What if there was a study to understand specifically why millennials have a hard time making friends and the person you kissed after an awkward first date was in it too? And y’all decide to be friends but also with non-touching benefits because it’s against the rules for participants to have sex during the experiment?
That’s the basis for The Friendship Study by Ruby Barrett.

Jesse Theodore Logan (PLEASE tell me that’s a Bill & Ted homage) used to be a firefighter. An accident two years ago took that away from him, and with it his identity and career plans. Lulu Banks, PhD, is struggling to find her place as a professor after leaving a British university once she discovered her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend were having an affair.

Both are yearning to belong in places they didn’t expect to be, and I could relate to Lulu’s and Jesse’s struggles to find and create community where it hasn’t existed for them before. Lulu has felt like she’s “too much”, and Jesse has a signature “grump face,” so there is some internal work to do through therapy to be vulnerable and make platonic connections with people.

Plus the STEAM! I love the loophole Jesse and Lulu use that if they don’t touch, it doesn’t go against the rules of the study. So there’s lots of mutual masturbation and dirty talk. 🥵

The Friendship Study
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Ruby Barrett

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Jesse Logan doesn’t want a fresh start. He wants his old life back—before an injury made his career as a firefighter impossible, before his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s got so bad he doesn’t recognize Jesse anymore. When a friend tells him about a paid psychological study, Jesse sees it as a chance to get back to the man he was while making a little extra cash.

All Lulu Banks is asking for is a fresh start. Back home after a devastating breakup, she’s struggling to find her place. She’s always been a lot—too loud, too eager, too obvious about her feelings. The friendship study seems like a great idea…until she’s paired with Jesse Logan, who recently ghosted her after a blind date that led to a steamy make-out session.

Now that old familiar tension is back. Despite the program’s strict “no romance” rule, Jesse and Lulu are quick to find a work-around that allows them to explore their tenuous connection. And soon they’re on their way to total self-improvement…

As long as they don’t get caught.

My Thoughts: This was a wonderful emotionally charged read. I really loved how the author explored these MCs. The premise was unique and along with the cover attracted me to read. Jesse had an injury that took him from a job he loved, being a firefighter, coupled with his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s disease, he has not been himself. Lulu just left a devastating breakup and is really struggling to fit in, outside of her family’s name, to make her own mark on the world. Both Jesse and Lulu join the friendship study as a way of making friends and finding themselves. The only rule is no romantic relationships, only platonic in nature. Jesse and Lulu are paired up and they soon find that they connect on many levels and have a way around the “rule.” Will they survive the study? This follows the tropes of friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, friends with benefits, and hurt/comfort.

The story is narrated in a dual narration by both Jesse and Lulu, in their respective perspectives. Jesse is strong, broody, sexy, and is struggling to find his place after his injury. Lulu is independent, trying to heal, and is looking for a fresh start without using her family’s name. The passion between our MCs is fast and strong. The unique way they find to circumvent the rule is amazing. The characters were developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and were creatively captured. The characters really had such character growth and enrichment. They were both broken, in different ways, through the study and counseling, was able to put themselves back together and came out the other side strong and capable of having a relationship. The author’s writing style was steamy, spicy, passionate, intriguing, and beautiful. The supporting characters were great and really added another layer to the story. The author does an amazing job with queer representation and addressing mental illness with grace.

This was a beautifully created story that I really enjoyed. The heavy moments were perfectly balanced out with the sweet moments. There were times that I shed some tears, some happy and some sad. Seeing that this couple get their HEA was so heartwarming. I highly recommend to other readers. I love Barrett’s style of writing and the steamy/spicy scenes are the perfect amount of spice.

Can we please have more book plots where the book starts off with a character being set up on a date by his ex? Like, I want every book to feature a friendship like George and Jesse!
Overall, Ruby Barrett writes relationships really well. Not only are the friendships and family dynamics in this book both complicated and realistic, but also, Jesse and Lulu have phenomenal chemistry! I don’t think I sensed their friendship chemistry like I was supposed to, but their romantic chemistry was off the charts! They were also really cute, both being nervous about being in love with the other person.
I really enjoyed both Lulu and Jesse’s backstories. I think both of them go through experiences that a lot of people can relate to, especially in their late 20s.
Overall, this was a really good romance that balanced romance and heart really well!

- Friends to friends-with-benefits to lovers
- Opposites attract
- Secret relationship
- Bisexual rep
- Mental health rep
- Dual POV

Ruby Barrett knows how to write memorable, relatable characters.

In this instance, we have Jesse and Lulu, who are set up on a blind date that doesn't go overly well. But then they reconnect in a friendship study profiling people who struggle to make and keep friends as adults (hi, it's me). There's a no-dating rule among participants, but when Jesse and Lulu realise they have more in common than they first thought, they decide to bend the rules in their own way.

I loved seeing them both be vulnerable and open up to and connect with each other and other people.

This book is spicy, emotionally charged, and hard-hitting. But you get a beautiful HEA at the end.

