REVIEW: A Good Book by Jewel E. Ann

A Good Book by Jewel E. Ann: Going into freshmen year Gabriella had one mission, get her long time crush Matthew to fall in love with her, the only issue being she has little to no experience in the world of love. Luckily for Gabby she has the help of her best friend Ben to guide her in the art of wooing her way into the heart of Matthew. After all, Ben’s confident, good with girls, and always knows what to say. Her first mission get Ben to teach her how to create a memorable first kiss…What begins as a simple favor spirals into something far more complicated when buried feelings come to the surface; turns out that Ben has secretly been in love with her for years. One kiss leads to another, and suddenly, Gabby’s perfectly planned future doesn’t seem so clear anymore… however things take a sharp turn when Ben unexpectedly drops out of college and disappears from her life, leaving Gabby with more questions than answers… the biggest one being, is the love she’s been chasing worth more than the love that’s been there all along?

As always Jewel has created a beautiful romance filled with love, laughter and so much of heart. Normally Jewel is an instant hit for me and for the most part I really liked this book, though there was just something that I didn’t quite connect with in this book, maybe it was the fact that it was set in 1989, where as I felt that it would have read just as good if not better as a modern day romance. Nevertheless, A Good Book was definitely a well written friends to lovers romance that I slowly found myself getting lost in.

If there was one thing that I liked about Gabby it was how relatable she came across. There was something very innocent about her character that I really liked, which made getting to see her grow, learn and embrace love and new experiences all the more precious. I loved getting to see her try to figure out her feelings for Ben, while trying to navigate her long standing crush on Matthew. Her journey in learning the difference between a crush and a real emotional connection was raw, real and so well written. Now for Ben, well it was simply so easy to love this guy. Ben was emotionally mature, grounded and so completely in love with Gabby. I will say my heart broke for him and the way that he quietly loved Gabby, but gosh did this only make me air fist pump when he finally decided to kiss her for real. Though when Ben is faced with a hard personal challenge we really see his strong protective exterior crumble and question if waiting is really worth it.

There is just something about the slow burn, angsty build up of a friends to lovers romance that will always be a favorite of mine. I loved getting to see the shift in the dynamic with Gabby and Ben, the questioning and the slow development of realisation for Gabby. I think the reason that their connection worked and survived Bens sudden disappearance is the fact that they had such a strong friendship to ground their relationship. It really did take losing Ben in a sense for Gabby to wake up to the realization that just maybe she had everything that she could have wanted right in font of her all along. In the end what really made their relationship so beautiful was the fact that their love story start years ago with all the small moments, late night conversations and the never ending support they showed each other.

While A Good Book was not my favourite Jewel book, I did really enjoy following Gabby and Ben as they figured out how to navigate their feelings and find their way back to each other.

Book Info:

Publication: May 22, 2025 | Jewel E. Ann |

Lucky for Gabby, her best friend, Ben, is attending the same college on a music scholarship. He is the perfect resource—girls love him, and he’s more experienced with relationships than her, since she’s never had a boyfriend.

When Gabby panics before her first date with Matt, she begs Ben to show her how to kiss. But Ben has a secret, one he’s been keeping from Gabby for years. He’s in love with her.

One kiss turns into two, leaving Gabby confused and scared that their friendship might not survive the unforeseen emotions. She avoids Ben until something unexpected changes his life forever, and he’s forced to drop out of school.

Gabby tries to contact him, but he won’t respond. And Matthew Cory, her sister’s ex-boyfriend and handsome law student, is ready to fill the void Ben left behind.

Now that Gabby has the man she thought she wanted, can she forget about the boy who kissed her twice?