Friends 2 Lovers

In Friends 2 Lovers, a romance by Jonathan Anthony Burkett, protagonist and college man Claude Daniels battles numerous personal problems, including the complete devastation of his family, to achieve true love with his best friend and foster sister, Kelly. The story begins normally enough, at the beginning of Claude’s high school senior year, his whole family wishing him luck. Within days, however, Claude’s brother and father have been killed; his grandmother has died of a heart attack, and his mother has committed suicide. Latoya, friend Kelly’s mother, takes Claude in, and the family moves to Florida with the help of Claude’s recently surfaced biological father. And this is just the beginning. Scenes were too rushed for them to carry necessary emotional impact. The real story follows Claude and Kelly’s college romance, interspersed with Claude’s love poems.

This story really wants to be a college romance, with one main and several supporting couples. However, Claude’s multiple and unbelievable personal tragedies are a hindrance. Claude could have been left orphaned in a usual way, such as his single parent dying, which would provide the reason for moving in with Kelly’s family. The author could then have proceeded with the real story—Kelly and Claude’s relationship.