This was a cute and angsty YA contemporary romance! I'm a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope and there's nothing sweeter than best friends discovering what everyone else seems to have known all along. I am always impressed with how well Monica Murphy writes the teenage mind. She perfectly captures all the drama and insecurities of navigating high school. I enjoyed having both Josh and Eden's points of view and I felt like their voices were true and realistic for their ages. Yes, they're immature. Yes, they overreact. But they also feel passionately and deeply, because didn't we all when we were teenagers? Didn't it feel like the end of the world when our crush didn't notice us or if you didn't feel like you quite fit in? There were some very sweet and funny moments when these best friends start to see each other in a new light. It was predictable with some other boy/girl drama and the inevitable push away, but if you're looking for an easy and cute YA romance, you don't want to miss Saving It!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

Monica Murphy signe ici une romance Young Adult douce , légère et sympathique avec de jeunes héros qui vont devoir choisir entre l'amour et l'amitié.

Josh Evans est un jeune homme qui a décidé de perdre à tout prix sa virginité avant son entrée à la fac et c'est pourquoi il va solliciter l'aide de la seule personne qui a une importance capitale dans sa vie à savoir sa meilleure amie Eden qu'il connaît depuis le collège. Josh est un jeune homme assez marrant car il est pris dans le piège de ses hormones bouillonnantes et il veut faire comme tous ses potes et être enfin un homme. Il n'est pas complètement vierge dans le domaine car il a déjà eu de nombreuses petites amies mais il n'a jamais atteint la ligne d'arrivée . Comme vous le savez dans les romans VO , on fait une analogie entre les différentes bases à atteindre comme dans un match de baseball et s'il s'est manié la batte , il n'a pas marqué le but ou pu dessiner le V de la victoire. Non lui c'est plutôt le V de la virginité qui s'affiche sur son front. Il avait fait un pacte avec son amie Eden plus jeune et si aucun des deux n'avait passé le cap avant la cérémonie de remise des diplômes, ils le feraient ensemble.

La complicité des deux jeunes gens est plus que visible et tous les personnages secondaires sont persuadés que ces deux là finiront ensemble. Il suffirait d'ouvrir les yeux pour voir la vérité en face et se rendre à l'évidence. Grâce aux conseils plus ou moins avisés d'Eden , il va donc se mettre en quête du Saint Graal en espérant ce débarrasser de ce fléau. Mais où est la place de l'amour dans tout ça? Dans ce roman, on sent bien la différence nette entre un homme et une femme. Lui ne semble pas concevoir le fait que coucher avec une fille implique des sentiments. Il visualise l'acte comme un accomplissement charnel et non émotionnel. J'ai bien aimé voir les scènes de son point de vue car j'ai bien rigolé avec lui et son meilleur ami Abraham qui est un sacré numéro , un chaud lapin, un beau parleur mais un ami fidèle.

Eden Sumner alias Edes pour Josh est une jeune femme sympathique qui ne rentre pas dans le moule des héroïnes populaires du lycée. Elle apprécie tout le monde et a plusieurs meilleures amies dont Molly qui sera un pilier dans ce roman. Cette dernière saura conseiller à sa façon son amie et l'aider à y voir plus clair. Cependant Eden ne sera pas totalement honnête envers elle non pas par manque de confiance mais surtout par aveuglement . En effet , comment avouer à son amie que Josh pourrait être plus qu'un meilleur ami quand on a des oeillères et qu'on se voile la face. La relation qu'elle entretient avec Josh fait donc jaser mais aussi elle est très adorable car on sent que ces deux là peuvent compter l'un sur l'autre. Comme je le disais précédemment , elle a une autre vision de la perte de virginité et cela est logique étant donné qu'elle est une jeune femme et elle ne conçoit pas de perdre sa virginité de manière anecdotique. Elle a besoin de sentiments et d'engagement.

