Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨
Steam: 💋
Release Date: April 26th, 2022
CW: mentions of drug overdose
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.
I’m going to be honest, I’m very confused about my feelings for this book. On the one hand, I loved the writing style, the fact that it’s like you’re having a conversation with Kris Ripper as opposed to reading a book. On the other hand, this didn’t feel like a romance. Yes, there’s an HEA, but I didn’t feel satisfied at the end. I feel like Book Boyfriend is more a story about friendships and the connections you make with people, about finding your courage and strength and trusting yourself to do something that is scary and terrifying.
PK is such an interesting character and a part of me really wanted to see him through Art and Wade’s eyes, because I believe he had so much more going for him. But the best thing about PK is that everyone can relate to him and his inner monologues, his rambling and the way he functions.
Book Boyfriend is funny and endearing, it’s entertaining for the most part and leaves you wanting more at the same time. Told entirely in first person POV through PK’s perspective, you watch him go through the motions of dealing with his feelings for his best friend, writing a book about said feelings and keeping it a secret and then the guilt he has to carry as he discovers his best friend is actually obsessed with his book and the character based on himself. It’s fun, it’s unique and it has all the makings of an epic romance, I think that part is what fell flat for me.
However, as someone going through the process of publishing my first book, I felt all of PK’s struggles and panic. I felt his chaos and his worries, the struggles and anxiety. It didn’t trigger me, thankfully, but it made me happy to know that this is totally normal.
I’m definitely curious about Kris Ripper’s other books, though and might give them a try. As always, just because I didn’t enjoy a book doesn’t mean you won’t and I seriously encourage giving this a try even if the writing style is completely different from what most people are used to.
Thanks to Carina Adores and NetGalley for the advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
anna reads here 
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