Done Being Friends

by Trisha Grace

Faith and Zac grew up together. Faith grew up in a supportive and loving family while Zac’s family was basically non-existence. Both have the money and looks, and they could not be more suited for each other.

They have been friends for their whole life. Best friends. A line that neither dared to cross. But when Faith’s father collapsed and was sent to the hospital, her perfect little world was turned upside down.

When Zac saw Faith in the arms of another, he saw the real possibility of losing her and decided to step up.

But not everyone is happy about the change and amidst the chaos, more trouble awaits.

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Trisha Grace graduated from Bradford University with an Accounting and Finance degree. She has always been an avid reader and has a passion for writing. After being a tutor for over six years, she finally sat down and penned her own novels.

Reviews

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Longtime childhood friends have a sweet spot in my heart and my reading eyes because I always get stories with youthful friendships. I really believe that it makes for interesting stories and long lasting relationships when there isn't any unfortunate surprises because we don't know enough about the H/h. Zac clearly loves his childhood best friend Faith. Faith always preferred Zac but he never showed anything but friendship in all their interactions through out the years. This is told from H/h POVs and there is no mystery with their love, but there is an evolution in Zac's emotional development. He believes that he is genetically incapable of treating Faith the way she should be because all the men in his family are faithless adulterers. There is a bit of stalking and quickly solved mystery.
There are a lot of grammar errors and typographical mistakes which made me wonder who edited this story? It is a good story with wonderful banter between the main characters but the editing throws me out once in a while.
2 stars

[Kathy Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book... I really did. It started out pretty good and showed promise. But about half way through the book things started to get very unrealistic to me and I was consistently rolling my eyes. I would have been able to enjoy it if it were just one or two things but this was completely overboard for me.

Between the jilted best friend trying to not only ruin Faith and Zac's relationship but Zac's business as well, to the psycho chick who thought she was in love with Zac after one dinner, to Faith learning and running her family business with 20,000 employees after only 1 week, to the inconsistencies and grammatical errors, I found myself skimming the book just to finish it. There was just too much crammed into the book in my opinion.

If you think those things would bother you then I would suggest skipping this one. If you don't mind it, then you will probably like this book.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was a good story there, but the multitude of spelling and grammatical errors, incomplete sentences and the like were just too much. with a little more work this could have been a good book.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

PG13 - descriptive kissing.
I love the premise of this book, the whole 'loved each other their whole lives' but were friends motif, but this book didn't really hit the spot for me. I did like the undying devotion between Faith and Zac, but I felt like my brain was being batted back and forth like a ping-pong ball in a crazy death match. There were long periods of no big activity, then kapow! some big drama exploded. I didn't find it to be very well edited - it wasn't very tight. There are better books.

[Jennifer Ciano · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the characters to be very flat. The male characters Zac and Dylan come off as very domineering and at times arrogant but they both also has sweet tendencies. The fact of this story went from best friends to lovers in a matter of days, without detailed conversations was very unconvincing. The female main character never questioned anything, she just went right along with it. I liked it the first few chapters but for me it went downhill after that.

[Lily (Blossom With Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars <3 <3 <3
This is another faith base romance book, that being said, there is noooo spice in this but again! The storyline made up for that and it was a good read!
The feels were, where the main characters know they love each other but don't want to take the first step, unsure where it could lead. It was a good quick read.

[Tj Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book

I enjoyed reading Zac and Faith's story. It was a great story. There were a couple of totally unbelievable events that were in the story but nevertheless, it was an enjoyable book.

[Monicque · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know the pain of an unrequited or unadmitted high school love. To later have that love confirmed must be like living in a blissful dream! A great storyline with a twist I didn't suspect. Really proud of the characters stepping up to their respective challenges. A truly interesting read.

[Christi O'Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the strong relationships Trisha Grace writes, but sometimes her books just seem to have so much that's not necessary to the story.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, a bit childish and unbelievable. Could have been half the length and would not have missed anything. Virtual voice narration did not help matters.

[Iola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m always a fan of friends to lovers plots (this is Christian romance, so I mean ‘lover’ strictly in the Victorian sense), so I was keen to read Done Being Friends. Zac and Faith have been friends since they were children, each with feelings for the other, feelings they have each kept secret for fear of ruining their friendship. In Done Being Friends, a series of events along with the interference of Zac's best friend, Dylan, force them to address their feelings.

I liked both Faith and Zac, which is always a good start in a romance novel. They are both the children of rich and privileged upbringings, but are pretty normal despite that. Zac now runs his family construction business, while Faith spends her time on short-term missionary trips. I also enjoyed the suspense subplot that came into play in the second half of the novel.

