Title: My Next Play

Series: On My Own #3

Author: Carrie Ann Ryan

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 7, 2021

What happens when you fall for your best friend, but they fall in love with someone else? Nothing is what it seems in this unrequited love, new adult romance.

Miles knew Nessa never had eyes for him. Only when someone new tries to hurt her, he knows he can’t stand back any longer. It’s time she finds out the man he is behind the glasses and beneath the shell he wrapped himself in.

But now he has to hope that once she sees the real him, she’ll stay. Because he doesn’t want to let go, even if someone else tries to make that choice for them both.

Miles Fraser wishes Nessa would notice him, but as the quiet nerdy guy of the bunch he feels like she doesn’t see him in the same way she sees his roommates. When he comes to her rescue, he decides it’s time he makes sure she sees who he really is and hope she will take a chance on a relationship with him.

Miles has kept himself pretty well closed off from the roommates, keeping his history a secret. They all knew he was hiding something, with his nightmares and brushoffs, but he hadn’t shared his story and they hadn’t pushed yet. But as he opens up to his friends, he also realizes things about the situation he hadn’t been able to see before and recognizes that he needs to make some changes in order to heal and move on himself.

I love these two. They each had reasons for keeping to themselves and had to work through feelings around Nessa’s former crush on Pacey. Once they had addressed that issue, they still had the uncertainty of future plans hanging over their heads. Nessa had some additional planning stress as her financial status was in question as well. They were friends first and I loved the way they relied on the friendship to build their relationship.

This series has introduced a great group of friends who have created an extended family within their 2 houses. This one felt like it focused more on the relationships between the guys, especially as Miles started to open up about his past, but still had plenty of interaction from the girls. This group of friends (and now mostly couples) have created 2 households that support each other through whatever comes their way. I can’t wait for the final couple in the houses to have their day in My Bad Decisions!

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Fractured Connections, and Elements of Five series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over seventy-five novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.