THE FRIENDSHIP FLING – Georgia Stone
Harper Perennial
ISBN: 978-0063434790
June 3, 2025
Contemporary Romance

London – Present Day

Ava Monroe works as a barista in a busy London coffee shop and isn’t known for her friendliness. She doesn’t see the job as her future, but she can’t seem to figure out what job she should go after. One day, undeniably gorgeous Finn O’Callaghan comes into the shop, and they hit it off in an offbeat way. He isn’t put off by Ava’s surliness, and she is intrigued by his accent. They begin to talk, and she learns that Finn grew up all over the world and is currently working in London. He has a bucket list of things to see while he’s there and asks Ava to help him. They agree to be each other’s “plus one” for the summer. They soon spend a lot of time together, and he is pretty much a regular at the coffee shop. But is there also a romance developing between them? Ava doesn’t seem to think so, but she can’t stop thinking about Finn. Will their summer of friendship turn them into falling in love?

Ava is that typical single woman living in a London flat apartment with friends in THE FRIENDSHIP FLING by Georgia Stone. She doesn’t exactly hate her job, but she is not a people pleaser. Finn is the antithesis of Ava. He gets along with a lot of people and fits in well with her friends. He feels like he doesn’t have a family as his divorced parents don’t seem to care what he is doing, but Ava shows interest in his life. He enjoys hearing Ava’s ideas and easily jumps into doing things with her. Their friendship is great for them, but both are a little bit afraid to flip their friendship into a romance. Why ruin a good thing?

In THE FRIENDSHIP FLING, readers will go along with Ava and Finn as they traipse around the city doing various things and going out together. Their easygoing friendship means that they rarely argue. Is that a good thing? Her roommates and his fellow employees provide fillers and support for Ava and Finn. As he prepares for a job interview, which may take him to the United States, Ava has to deal with her conflicting emotions. Yes, their fling was only to last the summer, but how will she feel if Finn leaves?

Enjoy Ava and Finn’s foray into a friendship fling and spending lots of time together, then watch them fall in love for real. Don’t miss THE FRIENDSHIP FLING.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I really could not get into this one and i really tried. the premise was cute but i couldn't really connect with the characters.

She's grumpy, he's sunshine, and I LOVE them both so much. The setup, completing a Summer in London bucket list, was so fun and I felt like I was traveling from my armchair. Plenty of banter, lots of laughs, and the slowest of burns.

I always enjoy a reverse spin in the grumpy/sunshine trope, and Ava is definitely grumpy! I really enjoyed Finn and I always love a book that is set in London!

Humorous, grumpy-sunshine, friends-to-lovers romance. Ava is a grumpy barista who is basically just getting by and the overcharming overeager overly chatty Finn is a regular customer at the coffee shop. Ava’s looking for casual hook-ups as a way to pass the time before she goes home for some intense introverting, but her roommate/best friend is worried about her. In order to seem less lonely and pathetic, she tells her best friend that she even made a new platonic friend recently and lies that it’s Finn. After Finn catches her in the lie, he leverages it to his advantage to have Ava help him with his London bucket list. Finn seems to bounce around from continent to continent and does not seem to be good at setting down roots, but he sure is charming, in that nerdy adorkable sort of way. We get these total opposites spending time together, bantering like crazy, and slowly developing real feelings, which Ava is clearly afraid of. This book is so charming and delightful and I had so much fun reading it.

Opposites attract in this debut friends to lovers romance set in London during the summer between Ava, a grumpy barista and Finn, a golden retriever tourist. I found this honestly a bit slow and a bit long. Moments were good, there was emotional depth but I just felt kind of meh about the whole thing overall. Not for me sadly. Would recommend for fans of authors like Emily Stone and books like Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. I had no idea that I was going to throughly enjoy this book as much as I did! The reverse grumpy sunshine, the black cat/golden retriever, the banter (!!!!!!), the side friendships, the maturity of the characters - love it all!
I really enjoyed the relatability of Ava working in a customer service - the “regulars” expecting you to know their order without a please/thank you - was something I didn’t know I’d enjoy reading so much in a book. It made Ava’s character so real for me.
I can’t wait until June 3rd so that I can pick up a physical copy to reread and annotate! Thank you to Netgalley, Harper, and Georgia Stone for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Georgia Stone delivers a delightfully charming and heartfelt tale in The Friendship Fling, a novel that captures the quiet magic of unexpected connection. At the heart of the story are two characters who meet and instantly spark—not in the conventional romantic sense, but in a deeper, more intimate recognition of shared quirks and unspoken understanding.

