PERFECT. JUST PERFECT. this book made me so emotional and teary but so full of love and hope all at the same time. i love how many different love stories we get to experience through this one. Not only do we get a steamy and slow burn childhood friends to lovers with fake dating, but we also get to see glimpses of Laniah's parents' love story that parallel with Laniah and Issac's love story which i was just obsessed with. The romance tropes that were used in this were so classic and effortless at the same time. The author really took some of the most beloved romance tropes and expanded on them. They are classic but also unique in this story which I think makes for a really fun reading experience.

Overall, this was a masterpiece and I loved every second of it.

I was completely captivated by this book and finished it in just one day! Riss M. Neilson has definitely hit it out of the park with A Love Like the Sun! The plot cleverly combines two beloved romance tropes - best friends to lovers and fake relationship - to create an absolutely delightful novel. The entire cast of characters, from the main protagonists to the supporting ones, were well-developed and added so much depth to the story. The novel had a great flow, and every page was filled with emotion and genuine feelings. A Love Like the Sun is, without a doubt, a 5-star novel that I didn't want to end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance novel, as it will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside!

I love a good childhood friends-to-lovers story. The pining and "it's always been you" gets me every time.

Isaac was like a unicorn - he was sweet and would do anything for Laniah. It seemed he clearly knew that he wanted her but it took her a bit longer to come around to realizing it.

This was a very slow burn and maybe a bit too much of a slow burn for me. I wanted more of them together instead of scenes of them apart with their friends an family.

This was enjoyable and I'm looking forward to more books by this author.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

I can't wait for the girlies to eat this book up this Summer!

A Love Like the Sun is for those who love friends to lovers, soulmates, and like somewhat low-stakes conflict that isn't centralized on the relationship. It follows best friends Laniah and Isaac, who have been one another's rock for years. While Laniah is working with her mom to follow their small-business dreams, Isaac is Instagram famous for his honest conversations on love and art. When Isaac discovers that Laniah and her mom's business is far from thriving, they pursue an unconventional path to save the business, rehab his public image, and possibly (FINALLY) admit their long-standing feelings for one another.

I adore Laniah, Isaac and the cast of characters that Neilson has written in this world between Los Angeles and Rhode Island. Laniah and Isaac are absolutely the dream, and I wanted to lovingly throttle them so many times so that they could more quickly reach their HEA. I appreciated Neilson's representation of a WOC navigating the medical industrial complex and think a lot of folks will find it relevant. However, what really irritated me was the continuous use of the phrase "Cali" and small snippets that truly misrepresented/showed a lack of knowledge of Los Angeles and California as a whole. It's a small thing, but it did irritate me as someone from Southern California, who has lived in LA. I hope the final edition of this story fixes some of those things, because I'm pretty sure everyone is going to go feral for these two and their love story!

To be 100% honest, I would have loved this book so much more if it was less focused on a fake-dating romance, and instead focused on Laniah's (the main character) health journey and her becoming more confident in herself and business. But with that being said, I didn't dislike this book at all. I had a fun time and LOVED the parts that focused on Laniah's health and her constant gaslighting she is at the receiving end of despite her real and valid concerns which eventually result in a diagnosis, though received way later than it should have. Oftentimes, the romance got in the way of plots that I was way more invested in. And the love interest Issac got on my nerves time and time again as he asked Laniah to leave her job or fly somewhere so she could come to an event of his. He got better as the novel continued, but as I said before, this could have been so much better if it was less focused on being a romance novel and more focused on being a self-disovering, women's fiction book.

They've always loved each other and have been best friends forever but when Isaac finds out that Ni's dreams are crashing down he finds a way to save them by taking their relationship to social media and letting everyone believe that their relationship is more than it is. There was always love between the two of them and as they start sharing their feelings in an honest manner it opens up a space in the world for them to figure out if they're forever or just friends. This book while a romance also touches on an incredible topic of advocating for your health and trusting yourself and your symptoms and looking for a second or third opinion. This book is so warm and envelopes you in a warm hug from beginning to end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title in advance.

Laniah and Issac have been best friends since they were children- back when Issac was still just a neglected foster kid. Now adults, Issac is an accomplished artist while Laniah is trying to keep her failing business selling homemade natural hair products afloat.

When a photo of them looking like more than just friends goes viral, they take advantage of the situation and embark on a mutually beneficial fake relationship. Issac’s reputation is bruised from a recent high profile breakup with a model so he jumps at the opportunity to rehabilitate it by dating the ‘girl next door’ while Laniah’s business will get a boost in sales from her association with Issac.

Everything is going as planned until their genuine feelings of love become too obvious to deny. Additionally, Isaac’s fame begins creating problems for Laniah, who dearly values her privacy, so she decides to break it off. But Issac, convinced that Laniah is his soulmate, is not ready to give up that easily.

This slowburn, sexy friends to lovers romance deals with emotionally difficult issues like grief and chronic illness but also includes themes of friendship, family, hope, and learning to trust in the power of unconditional love.

This was such a gorgeous, life-affirming, steamy and fun friends to lovers/fake dating romance. The connection between the MCs was deep and meaningful, and watching them support each other and find their way from friendship to love was beautiful. I also really appreciated the arc of supporting someone with a chronic illness, and the love that Neilson gives to everyone who may be grappling with their own feelings of lovability. This will be a future comfort read for me and so many!

