~2.5~

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't, and that's probably more to do with me than anything else. First of all, I really dis flashbacks, and this entire book is essentially a flashback.

The story is told in a serious of vignettes, beginning when Matt and David (the first person narrator who's writing a Story of Us) meet in second grade, through their high school and college years. Almost no time is spent in the present; we see that David and Matt are happy, and we find out how they got there.

This is a cute idea, but I felt the book lacked continuity. Toward the end, scenes were longer and more connected, but I was kind of bored for the first 60 percent. Again, that's on me. I don't YA stories and didn't need to delve into their childhood so deeply.

Also, I have a son in second grade. He's very smart and a big talker, but neither he nor any of his friends talk Matt and David did when they were 7. Children don't ask each other questions about their history, family, and lot in life; hell, they barely introduce themselves before they're off playing and chatting about dinosaurs, Beanie Boos, and WHOA! did you see that big black spider over there?

When David and Matt first meet, their conversation goes this:

"Where did you move from?"

"Kentucky. My daddy got a new job working for a company that rents out equipment. He's a mechanic."

"Cool. Does your mom work?"

"She stays home and looks after my baby sister. My brother is in ninth grade. What about you? Got any brothers or sisters?"

Then Matt goes silent, so David prods:

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Yeah, right. Ever since you got your test back, you look you lost a dollar and found a nickel. Didn't you do so well?"

I'm sorry, but NO. I have two kids and been around many more. Children do not interact that. Maybe by the time they're in middle school if they're particularly empathetic, but two 7-year-olds sitting there and discussing life trouble adults meeting for happy hour? NOPE.

Another issue I had was that even though I felt the friendship between Matt and David, I didn't feel the chemistry. There were no lingering looks, and no sexual spark at all. The steam was minimal and more abstract than graphic (which is fine, but it didn't help convince me these two would be better off as lovers).

Both Matt and David dated women, but only rarely, and David slept with a woman a couple times before he decided it wasn't for him. When they finally get together at 80 percent (following David falling ill and having an epiphany about being in love with Matt), they both talk about being bisexual, but that didn't ring true at all. I read both men as demisexual, not bi.

In many ways, BFF showcases what K.C. Wells does best: friends to lovers, plenty of sweetness, lovely ending, and uncomplicated family dynamics.

I really think if you don't mind flashbacks and enjoy YA stories, you'll this one more than I did.best-hea college-boys-new-adult feel-good-low-angst ...more58 s Ky562 75

This was kind of a weird book... The author was inspired by a true story posted online and decided to tell her version of the story with some main points unchanged. I'm assuming she took some liberties and she made the characters her own, but the bones of the story were the same: it was the experience of a straight guy falling in love with his best friend who happened to be a guy. But that's not the weird part.

The weird part is that almost the entire book is supposed to be a book written by one of the two MCs, it was a book within a book. When the story began I thought there would be only a couple of chapters in the past or that it would have some flashbacks to show how they met and became friends but that the core of the book would be set in the present. After a while I clued in that what I was reading was actually the book David was supposed to write, but I still didn't think we would get all 50k words of it. Well, we got them.....

The fact that the author decided to show us the friendship between Matt and David before she got to the point where they got together as a couple helped to connect with the characters and be more invested in what happened to them. We got to see how close they were through the years instead of just being told and I could see their connection. The blurb, however, hadn't prepared me for this kind of a story. I was expecting to read about two friends in their twenties that have known each other all their lives and are slowly realising that they want more out of their relationship. What I actually got was the life story of Matt and David, their adventures as kids, their struggles as they grew up, their transition from high school to college, first jobs, first dates, first house and so on. Don't get me wrong, it was an interesting story, but it was all in the past and we didn't get a whole lot of interaction between them in the present. Mainly, this was a story about how strong and beautiful their friendship was and if the book was about two guys tackling life together it would have been perfect.

One of the things that bothered me most of all was how their elementary school selves didn't read as such. Their dialogues were those of two grown people and they used words, phrases and trains of thoughts that weren't compatible with how young they were supposed to be.

The romantic aspect of the story was stilted and uncomfortable, I was thinking that after so many years as close friends they would be able to have a more natural conversation when they transitioned to a couple. I'm not talking about nerves here, that's to be expected and if that was the case I would have found it perfectly fine. In Matt and David's case they seemed to me they were plain uncomfortable and they recited obvious and common lines.

The secondary characters were very nice and I ended up liking all of them. We don't get any big insight into any of them, they are all superficial and act solely as a supporting crowd for the story, so I can't say who I d the most as we didn't really get to know them. The positive on that is that we didn't run the danger of any of them or their issues stealing the spotlight from the main couple, that's a serious pet peeve of mine when it happens in a story.

