Friends, Lovers, and the Final Fantasy of Fictional Relationships

Photo by Bri Tucker on Unsplash

If you haven’t noticed, the “Friends to Lovers” trope is currently having a moment, and I have dubbed this season “slow burn summer.” It all started with the announcement that the latest installment of “Bridgerton” would focus on the budding romantic relationship between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton after several seasons of suffering through Penelope’s one-sided…