Elle va tout de même accepter d'aider son ami et j'ai adoré lire les différentes étapes qu'elle va lui faire suivre. Entre le relooking, le passage chez le coiffeur et les listes des potentielles candidates, elle ne risque pas de s'ennuyer mais tout cela pourrait lui ouvrir les yeux et peut être lui faire prendre conscience qu'elle se réserve pour Josh sans en avoir conscience. Monica Murphy aborde avec justesse des thématiques propre aux adolescents et sans tomber dans les caricatures ou les extrêmes. Le lecteur ne peut que s'attacher aux personnes principaux mais aussi secondaires et ce dernier va attendre le dénouement final en espérant un happy end .

Bref, si vous aimez les romances Young Adult douce et fraîche, je ne peux que vous recommander de lire en VO Saving It, une lecture très sympathique sur le monde et les problématiques de l'adolescence. On passe un bon moment de lecture sans prise de tête ni passé sulfureux et cette légèreté fait du bien.

3.5 STARS

Saving It is an adorable, light hearted book featuring a friends to lovers trope. Josh and Eden have been best friends since middle school and begin to develop romantic feelings for one another their senior year. I admire how realistic this book is. It definitely has an "old school" YA tone, which seems to have dissipated in the last few years.

Told in dual points of view, I enjoyed experiencing both Eden and Josh's inner thoughts and feelings. While there is some repetitiveness and insecurities, it aligns with their age and thought processes. The secondary characters are entertaining, and the angst is minimum. I read this in one evening and found myself pleasantly surprised.

This is the first book I've read from Murphy, and I look forward to reading her work again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled/Crush for my advanced review copy.

I read a lot of friends to more books. It is one of my favorite tropes. Check out my reading list if you don’t believe me. That’s why I wanted to read SAVING IT and it is one of the reasons that I liked it. I loved the friendship between Eden and Josh - their easiness, their familiarity with each other. Like their best friends and family, and practically anyone who was around them, I wondered when they were going to figure out.

I do have say that Josh’s reasoning for wanting to lose his virginity irritated me.
Why does Josh worry so much about having sex? Why does he worry what his friends think? Just because he can’t talk about his experiences with his friends, and he feels left out, he wants to have sex. I didn’t buy it. And the more we get to know about him, his words didn’t reflect his actions. He was the relationship kind of guy. He was about more than just the casual hook up. He just needed to figure that out.

Overall, I liked SAVING IT. I liked how the author portrayed the friendships, the relationships, and even the jealousy of friends how beginning to see what was right in front of them all along. I’m glad that Eden and Josh were able to finally figure it out. They might not have been each other’s first love, but they did experience some other firsts together - and it was sweet and authentic and awkward and real

I loved this book! I always look forward to Monica’s books, because she always delivers a story that crawls under my skin and digs into my heart. I gotta say that Saving It absolutely did not disappoint. Told in dual POV, Josh and Eden’s story is sweet and consuming and I simply couldn’t put it down.
Eden Sumner has been best friends with Josh Evans for a long, long time. They tell each other everything, sometimes more than the other wants to know, and they’re so inseparable that many people who see them together assume that they’re TOGETHER together. So when Josh resolves to cash in his virginity before graduation, he naturally seeks out Eden’s help.
Eden initially refuses, because she already knows far more about Josh’s love life than she’d prefer. But Josh appeals with every trump card he has from their tried and true friendship, including one that Eden had forgotten existed. So Eden caves. And starts going about cleaning Josh up and sussing Out Girls who might work for his needs.
Only...now Eden’s seeing Josh in an entirely different way, and she blames his request for fixating her on an act that she has specific criteria for. Because Eden’s been saving it for the right circumstances, the right person. And that’s not her best friend. It’s just not. Because Josh doesn’t consider Eden an option. Neither of them has ever seen what everyone else does.
As I tend to whenever I read one of Monica’s books, I proclaim Josh and Eden to be my new favorites (I kid, I couldn’t possibly choose just ONE of Monica’s stories). Lighthearted and striking in a very real way, I recommend this to longtime fans and newcomers alike!

Saving It is about a high school boy named Josh who wants his best friend, Eden, to help him lose his virginity. Eden doesn’t understand why he needs her help, after all, he’s cute and popular with the girls but she does love Millionaire Matchmaker so why not!

Eden is the type of girl who doesn’t realize that she’s pretty. She’s nice, smart, drama free and loves making lists. The kind of girl that you would want your daughter to be best friends with.

