Best friends. A fake relationship. And only one bed.New York Times bestselling author Shannon Stacey delivers the feel-good beach read you’ve been waiting for.Noah Stafford loves his life—his happy, single life. So what if he made up a fake girlfriend to stop his boss’s matchmaking? He kept things close to the truth—Carly really does have long, sexy legs and a killer sense of humor. She just … truth—Carly really does have long, sexy legs and a killer sense of humor. She just happens to be his best friend. His wicked awesome and completely platonic best friend.
But now his boss is having a destination wedding, and Noah is expected to attend…with Carly, his girlfriend.
Carly Randall has no interest in living out a rom-com plot. But Noah is her best friend, so she agrees to help. Still, once they arrive on Cape Cod, she can’t explain the sudden butterflies she feels when he looks at her that way. Or why she doesn’t mind when Noah’s hands stray a little south of her back.
What happens on the Cape stays on the Cape.
Except not really, not at all, and once their sexy faux-cation is over, Noah and Carly return to a reality where everything’s changed. Going for it would mean risking their friendship…but forgetting how good they were together just isn’t an option.
This book is approximately 27,000 words
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This was a quick, sweet read. A lot of times with novellas, I feel like I don’t get a whole story, but that wasn’t the case with this one. Noah and Carly have been best friends forever, and Noah needs Carly to pretend to be his girlfriend for a wedding. If you’ve ever watched a Hallmark movie, you know where this one is headed =) I liked that Noah was able to realize quickly that Carly was truly the woman for him. The ending was super sweet, and I loved that Carly was able to have what she had envisioned since she was little. This was a first for me from this author, but I would definitely read the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
Incredibly funny and full of friendship Noah needs a plus one for a date at wedding at the Cape and he has already and told them his best friend Carly is actually his girlfriend. What could possibly go wrong? Having sex with said friend and using like what happens at the cape stays at the cape – only that doesn’t work. All those years of friendship gone because they want different things in life or are they really?
Shannon Stacey has a way with words that make you smile through the book. You will enjoy this so very much.
Loved how Noah and Carly discovered that friends really do make the best lovers.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Mary Jo –
This is a classic friends-to-lovers book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Shannon Stacey’s books have a way of pulling you in from the first page and you can’t put it down until you see THE END.
Noah and Carly have been friends forever, best of friends. Through thick and thin, they’ve always had each other’s back. When Noah’s boss pressed him to go out with his future sister-in-law, Noah came up with the great idea of tell Jim that he was dating someone. And that someone is Carly. The problem? He didn’t tell Carly. Now his boss is expecting Noah to bring Carly to his wedding.
The romantic weekend brought out all the feelings between them and one thing led to another. Now, Noah is not sure what to do. He knows that his relationship with Carly is forever changed. Carly is afraid that Noah is going to break her heart She knows that Noah doesn’t want to get married or have kids, which is Carly’s dream.
This is a book that I couldn’t put down, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Avid Reader –
M/F Friends-to-lovers romance
Noah and Carly have known each other since they were kids. They have similar interests and know that they will tell each other the brutal truths that nobody else will.
When Noah is at his job, he makes the mistake of telling his boss that Carly is his girlfriend. Noah has been afraid of commitment since he was younger and the thought of his boss setting him up with his soon to be sister-in-law makes Noah want to run away.
Carly is a bookstore owner who is fun and energetic. She loves Noah and has since she was young. However, the one time they kissed, she couldn’t stop laughing. She loves having him as her best friend, but never considered him as anything other than a best buddy.
When Carly and Noah find themselves as their “date” for a wedding, their friendship takes a left turn into attraction. They already have a foundation for a relationship, they just have to give themselves permission to change the parameters.
This book felt very young adult for me. It had an innocent feeling surrounding it. And while it had a sweet side, it was also somewhat boring. I’m unsure where the series will go, but I hope for more romance in the next installment.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
As summertime is waning here, this story is a wonderful end of summer love story. Honestly, it’s a fabulous anytime story!