All in all, "BFF" was a nice read, light and easy to get through. I was expecting something else when I picked it up, but what I got in the end was still okay. It's a friends to lovers romance and a slow burn, so if you those two tropes maybe you'll this story too. Just be aware that almost the entire book takes place in the past. We have the prologue and the epilogue that are set in the present, but the rest starts from twenty years ago and covers the whole time until the present - okay, there are many time leaps, but the fact remains that the whole story is basically David telling the story of him and Matt.




This review has been cross-posted on The Novel Approach Reviews.

*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via The Novel Approach Reviews in exchange for an honest review. * arc read-2018 review-for-the-novel-approach21 s CrabbyPatty1,644 179

BFF begins with David and Matty's meeting in second grade, and we get numerous vignettes of their friendship throughout grade school, Matty's first girlfriend, graduation, college years, David's less-than-successful attempts at dating, job searches, vacations, finding their first apartment, etc. After 18 years of great friendship and counting, David becomes very ill and almost dies. Funny how staring death in the face has a way of making one reevaluate their life and for David that means accepting that he is in love with his best friend: ... a tiny voice in my head quietly pointed out that I loved him. Not a “he’s my brother and I love him” kinda love. No, this was something different. This was a “I think I’ve fallen in love with Matt” kinda love.For family and friends, their relationship is a foregone conclusion: "... we weren’t confronted with exclamations of surprise or shock, but joy, sheer joy that we’d finally gotten onto the same page." There is no on-page sex in the book, and the ending is very low-key as Matty and David continue their lives together, with the added layer of their loving relationship.

As sweet as this story premise is, several things in the book just did not work for me. One of my pet peeves is children in books who don't sound children, i.e. Matty and David may be second-graeders but they talk this:My mom wouldn’t mind if you came to the house. She’d probably be really happy about it, come to think of it.”
“Why’s that?”
I waved a hand in the air. “Oh, she’s always asking why I never bring friends home from school, or why I never hang out with them.” I grinned. “I can’t really tell her most of the kids in my class would be happy talking about playing in the sand pit.”Second, we never really get a good sense of what any characters looks , what their voices sound , their mannerisms, the full range of their interests and abilities, etc. There is little in-depth character development, with a heavy emphasis on "tell" not "show." At the end of the book, these characters do not live in my heart because I don't really know them.

Third, David has little interest in women and never had a successful heterosexual relationship: I was starting to think that I wasn’t cut out for sexual adventures. [...] I’m not even sure what I thought she should make me feel. I just knew it wasn’t there. Yet after he and Matt finally realize they are in love, David ponders how his coworkers will think Oh wow. He’s bi? Wait, what? David reads as perhaps demi-sexual, but definitely not bisexual, in my opinion.

I the premise of BFF, but feel that 80% of the book is way too long to explore their shared childhood and college years, with not enough time to really show an on-page sizzle or sense of wonder and excitement about their unexpected love. 3 stars.

I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at Gay Book Reviews - check it out!
2018-reads arcs-received dreamspinner ...more13 s Cadiva3,637 363

I loved this for the story itself, which is beautifully told and filled with emotion. I loved it even more knowing that it's loosely based on a real couple who one day realised they were in love with each other.

I know this has had a mixed reception because of the earliest exchanges between the boys but I personally didn't find them to be too outlandish.

My son had to grow up pretty fast when I nearly died back when he was just six years old, and his vocabulary has always been way advanced for his age as we've always read with him and to him.

He started talking relatively late when he was almost four, but once he started, he never stopped and he's always been an advanced reader (he takes after his mum in that, I could read before I started school).

So, for me anyway, the way David and Matt talked in their younger days, didn't seem too far beyond reality and, given the story was being narrated as flashback type recollection, I just took it as David embellishing it a bit :)

As this is a Dreamspinner release, it's relatively low angst and no real steam to talk about up until the final 10% and it works for the setting. The whole book felt, for me, as if I was being given a peak into these two men's lives as they waited until they were young adults before their eyes were opened to the love they had. It's a truly sweet read.

#ARC kindly provided by the publishers Dreamspinner Press in return for an honest and unbiased review.11 s Debra2,106 253 Read

This is probably the lightest, fluffiest (in that there is no angst) story K.C. Wells has ever written. The romance itself isn’t front and center, it’s more a coming of age tale, but there is a love story throughout the book as the two MCs, Matt and David, meet at seven years old and become nearly inseparable.

It’s written as a story being told within the story as David writes a novel about their lives together, occasionally adding insights from the present day. The majority of the book is about them growing up and loving each other as best friends through their college years. It’s not until after college when David is hit with the realization that he is in fact in love with Matt in more than a best-friend or brotherly way.

Although this is not the type of story I generally read (I’m the type who wants some – or a lot of - angst and drama even if the rest is sweet romance) I had to make an exception since it’s K.C. Wells. There is no doubt this is a well-written friends to lovers story; I read through it in two sittings. These two have basically been in a relationship all their lives, but it just never occurred to them that the love they felt could be anything other than friendship. When the realization hits it’s lightning striking and opening a whole new world.