Josh is not your average high school boy. Plays sports, has a lot of friends but only two best friends and one who he trusts with everything, and doesn’t sleep around regardless of how many relationships he’s had. He’s sweet, cute, and can be immature. He definitely drives Eden crazy but she drives him crazy too.

This book is the perfect high school romance. Best friends who’ve known each other for quite some time, denying their feelings for each other until it slaps them in the face. I love the intensity between Eden and Josh but also how carefree they were. You could feel the electricity through the book. Molly and Abraham added extra charm and angst to the book and I looked forward to the glimpses we seen of them.

Saving It is a fun, short, sometimes angst read that’s perfect for those cold days when you need something to warm your heart. Monica’s characters always find a way into your heart and they’re definitely not different.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest review.

Eden and Josh are best friends, Josh is still a virgin and decides that he needs to lose this by the end of senior year. He asks Eden to help him find a girl to do the deed with. But as the search goes on, they both start to question if the person they are looking for is closer than they think.

This story is written in the first person from both perspectives of Josh & Eden

Books like this one are the reason I love YA so much, the story was a great blend of romance, angst and the realization that what you think you want is always what you really want.

I thought the story was entertaining and flowed well. I enjoyed both the main characters. Josh and Eden are your typical teenage best friends, I thought their chemistry was great. The entire time I was reading this book I felt like it could be a really great teen movie, it reminded me of the classics from the 90s.

This was a YA contemporary romance story about two BFF who end up falling in love. Eden and Josh have been friends for a very long time and before they head off to college, Josh spills that he doesn’t want to go off to college as a virgin. He asks Eden to help him find a girlfriend. Eden is not willing , not at first not until Josh talks her into helping him find a girlfriend and then she decides to help her BFF find love and she goes about it using certain themes from the TV show "The Bachelor" since Eden is a die-hard fan of the show and Josh secretly watches as well. Eden secretly feels like a pimp getting all these girls for Josh and she feels uneasy but her love for her BFF gets her over the feels of uneasiness and she starts getting the girls and working with Josh in finding the right girlfriend for him. While these two are trying to get him a girlfriend they both try to avoid anything that could damage their friendship which is hard because they are developing strong attraction, strong feelings for each other. The friendship feelings are still there but it is vying for the passion/attraction for the other. Will they succumb to the passion and end up being each other’s boyfriend and girlfriend and each other’s first time or will they stay just platonic?
I liked this sweet romance but I would have loved this more if I could have seen them interact more with outside interests, known what made the other tick, see even more of their personalities shine instead of just got how they are about to go off to college spill. This was a good read but felt like this could have been outstanding. I think for a YA romance, this was just a light, cute read and if that is what you are looking for then you will like this.

My Rating: 4.0 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

Awwww Josh is so swoon worthy! This love story is extra cute. It will take you back to moments where you behaved the same and it will make you feel desperate because you want Josh and Edes to figure out live in an instant. You will also feel like a girl with a crush with all the details of how a crush develops in this book becoming love. Because really it can not form into anything less when it is with best friends. Loved the friendships the interactions and even some characters completely surprised me with their level of maturity. Great read!

I am a long time fan of Monica Murphy. Her book One Week Girlfriend is a go to recommended read from me and one the really got me into New Adult books so I was super excited to read a YA Romance from her. I really liked this book. Josh and Eden were so great. Even though at one point Eden annoyed me I was really rooting for them to get it together. Sometimes the secondary characters in a book can annoy me but I really loved their friends Abraham and Molly too. They really were great friends to both of them. I have read a lot of YA romances and I can say this one is now up there as one of my favorites. Recommend read from me.

Josh and Eden have been best friends for years. When he decides that he's tired of still carrying his v-card, he asks Eden to help him choose a girl to lose it to. This project shows both of them that there is more to their relationship than purely friendship.

I labolsultely love best friends to lovers stories. The basis of the relationship has already been built but there's always the "am I sure I want to take the risk" present. Josh and Eden have an amazing friendship and it would be devastating to both of them to lose it but their other friends have seen what they haven't for a long time: they are *perfect* for each other. This YA take on my favorite trope was an adorable read. I loved these characters and am really hoping that some of the others also get their stories told.

