Review: Book Boyfriend

Book Boyfriend was my second read from Kris Ripper and it was just as enjoyable as the first one I read. It was fun and heartwarming! And, bonus, fabulously bookish.

Here’s the book’s description:

There are three things you need to know about Preston “PK” Kingsley:
1) He’s a writer, toiling in obscurity as an editorial assistant at a New York City publishing house.
2) He is not a cliché. No, really.
3) He’s been secretly in love with his best friend, Art, since they once drunkenly kissed in college.
When Art moves in with PK following a bad breakup, PK hopes this will be the moment when Art finally sees him as more than a friend. But Art seems to laugh off the very idea of them in a relationship, so PK returns to his writing roots—in fiction, he can say all the things he can’t say out loud.
In his book, PK can be the perfect boyfriend.
Before long, it seems like the whole world has a crush on the fictionalized version of him, including Art, who has no idea that the hot new book everyone's talking about is PK’s story. But when his brilliant plan to win Art over backfires, PK might lose not just his fantasy book boyfriend, but his best friend.

This friends-to-lovers romance has a lot of miscommunication in it which, normally, would drive me up the wall. But, for some reason, PK’s inability to say what he really feels to the object of his affection was…well, I won’t call it delightful but it was understandable. Of course he and Art should have discussed their drunken kiss years ago (it would have saved so much heartbreak) but they each had their reasons for not wanting to talk about it. Namely, they were both scared that the other didn’t share their romantic feelings. Who out there can’t understand that?

The miscommunication was kind of also part of PK’s charm, shall we say. He’s awkward AF, which his friends embrace. But they don’t really seem to understand that some of their comments about his lack of emotions are hurting him. Just because he has trouble expressing his feelings doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any. I was so happy to read as he stood up for himself and explained why he acted as he did. His charm and somewhat squirrelly nature makes this first person story seem to be a bit all over the place to read as he’s very stream of consciousness (not unlike my book reviews tend to be!) but it just meant that the story was very much PK’s and really helped me understand him as a character.

I was very firmly Team PK even when he was acting like a bit of a dink and didn’t understand how his actions would or could hurt Art. That was the very last thing he wants and it was hard for him to see how misguided some of his attempts were. Art was lovely and they were a fabulous character to get to know and see on the page. But PK was the star and it meant some side stories, like the issues with Art’s brother, were a bit…out of place. Even if they did help PK understand Art and the world around him a bit better.

Book Boyfriend was an incredible joy to read. Kris Ripper’s latest novel is fun and swoony and laugh out loud ridiculous. It’s full of characters who haven’t been seen in nearly enough romance novels. And, fellow book nerds, you’re going to love all the writing and publishing bits of the story!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, for the purposes of a bookstagram tour and an egalley was provided via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*