Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is a full-length, complete standalone, adult contemporary romantic comedy.
Cassie’s Review⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I absolutely loved how this book centered on STEM. It was woven throughout and every time it was brought up I just felt it in my soul.
{Personal Note: I was lucky enough from a young age that STEM was a large part of my life. I was able to attend programs centered of science and engineering, which led me to start college with the hopes of getting a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I lived on the Women In Science and Engineering floor in the dorms. I ultimately ended up with a Bachelors of Science in Economics (because I had all the science related classes done). But Penny brought up time and time again. It so disproportionate. I remember going to my TA led Calc class and being the only female. Believe me, the guys made comments about it too. }
I might be in the minority, but I loved how long this book was. We got to know these characters so well, and having the the dual point of view was an absolute treat. Getting inside Byron’s mind completely changed the way I felt about him and how I as a reader (or a human) can absolutely misjudge people.
My heart hurt for both Byron and Winnie, their personal experiences with their families and how they grew up. But I loved how both learned that they had to be open/honest and communicate.
I loved this book, and I know it’s definitely going to be one I think about often. I guess that will happen when you tear up reading about how a little boy can ask if he could be an engineer too, or if it’s just something girls get to do.
Byron and Winnie have this amazing tension from the very beginning, and Penny just does such an amazing job digging into it for all of us readers to enjoy. It’s definitely felt like a slow burn, but the payoff is worth it.
“It feels like you snuck past my defenses when I wasn’t looking, Byron Vissor. You were simply yourself and I had no choice but to love you.”
Ashley’s Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s a special kind of magic when an author turns a 90,000-word idea into a 150,000-word book and still leaves readers wanting more. I didn’t want this story to end.
I have a soft spot for books and characters that help me understand the world just a bit better from someone else’s perspective — books that challenge or inform my own world view and encourage compassion and learning all while telling a love story truly unique to its characters. Ten Trends To Seduce Your Best Friend by Penny Reid falls firmly into this category.
This grumpy/sunshine, slow burn novel is Reid at her very best. Byron and Winnie feel absolutely alive and vital. I was enthralled in their story. I didn’t want to put it down, but simultaneously wanted to take my time and savor it. This is one of those books that I wish I could read again for the first time.
I loved the representation in this book. Byron is not your typical book boyfriend, and I’m so glad Reid included a few chapters from his perspective so readers could get inside of his head. Winnie is a wonderful, strong, capable heroine with struggles and insecurities of her own. I also love the focus on women in STEM careers and the way they educate and advocate for other women and girls. One theme I found particularly relevant and important is that there is no us vs. them, life doesn’t have to be either/or. People can be scientists and interested in fashion, mathematicians and enjoy makeup, smart and “girly.”
Ten Trends to Seduce Your Best Friend is definitely a slow burn novel, but there is a spark between Byron and Winnie from their very first on-page encounter. Each of their interactions and challenges fan that flame and build delicious tension.
Winnie and Byron are incredibly complex characters. Their complexities — quirks, flaws, passions, hopes, traumas, and struggles — make them characters with whom readers can identify. I hope we see bonus material or short stories featuring these two characters.
Synopsis
Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser are not best friends.
Yes, they’ve known each other for years, but they’re not even friendly. Winnie considers them more like casual, distant acquaintances who find each other barely tolerable, especially when he's being condescending (which is all the time).
The truth is, they have nothing in common. She’s a public school science teacher with stars in her eyes, and he’s a pretentious, joyless double PhD turned world-famous bestselling fiction author. She loves sharing her passion for promulgating women in STEM careers and building community via social media, and he eschews all socialization, virtual or otherwise. She’s looking for a side hustle to help pay down a mountain of student debt, and his financial portfolio is the stuff of fiduciary wet dreams. So why are they faking a #bestfriend relationship for millions of online spectators?
When a simple case of tit-for-tat trends between nonfriends leads to a wholly unexpected kind of pretend, nothing is simple. Sometimes, it takes a public audience to reveal the truth of private feelings, and rarely—very rarely—you should believe what you see online.
Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is a full-length, complete standalone, adult contemporary romantic comedy.