Their chemistry is undeniable, yet refreshingly unconventional. They mirror each other’s eccentricities in a way that feels genuine, not contrived. Rather than rushing toward romance, the narrative leans into the tension and hesitation, embracing the uncertainty that often accompanies emotional vulnerability. This results in a slow-burn dynamic that stretches across the story like a gentle flame—persistent, warm, and deeply satisfying.

What sets The Friendship Fling apart is its ability to balance the sweet and the awkward with an undercurrent of humor and sincerity. Stone’s characters feel real—endearingly imperfect and emotionally honest—which makes their journey all the more compelling. While the story lingers in the “will-they-won’t-they” territory longer than some might expect, it’s precisely this pacing that gives the novel its charm.

Quirky, cute, and quietly profound, The Friendship Fling is a celebration of emotional connection, mutual weirdness, and the courage it takes to turn a friendship into something more.

This book had the potential to be 4 stars, but I'm giving it 3 stars. The message from the author is great, and Ava, the MC, reminds me a lot of myself and the struggles I'm going through. However, this book felt too slow burn, like extremely slowly. I'm not sure how to summarize this book BCS the plot is that a girl and boy need friends, they want more, but they stay in the friend zone. I'm kinda confused?

I feel like Josie, Ava's roommate, has a better story than any character in this book. Josie created an interactive exhibit for disabled people that's interactive. I want to hear that story.

I might give this a two because it was reallllllly slow, some smut and sex, then slow again.

Again I don't know how to explain this plot. Seems like both characters need therapy.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This a really great debut novel
and was a cute romcom, there is parts that sparkle so bright. If you are a fan of a slow burn + yearning - I think this is for you. The friends to lovers was also so good for people that meet on page and didn't have a history.

The character growth here was predictable and the ending was also easy to see coming. I personally don't really like a grumpy character, and I think Ava's character was a little flat because she was grumpy - I also don't know if fully believe that her brothers diagnosis would be the thing that would make her rough around the edges. I wish we got her backstory a little more in the beginning of the book to bring more context to that.

I will forever be screaming about The Friendship Fling. I need everyone to read it right now.

Ava quickly became one of my fav FMCs ever. She was so funny, and even in just the first chapter I knew I would love her. I too refuse to tell a man he’s funny.

Finn really helps Ava open up to people more, while Ava helps Finn to chase his dreams. Even though their relationship starts off as nothing more than a fling, it ends up being so much more. I loved their relationship so much.

Catch me SCREAMING about this book from the rooftops because WHO GAVE Georgia Stone the RIGHT to make this perfect book?!?! The first half had me laughing probably every other line, the middle started melting my heart (complimentary), and the back half had me crying my lil eyes out!! From the characters' emotional journeys to the most beautiful writing, this book is a perfect 5/5!! Was won over from the first line "It is fundamentally against my morals to tell a man he's funny."

Ava Monroe is stuck working a job she hates (coffee shop barista, not the best job for someone who hates interacting with other humans) and only really has 2 friends, one of which is her twin who is kind of stuck with her. When her roommate encourages her to make a new friend, new coffee shop regular Finn O'Callaghan's name just pops out. With a little meddling and some silly circumstances, the two agree to become friends - he's just in London for the summer, she's not looking for anything more than just one new friend - and complete a summer bucket list.

The list may be what they're physically doing, but what happens is a lot deeper. Finn pushes Ava to let people in and begin to find small joys in life. Ava helps Finn see that he doesn't need to force his way into affection from others and to find what dream will make him actually happy. With tender moments, an incredible amount of yearning (and the slowest of burns), the absolute hilarity of Finn pspspspsing Ava, the laugh out loud deadpan moments from Ava, a lot of friendship and heart, this book wormed its way into my heart and took root.

Thank you SO MUCH to Georgia Stone, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. When I say I cannot wait for more from Georgia, I mean it with my whole heart!!!!

This was such a great slow burn, friends to lovers, romance. It was longer than I anticipated but I didn't want it to end! A plus plus plus for dealing with tough subjects but also being funny and bright and hopeful. I will ship Ava and Finn forever! Also, I absolutely loved the ending!!

The Friendship Fling comes out next week on June 3, 2025, and you can purchase HERE!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every man looks fitter when he leans; against walls, counters, or, god forbid, doorframes. So when a familiar voice reaches me and the curly-haired man it belongs to props himself against the coffee bar, I'm embarrassed to admit that my eyes draw straight to him. But this reaction isn't a crime. I'm allowed to acknowledge these things.

