Two childhood best friends reunite in L.A. the summer before senior year—but when one of them ends up starring on a teen reality dating show, their feelings for each other get complicated. Perfect for fans of friends-to-lovers rom-coms and The Bachelor ! Sloane McKinney feels like a background character in her own life. But this summer will be different, because she’s spending it with her childhood best friend, Liam Daniels, in her dream city, Los Angeles. Sure, she’s surprised to find that Liam just happens to have had a Hot Guy glow-up since she last saw him, but so what? A little attraction won’t ruin her plans for their fun—and completely platonic—reunion. What might, however, is that Liam has been roped into working for his producer dad’s new teen reality dating show, Aspen Woods’s Future Leading Lady . It turns out the show is one contestant short . . . and Sloane is the perfect last-minute addition. But it’s behind the scenes where the drama really picks up. Because wanting to kiss your best friend? That’s a plot twist neither Sloane nor Liam ever saw coming. Praise for Not Here to Stay Friends One of Seventeen's Most Anticipated Young Adult Books of 2023 One of Girls' Life's 2023 Rom-Coms You Need to Add to Your TBR List "If you never miss an episode of The Bachelor and love a friends-to-lovers tale, look no further for your next read ."— Girls' Life " Not Here To Stay Friends gives huge friends-to-lovers feels with a big dose of girl power , and the twists and turns feel as wild as a reality TV finale. You will root for Liam and Sloane from start to happily ever after.”—Samantha Markum, author of This May End Badly "Swoon-worthy... Not Here to Stay Friends reminds me of the breathless excitement that comes with being a teenager in love .”—Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties and Well, That Was Unexpected " A winner, no question ."— Booklist "The attraction between [Sloane and Liam] simmers in just the right way ... An absorbing, well-drawn read about a meaningful friendship and growing passion."— Kirkus Reviews "With snappy dialogue, bouncy narrative beats, distinctly rendered alternating perspectives, and emotional turmoil in place of dramatic stakes, Hill delivers a zealous romance in this relaxed read."— Publishers Weekly Praise for Love from Scratch One of USA Today's Best April Rom-Coms  One of Seventeen's 50 Best Teen Romance Books to Read When You're Crushing One of Goodreads' 54 Buzzy YA Books for Spring "A delectable rom-com full of enemies-to-lovers romance and baking adventures that will make your mouth water."— PopSugar "Sweet and satisfying."—Jenna Evans Welch, New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato "Funny, charming, flirty, and fun!"—Kasie West, author of Sunkissed “A sweet and savory delight.” —Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow "Reese and Benny's chemistry sizzles in and out of the kitchen."—Auriane Desombre, author of I Think I Love You Kaitlyn Hill is a writer who lives to tell love stories and make people laugh. While books make up most of her personality, Kaitlyn also enjoys messy reality TV, has never met a tea she didn't like, and thrives on overly ambitious home improvement projects. She resides in Kentucky with her real life romance hero. Kaitlyn is the author of Love from Scratch , Not Here to Stay Friends , and Wild About You . CHAPTER ONE Life is all about beginnings. Every day you get a new one . . . until one day, you don’t. --THE COVE, SEASON 2, EPISODE 6 Sloane Pop music legend has it that when fellow Tennessean Miley Cyrus arrived at LAX many years ago, she had naught with her but a dream and a cardigan. As I, Sloane McKinney, stand in the baggage claim area of the same airport waiting for my luggage to appear, I have only a backpack and a zit on my chin that I swear I could feel getting larger and angrier with each minute spent in recycled plane air. It’s not exactly what I would consider a “Party in the U.S.A.,” but that’s the song my brain has chosen to play on repeat since the pilot announced we were preparing for landing. If my life was a TV show, this would be the opening scene of the pilot episode. Fade-in: the camera pans over the masses of people rolling suitcases, talking on phones, hugging the person who came to pick them up. Cut to our plucky heroine standing in the middle of it all, watching with naive hope on her zitty face (note--clear up her skin in post?). Music playing softly in the background until now grows louder, slows down for dramatic effect. Camera zooms in on heroine to the sound of It’s definitely not a Nashville party. . . . Yeah, I should stop. While I wait for my bags, I scan the room again for a recognizable head of blond hair and, finding none, pull my phone out of my pocket to see if he’s texted an update. Nothing since he left his house. That’s fine. NBD. My hands are just shaking from fatigue, or low blo