Review: Between Friends
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 15, 2013
Can longtime friends become lovers?Megan Daniels and Ben Romano have been longtime friends since high school. The night before they were to leave for their best friends' destination wedding in Costa Rica, a drunken night spent in a bar together has Ben challenging Megan to a coin toss to decide if they sleep with each other. With one flip of a coin, Megan and Ben cross the line of friendship and take a gamble on love. The aftereffects of their night together leaves Megan in angst and struggling over what they have done, questioning if their night together was a meaningless drunken one night stand, or if it could turn into something more. What should they do now that the lines between friends and lovers has been crossed?Between Friends is a sweet tale about two longtime friends who discover that they have feelings for each other that goes beyond the bonds of friendship. In her debut novel, author Amanda Cowen weaves an entertaining romantic tale written in the first person narrative and set in the picturesque island setting of Costa Rica, that takes the reader along for the ride on Megan and Ben's complicated journey of discovering their feelings for each other and taking their relationship to the next level.This lighthearted fun story is filled with humor, drama, miscommunications, misunderstandings and steamy sex scenes. I loved the chemistry between Megan and Ben, I enjoyed how they explored their feelings, and how they dealt with their insecurities as their relationship developed during the time they spent at the destination wedding of their best friends Jessica and Michael. I loved the flashbacks to their past that gave the reader a hint that Ben had always harbored an interest in Megan while she was completely oblivious to his true feelings.While the storyline can be viewed as predictable, I thought that there were enough twists and turns that kept me interested. I couldn't help but cheer on Megan and Ben as they searched to find a balance in their relationship. The only thing about this story that annoyed me was Megan's overbearing and bitchy friends: bridezilla Jessica, Michelle and Stephanie. These three annoying women and Megan's passivity towards their treatment of her had me gritting my teeth, with friends like that, who needs enemies? Besides that small annoyance, I thought that Between Friends was an enjoyable romantic tale that has a satisfying happy ending. It is a perfect light story for a summer afternoon at the beach.Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.