This book was so cute and adorable, i enjoyed the writing style and characters. Such an easy fast read. 100% recommend if you're looking for a sweet, fast read that will melt your heart.

3.5

This was a cute friends to lovers romance with really enjoyable seize characters. There were a lot of funny moments and I enjoyed the tension between the two main characters.

This did fall flat to me though. It didn’t really pull me in and I was putting it down more often than not.

I didn’t like how you didn’t get to see their friendship or Alex’s feelings grow and it just completely slipped that part. I think I would have liked it more if you saw the development of their friendship a little more. It was also just a little too slow burn and hazel just got a little too repetitive thinking she’s too scared and doing nothing

Overall it was cute and I did enjoy it, it just lacked a lot

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange of my honest review

This is my first Madison Wright book and I will absolutely be going back to read the rest of the series! I'm not typically a friends to lovers fan, but this was so sugary sweet I think I might need a visit to my dentist.

The angst between these two was so palpable and I just fell in love with Alex. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a sweet rom com or needs a beautiful palate cleanser!

Thank you for the ARC!

"You said I'm everything," she says again, enunciating the word. "But to me, it's you who's everything…"

Alex and Hazel are just SO cute. Usually I am not the biggest friends to lovers lover... but this jut worked for me. I loved the fact that the chapters were on the shorter side and that there was dual pov. I feel like it truly made the book that much more digestible. I also love the fact that it was also the brothers best friend trope because that always just adds a level of fun. This is just overall such a sweet and cute romance and I loved following along Hazel and Alex's journey.

Friends to lovers, he falls first, one bed, hurt/ care, sloooowwww burn… so many lovely tropes packed into this sweet story!

I adore this series and this was a really lovely last installment. (Although I did message Madison re: hopes for a Wren & Holden book). I love how much we got to see Wes, Lo, Cam & Ellie from the first 2 books in this book.

ALEXANDER MALCOLM BATES!! 😍🔥🫠 he’s my favorite MMC of the series. Hazel was relatable for me as I have some shared experiences in my own life. Hazel & Alex together was the sweetest- all their hanging out and banter (I love all the friends to lovers movies they always watched for their movie nights).

Love how the friends and family surrounding them were rooting for them to be together the whole time… I only struggled with how long it took Hazel to get on board with things (but her reasons made sense).

Very satisfying epilogue. Made my heart so dang happy.

Thank you to netgalley and Madison for the chance to review an advance copy.



(TW: cheating- in past, discussed on page)

Madison Wright shows us that romances can sometimes just be between two very sweet people that deserve the world and I absolutely devoured it!

Just Friends is a cute, summer read that I was able to binge in a day! Some of the scenes between Alex and Hazel were so tender and made you really feel how much they cared for each other. I love the He Falls First trope and Alex definitely walked around like a lovesick puppy while Hazel had no idea.

This is technically the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone! Thank you to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

I truly am not sure if Madison Wright can write a book where I don’t instantly fall in love with the characters. Alex and Hazel’s friendship is so sweet and I love how he gave her time to cope with her breakup to her crappy ex. It’s a slow burn that feels so good! Their blind date setups are a fun addition to the story and the side characters are wonderful. Quirky, sweet, fun and beautifully written this was the perfect way to spend a few days on the beach reading.

I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!

This was an ultra-adorable friends to lovers romance full of fun tropes like he falls first, one bed, and a “ill set you up with other people” deal. Our mmc, Alex, was such a simp for the fmc, Hazel. I really liked how their relationship developed and the communicatiom skills they had with each other. This is the first ive read in this interconnected standalone series, so i definitely now want to go back and read the first two. Will definitely continue to follow this author and their work

A story of Hazel — an unlucky in love but otherwise wonderful woman, and Alex — her golden retriever best friend, who is hopelessly in love with her. The story begins when Hazel realised she is ready to start dating again, a year after a painful breakup, and offers Alex a deal: they both set each other on blind dates.

I enjoyed this book very much! It’s a slow burn, which to me seemed too slow sometimes, but frustration is just part of the deal with slow burns 😂 I the beginning, I couldn’t believe Hazel was this blind, but when her fears became clear I could understand it. This was not a case of mutual pining, and it took some time for Hazel to see Alex in a new light.

I loved the fact that no one is a villain in this book. Everyone is just people, and people make mistakes. As much as I love a good angsty story, I don’t like one-dimensional characters that are only there for the conflict, and I really appreciated that this wasn’t the case here.

Maybe the story dragged a little in the middle with the slow burn, but the writing and plot was cute and easy enough for me to keep going.

There’s a lot of sexual tension between Hazel and Alex, which was very well executed, so well that when I realised it was closed door, I didn’t mind at all — I already got all the tension and emotion and didn’t need the spice. That’s rare for me so I’m very impressed. Some spicy books have way less steam than this one!

