*3.5 stars*

I liked Jordan and Miriam from book 1 and their book didn't disappoint. Jordan, a superstar basketballer has been pining for Miriam with whom he had a 1 night stand months before. Miriam however had firmly put him in the friend zone after. Things come to a head when one of Jordan's friends likes Miriam too and stuff ensues...

I really like both of our protagonists. I enjoyed their friendship, and kept screaming at them to just talk and start their relationship because it was so obvious that they deeply cared for each other in ways other than pure friendship.

The little things I didn't like include how long it took them to get together, how Miriam's issue didn't totally gel with who I felt she had grown up to become, and eventually the 3rd act breakup felt unnecessary. Overall though, I enjoyed this a lot. And phew, the steam was hot.
I am just glad I only saw their awful, awful parents once.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC.

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So this is the second book in a series, which I didn't know until after I started it. But the good news is that you don't have to read the first one to understand anything that is happening in this one. The only reason I point out that it is book number two is so you can go back and read book number one. Because I absolutely am! This was a seriously emotional and angsty ride. And one that I enjoyed every second of! The angst pretty much kicked in from the start and didn't let up for the entirety of the book.

Jordan and Miriam had chemistry for days and I loved the way they supported each other while also trying to pretend they weren't head over heels in love with each other. The journey to the two of them getting together wasn't a smooth one. They had a lot of obstacles to overcome and plenty of things about themselves and their lives that they needed to figure out first. Something I liked about this is that while Jordan and Miriam are the main characters and their love story is at the center of it all, it isn't the only thing happening. There are side plots going on throughout the book as well and they have me already hooked for the next book in the series to come. Naima Simone is introducing us to this whole world and the cast of characters that she has created and she has me invested. Making those side characters appear in this book, knowing they are going to get their own happily ever afters has me invested in the continuing story of this group of people.

I liked that this wasn't overly spicy, too. Don't get me wrong, I love a good spicy book. But sometimes it's nice to have the focus be on the characters getting together and not completely focused on after they are together. It's nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the journey of them finding their way to one another. There was a lot of depth to these characters and I loved exploring that depth and being able to understand what made them tick and how their pasts have affected and made them who they are today. We all have a past and sometimes it can get in the way of our present and future. So I understood some of the struggles the characters were facing when it came to that and I related to them battling with their pasts in different ways. Overall, this was a great read and I very much recommend it. I also recommend reading the first book in the series. ( )