BFF

Audiobook review:

Friends to lovers is a favorite trope of mine and I’ve looked at BFF a few times before because the blurb reminded me of a favorite book by another author. I recently listened to my first audiobook by this narrator, and when I saw he narrated BFF, I dove right in.

BFF has an interesting setup. The story is told from a single point-of-view, David’s, and is delivered as a chronological collection of vignettes documenting the history of Matt and David’s friendship. For the most part, this style worked well for the story. Although at first, the interwoven commentary where adult David discusses past events was a little displacing, I quickly settled into the book’s rhythm and enjoyed the story. This was definitely assisted by the lively, emotive narration by Mr. Mola. He injected personality into each scene, e.g. laughing when characters laugh, yet it wasn’t overacted. Instead, these details brought me further into David and Matt’s story.

I really liked the bones of BFF, but the pacing wasn’t my favorite. Quite often it felt as though David led the reader through rambling descriptions, often detailing things that didn’t add much to the story. While that may be an honest representation of memory recollection, it slowed the progression of the story and caused me to lose a bit of interest. I also lamented not seeing more of the building feelings and transition of friends to lovers. The underpinning was clear and the author did a fabulous job of showing, not telling, but when it came time for Matt and David to be together, it felt a bit anti-climactic and that left me disappointed. Overall, BFF was a good friends to lovers romance featuring a different style and a very good narrator.


*Reviewed audiobook for Alpha Book Club*

I absolutely loved the premise for this book, told from David's perspective as he writes the story of his life with Matt. Childhood friends that grow together, day by day and year by year until the day they look at each other and see something different, something more. They literally fell in love with one another over two decades. The book explores their lives, two adolescents looking for turtles become teenagers that just don't understand what the big deal is when it comes to girls. High school graduates that, of course, travel to the same college and become roommates. Two young men that would do anything for the other, trust one another implicitly eventually come to the conclusion that the reason why they could never make any other relationship work is because they've already found... the one. It's the joy of walking in their footsteps on this journey that really made the story for me.

This is my first book from this narrator and I had a few issues. A few times throughout the character speaking obviously changed, but he kept the same tone which confused me. Also, he literally spoke what the Author wrote. If a character was laughing, he laughed, like, a lot, and every single time. You may think this is the narrator pulling the emotions from the characters but, not so much. At least, not for me. It didn't flow well for me in the end, actually pulled me out of the story after the fifth or so time.

Overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
I really liked the format of this story. At the beginning, David says he wants to write a novel and Matt tells him to write about what he knows. He should write on about them. So he does. Each chapter gives us a different time in their lives and at the end of each chapter we get a little note from David reflecting on what he has written. It is really well done.

This is such a sweet story. We follow David and Matt from their first meeting at seven years old in second grade, through to their life now as adults. We see them become friends and follow their ups and downs as one of them moving away and then moving back, through high school years and off to college, dating, jobs. All the while we wait for David and Matt to realise what the reader and everyone around them knows, they are a perfect match.

Matt and David have a beautiful relationship and even as children the connection between these two best friends is strong. It was a joy read their story. Four stars from me.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of BFF by K.C. Wells to read and review.

David has always dreamed of being an author. Since he was 7 years-old; he loves to write stories.
When Matt, his best friend, suggests to him to participate at a writing contest, David, isn’t sure about what to write, until Matt gives him the idea to write about them and their story.

I adored this book, it was a magnificent story.

David and Matt have known each other since they were 7 years-old. They are best friends. They grew up together, they evolved and changed together. They faced puberty, first girlfriends, college, and first jobs together. They are inseparable, no matter what, no matter the problems, the change or difficulty, they always ended up together.
David is adorable, funny and very smart. He doesn’t fear speaking his mind out loud, and he’s very protective of Matt. He’s ready to burn down the world for him. I loved it.
Matt is shy, calm, and kind. He’s very loyal to David, he supports him all the time, even when it’s a bad idea, and he takes care of him, he’s a natural caretaker. I adored it.

I was completely hooked on the story from page 1. The plot is brilliant. We read the book that David has wrote for the contest. It’s written in the first person, from David’s POV.
The story covers twenty years of their life. From the age of 7 years-old to the age of 27 years-old (basically all their life) and it was just fabulous, funny and very well written.
BFF is a beautiful testimony of what a real friendship is. It wasn’t too much, no angst, no big drama and all, just a slice of their life, just two little boys who become best friends under a tree at recess and have a beautiful journey together. I loved to follow and read how they evolved, how their feelings evolved, until they realized they were in love, they were the missing part of each other’s heart.
This Book was authentic, sincere and true. It was beautiful.

I highly recommend this magnificent story.

5 OptimuMMs because we all need a David and a Matt in our life!

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 like 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.”

Real Life. I remember saying those scary words in my head when I was an adult and working full-time wondering why I had been in such a hurry to grow up. Matt and David graduate, move in together, get jobs, and their future is ahead of them. Until David has something truly horrible and traumatic happen which I’m not telling, but I can say it would’ve thrown anyone for a loop regardless of age. And it’s during this time when David has nothing to do but think, that the biggest revelation of his life is found.

I was surprised and very happy at the way the author told this story as it definitely wasn’t what I expected. I don’t really want to call it a character study either, although there’s certainly some of that to be found. It’s truly more a memoir except in the now, if that makes any sense at all. It’s all written in David’s point of view and the format is quite unique and intriguing. I will, however, give one warning. In the author’s dedication she tells of an article she read that was the inspiration for the plot of ‘BFF’ and she included the URL for the article. I strongly recommend not doing what I did which was reading that article before I read this book. Trust me.

I loved the ending. It was absolutely 100 percent perfect. The whole story is beautiful. It’s sweet, gentle, loving, and full of everything a first (and forever) love should be. Thank you, KC.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews