Television news reporter Josie struggles reading the news one night and is sent from her hometown of Sydney to the small village of Newcastle to repair her reputation and works on her skills for six months. Her childhood best friend, Zac has been in Newcastle for about two years following the tragic car accident that claimed the life of his fiancée. As Josie and Zac reconnect, she realizes that Zac has always been the man of her dreams. But Zac isn’t ready to go through heartbreak again, so he is only willing to be best friends with Josie.

I liked this romantic comedy, but it read slowly for me and never really grabbed my attention like I wish it would have. I feel like there were too many troupes or issues being dealt with from friends to lovers, Josie’s health anxiety, Zac fear of getting hurt again, and Josie realizing everything she’s wanted all her life isn’t what she needs. I did love that the ending was extremely satisfying and the author took her time with it, not rushing to wrap everything up in two pages. Overall, a good romantic read.

Josie is a newscaster who has difficulty coping with the anxiety and stress that she faces on a daily basis. After a recent broadcast doesn’t go well, she finds herself being demoted to a position in Newcastle where she must not only cope with all the changes she is facing but a fractured relationship with a friend from high school.

A devastating loss when he was younger has cast a shadow on Zac’s life and his plans for the future. He and Josie have always had feelings for each other, but it was never the right time and even now they are both going through a difficult time in their lives.

This is a story about a friendship found, healing from the past and making peace with the present. Both Josie and Zac have their challenges but with understanding and support they find hope for the future.

Love, Just In
Author: Natalie Murray
Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2024
Source: NetGalley

Love Just In is a friends-to-lovers romance, but it’s not light and breezy, with butterflies and rainbows thrown in for good measure. It’s a good book, but it was honestly a wee bit sad because these two friends have not been friends for a few years, and in the meantime, sad things happen, and they both have SERIOUS issues that make this book a little bit heavier read. Trigger warnings would be anxiety and the loss of a loved one. I thought the writing was good, but the characters were just ok, and the main female protagonist, Josie, was irritating. It’s a good read, but I think you should go in knowing some problematic issues can be a little deflating. @netgalley #LoveJustIn #nataliemurray #slowburn #romance #anxiety #sadness #loss #friends2lovers #Fiction #adult #contemporaryRomance
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: Jan. 3, 2024
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#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader #reviewer

This falls into the category of friends to lovers but I was never entirely sure how it was going to end up. Zac and Josie have been friends since they were 14 but after his fiancée died in a car accident they drifted apart and Zac moved to Newcastle. When Josie relocates for her job Zac is still there as her friend and to help her out. I was glad that health anxiety was addressed and PTSD. The characters were both so likeable. My only complaint was that at 464 pages it seemed a bit long.

Thank you to Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for providing me with a digital copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I loved the representations of grief, anxiety, and mental health. On the other hand, I had a difficult time with some of the strong teasing, a main part of the plot, and the overall length of the book.

Here are the positives:

The setting in Australia was fun for me, especially imagining the weather being literally so polar opposite to my own in the same months. It felt like reading a summer romance in winter because, of course, it is summer in Australia right now (reviewing this in January).

I love a friends-to-more story done well. Zac and Josie had a long foundation of friendship, having met when they were only 14. He was the one to welcome her to a new school, and they’d stayed close over the years even attending college together.

The flashbacks to teen and college years were very short and didn’t pull me out of the story too much, unlike some other books that have a similar structure. The cause of Zac and Josie’s lost time (two years with little contact) is revealed in a timely manner as well. The “big reveal” or “big secret” that doesn’t come until ¾ through a book can drive me crazy, and this one had enough hints to what happened along the way that I wasn’t frustrated.

This made me laugh and tear up. I experienced a mixture of emotions, and that’s a sweet spot for me when it comes to romance. I like it when complex and heavier themes are at least touched on. This one had that and more. The grief and anxiety were realistic and felt through the writing.

While I don’t come to fiction strictly to learn something, I came away from this with a greater understanding of people who have extreme and sometimes unrealistic fears about their health. At first I wondered how Josie could be so fearful, but as the story progressed, I understood her health anxiety even if I couldn’t relate to it.

Here’s what didn’t quite work for me, but could be fine for other audiences:

I don’t love the plot device of characters dating other people, whether for jealousy or distraction from their true desires. While I don’t think Josie or Zac started their relationships intending either of these outcomes, the results were the same, sometimes leading to what I would consider more than friendly teasing. Their conversations came off as mean-spirited at times. I was uncomfortable until both main characters broke off their other attachments.

I would have liked more insight into Zac—his decision-making process and his longtime unrealized feelings for Josie. There were times when I just didn’t quite connect with how he could have repressed or hidden these feelings for so long and why.

