Love So Hot by Marquita Valentine is a contemporary friends-to-lovers romance book. This is the first book of the Lawson Brothers series by the author. The book follows the characters Sydney McKnight and Brody Lawson, who have been friends since childhood. Sydney is tired of guys only looking at her as a friend; Brody is her oldest friend, and she has had a crush on him for years. She decides to ask Brody for help to get guys to see different sides of her.
The story of this book is set in a small town, and I thought the setting added a lot of charm to the story. Sydney and Brody are childhood friends who have secretly had a crush on each other without either of them knowing it. Sydney is fed up of guys friend-zoning her and decides to ask Brody for help to get others to see a different side of her other than that of a complete good girl. Brody is shocked by Sydney’s request, but at the same time, it’s the kind of opportunity he has been waiting for. Their friends-to-lovers romance begins kind of like a slow burn, but it was so cute.
There is a lot of chemistry between the main characters even when they’re just friends. I thought the secret feelings both hid from each other added a lot of emotional stakes to the story. Their chemistry and the way Sydney and Brody played off each other was extremely intriguing. One thing I did notice is that both try hard to protect themselves from getting hurt because they believe their feelings are one-sided, which makes sense, but it dragged on a little. Brody kind of behaves like a hypocrite when it is revealed that he kept guys away from Sydney, especially when he never takes the initiative to ask her out. Other than the third-act conflict, I think the story kept me invested, even with interesting side characters.
Love So Hot by Marquite Valentine ticked the trope boxes I enjoy, like friends-to-lovers and small-town romances. I enjoyed Sydney and Brody’s romance, rooting for them from the start. Plus, the story introduces a lot of characters that potentially have their own story, which I liked. The thing is, with this book, I enjoyed it, but I am not sure I loved it. It was a fun enough read to keep me invested in the Lawson brothers’ series.
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