Straight to You

by Bec Benson

Ryder

I spend my days narrating steamy queer romance novels—which is ironic, considering my own love life is nonexistent and I’ve always thought I was straight.

Until Logan.

He’s my best friend. My person. We’ve been inseparable for years, and it’s never been weird.

Then the emails start.

Someone’s watching me. Someone who claims to love me. Someone who thinks Logan is standing in the way.

Now Logan refuses to leave my side. We’re together constantly, and suddenly, things don’t feel so simple anymore because the longer we’re stuck in this mess, the harder it is to ignore the tension that wasn’t supposed to be there.

Or maybe it always was. Maybe I just wasn’t ready to see it.


Logan

I never let myself think about Ryder like that. He’s straight. I shut that door the second we met in college and never looked back.

But now, someone’s watching him, stalking him. Someone who thinks I’m the problem.

Ryder needs me, so I stay close. Closer than we’ve ever been. And the more time we spend together, the more I start to wonder if I was wrong about everything.

Because the way he looks at me now?

Maybe I’m not the only one who’s been ignoring something.

And maybe neither of us wants to anymore.

Straight to You is a best friends-to-lovers MM romance with forced proximity, bi-awakening, hurt/comfort, and a suspenseful twist. HEA guaranteed.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, Contemporary, Amazon, Forced Proximity, Adult

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2025

About the author

Bec Benson is based in the Northeast, lives for the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, genuinely believes emo music can make you happy, and is obsessed with mgk.

Straight to You is her debut novel.

For more: https://becbenson.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lexia...

https://www.instagram.com/authorbecbe...

Reviews

[Emna · Rating 3 out of 5]

SERIOUSLY, WHYYYYYYYYYY ? 😤😤😤😤💀💀💀💀 IM PRAYING FOR MERCY OVER HERE .
Man, there is nothing WORSE and more ANNOYING than when a book starts off great ,Amazing plot, characters I absolutely love, everything feels so promising and I was thinking, “Finally. A book that gets me. This is easily heading for 4 stars, maybe even more if it keeps this up.” ,And then,THEN ????????just when we’re getting close to the end, the author suddenly hits copy-paste on every fucking chapter. Same thoughts, same scenes, same humor, same damn monologues on loop, like a old broken record. Like, okay, I GET IT . Can we please move on before I lose my fucking mind???????????

[readingwithmiaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
2.5🌶️




Y’all, How Is This A Debut Book?! Cause This Was AMAZING!!! Ryder And Logan Are Just What You Want When It Comes To A Best Friends To Lovers Romance Because They Were Just Everything, I Love Them So Much. And The Suspense Y’all, It Was Suspensing And It Was Really Creepy With The Emails But Yet There Was Times Where I Couldn’t Put The Book Down Cause I Wanted To Know What Happend With These Cuties. This Is Definitely A Book That Is Very Different Then What I Usually Read Cause I Don’t Read Suspense Books Really At All, But This One Was REALLY Good And So Well Crafted. I HIGHLY Recommend Reading This Book If Your In A Book Slump And You Need Something To Get Out Of It Or If You Want A Book That’s Different Then What You Usually Read. Bec, This Was AMAZING Girl I Cannot Believe This Is A Debut Book It Is SO GOOD!!!!! On June 26th, You Know Where To Go. I Cannot Wait To Read More By You Girl Cause You Have The Chance To Be A New Favorite Author Of Mine💕🫶




Thank You So Much @campfire.edits & @becbenson For The Arc Copy Of This Book I Appreciate You Both So Much

[Audi♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I already have everything I want with you. All that's left is a front door that's ours to walk through"

That epilogue had me tearin up. This was the best besties-to-lovers romance I've read in a while... Zero miscommunication/breakups. Just best friends being vulnerable and falling in love. I adored them.
All the intimate snuggles, touchy-feely mushiness gave me warm fuzzies. 🥺 I could have read 100 more pages of them being domestic and adorable with their banter, silly cups and Beans. I goofy smiled n blushed the whole time..
lube sharin' jack off buddies 🥵 cum frosting, buttplugs, and flip fuckin 🥵
Sheww weee yall. They loved each other real bad.
The plot was juicy and entertaining, too. Ryder's stalker gave me the heebie-jeebies. Just wait till you find out why he's obsessed and how far he takes it.

