Book Review: It's Complicated

 

By Sara Steven

Lori has been in love with her best friend Aiden since college. Now Aiden (handsome, fair, All-American dream doctor) is getting married, and Lori desperately needs a date to the wedding.

So she asks the best man, Jace (tall, dark, and brooding), to pretend their platonic friendship is something more not to have to face the worst day of her life alone.

Fake dating one best friend to forget the other should be easy… Plot twist—it’s not. When Jace starts acting like the sweetest, most attentive boyfriend, Lori begins to wonder if she’s been seeing him wrong all this time?

They've been an inseparable trio since freshman year, but now everything is changing — and that's not even bringing Jace's feelings into the mix.

Basically? It’s complicated. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

It’s Complicated was such a sweet, fun read. From the get go, I felt for Lori’s situation, given that she’s been in love with Aiden for so long. On the one hand, I wanted to convince her to move on, because it’s not good to pine for someone for so, so long, but on the other hand, I could understand why she felt like she couldn’t say anything. She doesn’t want to potentially jeopardize their friendship, which is extremely important to her. I felt like that internal struggle was showcased well within the pages of this book.

Jace is someone who Lori has always considered as her confidante and best friend, particularly when it comes to her feelings towards Aiden. Jace has been there through every gut wrenching moment. It didn’t surprise me though that Lori begins to see Jace differently, particularly when she takes off the Aiden love goggles and sees what’s right in front of her and all around her, in what feels like for the very first time. All three characters are close-knit. All three don’t want to do anything that might change the status quo. But all three need to, in order for their own needs and wants to progress. Plus, it helps to move the plotline forward, which makes for an even better reading experience. 

You know when a book flows well and it feels like no time has passed at all while reading it? That’s how I felt with It’s Complicated. I loved this love triangle experience, and I loved how open and honest the characters are. At one point, Jace can’t keep silent anymore on his own feelings, and it felt like such a pivotal moment. Lori, who doesn’t like to ever rock the boat or speak up, ends up speaking up eventually, and it was heartfelt and monumental. And the tender moment between Aiden and Lori was so, so sweet. Letting go and holding on, all at once. 

It really was complicated–the changing relationships within this friend trio, but what wasn’t complicated was the experience itself. I absolutely loved this book and it’s deserving of the five-stars I’ve given it!

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Apple

Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy and her first title for Boldwood, The Love Theorem, a Hollywood-meets-STEM romance, was published in June 2023.

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