Cait’s Review of “Always a Friend” by Michelle MacQueen

By: Cait Marie

Blurb

She’s a single mom trying to do right by her son…
…he’s a surfer who doesn’t take anything seriously.

How did they become friends? Mariana Morgan has only had two goals in life. Raise her son the best she can and turn her bakery into a success. She never factored in a family who has become like hers or him. Tanner Kelly.

She isn’t sure how it happened, but somehow he’s become her person, her best friend. And she needs a favor. An old classmate is getting married, bringing everyone she once knew back to town, including the man who left her alone with a baby all those years ago.

Showing up without a date isn’t an option, facing her ex alone can’t happen.

So, she turns to a friend. The one who kisses her like she’s the only woman in the world, the one who makes her believe for just one moment this could be real.
But it isn’t. Mariana and Tanner live in different worlds.

Determined to do what’s right by her son, she tries to put it behind her, to make amends with her ex.

But what if people can’t change? What if the man her son needs in his life isn’t his unrepentant father? What if it’s the same man she needs in hers?

Review

I love this series more and more with each book!

The first two were fantastic, but this one just really hit the mark. It’s friends to lovers, there’s a bit of fake dating thrown in there, and I always have a soft spot for stories with single parents with adorable children.

This book was so sweet, and there was so much love just oozing off the pages. It was fun and light, but there were some serious moments as well. It was the perfect balance. There was actually a part near the end that made cry pretty hard because it was equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful.

Tanner and Mariana have had this chemistry building up on the side throughout the last two books, so it was wonderful seeing them confront their feelings and deal with everything going on together. I really appreciate when a couple is friends first and foremost; it just makes me so happy inside. And seeing Tanner with her son was probably the most precious thing ever. It was so wholesome and amazing.

I absolutely recommend this book, and the rest of the series.