I found myself really enjoying this book. I’m an absolute sucker for a good ‘friend to lovers’ trope and while I’m always very much on the fence of an ‘accidental pregnancy’ storyline Mariah Ankenman managed to execute it perfectly.

I really connected with both Finn and Pru.

Pru is very precise and she has a plan for her life. She wants a child and she doesn’t care if she spends the rest of her life as a single mother. She’s a strong character who has always been the mother of her friend group, looking out for them and even helping them avoid disastrous dates. She’s prepared for motherhood and she’s ready for whatever challenges cross her path.

Finn is selfless, kind and wholeheartedly adorable, I’m just wondering where I can find a Finn in my life. He is so supportive of Pru and all the decisions she makes in life. Throughout this whole book he was by her side, taking her to appointments and most of all just being there for her. Together the two make the perfect pair.

This book felt so natural and I honestly had so much trouble putting it down. So if you’re looking for a light-hearted, cute, romantic story this summer then this is definitely one you should pick up!

<i>The Best Friend Problem</i> by Mariah Ankenman is 100%, without a doubt, a massive guilty pleasure read. That is, the book doesn't have a lot of substance, is slightly unrealistic, and largely just feels like a way to enjoy wasting your time. Did I enjoy it? You bet. Would I read it again? Probably not. Ultimately, I kind of feel like I probably should have spent my time on something else more useful, but I was definitely drawn in by the story and it managed to keep my interest throughout the whole thing. It's not a bad book, but it sure isn't a great book, either.

Despite the numerous time I cringed and rolled my eyes while reading this, for the most part I did enjoy it. <i>The Best Friend Problem </i>is overly cheesy, has many unrealistic moments, and even subscribes to the <i>massively annoying</i> plot device of using friends and family members to pester the main characters into recognizing their feelings for each other--as though no one person is able to grow on their own, they have to have their friends all point out the plots to them--but it's still fun.

In truth, I don't find Finn believable as a character. He was kind of flat in a lot of ways and really did fall somewhat to the cookie-cutter version of the man that most women want. This isn't a problem, exactly, if you're not looking for a realistic book. I enjoyed reading his thoughts and I enjoyed his role in the novel, I just frankly don't see him as all that realistic. Also, as I mentioned before, the single interaction he had with his father annoyed the hell out of me. Finn also had a lot of cheesy lines and I hated his stupid pet name for Pru.

In truth, both characters had some moments that made me cringe and roll my eyes. I also hated the sex scenes, but that was to be expected since I typically avoid romance novels because of them. I just think it was all over the top. Past that, this book really is pretty typical as far as best friends sleep together and one gets pregnant kind of stories go. If you've already read one, this book fits the mold pretty well. In fact, it's 100% predictable as a result. As I said, I consider this book a guilty pleasure, so I did enjoy the majority of it. I don't think it was amazing, but it wasn't terrible either.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

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I Love Finn! Ohh this was a super cute friends to lovers romance. Pru with her planning and no nonsense ways. I really enjoyed it- read in one sitting. This author is new to me. I really like her sense of humor. I’m going to be looking for Mo and Lily’s story next.