Thank you for the arc!
I loved it.

-besties to lovers
- bi awakening
- low angst
-fast burn with tension
- No cheating. No sharing. No OM drama
-verse MCs

[♡Gabi♡ [life & work is chaotic hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

bff-to-lovers ftw

[Naz.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars 3/5 spice

Ryder and Logan’s friendship/relationship was so freaking sweet. They had such an easy transition from friends to lovers with open communication and trust. I found their codependency very charming and how everyone around them had been waiting for them to end up together.

I enjoyed the stalker plot but there’s just something fun about being surprised about who the suspect is, instead of being made aware early on like this one was. I did appreciate the surprise of how involved they actually were though, I wasn’t expecting that.

I was heading towards a book slump and this book really brought me out of it. I found it hard to put down. This was a wonderful debut novel, congratulations Bec.

- Best friends to lovers
- Queer awakening
- Codependency
- Queer audiobook narrator
- MMC has an obsessed stalker fan
- Hurt/comfort

[haletostilinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh, don't know why this had a random rating of 3 stars that I never gave this or took it out of my currently reading before I was ready to do so.

I have finished this and very much enjoyed it, but am too tired to write a review right now.

So, RTC...

~*~

⭐️ 4.5 stars rounded up! ⭐️

A new author with their debut novel, and I loved it overall.

This was gripping and had me on the edge of my seat from the word go.

Basically from page one, Ryder gets a creepy feeling from a man staring intently at him at the bar when he's out with his best friend of ten years, Logan, and while we tries to brush it aside, he can't, not really.

Usually you hear about men stalking women or women stalking men, but rarely do you hear about men stalking men or women stalking women...

But here, Ryder has caught an obsessed stalker because of his voice, as he's audiobook narrator, and a very good one at that.

But obviously it's not really Ryder's voice or how well he is at his job that is the problem, but that his stalker is highly delusional and psychopathic.

It doesn't take long for him to become a real threat, and Ryder can't rationalize it away anymore or try to dismiss weird, creepy things happening around him as not a big deal. Because of that, he turns to Logan in his time of need, and Logan gets caught in the web as well, as Ryder's stalker, Kyle hates Logan and wants him out of the way. He includes Logan in his messages/threats as well.

Logan isn't the focus of Kyle, but he's also being stalked in a way, all the same. But since he's not the focus, he's able to be strong and reliant for Ryder, who is normally happy and laid back, but now has to deal with this trauma for weeks on end.

Aside from the main plot, which I loved and was so invested in, I really enjoyed Ryder and Logan as a couple as well. Their chemistry was great and I was hooked with these two as well. Honestly, I've read some best friends to lovers that can be a bit...boring or one-note, pretty standard and so-so. I've always been a bit wary going into best friends to lovers books because of that.

But thankfully with these two, that didn't happen. Aside from the exciting plot, their romance was so well done and sweet.

They've been best friends for 10 years, and Ryder thought he was straight while Logan, who is openly bisexual, had a crush on Ryder at first but shoved any of that way down to keep it platonic between them after he found out Ryder was straight.

But they've been falling in love the whole 10 years together, they've just not realized it - and each being in a relationship here and there over the years probably delayed things as well - except when Ryder accidentally walks in on Logan masturbating in the shower, everything changes and all bets are off.

Ryder discovers he's not so straight. Logan's feelings burst forth not only from the incident, but from before when he's confused and think Ryder is interested in Kyle, because he keep looking over at him at the bar, and Logan was jealous. Because he had in his head for 10 years that Ryder was straight and then thought Ryder was into a guy all the sudden....and it's not him?