I didn't realize there would be bisexual representation so that was a fun surprise. There were moments that really worked for me and others that didn't. I realized have read one other book by Ruby and will have to keep my eyes out for more.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
POV: dual 1st person
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: family member with alzheimer’s/dementia, car accident (non-fatal), sexual assault (recounted), mental health (anxiety, depression), grief over injury (mobility issues), cheating (not MCs),
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this was a medium-paced, easy-to-read book with some great tropes. I loved being able to be in the minds of both MCs to see how they were struggling internally and trying to connect with each other. The FMC is all sunshine with a loud personality and the MMC is all grumpy who barely says a word and they worked so well together. The spicy scenes were creative and super hot with a few “teach me” scenes that were 👏👏
Their journey had me laughing, crying, closing my page with aggravation, and smiling. This is a great book that deals with some deep topics while not feeling dark or heavy. It’s a wonderful odd-man-out friends-to-lovers story where we really get to see the MCs grow throughout their story.

read this book if you love

😬 angst
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🌈 LGBT+ representation
💼 workplace (kind of) romance
💞 friends-to-lovers
🤐 miscommunication
🏝️ forced proximity
💓 slowburn
😡 grumpy/sunshine

First let me say that I 💯 wanted to read this book based on the cover. It’s GORGEOUS, and also gives a hint of what’s to come. But what I find fascinating is that past a first steamy kiss, that neither of them can stop thinking about, Jesse and Lulu do almost everything BUT kiss for the majority of the book. It’s amazing how much power is in one single kiss. From it we know they both desire each other, but because of their unknown dual enrollment in a “friendship” study, seeking to understand why adults have difficulty making friends, Lulu knows she absolutely cannot break the rules of engaging in a relationship with anyone in the study.
Thus begins the sexual tension. And it’s good. Quiet natured (and dealing with his own insecurities) Jesse is the hot firefighter type, but because of a car accident is feeling lost in who he is now that part of his identity has been taken from him. Lulu is equally unsure of herself after returning home, leaving her best friend and ex who cheated on her with one another. When Jesse’s ex-boyfriend sets the two of them up on a blind date, sighting their “loneliness”, the chemistry sparks instantly and ignites further from there. Just how far will “friends” go? How do friends soothe each other? Can you bend the rules of the friendship study without breaking them?
Ruby Barrett knows how to write a sex scene and it felt so refreshing to read about characters using their creativity to bend the rules as far as what sex includes. There’s toy play, pegging, mutual masturbation, truck sex, but it never felt like too much and seemed like a true outlet for how Jesse and Lulu felt about one another. I appreciated the neurodivergent representation through Lulu’s character and the bisexuality of both her and Jesse that felt true to them and not there just for the sake of being inclusive. So, did the cover live up to the story? Yes! This would be a great afternoon rainy day read I’d recommend.
I received an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.25
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭

Ugh, Ruby Barrett hits another one out of the park. So cute! So thoughtful! SO STEAMY.

I have a consistent hesitancy about queer man / woman romances. Some of them are amazing, and tackle queerness and passing in insightful and new ways for me. Othertimes, it feels like a straight romance with a bonus label for marketing purposes. This book DELIGHTFULLY fell into the former camp, as I felt hopeful that Ruby Barrett would be able to accomplish.

Lulu and Jess are two adults going through massive transitions in their lives related to work and how they relate to it. Both of them are hesitant about dating and friendship and effectively corner themselves into participating in an adult friendship study at a local college - a fantastic premise combining several tropes together.

As Lulu and Jesse continue to connect, things get messy and hot very quickly. I had to CAREFULLY choose when and where to read this book because even as a mostly sapphic queer, the sex scenes were so good - even one featuring mutual masturbation - that I was visibly riled up every time.

But what I love most about Ruby's books was the way that these sexy scenes carried the plot forward, and we kept peeling back the layers alongside Jesse and Lulu as they figured out important things (neurodivergence! Trauma!) about each other and themselves.

This book was SO GOOD. I love Lulu and Jesse so much. They were both great characters. Excellent individually and as a couple. I need everyone to read it and love them too!

The friendship study by ruby Barrett
This is already one of my favorite romances of the year and I suspect it will stay on the list until the end of the year. A truly complex, layered and beautiful story. Lulus loneliness despite her fun outgoing nature rang so true and was so poignant. Jesse’s search for identity beyond being a firefighter and his regret over not telling the grandfather who raised him (now suffering from Alzheimer’s) about his bisexuality was heart wrenching. Both these storylines and the relationship of these two characters were handled beautifully. This book really sold the idea of truly being seen by your partner. It also had great moments of humor and some wonderful steam.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! Unfortunately this book didn’t hit for me. I wasn’t invested in the characters and found myself bored while reading. I wasn’t seeing chemistry between the two leads and while the premise was so intriguing and I love the representation of a bi-male main character, that didn’t make the story gripping for me. I recognize not every book is for every person.

The noises that left my body while reading this should be studied. I was SWOONING the entire time. Ruby writes such approachable and comforting stories, I had the best time.

This book is for my fellow millennials, or truly, for anyone who has ever struggled to form new friendships and find deeper, lasting connections. It lays bare the aches and the loneliness that so many of us often feel, but don’t always know how to voice... while also giving us such a tender romance.

