Oh, you guys, I knew this was going to happen. I knew I was going to curse myself for waiting so long to read Up in the Treehouse by the lovely K.K. Allen. This book has been sitting on my TBR from practically the moment it released, and why? Because I’m a dumb procrastinator.
Give me ALL the friends-to-lovers tropes because I cannot get enough. As a kid, I used to dream of meeting a boy who would become my best friend and eventually my boyfriend. I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, but my dream didn’t quite happen in the way I envisioned, or at least until I was seventeen years old. By then, the loss of innocence and the magic of childhood was all but gone. Luckily, K.K. Allen brought those innocent dreams back to the forefront of my mind with her incredible storytelling. K.K.’s tagline for her writing is, “Capturing the edge of innocence” and I can’t think of a better-fitting description of her work! She takes me back to the feelings of being on the cusp of growing up, daydreaming about the future, and creating stories for myself to live out. Swoon!
BLURB:
Chloe Rivers never thought she would keep secrets from her best friend. Then again, she never imagined she would fall in love with him either. When she finally reveals her feelings, rejection shatters her, rendering her vulnerable and sending her straight into the destructive arms of the wrong guy.
Gavin Rhodes never saw the betrayal coming. It crushes him. Chloe has always been his forbidden fantasy–sweet, tempting, and beautiful. But when the opportunity finally presents itself, he makes the biggest mistake of all and denies her.
Now it’s too late . . .
Four years after a devastating tragedy, Chloe and Gavin’s worlds collide and they find their lives entangling once again. Haunted by the past, they are forced to come to terms with all that has transpired to find the peace they deserve. Except they can’t seem to get near each other without combatting an intense emotional connection that brings them right back to where it all started . . . their childhood treehouse.
Chloe still holds her secrets close, but this time she isn’t the only one with something to hide. Can their deep-rooted connection survive the destruction of innocence?
Friends-to-lovers and a second chance between two childhood friends? Gosh, yes. I want to crawl up in the treehouse and live there with this pair. Too weird? I don’t even care. The anticipation and angst in this story was everything I look for in the Romance genre. Chloe and Gavin were the epitome of push and pull, perfectly crafted to fit together, if only they could fess up to their feelings.
This story is perfectly paced, never boring, and so much more than a simple love story. The message this novel conveys is important and made me feel hopeful for future.
I have to say, the secondary characters in this story were almost equally as important to me as the main characters. Upon finishing, I had to check Goodreads for a follow-up story with Monica. She was hilarious, a great friend, a simply fun to read about, though I thought I might hate her from the get-go. I was rewarded with Under the Bleachers! Though I knew the title, I didn’t know it featured Monica’s love story (yes, I live under a rock). If K.K. hadn’t already written the book, she was going to be fervently begged for it ASAP. I can’t wait to grab a copy soon and dive in while these characters are still fresh on my mind.
I loved being immersed in the varying perspectives of Chloe, Gavin, and the journal entries of the days gone by. K.K. effortlessly added enough background information to make readers feel as if they knew the characters from past to present. I was truly along for the ride, and hoping for redemption in the end.
If you’re a lover of Contemporary Romance and have failed to pick up this beautiful story, please don’t wait as long as I did!
Ashes Books & Bobs 