However, there were a number of writing issues. There’s a view that few novels benefit from a prologue, and this one proves the rule. I get the impression it was meant to show how protective Zac felt towards Faith, but he came across as possessive and arrogant. And it was unnecessary backstory, as it was covered perfectly well in a single sentence in the first chapter.

The writing was an issue throughout the novel. There were a lot of typos (he had his hand on her "bareback"), creative dialogue tags (her father stated, her mother voiced), and too many adverbs, as well as commas in the wrong places, run-on sentences, and some sentences which were almost unintelligible ("I took a couple of paper from Jessica's house"). The book description says this is the reedited and revamped version, but it's still not ready to be on sale.

I was also concerned by a couple of aspects of the plot for a novel I was told was a Christian romance, although this wasn't obvious in the story apart from a few mentions of Faith's missionary trips. First (and don't read this if you don't like spoilers), Faith and Zac share a bed many times during the course of the story. It's implied they are merely sleeping together (rather than, you know, Sleeping Together), but that's not made clear. And while I see Faith has a Christian faith, I never had the same assurance about Zac. Specifically, he says to Faith at one point, "You've always told me how good God is". You mean Zac doesn't know for himself?

Overall, while I liked the characters and enjoyed the story, I can't actually think of anyone I'd recommend Done Being Friends to. People who would enjoy the Christian aspect wouldn't like the "sleeping together" or the lack of clarity around Zac's beliefs, and readers of general market romance wouldn't like the Christian aspect (although some would like the chaste storyline). Overall, it's only okay.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zac Hayden was a friend since the age of six. His parents had a horrible marriage where his father cheated on his mother so much until she couldn’t take it. They fought terrible fights till finally she started cheating on him to teach him a lesson which turned into a vicious circle. Never getting him to stop so one day she just up and left. Zac was a 10 year old little boy who cried endlessly for her.
Until Faith’s grandma and mom asked if he could stay over. Then two nights, turned into two weeks that turned into six months. Then, Zac noticed he would stay with Aunt Michelle, Uncle Jon and Grandma. Most of the time in his own room that they made for him next to their daughter Faith and the visits to his dad’s for a week sometimes two if at all. To this day he still has a room there if he wants or needs it.
As Faith Preston and Zac go off to College together along with their childhood friend Dylan their bond between them becomes ever stronger. If ever in need the one would drop whatever they were doing to be at the others side. Not telling each other they were in love with each other. Zac never wanted to ruin their relationship not knowing at the same time Dylan was falling in love with Faith too.
As if that wasn’t enough Faith’s roommate Jessica was falling in love with Dylan. Then, Zac’s dad dies he has to take over the company. He has no clue what he is doing but luckily Dylan did so he guided him all the way. Faith always at his side giving him moral support. About 8 years go by when Faith’s dad has a heart attack now everyone will be confronting their true feelings and truths will be revealed. See who’s truly a friend, who are foes, who are lovers, and who are just in love. And who is willing to follow God’s law.
For this being the author’s first book she had ever written it was a very good story line. The characters were engaging, the plot was well thought-out, and it was a book you just didn’t want to put down. I am so glad I get this free on Amazon. I give this 5 stars.
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[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book. Had me invested from the first page. After reading it, I kind of was on the fence about it. The romantic in me had me (mild spoiler)sighing at Zac's amazing love for Faith. But the feminist (which I really am not) deep deep down inside kept thinking Zac was a little overboard protective of her, but he did it was such a loving attitude not condescending at all so...the romantic in me won out.

This book however, is in serious need of an editor. There were a lot of mistakes, some of them made me laugh. My favorite was when Zac went to cut a bite of his "lamp"....I don't think lamp's taste appetizing at all...lamb maybe. It wasn't too distracting for me, but people that notice those things easily would probably go crazy.

Moral note: Romance was pretty clean, they did sleep in the same room/bed together, nothing happened at all, they decided abstinence. Very mild talk of being a playboy/womanizer, and Zac's parents cheating on each other. Mild violence - couple of blows, and a scene with a gun. Language - a few OMG's and 1 "b" other than that I don't even think there was any hecks or dangs.

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars


At the beginning I was interested, intrigued and excited, cause the book sounded really good. And it WAS entertaining, but then I started noticing stuff.
Like how the dialogue went from very laid back, to very formal, when it came to the Main Characters and other side characters in the story. I would even say, TOO formal. Sometimes it felt like I was reading a Historical Fiction book, instead of Contemporary Fiction. But then there would be those few " 'Cos" words thrown in out of no where, and a much simpler dialogue, that had me thinking present time again. It was actually rather confusing, and somewhat uncomfortable to read.

The story was good, but I found my self just wanting to get to the end by the time I reached the half way point. After Faith and Zac got together, things got rather boring. Not a bad book, but I wished there would have been more(and I don't more pages!).

