*Love, Just In* by Natalie Murray is a refreshing and delightful romance that offers a modern twist on love and second chances, set against the fast-paced, ever-changing world of broadcast journalism. This novel is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys smart, witty dialogue, complex characters, and a storyline that balances heartwarming moments with real-life challenges.

The story follows the ambitious and talented reporter, Justine "Just" Drake, whose career has always been her top priority—until a surprise reunion with her first love throws her carefully planned life into disarray. As she navigates the demands of her job, the pressures of the news industry, and the unexpected resurgence of old feelings, Just must figure out what really matters most to her.

What makes *Love, Just In* stand out is how authentically it captures the tension between personal ambition and emotional fulfillment. Just is a strong, driven protagonist who is easy to root for, but she’s also deeply human—grappling with doubts, fears, and the ghosts of her past. Murray does an excellent job of portraying her inner conflict, making her journey toward understanding her own heart both relatable and compelling.

The romance at the heart of the story is beautifully developed. It’s not just about rekindling a past flame; it’s about two people who have grown and changed, finding their way back to each other in a new, more mature way. The chemistry between Just and her love interest is palpable, and their interactions are filled with the kind of banter and tenderness that makes you want to keep turning the pages.

Murray also weaves in the exciting, sometimes chaotic backdrop of the news world, adding a layer of realism and urgency to the story. The fast-paced environment serves as a perfect contrast to the slower, more introspective moments of Just’s personal life, creating a dynamic reading experience that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

Overall, *Love, Just In* is a standout contemporary romance that’s as thoughtful as it is entertaining. With its well-drawn characters, sharp writing, and a plot that expertly balances career ambitions with the messiness of love, this book is a four-and-a-half-star read that’s sure to resonate with anyone who has ever had to choose between following their heart or their dreams.

I did not care for this book. I understand the comparisons to Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation in concept (and it doesn't help that that's my least fave EH book); however, there is a staggering difference in quality, maturity of writing, and flow. There is also an element of pining on the MMCs part that is reminiscent of Ali Hazelwood, but again the comparison stops there.

I found both the FMC and many of her interactions to be incredibly juvenile. She'd fluctuate between being overly naive and overly flirtatious, she'd play silly "pranks", and generally act like a child in uncharming ways.

For me, Lindsey, the MMCs foil, could have just not been in the book. He was cartoonishly gross and unlikable. Nothing interesting or nuanced could have been learned by our FMCs romance with him.

Finally, it did not seem like this author had a true story arc mapped out for this couple. She tried to straddle this romance between friends as concurrently completely new and surprising to the FMC and also something she had always wanted/was meant for "invisible string" style. I could see this approach working, but it was so clumsily done. And frankly the FMC was not developed enough as a character to sustain this dichotomy.

Best thing I could say about this book is I considered DNFing but I did not. Some of the pining was enjoyable and maybe some of the health anxiety girlies out there might enjoy the representation in this book. Although, tbh, even as a GAD girlie, that did not hit for me.

Actually, one last, admittedly, nitpicky thing: The FMC kept referring to the MMCs *LATE* fiance as his ex. When a current partner or spouse dies, they do not become an ex. Incredibly strange wording. We do get some more info later in the book that reveals "ex" to be, in fact, more apt wording, but our narrator, the FMC, does not have that info for most of the book.

Josie and Zac are childhood friends who become lovers whilst tackling some very real issues such as mental health struggles and problems at work. It was a really easy book to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This one was good! Heavy at times, but who doesn't love friends turned strangers turned lovers?! It was so good to watch them come back together. Will read more by this author. 4 stars!

Who doesn't love a childhood friends to lovers trope right?! This was such a great read! The strong connection between Josie and Zac was so evident and my heart wanted nothing more than for them to find their happily ever after together!

TV presenter Josie Larsen is nearing 30 and feels like she is failing at life. After a panic attack on live TV, her boss sends her from Sydney to a regional bureau in Newcastle as punishment for 6 months.

In Newcastle lives Zac Jameson, her best friend since high school. This should be a delight for Josie, but 2 years ago Zac's fiance was killed in a car accident and he left Sydney to cope with his grief and hasn't spoken to Josie since.

Thrown back into each others lives, Zac and Josie need to rekindle their friendship but is the spark of friendship the only spark these two will find or will their secret attraction to each other finally ignite into a love that has been burning in the background for so long?!

Light, cute childhood friends to loves trope - just a fun read! I enjoyed this cute tale and would consider reading this author again!

I don't know, I expected more from this book and it didnt end up being my favorite. I will check out more of natalie's books tho.

What a fun romance to pick up! Absolutely perfect for fans of Emily Henry! Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book!

