Featuring two people who were best friends in high school and are now back home in the same city. Thomas made the escape from small-town Michigan to New York after high school for college. He was chasing his dream to become a published writer. He thought his best friend Julia was going to head to New York as well, but she stayed in Michigan. They haven’t talked for a dozen years.

Now Thomas is back in Michigan because of his father’s failing health. He pretty quickly meets up with Julia and they patch up their differences. Julia has given up her writing but Thomas tries to encourage her to take it back up. They soon embark on a romance.

From the description, I thought this would be more about writing and the life of writers, and I’m always up for books with that theme. And romance is usually appealing. Overall, though, this one just didn’t click for me. There wasn’t enough about the process of writing and the romance fell flat and was too unnecessarily spicy!

Thank you to netgalley for sending me this arc and allowing me to read it and review it.

I truly loved this book so very much. I really felt connected with all the characters, and i rarely say that. I recommended it to all my friends who read and they also agree with me. It really was a great read to enter 2023 with!!! Keep up the great work Alaina rose.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Julia and Thomas. They have known each other for all their lives. They were best friends in high school. Thomas went to New York to write. Thomas’ dad is dying so he comes back home. He meets back up with Julia. They start dating. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

"Relative Fiction" by Alaina Rose is a delightful and engaging family saga that explores the complexities of love, secrets, and relationships. Rose's storytelling is rich with relatable characters and a heartfelt narrative that navigates multiple generations. As the story unfolds, readers are treated to a heartwarming journey of self-discovery and connection. This novel is a beautifully written tribute to the enduring power of family bonds and the stories that define us.

I really found myself enjoying this book a lot! Initially, i thought this would be at most a 3-star read but the story itself pushed it to a a 4-star! I laughed, I cried, my heart felt warm, it’s a homey book for me. I hope anyone who picks this book up enjoys it just as much as I did

Relative Fiction by Alania Rose is a book that makes you think about families and finding yourself. The way Rose writes keeps you interested, and the characters seem real. Sometimes the story moves a bit slowly, though. If you like stories that make you reflect on your family and who you are, you might enjoy reading this book.

"He felt the seismic shift, his deformed pieces slipping back into their original form. One word repeated on loop in his mind: hope."

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am absolutely the target audience for this book. When you can get past adults acting like teenagers for about half a book simply because you're enjoying it so much... well, that's a pretty big deal. I loved following Thomas and Julia's love story. Whether it be because I have my own ideas of what I always wanted my love life to look like and they all seemed to be reflected here, or if I just love a good friends to lovers coming home story, the world may never know.

I love when your partner motivates you, and always wants to be next to you, and is completely and utterly in love with the idea of wanting to spend life beside you. I adored watching Thomas' crush turn into full blown love, watching Julia realize maybe not all guys suck. I love a good "we haven't seen each other in years and you look amazing" stare. I love when forced proximity turns into voluntary proximity with a side of "oh my god I love this person?"

This book had it all. Add to it the love shared by two writers and fleeting happiness and the acknowledgement that happy isn't the default and you have to work for it every day. I thought this book was so fun, so sweet, and I can't wait to buy myself a copy now that I know I love it as much as I did. I'm so thankful that I get to try books out and love them before getting my own copy and loving that even better.

Feeling as lucky as Thomas and Julia are to sit next to each other and write.

Does a book count as a second-chance romance if the pair never revealed their feelings the first time around? Apart from that one technical issue, this entire story has all the hallmarks of a second-chance narrative.
Of the lead pair, Julia is in a dead-end job, one she does not enjoy and with just a single(or so) coworker that she has any positive feelings for, a family who does not really 'get' her (maybe except her sister, when the latter has the time). Thomas is back home as they watch over his father. The latter does not have much time left. Thomas has the opposite relationship with his family that Julia does. For some reason, I kept feeling like the characters did not match their names. It is a very random thought, but one that popped in from time to time.
The author's writing was a breeze to read. She created two young adults who had similar thoughts and dreams but who kept certain things to themselves. These important thoughts later lead them in different directions, only to reconnect years later.
Their meetings begin innocently enough but the standard issues surface. The future beckons, and it is hard for either to know for sure what they imagine in it.
Overall it was a satisfying read, although I felt like it could have been slightly shorter. Especially since the writing was quite snappy and kept the story moving, I would definitely pick up another book by the author given a chance and recommend this to others who are fans of this genre.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