Jesse is an injured (ex)firefighter who is struggling with his new reality, all while his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s has progressed enough that he no longer recognizes him.

Lulu finds herself living back at home, after a devastating betrayal. She is lonely and struggling to connect.. until her colleague and only friend George, who happens to be Jesse’s ex-boyfriend, sets them up on a blind date. The blind date is somewhat of a disaster, minus one very hot make-out session, which ends when Jesse pulls away and basically ghosts Lu. Shortly after that, they run into each other after both joining George’s psychological “friendship study” that has a “no romance” rule. They slowly start to form the sweetest friendship... which eventually leads to some truly impeccable, toe-curling benefits.

This story is so soft and tender. Jesse and Lu are relatable, complex, wonderful characters that will stick with you. This book elicited such a vast array of emotions from me! I cried and also full-on sobbed, but I also laughed and smiled. Let’s not forget all the swooning and blushing! Such a beautiful balance. I swear I must have highlighted half of this damn book!

Truly, this book wove itself into my heart and put words to all the aches it found there. Sometimes you stumble onto a book that feels like it was written to soothe you... for me, this is one such book. I know I’ll find myself revisiting in the future.

This book was both extremely hørny and very emotional.

friends to lovers
hurt & comfort
friends w benefits
lots of representation
grumpy x sunshine
a little forbidden
lots of steam

This book was VERY emotionally charged. At times gut wrenching and devastating (there is a HEA don't worry), and then stitched me back together at the end. The character are very sweet and I loved reading about their journey and growth, both with each other and separately. I think my biggest take away from this book is the journey of change and growth and how that isn't always linear.

While I liked the characters, I couldn't fully connect with their romance and the way the friends with benefits plot line was a little too thin. I loved the spice but beyond that, I needed a little more.

I definitely still recommend this book!

I’m so glad I requested an arc to this book. I have never read something that makes you FEEL awkward and vulnerable in each interaction the character has (in the best way). The connection between Lulu and Jesse is not banter-y and cutesy, it’s real, vulnerable, and unexpected. They are anchors for each other in a time where life circumstances have taken all their confidence. Their relationship begins when they feel like they are the worst versions of themselves, yet the other sees these insecurities and accepts them all. Everyone needs someone they trust that can help you out of the pit of self doubt, but in this story that person is also your super hot new bff. I loved the emotionally charged romance, the separate underlying plots for each main character, and the queer representation. If you have ever had a time where you felt like “is it me? Am I too much?” This book is for you. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After a sort of bad first date, Jesse Logan and Lulu Banks discover they have both enrolled in The Friendship Study, awkward! As their friendship does actually grow, they find themselves also experimenting with more of the "with benefits" part of friends (even if that might be breaking the rules of the study).

This was really soft, and touching, and horny as heck. Jesse's struggle with grief (both over losing his career as a firefighter due to a disabling car accident AND being to lose his beloved grandfather who raised him) as his Alzheimer's worsens) did not overwhelm the romance arc, and Lulu's struggle to find her place out of her father's shadow in her beloved History professor career also did not. Both characters had their messes to work on, which made their falling in love even sweeter. Jesse's bisexulity was lovely to see (especially since Lulu's friend that set them up initially is also jesse's ex and still jesse's BFF - i hope he gets a book! i loved him!).

There was a lot of mutual m*sturbation (loved that).

Tons of fun!

author lists complete content warnings in the front matter of the book.

Ruby Barrett writes such a beautiful and tender story with The Friendship Study. Barrett handles the various complex topics within with grace and compassion, building out a tale that truly has you feeling like you know the characters by the end.

The Friendship Study is the second novel I've read by Ruby Barrett, and she continues to impress me. This novel perfectly walks the line between a cute romance and a touching character study. Overall, I loved it, and really recommend romance readers pick it up!

This was my first Ruby Barrett book, and I absolutely adored it. It was such an emotional love story, and both Lulu and Jesse were very complex and interesting characters. Their lives apart from the central romance were very interesting to read about, and I really enjoyed watching both of them find themselves and each other. I loved the friend groups and the friendship dynamics, and the side characters were really great as well. Overall, I would completely recommend this book!

Okay, so I knew I already loved Barrett's writing, her characters and the amount of heart she pours into her stories... but my love for The Friendship Study far surpasses my love for The Romance Recipe, which I didn't think was possible (but honestly, it's just a different kind of love).

The care that Barrett has for her characters jumps off the pages of this book! There is mental health and bisexuality representation, consensual interactions, caring and supportive families, and friendships that bloom before your eyes. As I read, I just continuously wanted the best for both Jesse and Lulu, and it's clear that Barrett wanted the same. I felt so much for these fictional characters, but my heart burst as they fell into themselves and pushed each other into becoming just a smidge more social, a bit more themselves. I very much related to both of them, and I think that's what Barrett does best - she creates characters that you empathize with, that you want to succeed and that you love with all your heart!

Extras:
-I love characters that read, especially ones that casually think reading four books a week is typical!
-both dogs and cats have representation

One more thing: this book is very steamy!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin - Romance and Carina Adores for the complimentary copy to read and review.