Wow, this book hit me with some heavy emotions with all of the topics the main characters were faced with. Overall, I did think this book was well written, there were just a few plot lines that seemed a bit juvenile to me that repeated throughout. Because of that, I found it hard to understand Josie’s transition to realizing she had romantic feelings for Zac.

Oh this book was a lovely little romance! Such a fun read from a great author! I've just started reading contemporary romance, and Natalie was quickly popped to the top of my authors list!

Love, Just In follows Josie and Zac as they work to rebuild their friendship of over 14 years. Josie finds herself in Newcastle for a work assignment, which just happens to be where Zac has settled after tragedy the past two years. This friends to lovers romance will leave you with a smile. As someone who has dealt with health anxiety, it was really cool to see representation as Josie worked through her struggles.

I highly recommend this to anyone look for a childhood friends to lovers romance with some depth!

This friends to lovers trope will interest most readers of this genre. I loved the history of this couple and how they are reacquainted later in life. There are some serious topics in this book as well. The characters face serious challenges and have good emotional depth as a result.

Review of Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

I saved Love, Just In for the summer, and it was the perfect choice! This book is a delightful blend of humor, sweetness, and steam. Josie and Zac’s journey from friends to lovers is heartwarming and utterly charming. Their chemistry is palpable, making every moment between them feel special.

If you’re looking for a fun and lighthearted read, this is the book for you. It’s the perfect companion for a sunny day and a great escape into a sweet romance.

This book isn't a light read by any stretch of the imagination, but it's good. There are so many content warnings here...cancer, health anxiety, car accidents, death. When Josie and her longtime best friend Zac reconnect in a new town, mixed emotions threaten to either ruin their friendship or bring them closer together than ever. This one's a roller coaster of epic proportions. It's heavy, tortured, but a detailed, relatable ride.

Zac was my fav thing out of this book. He was so sweet and cute and deserved the world after everything that happened in his life especially the past two years. I didn’t love Josie. She made stupid decisions without thinking them through and especially when they majorly affected Zac and his feelings so I really didn’t like that. She got better towards the end thankfully. The plot was fun, childhood best friends to lovers is a trope I quite like to that was good.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers romance! This had really great build up with past and present between them. I'm a big believer in second chance romances so this one didn't disappoint. It was emotional and I enjoyed my time reading it!

Book 85 of 2024: Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

Rating: ⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sydney TV news reporter Josie Larsen is approaching thirty and coming dangerously close to failing at life. Josie is perennially single, abandoned by her globetrotting family, and invisible to her boss—except for the one time he tuned in while she was mid-panic-attack on live TV. As punishment, Josie is shipped off to cover another reporter's six-month leave at a regional bureau in Newcastle. But Josie has more waiting for her in Newcastle than yawn-inducing stories; the city is also the domain of Zac Jameson, her best friend since high school. This should be a happy turn of events, but Zac has barely spoken to Josie for the past two years. Now thrown back into each other's lives, Josie and Zac have to navigate their neglected friendship and secret attraction to each other while struggling with their careers and mental health.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC! Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I had a really hard time connecting with Josie and Zac throughout the entire book. Their relationship was borderline toxically codependent. While I appreciated the health anxiety storyline, at times it was really quite over-the-top and lacked context. Josie’s panicking and the source of her anxiety over thinking that she had cancer wasn’t really fully explained until about halfway through the book. Josh and Zack both felt like immature characters who could have benefited from some therapy rather than a romantic relationship with each other. Their characters lacked a lot of depth and growth so I spent the entire book just being annoyed with them. There were some nicer moments towards the end, and I really loved the dog, but overall this book was a bit all over the place.

this was ok. i am not the target audience for this. did i enjoy reading this? yea, i guess i did, but it honestly felt like it dragged on for so long. the dynamic between josie and zac had me raising my eyebrows at some point. yea, i get it that it's a friends to lover in which they've been in love the whole time, but in denial. there's so much that happens that i forgot about a character or two. like i got to point where i thought we were hitting the last third of the book, but we were barely at 50%. i got a bit of second-hand embarrasment from josie and i just sat and blinked and power through. it honestly felt like a cookie cutter book with some different aspects, but overall predictable. the book wasn't special or amazing, but it did give me some summer vibes while i read it during a stormy day. thank you for an advanced copy!

I absolutely adore a second chance romance and when you add in childhood friends to lovers, I am all in. This one was great!! You could feel the connection between these old friends and I couldn’t help but root for their happily ever after! It was set in Australia, which was a fun and different backdrop and I really appreciated the mental health rep. An entertaining read that I would highly recommend!

Josie and Zac met when they were teenagers and became fast friends! Their friendship started in high school and continued on through college and now it's some 14 years later. Their story is told in present time as well as in a series of flashbacks to different periods in their friendship. Some of the topics were a bit heavy. The book made me sad which I don’t really like in a book. I do love the setting in Australia.
Thank you to Netgalley and Allen and Unwin Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.