If you’re a fan of sweet, no angst, friends to lovers stories where you get to see just how the bond is built over the years before the transition to HEA, this is for you.
arcs-and-for-review lgbtq little-or-no-sex-fade-to-black ...more10 s Ed Davis2,466 85

I really didn’t love the first part of this book. It took them a long time to grow up and realize they were in love. It was still a sweet story. I love K. C. Wells and the ending of this story was just beautiful. coming-out-story gay-for-you low-angst ...more6 s namericanwordcat2,442 428

This is a slow slow burn that starts in the childhood of our two heroes. Based loosely on a true story, this is a sweet tale about what love is and the spectrum of sexuality.

We get to see the strong bonds form between this men and then relationship deepen and change.

There is care taking and love.

A really lovely romance. 4-star-romance childhood-friends-nemesis contemporary-romance ...more5 s Will ParkinsonAuthor 3 books99

I absolutely loved this book.

First off, it's loosely based on actual events. Yes, K.C. Wells took the story in a different direction than the men who actually lived it, but she wrote a beautiful friends to lovers story that makes you want to root for the couple to get together.5 s Mathilda GraceAuthor 92 books48

Durch die Inhaltsangabe habe ich mir eine Geschichte über beste Freunde seit ihren gemeinsamen Kindertagen erhofft, die sich später ineinander verlieben und glücklich werden.

Bekommen habe ich unzählige Kindheitserinnerungen, die das Leben der beiden Jungen beleuchten, und das leider so ausführlich, dass sie bei etwa der Mitte des Buchs immer noch Teenager sind und sonst in dem Buch überhaupt nichts passiert ist. Ich hätte grundsätzlich nicht einmal was gegen ein paar schöne Erinnerungen gehabt, um die enge Freundschaft von Matt und David näher zu beleuchten, doch das ist mir echt zu viel.

So leid´s mir tut, aber ich habe nach der Hälfte aufgegeben und den Rest nur noch grob überflogen, auch wenn die beiden Jungen durchaus sympathische Charaktere sind. Ich wollte eine Geschichte über Erwachsene lesen, kein Kinder- und Jugendbuch.

Ich vergebe 2 Sterne, da die Geschichte an sich gut geschrieben ist und Matt und David echt nette Jungs sind.4 s Barb ~rede-2-read~3,371 105

KC Wells has written a beautiful love story about two young men who met in elementary school as friends and ultimately fell in love in their midtwenties. But instead of just telling their history, the author allowed David to do it for her. He has, after all, always wanted to write a book, so with prodding from Matt and the challenge of NaNoWriMo he sets out to tell us their story.

Matt and David met in second grade and became best friends, and though Matt’s family moved away for a while, from the moment they returned, the two besties resumed their nonstop companionship and it stayed that way all through school. Neither young man was particularly interested in girls, although Matt dated one in high school and David finally bit the bullet in college. David doesn’t just tell us their adventures, he lets us live them with him and Matt. And of course, boys will be boys, so there’s lot of fun activities in their childhood that, quite frankly, took me back to my own childhood and to the hijinks my kids got up to as well.

It’s not until David recovers from a life-threatening experience that he realizes that he and Matt have moved beyond that feeling of being brothers to something new, and that something new is love. Then, despite his fear that Matt might not feel the same about him, he takes the plunge and tells him. It’s as I said, a beautiful romance with two young men who have become such an integral part of each other’s lives that love was just the natural outcome.

What did I most? The way the story was told—because I became a part of their lives as they aged. The characters were real to me, even though I couldn’t begin to describe their physical characteristics. They were so real that I built a mental picture that might not be anything the reality the author imagined for them, since their outer shells were never really described in the book, but to me, I know them and I them just the way my imagination created them.

I must admit, however, the thing that bugged me most was that David seemed totally clueless about anything sexual as he aged. I expected throughout their high school years there would be mutual discussions on hot girls, or even hot guys, or furtive looks at his bestie when they had sleepovers or camped out. It never happened—Matt seemed as uninterested in women as David, until he started dating a girl in junior year. So then I thought the author would address the possibility that David was asexual or demisexual, either before or after he finally declared his love for Matt. But no. And this is the one point that I most didn’t —he immediately identified as bi when Matt asked. He stated it twice toward the end of the book but it felt wrong to me. How did this clueless 26-year-old guy automatically assume he was bi when he never before had any sexual interest in women? The book covered the fact that, even with the one woman he did date, he did not have a satisfying sexual experience. Something was missing, as he said. Duh? Maybe the wrong body part? Saying he was bi felt wrong to me. Saying nothing would have been more palatable.

At any rate, that was really the only point that irritated me and in comparison to the rest of what I enjoyed, it becomes somewhat minor. All in all, the story is definitely 4 stars for me since I got so much enjoyment from the tale. I would recommend this one to those who enjoy a walk down memory lane and want to read a sweet slow burn MM romance while just chilling out on a beach or on a couch somewhere.

