A playlist is a must-have for me before I start drafting any book. I basically can’t write if I don’t have music in my ears, and that was never more true than with THE FRIENDSHIP STUDY. Without these 5 songs, I don’t think THE FRIENDSHIP STUDY would be the book it is today:
- Daylight, Taylor Swift: to main character, Lulu, her best friend slash fellow friendship study participant slash secret friend with benefits, Jesse’s love (his platonic and romantic love) feels like a sunbeam. Warm and safe, a hopeful haven, a place to thrive and grow, after being in a place of darkness for so long. The lyrics of the song “Daylight” embody this feeling perfectly, especially when I was drafting their intimate scenes, when I’d play this song on repeat. As silly as it might sound, I’d imagine Lulu lit up, glowing, bathed in the light of his love because that’s exactly how he makes her feel.
- Home, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: despite still living in the house he grew up in, Jesse doesn’t feel at home. Not in that house, not in his own skin. But his friendship with Lulu? That’s a foundation. His feelings for her, the frame. Their relationship and love becomes the place he can come home to and finally feel like himself again.
- Bitch Better Have My Money, Rihanna: Lulu’s ex, a tweed wearing, French music listening, wine connoisseur history professor, would rather cheat on her with her best friend (!!!) then watch her dance in her underwear to this song. Needless to say, they’re no longer on speaking terms. I like to imagine that now, Lulu can convince Jesse to dance with her to this song, until the temptation of her in her underwear distracts them.
- Clearest Blue, CHVRCHES: this is the song Jesse and Lulu dance to at her birthday party. It's the moment Jesse realizes, with clarity, he can overcome the fear that has accompanied his feelings for Lulu. It’s also the moment he asks her to come home with him, not as study participants or friends, as lovers. Also, fun fact: CHVRCHES debuted this song at the 2015 Ottawa Bluesfest, where I live!
- Crash Land, Twin Atlantic: I first learned about this Scottish band (the second Scottish band on this list, along with CHVRCHES) in 2012 during my (first) Jamie Campbell Bower era. He shared one of their songs and I quickly fell down the rabbit hole of their discography; I’ve been a fan ever since. Crash Land perfectly embodies Jesse and Lulu’s dual journeys. It’s a song about being stuck, isolated and alone. It’s also a song about hope, connection, and the search for light (and love). These lyrics say it all:
Cause I made a rope
Can I throw it out to you?
You drag me back home
I deserve to be rescued
- BONUS SONG Thong Song, Sisqó: study participant and eventual friend, Trey, plays this song at Jesse’s house party and despite being over 20 years old, it remains a whole lot of fun.
Jesse Logan doesn’t want a fresh start. He wants his old life back—before an injury made his career as a firefighter impossible, before his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s got so bad he doesn’t recognize Jesse anymore. When a friend tells him about a paid psychological study, Jesse sees it as a chance to get back to the man he was while making a little extra cash.
All Lulu Banks is asking for is a fresh start. Back home after a devastating breakup, she’s struggling to find her place. She’s always been a lot—too loud, too eager, too obvious about her feelings. The friendship study seems like a great idea…until she’s paired with Jesse Logan, who recently ghosted her after a blind date that led to a steamy make-out session.
Now that old familiar tension is back. Despite the program’s strict “no romance” rule, Jesse and Lulu are quick to find a work-around that allows them to explore their tenuous connection. And soon they’re on their way to total self-improvement…
As long as they don’t get caught.
Romance Comedy [Carina Adores, On Sale: February 13, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335476036 / ]
Ruby Barrett's romances center women who demand to be loved as they are and the good-natured, vulnerable men who earn their hearts.
When she's not writing about love in its many forms, she's reading. And when she's not doing either of those things you can find her chasing her tiny queen (read: daughter), doing (digital) marketing, drinking tea (never coffee), wearing pants (that aren't jeans), (re) watching The Office, or exploring museums (in other cities).
She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her aforementioned tiny queen, and her husband (who she kisses a lot).
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