Review – Plus One by Brighton Walsh

Publisher: Carina Press

Publish Date: Out Today

How I got this book: NetGalley

 

Olivia hates the singles scene, so when her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn’t want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can’t pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn’t expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy.

When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn’t take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia’s desire to stay “just friends” becomes clear, Ian’s feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that one plus one can make for a lifelong pair?

*Blurb from Goodreads*

 

I’m a total sucker for friends to lovers stories, and when a dash of weddings gets added in, there is no saying no. This was a short but sweet novella.

Olivia has a history of dating duds, and when she has a handful of weddings to attend, her friend Ian offers to go with her to all of them. Although Ian is her best friend’s little brother, and one of her good friends, she worries that spending so much time with him is going to change the dynamic of their relationship.

Ian has always had a thing for Olivia, but she has never shown any indication that she felt the same way. But as they spend more and more time together, Ians feelings get even deeper for Olivia, and he knows he has to convince her that together, they can be perfect.

This was a super short novella, and I would have really liked to see it develop into more. Olivia had about six or seven weddings to go to, and we only got to see a couple because of the condensed time in the story. I would have loved to see the way their relationship developed at each and every one of the weddings, instead of just the few we got to see.

One thing that really impressed me in this book was the sexual tension. It was hot and heavy from the get-go, and once Olivia and Ian agreed to get down and dirty between the sheets, it just ramped up even higher. I loved that neither character was ready to throw away their friendship for a quickie, and that they both really had to think through what taking the relationship to the next level would mean for them. Walsh did a great job with that aspect of the book.

I really did enjoy both Olivia and Ian as individuals as well. While Olivia was a little slower to jump on the relationship bandwagon, she also really weighed the pros and cons of getting romantically involved with not only a good friend, but also a family member of her best friend. I liked that she struggled with the decision, it showed the strength of her character. Although Ian was already ahead of the game when it came to falling in love, I liked that he was willing to always be there for Olivia, that he was ready to admit just how much his feelings for her had affected his life. It was sweet. 🙂

All in all I enjoyed this novella. Although I would have preferred it be a little longer, the book provided everything I could have hoped for in a friends to lovers story. Olivia and Ian were wonderful together, and I was rooting for them throughout. I will definitely be looking at Walsh’s backlist to see if she has any longer books for me to read.

I give Plus One a B-

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