About the Book:

Title: The Friend Act
Series: Backstage Romance #4
Author: Gigi Blume
Release Date: August 30th, 2021
Genre: Closed-Door Rom-Com

Best friends don’t kiss. But under the stage lights, all bets are off.

When it comes to Edmund Bertram I’ll take what I can get.

Yes, THE Edmund Bertram. YouTube star and all-around popular guy, Edmund Bertram.

He also happens to be my childhood BFF.

Can I convince him the love I declare for him on stage is real, or will he think it’s all a song and dance?

Book Review:

The Friend Act is light-hearted, Mansfield Park-inspired story in the Backstage Romance series of Austen inspired rom-coms. This is a new-to-me author and honestly, I don’t usually go for a book in a series that I haven’t read the previous ones of, but I do love Austen retellings. With its musical theater setting and Lantinex spin, it has so many fun elements!

Francesca is in love with her best friend, Edmund Bertram, who happens to be YouTube famous. Will she be able to declare her love, not only onstage but for real? Coming in, I actually have not read Mansfield Park, but I have read a few other retellings and know the jist of the story. I think that the friends-to-more trope is so cute! I liked the relationship Francesca and Edmund had, though the mutual pining was at times a little frustrating. It was fun to see the character arcs, especially as Franscesca grows into herself more. I thought that it being set in a musical theater was really cool too! Having them work with the additional element of acting through a show gave both cute moments and points of conflict. I thought that Fransecsa’s family was also really fun, and I really enjoyed reading about them!

This was a bit more PG-13 than most of the books I have read. There are definitely innuendos, a few more crude jokes, and some more risque situations than in the books we normally read. If you are okay with that and enjoy romcoms, this is for you! There is banter, funny characters, a super fun setting, and an Austen-inspiration! 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.