Review: Nothing Special by Casey Cox

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Foreword PR & Marketing.

I've adored almost all the books I've read from Casey Cox (although I still have to get started on his Escape and 99 Daddies series) while his Vet Shop Boys series remains a personal favorite, his new standalone is certainly a noteworthy one that worked its way into my heart. Nothing Special is the story of Benjamin Bannister and Darren Griffin, two twenty-seven-year-olds that have been the best of friends from the moment they met. Benji is a bestselling author who writes M/F romance under a pseudonym, while Darren is an aspiring actor who returns to Brisbane to work for his father during the day and bartending in the evenings after failing to make it big in Hollywood. The two are now neighbors as well, but as close as these two may be, they're both keeping certain secrets from each other. When Benji suffers writer's block for an upcoming friends-to-lovers novel, Darren offers to help him out. After all, he knows all about how it is to fall in love with your best friend, not that his bestie has a single clue. Or maybe, just maybe, he does.

There was quite a bit to love about this book. The main characters were easily likable, with bits and pieces to both Benji and Darren that I could easily relate to. These two have experienced challenges in terms of their professional lives, and they both know what loss feels like, yet the one constant since they met was being there for each other. There's a twist in the story, although it's one that isn't all that difficult to figure out, considering the way it was presented and how one main character was compared to the other main character. That being said, I do think it was an intriguing tool for the author to use. From start to finish, Nothing Special held my attention while also snagging my heart. Four stars.

Date Read: 27 June 2022

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