Note: A copy of the ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. coming-out for-review friends-to-lovers ...more3 s Tanja575 19

This is one of the sweetest, most charming stories I have read. As always K.C. Wells’ brilliant writing shines through from beginning to the end. There is such gentleness and warmth throughout the entire story, I was feeling all mushy and soft inside.
We have seen this story many times. Two buys who are growing up together, becoming best friends, and before they know it, they are falling in love with each other. But K.C. Wells has a way of telling a story that sucks you in and doesn’t let go. She gives a story that extra “oomph.” What might become a rather bland story in other hands turns into a splendid, joyful, heartwarming, and romantic love story with her exquisite touch and insight.
The story is told from David’s POV, with a twist. It is David himself that tells his story. He tells about his childhood, growing up with Matt, his best friend. Their school years, living together in their dorm, renting an apartment after both getting a job. Through the years, you see the two boys growing up, getting older and wiser. Their friendship evolves from loving as best friends to brothers to something so much more. A lovely, slow glide into love as boyfriends until they are each other’s halves. They are each other’s soul mates in every aspect. They have their ups and downs, but if possible, that brings them even closer together. David and Matt are such sweet and endearing characters, and most of all they are real, K.C. Wells can do no other.
Their life story is their love story.

3 s Joyfully Jay7,998 462

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars

BFF was set up rather uniquely—told as a series of memories by a now adult David, he freely admits from the beginning that the language he uses for his much younger self was a bit too sophisticated and perhaps not so genuine. So don’t go into this tory expecting to see authentic dialogue between two seven-year olds. It is also interesting that the author chose to have her narrator/writer leave a “Note” at the end of each milestone memory that gives us insight as to the way the event impacted the now adult David. I wasn’t always a fan of those endnotes, primarily because I felt they made the storytelling aspect of the novel more disjointed and episodic. In fact, that is probably my main criticism of this book overall. I felt the way in which David narrated the story prevented me from really emotionally investing in the lives of these two young men. I was shown how the boys grew up rather than being emotionally drawn in and allowed to be a silent observer of the action as it took place. Everything had a feel of distance to me and that meant that what little chemistry seeped through David’s narration was not really enough to make me believe these two guys were in love.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.sammy3 s Laina Gruver1,023 49

4.25-4.5 stars

Beautifully sweet coming of age story about 2 men who met when they were kids and became instant best friends. Each chapter is a different time in their lives. There is nothing romantic between them for most of the book and the few intimate scenes between them are not very graphic so this would make an fantastic intro to the M/M world. It’s also an excellent feel-good read.

*****
POV... first person

Standalone or series... standalone

Did it give me a hangover... slight

Would you recommend it... yes

Would you read it again... yesanal-virgin friends-to-lovers no-low-angst3 s Becca2,688 30

This was one of the sweetest books I have ever read. So adorable. I love that it's kinda based on a true story too. I had to go read the real story after this and I just bawled. It was just the greatest. This story was so intimate. Even when they were just friends. It's how relationships should be.

David wasn't much for making friends. He was super smart so most kids didn't him, until one day a new student came to class. From some reason David really took to Matt. They started a friendship at the tender age of 8 and it grew. There were times when it seemed they were going to drift apart, but they drifted right back together, sometimes with the help of their parents. Over the years, they did everything together, including college and moving in together when they got out and started life in the real world. But an almost death experience put things into a perspective they hadn't thought of. But if they reveal how they really feel, will it make things bad or good? Will they lose each other as friends?

This was such a romantic story. I know in stories it always seems it's just perfect and nothing bad ever happens and yada, yada. But all stories, even ones based on true life, have drama. Ups and downs and such. Just because you don't always read about them doesn't mean they aren't there. But even with the ups and downs in this story, and the real one, it's just beautiful to read. To see such a level of intimacy and realness, of friendship and closeness, and for it to turn into such a beautiful expression of love. Romantic love. I'm still kinda tearing up thinking about it. I don't know about anyone else but I remember dreaming about finding that kind of love for myself. And it makes me so happy when it's found for real. Yeah, I know this is a fictional story 'loosely based’, but it's still no less just as beautiful. When you read this, you can tell there's something special between Matt and David. Even as small children. Even when they were miles apart, there was always something there. A trust they gave no other. A friendship that surpassed any other. They are the other halves of each other's souls. And reading them grow and evolve into the loves of each other's lives was spectacular. David and Matt will always have a special place in my heart.

