Name: Juliana M's review of Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne
Item: Blurred Lines
Rating: 5
Author: Juliana M

Lauren Layne

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Emma Chase, Lauren Layne delivers a sexy take on the timeless question: Can a guy and a girl really be “just friends”? When Parker Blanton meets Ben Olsen during her freshman year of college, the connection is immediate—and platonic. Six years later, they’re still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland’s trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him. The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker’s ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to. Praise for Blurred Lines “I just finished Blurred Lines and I absolutely adored this outstanding story.”—New York Times bestselling author Sandi Lynn “I devoured Blurred Lines in one sitting. It’s my kind of book, sexy and witty, and the banter between the characters is off the charts. You’ll fall in love with their chemistry from page one.”—USA Today bestselling author Sidney Halston Lauren Layne’s New York Times bestselling Oxford Novel series can be read in any order: IRRESISTIBLY YOURS I WISH YOU WERE MINE SOMEONE LIKE YOU I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE I THINK I LOVE YOU Don’t miss any of Lauren Layne’s hot reads: The Love Unexpectedly series: BLURRED LINES | GOOD GIRL | LOVE STORY | WALK OF SHAME | AN EX FOR CHRISTMAS The Sex, Love & Stiletto series: AFTER THE KISS | LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH | JUST ONE NIGHT | THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE The Redemption series: ISN’T SHE LOVELY | BROKEN | CRUSHED The I Do, I Don’t series: READY TO RUN | RUNAWAY GROOM Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Blurred Lines

Juliana M

the epilogue give me so much serotonin it's crazy

karalea

** spoiler alert **
           i was only here for the best friends to lovers trope to be honest. the rest of the book was pretty typical but the chemistry between ben and parker was surprisingly good. their characters couldve used a bit more development though. 

unfortunately, parker’s character was kind of annoying and none of her decisions made sense, so that sucked. i also felt like all of the girls ben slept with were conveniently dumb and/or mean?? idk it seems unrealistic that he hadnt met a decent girl other than parker. 

i hate that parker’s mother getting cancer again was used as a plot point to bring ben and parker together. was there really no other way?

the sex was pretty good but weirdly enough lacked passion? you’d think if they were best friends they’d go about it with more care, maybe draw it out and savor it more? like i get the whole 6 years of pent up sexual tension thing but they were best friends before they were fuck buddies, you know.

Aishling

brianna

something cute and fun for the friends to lovers girlies!

Connor 

This was more or less exactly what I expected? I wanted a friendsto-lovers trope book, picked his one up, and got myself more or less... exactly that. I did pretty much read it all at once, though, so there’s that. And I’m always fond of ladies with traditionally male names, but as we all know I’m biased on that front.

Sven Test

This review was originally published on Latte Nights Reviews.

I have read Lauren Layne's previous works and I have liked them but this book?! I loved it! I LOVE the best-friends-to-lovers trope. I always have high expectations for this trope and this book did not disappoint. Parker and Ben have been the best of friends since their freshman year in college. After six years, they are still best friends, living together and they don't have feelings towards one another. Parker is somewhat happy in her relationship with her boyfriend and Ben is happily flirting and hooking up. But then Parker's boyfriend dumps her because he needs a break and Parker starts to consider having no strings attached sex with whoever. But she realizes she wants to have fun with sex and the only way to do that is to hook up with someone she knows, someone she trusts, someone who will not make it awkward once they have done the deed. All of the arrows point to Ben.

What if the right guy to scratch my sexual itch is the one who makes me laugh? The one I can talk to.
What if the right guy . . .
Has been right in front of me?*

The friendship between Parker and Ben, even after six years, is so intact and loyal. They have such witty banter that will have you smiling and laughing, too. But they also have their serious talks. They seek each other for advice, for a shoulder to cry on, just what every best friend would do. Ben has stayed by Parker's side in one of the most earth-shattering experiences of her life and Parker has given Ben a friend and a family. This pair has gone through so much together. A pair like this will obviously soon start having feelings towards one another and sparks will fly like you have never seen before.

Ben and my no strings attached relationship? Yeah. Turns out that there are suddenly strings after all. And I'm completely tangled in them.*

The chemistry between them is out of this world. The sex scenes were steamy as hell. I was at work reading and had to look over my shoulder, just in case. I loved the sex scenes because they were really fun. I mean, they were hot of course but because Ben and Parker have been friends for years, the sex was very comfortable between them and funny, at times. Parker would crack me up with some of her excuses. It really was something that I think everyone would want to have with their partner—to have fun, have intimacy and be comfortable all at the same time.

I have to admit I was surprised by the characters in this story. You know how the male is almost always very sure of himself and what he wants. Well, Ben is kind of the opposite. Even though he's smart, he doesn't see his achievements—he actually tries to downplay them because he thinks he didn't do a good job or tries to justify his achievements. His family wanted him to become a lawyer but he chose his own path. Since then, his family hasn't been supportive and he has been on his own until Parker arrived. Ben really struggles with his self-esteem and it was nice to read about his character and completely see his vulnerable side, even though he is a total man-whore.

