Nicola Kapron's Reviews > Best Friends AND...

Best Friends AND is a standalone story in the Welcome to PHU universe, an urban fantasy web serial about the fictional Pine Hills University. I have not read the larger PHU-verse, but this short story was a great entry into the series’ themes. And it was also a very fun short read in its own right.

Eve and Sandy, best friends since childhood, are stuck in a motel overnight with the rest of the STEM-athlon team. A sudden ice storm forced their bus to stop for the night. Uncertainty over whether or not the storm is magical—which means someone is to blame for it—brings tensions within the team to light. Everyone knows that Sandy is a Mage, and not everyone is as okay with that as Eve. But as things come to a head, it becomes clear that Sandy isn’t the only Talent on the team. And, equally importantly, Eve wants to be more than Sandy’s best friend.

Best Friends AND is a story about putting your foot in your mouth and then trying to fix things. It’s about the frustration and hurt of microaggressions and the importance of apologies. It’s about two girls hiding in a dark closet during a game of hide and seek, talking around the fact that they like each other.

The story balances a painful level of realism with the team’s complex relationships and fun hints at the larger magic system and world building. Sandy and Eve’s bond is also complicated. I like the way that Tris Lawrence approaches their relationship. Starting the story with Eve making a joke that came out meaner than intended shows what kind of assumptions and prejudices Sandy has spent her life putting up with. Eve’s subsequent realization of her mistakes and determination to make sure Sandy has a fun night at the hotel shows why Sandy fell in love with her.

I liked this story because of the excellent hints of worldbuilding and the way they’re expertly woven into the more contained themes of Sandy and Eve’s tale. When writing a short story, it’s easy to allow complex worldbuilding and sweeping themes to overpower a romance. But Sandy and Eve’s relationship instead forms the backbone of the story. The themes of understanding and acceptance weave together with Eve’s yearning to craft a very heartfelt exploration of love and friendship and the ways they aren’t so different.

It would be nice if the story conveyed a little more of what Sandy and Eve's relationship is like outside of one very intense night with their teammates. But this piece is a contained snapshot of their lives. I suspect that if I want more exploration of what they're like when not stuck overnight in a motel, I'll have to read the rest of the series.

All in all, if you like complex relationships, interesting magic systems, and some top-notch friends-to-lovers, Best Friends AND is for you.