It seems Logan's feelings were just waiting for some indication from Ryder that feelings could be reciprocated for them to flood out into him, and Ryder just needed something to make him realize feelings in the first place, that once he was aware of and looked back on all their years as best friends, it became obvious to him that feelings might have been there all along.

But as they're navigating this change in their relationship, Kyle looms large, being creepy as fuck and ruining intimate, personal and private moments between these two.

The climax was SO good and edge of your seat, nail biting content. Although my only reason for .5 stars off was after it all, after Kyle is taken care of, the book all the sudden became a bit slow for me in that last 20ish percent or so, and also the way it all goes down with Kyle finally making his big move felt a bit...manufactured, I guess?

I just felt like, for Logan, why did he got to fighting the guy instead of getting in his care, locking the doors and driving away? I didn't really get that. I know people can be stupid and impulsive, but...idk why be that way with Ryder's stalker who he *knows* is dangerous and while he's trying to get back to Ryder as fast as possible? And he sees the knife Kyle has but does nothing to try and stop him? I mean idk, maybe it would be fast in real time but seemed slow while reading, but why didn't he put up a defense arm, at least?.

But in the end, that wasn't too big a deal, so just .5 stars off for me.

Otherwise, this was an amazing debut novel and I loved it. I can't wait to read more from this author in he future.

And if you want a great best friends to lovers book with also some great suspense in it, definitely pick up this book, it's definitely worth a read.

Can't wait for more from this author! 😘

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Bec Benson's debut novel & it was an absolute page turner.I was hooked from the first page.Logan and Ryder are best friends who are each others everything. Logan, who is bisexual, has spent years suppressing his feelings for Ryder, believing his best friend to be straight. But when Ryder starts receiving disturbing emails from a stalker claiming to love him and is watching him, he turns to Logan for protection.Logan is more than happy to have his best friend move in with him.
With being in such close proximity of each other constantly,Ryder starts questioning ?both his feelings for Logan & his own sexuality. Watching these two best friends slowly discover that they’ve always been in love was beautiful.
Alongside the romance is a gripping stalker subplot that added suspense, tension, and genuine creepiness.
Logan and Ryder’s loyalty and love for each other shine throughout the story. They prove that there’s nothing they wouldn’t do to protect one another. They got their well deserved HEA.
I’m beyond excited to read more from this author in the future!
Spice-🌶🌶🌶

[Kseniia ✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Від друзів до закоханих та бі-пробудження — ось як можна заманити мене читати книгу. Ще й один з героїв (який straight) озвучує ММ книжки.

Солоденькі хлопчики, гарячі спайсі сцени та дрібка саспенсу (слова автора, не мої) зі сталкером.

Наче непоганий дебют, проте я швидко занудьгувала і хотіла скоріше покінчити з книгою.

Насправді вони ніколи не були лише друзями, просто ці дурбелики не розуміли, що весь час вели себе як одружена парочка.
Ситуація зі сталкером так собі. Саспенсу немає, їх з самого початку переслідує чувак, але вони дурненькі вирішують нічого з цим не робити. + копи дурачкі.

Але тут класні спайсі сцени та герої - два солоденьких пиріжечка. Тож можна читнути разок в перерві між великими/важкими книгами.

[Flora.reads.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, but I wish authors would do proper research when using terms such as "psychopath". Kyle’s behavior is NOT psychopathic in the slightest. On the contrary, his actions are heavily driven by emotion, obsession, and perceived emotional compulsion.

For clarity: psychopaths do NOT experience or act out of emotional overwhelm the way Kyle does. Labeling him as such is simply inaccurate.

So please, authors, don’t use psychological terms without understanding what they actually mean.
And just for the record: most psychopaths are absolutely NOT violent.

[Jurnee Mccarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this is one sitting. I loved it so much. Very amazing debut. I was shook that this was the authors first book, I couldn’t believe it. I loved the mystery. I loved the bestfriends to lovers. I just loved everything about it. It was also absolutely hilarious. I loved the coffee mugs. That was probably one of my favorite parts. Logan and Ryder were just amazing and I had so much fun reading there story.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC REVIEW

What if your best friend the one person who knows you better than anyone else suddenly started looking at you differently? What if the feelings you always assumed were platonic… weren’t?

