something-cheeky","tag-the-friendship-fling","tag-thien-kim-lam","tag-when-javi-dumped-mari","tag-with-stars-in-her-eyes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd0CXx-fGs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60292"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60322,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60292\/revisions\/60322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}