This was a really enjoyable book, but I didn’t feel very invested in the romance. It was beautifully diverse and I loved the touches on foster care, art, and illness but I wish it dived more into the main characters’ pasts — it definitely would’ve added a bit more connection for me. However, this is a fun summer romance and it was a fun time!!

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy!

I recommend this one if you are looking for a fresh and meaningful lifelong friends-to-lovers experience. This one made me cry towards the end because it was so satisfying when this lovely couple finally found their true path. I did wish that it hadn’t taken them quite so long to get things worked out.

The sweetness of this story doesn’t mean some deep real-life topics aren’t covered, including a chronic and serious disease. However, the ultimate tone of this book is hope and happiness. I especially enjoyed the cast of interesting characters, the settings of both Rhode Island and California, and the charming hair and skin care business.

I have so many thoughts on this book and just cannot quite find the words to do this book justice at the moment. Full review to come.

WOW. All I can say is WOW. What a beautiful love story. Laniah is a homebody who runs a business with her mom. Isaac is an internet celebrity who runs a brand. They've been friends since they were kids. When Isaac comes to visit, he realizes Laniah and her mom are in financial trouble and he tries to help out.

They've been best friends forever but have never given in to the connection between them, but over the course of this summer, the lines between life and art and love blend and mix and it's just such a beautiful, honest, real, relatable story.

Well written and enjoyable story of friends to lovers / fake dating between two best friends. In addition to being a solid romance story, the book also sensitively paints a picture of the challenges of growing up in foster care and struggling to start a business.

This was a beautifully written love story that featured the friends-to-lovers trope so well. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.

I thought this was an extremely well done friends to lovers story. It was also diverse, wove in a little bit of Hollywood, and tackled grief really beautifully. I love seeing smart romances like this one gaining so much popularity. They are a wonderful escape but not total brain candy. Perfect summer romance—can’t wait to sell it!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately the main characters were not speaking to me and I found it hard to carry on reading this story.

Laniah and Isaac have been best friends since they were young, and even though the now live on opposite sides of the country and have completely opposite lifestyles, their friendship is still going strong. When Isaac discovers that Laniah and her mother are on the verge of losing their small business, he uses his newfound influence to draw in new customers and breathe new life into their community. But when they both admit they have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship, will they be able to move their relationship to the next level? Or will fear of losing what they have keep them apart?

This was a good basic friends to lovers romance. I felt there could have been more in the way of relationship development as far as the big emotional crisis went. The resolution to that felt a little rushed to me, as did the reveal and resolution to the other issue they had to deal with as a couple. Overall, a good comfortable romance, but not one that will stick out to me for very long.

Providence, Rhode Island - Present Day

Laniah Thompson and her mother have opened the store they've long dreamed about. Wildly Green is a natural hair store selling the very products that Laniah's mother has been making for years. But business slackens off so much that the two women must close the shop and, hopefully, keep working from home.

To Laniah's surprise, her lifetime best friend, Isaac Jordan, who is an internet sensation, appears at her door as she's sorting through boxes brought from the store. She stalls telling him of the failure of the business because she doesn't want him to offer to help. But eventually, Isaac finds out, and he, of course, is intent on salvaging the hard work Laniah and her mother have put into their enterprise. And the only way he can think of to do this is to announce to his millions of media followers that he is dating Laniah.

Laniah and Isaac grew up across the street from each other, and have remained close friends into adulthood. But while they've both gone separate ways, both in life and in love, their shared memories are very strong. Is it possible that the love they feel for each other as friends can develop into a stronger, more romantic love?

A LOVE LIKE THE SUN is a modern romance with two people who are stronger, and wiser, because of the history that they share.

A thoughtful and emotional love story between two long-time best friends afraid to admit that their feelings for one another run deeper than friendship due to past experiences with loss and a need to hold on to their very dear friendship at all costs. Their backstories are moving and while the love between the two is palpable from early on, we know they have a journey ahead of them before they can embrace that love. The struggles go both directions, but most sharply from Laniah, our narrator, whose desires and fears create the push-and-pull dynamic that carries the friends through a very public fake-dating scheme, the challenge of maintaining their connection long-distance across the country, the re-launch of a beloved business venture that Madame CJ Walker is up there somewhere cheering about, the creation of deeply meaningful artwork, and a major health concern that goes un-diagnosed for far too long due to the negligence of Laniah's dismissive and shaming doctor. Neilson packs a lot into this story, emotionally and narratively, giving us a fully-fleshed out heroine who's gloriously imperfect and also so full of love for her family, friends, and community, it's impossible not to root for her. A dash of steam amps up the stakes and makes the reader ache for these two to get their HEA, and a beautiful thread about what Laniah recalls from past years adds meaning to even the smallest things like a candy wrapper or the pluck of a guitar string. With a well-rounded cast and a lovely sense of setting, family, and community, I enjoyed this immensely.

A love like the sun is a beautiful, slow burn, friends to lovers story. Isaac and Laniah are best friends since childhood, even as Isaac becomes famous. Isaac suggests they pretend to date so her store will get more attention. As they spend more time together fake dating, we learn more about their character and depth of love for one another. Riss M. Nelson does such an amazing job of leaving more and more crumbs so that the reader wants to keep turning the page to see when they will finally figure things out. By the time they finally admit their feelings for one another, I was twitter-pated, so in love with their connection and dying for them to be together.