I’ll definitely pick up more of Madison Wright, when I need a cozy, heartwarming and funny read ❤️

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Theoretically 🚪 but actually 🌶️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (smiled throughout the whole thing)

Tall, Dark and Handsome... that's all that needs to be said!

It was such a cute read! And it proves that romance isn't dead! There was a huge difference between the lives of the two main characters, and I loved every single last minute of it! But although they come from different families, their families are still so accepting of the relationship and I love it ahhh!!

If you're a fan of spice and friends to lovers, this is right up your alley! Excited to read more of Madison's books in the near future!

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me the ARC to this gorgeous book!

Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ahead of publishing!

This book was honestly the definition of a cozy slow burn romance book, it was so wholesome I loved every bit of it. Hazel and Alex had the cutest friendship and watching their relationship change over the couple of weeks from both perspectives was perfect, I though it was even better how everyone knew that Alex liked Hazel practically since they first met and never let it slip to her or out his secret, so she was completely oblivious to it for so long.

Seeing the two of them overcome their own fears and facing reality was very mature of them which really showed us an insight to their personalities.

Lucy's part in their story was so realistic of a fellow romance reader, I loved how she helped the two of them in ways she knew they'd understand and be able to follow through on. I agree with Alex, I think she is a witch ;)

This is definitely a book you should get your hands on when it releases, 14/07/23!

I'm gonna start this off with the fact that I usually stay away from friends to lovers romances but this book might have actually changed my opinion on that...👀

This is the third book in the just us series and just so you know, I haven't read the previous two books in the series. In this book we follow Hazel and Alex who meet at his parents engagement party and become best friends over time. Even though they live miles apart they still remained the best of friends. When Hazel finds her boyfriend cheating on her she decided to pack up and move to Nashville where her brother and Alex live. Hazel avoids dating anyone for a while but after a while finally decided to jump back into the dating pool, BUT she's scared she'll choose the wrong guy so she asks Alex to set her up on blind dates while she does the same for him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book tbh. There was no drama and it was such a heartwarming read and I enjoyed it till the final page.
I did find some parts a bit boring but other than that it was a blast. I love the friendship between Alex and Hazel. Alex has loved Hazel right from the start and it's so sweet to see how much he actually feels for her and how when he looks at her she just can't hold himself back. I also love how everyone but Hazel knew that he was in love with her.
I also saw the character development in Hazel on how she went from doubting herself and blaming herself to accepting that she was never at fault.

The author Madison Wright has done an amazing job with this book and how she not only showed the love between two best friends but also how supportive their families and other friends were! And I'm definitely going to be reading be previous two books in the series!!
Totally recommend to pick this up if you just want a sweet, fun and heartfelt romance between two best friends.

🫶 REVIEW: Just Friends 🫶

⭐⭐⭐.5

SUMMARY: After being blindsided by her cheating ex over a year ago, Hazel is finally ready to move on. She convinces her best friend Alex that the two of them should set one another up on blind dates. The issue: The only girl Alex wants to date is Hazel.

This was a cute little romcom that was the third in the Nashville is Calling series. I didn’t know this going in, but it can definitely be read as a standalone.

This book is a Mariana Zapata-level slow burn full of fun tropes like:

🫶 Friends to lovers
🫶 He falls first
🫶 Only one bed
🫶 Nursing back to health

Alex and Hazel gave me warm fuzzies, but the writing style reminded me of a Hallmark movie. There were motivations, but they didn’t always feel believable, and some things happened that had me flipping back to see if I had missed anything. It also started out slow but began to pick up about halfway through.

I found this book to be a fluffier version of Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison or The Love Wager by Lynn Painter. Read it if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted romcom in which the love between two friends is inevitable.

I got into this book with a lot of expectations because friends to lovers is probably my favorite trop but I got a little disappointed.

Idk if it was the writting or the characters, with whom I didn't had a big connection, but, unfortunatly, I didn't love the book.

It doesn't have a big plot or anything. It's just two best friends that can't talk about what they are feeling and being in both of theirs minds made me annoyed sometimes.

Anyways, it's cute, it's small and the chapters are small too, so if you want a fast paced friends to lovers romance to read in one/two sittings try this one. It's the 3rd in a series but I read it as a standalone and never felt lost.