I hope you love these guys as much as I do. It's such a heart filled story. So special. One I will reread for years to come.

http://lovebytes.com4 s Sheri1,413 180

*sigh*
This had great potential but I struggled to enjoy it.
Why?
I was bored.
I hate it since it's based on a true story but it's the honest truth.
It wasn't really flashbacks as much as it was a detailed recounting of David and Matt's relationship for nearly 20 years.
Their story begins when they were in 2nd grade and each chapter moves along with them growing up.
They are the best of friends. And that's wonderful but I was expecting them to fall in love before the book was almost over.
I kept waiting...and waiting...and waiting.
It could have been a middle grade book if the last 20% kept up with the PG theme.
Which again...is fine...but not what I was anticipating.
I don't quite know what trope it belongs in...coming of age? YA? But definitely NOT romance.
And I'm not one to get picky about labels but they both clearly read as gay to me.
If they identify differently that totally cool but it didn't come across that way. *shrugs*

*2.5 can-they-kiss-yet? stars*besties-to-boyfriends ya4 s Samantha Ortega529 11

FR- Alors alors… alors j’avais beaucoup entendu parlé de ce roman sur la toile et , si au départ je n’avais pas spécialement prévu de le lire, je me suis décidée à le demander en service presse à Dreamspinner tellement les avis étaient unanimes. KC Wells, l’auteur, était présente à l’EuroPride Con le week end dernier et elle avait quelques exemplaires de son roman au nouveau format poche de chez DSP et j’ai donc craqué sur un exemplaire papier (en plus je suis toute fière d’être une des rares françaises vivant en France à avoir un roman format poche de chez DSp hors Dreamspun Desires et Dreamspun Beyond)

Bref, j’ai commencé ce roman sans trop savoir à quoi m’attendre et je me suis vraiment laissée porter par l’histoire. Et c’est une histoire charmante. C’est l’histoire d’une vie plus qu’une romance. C’est l’histoire de deux petits garçons qu’on va suivre au fil du temps, voir évoluer, grandir et dont on a suivre l’évolution de la relation au fur et à mesure des années qui passent. C’est une histoire d’amitié avant tout, de deux âmes soeurs qui se trouvent et ne vont plus se quitter. C’est une histoire d’évidence, celle d’avoir dans sa vie cette personne si particulière que sa présence à ses cotés est naturelle. C’est l’histoire de sentiments qui évoluent doucement, sans que les héros ne les voient venir et qui, lorsqu’ils se révèlent, sont normaux, évidents. C’est l’histoire d’une famille, aussi bien celle du sang que celle du coeur. C’est l’histoire de David et Matt. Et leur histoire est tout simplement belle.

Alors non, ici, pas de drama, pas de déchirure, de souffritude, pas de passion déchainée.. tout est dans la douceur, la lenteur, l’éclosion lente mais sûre de sentiments profonds. La romance est belle, les scènes de sexes tendres, intimes et pudiques, mais une fois de plus, la part belle est faite à l’histoire. Une histoire somme toute banale, mais racontée d’une merveilleuse manière. Ce n’est peut être pas le roman qui restera le plus longtemps dans mon coeur et dans ma tête, ce n’est peut être pas un coup de coeur. Pour autant c’est un très beau roman, un de ceux qui vous laissent avec ce sentiment de plénitude et de bien être. Un sentiment d’histoire achevée, de devoir accomplit. Au final, c’est une très jolie histoire, très bien racontée et qui mérite amplement les compliments qui lui ont été faits.

ENG- So well well well… well I had heard a lot about this novel on the web and, if I had not planned to read it at first, I decided to ask for it in press service at Dreamspinner so the opinions were unanimous. KC Wells, the author, was present at EuroPride Con last week end and she had some copies of her novel in the new pocket format from DSP and so I cracked on a paper copy (plus I’m all proud to be one of the few French living in France to have a pocket size novel from DSp except Dreamspun Desires and Dreamspun Beyond)

In short, I started this novel without really knowing what to expect and I really let the story go. And it’s a charming story. It’s the story of a life more than a romance. This is the story of two little boys we will follow over time, to see evolve, grow and whose evolution of the relationship as the years go by. It is a story of friendship above all, of two souls who are and will not leave each other. It is a story of obviousness, that of having in his life that person so special that his presence at his side is natural. It is the story of feelings that evolve slowly, without heroes seeing them coming and, when they reveal themselves, are normal, obvious. This is the story of a family, both blood and heart. This is the story of David and Matt. And their story is simply beautiful.

So no, here, no drama, no ripping, suffering, no passion unleashed .. everything is in the sweetness, the slowness, the slow but sure hatching of deep feelings. The romance is beautiful, the scenes of soft, intimate and modest sex, but once again, the beautiful part is made history. A story quite ordinary, but told in a wonderful way. It may not be the novel that will remain the longest in my heart and in my head, it may not be a favorite. However, it is a very beautiful novel, one of those who leave you with this feeling of fullness and well being. A sense of history completed, of duty fulfilled. In the end, it is a very nice story, very well told and well deserves the compliments that were made to him.2 s Helena StoneAuthor 31 books126

If there is such a thing as ‘the ultimate friends to lovers story’, BFF may well be it. And if there’s such a thing as ‘the ultimate sweet romance’, BFF is at the top of that particular list too. The journey Matt and David make from friends when they’re still kids, to best mates in high school and college, to discovering that the feelings they have for each other go a lot deeper than ‘mere’ friendship, is a joyful and heartwarming experience.

