[REVIEW] “The Third Best Thing (Fulton U #3)” By: Maya Hughes

“The Third Best Thing” is the third book in the Fulton U series! This review may contain minor spoilers for the first two books, “The Perfect First” and “The Second We Met.” That being said, it can also be read as a standalone! Each book follows different characters.

Synopsis:

Dear Letter Girl, I need to see you. When can we meet?

Her response never came. My secret pen pal with a dirty mind has ghosted me. I’ve roped Jules, my sweet as pie next door neighbor, to help me track her down.

There’s only one problem–I’m falling for her. The tortoise shell glasses, out of this world curves and delicious treats are making the search for The Letter Girl even harder.

My notes were supposed to be a one time thing.

A little too much wine and naughty thoughts on a winter’s night. I never thought Berk would write back. I wanted to tell him it was me, but the fear of rejection kept my lips sealed.

Now he’s enlisted my help to track down The Letter Girl and our search has him hot on my, ahem, her trail.

She’s the girl next door.

He’s my secret pen pal.

Truth is on a collision course with their hearts and it’s only a matter of time before one of them gets wrecked…

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Review:

I read all of three of the books in this series back-to-back, so I’ve been immersed in the world of Fulton U for a few weeks now! Unfortunately, the fourth book (aka LJ and Marisa’s story) won’t be out until next year! All of the books are told in dual POV, this one from Jules and Berk’s POVs.

We first meet Berk in the first book, “The Perfect First,” and Jules in the second book, “The Second We Met.” Those books set up Jules and Berk’s story, so I was excited to get to read all about them!

We were introduced to the amazingness that is Jules’s baking skills in TSWM, but we really get to see her flourish in this one. She lands an internship with a popular bakery, where we get to meet Avery and Max! (Max will have her own book at some point, too! The groundwork has been laid.) The supportive female friendships are off the charts in this book, and all of the interactions between the three of them were so great to read.

As with the previous books, our two main characters have complicated family dynamics. As great as this series is with showing supportive female friendships, Maya also does a great job showing the supportive friendships between all of the boys. It’s refreshing to read.

Berk has a rough time dealing with being abandoned by his mother at a young age, searching for her, and growing up in foster care. This leads to his toxic relationship with his foster sister, Alexis. In order to get the money to hire a private investigator, Berk does something really stupid. So stupid that I had to put the book down, and find the extended epilogue so I could make sure he didn’t royally destroy his future — I couldn’t keep reading without knowing.

Jules struggles with body image throughout the book, but I feel like it’s portrayed in a non-toxic way. After meeting her mother, it’s awful to see — especially the way in which her mother talks to her that Berk can’t even pick up on, since the emotional abuse is really only present if you know it’s there.

Berk and Jules sort of have a ‘friends-to-lovers’ trope going on, which is a) super cute and b) makes everything more complicated! The scenes at her sister’s engagement party and the bakery were super cute, and you’re never not rooting for the two of them.

After reading all three of these books, I want to go back and re-read them already! Overall, “The Third Best Thing” was an amazing addition to the series, and I can’t wait for “The Fourth Time Charm,” + all of the other books Maya has planned!

*As always, my disclaimer for new adult books: they have more sexual content than young adult ones! It’s basically (not always, but with this series!) the nature of the genre, so read at your own risk!

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