Cathy Yardley’s Gouda Friends, Ponto Beach Reunion #2, friends-to-lovers nerdy rom-com is adorably sweet, funny, and sexy. And it packs an emotional punch. I loved it from beginning to end and not just because it perfectly explores my favorite trope. Yardley beautifully explores how friendship is just as crucial to our lives as grown-ups as teenagers and how, given a firm foundation, it can transition into an affirming, fulfilling romantic relationship. Tam and Joshua are sentence finishing, lifesaving, once in a lifetime, ride-or-die friends you can call anytime day or night—even if you haven’t spoken in years—SOULMATES. And everyone knows it but them. What I love most about Gouda Friends is just how clear that is because of Yardley’s wonderful storytelling, vibrant description, and deft character development, evolution, and interactions. And not just from characters saying it. The only thing missing from their relationship is romance and sex—two things super close friends secretly attracted to each other always fear ruining that friendship they rely on above all others. Above all other relationships in their lives.

I love their friendship. How they love each other unconditionally and would do anything for each other is what it’s all about. They support each other, not just with words but in action. Yardley’s development of their romantic/sexual relationship is brilliantly done. Sexual awareness and attraction have always been there. Once Tam and Josh can no longer deny the depth of their attraction for each other, things get interesting. Yardley knocks these moments of realization out of the park. Their pining and thirst for each other are hilarious and so enjoyable. She pens love scenes for them that are playful, lighthearted, intimate, sexy, intensely emotional, and steamy. The evolution of Tam’s and Josh’s characters, their relationship, and the story are enhanced and furthered by their love scenes. Last but not least, Yardley nicely delves into the effects of our childhoods on our future aspirations, relationships, and approach to our careers.

For a serious personal betrayal, topped off with throwing away her gourmet cheese, Tam Doan breaks up with her boyfriend. She then calls her ride-or-die high school BFF Josh O’Malley and uses their emergency code word—goldfish—after not having contact for a while. Before she knows it, she’s on a plane back to her hometown, staying with Josh, and reuniting with their Nerd Herd friend group. When he was in a negative place and lost professionally, Tam helped him believe in himself and find his way. Now he’s a successful multimillion-dollar ghost kitchen owner. Finally, he can help her fix her life, especially when she quits. While in high school, Tam’s and Josh’s close friendship helped each survive tumultuous homes and neglectful families. That friendship and bond became a lifeline for both. Fortunately for us, close quarters lead to heightened awareness and feelings that complicate their friendship.

Gouda Friends is a sweet, hilarious, steamy, slightly angsty, sexy rom-com about discovering what makes you happy in life, sometimes your soulmate is closer than you think, and how to take risks for your own happiness.

After adoring Love, Comment, Subscribe, I knew I had to read the next book in the series ASAP. Friends to lovers is a favorite trope of mine, and seeing that it involved two other members of the Nerd Herd? I was so excited! And it definitely lived up to the first book, full of humor, romance and a thoughtful exploration of some of the hurdles facing late 20-somethings. While this is the second in a series, it can be read as a standalone.

“I am homeless, unemployed, and got cheated on,” she said. “Hashtag: winning.”


Tam and Josh have been best friends forever, though they’ve talked less frequently over the past five years as she’s been in NYC with her boyfriend and working constantly at her job. When she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating? Her first inclination is still to call Josh, and that’s how she ends up back in California and staying in his guest room. Suddenly cut adrift, Tam realizes she’s not happy with the way her life has been going, so she and Josh decide to brainstorm and find her dream job, whatever that may be. But as Tam trials different jobs, she and Josh start to realize that their constant past assertions that they’re not romantically interested in each other may not be so true anymore.

Tam’s dissatisfaction with her work life is something that I think will ring true for many late 20-somethings today. She’s a hard-worker, endlessly creative and a problem solver, but her past employers have walked all over her. It’s no wonder Josh is determined to help Tam find her dream job. After all, she’s the one suggested he follow through on his own dream of starting a ghost kitchen, which completely changed his life for the better, so he feels like he owes it to her. And if that keeps her staying with him longer, all the better! It’s easy to see that they’re great friends, with plenty of banter and affection for each other, and also easy to see why falling into a romantic relationship is a draw for them. They’re so adorable and funny together and I loved every minute they spent on page together.

The big issue with their romance is, of course, that they’re worried they’ll lose their friendship. It was the thing that sustained them both through dealing with their dysfunctional families in high school, and they’ve always been there for each other, from Tam providing the boost to get the ball rolling on his dream job when he was at his lowest point to him returning the favor now. But while that part of the friends-to-lovers trope played out as I expected, I liked that their bleak moment was a little different. They are such good friends that they’ve had front row seats to the things that have gone wrong in each other’s previous relationships and neither wants to repeat those errors, whether that’s demanding more of Josh than Tam thinks he’s willing to give, or Josh believing Tam will be happiest pursuing her dream job.