Finally, this was just a tad longer than my preference for a book of this genre.

The bottom line: This was a romantic comedy with a lot of heart, bringing forward some serious and important topics. Overall, I enjoyed it and will read this author again.

— NOTES —
Genres: romantic comedy
POV: 1st-person, singular except epilogue
Content: moderate language, car accident, drunk driving, health anxiety, cancer, death of loved one, grief
Romance: two open door scenes in chapters 30 and 32

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)

Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4

After having a panic attack on live TV, reporter and budding newsreader Josie Larsen is sent to Newcastle for six months. She's hopeful that she will shine in the smaller market--and that she can rekindle her friendship with her BFF Zac, who also left Sydney for Newcastle after his fiancee's tragic death.

But Zac seems distant, even as roommate woes force Josie into his house (and loneliness forces her into the arms of his former roommate). And she can't ignore her attraction to him, even as she continues to cope with the anxiety that caused her exile to Newcastle in the first place.

As much as I applaud the publishing industry's attempts to be more inclusive--in all ways, including featuring protagonists with mental health struggles, sometimes dealing with a character's angst is too much when I want to escape my own anxiety through reading. But Zac is so adorable that I want to marry him, too. I enjoyed th Australia setting and the happy ending. #LoveJustIn #NetGalley

I liked this book because it was not a straight, predictable shot from beginning to the end. There was at least one point along the way where I sincerely wondered where the author was going to take the book. In the end I was very glad I chose to read this book.

The reality was that Josie Larson and Zac Jameson had far too many roadblocks for their romance to ever start much lest come together. First, Josie and Zac had been best friends since they were very young and neither of them was willing to do anything to risk breaking that friendship bond. They relied on each other completely. Then after their time together in university where each of them dated other people, Zac met Tara and they became engaged. But then, one tragic night two years before the beginning of the book’s timeline, Zac and Tara were in a car accident and Tara died in Zac’s arms. Zac was broken by that experience and not interested in another relationship at all.

Josie had her own obstacles. Most of all her career goal was to become a newsreader at the news network in Sydney—two hours drive from where Zac lived. Not a situation conducive to a relationship. Then there were some health issues that weighed heavily on Josie enough that she feared putting her best friend in another relationship doomed to end tragically.

The author did a good job of telling the story of Zac and Josie through a variety of timelines. Best of all she did it without slowing the action down or confusing the reader. She painted two characters that were both likable and believable. You really wanted them to find a happy resolution.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a gorgeous read! An emotional and heartfelt, slow-burning best friends-to-lovers romance that captured my heart.

Based on the cover and the description, I was expecting a fun, cutesy romcom, and that is not what this book is. Yes, there are moments of fun, but it’s actually quite dramatic and emotional, dealing with serious issues, and I thought it was beautifully written. And set in my home of Australia, I was thrilled to be so familiar with the setting and the nuances, which was a nice treat.

Josie and Zac have been best friends since high school. He asked her out when they were teenagers, and she turned him down, but they remained the closest of friends through school and University, until Zac lost his fiancé in a tragic accident, and he fled Sydney in his grief and cut off all contact. It’s been two years since they’ve really spoken, and Josie has just been transferred to Zac’s new home of Newcastle (about two hours north of Sydney) on a six month work transfer. Not only is it an opportunity for Josie to prove herself as a television reporter, but it’s also a chance to get her relationship with her best friend back on track.

It’s a great set-up, and I was excited to see how their story would unfold. Their initial reunion is awkward, but they slowly find their way back to familiar ground, and I loved seeing them banter and get back into their groove. It’s clear that they’re close, but they have a complicated history, and we see that through chapters from the past, which add context to the present situation throughout the story.

The one thing that is clear is that they are both feeling more than friendship for each other. I could feel the chemistry between them from the beginning, and loved every moment of seeing them interact and navigate their feelings as they try to fix their friendship. It’s an emotional and intense slow burn, and there’s so much build-up, with lots of those fun little hints and triggers that flare a reaction, and I was cheering when their mad attraction finally explodes. Not only is it steamy, but they’re honest and open about it all, and I love their trust in each other as they put themselves out there.

“We jumped off the cliff, Josie. We did that. We can’t climb back up and pretend it didn’t happen.”

But it’s not a simple story of friends-to-lovers. Both Josie and Zac are dealing with some pretty huge issues personally, and they’ve got a lot to work through before they can consider a relationship. And then there’s the fact that career-driven Josie is only in town temporarily. Could they even make a relationship work?