I loved Ava and her prickly personality. She was dry and honest and secretly very caring under her bristly exterior. Finn was so damn charming, literally and genuinely flirting and charming every person he met (which is why he was so drawn to our prickly cactus FMC, obviously). The dry wit in this book was exactly my type of humor, I laughed so many times. Ava and Finn’s slow burn had me BEGGING for them to give in! This one wasn’t overtly sexual or explicit IMO but it still achieved insanely hot status. The secondary cast felt purposeful and really enhanced the storyline between Finn and Ava *yes, hello, I’d like a Julien book please and thank you!* I honestly enjoyed Finn and Ava’s friendship just as much as their romantic relationship, but I would argue they were never *just* friends, in the best way!

✔️Cattiest black cat/sunshiniest golden retriever
✔️Chapter titles
✔️Dual POV
✔️Pining
✔️5’10” FMC, glasses wearing MMC

First book from this author and I liked her writing style and characters a lot. Enjoyed the grumpy fmc and sunshine leading man and the friendship between them. A a slow but enjoyable burn. 4 ⭐️

The story follows Ava, who is somewhat of a grumpy hermit. She works at a coffee shop, unfulfilled by I,t and she only has one really close friend, Josie. Ava doesn't date for relationships, she just goes on dates to fuck. When Ava returns home from yet another bad date, Josie encourages Ava to get out more and make a friend as Josie is going away for a bit at the end of the summer and she doesn't want Ava to feel alone. Ava feels like it's fine because she has Josie and her brother Max. One day in the coffee shop, three guys come in for a coffee and one, named Finn, won't STFU and keeps gabbing away. After this initial visit, he starts coming in regularly trying to chat up a storm with Ava and being friendly to everyone around. Ava accidentally tells Josie that she has made a new friend, Finn, and when Josie comes in to the shop one day Finn happens to be there, which leads to Ava and Finn starting a friendship pact: Ava will help Finn check off items on his London bucketlist as he is leaving after 6 months, and Finn can be Ava's temporary friend to get Josie off her back about needing more friends.

The thing I enjoyed about this book was the actually building of a relationship between the two characters - having them form a friendship first and learning to open up to one another showed how relationships are actually supposed to work instead of all this book insta-love nonsense. I really enjoyed the exploration of London as well - the reason I requested this book is I was going to London and I really had wanted to read this before I went, but still super fun to read after since I've been there a ton of times.

What I didn't like: I'm sorry but Ava was too grumpy - it really grated on my nerves and Finn was such a people pleaser that he didn't have the balls to tell her to STFU because I would have in an instant. I get she has a lot of trauma with the stuff from her twin brother, but she took being a negative Nancy to a whole new level that I didn't think was possible. I think it was too much grumpy sunshine because honestly no matter how happy go lucky, people pleasing you are - no one in their right mind would take her constant putdowns, negativity without snapping back. It was also a bit too slow for me - by the time they got together at the end, I was just like whatever. I kept putting this book down to go do other things and would come back to it to force myself to finish it.

Overall 2.5 - I rounded up to 3 because I was being nice

DNF. The Friendship Fling fell flat for me. I didn't really care for the characters. Ava was not my favorite. I found her thoughts and behavior towards some of the men in the book mean. Her "dates" got old over time. From what I read, Finn was okay. His character felt a little basic. Both characters could have been expanded on. I did like the idea of the book and Ava's friend, Josie. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC.

A fun, summer read! I could see this being a hit for many people. Popular tropes like grumpy x sunshine, found family, slow burn and more. It did however take me a while to get into the book and start enjoying it.

This was fun. I like that it showed off popular as well as less known things about london. The characters were entertaining and it was fun to have the guy be the sunshine character. I feel like the grump is most often the guy.

I do wish we saw a bit more growth in the FMC with traveling, but we did see growth in other parts of her life.

Was the roommate blind? There was a line that hit and I was really unsure because I had never pictured her as blind. I do know she was helping make the art exhibit accessible but yea.

I plan to share this title on my Instagram on Monday, June 2nd over at www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

Ava is a snarky barista who likes to keep people at arms length. She doesn't like making new friends and she honestly isn't a fan of dating in general. Finn is the definition of a people person. He will make friends with anyone he comes across and he is very talkative. These two wind up stumbling into a unique friendship and Ava decides to pass the time by helping him with his London bucket list before he moves away. The two will slowly open up to each other and become each other's person in this beautiful friends to lovers that will have you laughing out loud and squealing into your pillow!

I loved the characters. I loved the comedy. I loved the slow burn romance. It was just a really good time.