One of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve read in a long time. Romantic, hot and believable!
One Summer Weekend is the first story in the new Cedar Street series from Shannon Stacey. I love a friends-to-lovers troupe like crazy so One Summer Weekend is like book crack to me.
Noah and Carly have been best friends pretty much since they each can remember. In the words of so many characters from Grey’s Anatomy, they are each other’s person. However, Noah now needs Carly to pose as his pretend girlfriend for his boss’s destination wedding, as Noah has told him they have been dating for 6 months.
I loved both Noah and Carly and found them each to be smart and funny. I loved they had been best friends forever, but could totally tell they would both fall fast and hard once they moved beyond friendship. As this was a novella length story, the pacing was pretty fast for them to move from friends only to lovers, yet it worked for me. I could feel the love they felt for one another from the beginning, even when they each felt it was only friendship. They had great chemistry and it really burned hotter the more time they were at Cape Cod…their idea of what happens at the Cape stays at the Cape had me cracking up laughing and feeling all the happy sighs the more they were together.
One Summer Weekend was a fast, fun, and easy read. It is a novella length story, so everything moves pretty fast, and it works well. I loved the characters and seeing them move from friends to lovers. I can’t wait to hopefully see more of these characters in future books in this series. Shannon Stacey has been an auto-buy author for me since I read her very first book and One Summer Weekend only made me want more stories from her.
Rating: 4 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher
The fun and flirty story, going from witty dialog and humor to the smoldering hot and emotional romance in a heartbeat.
I love Shannon Stacey’s way to tell stories, there is so much feels, family, friends, and heart in the tales mixed with drama and passion, life, and loving. And this new series starts off with so much promise of wonderful tales coming in our way.
I loved the connection, the deep friendship Noah and Carly have. They had been best friends forever, and they knew each other like no one else. The fake romantic relationship started off as fun and games, but soon the deep desires came to surface, and oh boy, lit up the scenes.
The story is an easy and fast read, yet it covers all the developing emotions well. And since Carly and Noah are best friends, there is a solid, believable foundation they are building their romantic relationship on.
Shannon Stacey books are always a must-read for me, and One Summer Weekend has all the feels and elements of an entertaining, ardent, adorable love story to me
~ Five Spoons
One Summer Weekend I loved this story, well written and so easy to get attached to Noah and Carly. What starts as Carly helping Noah cover his story to his boss about having a girlfriend. One weekend changes everything and their true feelings for one another finally come out.
This was a short, sweet, friends-to-lovers novella. Noah and Carly have been best friends all their lives. They share just about everything, from a love of the outdoors to movie nights. So when Noah’s boss starts talking about setting Noah up with his soon-to-be sister-in-law, Noah claims he has a girlfriend – Carly. That’s all well and good until Jim expects Noah to bring her to his wedding. Now Noah has to confess what he’s done and ask Carly to help him out. Carly can’t believe Noah has done such a boneheaded thing, but she can’t refuse to help him. She has her conditions that she sets forth, and Noah is only too happy to meet them.
But once Noah and Carly arrive on the Cape, things don’t go the way they expect them to. Noah is shocked when he notices how sexy Carly is. He’d never looked at her that way before, but suddenly he can’t stop. When their faked show of affection gets out of hand, they face an unexpected change in their friendship. Carly worries that it will ruin it, but Noah believes that what happens on the Cape can stay on the Cape. When they get back home, they have to face the fact that things have changed and decide what to do about it. Noah’s and Carly’s reactions were not what I expected from each of them, and I loved seeing how each handled their change in circumstances. Noah’s big moment at the end was sweet, and the epilogue was the perfect ending.