Parker's family is very tight and they have received Ben with open arms since he was introduced. I loved reading about Ben's relationship with Parker's mom and dad. It wasn't much but what the author wrote was enough to make my heart melt and feel happy that Ben could at least have a family in Parker's parents. The other character I really loved but at the same time would have my hate moments was Lori, who's Parker best friend and coworker. I have to admit that she was a good friend to Parker but she really had a major crush on Ben and that put me off for a while and I felt bad for her but at the same time, I hated that she had her sights on him. In the end, I ended up liking her again so all is good.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who is looking for a refreshing and funny New Adult story. This is one that could probably leave you wanting more like it happened with me.

*Quotes taken from advanced copy which may not end up in final copy.*

Inês Filipa

Ella Patterson

I really do adore the friends to lovers trope, and this book definitely managed to balance the pining, angst and miscommunication elements of it well. You could definitely get a feel for the history the characters had together and their chemistry was great. I didn't even hate the male P.O.V unlike normal which was a pleasant surprise. A cute and fun read with minimal angst and likeable characters.

Jayla Poindexter 

amaniabdul

** spoiler alert **
           its a classic friends to lovers but also friends w/benefits. people said its a "slowburn" but its really not. they literally kiss what the 3rd chapter.

J Ashlie

Loved this book

Love these two characters. I love the tragedies in this book. They're light, less serious tragedies but change the story none the less.

Andrea Cabezudo García

Parker y Ben? Mis nuevos hijos
Nunca habria imaginado que este libro me iba a gustar tanto y que me iba a tocar la patata de esta forma (casi lloro en la biblioteca lol)

Naimu

this was the cheesiest book I’ve ever read

Palmey Freysdottir

Cute friends to lovers, will say that the ending was kind meh but otherwise good book. Major miscommunication though, but also felt it was kind of justifiable.

Sofie

This is a tough one! I genuinely enjoyed the novel and the chemistry between Parker and Ben was incredible. Most of my issues are with the characterization of Ben.

Don't get me wrong: I LOVE the playboy to puppy-in-love cliche. It makes me feel all mushy inside. But I found Ben's character to be a bit hypocritical in the beginning.

Spoilers!

(view spoiler)[

First, how, when Parker was on her mission to try casual sex, Ben went with her to protect her from the "douchebags", as if he wasn't one right up there with them. And when I say douchebag, I mean in the womanizer sense. I have no issue with sex-positive characters, but there is a big difference between being a sexually liberated character and being a downright player. Ben, in the beginning, is exactly the kind of guy he was trying to keep Parker away from. 

What's worse is that, Ben mentions in his internal dialogue that he never leads girls on, that the girls he hooks up knows he's a one-and-done type of guy, but it's just not true. If it were, he wouldn't need to make up elaborate lies to get these girls out of his place in the morning. And then Parker and Ben's ~big fight~ is that he doesn't like that she thinks of him as a womanizer. Ben, baby... you are!

Also didn't like his language of having a "flavour of the week" and calling this girl he meets at the bar "psycho". 

 (hide spoiler)]

But all that aside... I still liked him! Crazy, I know! I loved his character development and his slow realization of his feelings, though he obviously should have know that (view spoiler)[ he needed to be the one to tell Parker his feelings had changed, because she had no reason to believe that he wasn't still the no-strings-attached kind of guy he's always been.  (hide spoiler)]

Anyway, a good read! Quick and fun.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
.

Friends to lovers romance is one of my favorite tropes. I love watching the way the relationship changes between two people who were connected in a deeper, more meaningful way before they decided to sleep together. I suspected I would love this book once I read the blurb. I've read several of Lauren's books before and really enjoyed them. It was a wonderful book, even if there were a few pages that pretty much made me lose my mind. 

Like any good rom com movie, I expect amazing banter and genuine humor in my friends to lovers stories. Parker and Ben gave me that and more. I seriously loved these two characters. (Even in the moments where I wanted to shake sense into both of them.) They have a deep connection and have been friends for years. They were good for each other and they were there for each other through thick and thin. 

In the beginning of the book, I found myself chuckling over and over again as they delivered some great lines to each other. Then, as their "friends with benefits" agreement began, I was fanning myself and watching them realizing they would inevitably screw it up and some point before they got it right in the end. (Hopefully.) 

To say I was invested in these characters would be a gigantic understatement. They were written so well and I connected with each of them through the chapters in their respective POV that I felt like they were friends. I wanted the best for them. Of course, in my mind, the best was nothing other than them together. Romantically. Forever. So, needless to say, when things started to go south, I was frustrated and annoyed. I even almost considered putting the book down because it was all too much for my heart to take. I'm glad I gave it a chance though. It was all worth it in the end. 

Blurred Lines was funny, sweet and swoony. (And, if you're a shipper like me, maybe even a little gut-wrenching at times.) I still stand by my freak out and annoyance at some of the things that occurred, but I have to say I ended the book with a smile and happy tears. All in all, it was a wonderful book that I devoured in one sitting. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

window

Ariella

ooooooohhhh por Diiiiiioooos
todos soñamos con una amistad que tienen Ben y Parker... es simplemente hermoso... y esta novela fue ESPECTACULAR

Joana Rodrigues

thank you lauren layne for your bearable hets

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Guys and girls can’t be just friends. Or not best friends, anyway.
Shit gets too complicated.

