Ian “Bash” Sebastian loves food, football, and his secret high school sweetheart Ember. When his dad and Ember’s mom surprise everyone with a Vegas wedding, Bash leaves to live with his grandparents, afraid his and Ember’s relationship will cause a problem with his dad’s newfound happiness. Now Bash is back home, playing football at EOL and discovers Ember is also attending EOL. Thrown together due to class schedules and family obligations, Bash realizes he still loves Ember but she is afraid he will abandon her again and refuses to be anything but friends with Bash—even though she wants more.

Sariah Wilson has a special talent to write romances with a sweet side and a slow burn and Just a Boyfriend is a perfect example of her style. Absolutely loved Bash and Ember’s story.

3.5 Stars. I loved the first few chapters of this book but then the conflict between Ember and Bash just seemed to keep getting drawn out through the whole middle of the book with *lots* of time in the characters heads. It felt like for too many chapters the story was treading water and not moving forward.. Luckily, that was sometimes broken up with a funny or interesting turn of phrase from the author, but not enough to keep the book from dragging. At times the plot/conflict felt a bit too contrived/unreal. (Ember's mom's last bucket list item, for example. I don't want to spoil it, but I'm sorry, that's not an activity you "surprise" a bunch of kids without warning and expect everyone to do with you.) The ending was just okay. Drawn out and not super satisfying.

A clean read for teens with only a bit of passionate kissing.

This is book 2 in the series and it really easily stands alone. First I want to say I LOVE this author ALOT. I have read her stories before and she has a very unique voice and I have really enjoyed her stories. But this story I kinda hated and I felt like nothing much happened until almost the end.

Ember and Bash fell in love and secretly dated in high school some 4 ish years before. There parents also met then and they got married in Vegas. That really tore these two apart and now Bash is back home because he got involved in some bad stuff when he was by himself.

Thats where this story starts, he is home and he and Ember are both at the same college. They both agree they cannot be together and so they decide to fix each other up. My issue with this story is that essentially they tortured each other which for me as a reader was not fun or romantic. And they do this until close to the very end.

And them being together was not a big deal whatsoever so I didn't really undstand why they could not be together. Something else that bugged me in this story was Ember's mother. I felt that to some degree she manipulated Ember alot and I sorta hated her. Ember kept giving up on things for herself so her mother would be happy. And I understood that to some degree because she feared losing her mother, it made me not like her mother at all.

That said while I did not like the characters in this story it was well written. I would read another book by this author because she is very talented and I have loved her other stories. This one though I did not enjoy.

Very good! Been waiting for his book since I finished The friend Zone and I am so happy I got to have a copy now instead of waiting even more. Don't want to say to much because it is not out yet but I will say I stayed up ALL night to finish it! This is a definite must read!

this was a quick read. The characters were likeable. The romance felt a lie rushed to me, and the ending dragged out a little too long.

Bash, is not just a boyfriend; he is stuck between making his dad happy and listening to him. Or finding his own happiness. After 3 years of not talking, nothing, Bash decides make Ember his. Throughout this storyline Bash continues to show Ember he still loves her. Can Ember get over him leaving, or will she give him a chance and maybe separating her family in the process? Hard choices to make, will she make the right one for the both of them?

Ms. Wilson is a favorite author of mine, the kind of author where I drop everything when she has a new book out! Once again, I was sucked into her world and couldn't put it down. Bash and Ember have a unique relationship and unique obstacles keeping them apart.

Bash and Ember fell in love while still in high school, but their relationship ended after Bash’s father married Ember’s mother. Unbeknownst to Ember, Bash’s dad told him to stay away from Ember, so Bash decided to leave the state and move in with his maternal grandparents.

Bash didn’t come home for almost four years, so he and Ember didn’t have to deal with the way their relationship ended. However, Bash lost his football scholarship and transferred to a college closer to home, unaware that it was the same school Ember attended. Now that they are in the same universe, they can no longer avoid one another or their feelings. Will misunderstandings and parents who are afraid that their relationship could destroy their family keep them apart?

What a great book. Fans of Sariah Wilson will love her new book! Ember and Bash start dating in highschool but don't tell anyone. When her mom and his dad run off to Vegas to get married, they end up living in the same house. Bash goes off to live with his grandparents and hardly comes home. When they end up going to the same college, what will happen to their relationship? A great books about the ups and downs of life and how to navigate through them. This book also deals with the relationship we have with our parents and how that affects us as we grow up. A sweet love story with a HEA. I have read and loved all of Sariah Wilson's books. If this is the first book of hers you read, you will fall in love with her books and go on a binge read!

Here is the thing...Sariah Wilson is GOLD! Her books are funny, encouraging, swoony...oh my, so much swoon and pure enjoyment! I laughed out loud so many times in this one! The one-liners are everywhere and the emotional connection I ALWAYS have with her books is just awesome! Bash and Ember were so much fun to get to know! I was glad to see Logan and Jess occasionally! YAY! To say I loved this book is an understatement. ENJOY with some cake and a football game in the background! So much love!

Just a Boyfriend was such a fun read! I couldn't put it down until Bash and Ember's non-courtship finally reach its potential. The whole story warmed my heart despite the times I wanted to sit the Bash down and have a heart-to-heart to help him see through his good intentions but the tension just made me want to read the story faster. Despite Bash's dumb moments- he was really sweet in how much he tried to protect Ember from himself and his family from the potential fall-out. The two are a perfect pair! The lead up to that first kiss made it so much sweeter and it is stories like these that make wholesome romance my favorite genre.

Another winner! Once more, the author has created a wonderful young love romance. In this book, Ember and Bash are ripped apart suddenly when their parents elope and their budding romance becomes illicit. There is significant angst throughout the book as Ember and Bash struggle with their own issues as they try to fit into their new reality.

Their romance is very sweet and full of promise, until it can't exist. As they struggle through this, clinical depression, drug abuse, and broken families play a significant role. While these are difficult issues, the author handles them with a gentle touch, respect, and compassion.

If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. The author is on my must read authors' list and has, once more, delivered a compelling and clean romance with depth. Put this one at the top of your TBR list.

This was a really fast read for me. I did not enjoy this book as much as I tought… the characters were not well developed and the closure we are awaiting for the whole time does not come ...

My reaction to this book, as to all Sariah Wilson books is "who needs sleep?"
Bash (best name ever!) is swoony and awesome and Ember (equally awesome name, same as my first pony) is well rounded and worthy of swoony Bash.

There are a few deeper themes in this book about mental health, addiction and such. Which while not exactly usual from this author, were well done and fit the story.

Recommended.

This book was pretty good. Parts of it were slow and could have easily been eliminated but overall I liked the story. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.