“Nothing could make me not want you, Hazel. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

-best friends to lovers, secret pining, dual pov, slow burn
-Hazel wants Alex to be her wingman as she goes back out into the dating scene, Alex has other plans
-I just love stories where the guy is head over heels for the girl 💞
-the slow burn was too good but also just pure torture 😭
-and for the smut girlies, there’s no spice but still worth the read if you want something super fluffy 😌
-thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC ✨

4.4⭐️

Madison Wright never fails to write the sweetest romances. Her books feel like the equivalent of a warm hug 💞

This book has:
• Friends to lovers and a major slow-burn
• A cinnamon roll hero who has been pining for his best friend since he met her (who doesn’t love the boy falls first and harder trope???) 🥺
• Tons of references to P&P, which I was SO here for. The leads even watch Emma (2020) together!
• Forced proximity
• Meddling friends and supportive family dynamics 🥰

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Many thanks to the author and the publisher, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for providing me with this e-ARC.

Actual rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up to four because, after all, it was fun).

If you ask me what the superior romance trope is, I would say, without hesitation, that it is friends-to-lovers (even better if it's best-friends-to-lovers). However, I believe that this trope is rarely executed well (e.g., People We Meet on Vacation) because, after searching for many years for my cup of tea in both fiction and fanfiction, I have only found three. Sadly, this is not one of my all-time favorites, but it isn't without merit.

Let's start with the good: I love how the author created a tangible and healthy dynamic between our two characters. Good communication has become so rare in romance nowadays that I was actually impressed that Hazel and Alex communicated their vulnerabilities and feelings smoothly to each other. I am so sick of miscommunication done poorly as a third act conflict that I really appreciated their development from friendship to maybe-something-more to a romantic relationship. Additionally, I really like Hazel as a character and her growth. I always love a "vulnerable hero/heroine becoming more confident and caring for themselves" plotline, and I find that the author wrote it very well here. Again, I have to insist on how good the communication in this book is: Hazel, very hesitant about love after the heartbreaks, broke out of her shell to seek love in Alex by communicating with him and her loved ones. A lot of props from me for that aspect.

Unfortunately, this book didn't do so well in other aspects: Alex was flat AF, random character quirks that I didn't like, too much showing and not enough telling, cringy banter at times, and my biggest problem with this book (and with a lot of best-friends-to-lovers romance) is that the friendship wasn't developed enough. For example, I can say that my best friend knows me better than myself, but that's because we have known each other for 18 years. Obviously, I am not saying that the friendship needs to have spanned 18 years, but you can't expect me to believe that two adults are "best friends" and "know each other microscopically" when they have only known each other for two years, one of which was long-distance. I need to understand these people's deep connection and understanding of each other for me to root for them as best friends and as lovers. I need to see flashbacks, conversations, and development from a casual friendship to a profound one. Additionally, l-bombs were dropped way too quickly for my liking: the book starts when they meet, two pages later they were already best friends, three more pages and one of them is already crazy in love. I want to see the yearning, the desperation of loving someone you're afraid to lose and hurt, the hope but also the pain of having someone who sees through you, etc. That was what I expected getting into this book, but unfortunately, it didn't deliver.

I digress, so bottom line: Just Friends is a fun, feel-good romance if you're searching for a low-stress, agreeable, and overall quite delightful read. However, I wouldn't recommend it if you really want a profound friends-to-lovers arc, though.

Add this to my list of cute cozy books that I love! Rom com style is something I didn’t realize I was missing from my life as much as it was and I’m ashamed I’ve gone my entire life without reading more of them. I love friends to lovers trope and this is just so so cute. Plus I live near Nashville so it just makes it better lol

I honestly don’t even know where to begin! Just Friends was an emotional rollercoaster, but from the very first chapter, i was entranced and could not stop reading! I adored the characters and enjoyed following their journey going from being best friends to falling devastatingly inlove, and i could not be more grateful to the incredible author who created this story. It was a fluffy best friends to lovers, but he fell completely inlove long before she even realised she had feelings for him. It involved her having some past relationship trauma and being very sceptical about starting another relationship, but he stuck with her every step of the way and it was absolutely worth it! I would 100% recommend this to anybody that enjoys reading any kind of romance, and will absolutely be looking into buying any other books by this same author! thankyou so much for allowing me to read this incredible book :) i will also be posting a review/promotion for this book on my tiktok account @izzie.reads if you’re interested in looking at that too :)

Just Friends is the third book in Nashville is Calling series. I had not personally read the previous books and found that it read just fine as a standalone, though it certainly had me wanting to go back and read more from the series.

I adored this book so much! Hazel and Alex were so much fun together. I really enjoyed everything from their initial meeting to their friendship to their pining.... oh boy oh boy, the pining!! This was definitely a slow burn--- as I find most friends to lovers tend to be... but boy did it make it worth it when they finally confessed how they felt!! I couldn't get enough of these two. It was fun and flirty, but also just really sweet and comforting too.

This is a closed-door romance, with nothing beyond kisses on the pages. It did seem like there was perhaps just a bit more innuendo than many of the closed-door romances I tend to read most, but nothing too over the top. There was also a handful of mild language as well.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.