If you are a millennial or like fanfic you might like this book. Might. I could not wait to finish this book .and ended up skimming substantially.. There were several "almost themes: that never developed: cheating, bisexuality, being woke, career stress, illness, family relationships...but none were ever developed. There is a dual POV format and this works OK in this particular book. The two main characters, Thomas and Julia, are not likeable and it was impossible to not be annoyed with them. Especially Julia. She moves back into her parents home, lies in bed all day and then goes down for the dinner that her mother prepped and cooked without helping at all. She then makes a snarky comment that her mother would be passive aggressive and leave a pile of dishes "for someone else to do"!! Well, if she wasn't whining about her ex or her job, she could lament about her mother. Thomas was a weak character. And the phrase "is this okay" was used FAR too often and actually detracted from what, The sex scenes channeled porn at times were just tacky. I suppose, was intended to convey some sort of respect. Overall, I was bored while reading this.

I love a good love story with second chances. I think everyone can relate in some way with this book. The characters had a good chemistry and had me wanted to read more. I found that I did not want to put the book down.

I saw this book on NetGalley and wanted to try reading it because it stood out amongst the other romance books I usually see on NetGalley. And because of that reason, I went in with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The main leads of the book are characters I warmed up to instantly.

The book is about two friends who don’t talk to each other anymore and have started to talk to each other while dealing with their own problems. Both also go back to writing - one’s career and another’s long-lost passion.

I definitely enjoyed their relationship but its movement/stages seemed a little abrupt in a few situations. This is the reason I will give the book 3 stars. And the conflict between them could have been explored more and explained in more detail.

Not a must read but you definitely won’t regret reading it. Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC.

I picked up this book primarily due to the setting of "Starling Hills," Michigan. As a current and long time Michigan resident, the idea of the setting of this contemporary romance sucked me in. This second chance romance of sorts was a good story (nothing that absolutely enthralled me), but I would recommend it nonetheless, especially if the setting and the tropes also fit well into your desired formula.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Julia and Thomas get a second chance at love and happiness with this sweet and lighthearted read by a new-to-me author. They were friends back in high school and had both made plans together regarding their writing careers. Then everything fell apart and they grew distant from each other. Now, they are back, both having had some rough and challenging times and hoping to pick up the pieces of their lives. When they awkwardly meet again, Thomas wants a go at having their old friendship back. Is there a chance he can have something more with her?
This was an entertaining and sweet story of ex best friends reuniting again and finding the real spark between them. They were lovely characters and had good chemistry, and I enjoyed seeing them come together. A satisfying and enjoyable romance!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

As teenagers, Thomas and Julia were inseperable. Two shy nerds who preferred backstage and writing. Both of them shared the dream to move to New York City for university to become writers. Then Julia reneged on their pact after finding a boyfriend, and the two of them stopped speaking to each other.

Twelve years later Thomas has returned to their Michigan town to support his family while his dad is dying of cancer. Julia, meanwhile has had a very public break up with long-term high school boyfriend after learning from his mistress that he'd been cheating on her. Julia gave up her dreams to be subsumed into her ex's world and control. With Thomas returning and getting into contact with her, both can see feel the old sparks, and the unsaid love they had for each other as teenagers.

The problem is Thomas will leave again, so where does that leave Julia?

Relative Fiction is a second chance story of grief (including anticipatory grief) and lost dreams. Thomas has achieved being a published author with the New York life but is missing the partnership he longed for with Julia. Julia did everything her parents and ex wanted her to but is also missing writing and Thomas.

I really enjoyed the characters. The regret and wistfulness for the past and all that was unsaid. It's also a book with positive queer rep. Thomas is bisexual and luckily for him, his family have never had any issue with it.

The problem I had with this book though was, the slow pace, including, in my opinion, unnecessary 'past' chapters. We already know that Julia's ex boyfriend is a huge part of why they stopped speaking to each other, so I don't think the past chapters added to anything. Given its also not some huge secret I feel it best just revealed upfront, along with the pining they had for each other as teens but being scared kids unable to voice it. The other issue I had was the pressure on Thomas to remain in their hometown to take over his dad's dream - a fast food restaurant. While I understood New York was also not quite the dream he thought, it seemed ridiculous that he and Julia couldn't go live there for a while (instead when she finally gets there she dismisses it. Like come on, this is your chance to break free! Perhaps you and Thomas together could enjoy a stint).

The other issue I had was the two of them had a friendly bet to get to 50,000 words to encourage each other with their writing - Julia to return to it after it falling by the wayside, and Thomas with his publishing deadline. We didn't see much of this, so I wondered why this became a plot point.

