Friend (With Benefits) Zone

A lifelong friendship to lovers is the cornerstone of this story – both Devon and Jasmine have known each other since childhood – and often bonded over their similarities and their own differences from one another. But, surprising to me was Devon’s willingness to put up with much of Jasmine’s repeated and near pathological need to be contrary and dramatic, over Every Little Thing. And, not surprisingly, while I did understand that her issues were not plucked out of thin air – it was time for her to seriously sit down with herself and see just how many times she decided on an action, fought with herself and contradicted her own decisions, and then went off half-cocked to a reaction that was often inappropriate, or wholly unrelated. She was exhausting in every meaning of the word – and most of her problems (or what she saw as her problems) were self-inflicted. To his credit, Devon seems to know that she needs that stability, help and security that their long-term friendship provides, and is willing, because in her good moments she is truly wonderful, to stick around. And Devon was just wonderful – perhaps almost too nice for Jasmine. The communication issues between them, ironically not due to their deafness but a mix of youth, conflicted emotions and a general fear of making themselves vulnerable kept the angst high here, when it was almost blatantly apparent to everyone that there was a connection between them that was stronger than friendship, but based in that always understanding the difficulties facing a world not quite accommodating was a unique perspective and one that had me seeing the world around me in a different way. Laura Brown kept me intrigued, even when I was so frustrated I could scream. Dropping bits of information, mixing in secondary characters and issues that everyone faces, along with some very specific challenges that both Jasmine and Devon had to face brought a rich tapestry of moments to the story and kept me curious as I hoped they could and find a way through the maze of circumstances, issues and Jasmine’s drama to get to a resolution. It was wonderful to see that the issues were more self-imposed and built than societal, and that coming to accept yourself, your choices and find an acceptance in another made this an intriguing and challenging read. I’m sure to look for more of this author’s titles in the future, as the concepts and characters created such memorable moments here. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Whenever a Laura Brown novel is within reach, a box of tissue need not be far away. She enlightens, inspires and seduces, while emphasizing the beauty of being unique. Jasper and Devon are the centerpieces of an exceptional love story. In a world where being different can be alienating and dangerous, two special people have found acceptance in each other. Written with love and full of hope and heartbreak, Friend Zone is a tale that needs to be told. One meant to uplift, not tear down.