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done Being Friends is a G-rated, Christian novel with a fairly decent love story. It was a bit predictable and I found the characters a tad flat personality-wise, but it wasn't a bad read overall.

On the plus side, this was one of the better Christian romance novels I've read. I read all genres of books, but will admit I tend to avoid most Christian fiction because of how preachy it often gets. This one was not that way. There weren't pages of sermons or a judge-y attitude by the characters. I'd say it was more like Christians going about leading their lives instead of paragraph after paragraph of preaching thinly disguised as part of the story.

On the down side, Trisha Grace needs to find herself a new editor. Yikes.

[Ashley Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story with a lot of potential. Sadly, the story fell flat about halfway through and never recovered. So much more could have been explored with the supporting roles in the book. We were sadly left to wonder how things turned out for Jessica and Dylan. Neither really had closure. Faith and Zac were adorable but predictable. This book probably could have gotten another star from me, had the editor done a better job. There were not only grammatical and spelling errors everywhere but continuity as well. When a reader gets lost in a story, it's very difficult to stay in that mindset while trying to figure out what the author was trying to get across.

[Miss Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute, but not so.


It also shows a side of the rich people, that they also have problems of their own.

But overall, it wasn't that... catchy. Well I like the title, childhood friend and all; but there was no impact.

You can already see them getting together; it's a prediction readers want to be wronged; to be surprised.

And Zac: he was too good to be true. Totally. Well, it's a book so let's dream on!

[spoiler]
And it would have been cooler if their engagement really lasted for 6 months.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some good twists in it, but over-all predictable. Would have liked to see more character development and thought the premise of her taking over her father's company when he became ill was a little far-fetched, seeing as she had no experience at all. I don't care how much her father loved her, I don't think a good businessman would put the fate of his company in the hands of someone with no experience. I would not dismiss the idea of reading something else by this author. I think she shows promise of better things to come.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the love story in this book. But that's about it. It seemed to drag on and on at points. I learned that this was the author's first book and it is WAY better than anything I could write. The story line leaves much to be desired. In a Christian romance, I want to be inspired as to how to pursue romance in a godly way. Zac and Faith don't do that at all. They have zero boundaries and Zac is overly possessive. As a counselor I wanted them to work on their relationship but it seems to be based solely on desire and passion rather than on the relationship development.

[Gwynn White · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had such promise, but the execution left so much to be desired. A good editor could have sorted out the spelling mistakes, incomplete sentences, repetitions and – I'm sorry to say – general bad writing.

I was also put off by the unrealism of the story. With zero experience, within a week Faith is managing a corporation with 20 000 people? I don't think so. If you are going to write about the rich, then please have some real insight into how they live and make their money!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book, it left me wanting more! The ONLY reason I didn't give it all five stars was because I did NOT like that Zac referred to Faith's parents as Aunt and Uncle. It made it seem like they were related when they weren't. Only half way through the book did they finally hint around to how he came to calling Faith's parents Aunt and Uncle.
Overall this book was great and I would recommend it!!!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good not great. I loved the love story... CEO, alpha male, falls in love with his childhood best friend AND its clean? Yup I'm hooked. Characters were good, although a little too rosy and Mary sue.

As gar as the plot goes, I kept waiting for the "bottom" to fall out and it sorta would and then it would resolve the next page. clean except for one swear word.

[Smarcantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story! I loved Zac and Faith. I loved how they started out as just friends then both fell in love with the other very young even though they didn't discuss their true feelings and they were adults. I admire the trust they have for each other. So many things were against them but they conquered them all!

[Marilyn Kuchma · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great. Just seemed a little lacking in reality. This book made it seem as if anyone could be a CEO of a big corporation, without any training. And friends can become lovers so easy.

[Meagan Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books about childhood or even adulthood friends finally realizing that both have feelings for the other. This is a cute story, not all hearts and rainbows but not all relationships are perfect either.

[Andrew Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obvious choices

Two best friends who have a thing for each other. Why they aren't together no one knows, which makes it way too easy when they decide to. The author tries to keep them apart but it seems forced. Still it's a sweet story and different than what I normally read

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, especially the main characters. There was a lot of drama in the story. The story had some unexpected twists and turns. I would like to read the sequel if there is one.

Content: Passionate kissing, 1 moderate swear words, mild violence
Rating: 3.5 stars

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story line could use a little improvement, but I love the characters.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fast and fun read. I was a little irritated by the main character but she redeemed herself by the end. Overall, a good book.

[BookWorm 221 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to the description of this book and I have to say it didn't live up to my expectations, although I did enjoyed it, the characters never made a lasting impression on me.