“Oh my god. Who that?”
I get asked this question a lot.
“Oh him?” I reply. “That’s just Ian.”Just Ian is the biggest understatement of the century.
Just the Mona Lisa. Just the Taj Mahal. Just Ian, with his boring ol’ washboard abs and dime-a-dozen dimpled smile.Just Ian is… just my best friend.
We’re extremely close, stuck so deep inside a Jim-and-Pam-style friendzone everyone at works assumes we’re a couple – that is until one day, word spreads through the teacher’s lounge that he’s single. Fair game. Suddenly, it’s open season on Ian.
He should be reveling in all the newfound attention, but to our mutual surprise, the only attention he seems to want is mine.
He’s turning our formerly innocent nightly chats into x-rated phone calls. Our playful banter sports a new, dangerous edge.
I want to assume he’s playing a prank on me, just pushing my buttons like always – but when Ian lifts me onto the desk in my classroom and slides his hands up my skirt, he doesn’t leave a lot of room for confusion.
I’m a little scared of things going south, of losing my best friend because I can’t keep my hands to myself. So, I’m just going to back away and not return this earth-shattering kiss – oh who am I kidding?!
Goodbye Ian, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal!
Helloooo mister not so nice guy.
Goodreads
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 5 Stars
So, if you had asked me six months ago what my least favorite trope in romance was, I would have said friends to lovers, hands down. But guys, something is happening this year. I’m not sure what is in the water, but some of my favorite romance authors have just been DESTROYING this trope in the best possible way. First, Christina Lauren gave the world Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, and then…THEN…Not So Nice Guy hit my kindle and proved to me that my dislike of this trope has been founded only because I’ve been reading the wrong books.
Sam and Ian were so freaking cute it was insane. Now, normally my issue with the friends to lovers trope is that one character is already half in love, and the whole longing thing has been happening for years, and then suddenly, the other character is hit with feelings. Like one day, this person is walking down the street and thinks BAM, I’m in love with my best friend. Okay, that’s just not how it works.
In Not So Nice Guy, the main characters have been crazy about each other for years. That’s right, there is no one sided attraction happening here. This twist makes the plot progression so much more fun. Grey’s trademark humor was absolutely there, and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Sam and Ian have the friendship I want. They were co-dependent, hilarious and just so fun and ridiculous.
I don’t know about you, but I have definitely been “hot for teacher” in my lifetime, and let me just say that if the teachers I had a crush on in school were as good as Ian in the sack, I should’ve tried harder to make something happen. Ian’s dirty talk had my face cherry tomato red…and I don’t embarrass easily. It was that good.
My Takeaway: Sexy, witty, hilarious, and fact paced. Need I say more?
As The Book Ends 