I loved this book. The characters were easy to root for, and the plot moved forward at a perfect pace.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that I was super excited to read this book. Friends-to-lovers is my absolute favourite genre. However, at the time that I received the ARC, I feel that the slow pace of the work was not for me. I do think that Kiana outlined the way relationships that stem from friendships have many aspects to consider that romance novels tend to brush over.

That being said, it's because of the slow pacing that I attempted to read the book thrice and eventually DNF'd it. In order to not affect the book rating, I'm giving the book the average rating at the time of my posting this review.

THIS WAS SO CUTE!! I loved this book and I definitely would read more from this author!! The romance was adorable and the sapphic representation was amazing.

I thought that I was getting more from this romance story. Instead, I was stuck with messy characters. I truly thought that they both deserve better, not with each other. Separate. Not every friend are meant to be more. Sometimes, it's better not to explore more with friends.

i was so excited to read the book, especially because i love female protagonists and bipoc characters at that? amazing. but the book felt too flat. the dialogues were forced and i couldn't relate to any of their reactions. it wasn't engaging enough for me and the character development felt very slow, almost non existent. i wondered if it was just me but many other reviewers feel the ending wasn't appropriate and i think it could've gone better.

I love me a friends to lover and this one didn’t disappoint either! It was a sweet and enjoyable romance. The chemistry was *chefs kiss* and so easy between the two that it felt great to read!

I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that this was a sapphic romance set in my home state of Texas, but the actual execution of the story wasn't my favorite. There were sweet moments, but overall, I struggled with the dialogue feeling unnatural. The friend group was my favorite part and I'd love to read more about everybody else.

This was a sweet and enjoyable romance. The characters had great chemistry and it held a light-hearted and fun premise.

This is friends to lovers!
I wasn’t the biggest fan tho, the characters felt fake. There wasn’t a real plot or character development in my opinion. Which is usually needed even in rom-com. This was just romance which is ok, but not my favourite.

I’ll preface this entire review with saying that I don’t come from the character’s background so I won’t be speaking about the cultural moments (though I do appreciate the slang peppered throughout). I thought this book was just alright. I’m focusing mainly on the romance piece and with that I thought the romance between Peaches and Jamie felt off. Their sexy scenes were well written but I feel like the author wrote tension between them just to have tension. Their fights didn’t really make sense with their characters and I felt like Peaches forgave Jamie a little too quickly so the ending of them getting back together didn’t feel authentic.

I thought the writing over all was decent but the constant remarks about what everyone was wearing and what everyone was doing every single moment had me skimming some pages trying to get back to the main plot. It was alright, but wasn’t spectacular

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

Kiana Alexander is quickly becoming a favorites. This book was amazing and I loved every minute of it. The characters were relatable. And I’ll definitely be reading this author again.

I enjoyed it but whew I’ve never encountered two characters that needed to speed walk to therapy. It was a good read but not specifically my favorite. Waaaaay too messy.

This wasn’t really my thing. The writing was too distracting at how inhuman it sounds for me to continue the book. I was a little disappointed that I wanted enjoy this book.

Jamie and Peaches are best friends who go from friends to lovers zone. Jamie wants to take their relationship from the friends to lovers status and at times Peaches seemed a little hesitant. As in male/female relationships the couples are hesitant to take their relationships out of the friend zone and into the lovers zone for fear of losing a friend. As Jamie and Peaches are making changes in their lives there is family conflict, drama. I have read books in this genre in the past and it’s nice to see authors are writing about this genre more frequently. I enjoyed reading about Jamie and Peaches and going on along on their journey.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Montlake and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Your body is solid, but your heart is soft. I see. What a marvelous combination."

* I want to say thankyou to netgalley for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this book! I didn't know how it was gonna go since the reviews are a little all over the place, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You got:
• FF relationship
• Found family
• Friends to lovers
• Successful & badass MCs
• Mental health representation
• Healthy communication

Right from the beginning, I enjoyed the two female MCs. I found them both very refreshing. I loved that they bonded very quickly over similar interests as well as family life. There was a small amount of miscommunication, but it was turned around so quickly and in such a healthy way. The mental health representation was spot on and really brought more understanding to one of the female leads. The friend group was an amazing mix of people that all brought their own life experiences to the story.

I highly recommend this book, and I think you should pick it up!

"Fine. I'll lower my tone, but I won't lower my standards. Now, get yourself in the shower and get dressed. And for the sake of all that's right and holy, please do something with that wig."

"Can't Let Her Go" by Kianna Alexander offers a spicy friends-to-lovers sapphic BIPOC romance with two complex protagonists. Jamie and Peaches start with sizzling chemistry but face growing red flags in their relationship as it progresses. While they shut down homophobia and transphobia, their arguments feel off. The book emphasizes friendship over romance and showcases a supportive friend group. However, some readers may find it challenging to connect with the characters and feel the emotional depth falls short. Still, the novel explores family dynamics and offers diverse representation. Overall, it's a quick, fun read with a focus on found family and complex themes.

3.5 stars (rounded up)!

I thoroughly enjoyed "Can't Let Her Go" by Kianna Alexander for the first 3/4ths of the book. This is a spicy friends-to-lovers sapphic BIPOC partial road trip romance that features two wonderful but flawed protagonists, though their flaws are massive red flags in the last portion of the story. Jamie and Peaches are both strong, terrific characters that have tremendous, sultry chemistry with one another in a relationship that leans more into "lust" than "love" (though that is not necessairly a bad thing). I really dug their connection at first and think it started out sexy as hell, but fizzles out towards the end of the book. Unfortunately, the longer their relationship progresses, the more red flags start popping out between them, which made me wary of their relationship lasting. I got the sense that Peaches and Jamie would definitely not stay together much long after the story ends, but their explosive sex life might be good for them in the short term. The arguments they have with one another, particularly in the last half of the book, feel forced and petty. I love how both Peaches and Jamie shut down homophobia and transphobia as soon as it happens, even with friends and family. At its core, this story has a lot more elements of friendship than romance. Jamie and Peaches' found family friend group is great. I also liked the plot points involving both of their families and think that these aspects add just the right amount of drama to coalesce the story into becoming something compelling. All in all, this is a good book if you can overlook some of the squabbles!

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Kianna Alexander for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

DNF at 53%

I was so looking forward to this book! I was expecting a cute sapphic friends-to-lovers romance but the first red flag I found was that the two main characters weren't really even friends at the start of the book. Peaches and Jamie run in the same friendship group, but I wouldn't really consider them friends in their own right. It seemed to me that most of their motivations for getting to know each other from the start centered around lust, which just isn't what I'm looking for in a romance, especially one marketed as friends to lovers. I found it really hard to connect with any of the characters, which was so disappointing because there was so much potential for an amazing found family!

There were some good things that kept me reading as long as I did. The characters are super diverse, and the friendships in this book did have so much potential. There was a lot of women supporting women which I always love. I really think this book had so much potential but it didn't live up to that potential in my opinion, which is why I ended up DNFing. I'm just looking for more emotional depth from my contemporary romances than I feel was offered here, unfortunately.

This heartfelt and steamy romance explores the complexities of transitioning from friends to lovers. The strong bond between Peaches and Jamie, along with their shared ambitions and individual challenges, adds depth to the story.