Guest post written by Finders Keepers author Sarah Adler
USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler writes romantic comedies about lovable weirdos finding their happily ever afters. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and very mischievous cat. When not working, you can find her attempting to course-correct an ill-advised late afternoon nap with an equally ill-advised late afternoon coffee, as she is incapable of ever learning a lesson.
About Finders Keepers: Two estranged best friends find that their long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for both their futures and their feelings, from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler.
I think the only thing more painful and life-altering than a friendship breakup is a friendship breakup where more than platonic feelings were floating around (whether acknowledged or not). But that angst is also what makes it a super fun dynamic to read about. So, in honor of my own estranged-friends-to-lovers romcom, Finders Keepers, I’m excited to share with you some of my favorite examples of this delicious romance trope for your own reading pleasure.
One on One by Jamie Harrow
Videographer Annie has returned to her alma mater to work for the university’s basketball team alongside Ben, another former intern who is now an assistant coach. The way Annie left before—suddenly and under circumstances Ben doesn’t understand—shoved a wedge between the two friends that is still very much present as she rejoins the Tigers staff. Jamie Harrow’s talent for making the atmosphere of a packed arena come alive on the page is second only to her talent for writing a swoony love story, and with Annie and Ben being both estranged friends and workplace rivals Harrow’s debut is absolutely one of my S-tier romances.
The Earl Who Isn’t by Courtney Milan
Lily returns from Hong Kong to the small English town of Wedgeford with proof that her estranged best friend, Andrew, is the rightful heir to an earldom. Andrew has actually known about his patrilineal inheritance for a long time now, and wants absolutely nothing to do with it. What he does want something to do with is Lily, whom he’s been desperately missing since the one night of passion they shared before she left. But the woman he adores is intent on revealing his biggest secret—and it could put them both in danger. What’s a hot amateur botanist who doesn’t want to be an earl to do??
A Rogue to Remember by Emily Sullivan
Road trip romances are my catnip—especially historical ones. When her uncle insists Lottie accept a proposal or he’ll do it for her, she decides to spread a scandalous rumor about herself to keep from having to marry. This brings her estranged childhood friend, Alec, to her doorstep in Italy to inform her that her reputation is still intact despite her efforts to ruin herself, and she needs to go back to England ASAP because her uncle is dying. As they journey home, they’re joined by the specters of their former friendship and a whole boatload of sexual tension. Oh, and by the way, Alec is a spy, so there’s a bunch of intrigue and related shenanigans woven into this second chance love story.
A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey
Dee is a podcast host and Ben is her estranged best friend who shows up on her doorstep requesting she accompany him on a long-ago planned road trip to his grandmother’s house to open the time capsule they buried there in high school. This forced proximity road trip romcom perfectly captures that aching feeling of loss when things go wrong with the person you care about most, and the uncertainty and hope that fills you when you might have a chance to fix it. I think about the cat at the baseball stadium scene at least once a week.
A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
Successful gaming hell co-owner Michael, Marquess of Bourne, lost everything in a game of cards many years ago, but now has an opportunity to get it back—by abducting his estranged childhood friend, Penelope, and compromising her virtue so that he can marry her and gain access to her dowry, which happens to include his ancestral estate. Not exactly an ideal way to reunite, but it is pretty hot in like, a problematic way! So Penelope, who wasn’t interested in a boring society marriage anyway, finds that she isn’t totally opposed to this situation. Which leads to Bourne being like wait no you aren’t suppose to like me, what the heck. Also, the letter excerpts in this one are some of the most effective (and affective) writing I’ve ever read.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Perhaps the most well-known example of this trope, I would be remiss if I didn’t include it. The past timeline slow reveal of what happened to drive Poppy and Alex apart plays so nicely with the current timeline of them repairing their relationship, and so much of it lives rent free in my head. Emily Henry certainly knows how to stick a story to your bones and make it part of you—the same way it feels to have a friendship so deep that it can’t help but transform into love.