Ryder is a narrator for steamy queer audiobooks, but ironically? He’s straight. Logan, his best friend since college, is a talented graphic designer and openly bi. Their bond has always been effortless easy, loyal, and totally platonic. But what if someone started watching Ryder? What if creepy, anonymous emails pushed him to turn to Logan for help and what if that closeness they’d always taken for granted suddenly got a lot more complicated?

Being forced into each other’s orbit more intensely than ever, Ryder and Logan start seeing things differently. Logan has always respected Ryder’s boundaries. Ryder’s always insisted he’s straight. But now… neither of them can ignore the tension simmering beneath years of friendship. Could there be more? Or are they just being twisted up by fear, pressure, and proximity?

Omgosh, this book! I devoured it in one sitting it had me hooked from page one. The best friends to lovers angle was beautifully done, and the stalker subplot added this creepy, pulse-pounding suspense that kept me on edge the entire time. I loved the tension, the slow unraveling of denial, and how the chemistry between Ryder and Logan felt so natural yet explosive when it finally clicked.

Their relationship felt raw and real especially with Ryder grappling with his identity and what it means to feel something so deep for someone he’s always seen as a friend. And Logan? Ugh, my heart. He’s patient, fiercely loyal, and you just feel how much he’s holding back.

If you’re into queer romance with heart, heat, and a touch of psychological suspense, this one’s definitely worth your time.

[MarcoPoloReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight To You is the debut novel from Bec Benson and was also the last book I read of 2025. Ryder and Logan are best friends, have a great relationship and trust each other explicitly. Ryder begins to receive anonymous emails that seem innocent at first but someone is definitely watching him and getting closer. When the risk of someone else invading and disrupting their lives; they both soon realize there may be more to their friendship than they thought.

Listen, I’ve been getting into friends to lovers and this was a fun and good read. I liked that this wasn’t just a romance, the added drama in dealing with a stalker brought suspense and unique fun to the story. The emotions were heightened in all aspects and it truly made the forced proximity work to their benefit. I liked that this established friendship brought great banter, angst and lots of swoony moments; it was very evident these two cared about each other. The suspense was pretty good and kept me turning the page to see how it all panned out.
Overall this was a fun read that combined romance and suspense, it kept me intrigued the entire time and was a great debut.

[Nina]

Time of death: pg 303/331 91%

So, the story wasn’t bad, it’s just getting really tedious. Had it ended several chapters back, I would have rated it a 3⭐️ book. But the plot basically concluded itself 30 pages ago and I just can’t imagine what else could need to be said that could take another 30 pages. I don’t require 60 pages of slice of life type epilogues where literally nothing happens. It’s too much.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

Straight to You by Bec Benson
Release date: TODAY 6/26

Tropes:
Best Friends To Lovers
Romantic Suspense
One Bed
Outside Relationship Stalker
Protectiveness
It’s Always Been You
Hurt/Comfort

I was lucky enough to get to both beta and ARC read this book and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I haven’t read a ton of romantic suspense so I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect going into it, but oh myyyyy, it was beyond any expectation. This book is sweet but suspenseful, hot but angsty, dark but so swoony. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE a friends to lovers, so to read that trope with a twist was something I absolutely loved. It’s written so well and I cannot wait to see what Bec will continue to do because she is so talented. Make sure you add this one to your TBR!

[Maryroms · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFd at 50%, it started pretty good but got repetitive very fast, wasn’t a fan of the whole stalking plot.

[raccoon reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes.

Show don’t tell.

This book is all tell all the time.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars

Honestly this started off as a 5 star read for me. I loved watching these best friends turn into lovers. They were actually very cute together. I also liked both of the MCs both separately and together. I loved how great their communication was.