One Summer Weekend is a wonderful, quick friends to lovers read that will tickle your funny bone and warm your heart in equal measure. Adding to the joy of reading this one is the fact that it is just the beginning of a new series. I for one can’t wait for more. In this one we have best friends Carly and Noah who find themselves in the middle of their very own romcon. Noah has been trying to keep his boss’s matchmaking at bay by telling him he has a girlfriend name Carly. Now his boss is getting married at a destination wedding in Cape Cod. Attendance is required and he needs to bring his plus one. Let the fun and sexy times begin! This was a very entertaining read that should be on everyone’s must read list. I definitely recommend it.
I knew I was in for a treat when I felt my favorite sort of uncontrollable, dopey, lovesick smile spread across my face early on in this story. Novellas are a sort of hit-or-miss thing for me, but Shannon Stacey lured me right in and kept my heart on board for the entire ride. So this one? Definitely a hit.
The chemistry between Noah and Carly was captured just right: first trading warm friendly banter that quickly sparks with heat in a way that was so satisfyingly flirty. They were adorable together, teasing and playful and a complete joy to read about. And, because this was a friends-to-lovers story, the fast pace of their relationship rang true for me. I didn’t struggle to connect, because their connection was in their shared history and I felt that immediately. Something in the way this is written just smoothed out all the pointy edges I usually catch on, and I smiled my way through (almost) the whole darn thing.
One Summer Weekend is a fast, fun, fantastic read. I genuinely loved these characters and their story. The writing was engaging and the storytelling sucked me right in and this was just the sort of sweetly satisfying romance that I’d been craving. Definitely looking forward to more from this new series!
I have read several books by Shannon Stacey and this one did not disappoint. It was a quick read about Noah and Carly who have been best friends forever. Noah gets invited to his boss’s wedding and in the hopes that he doesn’t get fixed up while he is there, he invents a fake girlfriends. Here’s where his best friend Carly comes into the picture. A weekend can change everything. It can make or break a relationship or a friendship. Were they able to make this relationship work and get their HEA? You will have to read and find out. I can’t wait to read what is next in this series.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Noah needs a big favor from his best friend — that is acting like they are more than just best friends at his boss’s wedding. It takes a little bit of convincing, but Carly agrees to help Noah with the fake relationship in spite of her friends warning her that it seems like some sort of romance novel, and you know how that ends up.
One Summer Weekend is a quick best friends to lovers story that just warmed my heart and reminded me once again why I just love Shannon Stacey’s writing. It’s sweet and swift and left me feeling good. Noah and Carly are just that good together. Perfect for when you want something short and a bit steamy.
An ARC was provided for review.
4.5 Stars!
I love “relationship of convenience” romances, and One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey is a wonderful addition to the trope. This story draws you in immediately, and the engaging plot continuously entertains with each and every moment. The two main characters, Carly Randall and Noah Stafford, have been best friends for years and know everything there is to know about one another. So when Noah needs a plus one for his boss’s wedding on Cape Cod, it is Carly that comes to his rescue. The ambiance of the venue and the ocean setting evolve their platonic friendship into much more.
This is a hot and sexy novella. Carly and Noah are easy to get to know and their time together is replete with desire, discovery and love. This is the first book from the author’s brand new series Cedar Street and it can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
There is a lot packed in this novella and start of this new series you do not want to miss it. Noah has been invited to his boss’ wedding and somewhere along the way it was implied he was going to get set up with the bride’s sister but instead he made it know he had a girlfriend, Carly. Yea, Carly is a girl and they are friends, best friends, and had been forever, but they were not romantic in any way. After some negotiating, she agrees to accompany him for the weekend and close quarters really do open their eyes toward each other. Will their close quarters and romance keep going once they return home? Such a fun and full book. It may have been short but it was full of gusto! I cannot wait to see where this series takes us because there is one thing we can rely on, this author does great series!
Short, sweet, romantic, steamy, friends-to-lovers…what else could you ask for when on a quick road trip and you’re not the one driving?
Carly and Noah have been friends their whole lives. Like, seriously, they cannot remember not knowing one another. Although they both seem to believe there has never been a true attraction between them, I beg to differ. As the reader gets to know these two, they realize they’ve never really liked each other’s boyfriends/girlfriends through all these years. Hmmmm…I wonder why that could be? So far, being best friends has worked for them. They see each other often, do most activities together, and even just have peaceful nights in watching television or movies with one another. All that’s missing to make them a true couple is sex.
