I went into this book not really knowing much about it. This is my first Jayci Lee book, and it is the 3rd book in the series. At the beginning of this book, it feels like you’ve been dropped in the middle of a story that has already begun. We have 2 characters, Lizzie and Jack, who have been best friends for 20 years. There wasn’t much of an introduction to these 2 characters, but as I got further into the book I got more comfortable with their story.
The book opens with Lizzie, who is trying her first trial case as a lawyer. She has worked very hard to get where she is, but she suffers from pretty crippling anxiety. She is in the middle of her opening statement when she has a panic attack and passes out. She does recover from it and go on to win her case, but she is not content with her life afterwards like she thought she would be.
Enter Jack, who has been in love with Lizzie for pretty much the entire time they have known each other. He came to her first trial and was there to catch her when she passed out. After the trial ends and Lizzie is questioning her entire life and career, he is the person she goes to for support and to wind down. Jack works at his family’s brewery as their bookkeeper and as a waiter, but feels like he is not living up to his whole potential. He has secretly been applying for corporate jobs in LA, which has the added benefit of being closer to Lizzie.
Basically the set up has Lizzie and Jack on opposite sides in regards to their careers. Lizzie has been pushing hard (and is being pushed by her mother) to further her career and to make partner in her law firm, but she is faltering under the weight of such a high-pressure career. Jack has been working with his family and coasting along, but feels like he is spinning his wheels and not really making any progress in his life. Lizzie wants to slow down and Jack wants to speed up.
This dynamic sets us up for a pretty effective 3rd act break up, and it feels inevitable and genuine as a conflict. It’s one of those issues that you see coming from pretty much page 1, but you just can’t help but watch play out. There are some other elements of the story that are also telegraphed pretty early on, but do not take away from the overall effectiveness of the plot.
I really like the friendship between Lizzie and Jack, and how they eventually turn into a romance. I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers anyway, but Lizzie and Jack felt genuine. Their banter was great, and the “oh no I can’t possibly be attracted to my best friend…or can I??” part did not get dragged out too long. Lizzie has a moment of “oh no he’s hot” that lasts for like a chapter, and then she is all in, 100% ready to ride the Jack train into the sunset. Jack is a little less trusting – he has been in love with Lizzie for so long and is so used to being “friend-zoned” (vomit, I hate that phrase so much) that he has trouble believing that Lizzie is genuine in her attraction to him and is afraid that it will ruin their friendship in the long term.
Basically, this book is super cute and has a trope that I love, so it was perfectly set up for me to enjoy.
The Neverending Unread 