It’s an emotional journey for these two, and I was right there with them all the way as they slowly reveal their truths to each other and support and help each other move forward. It’s beautifully written, and the love story is hard fought-for, but well worth it, and left me with a huge smile on my face.

“I’ve told you a thousand times before that I love you. But what I’ve never told you is that I’m hopelessly in love with you. It’s always been you.”

This is my first read by Natalie Murray, and I really like her writing. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.

Loved this one – 4 stars.

Love, Just In was a surprise read.

Like Josie and Zac's relationship relationship, I found this a slow burn, but I was committed by the end.

Friends to lovers is a fave of mine, and I enjoyed the mental health aspect featured in thise one, even though it was starting to annoy me at the beginning. As a former journo myself I loved the little insights into a newsroom, too, but it was the multi-layered relationship that I engaged with the most. This wasn't some teen couple who've just had a fight. They'd had other relationship, engagements, and lived their lives.

While the dog on the cover is adorable, so is Zac. The little hints along the way that Josie should have been able to see. Sigh. A hottie with a sense of humour. I want to know where he gets all his t-shirts from.

Make sure to read the author note at the end, It's not preachy, just frank and with a touch of the same humour we see scattered throughout the book..

Despite being a little too long for my liking, this book was a powerful romance of friends to lovers. The main characters are trying to figure out their own lives while filling in the gaps from the past two years. TW: cancer, anxiety, and a car accident.

Love, Just In brings out the best of the best friends-to-lovers trope: the yearning, the pining, the "I don't want to ruin my most treasured friendship in the world but also I have the hots for my best friend," the sexual tension, the understanding and loving every part of each other. Reading this book really made me remember just how much I love this trope for all of those reasons because Natalie Murray writes it so well.

I was admittedly a little unsure about Josie at first, with her self-sabotaging tendencies when it came to her romantic relationships (I got frustrated when she kept going back to Lindsay despite feeling off about him and his drinking), but ultimately I found her health anxiety so real and relatable; I haven't had Josie's level of anxiety about health concerns, but I recognize that I have those kinds of tendencies (in the last year, I've definitely gotten myself worried and have gone to the doctor/ER to get checked because I'd rather know if it is a problem than not, unlike Josie), so it was both heart-wrenching and emotional to experience all of the stress Josie did in this book. My heart hurt for her so much, since she recognizes her fears are irrational but can't stop spiraling. This is also my first time reading a book with a character with health anxiety, and I loved getting to see that in Josie.

At its heart, Love, Just In depicts Josie's journey in growing and maturing as she learns what is truly important to her, who and what she values, and how to start getting her shit together (adulting is hard!). I love when messy characters are written so believably and authentically, and while I got irritated at some of the poor choices Josie made, I understood it and felt for her. The alternating chapters that go from scenes from Josie's past to the present day work beautifully to tie the emotions and actions of the present day to those from the past, as we as the readers get to experience moments that Josie reminisces about and references; I loved seeing just how close Josie and Zac have been for over half their lives and how there were so many moments throughout their lives where it's so clear they have deeper feelings for each other and have loved each other for so long, even when they didn't always understand it.

The ANGST, oof. This kind of almost second chance/best friends to lovers story is rife with tension and complicated emotions and love. The way Josie and Zac always make each other laugh and giggle, the distance they start the present day story with but gradually get closer again and feel comfortable opening up to each other, the way they're always there for each other and truly understand each other--from the gag gifts to the heartfelt ones, wanting never to hurt each other--there were so many scenes that made me cry (I wasn't expecting to cry so many times during this one book, but I did alksjf;lakjsfd). I cried at what Josie and Zac once had, when Josie wasn't sure if they'd ever be able to get back to the friendship they once had, and at Josie's anxiety spirals, and at their past hurts and trauma. I just wanted so badly for them to get their happy ending (and when they did, I was so emotional too because it was everything I'd wanted for them and more), despite all the bumps and stumbles along the way.

Josie's insecurities about being left behind and feeling alone are also so relatable. I love the way Zac comes to realize how his distance from Josie hurt her and how he made up for it by making sure she knew that he'd support her through everything, showing her that no matter what happened between them, he'd be there for her through her health scares. They love each other so unconditionally, even if they're at times too oblivious to it to see that when all the people around them (even the ones who barely know them) can tell. That epilogue is the cutest thing ever; the charm bracelet, the graffiti, everything made me squeal. I love these two so much.

Thank you so much to Allen & Unwin and Netgalley for the ARC!

Oh I didn't realize I was behind on reviewing this one and it's out but I LOVED it. The anxiety and PTSD were a bit much for me at times, esp the health anxiety, which I've felt before but overall, it was a good story. The character were so likeable and I'm glad this book it out in the world for everyone!

