Book Review: More Than a Good Friend by Remi Carrington

About the Book:

Title: More Than A Good Friend

Author: Remi Carrington

Page Length: 259

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Synopsis: In high school I made a deal with my best friend. If neither of us were married by 35, we’d marry each other.

We haven’t spoken about it since. So when he proposes at our party, I walk away. I’ve loved him forever, but he is just making good on a deal.

I deserve better than that.

So I get on every dating app I can, and vow to change things. I’ll meet someone new and forget about how much I love my best friend.

That’s my plan.

But it veers a little off course when he gets protective about my dates and goes out of his way to spend time with me.

I’m not sure what to think anymore.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

Twenty years ago, when they were teens, Goldie and Dag made a deal that they would marry each other if they weren’t married by the time they were thirty-five. So, Dag asks Goldie to marry him on their thirty-fifth birthday. While Goldie’s been in love with Dag for years, she won’t settle for anything but a love match, so she rejects Dag, much to his surprise.

Finally deciding to give up on Dag falling in love with her, Goldie joins some dating apps and goes on a bunch of dates with different men. That’s when Dag realizes his protective and warm feelings toward Goldie might be more than feelings of friendship. I love Dag. He has a big heart, and he loves deeply, but he is so clueless when it comes to love. It literally takes almost losing Goldie, as well as some tough conversations with his friends, for Dag to realize how deeply he cares for her. But once he does, my word, he’s so swoon-worthy.

I love how Dag realizes that his life is better with Goldie in it and how he does everything he can to support her, even if it means they won’t be together. There are so many lovely scenes where Dag is so thoughtful, sweet, and caring (the earring and the nights under the stars especially!), and they made him totally irresistible. I can definitely see why Goldie has loved him for so long – his charm, charisma, thoughtfulness, and protectiveness were so swoon-worthy!

It’s almost as if Dag was living under a fog, dating women and never getting too attached, and not seeing what was right in front of him. It isn’t until Goldie believes she should move on that he starts to see things more clearly and realizes he might lose her. Personally, I think he always had casual relationships because he subconsciously loved Goldie but thought she was off-limits.

Goldie is fantastic, as are the other characters in the book. I love all of the different relationships and friendships and how Goldie, Dag, and the other workers on the ranch have turned into a family, and they always have each other’s backs. When Goldie wants to go on dates without Dag’s interference, for example, the other men and women on the ranch help her. When she wants a new car but can’t drive it, one of the ranchers (and Dag’s friend) goes with her and teaches her how to drive it. The found family aspect of the story continues to strengthen and develop as the series progresses, and I adore it!

And the epilogue is lovely. It offers a glimpse into their lives several years in the future, and it is charming and sweet and wonderfully hopeful. I can’t wait to read more of this series and am excited to learn more about Archer and Lettie in the next book!

Special thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.