I absolutely love reading the friends-to-lovers trope, and add in the fact that Lauren Layne wrote this, Blurred Lines was a total win for me! (I always manage to enjoy this author’s books.) Fun, sexy, hilarious, and so, so sweet, Blurred Lines is a wonderfully heartwarming read about best friends who end up being so much more to each other.

Parker Blanton and Ben Olsen have been best friends since college, and six years later they now live together in an apartment. I loved their friendship – the banter between them is hilarious, but I also enjoyed the more serious, supportive aspect to their friendship. They’ve been through thick and thin side-by-side, and that’s never going to change.

Ben is an eternal bachelor and manwhore, and he’s very firmly anti-relationship. He’s also got some deep-set issues with feeling inferior to others, mainly because of the way his parents have treated him. I found this fascinating about Ben’s character, because it’s not often that I read about a hero who has an inferiority complex. Lauren Layne surprised me with the depth of Ben’s character, which she executed very well. I adored Ben, and my heart went out to him whenever he felt so inadequate at doing anything, especially long-term relationships.

Parker has just gotten dumped by her long-time boyfriend, and she’s looking for someone she can hook up with. She wants to be the girl version of player Ben, but when she tries out some guys, they just don’t work because she doesn’t feel comfortable enough with them. Then she realizes that maybe the perfect person is the player himself, the guy she feels most comfortable with in the world.

What if the right guy to scratch my sexual itch is the one who makes me laugh? The one I can talk to.
What if the right guy . . .
Has been right in front of me?

Parker and Ben begin a no-strings-attached sexual relationship that they can choose to end at any time, all while trying to maintain their friendship. And it does work… for a little while. The chemistry between them is hot, the sex between them is on fire, so everything is going smoothly between them… until Parker’s ex wants her back. Then both Parker and Ben have to confront their newfound feelings for each other or risk losing the most important person in their lives.

There are so many things I want to do to her. Things that I want her to do to me. But when her arms come around me, pulling me closer, all I can think about is being inside her. Being home.

I know when I pick up a book by Lauren Layne, I’m going to get a feel-good, funny, entertaining read, and Blurred Lines is exactly that. It was easy to read, in the best of ways. I didn’t want to put it down – I was invested in the romance and I laughed so much at the humor. My favorite thing about this book is how the friendship between Ben and Parker is so strong, yet their love grows to be even stronger. This book is definitely a must-read for fans of the friends-to-lovers trope!

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1gVEHfA

Liked this review? Subscribe to Booklovers For Life for more!

Jessica 

Love Unexpectedly Series: 
Blurred Lines: ★★★★☆
Good Girl: TBD
Love Story: TBD
Walk of Shame: ★★★★★
An Ex For Christmas: TBD 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J. 

“Chemistry is like anything in life. The more you look for it, the harder it is to find.” 

My second Lauren Layne novel and phew. Phew, this was a doozy. That chemistry. The use of the friends to lovers trope. The balance between fluffiness and steam is a sure hit. The more I read by Layne, the more I begin to question why I hadn't read her novels sooner because they are lively and fun and exactly what I needed this year. 

Although there were a lot of traits I wasn't terribly keen on (the judgment/shaming of the girls that Ben hooked up with, the fact that all the women featured in this that weren't Parker's friends were portrayed as mean and looked down on, the lack of common sense and communication, the blink-and-you'll-miss it Mom with cancer trope thrown in as nothing more than a cheap plot device, etc) Blurred Lines proved to be the highly engaging and indulgent romance I was looking for this summer. 

I genuinely liked the characters of Parker and Ben both individually and together. Their friendship, as it progresses, felt firmly real and kept me reading. All the moments where their chemistry is explored are fiery and fun; full on fantasy that will keep readings sitting up straight and never breaking eye contact with Layne's words. These characters are flawed and passionate and I love them all the more for it. 

I loved how clueless they were about what they'd likely always felt for one another--the chemistry they share is the type that unknowingly built over time and I felt very strongly for them, and it, even when they frustrated me at times. As someone who has delayed emotional reactions (the kind that just hit you suddenly that, oh crap I have feelings for them) I felt very attached to the way that their relationship was portrayed. Seeing them both come to that conclusion was one of those mundane revelations that just made sense and it made me a bit giddy. 

The formula of Blurred Lines is simple, even when the characters are not. This is what makes the novel work for me ultimately. I liked the characters, how they weren't perfection personified and that they kept moving and making mistakes. While a lot of the novels central conflicts could have been easily solved, that isn't life and it certainly isn't Blurred Lines. 

Much like my experience with Walk of Shame there was a lot to be praised in Blurred Lines. Lauren Layne's writing is full of sizzling chemistry and a type of energy that makes for pure entertainment. There is something quick and smooth to every page, and it leads readers on a path of heartbeats and flushed cheeks. I'm loving her work more and more and can't wait to dive further into her backlist.

Juliana M &
Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne

Reviews

Join the club

Juliana M &Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne

Reviews

Join the club

Juliana M &
Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne