Thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

It's not a good sign when you put a book down and don't want to go back to it. I made it almost to 30% before giving up, and it took me over a week to get that far. (I read almost a book a day.) This book made no sense to me. I disliked all the characters, all of whom need some serious therapy. I usually don't mind multiple timelines but in this case, it was unnecessary and confusing. I don't need to read about so many mental health issues in a romance, either. I'm trying to escape the real world! There are many 4 and 5 star reviews so clearly I'm in the minority but I would definitely not recommend this.

Krystyna Krzeminski
135 reviews
6 followers
November 5, 2023
This definitely has the “friends to lovers” component of People We Meet on Vacation down pat but the progression is sooooooo slow. I think it was about 60% in once we had any sort of romantic moments! The health anxiety bit overshadowed the romance for me and I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

Two and a half stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

'Love, Just In' is a contemporary romance told through chapters alternating between the present day and memories of a life-defining relationship between best friends.

This is the story of Josie Larsen, a television news reporter for Channel One, her battle with anxiety, fear, and her attempt to resurrect the friendship that made her the woman she is today.

After a health anxiety induced panic attack on live television, Josie is sent from her life in bustling Sydney up to the—much smaller and quieter—town of Newcastle, to fill in a roll for six months at regional station NRN News. Yes, it's definitely a punishment and kind of like being demoted on a trial basis. But it's where she's at right now.
Josie is determined to rehabilitate her image in the eyes of her boss by working had in Newcastle, so that when her friend, Channel One news anchor Christina has her baby—thus leaving her seat at the news desk available—Josie, fresh off impressing her boss with her phenomenal work for NRN, can swoop in as a fill host to present the nightly news, and turn that success into something more. It's her best chance at fulfilling her life's dream. At least that's the plan.
Unfortunately for Josie, things just aren't that simple. Especially where Zac Jameson is involved.

Once best friends, Josie and paramedic Zac have barely spoken in the two years since Zac and his fiancée Tara were in a car crash caused by a drunk driver that took Tara's life. After the funeral, Zac packed up his life and moved to (you guessed it) Newcastle, leaving everyone behind. Including Josie.
Despite Zac scarcely responding to her texts and calls and eventually going radio silent, Josie's reaches out to Zac in hopes of catching up while she's working in Newcastle, and if that rekindles their friendship, all the better. Shockingly, Zac agrees to see her, and even offers to pick Josie up from the station when she arrives in town.

Sure, their reunion is a little awkward but Zac looks good, great even. He got a suave haircut, he's clearly been working out, and he even rescued a dog. Suddenly Josie is drawn to him in a whole new way. Or perhaps she's only just realising that she's felt this way for a long time? Being a protagonist in a contemporary romance novel, and (perhaps more importantly) being Australian, that's a thought that Josie is all too happy to push aside for now—a great Aussie pastime. She's got new work gig to focus on, and she has to find a place to live with a housemate who doesn't mind that she'll only be around for six months.

Perpetually single Josie has tried dating over the years, and despite each guy meeting the criteria of exactly the man someone like her is supposed to want to be with longterm, these men inevitably turn out to be losers. A fact which Zac has noted on many an occasion during the course of their friendship.
When Zac and Josie make a pit stop at his place on the way to Josie's temporary living arrangement, Josie is introduced to Zac's soon to be ex-housemate, Lindsay—who just so happens to be moving out on the exact day that Josie moves to Newcastle. What a coinky-dink. And wouldn't you know it, Lindsay fits the bill of exactly the kind of man that Josie thinks she needs. He's career-oriented, well dressed, driven, and he's got plenty of money. Why these are the be all and end all of what makes a life-partner in Josie Larsen's book, I'll never know.

On Josie's second day in Newcastle, she and Zac go house hunting. One flop after another leads her to move in with Davide who claims to be a "reiki healer" but turns out to be oh so much more. After seeing more of Davide than Josie (or anyone with good sense) would ever want to, Zac busts Josie out and invites her to stay with him until she can kind a new place to live. Preferably with a housemate who isn't nudist, exhibitionist creep.
At the same time, Josie decides to give dating Lindsay a go—despite Zac's warning not to get into a car with Lindsay if he's been drinking, and his obvious dislike of Lindsay in general. Josie's just moved to town, she's been demoted, things are still rocky with Zac, and she needs a distraction from everything she's feeling, or trying not to feel. A distraction that ticks all the boxes and is easy on the eyes. Big mistake, Josie. Huge!

