My Not So Anonymous Best Friend

“Noah believed in love everlasting. Love trumps all. Love is enough. I loved him with all my soul, but the inevitable still had us separate. And in truth, I just had no clue.”

I LOVE this book! I love the characters, I love their growth and how they took on the challenges they faced and came out on top. I loved the way Evan and Noah’s relationship grew and how even in the moments that they were tested - both personally and as a couple - and made decisions that would normally make me as a reader want to scream and shake them, I just loved them every more. There was a great balance of lighthearted and serious moments that kept the story from becoming boring or predictable! It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. 100% recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this beautiful novel!

My NOT So Anonymous Best Friend
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
by Elizabeth Arroyo
Release Date: April 29, 2022


When Noah , using the handle NOS2321, began messaging his pen pal, known by his handle XES6969, neither realized the would continue messaging for years. Little did they know that fate had so much more in store for them. Through heartbreaks, dad-agers, high school life, budding music careers, sports, and some serious family drama. They share their lives, at least some of it. They stay anonymous, but XES6969, or Evan, has a secret. He knows who NOS2321 is.

BEYOND THIS POINT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

I am mentally freaking out over how much I freaking loved this book!!!! Noah and Evan are both such amazing characters. They have developed backstories and real life stuff that drives or hinders them. I really expected this to be a fluffy rom/com, but what I got was an amazing story that should be up there with Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. I am so excited for this to be released so that you can all read it. I’m going to go pre-order it now because I need a physical copy!

I absolutely loved this contemporary teen gay romance! It was such an adorable and sweet, but also so heart-wrenching and gripping, story with amazing fleshed-out characters with flaws and secrets that completely stole my heart. I read it feverishly in one sitting, hoping for the HEA the main characters so deserved, but fearing that the evil persons in their lives or the characters themselves would cause a train wreck hindering that. (Just be aware of the trigger warnings - parental abuse, violence and grief – before picking it up.)

In sixth grade Noah Stone is assigned an anonymous pen pal for a school assignment. Little did he know, when reluctantly writing his first letter, that the anonymous pen pal would become his closest confidant for the next years, nor that the anonymous pen pal would move to his school and find out who Noah was in real life. Neither could he ever suspect that the annoying but intriguing superjock Evan Santiago would be that pen pal, nor that he would be the one encouraging Noah to come out of the closet and make a move on a boy he fancies, even though the thought of Noah with someone else breaks Evan’s heart. Nor could he guess why Evan has all the bruises, why he’s so aggressive or why he’s so protective of his little brothers.

Evan keeps a devastating secret that he can’t confide in anyone, believing he doesn’t deserve to be loved, that he deserves the hell he’s living in. His life is full of fear and responsibilities, knowing he has to protect his little brothers from his abusive dad at all costs. The only positive thing going on in his life are his chats with the anonymous pen pal. But when he learns his identity by mistake, he no longer wants to stay trapped in his lie, and when he learns that Noah is interested too, he takes a chance at love, risking everyone he’s tried to protect, including himself.

This might seem like a light and funny YA gay romance, but it had such depths and sadness in addition to the sweet and heartwarming parts. Evan’s situation was absolutely devastating and I rooted so much for him. He was such a complex character, with his tough attitude to try to cover his insecurity and vulnerability, and with his loneliness, his compassion and his love for his little brothers. My heart ached for him, even when he made the most stupid choices. But also Noah had demons to struggle with and a father pushing him into things that were not his own choice.

They were both such wonderful characters, with depth and flaws, and their chemistry was just amazing! I loved the way Elizabeth Arroyo captured the suppressed feelings, their love and fear, and how she made us readers come along on Evan’s and Noah’s journey to finding themselves and coming to a decision what’s really worth living for.

My only minor complaint is that some parts of their relationship felt a bit too toxic. It was fully understandable knowing what Evan had had to deal with, but I still would have preferred if Evan hadn’t been as dominant and over protective of Noah all the time and that he hadn’t been so opposed to bottom, that part felt a bit problematic to be honest.

But all in all, My NOT So Anonymous Best Friend was such an addictive, emotional, poignant and sweet story about first loves and finding your forever that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I can’t recommend this book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.