4.25-4.5 stars 
 First Impressions 2/5: Thanks to Scholastic for approving me for the egalley as well as sending a physical copy of the Selective Collective feature! 
 This was SOOOOO cute. Firstly, all Levis? Adorable. I LOVE best-friend-to-boyfriend romances so the whole concept killed me. The only reason I didn't rate it five stars was because it just didn't QUITE make it there but don't get me wrong -- Totally loved this and thought it was insanely adorable. Definitely related to a lot and loved the Wisconsin setting as well since I'm from the Chicagoland area. 
 Review: BETTER OFF FRIENDS was just plain adorable. I've only read one other Eulberg book before, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality, so I was confident I'd love her writing style for this book as well and I certainly was not let down! Like REVENGE, BETTER OFF FRIENDS really displayed a great strength in friendships which with so many books focusing on romance (not that I have a problem with that), really good friendships, especially those between a male and a female character, tend to get lost in the background. 
 BETTER OFF FRIENDS is geared as a YA "When Harry Met Sally". Well clearly I need to see this movie now. (I KNOW, I KNOW, I've seen a lot of 80s movies throughout my childhood and my life and yet I still have so many to cover. Gimme a break, I was three years old when the 90s took over!) It's no secret though that I LOVE best friend to boyfriend romances because there's just such a great foundation of friendship and it's SUCH a big step to decide to switch from friends to something more. Seriously. All the goosebumps for any romance like this. 
 One thing I really loved that I was actually surprised by was how much of a time period this book covered. The book kicks off in junior high, actually, when Macallan and Levi first meet after Levi moves to Wisconsin from California. I feel like I could have easily been hesitant that the book spent so much time while the two main characters were in junior high had I known it beforehand but A) I do love going into book blind and it really does work in my favor more often than not and B) I think it was absolutely perfect because the reader really gets to see their relationship from the beginning. I always appreciate seeing things chronologically, especially for contemporary books because sometimes flashbacks can get tiring or confusing. I had zero issues with starting things off in junior high and working forward to high school/"present day". It's also great because that really opens up the book to a younger age range as well. BETTER OFF FRIENDS is cute, clean, and fun so it can really appeal to a young audience as well as the older crowd. (I don't know what I mean by old. Older teens? Adults? Clearly, since I loved it!) 
 I also really, really loved the dual narration in the book. I think it's important to see things from both Macallan and Levi's sides as the events in the book are playing out. It's more exciting, more heart-breaking, and more interesting to really get both sides of the story and I felt like I connected with both characters equally instead of ending up on one side or the other. Especially with friendships possibly turning into romances, I think seeing both sides is vital because there are so many missed clues, misunderstandings, and potential arguments that the reader needs to see from each point of view so neither character gets thrown under the bus or ends up as the "bad guy". I also loved how there were breaks in between chapters where Macallan and Levi took on more of a narrative role, interjecting their feelings and looking back on the events that had just happened in the chapters. It made me feel like these two were actual real people and they just couldn't help but throw in their thoughts about how things were back then and make sure the audience is seeing the story straight. I actually have never seen that in a book before so it was really enjoyable and definitely an interesting change up! 
 BETTER OFF FRIENDS was adorable and so enjoyable. I think part of the reason why I loved it so much is that I easily related -- and even if you hadn't ended up having feelings for your best friend, I'm sure there's been a situation that most of us have been in a where feelings complicated a friendship, whether it be from the guy's side or the girl's side. Another thing that really piqued my interest was that I legitimately didn't know how it was going to end. Would Macallan and Levi end up in a relationship? Or did they finally decide that they really were better off friends? So how does it end? You'll just have to read the book to find out! 
 For the full review including character breakdown and recommendations, please visit The Book Addict's Guide!