As she nears her 30th birthday and compares her life to those of her friends and family, Josie feels that some of the decisions she has made have left her behind everyone else. She's anxious that her future looks anything but rosy. When she makes a major mistake on air, her TV newscaster job does not look secure either. But instead, she's moved to Newscastle for 6 months, a town not known for headline making news.
On the bright side, her best friend from school, Nate lives in Newscastle. Nate moved to Newscastle after suffering a traumatic loss and Josie has let their friendship lag, but she's determined to renew the relationship they had.
She will find that life has changed both of them. They are not the same people that they were before. With Josie's determination, what kind of relationship can they have moving forward? Well, this is a romance but the road to get there is pretty bumpy and they will both have to do a little more adulting before they get to the romance part.
Natalie Murray has done an excellent job of writing a romance that makes the characters work towards the goal of friendship first. The back story and the community in which they live places many restrictions on the characters that causes them to lean in and trust each other. Great story.

A summer beach read from Australia (it is summer-time in Australia right now while it is winter-time in the US). A fun friends-to-lovers contemporary romance. Well-written believable characters. Told in multiple timelines. I enjoyed the story as the characters deal with real-life issues such as mental health. If this is a trigger warning, please beware. I thoroughly enjoyed Josie and Zac's story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Love, Just In by Natalie Murray is the first novel I've read by the author and let me tell you, I was INSTANTLY hooked!

Set in Australia, the story follows Zac and Josie who have been friends since they were teenagers. Despite Zac asking Josie out numerous times as teens, they end up best friends and even attend college together. But then tragedy hits and Zac and Josie's friendship is fractured.

Fast forward to Josie on the cusp of turning 30 and we find her trying to reclaim her confidence as a reporter. After having a panic attack during the middle of a live report, she is sent to another station to cover a reporter's six month absence. Zac, meanwhile, is currently living in the new town Josie has been transferred to. Feeling fragile already, Josie is hoping she can count on Zac to show her around and help her get settled in.

I swooned over this story and absolutely adored both Zac and Josie! This was one of those books I didn't want to end, it was THAT GOOD!

Love, Just In was released on January 3rd so don't miss out on this must-read, delightful, beautiful romcom!

Thank you NetGalley, Natalie Murray, and Akken & Unwin for the opportunity to immerse myself in the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this friends-to-lovers rom com. I loved Zac, the MMC, so much. I would have loved more of his POV. I struggled with Josie and her health anxiety as it isn’t something I can relate too but I felt the author did a good job representing it. I typically don’t like friends-to-lovers because the miscommunication is horrible but I felt it was pretty well done in this book which I enjoyed. I also love the Australian setting. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks netgalley for the free copy.

A sweet, complicated, childhood friends to lovers that'll probably frustrate as much as it makes you swoon. The characters were messy and full of realistic problems. At times those problems did overwhelm the story. One or two plot elements could have been removed to let others shine more and the flashbacks weren't entirely necessary but at least they were brief. The reason the two were apart for 2 years might rub some readers the wrong way. I did like the inclusion of the health anxiety.

4 easy stars

Josie and Zac have been friends since they were teenagers, but clearly, Zac has always wanted to be more. The former roommates drift apart when Josie moves to Sydney and Zac suffers a terrible loss, so when TV journalist Josie settles in Newcastle on a temporary assignment (where Zac just happens to live), their relationship is a bit strained and awkward.

The course of Zac and Josie’s friendship is revealed through short flashback chapters interspersed with modern day, resulting in a satisfying slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance that incorporates issues of health anxiety and debilitating guilt. Overall, the novel provides a not-too-cheesy, relatable story that has the reader rooting for the characters throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Allen Unwin for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.

Childhood friends
He falls first
Second chance (kinda)
Slow burn

This story is so cute! I also enjoyed the personal traumas the MMC and FMC over come on their own with each other by their side. It was like real life. I will have to keep an eye on this author she is very good. The style and pacing of the book were great and the plots were amazing!


I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This might be one of my favourite books of the summer. It is rare to read a good romance book set in Australia and this one was great. Full of angst and second chances. Two people who are desperately trying to hold on to their friendship and fight the romantic love they feel for each other. I felt like the grief, loss and mental health issues were realistic and this added to my love of this book. The fun times and the career issues were well written into the plot. I think Natalie has a great future ahead as an adult romance author (this being her first written solely by herself). All up, this was a great read, and I agree, Newcastle is not that bad!

Big thanks to Netgalley, Allen & Unwin and Natalie Murray for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review.