Zac's got a girlfriend—Meghan Mackay, who happens to be one of Josie's new colleagues and her competition for the temporary news presenter job in Sydney—and Josie's dating sleazy, self-obsessed, handsy Lindsay (again, why?), but Zac and Josie are both blindly jealous, and the tension between the two is undeniable. Still, Josie insists on dating Lindsay and even gets into the car with him when he's been drinking.
This plot point I really don't buy. I just don't believe that Josie would ever have got into a car with someone who'd had even a drop to drink when her best friend and his fiancée—who she was also close friends with—were in car crash caused by a drunk driver that proved fatal to Tara, and left Zac traumatised. I don't for a second believe that she's that stupid, or that she'd be that insensitive to Zac. Especially whilst living with him and trying to make their friendship even a little like what it used to be. I also don't think that someone with such a huge fear of dying and dying young would put herself in a situation where her life would be so delicately and completely on the line and in the hands of someone under the influence. To me, it felt like something needed rejigging there.

While the results of Josie's out of character decision threaten to tear Josie and Zac apart again (and for good this time), it actually brings them closer together, and they're finally forced to explore their feelings for each other. After fourteen long years whatever powers that be have decided to cut Zac Jameson a break. Josie Larsen finally knows how he feels about her.
This, again, I found to be a little weird. Josie's way too smart to not have known how Zac felt about her all this time. While she turned him down all those years ago is was clear to everybody involved that he never got over her. Literally the night that he and Josie made The Back-Up Plan he was so hung up on her until how many minutes later when he met Tara he was still holding a torch for his "sunbeam", Josie. Josie could read a room enough to see that, surely. She's a journalist, she's built to uncover hidden truths.

Even though there's a lot of drama in this book, I just didn't find the ending very satisfying after everything the characters had been through together..
While Josie's health anxiety was relatable I feel like that plot wasn't given quite enough time to do it justice, whereas there was far too much of Lindsay. His purpose in the plot could've been achieved in a much shorted amount of time, and then more time could've been devoted to Josie's health scare and her fears, and also to rebuilding her relationship with Zac. There was just so much Lindsay that the time after his departure felt really rushed.
Lola was another character that needed work. She had so little influence on the story that she either needed to be written out completely, or she needed more development and presence in the story. She got a few throw away lines. I'd have liked to have seen more of her, especially if Lindsay was the sacrifice.
What it really comes down to for me though is that Josie and Zac aren't super likeable, and I feel like they were supposed to be. Maybe they're just characters that I was never going to gravitate towards, but I was rooting for them, and I hoped to see them grow more, especially as a couple. For the most part I thought their chemistry was good, but I think that was mostly down to the Josie and Zac of years past when it should actually have been the Josie and Zac of today just as much if not more, and that felt like a real shame.

As for the title, if I read the words "love just in" in a years time, or maybe even in six months, my first thought would absolutely not be of this book. Maybe I was slow on the uptake, but the title really didn't click for me until about half way through the book, and once it did I was underwhelmed. I feel like something to do with their Back-up Plan or maybe how Zac called Josie "Sunbeam" would've been more fitting, or a much more obvious reference to Josie's occupation might've better served this book.

As for mistakes, there were very few. At once point Meghan is spelt as Megan, and when Josie and Zac meet at the Opera House bar he calls Tara his girlfriend instead of his fiancée. But other than that nothing stuck out to me as incorrect or inaccurate. At times how accurate this book was as a representation of Australian slang was a little jarring, because it's not often that I get to read something with words and phrases I grew up with. The culture shock (or perhaps the opposite of that) of reading the words "singlet top" instead of "tank top" for once was bizarre to me.

Overall, 'Love, Just In' is a quick little read which I enjoyed at times but I don't think it'll stay in my memory for any significant period of time. I don't regret reading it, but I'd have preferred to read something with characters I like more, or even that I love to hate. The humour was a bit daggy and incredibly Australian, which is a plus or a minus depending on who you are and what you like.
I don't think it's fair to compare 'Love, Just In' to 'You and Me on Vacation', but if you're after a Bondi beach read, or something to chew on while sipping some tea—hot or iced, your choice—on the deck by the pool over the Australian summer, this could be the book for you.

