Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg Published by Scholastic
Published: 2014
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WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . . for teens, from romantic comedy star Elizabeth Eulberg.
For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.
Eventually they realize they're best friends -- which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?
From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again -- and one kiss away from true love?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Basically I was beyond thrilled to get the opportunity to read this book. I’ve been a fan of Elizabeth Eulberg since I read The Lonely Hearts Club(I just reread it!) a few years back. I enjoyed her writing style and her storytelling ability. So when I saw she had a book coming out with my all-time favorite plot I was over the moon. And I’m happy to report that she lived up to my expectations. Better Off Friends was exactly what I expected to get from a Eulberg story and I’m so happy to have read it.
Better Off Friends is the story of Levi and Macallan, two best friends of the opposite sex. Since they met in the 7th grade they have become part of each other’s lives in a way that you sometimes can’t see where one ends and the other begins. They’ve been through a lot together and apart, but through it all they were loyal to each other and their friendship. They’ve weathered the questions over and over on whether or not they are a couple. Normally they just push them under the rug. But when they start questioning their friendship on their own they realize maybe it is time to figure out what they mean to each other and if they truly are better off as friends.
What I loved most about this book is easy to pinpoint because it was the friendship between Levi and Macallan. Let’s face it, neither one of them was perfect. Macallan was negative a lot of the time and Levi was desperate to fit in. They both got on each other’s nerves as friends do, but they had each other’s backs in a weird sort of way too. Something about the two of them just clicked and it was fun to read them grow from 7th graders to high school Juniors and to see how their friendship and dynamic evolved. The jealousy when either had a significant other was pretty funny because they refused to see it as jealousy. And their banter was pretty epic. Pretty much they had off the hook crazy chemistry. But they also fought the attraction to prove they could just be friends which may be harder than you think, but entertaining to read. Because really, they were their own worst enemies. Ha.
Simply put, this book was adorable and a complete Elizabeth Eulberg kind of book. It had heart and sass and humor. And her love of her football team. š It was just a cute contemporary book about friendship, love and growing up. It was the perfect story of falling in love with your best friend and how that effects everything around you. There were ups and downs and smiles and frowns. But all in all it was a pretty amazing story and one I think many people will love to read.
This was such a fun book. And oh em gee the design was so fantastic. I loved looking at it as much as I loved reading it.