If you’ve been following us you’ll know that I’m a big fan of romance. I recently saw the author of Dare to Live, Dare to Love asking if bloggers had time to review. I’ve been wanting to read more romance again, so I signed up. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought. So keep on reading to find out more!

This best friends to strangers to lovers romance will sweep you off your feet with its intense mutual pining and love that slowly blooms. Watch Elle and Dylan, two cinnamon roll dumbasses who are terrified to face their feelings, fall in love.

Elle Jones is constantly immersed in her job and doesn’t have time for much else. Her work life is on point, but the rest? Not so much. She never takes time to take care of herself, and she’s terrified of not being good enough to be loved.
Dylan Andrews recently moved in with his brother after leaving London. He doesn’t have a job, but he’s determined to figure out what he wants to do with his life.
When the two of them run into each other, they’re overwhelmed by old feelings that never really went away. After a long talk on a quiet beach under a glimmering night sky, Dylan comes up with an idea that could change everything. He writes a list of things to show Elle that love is real, it can be true, it can last, and it can find her when the time is right. As they move through all the items written on a crumpled piece of paper, Elle slowly starts learning that there is more to life than she thought, and Dylan realizes that he would do anything to fight for love. Can the two of them face the feelings they keep trying to avoid before the list ends? Can they take a leap towards a future that could be filled with unconditional love, both for each other and themselves, or will it be too late?

The author has made a list of content warning for this book. Click here to see this post.

Review

“Not every relationship works out. They’re not all supposed to. That doesn’t mean the person can’t find someone else who’s right for them.”

I couldn’t resist reading a book with best friends to lovers. Especially when they’ve lost touch for some time and then start to reconnect. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy read with some other important aspects this is definitely a book for you! I would suggest this as a light summer read.

This book follows the two bisexual best friends that have lost touch when Dylan went to London for college. I loved how Dylan and Elle connected and how even though it was a bit awkward in the beginning that they still truly cared for each other. Ellie has a lot going for her in life, but isn’t really sure that love exists. Dylan decides to make it his task to show her that love does exist and  can last.

The whole list was really sweet and I loved that these things were thoughtful and really thought out. It was nice seeing these characters connect again and talk about their pasts. It’s clear that they really cared for each other and were there for each other in many ways growing up and dealing with their sexuality, family and even anxiety. Seeing them connect and finally exploring the other side of their feelings was really sweet. Also, Dylan’s brother and Elle’s best friend were a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, this book isn’t a five star read for me. The writing didn’t always work for me. It felt repetitive at times and the middle part really dragged. I felt as they were trying to explore their feelings both POVs tended to be the same thing a few chapters long and to be honest it was a chore to continue reading. I was struggling for some time, but I wanted to see how their story would end.

 

Even though part of this book dragged a bit for me I did love the characters and some of the messages put in this book. This is definitely a light and fluffy summer read.