This was the perfect summer beach read.
Set in a cute little oceanfront town, with the sea turtle loving wild child and the hunky ex football/bar owner. These two were friends for over a decade before things took a turn… a very spicey turn.
The banter in this book was great, the conflict was believable and I thoroughly liked this book.

Moral of the story: do date your best friend.

While making it 76% of the way through, I just couldn't anymore. The possessiveness, masculine pride and icky dirty talk were too much. If I read the words pussy or cunt anymore, I might gag, and the unholy jealousy and mineness of Finn's thoughts towards Maggie were just cringy. She is not yours! She is her own person.

I actually liked Maggie’s job and would have loved to see her take on that new challenge, but of course, Finn was never going to let that happen because not letting the woman you love take an amazing job opportunity just because it meant moving away is ok.

No, thank you.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This book is full of all my favorite rom com things... Small town.... Friends to lovers... What more could you ask for?! This book was fantastic and the perfect pool read.

Best friends to lovers! I love this trope. It always makes for amazing books, just like this one. Maggie wants to be free and not settle down and Finn is the stable home body and they are best friends. Chefs kiss, perfect!!
I just reviewed Reasons Why Not to Date the Best Friend by Melanie Munton. #ReasonsWhyNottoDatetheBestFriend #NetGalley
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First off don’t let this innocent cover fool you this book is spicy 🔥.

Overall I really enjoyed Maggie and Finn’s story. The only reason I am giving this 4 instead of 5 stars is because Maggies character is a little self sabotaging and her constant use of pranks etc. to deflect were really annoying.

You will enjoy Reasons Why Not to Date the Best Friend if you love:

- Small Town
- Friends to lovers
- Humor
- Found Family

This was a fun read that I would recommend to others.

this was a cute read, perfect for the summer, it was a slow start but once i got invested in the characters i couldn't stop. i was pulling for them the whole time. would definitely recommend

Maggie's been off for awhile. She's been feeling sort of out of place in her own community, has felt that way since her last birthday. Now her birthday's about to roll around again, all her friends save for one, are pairing up and settling down. So when a job is offered to her that will take her away, she's seriously considering it, considering leaving and trying to find her new niche, her new adventure. She underestimated her best friend, Finn, though, and just how adamantly he'd oppose the idea, and the lengths he'd go to keep her here, with him, where she belongs.

Damn but I was not expecting laid back Finn and his prankster best friend to be so damn hot together! Once they got together, they got dirty, and I was here for it. These two are some of the hottest friends to more I've read in a very long time, and their story is just as entertaining and good as their chemistry is hot. Throw in lots of pranks, lots of turtles, and a small town full of quirky friends, and this rom-com ended up being the perfect beach read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my.honest feedback.

This is a fun romcom story with a friends to lovers \ forbidden trope set in South Carolina, with some good spice (🌶🌶🌶). I hope you lol dirty talk because the MMC has a deliciously filthy mouth.

Its characters are fun to go along a journey with, but one of the key messages I got from the story was that a woman can't be happy unless you are coupled up, and that's an unfortunate position in 2023.

The fun part is the MCs realizing their feelings for the best friend. It was great to get back to Shell Grove, Finn and Maggie were meant to be. Their friendship is not to be messed with, ven when they have a disagreement they still keep their standing friend dates. I liked the flashbacks to pivotal points in their friendship/life and how they were introduced as a memory from the character.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy that came out last week! This was the third in the Shell Grove series and I liked it enough I want to go back and read the first two (note: you don’t need to read the first two first)! Loved Finn and Maggie’s evolution, and I can definitely see how they tie in the previous books. Maggie’s character had me laughing out loud! Some of the sex scenes were a little too much for me (I don’t know why they had to be so sexually cheesy, cliche and use some vulgar words over and over). Overall, I gave it a 4 out of 5, enjoying dual POV (although sometimes got confusing) and the epilogue!

I want to start by saying I did not know this was book 3 to a series and felt like it was fine in itself. The then and now was a great touch to see how things unfolded when Maggie and Finn were younger. Maggie was offered an amazing job but has to leave Shell Grove and Finn has to figure out a way to keep her there with him. This book gave me all the feels. I especially enjoyed the spice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is Book 3 in the Shell Grove series, and I think it might be my favourite one! This book focuses on Maggie and Finn and their friends to lovers relationship.

I thought it was really cute how we got little flashbacks to their teenage and early adult years! It was a nice touch to see the past.

Maggie is at a point in her life where she feels stuck while everyone around her moves forward with her life. Just as things start to heat-up with Finn, an amazing job opportunity lands at her door and she needs to make the decision to go or stay.

Finn, finally comes to terms with his feeling for Maggie... It's been there for years, but neither one has wanted to admit or embrace these feelings. The best friends are each other's cheerleaders and support system, they co-parent an adorable dog too!

Watching these two come to terms with their feelings gave me all the feels! This book made me laugh, it made me swoon, it made me cry! There is so wicked spice in it which was off-the-charts hot!

I am now going to go buy this book to complete my Shell Grove Series on my bookshelf!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.


I thought this story was cute. I’m a sucker for best friends to lovers🥰

I love how much Finn was obsessed with Maggie. I found Maggie’s lack to communicate annoying but I kind of saw myself in her also.Their love story was very sweet.

I would say this is a 3.5 star for me so I’m going to put 4 and round up. I will definitely be checking out more of her books 🥰

I loved this book! I will jump at the chance to go back to Shell Grove! Maggie and Finn have been best friends since they were teenagers, and they are each other's biggest cheerleader and biggest supporter. They have always viewed each other as friends... until all of that changes. Things change when Maggie is offered her dream job, which would require her to me from Shell Grove.

Finn and Maggie have amazing chemistry, and there is so much steaminess when they get out of the friend zone. They were so sweet together too, and I loved that they were so supportive of each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and XPresso Book Tours for an ARC of this book.

I really liked this book from the cover, to the story line. It definitely surprised me with how steamy and spicy it got. Then again, if I had some pent up sexual tension with my best guy friend, I might be the same way. Love Maggie and Finn together, best friends for forever but now the situation seems to be turning. This book gives all the reason why not to date the best friend and how Maggie and Finn really feel about each other.

Such a cute and fine read. A perfect take to the beach or park for the day and sit back and relax and enjoy.

I loved this one so much! I've been waiting for these characters and it didn't disappoint. The romance is sexy and humorous. There's just the right dose of angst. We see favorite characters from previous stories. There's a lot to love about this one. And the ending was perfect!

Time to go back!!

I just love this series. Like everything about it.

I will continue to go back to Shell Grove EVERY time I get the chance.

Definitely, definitely definitely read these books because they will become an automatic buy when one comes out 😆

Omigod, I'm so in love with this book! And can I get a Finn to go, please? 🥵😍

This is so well written... The banter, the spicy scenes, the characters' (and their relationship) development - everything is on point!

I really couldn't put it down! Can't wait to read other titles by this author.

Highly recommend!

I really like this book. I like the writing style of the author, the plot was very interesting and everything was very enjoyable. I enjoyed the characters and the effort the author put into developing them. I felt as if they were my friends. I enjoy reading friends to lovers, but this was special in that neither friend had feelings beforehand, so you got to watch it all unfold and truly be a part of the love story. I found myself smiling, giggling, and kicking my feet the whole time and I can’t ask for anything more in a book!