Absolute fun with a heaping splash of romance and a touch of.... I adored this book in the best way.
Familiar trope however Mariah brings this gem a touch of sparkle and genuine love between two best friends, Finn and Pru.
Pru lives life by a schedule, she's a numbers girl. In business with her two best friends who I absolutely loved, they bring so much to the story. Pru is ready to have a baby and has all her ducks lined up, complete with narrowing down her donor choices and of course her finances. She's kept this all to herself, so when the time comes to make the final donor decision, she finally tells her two best friends. Let the games begin! Her friends are super supportive and then there's the bigger question, have you told Finn yet? Finn and Pru have been friends since they were kids, tell each other everything and are always there for each other. Pru's nervous about telling Finn and so she sucks it up and finally tells him. Finn is a true book boyfriend. What a dream this guy is! Finn is a firefighter and while he has the occasional interlude, doesn't want that bigger step, fearing that if something happened to him on the job.... and he's Pru's best friend. So hearing the news from Pru, Finn gets a little jolt. The two have always been attracted to one another but neither wanting to ruin the friendship have never acted on it. Until that one night. What a night it was!
When Pru goes in to the clinic for her exam and ready to go ahead with her insemination she gets the surprise of her life. Once again, carefully scheduled and planned Pru is thrown off track. She has to tell her friends and worse, she has to tell Finn. She's pregnant. Finn's response is priceless as is her friends. Going to the Dr for her check up, Finn is there with her wanting to be a support to "I can do it all, I don't need any help" Pru. Again another mind boggling surprise and the story really hits the outer orbits of space from there. I loved watching these two find their places and their relationship unfold. Absolutely loved it.
This is a fantastic and fun read, full of love, amazing characters and surprises! The writing is perfection and Mariah pulls you right into their story and doesn't let go until the very end.
I am so hoping to see more of Lily and Mo in future books!
It's a 5 star must read!

arc from Net Galley and Entangled for an honest review

This book was so good. I love best friends to lovers books and this one was one of the best I have read. I was pulled in from the beginning and I wanted this book to go on forever. Loved every page.

A cute and heartwarming 'best friends to lovers' storyline (with a baby involved of course). I enjoyed reading this novel, and it was hard not to. With a firefighter male lead and a smart heroine who get caught up in some fertility business, it was hard not to. I felt that the side characters were a lot better developed than in other novels of a similar nature and I was really happy to see that. Not only that, but I hope to see their own romances immortalised in fiction as well. Having said that, I wouldn't say that this novel really stood out to me - it was cute and lovely (and a bit steamy at points that I had to skip :) ) but it wasn't a novel that I would say was one of my favourites that I've read this year.
Overall though, a gorgeous storyline and cute best friend couple.

This was a fun, sexy romance read. Prudence, a master off lists and planning, has had it with it trying to find Mr. Right in order to have the baby she desperately craves. So she embarks on trying to do motherhood alone, with some help from science. Her friends and roommates support her, as well as her best friend Finn, a guy who has had trouble making it past more than the first date with any women. After celebratory drink goes a little too far, Prudence finds that the best laid plans can often go awry and someone who looks so wrong on paper might just be Mr. Right. With a cast full of fun characters and a predictable romantic storyline with a few unexpected twists, this was an excellent summertime read.

I really enjoyed this book!!!
Prudence really wants a baby and has decided enough is enough she is going to do this by herself. Finn on the other hand has no room for babies or a wife in his life due to work responsibilities. After one drunken night Prudence finds herself pregnant with none other than Finn's baby.

This book is sooo sweet. Finn is the perfect gentleman towards Prudence while also dealing with his own feelings. Prudence needs to come to terms that her "single parenting" plan now has her best friend Finn in the mix.

I really enjoyed this book, however there were one or two inconsistencies. One big example is in chapter one Prudence is very passionate about what a massive waste of money motorcycles are. She states she enjoys them however is terrified of them "if she wasn't so terrified of crashing every second she rode this thing..." She then goes on to explain doctors call them "donor mobiles". In chapter ten, Prudence's attitude and beliefs change. Finn shows up to drive her to the doctor. When he doesn't show up on the motorcycle because she is pregnant Prudence thinks if she knew how to drive one "she assumed it would be perfectly acceptable to ride one until her belly got too big".
Did she not think they were terrifying and "donor mobiles" a few chapters back??
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be rereading

A sweet romance with plenty of swoon and so many feels that it nearly impossible to put down. The perfect summer read escape that ticked all the boxes. A fun and addictive story that I inhaled before I even knew it. Definitely be picking up more books by this author. Happy reading!!

I really enjoyed The Best Friend Problem by Mariah Ankenman who is a new author to me. I definitely plan to check out her other books. This story has loads of chemistry, plenty of laughs, lighthearted and very low on the angst. It's a best friends to lovers with the twist of a surprise baby, which I loved! I really enjoyed Mariah Ankenman's writing style, character development, my favourite romance is friends to lovers, it's part of a series but a standalone and has a HEA. It was the perfect summer read!

