The Friendship Study - by Ruby Barrett (Paperback)

About the Book

"Jesse Logan doesn't want a fresh start. He wants his old life back before an injury made his career as a firefighter impossible, before his grandfather's Alzheimer's got so bad he doesn't recognize Jesse anymore. When a friend tells him about a paid psychological study, Jesse sees it as a chance to get back to the man he was while making a little extra cash. All Lulu Banks is asking for is a fresh start. Back home after a devastating breakup, she's struggling to find her place. She's always been a lot too loud, too eager, too obvious about her feelings. The friendship study seems like a great idea--until she's paired with Jesse Logan, who recently ghosted her after a blind date that led to a steamy make-out session. Now that old familiar tension is back. Despite the program's strict no romance rule, Jesse and Lulu are quick to find a work-around that allows them to explore their tenuous connection. And soon they're on their way to total self-improvement"--

Book Synopsis

"Barrett writes with tremendous care for anyone who has ever felt lonely." --Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate

Jesse Logan doesn't want a fresh start. He wants his old life back--before an injury made his career as a firefighter impossible, before his grandfather's Alzheimer's got so bad he doesn't recognize Jesse anymore. When a friend tells him about a paid psychological study, Jesse sees it as a chance to get back to the man he was while making a little extra cash.

All Lulu Banks is asking for is a fresh start. Back home after a devastating breakup, she's struggling to find her place. She's always been a lot--too loud, too eager, too obvious about her feelings. The friendship study seems like a great idea...until she's paired with Jesse Logan, who recently ghosted her after a blind date that led to a steamy make-out session.

Now that old familiar tension is back. Despite the program's strict "no romance" rule, Jesse and Lulu are quick to find a work-around that allows them to explore their tenuous connection. And soon they're on their way to total self-improvement...

As long as they don't get caught.

Review Quotes

"Sexy, smart, and sizzling with romantic tension, The Friendship Study is a delight. Jesse and Lulu have my whole heart." --Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

"Reading a Ruby Barrett book is always like spending time with the dearest friend... I was so invested in Jesse and Lulu's journeys both together and as individuals." - Alicia Thompson, bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers

"Soft, sensual, and refreshingly bittersweet...This is the rare book that can both singe off your eyebrows and soothe a jagged piece of your soul." --Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate

"Barrett (The Romance Recipe) writes sensitively about the challenges Jesse and Lulu experience, along with wonderfully tender and sexy scenes... This fantastic friends-to-lovers romance, featuring a bisexual protagonist and an academic setting, offers heat and tenderness as Jesse and Lulu find love and belonging." --Library Journal