4.5⭐️
While getting back into reading this year I can’t say that friends to lovers has been a favourite trope but this book may make me change my mind!
Zac and Josie are such complex characters and so relatable at times, plus the chemistry!! Had me kicking my feet on one page, and then laughing out loud on others. The book is great in that involves such realistic relationship issues but also personal issues such as trauma and anxiety. Zac and Josie had some great moments of growth together which was awesome to see, as well as their efforts to support each other through ups and downs.
I also loved a lot of the people around the main couple, such great support systems during the tough times that the characters are going through. An added bonus was that it’s based in my country Australia, despite not living in the cities it focuses on it was great to be able to see them in these areas.
I look forward to picking this up in physical form once it’s released! Thank you to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for providing me with this arc in return for an honest review.

Love, Just In follows the story of Josie of Zac, written from Josie's point of view. The two have been best friends since they were teenagers, though they have drifted apart over the past couple years, following the death of Zac's fiancé. Josie, a news reporter, is temporarily assigned to work in the city Zac has moved to, giving them the opportunity to reconnect. The book alternates between "today" and various moments from Zac and Josie's past together.

One of the big themes of this book is Josie's anxiety, especially about her health. After losing two family members to breast cancer, plus the loss of Zac's fiancé at a young age, Josie worries that she will get cancer and die young. The anxiety is so bad that it's caused her to panic on live tv, affecting her career. The portrayal of this anxiety felt very real while reading Josie's story. This specific anxiety isn't something I see much in fiction reading, so it definitely brings some awareness to a very real condition.

I enjoyed Josie and Zac's interactions with each other, both as friends and as a couple, so I enjoyed being able to see their current story and pieces of their history. At times it felt frustrating when I could tell that they were more than friends who weren't acting on it, but it was also understandable given the issues each one of them needed to sort out first. It was an overall good story that kept my attention, was quick to read, and had a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the free advance copy of Love, Just In. All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

Review
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Leslie Beebe
301 reviews
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November 8, 2023
An enjoyable rom com with an interesting storyline & characters . This is the first book I’ve read by Natalie Murray & would read others. I liked her writing style & it had a great combination of romance & comedy & held my interest

I really loved the idea of Love Just In, but it’s a DNF for me. HOWEVER. Me not finishing the book is purely my own issue, not the fault of the book. Because Josie deals with pretty severe health anxiety, and because I also struggle with health anxiety, I am not in a place where I can safely read her story.

That being said, what I *did* read was cute and well written, and I like Zac a lot. Based off what I did read (and I flipped forward a bit to be sure) I think this book would be about a 3.5-4 star rating, so that’s what I’ll give it!

I received an advanced copy for review. Thanks to netgalley, Allen & Unwin, and Natalie Murray for the ARC!

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read and review this ARC. This was a light hearted friends to lovers tale that followed Josie and Zac, two childhood best friends whose paths cross again when Josie relocates for work. This is a slow burn romance that delves into some deeper topics (mental health, death, cancer), and it definitely has greater substance than a surface level rom-com. The characters are relatable, likeable, and I was rooting for them the whole time!

A sweet Aussie childhood-friends-to-lovers romance, delving deeper into more serious topics. Trigger warning for anyone with health anxiety, since main character Josie suffers with it - you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind before picking this up, since even though it is great representation and will be relatable for so many, it may be a little much if your anxiety has already been in overdrive lately. Both main characters explore grief and the struggle of being close to 30 and feeling like you don't have your life together.

It took me a while to get into since love interest Lindsey was so repulsive from the beginning, and Zac had some questionable fashion choices (those graphic t-shirts!) but this quickly picked up towards the end and found myself wanting to know how Josie's story was going to end. Worth checking out if you want to try an Australian romance and can handle the heavier themes.

Zac and Josie became friends in their teens. Back then, Zac asked Josie out and she friendzoned him. Since their early days, a lot has changed. Josie has lost family members to breast cancer, and Zac has lost his fiancee in a car accident. Josie gets pawned off to another news station after an on-air flub, which happens to be in Zac's town.
Having not talked much in the past 2 years, and with each of them in possession of new baggage, there are a lot of miscommunications as they get to know each other again. When romantic feelings develop, they each struggle with whether they should just stay friends.