The conflict was kind of what ruined it for me. It wasn’t conflict between the MCs but the conflict between the MCs and the villain aka the stalker. It started so early on that I was like wtf is going to happen during the rest of the book because the conflict was a lot sooner than usual. Also it lasted waaay too long. Chapter after chapter after chapter and I was like okay I’ve had enough of us. I cannot tell you how much the whole thing frustrated me. From the MCs not speaking up when they should have, to saying they were going to get evidence of the stalker to stop him once and for all but they did absolutely nothing expect for put cameras up. The cops in this book were completely useless, Logan’s mom was annoying AF. You can see he’s going through something and you’re sitting there soothing him and crying and treating him like a child instead of listening and trying to do something to help. Idk she bugged the crap out of me. And idk why but Ryder kind of bugged me during the whole thing as well. I just wanted something from him. For him to do SOMETHING, anything really but he just felt so weak to me and idk if that stems from me reading about alpha males all the time that his weak demeanor bugged me so bad.

And then we have the last 20% which was basically just like the first half of the book. So not much going on there but the same declarations of love and stuff.

Anyway not a bad read and I liked the writing and characters. Just wasn’t a fan of the last 40% of the book.


NO CHEATING
NO TRUE OP DRAMA (Ryder has a stalker/admirer but he’s not interested)
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
BI AWAKENING
FRIENDS TO LOVERS
STALKER BEHAVIOR
HEA (engaged)

[Brooke Greathouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I finished it! Because of that it gets 2 stars!

There was way too much inner dialogue and repetition. It was literally copy and paste inner dialogue and conversations! I’m pretty sure we heard about the “shower scene” at least 7 times! And when you do dual pov, we don’t need the same EXACT same shit repeated in the other pov. We literally just read this 2 minutes ago! We don’t need it again! I skimmed like 60% of this book due to all of the inner dialogue and repetition.

There were also a lot of inconsistencies. Like towards the beginning Ryder was saying that they had been friends since freshman year of college. In Logan’s pov when he was describing Kyle he said “Looks to be a little older than us, maybe in his 30s”. Putting these two maybe mid twenties. Then later in the book he said he’s been friends with Ryder for a decade. So how old are they really?! It never said. Which brings me to my next point, hardly no character descriptions. We don’t know how old they are, how tall they are, we don’t even get hair color or eye color until half way through. But, we sure needed to know what everything else looked like! I might not know what Ryder looks like, but I can describe in detail what Pine Bar looks like! I wish authors would get in the habit of explaining what the characters look like within the first few chapters and not 50% in!

[Mandella Carona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressed that this was a debut for the author! I do hope that Bec Benson continues to write some suspenseful romance as well, because I do like that aspect, even though the stalker is pretty obvious right from the start. Logan and Ryder have a cute relationship, what got me hooked on reading this was the teaser that they are friends who like to cuddle and see nothing obvious about that. I like oblivious MMC tropes. ☺️ Were there parts, near the end, that seemed a little repetitive? Yes, a few, but I am guilty of the same thing and am still new myself, so I'm not going to withhold stars based on that alone because I 💯 get it and everything is a learning curve!

Did I love the plot and Ryder and Logan's relationship? Sure did. The hurt / comfort and codependency was spot on for me.

Anyway, before this review goes on to be a novel itself, congrats on a great debut! 🤩

[ash[hearts]angst · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Straight to You” is a super-cute-but-also-terrifying friends to lovers romance with a background of suspense and a HEA.

Ryder and Logan were adorable and I loved their friendship. Their weekly date nights, funny mugs and genuine friendship put a smile on my face.

I liked how Ryder did tell Logan what was going on when shit got creepy. So many times we see people try and go it alone and I appreciated how much Ryder trusted him, literally, with his life.

I do think the progression of their friends-to-lovers but super unrealistic given the circumstances but hey, that’s fiction for you! It wasn’t enough to take me out of their story.