“I’ll be your cheese daddy.” She let out a peal of laughter. “Oh my God. Cheese daddy. I have to put that in a meme somewhere.”
“Talk curdy to me,” Asad joked.
“Doesn’t get any feta than this,” Freddie chimed in.
“Brie my valentine, I’m so fondue you,” Tam added, her voice full of laughter. “They write themselves.”


Of course, given that title and cover, food is featured prominently in the story. Sure, at the beginning of the book, Tam isn’t happy to come home and find her boyfriend cheating with his ex, but it’s the revelation that he threw out her expensive comfort cheese that’s the final straw in their relationship. Tam and cheese are, well, inseparable, so there’s lots of dairy goodness, from charcuterie boards to grilled cheese. Plus, since Josh owns a ghost kitchen, there’s all the dishes from his various restaurants as well. I loved learning about ghost kitchens, basically restaurants that solely do delivery, no in-person dining. And then there’s the endless cheese puns, which were suitably silly. I also loved the thoughtful way Tam handled how to balance work and life (an echo of the theme in the previous book) and how she dealt with her ex. What I didn’t like? There’s a subplot with a renter at Josh’s kitchen space that I didn’t care for and wasn’t sure how it moved the plot along.

Overall, this is a cute, funny and cheese-filled friends-to-lovers romance! I’ve already bought another of the author’s books and can’t wait to read more from her!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was one of the CUTEST contemporary romances I’ve read in a long time. Cathy Yardley is a new to me author but I will most definitely be checking out her backlist because based on this novel, her voice just really worked for me.

This is the second book I’m reviewing for Smexy that has identical themes in that the book focuses quite a bit on FMCs personal journey as a character and her growth. However, unlike the first book (Sadie on a Plate), this book is definitely a full-fledged romance and the love interest is very much a main character. In fact, this is a dual POV novel and I loved being able to get inside both Tam and Josh’s head as they ever so slowly stumble their way into love.

This novel very much contains one of my favorite tropes: a friends to lovers between two longtime best friends who, upon suddenly realizing the inconvenient truth that they are attracted to each other (gasp!), decide to bang it out once to get it out of their system and then oops, there are feelings, oh, no, WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING?!? Yes, it’s kind of a mouthful but as a trope, totally delightful.

Tam and Josh, best friends since high school, haven’t seen each other in years. But when Tam comes home from work unexpectedly early and finds her boyfriend in bed with another woman, she flies back home to seek comfort and refuge in the arms of her long-time best friend. In the course of a weekend, she ends up losing her boyfriend, the apartment they shared, and ultimately her job, a dead-end gig that paid too little and asked too much of her.

Totally at loose ends, Tam has to figure out who she is and what she wants while unpacking the baggage of her upbringing and also battling her ever growing attraction to a guy she’s only ever seen as a friend.

Josh is the ultimate nurturing, care-taking hero. I adored him and the way he always had Tam and her best interests at heart. I mean, he comes to pick her up at the airport with a cooler full of artisanal cheese! (Tam loves cheese, it actually plays a significant role in why she breaks up with her boyfriend, even aside from catching him in bed with another woman). Even when he was taking control of Tam’s job search and encouraging her to find her bliss, he only had the very best intentions at heart. Watching these two lovable goofs side-step their feelings for each other even as they give into their growing sexual attraction was so fun to watch.

I also really loved the friend group in this book, the Nerd Herd. This book is a series – this is the second book in the series and I will definitely be going back to read the first book and I hope that the other unattached members of the Nerd Herd all get their own books because I would definitely read more about all of these characters.

One of the reasons the relationship between Josh and Tam doesn’t seem all that quick or sudden is because they have such an established history with each other, as best friends and as members of the Nerd Herd. And even though they fell out of touch, they are always there for each other whenever needed. While much of the book is about Tam being at crossroads in her life and Josh being the one to take care of her, it was easy to see this is very much a two-way street for them and that their love and care for each other went both ways.

It’s a sweet, tender, small town romance with a great found family and I loved watching Tam find herself, both professionally and personally as she gave into her feelings for Josh.

