Andre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
⭐ 5/5 Review: Andre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams 💖✨ (Spoiler-Filled)
👉 Grab your copy here: Andre & Bash Are Just Friends on Amazon (affiliate link — thanks for fueling my coffee + book-buying habit ☕📚).
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
This book is lighthearted, but it does touch on some heavier stuff, including:
-
Panic attacks & anxiety
-
Parental abandonment / complicated family relationships
-
Emotional abuse (Bash’s dad)
-
Toxic relationships (Audre’s prom night trauma)
First Thoughts 💭
Okay listen — this book is like a warm cinnamon roll wrapped in neon rom-com energy. 🥐✨
It’s predictable (yes, yes, we all knew Audre & Bash weren’t gonna stay “just friends” 🙃), it’s sometimes childish, and it’s absolutely one of those guilty pleasure reads that you devour in a single day. But also? It’s so funny, so warm, so feel-good, and just the exact serotonin shot I needed. No shame in my 5 stars. None. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 Overview (No Spoilers Yet)
Published in 2025, Andre & Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams is a YA romantic comedy set against a sweltering NYC summer 🌆☀️.
We follow 16-year-old Audre Mercy-Moore, class president, debate champ, and perfectionist-in-training. She plans to write a self-help book for teens over the summer — and to make it realistic, she sets up a series of “Experience Challenges” that force her to break out of her rigid comfort zone.
Enter Bash Henry, the effortlessly cool (but secretly wounded) transfer student she recruits to be her “fun consultant.” Their partnership is supposed to be purely professional… but throw in first love, messy family secrets, and a Manhattan heat wave, and you’ve got the perfect YA rom-com storm. 💘
🚨 Spoiler-Filled Plot Summary 🚨
The Setup 🌆
Audre is living with her famous novelist mom Eva, her stepdad Shane, and her baby half-sister Alice. She feels like she’s been replaced by Alice, and her relationship with her mom is strained. On top of that, she’s still haunted by a panic attack she had on prom night when her date, Ellison, crossed boundaries — something he later weaponized with a video. 😡
To get her life (and summer plans) on track, Audre recruits Bash, the new guy in school with a “wild and carefree” rep, to help her complete her Experience Challenges.
Who is Bash? 🎭
Bash’s backstory is not so carefree: he was a star track athlete until his father (a controlling nightmare) disowned him. He’s now living with his estranged mom in Brooklyn and dreaming of becoming a tattoo artist. Bash + Audre = total opposites… but you know what that means. Sparks. 🔥
Adventures + Almost-Kisses 💋
Their first outing? Rockaway Beach. Bash pretends to drown while looking for a mythical Smurf lunchbox 🏖️💙, Audre freaks out, has a panic attack, and — for the first time — someone (Bash) actually helps her through it. From there, their bond deepens.
They share laughs, secrets, and a lot of “we’re totally just friends” denial. Spoiler: no one is buying it. Not even them.
Family Drama 🌪️
Audre discovers her mom’s upcoming memoir is full of bombshells about their family’s generational trauma, while Bash finally opens up about his dad — who disowned him after catching him kiss a boy. Both teens are navigating pain, perfectionism, and identity while clinging to each other for support.
Romance + Heartbreak 💔
Inevitably, they kiss (!!!), realize their feelings, and then — because this is YA — promptly sabotage themselves. Audre’s mom forbids her from seeing Bash, Audre and Bash break up, and tears are shed. But don’t worry…
The Ending 💞
Bash finds closure by standing up to his father. Audre finds healing by opening up to her mom and finishing her self-help book. At Eva and Shane’s wedding, Bash surprises Audre with good news: he’s staying in Brooklyn with a tattoo job, and he wants to start a new set of Experience Challenges — together. 🥹
They confess their love, kiss, and — spoiler alert — they are absolutely not just friends anymore.
🧠 Themes & Vibes
-
First Love & Self-Discovery 💘
-
Family Expectations vs. Authenticity 🏡
-
Generational Trauma & Healing 🌱
-
Rom-Com Hijinks + Mystery Threads 🔍
😂 My Thoughts (aka Why I’m Not Ashamed of Loving This)
This book is:
✔️ Predictable? Yup.
✔️ Over-the-top dramatic at times? 100%.
✔️ A warm, funny, swoony comfort read that made me smile like an idiot? Absolutely.
Sometimes you just want a YA rom-com that leans into all the tropes, sprinkles in some mystery, and delivers a happy ending. That’s exactly what this is.
⭐ Final Verdict: 5/5 stars.
📚 If You Liked This, Try…
-
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 👑💘
-
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon ⏰❤️
-
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter 🎬✨
-
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney 📓💔➡️💞
Comments
Post a Comment