Worth the Wait by Joelle Lynne

Joelle Lynne's debut novel, Worth the Wait, is an easy read with a sweet best-friend's-brother romance that stood out a little from the rest of the books we've read in this trope.

From the Blurb

Growing up together meant life should have been easy, but it wasn’t.

Shane was confident and proud, but couldn’t figure out why a relationship just wouldn’t stick. There had been very few constants in his life. These were limited to his best friend Christopher and his younger brother Michael.

Shane and Michael had always shared a special bond, but when Shane decides to figure out why he can’t keep a stable relationship, Michael can’t keep his secret any longer. There had always been something there, but he lacked Shane’s confidence.

Can they work past their struggles and prove their relationship was always Worth The Wait?

Worth The Wait is a small-town romance that follows what happens when you fall for your brother's best friend. It's a sweet story with plenty of heat!

Sarah C's Review:

So what made this book stand out? Well unlike other best friend's brothers that I've read though, Michael and Shane have a relationship independent of Christopher long before they get together. Its a relationship that we got to see in prologues, the early chapters, and a few flashbacks and references throughout the novel, and that helped make the relationship feel more real.

Which was needed, because there were several times early in the relationship when we'd get a reference to a week, two weeks, a month passing without seeing much of it. Its a personal preference, but I deeply enjoy reading those first weeks in a new relationship as they learn to navigate what they're building together. I felt like there were a lot of chances for development of their dynamic, something that would make the end drama and the HEA both feel like there were more stakes and more rewards.

But again, that's a personal preference.

All in all, this book was well written. Michael and Shane were adorable together and Christopher was sweet as the best friend and long suffering older brother. The fact that there's also a Found Family vibe with Shane and the boys and their family only sweetens the pot for me, because I LOVE a good Found Family vibe. And the friendship between Shane and Christopher was adorable, so much so that I found myself wanting more of that friendship on page than we got.

There is a small content warning for some homophobic language in the book, but there's not a lot and its a very short scene. However if you're sensitive to that kind of thing, please beware before going into the book.

All in all, Worth the Wait was well written and enjoyable. I will be reading future Joelle Lynne books and I'm looking forward to it. 

Rating: 4 Stars

Heather's Review:

Worth the Wait was a bit of a conundrum for me...on one hand, starting at their first meeting and working their way through high school and beyond worked in a sweet way, but I felt like it was missing something that would have made it sparkle... that being said, Michael and Shane were adorable together and the story worked well... I love that the story focused on the friendship and found family between Shane and Christopher as well as the building relationship between Shane and Michael.

Worth The Wait was a sweet read and had good pacing and world building.  It was just missing a little bit of unexpected magic for me.  I'd recommend this for anyone who loves a good New Adult/Coming of Age story.

Rating: 4 Stars