Overall though this was a good read for me. I liked it and I would suggest anyone who likes a second chance book to pick this up. I am also curious to read any further stories by this author as its a promising debut, even if I had my own issues with it.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC.

There is so much pining in this book I’m surprised they didn’t get a lost in a forest.
This book feels like it’s been written for a very specific generation from a very specific time period (and I love it).
The casually bisexual main character with no one making a big deal about it felt amazing.
My heart hurt from the beginning of this book until a good while into it, mainly because cheating is one of my big no, unforgivable things for various reasons. Julia manages to handle it so much better than I ever would, and there is one triumphant moment between her, and her ex-fiance that I will admit had me cheering out loud.

Thomas’ circumstances really got to me as well, and were extremely well written, as I am someone who knows what it’s like to worry about a parent to the extent it makes you feel a little bit ill.

The fact that their friendship was built around their love of writing, and the fandoms they found themselves in with nothing but support warms my heart. And that their friendship, and relationship begins to flourish because of that again made me so happy.

The heated moments were enough to make me blush, and I don’t do that very often.

I loved this book! The authors writing is beautiful and I fell in love with the main characters. Such a sweet romance with a few spicy scenes that I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book! I couldn't stop reading! the characters are lovable, and I felt very connected to Thomas, especially his relationship with his father, because I'm going through the same thing with my mom, so I understand his grief. HOWEVER, I would have liked to see more of Thomas and his father's relationship and i was expecting a little bit more at the ending.

I still feel like this book is a great read! cant wait to read more of the author!

Came for the spice and got it. The story was a brave attempt at reconciling failed dreams and trauma/grief. Wished there was more focus on the writing challenge.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub: 4/12/23

Date read: 5/15/23

Format: Kindle

Source: e-ARC, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Page Count: 326

Setting: Starling Hills, Michigan and NYC

Genre: CR

Tropes: 2nd chance romance, bisexuality, friends to lovers

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: HEA

Epilogue Included: six months later

Character(s)POV Spoken: H/h Julia and Thomas-alternates between them

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary:

Thomas Callaghan’s return home to Starling Hills, Michigan is meant to be temporary. But he’s not ready to go back to New York City yet because he’s home to care for his sick dad. He's also a romance author w/ writer’s block and…maybe he’s not quite happy in NYC anymore.

He hasn't spoken to his ex-best friend, Julia Ward in twelve years. She moves back home to Michigan with her parents after her fiancé cheated. She becomes a workaholic at her corporate job. When she sees Thomas, it stirs up memories of their childhood and dreams for the future. They planned to move to New York City together and become writers.

Rekindling their friendship and love for writing, they make a bet to see who can research and write 50,000 words first w/ a HEA.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F, M/M

Contains Children: yes, H/h as teenagers.

Flashbacks: yes, Julia and Thomas as teens writing fanfiction together dreaming of NYC.

Overall Smex Rating: 5, a little too much for me

OW/OM/Exes: Julia's ex-fiancé Josh-together since she was 17 years old.

AUTHOR OVERVIEW
Alaina Rose
New or read before & any favorites: new author

CONTENT/TRIGGERS WARNING:
death of a parent, grief, cheating,

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4*

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books By This Author: yes

Comments/Notes: I enjoyed Thomas and Julia's characters and how they slowly came back to each other after over a decade. They both had struggles to face in their personal and professional lives. Thomas had hard choices to make. His grief over his dad was written so well and I really connected with him. The side character Susan was great. Julia needed someone like her who could tell her like it is.

This book was a mess.

You’d think a story about ex-best friends who try to rekindle their friendship with a low-stakes writing bet would be cute. A nice lil second chance romance.

You’d be wrong.

There wasn’t enough chemistry in this book for a high school science class, let alone a romance novel. Also, Julia and Thomas go from getting to know each other again to semi-public sex in the space of like… ten pages, which is not very realistic. Normally I’d give something like that a pass but like I said, no chemistry to speak of.

The side characters are all shit. Their personalities change from chapter to chapter and it makes no sense.

Every mention of gender, sexuality, and race felt like grandma saying “I had black friends growing up!” every time. Big try-hard energy throughout the whole book. It was forced and awkward.

And my biggest pet peeve: it was all tell, no show. Very action by action descriptions of each scene. Rambly internal dialog for the characters instead of actions that show us what they’re feeling.

Hard pass.