As much as the above may leave the impression that BFF is ‘just’ another addition to a long list of stories in which former best friends discover that they love each other, this book is different. From the very start, in fact from the acknowledgments, there’s no doubt how this story is going to develop or how it’s going to end. I mean, it’s a romance, so the eventual outcome wouldn’t be a mystery either way, but in this case, the ending is as clear as day. No, this story isn’t so much about two men getting together as it is about how they ended up that way, when nothing prepared them for that particular outcome. And boy is it a journey worth reading.

Because we get to join David and Matt for every single step of their journey—from the day they first meet until the moment they at last recognize and acknowledge their feelings for what they are—the build-up until we get to the more romantic part of the story is long; in fact, it takes up most of this book. And that makes for perfect pacing. When their eyes are opened at last and they find the courage to embrace what has been obvious to others in their lives and to the reader for a long time, we really know David and Matt through and through. We’ve seen them as kids, as teenagers, and as young men, finding their way in the world—always together. There is no need for suspension of disbelief in this story; if ever two men were meant to be together, it is these two.

And just because their journey towards love may be longish, doesn’t mean the road leading there wasn’t filled with moments to make me smile, blink away a tear or two, sigh, and even laugh out loud. I lost myself in this story so much that I did something I rarely do and re-read it before writing this review. And, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it even more the second time. Who knew?

If you look at the name K.C. Wells and expect a sex-fest, this book will take you by surprise because even the little sex that does make it onto the page is hinted at more than described. For me that was another example of this story’s perfection. This story is (almost) completely told by David, as he writes it out while participating in NaNoWriMo. And David isn’t the sort of person who would share the intimate details of his (love) life with the rest of the world. What’s more, this story isn’t about sexy-times. This is a tale of a beautiful friendship transforming into an even more gorgeous relationship, and as such it is glorious.

The ultimate beauty in this story, however, springs from the fact that it’s based on real-life; on a blog post titled ‘I’m An Otherwise Straight Man (Who Fell in Love with His Best Friend)’ to be precise. I’ve often finished a romance and thought something along the lines of ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if this happened for real’. This time my thought process was different and the overwhelming feeling I was left with was: how wonderful that stories these do happen in our world.

It isn’t the first time, and I can’t imagine it being the last, but I once again find myself highly recommending a new release by K.C. Wells. Go and read it. Trust me, you’ll enjoy BFF.
bi-sexual contemporary-romance feel-good-read ...more2 s Karen1,860 87

So here's the thing...

I'm really, really torn on this one. I had moments where I really into the story and enjoying myself and then I had moments that bordered on total ambivalence and my brain started to blank out and go 'yeah, yeah whatever'.

For me this story was very reminiscent of Anna Martin's 'Five Times My Best Friend Kissed Me' or or Laura Lascaro's 'When Everything Is Blue'. While each story is told in the author's unique style the overall concept is similar life long friends to lovers and in each case the story is all at least partially told through flashbacks.

I'm sure there are a number of other that could fall into this group as well but ironically I listened to all 3 of these books on audio, 2 of them actually had the same narrator...this one and 'When Everything Is Blue' were both narrated by Michael Mola who did an excellent job of with the narrating as did Jesse Cota who narrated 'Five Times My Best Friend Kissed Me'. So I guess that's some of the reasons that the other two books came to mind while I was listening to the audio book of 'BFF'.

I think one of my biggest problems with this one was the fact that we've got two boys/men, Matt and David who meet as young children and become life long friends...so far I'm on board with this it's cute and I'm liking it. For the most part they grow up together and as the years pass their bond of friendship strengthens and again still on board here and things are making sense...I get lost with the whole fact that we have two young men who have grown up together. Spent a huge amount of time together but both claim to be 'straight' and neither seems to realize that the reason the never seem to have a steady girlfriend or want to go with girls is because they just don't really want to be with anyone other than their 'best friend'.

From an objective point the story was well laid out and there were a lot of really sweet moments...maybe, some of them were too sweet. I d that both of these boys/men seem to have pretty awesome parents...this was nice and I enjoyed the lack of douchie parents...but maybe these parents were just a little too over the top sweet. For example there was this whole incident involving champagne when Matt and David finally admitted their feelings for each other that was just a little bit more sweet than I could swallow and while were a few other moments this the champagne was the one that really stood out in my mind.

I had honestly expected that I'd this one a lot more than I did, but that's not to say that I didn't the story, it's more a case of I d the story, I just didn't LOVE the story and honestly we can't love them all can we?

