Sophie and Tess have been friends for 20 years since meeting in college. Both have had past relationship woes that make them each a bit gun shy in different ways. Sophie ends up finding an interesting online dating prospect and thinks maybe she is ready to try for a real relationship again. Once she starts down this road Tess realizes she has more than friend feelings for Sophie.
This was an ok book but I felt like I had a hard time getting into it. Both of the MCs past relationship issues were very vague and it was hard to picture how exactly they end up in this boat they are each in. Once Sophie makes the choice to try for a relationship it’s not really clear what made her make such a change, it seems a complete 180 from where she started out without any kind of explanation. Also agree with other reviewers comments on use of pronouns too often, there were many times I had to go back and re read a passage to figure out which ‘she’ was talking.

I was hoping the third book I read by Dena Blake would be the charm and it would click for me, unfortunately, this didn't happen.

I have this thing with Blake's books where I like the premise and the storytelling, or at least a good part of it, but I just don't gel with the characters. With the previous books I tried from this author I had no big issues getting into the story, this one was different. I even stopped reading it for a bit, I figured it must be me, my head wasn't in the reading mood maybe. Turns out, wasn't me. I paged back and noticed that maybe the author switched the names of our mains Sophie and Tess, but the switch didn't happen everywhere so it led to some very confusing scenes for me.

As mentioned it took me a while to get into the book, I realised when I picked it up again I was just bored with it. The story and the characters simply don't hold my attention, there is nothing about any of it that sparks any interest in my mind. The one friend helping the other find love is just not working here, mostly because at no point do I believe any of it. In my opinion, this story would have worked better if it was just a friends-to-lovers romance without the addition of the helping your friend find love storyline. I feel like the author picked up a lot of threads, main character's job, friendship, assisting, too many things going on but also not happening if you know what I mean. This book is about as exciting as watching grass grow to me.

I like Blake's writing style, it's easy, but the storytelling and the lack of characters that speak to me make it hard to enjoy. I'm sure this book will work for many other people so please find some other reviews as well. I can't give it more than 2.5, and it's a very generous rating on my part.

I’m at a loss for words. I’m hurt to say that this book wasn’t for me, it was a little flat and not enough chemistry. I had to force myself to finish it, however, just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it.

If you like your romances full of angst and with all the will she or won’t shes then Love by Proxy is just for you. Sophie and Tess have been best friends since childhood. They work together and they play together. They spend most of their time together except when Sophie is enjoying her casual encounters with no strings attached. Tess has had her trust broken completely with her last relationship. She is not even looking for a new relationship. A casual observance from Sophie’s boss has her looking at Tess in a completely new way.
Love by Proxy will definitely entertain readers. It follows a much used scenario of two besties falling in love with all the angst that goes with the potential of losing their friendship. Dena Blake’s writing is sound with her creating two likeable characters. Even though Sophie realizes she has more than just ‘friend’ feelings by the middle of the book Blake keeps the story moving and interesting until the end.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"Love by Proxy" by Dena Blake is about Sophie and Tess, two friends who also share the same workplace. The two have known each other for a long time and are best friends. While Sophie prefers short flings, Tess is looking for the right one.
When Sophie contacts Blaire online, Tess helps her interact. But might Tess and Sophie find each other?

Unfortunately, I had some problems with this book. I didn't feel the chemistry between Tess and Sophie while reading. I also kept wondering what was keeping them together as the connection didn't make as much sense to me unfortunately. I also wasn't convinced by the secondary characters of Joy, Blaire, and Morgan and they were too flat and partially unlikable for me. Just because I felt that way, however, doesn't mean that there will be readers who will enjoy this exact type of book. I'm sure the book will find its readership.

I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for a an honest review.

Love by proxy is about 2 best friends that also happen to work together. The story is a bit slow and the chemistry between Sophie and Tess is a bit off on both their friendship and their romantic relationship. I just couldn’t get on board with these characters. The book itself is well written and I will read other books by this author but this one just didn’t do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

In Tess Anderson’s eyes, her best friend Sophie Swanson is an absolute catch, she is gorgeous, charming and cares deeply for Tess. The problem, just not in the way Tess hopes for. A friends to lovers book, the ladies waded into unfamiliar territory when their seemingly hidden mutual attraction threatened to rise above the surface whilst Tess was roped into helping Sophie find her match.

I thought that the book would be more solid if the background of their relationship was expounded. Friends for decades, they were familiar and deeply ingrained in the other’s life however nothing was mentioned about when one started to be attracted to the other. The sweetest part of the book was right towards the end when they acted on their feelings.

I just reviewed Love By Proxy by Dena Blake. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

Love By Proxy is the story of two childhood BFFs that are now co-works in a small marketing firm in Florida. Sophie is more of a player but would like a real relationship. Tess hasn't been out much since her last relationship and secret crushes on Sophie. When Sophie meets someone online Tess (like a Cyrano) pitches in to help her with say the right things.

Honestly, I don't know why, but I had the hardest time telling these two apart. I would have to go back and reread who was cooking a meal for the two or whose house they were at because they just seem interchangeable. The characters weren't developed enough that I cared about them individually. Also there were some writing issues. One sentence had two "hers" and a "she" in it and I had to read it three times to know who was doing what. In all honestly, not much happens in the story and I didn't get their attraction to each other. For two best friends they didn't communicate well with each other. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

To start on a slightly negative note there were a couple of technical errors I noticed. In 2 or 3 instances Sophie’s name was used instead of Tess’s. I’m assuming these will be rectified before publication. I didn’t notice anything else obvious along these lines.
The story was a bit slow to start. Seemed to be setting the scene to some extent. It did perk up further in and was quite an enjoyable story overall. A salute, albeit a bit vague, to Cyrano de Bergerac perhaps. Although I think this has a happier ending. (Not to give away any secrets!)

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. For me the characters were flat, boring almost, which led to a lack of chemistry. The writing was decent, no noticeable grammar errors or anything, but the story felt kind of… choppy? Idk, it just didn’t flow well for me.