From Friends To Lovers: 11 Women On How Their Friendship Evolved Into Romance

If we've learnt anything from Ginnifier Goodwin, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis movies, it's that the "friends to lovers" cliché is part of the golden trio of rom-com love stories. Next to the "enemies to lovers" trope, and the "random strangers brought together by fate" story arc, of course.

Making your friend a lover can certainly seem very appealing. There's the satisfaction you'd feel after your friend finally turns around to look at you like that. You've already established closeness and intimacy, and the release of any sexual tension that's been building up for who knows how long can be a relief. It's romantic, confidence-boosting and sexy — and it certainly makes for a really great story.

But is it just that — a story? Does getting romantically involved with a friend really work in real life? While some people say that going from friends to something more creates an unbreakable foundation for a romantic relationship, others believe in the age-old concern that doing so might ruin the friendship — and that's more important than anything else.

Refinery29 Australia spoke to 11 women about their experiences of going from friends to lovers, and what they learnt about love, sex and friendship along the way.