"I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review."

This was a somewhat cute story but honestly nothing really happens; the characters felt like approximations of what a best friend romance would be like, and the secondary characters felt interchangeable. I also didn't mesh well with the writing, and I wanted to not finish this book almost every chapter. I only persevered because I was somehow halfway through the book, which surprised me, because again, nothing really happened.

This was pretty straightforward Friends-to-Lovers without any real surprises. I enjoyed the characters well enough, but didn't really feel any connections with any of them. I feel that that may have been because there was a lot of prose that felt unnecessary, which pulled me out of the story. Things like:

<I>“She must smell you, because she’s never this anxious to see me.” Pru doubted it. She knew Bruiser loved Finn , but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t pounce on the opportunity to tease her friend. “Naturally, because she knows I love her more.” Bright blue eyes narrowed. “ Keep it up, Carlson, and I’ll sneak into your apartment tonight and let Bruiser do her business in your shoes.” He would not. Mostly because Lilly would freak out if an animal of any kind stepped paw in their place. Their building was strictly pet free and there were hefty fines if anyone was caught hiding an animal.</I>

were REALLY overkill. Yeah, we get that Finn was joking. We don't need the explanation as to why he wouldn't. The reason he wouldn't have his dog piss all over her shoes isn't because her roommate would be annoyed or because it is against the rules. The reason is HE ISN'T A JERK.

Another example is Finn suggesting that Pru drive with him to his parents house for dinner. For some reason, it was necessary to explain that Pru was basically family, and that his parents didn't live far, just twenty minutes away without traffic, but there was no reason for them to waste gas.

So there was a fair amount of over-explaining like that throughout and I found it bordering on obnoxious.

There also wasn't a lot of build up for Finn and Pru as friends, or either of them as people, despite the first part of the story being a bit slow to get going. I felt like Pru had her best friends in Mo and Lily, and then Finn was her "friend" that she pretended not to be attracted to...

Everything else was predictable and exactly as you would expect.

All in all, I would say this is fine. If you are looking for something light and like the trope (and "hot tattooed firemen"), you might like this.

Prudence (Pru) & Finn have been BFs since forever. With his job as a firefighter, Fin decides that he would never put a woman thru having to live a life with a man whose job puts him in the forefront of danger & is a strictly one date man who avoids any sort of serious relationship. Other than with Pru of course. But then they are best buds & nothing else. Right?

Pru has lost everyone she loves, from her rather too involved parents to her beloved Grant Aunt who looked after her when her parents died while she was still young. She’s always longed for a family of her own but after her boyfriend dumps her, she decides to hell with waiting for Mr Right, she doesn’t need one to start her own family & decides to have a baby on her own from a donor.

When a slightly drunken night out ends with Pru & Finn having sex & giving in to the attraction that has always been simmering but never acted upon because heck they are BFs & neither want to step across the line & spoil that relationship, Pru ends up pregnant without needing the services of a donor. And both Pru & Finn wonder how that will affect their relationship.

An interesting story of how Pru & Finn navigate the changes in their relationship before finally! Realizing that what they’ve always wanted was each other. I loved Finn’s dog, who adores Pru only 2nd to Finn & the larger cast of characters in the story – Pru’s 2 girlfriends & Finn’s family.