***********************

An audio book of 'BFF' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.2018-books-read2 s Natosha Wilson1,274 14

This was a good read. It is a best friends to lovers type of book. I personally do not have a favorite in the type of category that I read in gay books but I will say that best friends to lovers books are among my top favorite types of books. Especially if they are this one.

Matt and David met in grade school. David is the type of person that is really good in school and rarely has to try when it comes to getting good grades. Matt on the other hand is the opposite. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he just could not get the grades. This is how Matt and David became friends actually. When Matt had once again gotten a not so good grade on a test, David took it upon himself to introduce himself and offer some advice. This advice and the offer of helping Matt to study is what started a life long friendship amongst them.

After a year or so of being best friends and inevitably their families becoming close, both Matt and David receive some news their little grade school hearts could not fathom... Matt and his family has to move away for his fathers new job. Both boys were heartbroken and promised to stay in touch with one another.

Though these two tried to keep in touch, life seemed to happen and they slowly lost touch with one another. But what these two did not expect is to be reunited a couple of years later when Matt returned to town with his family.

This was when their true friendship really started. They went though most everything together. Everything from high school, to Matt’s older brother picking on him, to going to college together and getting a place together afterwards. They even went on double dates together even though neither man was able to find the woman that they was meant to be with.

Over time these two knew one another better then anyone else in their lives knew them. They were as close as two friends could be. Though they had their differences, they always seemed to work them out.

When something unexpected happened to David, this is when things change for both men. Now they just have to find a way to admit to the other the feelings that they are feeling or they need to decide to bury them and not take a chance of ruining what they have together in their friendship.

This was a great book. It is written in David’s point of view but what I think makes this book even more special is that it is a book that is made into another book by David. What I mean by that is this book that is not only about the present times in David and Matt’s life but it is also David’s writings of their life together. This was a really good book. I really enjoyed it. KC Wells did a great job on this book. I look forward to more books by KC in the future.

Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review 2 s Christy3,880 118

There are people who come into your life for a reason and sometimes when the reason is no longer there, they float back out of your life. Not true of a best friend. Or, at least, a real best friend. That person, no matter how long you’ve known them, knows all of your hopes and dreams, your fears, your secrets, and all the little things that make up who you are. If you’re really, really lucky then that person is also your soulmate. This is the story of David and Matt who met in second grade and figured out they loved each other almost twenty years later. The very best kind of story.

David is an only child who is very smart and doesn’t make friends easily, or at all. Not until Matt moves into the neighborhood and sits next to him in the second grade. Their friendship starts as most do when you’re seven and they share all of the ups and downs that come in the next ten years until they graduated from high school and head to college. By that time both sets of parents are used to them being joined at the hip and doing practically everything together. Oh, there is worry sometimes on David’s side that someday Matt would fall in love and get married, changing their friendship again, possibly irrevocably. But they are only in college so there is time.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. That brief pang when Matt mentioned going on a date, for example. I told myself at the time that it was nothing, but I think deep down, I was jealous. People gravitated to him so easily, whereas I felt I continually wore a sign saying Keep Your Distance. Yeah, I told myself at the time that I was jealous of his popularity. That was it.”

Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviewsarc calibre-library m-m2 s Reading Rainbow88 10

Dopo aver letto "BFF – Best Friends Foverer" di K.C. Wells, tradotto con cura da Valentina Andreose e edito da Dreamspinner Press, ogni qualvolta qualcuno mi chiederà un consiglio su libri che parlano di miglior amici che si innamorano, questo sarà sicuramente il primo di cui farò menzione, perché è anche il migliore e il più bello che io abbia mai letto finora.

"BFF" è un libro vero. È realistico. Dalla prima all'ultima pagina, racconta in modo coerente come un'amicizia dolcissima ed esclusiva abbia legato due bambini di sette anni fin dal loro primo incontro, trasformandosi — anzi, evolvendosi, per usare le parole di David — in un meraviglioso amore, e rendendo entrambi consapevoli, dopo circa vent'anni, che tale sentimento non può che toccarli entrambi.

Recensione completa sul blog: https://bit.ly/2CNGotd2 s DTM1,184 5

I have goosebumps and THE BIGGEST GRIN on my face. I loved it!! Such an incredibly clever way to tell this best friends to lovers, GYF story which spans an 18 year time period...so so sweet, funny and charming..For those of you that don't know, this book is based on a blog post by Mike Iamele - "I'm An Otherwise Straight Man (Who Fell In Love With His Best Friend)". It's a wonderful read! I highly recommend this feel good book!! 2 s Anke2,477 98 Shelved as 'nope'

Another one: tried the sample, didn't work for me, done with it.
sample2 s Cammey Kelley328 5

I never thought I’d have another favorite by this author; I assumed her Cuffs series would always top any future work. I’m so glad I was wrong!!

WOW...just WOW!

As she’s mentioned, this book isn’t heavy with sex, but it’s laden with love. Love that begins with an unly friendship and journeys several decades intertwining separation, awkward puberty, and formidable years that make us each unique.