Logan is a true ride or die and I’m so happy he got his man!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Ryder and Logan and I loved their dynamics both as friends and as lovers. They were perfectly matched imo where they both gave and took what the other offered without it feeling one sided, or like one man wanted it more than the other. I loved how ready to go to bat for Ryder Logan was and how Ryder didn't shy away from how much he needed him. As for the antagonist, I have never hated a character more in which case the author did their job in creating an evil villain.

I received an arc copy and I am so honored to have gotten it. I can't wait to read more of Bec's work in the future.

[Shonte Holcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only question I have is how is this a debut book cause it was sooo good!!

If you know me you know the friends to lovers trope is one of my least favorite tropes but here recently authors have been trying to change my mind and Bec came out the gates swinging. This book was so original and kept me on the edge of my seat. I swooned, I cried, I died, and then was put back together. I absolutely loved Ryder and Logan’s dynamic, even though at one point I was giving them major side eye and saying “now yall know that’s not normal friend behavior and yall love each other” lol.

If this is what a debut book looks like I can’t wait to see what comes next!

[gab_e_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel! The story is a Friends to Lovers at the highest level! Ryder and Logan just make me melt away! Their feelings for each other are so deep and real, who wouldn't want that ❤️?! And then there's all the suspense surrounding the stalker, very well written and woven into the story. You eagerly await the happy ending for the two of them and are rewarded with one! And the spice? It gets really hot here 🥵🔥🌶️! I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more books by Bec Benson!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy...I dont even know where to start...I was not expecting the plot twist but I am so happy that Ryder and Loge got their HEA. The way those two effortlessly fell into their new lives together and fell for each other was so beautiful and raw and the emotional. I love the way Logan protects Ryder and the way Ryder so easily loves Logan.

This is a new to me author and I was definitely not disappointed. I am looking forward to reading more from Bec!

[ashlee ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryder + Logan

-mm romance
-best friends to lovers
-it’s always been you
-stalker (not mmc)
-hurt/comfort

yesss we loveee a good straight best friend who's codependent with his bi bestie who's in love with him & these two were sooo cute & the tension was off the charts!! love to see it!!

[Leilani Noack · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute

My first book by this author and it was not a let down. If you like stalking (not by the mains), possessive boyfriends, friends to lovers then you will like this one. I’m so glad that Ryder & Logan got their happy ending even though they had to go through some traumatic events.

[Yukitosmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was "meh" at best. This is my second book by this author, I loved the first one I read so I'll try some more books.

[Julia Toth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and enjoyable read. I loved how the suspense and romance went together, I was on the edge of my seat for parts of this book, waiting to see what will happen next. I loved how they went from best friends to so much more and while the timing wasn't the best, it was still great to witness.
I really enjoyed how protective Logan was of Ryder, how he was willing to do anything to save him. He really is the ultimate boyfriend, he's sweet and protective. Ryder and Logan are such a great pairing. They are really comfortable with each other, and have been loving each other quietly for years while not realising what their feelings really were. I'm glad they caught up to what everyone around them saw for the last 10 years. I loved their platonic cuddles and their funny mugs, their weekly Friday friend dates and their banter.

If you like best friends to lovers with a side of suspense then this is the book you need to read.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was not it…too repetitive..the same monologue over and over again…did not care about the characters…was so bored from it

[Bettina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Bec Bensons debut novel was exciting, thrilling and a story I had a lot of fun with. When Ryder keeps getting some unwanted attention from a stranger, his best friend Logan is willing to do anything to protect him. While the men tries to deal with the creepy stalker, the two of them also starts to look at each other in a different light.

I loved the authors storytelling and their style of writing, and I’m very much looking forward to reading more of their stories in the future - this was a good debut!

I might have wished for the second half to be as great as the first, cus this book had me hooked by the first page, but left me wanting something more by the end. It’s by no means a bad book, and I’m so happy I dived into this story. Overall, it was a fun read and I’m looking forward to what’s to come!

A big thank you to the author and their team for providing me with an arc of their book!