Sunny Shelly’s Review: Easier Said Than Done by Marie James

Adalynn has had a crush on Cash, since junior high. He’s a few years older than her, and in present day, they are best friends. Adalynn’s girl bestie, Madison is happily living with her guy, Chase, and is expecting a baby, and reminds Adalynn of the baby pact they once made to have kids together. Adalynn is looking into IVF when Cash offers to be her donor and do things the old-fashioned way instead.

But becoming lovers — even temporarily and for a very specific reason — blurs the lines of Adalynn and Cash’s friendship. Because Cash is also in love with Adalynn — but he’s been in the friend zone for so long, he doesn’t see any way out of it. Both Cash and Adalynn are willing to take that intimacy with the other any way they can get it for whatever amount of time… but their bond of friendship sufferers as a result because neither of them are willing to be honest about their feelings.

Cash has a lot of insecurity surrounding the fact that he was an orphan who was later abandoned by his adoptive family. I think that greatly contributed to A LOT of the miscommunication between these two. Once these two finally get on the same page, it’s a well-deserved HEA.

I had tried reading Back Against The Wall (Madison and Chase) a few months ago, but couldn’t get into it. I am definitely going to try again because I think there are a lot of details in the greater backstory that I wouldn’t have had questions about — plus, I liked the friendship between this quartet and especially how close Madison and Adalynn are. So I’m going to give it another shot!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.