Sincerely, Carter: A Friends to Lovers Romance (Sincerely Yours Book 1)

Probably one of my top 5 fave friends to lovers books. Arizona and Carter are amazing. Their chemistry and friendship is so awesome. A must read.

Ah. I honestly think Whitney G could write the dictionary and I’d enjoy it. I always hesitate with friends-to-lovers (especially when they’ve been best friends for a looooong time), but somehow she convinced me to believe them 🥰.Carter and Arizona have been best friends since fifth grade, no wait it’s fourth grade, no wait fifth grade, no it’s fourth grade lol. They started off hating each other, but then the relationship transformed in the fourth grade, and they are each other‘s confidants. In fact, they’ve been writing to each other since they were kids, and that made me get into my feelings 🥰.This book’s mostly told in the present, but it also goes into the past throughout. The past chapters show how close and devoted Carter and Ari have been to each other. From life milestones, to break ups, to revelations, they’ve been through the thick and thin together. There were times I was annoyed seeing/hearing Carter (in his younger self) talk about or be with other women, but this was during their platonic, we-see-and-sleep-with-other-people stage, so I shouldn’t be mad lol. Luckily, there weren’t many instances and, really, this showed, once again, that Carter was always willing to drop everything, and anyone, to be with Ari. Annoying yet somehow swoony lol 🙈😅🥰.When Carter’s friends have a party at his place, he and Ari start kissing during a “black out hour” and… damn… it was 🔥. By this time, they’ve started noticing how hot the other is and realize how attracted they are to edge other… and I was here for it. When they’re finally intimate at 40%, Carter’s alphaness and assertiveness was DELICIOUS 🤤🥵. It made me wanna slap Ari because she didn’t advantage of Carter sooner… because… holy f… he’s soo in-tuned to her body and needs 😅🔥😉.I was annoyed at the FTB/glossed over smexxy scenes, but not enough to lower my rating. I like that the h is not pining over the H and isn’t celibate. Friends to love her books can be a hard cell for me, but it works if the heroin isn’t crying over the hero or dating or having smexx. The way Whitney G writes F2L works for me 😊.Overall, I really enjoyed it. I love the extended epilogue, but I would’ve been annoyed if the second book wasn’t included (Sincerely, Arizona). I still want an epilogue into the future lol, but I’ll take this.Also, I liked how the letter writing happened later in the book. I found it worked (plus, Carter had to step up his game 💁🏻‍♀️).

So this book came out of no where. I mean it has to be the most secret book ever. Here we are we think she is writing a book called Turbulence and boom she put up a cover and a countdown to her new book. And I for one couldn’t wait for it.Just friends.We’re just friends.No, really. She’s just my best friend...I love love love these types of books.Arizona and Carter have been best friends since fourth grade or fifth grade depending on whom you ask. So from grade school to middle school to high school to college the one thing that stayed the same is their friendship. They have been there for one another whether it was their first kisse, their first “times,” and they were always there when their relationships fail.Yet, since were indeed “just friends”-just friends (why couldn’t people see this?!), I had no issues with him falling back or not talking to me as much, because months later, the results were always the same: Another breakup. Another late night phone call to discuss what did or didn't go wrong. Another brief break until he found the next crazy.So throughout the years, no matter what everyone else thought the only thing they had was the best friendship I have ever come across.I loved their banter. I loved how they knew exactly how the other would feel during each break up. I loved how they had their own little dates when one or both were feeling sad. Until one look changed it all..I turned to my left to look at Ari again, hoping that the past few minutes were a mistake-that I was in the middle of a strange daydream. That there was no way I could be this attracted to her right now-no way I could want to tell her to pull over so I could taste her lips. Both sets of them.The thoughts that were crossing my mind-ripping off that tank top-pulling off jeans shorts and spreading her across the top of my hood needed to be erased as soon as possible….Clearly it must be the booze in his system to make him have these thoughts, except he isn’t drinking. There is nothing clouding his judgment. So imagine her surprise when just when he is thinking these naughty thoughts something comes to her.I tapped my chest, preparing to clear my throat again so I could get out of their self-imposed Twilight-Zone, but my eyes suddenly latched onto Carter.I’d seen him shirtless a million times before, seen his blue eyes gleam in the sunlight many times more, but I’d never felt the slightest bit attraction. Until now…And at the moment, it wasn’t “slight” at all…Ok now I’m hooked, I’m flipping these pages faster than my eyes can read, I’m yelling at them telling them that this is a bad idea, you can’t do this, you have to just go out and get someone else. I mean nothing good can come from this. You can’t possibly ruin years of friendship just for a little sex. Oh, but you can!!When the dust has settled and you rub your eyes and look around can you really just have ... with your best friend without emotion?Now while I simply adored this book did have a HEA, it did upset me towards the end. There are a couple of actions on Arizona's part that were downright hurtful to Carter and made me want to throttle her. After years and years of friendship, carter deserved a pass for screwing up. If just took Ari a lot longer to get there then I wanted!Ari,Just friends.We’re just friends.I’m only saying this until I figure out if your still “just” my best friend or is you are someone so much more to my heart. A heart that didn’t know how this felt before.Sincerely Carter

The writing is without frills, which is fine. I’m in love with this trope, so I’ll give most books like this a chance. This one had potential but the plot and characterization left me feeling somewhat uninvested.