Content notes: Tam walks in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman (he is NOT the hero), fat shaming from Tam’s ex-boyfriend, another woman who leases commercial space in Josh’s building makes inappropriate overtures towards him and threatens to lie and sue him for harassing her, Tam’s ex bf vilifies her on social media and spreads lies, gaslighting her over the end of their relationship;

Welcome back to Ponto Beach!
And what a great return it was.
I had the opportunity to read and review book 1 in this series: Love, Comment, Subscribe and I loved it, so when the opportunity arose to do the same for book 2, I jumped at the chance.
Honestly, I loved this story more than book 1.
Don't get me wrong, Love, Comment, Subscribe was amazing, but this story caught my attention more. From the first chapter and didn't let me go.
Josh and Tam have the best relationship, starting as friends where they are connected in a way you can only dream off, but once they get together?
Wowza.
I love this series and highly recommend it.
Can't wait to get more of the Nerd Herd and Cathy Yardley has officially become a 1-click author for me.

Thank-you NetGalley and Montlake for the chance to review this book.

Gouda Friends was a fun read!
I loved the cover it was fun and really showcased the tone of the novel.
Cathy Yardley's writing is fun and makes this story such a page turner!
Those of us that love Friends to Lovers will really enjoy this one!

Josh and Tam had fantastic banter and comraderie. I loved how funny this story was and how well the hero and heroine connected. This was a fun friends to lover romance that I couldn't get enough of! I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review! 4 stars!

Tam finally breaks up with her boyfriend when he throws away her precious cheese. Well, she also finds him cheating on her. Gouda Friends is a hilarious and charming friends-to-lovers romance. Tam and Josh have been friends since childhood. They fear a romance gone wrong could hurt their friendship, but soon they are living together as Tam plans her next steps. Some of my favorite scenes involved “The Nerd Herd,” the motley group of friends that surround the duo. While they face romantic troubles, Tam and Josh are also both focused on helping Tam find a new career. This was an entertaining and relatable problem for them to work through.

I would recommend Gouda Friends for anyone looking for a lighthearted and well-written romance. The characters are lovable and a joy to read about. The pacing flows very well. I hope we get to find out Vinh and Emily’s story soon! This was my first book by Cathy Yardley, but I will definitely be reading more from her. Gouda Friends is available now. Thank you to Cathy Yardley, Montlake, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a totally cheesy (😉) binge worthy read. I devoured it. While I'm not a lover of cheese like Tam I sure did love her! Ponto Beach is back like never before and I couldn't get enough! I was so invested in this that I was sweating at what choices would be made. So good!

I jumped into this story not realizing that it was part of a series. As I was reading, I realized that it has overlapping characters whom are friends but does not draw away from Tam and Josh's story. "Gouda Friends" was a great story about the power of friendship and support, along with knowing your worth. Their story was a heartwarming one to read and watch unfold. I enjoyed the comraderie throughout the story between them and their Herd. Cathy Yardley drew me in right away as a reader and the amount of new cheese information I have obtained while reading this strong added an extra element to it! Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Books for an advanced copy of this story! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

First off, let me start with that the cheese jokes are superior! Absolutely loved every single one of them and I highlighted all of them to share with my husband 😊

Gouda Friends started off really cute and overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, friends to lovers/friends with benefits aren't quite my favorite tropes to read. So that's where a lot of my struggle came from.

I adored their solid friendship and when it comes to that, you can't help, but wonder why they never tried to be more. There was definitely some pining, but totally understood why they never wanted to cross that line.

Not going to lie, I didn't think it was going to take most of the book for them to finally be together. I struggled with that a bit.

Tam's ex is the absolute worst and there's more drama there than I expected to especially with social media, which is another element I didn't quite love.

I absolutely enjoyed Cathy's writing and looking forward to more. I'm also quite curious to see where this series will take us, the Nerd Herd is soo intriguing to me.

3.5/5

Oh my gosh, I adored this book! And it’s not just because I, like the main character Tam, love anything to do with cheese. At least it’s mostly not because of that. I love how she got so mad at her then boyfriend who had thrown out her good cheese. In a way I immediately thought of that book, Who Moved My Cheese?. But then of course I just knew how mad I would be if someone threw away my own perfectly good cheese. Although in my case it would be block of colby jack from Osceola cheese in my home state of Missouri.

This book kept me turning pages as I needed to know how the story would all fall out. While I didn’t finish the first book in this series of standalones, I kind of wish I had. I remember when I was reading that one that we got a lot of flashbacks for those characters that I’m sure included the couple from this book in some scenes I’m sure. I wish I had all those to remember for this book. Not that I was left wondering or anything, because this story took us down the path with the characters in just the right way.

The story had a lot of depth, and in a way kind of hit me where I am at in my own career at the moment. I’ve gone from a job I loved, to a job that I hoped I’d love, had things like a better salary and “closer” to my home to make it better, but now I don’t love it anymore. And it makes me wish I was younger and could do exactly what Tam did in this book, as well as what she had convinced Josh to do when she had helped him before the story began, to find what she loved to do and make that her career.