Again, although they both deny it, the sexual tension is high before there is even a whiff of these two getting together in that way. As soon as they know they are going to be on a romantic getaway with each other (fake couple or not), and sharing a room, their true chemistry cannot be denied. Oh, they try to act like nothing has changed for at least a few hours. But it’s too much and they can’t even last through one night. Yet there’s nothing forced or unnatural about the moments they share. The author does a great job with the transitions these characters have to take throughout their “romantic” weekend.
As wonderfully as Ms. Stacey writes heat, she writes the awkwardness just as well. My gut hurt for these two as they tried to figure out what the weekend meant for their relationship. Can they act like nothing happened? Should they even try? Such turmoil and angst. I loved it all!
It seems like this series will be comprised of shorter novella type stories, at least from what I can tell so far. There’s another story coming out in November that will be another of my favorite sub-genres, Christmas!!! I can’t wait!
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
This review can also be found at https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/05/one-summer-weekend-arc-review/
I’m one of those readers that if you are an author I read all the time you are automatically added to my list of books I want to read. More often than not I don’t even know what the story is about till I start it.
That’s what happened here. I had Shannon Stacey on my list and when I saw a new book coming out I had to get it. Right before I read it I decided to check out what it was about. What I read told me that it wasn’t anything new. It’s a theme that’s been around the romance world for a long time.
But since I really like Stacey’s books I read it anyway and was glad that I had.
I really liked both Noah and Carly. They are funny caring people that you wouldn’t mind knowing. Even though the theme isn’t really new, the story is well done and kept me reading. The story is only a novella so the author had a lot to do in a short amount of pages. I think she did a wonderful job of that.
Because the characters already knew each other the romance part isn’t rushed feeling. Of course, they fell for each other. Most likely the feels they had for a long time as “friends” were more but neither every really wanted to see that. It’s easier to live behind the veil of “friendship” that lose the person who matters to you the most.
Watching these two figure out how they feel about one another is a treat that you won’t want to miss. I love how the author drags you into the story and all you want to do is root for them. I’m really looking forward to the book in the Cedar Street series.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I have several books by this author, but this is the first one that I have read. I love that it was a novella and was a quick, easy and fun read! Noah and Carly are lifelong best friends that have never considered anything more from each other, untilNoah needs a plus one to his boss’s wedding. They have a wonderful weekend together at the Cape, but will they be able to go back to the way things were before that weekend?
This book is definitely worth the read!
This is an adorable best friends to fake relationship to lovers story. It’s a fast read but well written with characters that are easy to fall in love with. It’s a nice easy breezy summer read that is sweet, fun and sexy. Lifelong best friends Noah and Carly are about to enter into new territory. They are so cute together and I just love how things work out for them!!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC!
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
One Summer Weekend is the first book in Shannon Stacey’s new Cedar Street series and this novella is a good start.
Noah and Carly have been life-long best friends and when Noah finds himself in need of a date to his boss’ wedding, he calls on none other than his bestie. The kicker is that his boss and his bosses fiancee believe that he and Carly are a couple. In order to avoid being set up with the bride’s sister, he tossed out he’d had a girlfriend for six months and he went with the one person he knew would bail him out!
When Noah and Carly get to the Inn for the wedding weekend on Cape Cod, they are forced to share a room and they begin seeing one another in a new light. The spark between them is there and they begin to question why they’ve never explored it before. When they do explore it, it’s more than anything they could have imagined. Can these besties go back to being just that or have they found forever in each other?
Even though this was a novella, there was a lot of story packed into it. These two characters had such history and knew so much about one another that you wanted to root for them from the get-go even though they were concerned about messing with the most important relationship in each of their lives. Shannon Stacey did a great job with this sexy summer read!