I just simply loved this story. But who doesn’t love a friends to lovers book.Carter and Arizona have been best friends since the fourth grade according to Arizona that is, they have shared all their firsts and been there for each other through the worst times. Their connection is tangible even before any romance. We meet the pair as they become college graduates and have always had a purely non-romantic friendship no matter what their previous partners have thought, they really are the best of friends until that moment that changes everything, there is a sudden spark between them and before long all bets are off and they act upon what they are feeling. Things will never be the same again.They are just finding their way through the change in their relationship when Arizona is offered the chance of her life to attend and study at one of the best culinary schools in the world. Carter knows Arizona better than she knows herself and knows that she will stay for him and not wanting her to make a mistake or have any regrets he pushes her away and denies his feeling for her.Broken hearted she leaves and starts her life in France, can Carter make her see that he made a mistake pushing her away or has he lost her forever….. If any couple can make it through it will be these two.These are such great characters that you cannot help but want the best for them and you cannot help but smile reading their journey through letters and texts. Its sweet, sexy and funny. Fab read.

3-3.5I bought this book shortly after reading, and not enjoying might I add, Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne. It has a very similar story line and is by an author who I have previously enjoyed so I thought I would be on to a winner. I love the whole friends to lovers story line which I’m sure I’ve harped on about enough by now so I was eager to start this one. The blurb pretty much tells you everything you need to know about Arizona and Carter’s story. It’s so cliché but I love when sometimes your story is going to be predictable and you can just shut off the outside world and get lost floating in someone else’s story.The beginning is very much a setting of the scene for both characters – why Carter’s relationships never work out and how Arizona can’t help but subconsciously compare all of her boyfriends to Carter. The writing is relatively simple in the beginning but starts to pick up a bit the further you read.The story is dual POV which I usually like in a book however this story line could have benefited, in the beginning anyway, from being a one-sided narrative as I think it helps to build up the necessary angst when you don’t know exactly how the other character is feeling. Unfortunately I felt a bit let down with the dual POV at the start here because it was kind of like “Oh I’m into my best friend” said female MC then two seconds later “Oh I’m into my best friend” said male MC. There wasn’t very much in the way of suspense in that sense.Once the characters get over their revelations the story really begins. I liked the subtle resistance that existed between both of them to label their relationship as something other than “best friends” however in the end resistance was futile as they always ended up back together. There is a bit of a plot twist in the second half of the book that sees the characters being set far apart physically and emotionally and I think the dual narrative beings to serve its purpose in this section of the book. I really wanted to bash Carter and Arizona’s heads together here but however, I kept on reading. I got more frustrated with Arizona than I did with Carter particularly how keen she was to try and prove she had moved on.One thing I loved with reading Whitney’s Reasonable Doubt series was the chapter headings which linked with the overall theme of the story. The chapter headings here are made out to be tracks from an album and while I got the reference in the song title I didn’t really get the reference to book after all as music wasn’t played up and neither Arizona nor Carter had a career in music.I can recommend this book as an alternative to Blurred Lines but if you want to see how friends to lovers is really done then you should check out Samantha Young’s Before Jamaica Lane which is the third in the On Dublin Street series.

I loved this book, I've had a couple of bad experiences with books that go back and forth from present to past yet this one worked for me. The idea behind this book was one I hadn't read many times before from other authors so was unique for me. The sex in the book was basic and loving, nothing out of the ordinary. Carters sexual prowess was exaggerated slightly, comments about his dirty mouth and rough sex which were all promised but never delivered on. Even one part where carter asked Arizona if she still enjoyed "hard core" and then ended up being pretty mild.This is a love story from beginning to end, there is no salacious sex scenes, aggressiveness, dominance anywhere in this book. It's very timid but lovely non the less.

Another great book by our Whitney, she's done it again. This story about Carter and his childhood friend Arizona will make your knees go weak, it did mine. All through their early childhood Carter was an absolute horror to Arizona, constantly being made to write sorry letters to her by his mother, who was best friends with her mother. Then they became as thick as thieves and were inseparable, discussing and confiding in each other with absolutely everything, and I mean everything. Carter is a notorious player and beds anything in a skirt, then one day he's hit by a cannonball and realises he's in love with Arizona, who is also woken up to the fact that she feels more than friendship for him. Loved this book, it's got Whitney stamped all over it, read and enjoy

I really enjoyed and loved this book and story beautifully written and created flowed really well . I really loved the humour between these character's of Carter and his childhood friend Arizona who had been friends since Fourth Grade just friend's until one night changed everything for there future friendship. I loved there chemistry with each other! A book that definitely needs to be read will definitely make you laugh with there messages to each other and making you wish you had your very own Carter! First book I have read by whitney Garcia Williams it definitely won't be my last and so pleased I picked this book first to read!!