As Tam tried out each of the different areas they’d come up with, I was right there with her, not quite sure what she was going to end up falling in love with. So I love the way the author kept us right in the story. We got some glimpses into the things that she did really well at, but none of those quite led to her final path. And when the perfect job came along, I also love how it didn’t mean that everything else, her relationship, where she lived, etc., fell right into the perfect place right away as well. Again, really made me think about the move I made in my career this past year, and how I may have let the good job go.

The story had so much heart, but not only that, it had tons of laughs! One line, “And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for his meddling toothbrush!” had my Scooby Doo loving heart giggling. And like Tam, I really would like to find my own “Cheese Daddy”. I also want her cheese t-shirts!

Such a great story. I can’t wait to order my own physical copy to put on my bookshelf, and then hopefully get signed this summer at Book Bonanza when I, fingers crossed, get to meet the author!

Tam and Josh have been best friends since grade school. When Tam calls Josh and utters the word “goldfish”, he knows her call is serious and urgent. She’s just walked in on her current boyfriend in bed with his ex and has no where to go. Josh buys her a plane ticket from NYC to their hometown of Ponto Beach, CA, and brings Tam to his house. While trying to figure out what makes her happy and will fix her life, Josh starts to realize he’s in love with Tam. How can he convince her that a relationship won’t destroy their friendship when he’s not even sure himself?

I completely enjoyed this saucy, romantic comedy with smart, relatable characters and witty banter. I loved that both Josh and Tam acted as adults without an incredibly silly breakup over something immaterial.

Gouda Friends is the second book in this series, but can be read completely as a stand-alone. A few of their friends from the previous book, Love, Comment, Subscribe, did make an appearance in this book and it was great to check in and read details of their continuing lives.

Imagine having the absolute worst day at work then come home to find your boyfriend of six years in bed with someone else, that's pretty bad right. Well, it only got worse for Tam when this cheese lover finds that her now ex-boyfriend threw away her emergency gourmet cheese. Now what's a girl to do? Call her BFF of course.

Josh and Tam have been friends forever but over the last five years they have lost touch but that doesn't mean anything when she calls him and gives her their secret code letting him know that she really needs his help. I LOVED this part because we all know that our besties are there for us but sometimes life gets in the way this code word lets them know it was an emergency and help was needed right now.

This book reads very different from the first book in the series, we do have all the same players..."The Nerd Herd" and of course this focuses on a different couple, but this story was more heavier tone then the other. We have so many Cheese jokes and puns to lighten things up but we learn that Josh had a troubled childhood and Tam's ex was emotionally abusive. Some may not see it that way but I certainly do, any person that talks down to you and tells you that you need to cut things out of your diet because you need to loose weight when you're not heavy is emotionally abusing you. He also separated her from her friends and was manipulative....consider these your trigger and content warnings in addition to the cheating.

Josh is determined to help Tam figure out the next steps in her life but he wouldn't mind if they finally figured out what could happen if they gave them a shot.


I am really enjoying getting to know each member of the Nerd Herd and I cannot wait for the next book.

If you're a fan of Steamy New Adult Romances, Friends to Lovers Romances, or Childhood Friends to Lovers Romances I would recommend this book to you.

Happy Reading!!!

This series has firmly made its way into my heart! A group of high-school nerds some ten years later, I enjoy reading their different paths and where their lives have taken them, with Gouda Friends the story of Tam and Josh, who are/were best friends. The author has created a wonderful dynamic with this friend group, as soon as Tam returns to Ponto Beach after some years away, the group all pull together and it’s like they’ve never been apart! And the romance, well it’s the best kind of friends to lovers romance with a shared history, lots of mutual attraction and loyalty and steamy moments too! I enjoyed reading Tam’s personal growth throughout the book and loved seeing these two together, they just bring out the best in one another!
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I can’t wait for more in this series!

I don’t read a lot of romance novels, but this was a nice break to my normal reading. I liked the characters, they were diverse and likable. Tam and Josh were a good fit that you rooted for from the start. Friends to Lovers is definitely one of my favorite tropes. My only complaint was I wanted to scream at them to just look up and fix all of their problems. They were just a little too easy to see a solution to.

Oh my I almost forgot the humor. I do like rom coms almost better than any other romance genre and this had more than its share of laughs.

I should mention while this is book 2 in the series, I had no trouble following along without having read book 1. I get the feeling that each book focuses on its own couple, so they really can stand alone. And I definitely saw the sparks for books 3 and 4 in the great supporting cast.

3.5/5
I immediately felt connected to this book and main character, Tam, because of her love of cheese. It's silly but also fun! I love the cheese puns and cheese talk. It was so hilarious that she broke up with her boyfriend over cheese. Even though that wasn't the main reason, it was still a funny part.

I enjoyed this childhood friends to lovers story. Tam and Josh have a nice friendship and really do care about each other. I like that they have a code word for when they're in trouble and the other drops everything to help the other out.

I love how Josh and their friends from the Nerd Herd help Tam figure out what she wants to do as a career. I love the type of brainstorming that they did and how Tam shadowed each friend in a different type of industry. The way Tam finally found a job was so funny and I liked seeing it all come together for her. I also enjoyed reading about Josh's career and his business expansion. They both ended up doing well for each other, it was nice to see.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 cheesy stars

I enjoyed the friendship and so many cheesy puns and push and pulls in the story. But somehow it felt really flat for me. Maybe because they were childhood friends and there wasn’t much to discover in each other as they practically knew everything about one another.
It does make me want to try out some other types of cheese but unfortunately that’s the most memorable take for me from this story.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Loveable, light, fun filled book, especially if you love cheesy puns.

Yardley knows how to mesh the friends to lovers trope to still keep the story flirty, punny, and with the right amount of steam.

While this is a complete standalone, both characters were introduced in book one along with the rest of the Nerd Herd. It's a loveable group of friends who have managed to stay friends long after their high school days.

Tam may have moved away, but after an incident with her boyfriend, she comes back to Ponto Beach and to the comfort of her BFF. While Tam tries to figure out her life, Josh is there to give a guiding hand and emotional support-with-benefits, cause what kind of friend would he be if benefits didn't come with helping. Seriously though, this book is sweet and fun with just the right amount of tension to make the character development perfect.

I love these characters and highly enjoyed returning to Ponto Beach.

Tam has put up with jobs and boyfriends that take her for granted for far too long. When both her job and her boyfriend let her down spectacularly, she ends up back in her hometown, staying with best friend Josh. Josh had a rough childhood, but thanks to Tam’s encouragement, he’s now wildly successful. He wants to give Tam the same encouragement now that she gave him in the past.

But Tam’s demanding parents and lack of belief in herself have left her adrift, not really knowing what it is that she’s good at. This journey of discovery is the heart of the story, and it’s well done.

As with its predecessor, this book is full of fun and witty dialogue. This time, most of the development is on Tam’s side, although Josh does a bit of changing as well. He’s a lot more well-adjusted, so he doesn’t need change the way Tam does. I will say that I found the resolution of the two working in cities a few thousand miles apart was maybe a bit too easy.

And oh, those cheese puns!

One of the particular charms of this book and its sequel is the Nerd Herd itself—a particularly supportive group of friends that go back to high school or even further. I found the steamy sex scenes distracting, but I will continue reading these books because I want to know more about the Nerd Herd.

Possible Objectionable Material:
A few quite spicy sex scenes, swearing (including the F word). Same sex couples.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like stories about longstanding friendships. If you were a nerd in school, this might be the book for you! If you are into pop culture and social media, that’s also a plus.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/03/love-in-its-many-forms.html

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

A contemporary rom com novel has to do a whole lot to level up in the publishing world right now. Pop culture, in general, is falling back in love with romance, comedy, and all things formulaic and trope-tastic. And that’s okay! That’s perfectly fine. Society, over time, goes through cycles of loving different genres. Right now, that’s going on with romance novels in general and especially in a publishing market rife with romantic comedies.

This friends-to-lovers, living-your-best-life, hashtag WINNING rom com novel was okay, but it wasn’t as good as so many rom com novels are right now. (I seriously want to make cheese puns in this review but I’m holding back–you should all be proud).

The great thing about friends-to-lovers is the lack of meet-cute. Tam and Josh, our protagonists, have been best friends since grade school and have continued to be each other’s anchor well into adulthood. When Tam’s living situation in New York changes and she needs a port in a storm, she flies out to Ponto Beach to reunite with him and their large group of friends they’ve known forever (including Tobin and Lily, the couple from the previous book in this series). What starts as a chance for Tam to regroup and finally figure out what will make her happy in life turns into… well, trope trope trope.

The bad thing about friends-to-lovers? The 80% mark. It’s there and it’s incredibly uneventful and completely unsurprising. Really, it was more of a molehill both characters could’ve seen from miles away and come up with the answers way before the 80% mark. It made me roll my eyes a little.

Don’t get me wrong: It’s a cute book. But does it stand out from the hundreds of other cute books out right now? Not really. I’ll tell you one thing, though: I sure did get hungry while reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.