4.25/5

This was a really enjoyable book with two incredibly likable main characters. The story follows Josie Larsen an aspiring TV news reporter and her best friend since high school, Zac Jameson. As Josie moves to Newcastle, where Zac lives, she dreams of returning to Sydney and anchoring for the news station she works for. Unexpectedly, she grows to love the sleepy seaside town of Newcastle over the hustle and bustle of Sydney.

I think this book does an excellent job in tackling real life issues and topics that are important in relationships and are, sadly, unavoidable in real life. A lot of romance novels avoid things like grief, anxiety, and panic attacks, but this story takes them head on and makes the characters and story more realistic.

Pros: likable and relatable main characters, friends to lovers trope, realistic struggles and challenges that both main characters face

Cons: lack of communication between the main characters, a lot of conflict could’ve been resolved by them just talking to each other

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a beach read that delves into real life issues and is grounded in reality. I loved the relationship between Josie and Zac, but really appreciated that the author had them dealing with their individual struggles together.

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

This was an incredibly sweet book with a very believable friends to lovers trope. It's not often you read books where you can feel that secret longing from both sides but this book does it. I think it was also great to read from only the FMC instead of switching POVs like many do. I don't believe the flashbacks were necessary and often ruined the pace of the book for me.

This book is a real punch in the guts, in a good way… obviously. Love, just in is a second chance story about two best friends who grew up together and, until two years ago, they were inseparable. We go back and forth between flash back and current day as we try to work out exactly what happened.

I could really feel Josie’s health anxiety and o feel like a lot of people can relate, especially post covid. Terrified of every little symptom but also too scared to actually go and get it checked out because ignorance is bliss! You were right there inside Zac’s grief and guilt and both of their confusion on how to move forward. I definitely shed some tears during this story.

I feel like Natalie could be on the board for Newy’s tourism cause she really made me wanna visit. She also made me very glad that I never had roommates like those…

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Age suggestion: 18+

Thank you to NetGalley and Allen and Unwin for the ARC of this book! I expected a lighthearted romcom and thus this book was definitely not what I expected! That being said, I truly loved every minute of this book and I binged it in 1 day! Following along while Josie and Zac navigate their 14 year long friendship that could be something more was a delightful. I enjoyed the time jumps back and forth and loved that the author tackled bigger/heavier topics amidst the light romantic ones! This was a beautiful book and I can't wait to read others by this author!

BOOK REVIEW:
Title: Love Just In.
Author: @Natalie Murray, Romance Author
Pub Date: January 4th 2024.
Publisher: @allenandunwin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a cute read I really loved the characters Josie and Zac such a fun and adorable read!

This book hit all the same notes you would get picking up an Emily Henry or Ali Hazelwood book.

Love, Just In follows Josie as she ventures to Newcastle for six months on a temporary assignment for her job. Who happens to be in Newcastle? Zac, her childhood best friend, who hasn't exactly spoken to her in the past two years. Now that they're in the same city again, they are navigating their lost friendship, new experiences and feelings, as well as their personal struggles.

Both Josie and Zac are likable, but extremely complicated characters. Josie is struggling with moving up in her career following a panic attack live on-air. Like anyone with anxiety, she tries so hard to put on a "front" and pretend everything is fine. Even with the rekindled friendship with Zac, she tries to brush over the two-year friendship gap instead of addressing the issue - ignoring the feelings and the past.

Zac is dealing with his own struggles as well. There is a very good reason he lost touch with Josie, but he didn't know how to communicate that to her. You can tell how much he cares about her throughout the book, but wants to guard himself.

Throughout the book, we get short, sweet chapters of Josie and Zac from their early teens to the two-years prior to present time. These chapters were so enjoyable and we really got to see Josie and Zac's relationship evolution.

Natalie Murray also includes fantastic mental health representation. Both Josie and Zac suffer from different types of anxiety, and their anxieties are addressed properly and appropriately throughout the book.

Overall, this was a wonderful, emotional, heart-warming read. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a beautiful feel-good love story.

Star Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:
🌶🌶 / 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Thank you NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for this eARC.

Josie is a reporter with a dream of becoming a news caster. She has been recently transferred from the larger Sydney office to the quieter Newcastle office with a hope of getting her foot in the door and a seat at the news desk. In Newcastle, she rekindles her long time friendship with Zac, who, for the last two years, has ghosted her.

Overall this is a friends to lovers trope romance that at its heart, has all the makings for a great book. It has the heat between the two main characters, backstory, conflict and touches on some heavier themes. But the execution missed the mark for me. The main characters, who were supposed to be 28-30, acted and spoke in ways that felt way younger than they were supposed to be. The dual timelines felt a little scattered and because of this you didn’t get a cohesive development of the heavier themes and character development. I was rooting for both of these characters in the end and was engaged throughout, but this could have been a better book with another round of editing.

Not a fan. There was way too much going on in this book and the writing was a bit on the cringe side for me.

I'm torn how to rate this one.
On the one hand, I really enjoyed it! This had Josie Alibrandi all grown up vibes. It felt nostalgic without me knowing the characters.
On the other hand, there's just so much drama keeping these two gorgeous humans apart. Way too much. Just let these beautiful people fall in love and be happy together, no need to keep spinning it out.

How can you not be in love with hunky, damaged Zac and his secret long term thing for Josie?

Love, Just In is an adorable take on friends-to-lovers (and somewhat second-chance romance) that will have your heart doing somersaults!

Josie is starting over in a new city and is dealing with anxiety. The only person she knows in the city is her oldest friend Zac, whom she hasn't seen or really spoken to in two years after he experienced the horrible tragedy of his fiancee dying in a car accident. Before that, the pair were inseparable through high school and college. But now, things are much different for them as they begin to navigate their lost friendship and feelings that there could be more between them than they have ever truly let on.

