There is just something about a well written friends-to-lovers romcom that gets my heart smiling. All the shared history and familiarity between Mack and Chase recites a more genuine dialogue of witty banter, vulnerable heart to hearts and bubbling sexual tension.

I adored the evolution of Mack from the sexy and flirty bar owner to swoony boyfriend material. The thought and care he puts into planning the dates and instilling the five date rule puts him high on my fictional men list 🥵.

Chase is definitely someone I could be friends with IRL, and because of that, I found myself wanting shake all the doubt out of her mind and scream that Mack is the one!! but, at the same time I could also relate to her fractured view of relationships and hesitancy to allow herself to go all in at the risk of losing the most important friendship in her life. 

Which brings me to one my favorite things about Erin's writing. The way she writes not only her characters with such depth, but that the sweet essence encapsulates you. I could smell every coffee, taste the cinnamon rolls and dammit, be prepared to have a serious craving for dessert pie after reading this! 🥧 

Side Note: We first meet Mack and Chase as the two besties with some serious chemistry in Erin's debut novel, The Wedding Planners. Five Dates Between Friends picks up towards the tail end of WP and is more in the realm of a spin-off than a sequel. This means you can read it without having read WP, but to get a true sense of the supporting characters and atmosphere, I recommend reading WP first (and not just because Nash and Jemma are 🔥).

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Thank you to the lovely @ for sending me an eARC of FDBF... I can only hope there is a followup in the works!