Book: Be Your Somebody by Natalie Knolls
Reviewed by kats_reads_books
Rating: 3.8/5
💚friends to lovers
⭐second chance
💚addiction rep
⭐childhood trauma rep
💚mental health rep
⭐small town vibes
💚angst/ emotional romance
⭐gift giving MC’s
💚off page death of parents
⭐guaranteed HEA
💚slow burn
⭐healthy/positive male friendships
💚therapy rep both MMC and FMC
Be Your Somebody starts out with heartache. Avery realises she can no longer be second to her best friend Cassidy's addiction. As he enters rehab following an overdose she writes to him that she's saying goodbye. But as Cas completes rehab, and starts to heal, he realises how much he loves and misses Avery and is determined to win her back.
This is a really emotional story, a maddening slow burn as they both realise "it was always you" but the path to happiness is not straightforward and Cas in particular encounters trauma after trauma. He manages quite well, although I have not experienced this myself it felt realistic enough despite most of the setbacks in his recovery being outside influences and discovering things about his past.
Overall this was a lovely story, with friendship, romance and found family elements. I can imagine this might be triggering for people who have experienced such things, so you're definitely going to want to check the warnings just in case. Thank you to Natalie Knolls and Happily Booked PR for the advance reader copy, my opinions are my own.