I loved it! It's such a sweet and romantic story of two friends falling in love. I enjoyed their friendship and how it evolved into something more. Both the main characters are very well-written and well-developed. I also liked the supporting characters. Overall, it's a very good read and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good contemporary romance novel. And if you love friends-to-lovers kind of stories then this is a must-read novel for you.
Pru has control issues. She likes to plan things and hates surprises of any kind. Right now, she has a perfect plan to become a single mother. She loves children and having a family of her own has always been her dream. It's time to go after her dream and that's exactly what she plans to do. But things get a little messed up when all her planning turns out to be a waste. A one-night stand with her best friend turned all her careful planning upside down. It's okay though, she can adjust. After all, she will get what she wants in the end. So, that's what she will focus on. Now, only if everything else goes according to the plan all will be well. Only if...
Finn is a firefighter. Dealing with difficult situations and coming across loss is an everyday occurrence for him. He has learned to deal with surprises well. He knows how to stay calm even when things don't go as planned. When one steamy night ends up changing the entire course of his life, he takes it very well. In fact, he decides that this is a good thing. As long as Pru is happy he will be happy too... Until he begins to realize that he might want different things than her. If things change will their life-long friendship survive or is it better to be a coward and forget what happened between them? One thing is for sure though, a life without Pru isn't something he can even imagine...
It's a beautifully written story about friendship, love, and complicated relationships that make you question every decision you take. I found it highly entertaining and totally worth the read.

I just finished reading an advance copy of The Best Friend Problem by Mariah Ankenman. I can’t wait to share my thoughts.

This books is really a well done book of tropes. It does occasionally cross the line into cheesy or sappy but never so much to remove you from the story. From chapter one through to the end this books is heartwarming and sexy.

Finn and Pru are truly best friends and you feel that even as they toy with being something more. I love stories that are built on genuine friendships. While I love the steamy scenes as much as the next person, they mean so much more when you read about characters who feel deep and abiding love for each other.

Mariah Ankenman did a much better job than most portraying that and, while in some books the drama of friends to lovers can feel forced, her take on it felt real and natural. You understand where both characters are coming from at every point. That’s not to say you aren’t frustrated with them at some points. It wouldn’t be a worthwhile story if you weren’t. It does mean that all the frustration is worth it in the end.

And, as a bonus, she teases side characters here that I would love to read stories about. She built a very intriguing family and community around Pru and Finn that I want to stay immersed in. I highly recommend this read for anyone looking for something quick, light, and sweet!

The Best Friend problem was a sweet contemporary romance.

The relationship between Pru and Finn was a good one. They had fun interactions and I liked how their relationship developed from friendship to romance. However, the storyline felt too predictable at times. I really found myself enjoying the interactions Pru and Finn had with the other people in their lives (friends, coworkers and Finn’s family) so I wished there was more of those interactions in the book because it added additional entertainment to the story.

While I liked the characters overall, the book was just okay for me and I found myself wanting a little more.

I enjoyed this best friends to lovers with an accidental baby twist. It was cute and funny. I loved Finn! Mo and Lilly were great too. Pru was irritating in her control freakiness. She did grow up a bit and I liked her towards the end though. In all it was a solid happy read.

Not only was this a fun quick read it was also such a sweet romantic story. Pru and Finn have been best friends since high school. Pru has no family left and she is feeling all alone in the world so she decides to get artificial inseminated so she can become a mother. One night she and Finn consume too much alcohol and one thing leads to another and they fall into bed together. From this one night Pru becomes pregnant. Reading about how they try and navigate this new path and all their new feelings is so much fun to read. I could not put this book down. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pru has a successful business with her best girlfriends and the support and love of his best friend Finn. All that is missing in her life is a baby - and she has taken matters into her own hands to achieve it! However, after a night with her best friend Finn she finds herself getting what she wished for - but with the add on of a daddy. How will Finn and Pru find a solution to their predicament? Read the book to find out!

I really enjoyed this book and thought the friendships were great! It was fun to read the banter between the main and secondary characters. The transition from friends to lovers was definitely not a unique concept, but it was written well and made you want to tread on to see what happens to Pru and Finn. Finn was a sweetheart.

I received an advanced reader's copy of The Best Friend Problem by Mariah Ankenman from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to Lovers.
One of my favourite tropes. Finn is a firefighter who doesn’t do relationships because of his risky job and orphan Pru longs for a family but cannot find ‘The One’. Friends for years, Pru is nervous to tell Finn about her decision to have a baby by sperm donor but Finn is as supportive as ever and they celebrate together. One thing leads to another and they sleep with each other. Several weeks later Pru discovers she is pregnant the natural way by her best friend! A fun quick read with lovable characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.