Romance

Review: Play It By Heart by Flick O’Mara

June 25, 2026

Synopsis:

When you’ve been friends for six years, the last thing you expect to hear is you’re actually in love with them.

Ollie and Becca balance each other out. Becca is chaotic and unorganised, a hard line to follow when she has three jobs and a busy schedule. Ollie is the calm to her chaos; the one who makes sure she eats and sleeps and he likes taking care of her.

When they unexpectedly discover they’ve been harbouring feelings for each other for years, the transition from friendship to romance feels simple. It’s like they should have always been doing this.

But when the opportunity of a lifetime forces Ollie to start writing music again — something he hasn’t done since his ex broke his heart — he learns that feelings aren’t as easy to say out loud. Becca is the one person he can’t lose, and to fall in love with her means putting his heart on the line again.

Becca, on the other hand, is ready to fall after a long string of bad relationships. And who better to fall in love with than her best friend? The one person in her life who keeps her grounded.

As Becca and Ollie’s feelings grow, so does the wall between them. Can Ollie find a way to let go of his fear, or will they be both left wondering about ‘what might have been?’

Review:

This was a cute and lovely story about two people who have been in love for a long time but never acknowledged it, and when they finally realise it, it’s the beginning of something beautiful.
Until they get there, we obviously have some hurdles to overcome 🙂

Becca and Ollie have known each other for years. They are best friends and have become each other’s favourite person. Everyone else is aware that they are more than friends, except for the two of them – obviously. This is a story about taking risks, being afraid of what those risks mean, and allowing yourself to make mistakes. It’s a journey that I appreciated being a part of, and I have to give credit to the author for making me enjoy Kennedy (an amazing friend) even more than the main couple. She was such an incredible person who didn’t hold back and was always there to offer her opinions. She instantly made everyone feel better about themselves – these are the kinds of characters I want to root for 🙂

For a debut novel, it delivered what I was hoping for: a story about two people in love who help each other become even better versions of themselves when they’re together.

🌙 Recension: Play It By Heart by Flick O’Mara
📚 Genre: Romance
📅 Release Date: June 25, 2026
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 446
⭐️ 4/5