*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

This was a very cute book about two friends who were close for a long time growing up, but neither was willing to risk the friendship for a more romantic relationship. This changes once Josh decides he wants to lose his virginity before college, and asks Eden for her help, which forces them to re-evaluate their relationship and what each of them wants. I thought the friendship between Josh and Eden was great, just very well done overall. It made me wish that I had a relationship like that when I was that age. Also for the most part it was pretty realistic, though with a tad bit of extra teen drama thrown in. Would really recommend this sweet romance.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Super cute YA story about best friends who think they might be in love with each other. Neither really wants to say anything because they are afraid of losing their best friend. I love Monica Murphy. One Week Girlfriend is one of my all time favorite books ever. I love her writing style and her characters.

Josh wants to lose his virginity. He is a guy in high school, so I can totally picture this (even though I don't want too because it is more like my kids ages). He enlists his best friend Eden to help him.
From there, things change because... they are really more than friends.

I liked this one. Sweet. Cute. Light. Fun.

As a hard core romance blogger I love when I can fall into a great young adult read and relish in the innocence and wonder plus it takes me back to when life was sweet and all about that boy I loved.

This is one of those teenage gold type reads that makes you swoon with crushes and best friend love. Teenage angst and great young adults. I fell in love with these characters and the simplicity of finding out who they truly love and want. Added to some great friends and mild angst form a perfect slow building love, love book.

Saving It by Monica Murphy is a very cute and fun contemporary romance novel that explores an adorable friends to lovers tale and includes all the key elements needed to make this charming YA so enjoyable.

Eden Sumner and Josh Evens have been best friends forever. They know each others secrets and are closer to each other than anyone else. Their trust in each other is infallible. Which is why when Josh decides he needs to find a girl to loose his virginity to, he seeks Eden out to help. As the two make a list of girls Josh may choose to have sex with, Eden can't help but suddenly reconsider her relationship with Josh. She's never considered him as anything but as a friend but as the two try to find the perfect person for Josh to "loose it" with, Eden finds herself experiencing unexpected feelings for her best friend. And unbeknown to her, Josh is also struggling with new thoughts and feelings about Eden. Josh is looking for the perfect girl to be with, but with every day making it clear the perfect girl may have been by his side the whole time, will Josh and Eden take a risk on a romantic relationship? Or will their fear of ruining their friendship prevent them from admitting their true feelings?

Saving It was a very fun and adorable read. I quickly devoured this sweet tale and was very enamored by Josh and Eden's story. I enjoyed the way Monica Murphy wrote the book, switching back and fourth between Eden and Josh's POV's. I really felt like I got to know the two characters and considering the nature of the story, I loved being inside both of their thoughts and heads.

I was very impressed by the concept within Saving It and thought Monica Murphy explored it perfectly. I've read so many books and seen movies and stories that focus's around a girls quest to loose her virginity and while I've enjoyed them, the opportunity to focus on a teenage boy's experience was different and fresh. And so much fun. Josh was an honest, but kind teenage boy; his thoughts and desires exactly what I was expecting and so much more. I loved being able to see the way he approached loosing his virginity and the way in which he reacted to those around him, both his friends and possible lovers.

Eden and Josh were both likable and genuine individuals. They had a great, close friendship and I appreciated seeing their bond develop into something romantic. I knew heading into the story obviously that it was going to happen, but that didn't make it any less fun to witness unfold. They were very sweet and endearing.

Quick and light reading with an entertaining storyline and a nice overall concept, Saving It was a fresh and fun contemporary read that I would definitely recommend to those who love their YA romance and are wanting something so very adorable.

