Belonging With Her Best Friend

by Kristin Canary

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In the theater of love, one practice kiss between best friends could steal the show…

Three things fuel my life to the brim: my boisterous family, the magic of musicals, and my best friend, Eric Moody—who just happens to be the man I dare not love.

Eric is my sunshine, the life of the party, and the one who fills my quiet moments with laughter. He's the perfect guy, suave and flirtatious, always ready with a quick-witted remark.

Here’s the twist, though: he’s after a future I can’t provide. So, I’ve locked my feelings away like a secret musical tucked safely in a drawer, afraid to let the world hear my heart's hidden song.

But when I’m reluctantly cast in a local musical at the school where we both work—cue the cringe-worthy panic—Eric steps in to help me prepare, turning my rehearsals into something far more exhilarating. And then comes the moment I never saw coming: a casual offer to “practice kiss.”

The air crackles with undeniable attraction, and the walls I’ve built in the name of friendship begin to crumble. Can I keep my heart locked away when every moment with him feels like a leap into the unknown? And is it wrong to want the one person I think I can never have?

Perfect for fans of:

✔️teacher romance

✔️best friends to lovers

✔️childhood friends

✔️temporary roommates

✔️musical theater references

✔️found family

✔️attractive goofball heroes

Belonging With Her Best Friend is Book 4 in the California Dreamin’ sweet romantic comedy series, where a group of roommates and friends find their perfect matches and support one another like crazy. Each story stands alone, but you will get more enjoyment out of them if you read in order. This single-POV novel is filled with all the sizzling romantic tension and swoons possible without on-page intimacy.

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Book Details

Genre

Romantic Comedy

Subgenre

Beach

Series

California Dreamin' • Book 4

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

November 3, 2023

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Grief or loss of a loved one

Representation

Adoption or foster-care representation

Loved It

It’s rare for me to give a book a full 5 Stars but, for some reason I can’t fully describe, I feel like this one deserves it. Still, this book had great characters. It was also a sweet, feel good romance and palpable chemistry without any explicit scenes. Truly a book well done.

Sweet

Includes:✨Childhood Friends to More✨Forced Proximity✨Sunshine/Sunshine✨Found Family✨Musicals References✨Fighting Fears✨No Third Act Break Up✨Single POV🌶️Heat Level:Just (Swoony) KissesMake Out SessionsAttraction/Tension:🔥🔥🔥My Opinion:The 'Friends to More' trope has to be very well written for me to like it and this is a good example of that. I absolutely love the characters, the settings and the depth of the struggles they face and how they resolve things. Even with delicate subjects, the novel is light and fun and I had a great time reading it.The 'Friends to More' trope has to be very well written for me to like it and this is a good example of that. I absolutely love the characters, the settings and the depth of the struggles they face and how they resolve things. Even with delicate subjects, the novel is light and fun and I had a great time reading it.TW: Loss of a Parent (Past)

Fun and light

A real fun and nice read, sweet and clean. Shelby and Eric were adorable

Cuuuute friends to lovers story

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: romcomContent: kisses only; grief from loss of a parent; MC who grew up in foster careI am such a fan of this friend group! It has been so fun to see each of their stories pan out. Typically friends to lovers is not my favorite of tropes but this book was so sweet! I loved:-the almost kiss in the hallway😍-the finally acknowledging their feelings 🥰Favorite Quotes🎤 "You may have tried to bury your voice, but it has shone through in everything you do. You have such a light, and I'm not just talking about singing. You're always taking the backstage to others, letting them have the spotlight." Then my best friend leans in closer- so close I can feel his warm breath on my lips. "But don't you know you're the brightest star of them all?"🎤 "Shelby Phillips, there is nothing that I want more in this life than you."🎤 "In trying to protect yourself from future pain, you can easily lose your joy and isn't finding joy what life is supposed to be about?”🎤 “I'm open to whatever our future brings. Whatever discussions we need to have, whatever trials we need to face. I just want to face them head-on with you.And only you."P.S. After that epilogue with Alexis’s interaction with “Daxy” and Lilith…I am quite looking forward to book six!!!

Belonging with her best friend

This was a great clean romance between best friends. She has been in love with him for years, what she does not know is that he has been in love with her for just as long. When another guy starts to show interest in her, he realizes that he has to make a move.