Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I was delighted to receive this as back in September I read the first book in the Ponto Beach series and loved it! This was a great follow-up novel and Cathy certainly didn't disappoint. Cathy Yardley knows exactly how to write an engaging story line with lots of laughs, swooning and impeccable characters.

Right from the first chapter, this book was a winner for me! As a lover of cheese, myself, the laugh's I had reading that poor Tam was more distraught by her cheating ex-boyfriend throwing out her cheese than coming home to find him in bed with his co-worker (and ex-girlfriend). The book then follows on to her getting back in contact with her nerdy high school BBF Josh who convinces her to take a flight from her current home of NYC back to Ponto Beach. The chemistry between these two is incredible and seeing them re-introduce themselves after an extended period of time with many changes in their lives was a joy to read.

Must also mention, do not let the cutesy cartoon cover fool you... this book also has some spicy scenes thrown in so be prepared to blush!

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read that has great characters, sassy one-liners, laughs and friends-to-lovers books with lot of cheesy word puns!

This is a great book. I read Like tweet comment previously. This included the same characters, but you don’t have to read the other book before reading this one. The characters and plot are realistic. One of my favorite books for this year.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Friends to lovers with mutual pining is the superior romance trope so I was really excited to read this one. Tam and Josh have been best friends since high school and they've always been the one person that the other can count on. So when Tam's life falls apart Josh is there to help her figure out the next step.
I loved the relationship between these two. They were super sweet and easy to root for. I also liked that outside of the romance they each had their own storylines, which character growth and development. I particularly related to Tam, and feel I like many readers in their mid to late-twenties will feel the same. Tam's been working a series of jobs that she has no passion for and has resulted in her feeling majorly burnt out. She's used to the pressure of wanting to succeed and needing validation, but besides that she doesn't know what she really wants career-wise. I think that this is a common feeling in today's world and thee book did a great job of exploring that!

Review has been posted to Goodreads, and will be posted to Amazon on publication.

Friends to lover is always a gouda time. Tam Doan walks away from a toxic relationship and a toxic work environment and runs into the arms of her lifelong best friend, Josh. With no place to live or work, Tam leans on Josh who vows to help her set her life on a new path as she helped him five years before when he called out to her from between a rock and a hard place. Together, the two work through finding ways for Tam to live her passion as they also work through their rampant sexual tension. Friends with benefits, but make it cheesy.

I loved the way Josh and Tam supported each other in their life goals and made a point not to ask each other to give up their dreams for a relationship. Making things work for themselves while finding a way to work together. Also loved the group dynamic of their "Nerd Herd" friends who show up for each other when times are tough. I do wish there had been more conflict between Tam and Josh to mirror the strife they went through in their work lives as well as the complexity of starting a relationship. The smoothness with which they came together - as friends with benefits and then at the end as partners left room for more character growth, but still recommend this cheesy gouda read to anyone looking for love stories while pursing your passion!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC!

A fun, heartwarming read.
I love the way Cathy Yardley writes about friendship and she does the friends to lovers trope perfectly.
Josh is absolutely precious, so sweet and caring. Tam is a bit of a mess but it is incredibly relatable. The way in which they support and believe in each other is beautiful to read.
I loved seeing the Nerd Heard again, I can't wait to read Emily and Vinh story!
If you love drama-free, friends-to-lovers books with lot of cheesy word puns (see what I did there) you will love Gouda friends

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Nerd Herd BFF's Tam and Josh, have always turned to each other for support, guidance and above all else, love. But a particularly rough patch sees Tam uprooting from her (admittedly disastrous) life and career in NYC to lick her wounds and start over in the safety net of Josh's heart (and home).

Tam and Josh are so fantastic. The banter. The chemistry. The hugs and snuggles. The cheese (literal). The cheese (puns). It had my heart full and smiling the entire read. I loved the way Tam is written, she feels so real and relatable. The struggle of losing yourself in other people and relationships will land with a lot of readers, including the heartbreaking struggle of just not knowing what your "bliss" may be. Including the shame of trying to quickly figure it out, without being a bother to anyone else.

I loved the Nerd Herd and the found family vibes. The way they adapted to (and welcomed) Tam’s return and the support she needed and got, really resonated. It’s sweet in the way a lot of friends to lover books are, and I absolutely loved the way josh loves her. Without conditions. So fully. Be prepared to laugh, dreamily sigh, blush and cry. This one has it all.

(Also all the food in this book will make you ravenous. Best read with a charcuterie board within arms reach. 😍🧀)

Best Friends to Lovers? Especially when neither wants to admit the feelings are there? Sign me up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC!

Tam’s life was suddenly turned upside down when she dumps her cheating boyfriend and quits her job! She now needs to find a place to live and a job. She calls up her BFF Josh. Their friendship has always been there but what about that spark? Is it something that could ruin their amazing friendship?

This book was so cute! Do you like cheese? Then you’ll probably like this book filled with cheese puns! I loved getting to know Josh and Tam’s relationship. They have always been each other’s person when they needed someone the most. There were some phrases that kept repeating over and over, sometimes twice in one chapter. Once I noticed, I couldn’t un-notice it. However, Josh and Tams relationship was so darn cute I was able to look past it. I also felt it got so much better towards the end of the book.

Unfortunately, I can't read a pdf file on my e-reader; the font size is too small.
Unfortunately, I can't read a pdf file on my e-reader; the font size is too small.
Unfortunately, I can't read a pdf file on my e-reader; the font size is too small.

If I hadn't been pulled in by the title (which I was) then the opening line had me hooked. As someone who loves cheese as much as Tam, I completely sympathised with her fury over the cheese in the opening chapter.

I really enjoyed the story of Tam and Josh - their chemistry was amazing, and the bond they had from the beginning was beautiful. I felt as though their chemistry developed organically and I fully understood each of their motivations at all times.

Tam's search for a role she would actually enjoy doing was extremely relatable too, as was the "recovering honours student" aspect to her people pleasing.

Overall, this was an excellent book and I look forward to reading more by the author.