This story had lots of pain throughout and I truly ached for the characters with their experiences with anxiety, loss, and grief. However, the character development was inspiring as we get to see how each of the main characters overcame their struggles together. I loved the dual-timeline aspect of the story and the glimpses into the past helped tie together so many things that happened in the future. I felt that the two main characters had a lot of trouble communicating with each other, which they worked on throughout the story. Ultimately, it ends with a happy ending which I loved!

If you love a friends-to-lovers trope, this is definitely a book you'll want to pick up in January!

Special thanks to NetGalley, Allen & Unwin, and Natalie Murray for sharing an early reader copy so I could give my feedback!

A fun read that also deals with important topics. It’s ok not to be ok and ask for help was an important underlying message is this friends to lover book.

Friends to lovers is my favorite troupe and yet many can NOT do it well and sometimes they miss the mark for me. However; Natalie Murray, whom I have never read did this story perfectly. Love, just In was a sweet romance and I devoured it quickly!

4.5 stars for me.
Natalie Murray is on a winner with this one! Personally the friends to lovers trope is one I really like and when it is done well I just love it because there's a slow burn that comes from all of that history. Zac is a male lead that we can all get behind, he is caring, realistic and good at calling Josie out when needed. As a paramedic and in his personal life he has seen traumatic things and I think Murray handles that well. He is not perfect and is working through those traumas.

Josie is clueless but in a believable way. Though she lacks confidence in some areas of life she has real spunk and it is easy to see why she and Zac have been friends for so long. I would have preferred to see her work through more things before taking the steps she did toward a relationship with Zac. The on-off nature in the final third of the book seemed drawn out and at times unnecessary. The ending though was just beautiful and nods to the earlier parts of the story were really well done.

I love that this is set in Australia and Newcastle in particular. My family hails from there and it was lovely to see Newy being appreciated. I highly recommend this if you love romantic fiction and friends to lovers storylines. I will be looking out for more by Natalie Murray and thankyou to Net Galley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to lovers is SO hard to write. You have to be able to balance the jokes, the friendship, the quirks, knowing WAY too much about someone, the friend love, and then the falling in love. All while making it believable and having people root for the characters. Thinking back on all of the friends to lovers books I’ve read, I don’t think I’ve ever rooted for a couple more. Poor Zac was pining for Josie for 15 years, but their friendship was so important to them both that they stayed the best of friends through it. I absolutely love that they never tried anything before and it was purely platonic until it wasn’t. I think that tends to be my issue with FTL because who can actually be completely platonic with someone they’ve been intimate with? Truly I think Zac and Josie’s story, with all the mess surrounding them, is one of the best I’ve read this year. I couldn’t put it down, I read it in one sitting. I’m so excited for y’all to meet these characters and fall in love with them while they fall in love with each other.

If you love friends to HEA, miscommunication, and the woe is me trope this book is for you. While it is not at all my favorite trope it’s a well written story about that trope. It’s as funny as it is sad. It’s as complicated as it is simple. Zac was adorable and his patience paired well with Josie’s angst. He is what helped me stay with the story. When I was ready to ring her neck, you’d see hope and promise of a better tomorrow.

"Love, Just In" is a friends-to-lovers romance novel that follows the story of Josephine "Josie" Larsen, a TV news reporter in Sydney who's feeling lost as she approaches 30. Not only is she single, but her family is spread worldwide, leaving her alone to deal with the aftermath of a panic attack broadcast on live TV. Of course, this wouldn't have been as big of a deal had her boss not tuned in. Usually, he pays no attention to her, but she's sent to Newcastle as a punishment for her on-air mistake. In Newcastle, she reunites with Zac Jameson, her best friend from high school who has been distant since his fiancée's tragic death. The book explores their rekindled friendship, secret attraction, and how they navigate their careers and mental health. It's described on Goodreads as a funny, sexy, and heartwarming romcom that fans of authors like Emily Henry, Sally Thorne, and Ali Hazelwood will enjoy.

I can't help but gush about Zac and Josie as a couple. The book is told from Josie's perspective, with chapters alternating between past and present, making it a page-turner. Watching Zac and Josie's friendship evolve into something more was satisfying, even though it was a slow burn. Their trauma and the two-year gap in their connection made the pacing perfect.

The book handles some pretty heavy stuff like grief, anxiety, car accidents, and loss, but it's done so well. You feel for the characters, and I couldn't help but root for Zac and Josie to find happiness.

This book is an addictive read. I won't lie; I shed a tear or two. Initially, I rated it 4-4.5 stars, but it stayed with me long after I finished, prompting me to give it the full five stars. If the book's cover, summary, and glowing recommendation don't convince you, I'm seriously questioning your romance novel taste!

This book was just not for me. The depicted anxiety was too stressful for me as a reader. Also, both MCs were having an emotional affair while dating others, which is not a trope I enjoy.

I received an advance copy from Net Galley. 2.5 ⭐️ This book didn’t work for me. The alternating timelines were annoying and the flashbacks felt unnecessary. It was predictable, but too slow to get there. And who needs to read about medical anxiety when you can live it yourself? I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Best friends to lovers romance with flashbacks of their friendship. This was a cute read that was easy to get through and a fast read. It did with some heavier themes than I was expecting but it fit into the story just fine. I liked the main characters and the side characters for the most part. This was a 3/3.5 star read for me and would recommend. I want to thank NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Just In was a feel-good book that I really enjoyed. It was a fresh change of pace from the thrillers I usually read. This was an enjoyable and entertaining book with extremely well written characters and a storyline that flowed perfectly. Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC