Sometimes your first love is also your best friend—and sometimes they're the one who gets away.

Best Friends Forever (And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves) by Tara Ebbinghaus is an emotional, slow-burn contemporary romance about childhood friendship, missed opportunities, and the kind of love that never truly fades.

Noah and Lilah have shared everything since they were kids. From bike rides and Valentine's Day traditions to the hardest moments of growing up, they've always been each other's safe place. But after the devastating loss of his mother, Noah convinces himself that loving someone too deeply only leads to heartbreak. So when their friendship finally becomes something more during one unforgettable summer before senior year of college, he walks away instead of taking the chance.

Years later, fate brings them back together under impossible circumstances.

Noah is the groom.

Lilah is the maid of honor.

As wedding festivities unfold, buried secrets, lingering feelings, and years of unanswered questions force them to confront the love neither of them ever truly left behind. Told through dual timelines filled with nostalgia, longing, and emotional tension, Best Friends Forever (And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves) is a heart-wrenching story about timing, forgiveness, and finding the courage to choose the person who has always felt like home.

Why You'll Love Best Friends Forever (And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)

• Emotional friends-to-lovers romance
• Heartbreaking second-chance love story
• Dual timeline storytelling
• Slow-burn romance with unforgettable chemistry
• Packed with longing, nostalgia, and emotional depth
• Beautiful exploration of grief and healing
• Perfect for romance book clubs
• Standalone contemporary romance

Tropes & Themes

• Friends to lovers
• Slow burn romance
• Childhood best friends
• Second chance romance
• Right person, wrong time
• Wedding romance
• Dual timeline
• Emotional angst
• Unrequited love
• Found home in each other

Perfect For Fans Of

• Abby Jimenez
• Emily Henry
• Carley Fortune
• Lucy Score
• Christina Lauren
• Every Summer After
• Love and Other Words
• The Seven Year Slip

Book Details

Title: Best Friends Forever (And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)

Series: Standalone

Author: Tara Ebbinghaus

Format: Paperback

Genre:

• Contemporary Romance
• Women's Fiction
• New Adult Romance

Pages:
332

Publication Date:
March 17, 2026

Dimensions:
8.5 × 5.5 × 0.74 inches

About the Author

Tara Ebbinghaus writes emotionally rich contemporary romance filled with unforgettable characters, heartfelt relationships, and beautifully layered love stories. Her novels explore friendship, healing, heartbreak, and the courage it takes to choose love despite life's uncertainties.