David and Matt’s story is one I wish for kids on a daily basis. Understanding, compassion, acceptance without reserve.

Highly recommended.

Thank you KC!2 s Danielle288 25

This was super cute. It was adorable seeing David and Matt grow up together as best friends. They met when they were 8 and became best friends instantly. We get glimpses into their lives as they grow older.

It felt a little slow at first. The romantic love story didn’t start until the last 1/4 of the book. But it was nice and refreshing to see the friend love story develop so deeply first and move effortlessly into romantic love.

It was a super sweet, light read and it was a nice change from some of the angst filled books (although I do love angst). 2 s Risa442 4

Nicht wie erwartet

Vorweg, ich habe schon einige wirklich tolle Storys von K.C. Wells gelesen, leider zählt diese für mich nicht dazu.

Laut Klappentext habe ich eine Liebesgeschichte von Matt und David mit einigen Rückblenden erwartet. Die gab es auch, für meinen Geschmack aber leider viel zu ausführlich. So bleibt Gestern, jetzt und auf ewig eher ein Jugendbuch, zwar mit einigen schönen Erinnerungen und einer innigen Freundschaft, aber für mich hätte es ruhig erwachsener sein dürfen.

Mein Dank geht an den Cursed Verlag für das erhaltene Rezensionsexemplar
2 s JoAnna G677 10

Oh my gosh!!! I love this book. It was everything I thought it would be. I haven't read many books by KC Wells but this was really enjoyable and I loved the premise of best friends, because really who knows you better? They truly are as well. From a very young age. They grew up together. It is told so eloquently, is very well written and it feels so real. I fell in love with both of them. I loved reading about their friendship and watching it flourish and then falter to only work through it again.

Matt and David meet in second grade. They do everything together and they have been there for each other. Especially when family trouble is at the forefront. First girlfriends, first apartment, and even college. It is told through flashbacks mostly and gives a great insight into these young men and coming of age. It's actually told as a book, that is written by Daniel.

I d all the players. The family was great except for Matt's brother. Kind of didn't him. Family is a funny thing, they see things that we don't. Matt and David’s family saw this friendship for what it really was before the boys did. They were completely supportive of everything. You can feel their chemistry and passion for one another, again, even if they don’t get it.

What I didn't see coming was Daniel getting sick. That was eye opening for Matt. It was a kick in the pants that they both needed. That was the epiphany that was needed. He fell in love with him, not a brother love but real love. A love we all want in life. I can’t say much more because I don't want to give anything away. I loved this book. I was there cheering them on and hoping they could see what the reader and the families saw. The only thing is I wish I got a bit more time of them together.1 JenCW676 7

3 Stars!

I really wanted to this one more than I did. I love friends to lovers stories, but the lovers part of this one didn't quite work for me. I did enjoy reading their story, though.

A present-day David decides to write his and Matt's story for National Novel Writing Month. He starts when they meet in second grade and we travel with them on various memorable adventures that they had as children and young adults. I d the characters and their friendship was amazing. They both learned life lessons in their time as friends, although we mostly see the lessons that David learns since the stories come from his viewpoint.

Matt is the kind of friend I think most people would love to have. He does his best to help his family and his friends. David is socially awkward, smart, and has a good heart. I really d these two as friends, they brought out the best in each other. The problem for me came in the change to their relationship. I felt there was something missing from David's revelation that he was in love with Matt. I suspect my issue comes from the fact that David wrote the narrative and he previously described himself as missing the types of signals and signs that would have shown they had chemistry or an attraction to each other. Don't get me wrong, I think they make a good couple, but I didn't feel any chemistry between them until they moved towards having sex together.

This story is different than most of the books I've read by this author. David and Matt do not get together until the 80% mark and the sex is toned down from her usual books. If you watching two friends grow up together and eventually fall in love together, this book is for you.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
arc contemporary1 Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews2,698 133

With a book this, you always have some sort of expectation when you go into it. For me, I am expecting a nice, romantic, coming together when two friends realize that they are more than friends. It delivers. And then it exceeds those expectations.


BFF is a beautiful story. I love Matt and David. I love their friendship. I love their relationship from the start. We get to experience these two men meeting, growing up together, experiencing all the milestones together, and falling in love with each other.

It is sweet, romantic, and just warms your heart.

There is no angst, no suspense. It is a simply a story that shares the beautiful journey of two best friends falling in love with each other. We see their everyday lives over the years. And you really get a sense for these two men and how well matched they are for each other.

KC Wells did a fantastic with writing BFF. The writing style is perfect for a story this. It is told through the eyes of David, with him recounting their lives together. It is simply a wonderful way to tell this story. But, while David's voice is retelling their story, he gives us insight as to what he should have noticed at the time. It just works so well. You truly feel you are sitting down with David as he tells you their story.

I highly recommend BFF. 1 Paul78

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