I'm very passionate about the writing of Monica Murphy and when I saw that she was going to release a book in Entangled teen Crush I was crazy to put together a stamp that I love with the writing that I love. It had no other consequence than many hearts and ribbons, ribbons and a Rose .... A rose that really made all the difference.
Eden and Josh have been inseparable for a long time and now that he's going to college he needs his friend's help to lose his virginity. Eden is shocked at his friend's request because she never imagined that he was still a virgin. Even though she finds the request strange, she accepts the challenge and both begin to try to find the perfect girl for this task, someone without problems in just having this moment with him.
The only problem is that they end up perceiving each other more than they imagined in their research and this ends up stirring their heads in an irreversible way and that journey on perceiving love right next door.
The book is very beautiful, extremely romantic with a wonderful cover and even with all the mishaps, insecurities and confusions that arise in the middle of the way of this couple, I vibrated too much with the unfolding of the plot and especially with the outcome. In addition to falling in love with Abraham, Josh's best friend, and his tricks.
I laughed, I sighed, I got annoyed, I almost went into the book and slapped both of them. Bottom line: I loved it too much.
I swear to you now that I am here dreaming with a teen movie based on this book .....
5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed seeing Josh and Eden and their amazing BFF status and everything in between!

This book is a fun, cute read - perfect for readers who like a light BFF love story!

3.5 stars from me.

I've read lots of other books by Monica Murphy, mostly New Adult and Romance. Turns out she's one of my favorite authors, which was only cemented by how much I loved her latest young adult release, Saving It.

The summary is pretty spot-on. Eden tries to play matchmaker when her bestie, Josh, decides he can't graduate without losing his v-card. Of course, the girl he's been looking for has been standing there all along, right in front of his adorable face. How long will it take them to figure it out?

It's true you've read a similar storyline to this, probably multiple times. But the characters and relatableness they portray keeps it fresh and captivating. I loved so many things about this story, including the fact that it's told in dual POV, which you know is my fave. I had a male best friend in high school, and though we were nothing but platonic (except in sixth grade, and that doesn't really count), I totally get the appeal.

I really liked Eden. She was sassy and snarky yet so realistically vulnerable. Of course, Josh was probably the highlight of this book for me. He's gorgeous and athletic and so sweet and funny. He's absolutely perfect book boyfriend material! I love his personality. And the fact that he wears shorts in the winter and drinks orange juice and his one weakness (besides Eden) seems to be The Bachelor. I love them together. Like, really. Trust, there's a lot of sexy swoon in here. I also really liked their friend, Abraham. He was hilarious and lots of fun.

So what didn't I like? There wasn't much. Some things happen toward the end that I thought didn't really need to happen, like everything with Cole. And some of the things they said, like "do her" seemed a little...I don't know. Do kids in high school say that? *shrugs* What do I know? This is definitely more-mature YA, but I'm sure you already knew that from the title. More-mature YA is more than okay with me, so I really loved that aspect of Saving It.

The only other thing I needed? More. Like always, I needed more at the end! I hope Murphy is planning to continue this universe like so many of the other Entangled Crush authors do. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the other characters fall. But mostly, I want more Josh and Edes!

This was a fast-paced, fun-filled swoony read with relatable characters that will give you all the feels. Highly recommended!

Sweet & Charming!
A fantastic, cute, sweet, fun, and charming YA read. This story dealt with teenagers real life issues, giving you all the feels, sexual exploration, emotions and some light drama. I was captivated and thoroughly enjoyed this story in one sitting. Such a well written story about the lives of some high school seniors that have been best friends since middle school. Monica Murphy has quickly become the Queen of this genre in my opinion.
Eden Summer’s best friend Josh and her, have been best friends since middle school. They share everything with each other. I loved the conversations that this small knit group of friends have with each other, not holding anything back, as well as their support they give one another.
When Josh decides that he needs to lose his v card before he goes off to college he enlists his best friend Eden’s help to come up with a nice sweet girl. But Eden, although she isn’t sure that she wants to be the one to help Josh with this dilemma, she sure doesn’t like the idea that she isn’t on his list of potential hookup partners. But after a uncomfortable, date at another girls home, Josh leaves to rescue Eden when she is stranded after a dinner date that becomes disastrous. All Josh can think of is Eden and how his feelings for her are getting in the way. If only she could be the one to help him, but that could then be the end of their friendship. And he doesn’t want to ever be without her in his life. But after a searing kiss, how will this complicate their friendship? Will this be the end to a close and long friendship? Or will this bring them closer together.? You will have to read to find out. Loved it! Highly Recommended!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This was a good read. Not one of my favorites from Monica but it had its moments.