Jake Davenport was at the top of his game in the English Premier League until his actions off the pitch leave him suspended indefinitely. He runs away to New York to lay low and find some peace with his cousin. What he didn’t anticipate was having to share space with his cousin’s best friend (and his first love) Harley O’Connell. Harley has been living life to the fullest - all the fun and none of the attachments...until Jake comes back into her life. They try to keep their relationship strictly in the friend zone, but it's hard to fight the attraction and the memories of their summer fling over a decade ago. But Harley comes up with a plan - sex, no strings, just once, just to relieve the pressure. It's the perfect plan - what could go wrong?
I absolutely love it in a romance when the two main characters are just absolute idiots for each other and that is exactly what Jake and Harley are. Their shared history ramps up the tension between them…and the frustration for the reader (in the best way)! Not only that, but the dual POV makes it clear how absolutely gone for each other they are (and always have been), making it that much sweeter when they finally figure it out.
Even though this is technically the third book in a series, it’s not a necessity to read the first two books in order to follow along. The found family vibes of the friend group are still just as strong without the backstory provided in books prior. Erin does a great job of fleshing out the relationships without that backstory while still providing some fun follow up and Easter eggs for readers who have read the other stories.
While the main focus is the second chance love story between Jake and Harley, both our main characters also have their own journeys to go through independent of the other. Jake has to do a bit of rediscovering himself and figuring out who he is and what he should be doing now. Harley is battling grief and figuring out how to move on. There are times where it feels like things would be easier if they would communicate more, but that’s exactly why they feel like real people and not just characters in a book.
And if you're the kind of Marvel girlie and have strong opinions about the correct order in which to watch the movies like I do, I'd like to let it be known that while it's not explicitly stated on the page, Jake makes the right decision. (As does Harley in a game of fuck/marry/kill.) (Sorry Hemsworth.)
STRINGS ATTACHED is the third book in Erin Thomson’s Love in Brooklyn series, but it can be read as a standalone (but why would you want to do that?!) THE WEDDING PLANNERS and FIVE DATES BETWEEN FRIENDS are both available on Kindle Unlimited now and STRINGS ATTACHED will be joining their ranks on August 15, 2023!
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the author for free and have voluntarily written this review. Since this is an indie published book, I have not included any affiliate links, but you can support Erin by visiting her website!