I was honestly astounded that nobody ever discussed therapy. <spoiler>Zac works in a medical field and witnesses his fiancee's death and then detaches from his closest friendship, and she just... let him go? I just feel like these 2 really needed professional help more than each other in several parts of the book.</spoiler> In any case, it feels important to have characters dealing with real life issues.
Some of the tangents were a little too on the nose for me - the weird sex roommate, dating the guy who was a chronic drunk driver but also super hot? But the ending was solid so going with 3 stars.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Such a beautiful second chance romance!

Zach and Josie have been friends forever. Zach suffers a horrific tragedy, his girlfriend dies. Some time later Josie comes to live with Zach and sparks fly!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Josie, a girl with big dreams of being the news reporter in Sydney, gets sent to a smaller town to do some contract work where her former? best friend lives. Zac agrees to pick her up and help her get settled into her short time in Newscastle. The book continues to unfold revealing why they’ve spent two years not speaking and some big feelings both of them have for each other.
I enjoyed this book a lot! I really loved how honest Josie’s character was with her health anxiety because it’s such a prevalent issue that many people face and doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I loved the premise but it fell flat in the telling. The main male character I liked but the female character I found very annoying and quite silly at times for someone of her age. The back and forth timelines also didn’t work for me.

A friends-to-lovers that will make your heart grow a couple sizes and possibly fly right out of your chest. I loved this story, and I loved that it also addresses real life issues like crushing anxiety.

Health anxiety is what is covered in this one, which is something that most people hide like a dirty secret. I appreciated how it was depicted here.

As for the friends-to-lovers aspect, I mean who doesn’t love this trope? All of the years of shared memories and experiences, and then when it all blossoms into something more…all the spice and emotions.

I received an e-arc of this from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love, Just In, add this to your summer read list or if in the U.S like me, to your holiday read pile and snuggle up with a hot cholate and lose yourself if this friends to lovers' romance.

My usual reads are in the mystery/crime/suspense romance genre, but I decided to take try a straight romance for a change of pace and I enjoyed the escape this book provided, also the reminders for me of places I know back home in Australia. So, thank you for the ARC NetGalley & Publisher Allen & Unwin.

This book, will no doubt have you thinking as I was, will you just wake up already and get it together!! Yes, I'm impatient, I admit it, and I as expected you get the happy ending.

This book set in the now, flips back and forth to memories of the 14year friendship Josie and Zac, from when they first me, to when they are reunited after two years apart. You can't help fall in love with pair, their easy banter, the support for each other, and watching them finally get on the same page about how they really feel.

It is a good reminder to throw out the checklist you developed of what you want in a partner and career based off expectations of what you think it should be, rather than what you really want.

This book also deals with and highlights an important mental health issue of health anxiety as well as cancer. Half-way through this book, I took a moment to stop procrastinating and finally filled out the book appointment form for my first mammogram.

Love, Just In was a great romance novel set in Australia. The cover kind of throws you off because there are some deep emotions and situations. I did enjoy it. Josie got on my nerves sometimes but I think sometimes that just happens.
It was my first book my Natalie but won’t be my last.

I really enjoyed this book. However, the main character did make decisions that sort of drew out the getting together part that we knew was coming and just waiting for. It didn't stop me from being glued to the book, but I was a little annoyed while I was glued. I was just thinking "this better give me the pay off I want" and it mostly did. I'm glad they mostly resolved it early enough to give us some resolution. Overall, I have to say this was great because I just couldn't stop reading - always the sign of a successful book!

Natalie Murray creates a story that you will fall in love with and not want to put down. For lovers of Emily Henry and sweet romance, “Love, Just In” will be for you.

I loved this book! I read it in a day! The author did an incredible job telling this love story between two friends and there was so much heart to it!

WOW! this was stunning.

romance aside, the cover truly deceived me. what i thought was going to be a fun, lighthearted summer romance turned out to be quite the impactful story and touched on many deeper topics. without giving too much away, i encourage everyone to pick this one up, you won’t regret it! i’ll definitely be reading from this author more