Hello, romance lovers! Let’s talk about one of my favorite romance tropes—friends-to-lovers. I love when two people who are so meant to be are too oblivious to the fact that they are so meant to be. The fun of reading this trope—or watching it on the big screen—is the dramatic irony of it all. If a friends to lovers story is done well, the reader (or viewer…because yes, I’m talking movies soon) wants to wring the hero or heroine’s neck (or both) for being too blind to what’s right in front of them. It’s frustrating, even maddening, to ache for that happy ending as our stubborn characters struggle to make it there. But the payoff is oh so sweet because at the end of all the agony lies the happily ever after—the romance pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if the rainbow is a meandering journey with wrong turns and missed signals and near misses.

Oh my.

This is what I hope I achieved in my new release, The One That Got Away.

How far will one man go for the woman he’s loved since high school?

Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler’s best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they’ve had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.

But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he’s ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he’s been by her side all along.

We’ve got a hero and heroine who’ve been best friend’s for over a decade, who almost got together back in high school, and who have vowed never to speak of that almost was again. Except you can only bury feelings for so long until they start bubbling to the surface, and what better place to have that happen than on a road trip across the country? Oh how I love to make my characters squirm.

But where do you get your inspiration, AJ?

Well, I’m glad you asked. I’ve loved the tried and true friends-to-lovers trope since my awkward junior high days back in the 80s. Because I hadn’t discovered romance novels yet, this love came from the movies. So, to celebrate friends who are destined to be something more, I thought I’d share (in order of release year) five of my favorite friends-to-lovers movies (and yes, some are also books!).

1. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)- If this John Hughes gem has passed you by, you are missing out on one of the best scenes ever, where Watts makes Keith practice how to kiss before his date with Amanda Jones.
2. When Harry Met Sally (1989)- A road trip, a decade plus long friendship, and one of my favorite lines from a hero ever.
3. Emma (1996)- This adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel about the matchmaking Emma Woodhouse whose matches—including her own—don’t quite go according to plan is one of my favorites. Jeremy Northam is quite the swoony Mr. Knightley.
4. Thirteen Going on 30 (2004)-Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo? Need I say more? Fine…they do the Thriller dance. How can you possibly resist any of that? And this scene—my poor heart!
5. Love Rosie (2014)-Another novel adaption, this one by the lovely Cecelia Ahern. I just saw this one a couple of weeks ago. Talk about wanting to wring the characters’ necks at all their near misses! But oh, Sam Claflin and your dimples…I am a goner.

There you have it, folks. As you can see, I was destined to write a friends-to-lovers story since the 80s. It just took me a few years to come up with the right one. I hope you’ll check out Jamie and Brynn’s frustrating, funny, sexy, swoony journey in The One That Got Away.

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Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for The One That Got Away! You could win a swag pack featuring a bookmark and an item from A.J.’s Kingston Ale House store on Cafepress.

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AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, the books she writes have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes). And a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopath detective. You’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago ‘burbs. AJ is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary.

You can also find AJ on Facebook, Twitter, and AJPine.com.