A fun friends to lovers romance. I loved the setting and the atmospheric writing style. The chemistry between Zac and Josie was electric and their banter was delicious.
Many thanks to Allen and Unwin and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved the setting, the friends to lovers and the health anxiety representation was amazing. c

After news reporter Josie has a panic attack on live TV, her boss punishes her with a six-month transfer to cover another reporter’s leave. She’s headed to the city where her high school best friend Zac lives -- the friend that she hasn’t spoken to in years, since his fiancée tragically died. Will Josie and Zac revive their friendship or will their secret attraction, career struggles, and mental health be their demise?

The prevalent theme of metal health throughout LOVE, JUST IN was well-written and handled with care. Both Josie and Zac have their individual struggles personally and professionally. There are times when the story is light and humorous and other points where it’s darker and more poignant.

Overall, I enjoyed the friends-to-lovers romance of LOVE, JUST IN and would recommend it to contemporary romance fans. Thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the gifted DRC.

This book is everything you want a book to be! I devoured this in 2 days, lost a bit of sleep, but it was worth it. Your classic ‘friends turned lovers’ storyline but told in the very best way. Humor, angst, love, & some steamy scenes makes this a very fun romance novel. It also sheds a light on some more serious issues as well such as health anxiety, something I struggle with myself. Thank you @Natalie Murray, Allen & Unwin, & NetGalley for this amazing ARC!!

This book was brilliant. The characters were funny and relatable with great development arcs.
This will be highly successful for lovers of a good romance, and fans of Emily Henry and Beth O'Leary.

This book was a pretty good debut novel and had a lot of elements that I really enjoyed - the relationship between the two main characters was pretty electric and made me think I need to give friends to lovers more of a chance as it’s not usually my go-to. I loved the setting in a mid-sized Australian town with a FMC who is a newsreader - very cool to read about!
But this book had some elements which really put me offside. As someone who is turning 30 this year I am so not onboard with the thought process of the FMC that they are turning 30 this year and they should have it all figured out and be married and have children and be ‘a success’. And my feeling was that nowhere in the book did anyone actually deny that idea.
The FMC was also extremely obsessed with the idea that she might have cancer, and the author deeply explores the health anxiety. But for me the deep dive into this issue was dealt with in such a way that it actually made me feel really anxious, so I’m wondering if there should be a trigger warning for anyone who might read this book. The last third of the book actually was not enjoyable to read as it was so weighed down by all the negative issues the FMC was going through, which I understand are important issues and the author wants to raise awareness of these, but it was pretty overwhelming to read and had me almost wishing the book would end. In any case I’m looking forward to the author's next book as they definitely have a knack for writing a page turning, slow burn and very flirty romance.

This story was very emotional.
It mad me cry.
It max me cry ugly tears.
I max me sob.
It was very cathartic.
If you are in need of an emotional release you need to read this one.

I’ve seen Love, Just In compared to Emily Henry’s romances, and I can see it.

Josie and Zac have been friends for many years and I liked reading about their friendship story.

Josie is a TV news reporter and Zac is a paramedic living and working in Australia. Josie is temporarily moving for a job assignment to the town where Zac lives.

This book gets quite steamy in the second half, but before and after the steam, the story has depth and covers serious topics like grief, friendship, and health.

Health anxiety is a focus of the novel, and the author shares her own experiences in the author’s note at the end.

If you love friends to lovers romance stories, you should pick this one up.

Friends to lovers fans add this one to your TBR. You are going to fall head over heels for Josie and Zac.

After not seeing each for 2 years these two are thrust back into each other lives. They were high school best friends, and even though not romantically it was definitely giving me second Chance romance/one who got away vibes.

A super sweet, touching and relatable read.

I loved this book. I loved the setting, I loved the characters and I loved their chemistry! This was a perfect Rom- Com with just enough drama.

Love, just in.  Although a bit of a slow burn, overall, what an adorable friends-to-lovers read.

As Zac and Josie have been friends for over 14 years, I loved how the novel switched back and forth between past and present to provide some insight into the dynamics of their friendship.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this one so much <3 It's a super cute and relatable romance with a sprinkle of drama and the perfect amount of emotion to allow you to connect to the characters.

I really enjoyed the format of the different time periods through out their history (kind of reminding me a little of One Day, but just nowhere near as tragic)! The writing was also engaging and easy to follow and I devoured it in a couple of short sitting once I got stuck in.

Overall, I enjoyed both FMC and MMC and thought they were well written and portrayed, with a perfect balance of tension and chemistry between them through out.

Highly recommend for any one who loves a classic rom-com / chick flick :)

Thank You! to Netgalley, Author Natalia Murray and Publishers Allen and Unwin for the opportunity to enjoy this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Natalie Murray's Love, Just in is a friends to lovers romance with a twist. It is a great story with wonderfully written characters that make you love and hate and love them.

This novel tells the story of Josie and Zac two friends who have passed at romance more than once who are brought together again to re-establish their friendship while addressing a number of personal issues. They become friends again, after dealing with their issues and even find the romantic opportunity again. But will they move forward together or will they once again pass?

Read this novel by Natalie Murray to find out- it's well worth your time.

Slow burn rom-com that absolutely has my heart. Zak and Josie have been friends for forever, it seems that they missed their several chances to be more-than-friends. After Josie has a health scare, they reconnect again. I love how the book honestly and openly addresses mental health. Great book!

Thank you netgalley for this arc, all opinions are my own

Josie feels that she has not been living her best life , but is rather like an onlooker on the sidelines , watching others parade through hers, Throw in the unfortunate fact of her proneness to public panic attacks and the radio silence of her best friend Zac for a number of years, she is despairing of ever realizing her full potential and achieving her dreams. But wait, change is in the air when she is reassigned to a new gig that places her front and center with her withdrawn friend Zac. Their reunion is awkward and hateful and at this point I didn't much like Zac or the direction this story heading, but like all "friends to lovers" romances , it changed course. As you read on, you come to realize Zac is not the person he was portrayed as at the beginning but he is a cautious,considerate guy who values people's feelings, even to the point of self-guilt, and is not slow to admit when he is mistaken, Josie, on the hand, tried hard to discount the rift between them and went in full speed to resume the friendship from the last time it was"perfect". As is the predictability of these stories,misunderstandings and lack of open communication was key to their demise ,but once they acknowledged the elephant in the room and started opening up and speaking frankly, their life took on a newer, more positive trajectory. At times ,while reading I felt a strong urge to crawl into the pages of the book and shout at them to "get a clue", and it was this emotion that drove me to keep going to the happy conclusion of their story. This was a well written, emotive , heart-breaking but redemptive novel that propelled you to read on in anticipation, kudos to the author.

While this book is compared to the likes of Emily Henry, Sally Thorne and Ali Hazelwood, it does march to the beat of its own drum - whether that is a positive or negative is up to the reader.  With similarities of the People Who We Meet on Vacation (timeline jumps, historical reference, flashbacks), Love, Just In is a slow-burn tale of two people who are so embedded in each others lives, they can seem to separate friendship from real feels, giving way to a rollercoaster ride of emotions when the stars align and they finally collide. Natalie Murray does an excellent job taking away the rose colored glasses of what we wish romance could be and reveals the truth: It's messy, it hurts, and it isn't an easy journey to navigate.

Josie Larsen just wants to be an anchor! You wouldn't think it should be that hard but after an on-air mishap, she just can't seem to catch a break. Things go from bad to worse when she is reassigned to Newcastle to cover for another reporter. Leaving her friends, family, and home behind - she makes her way to purgatory to live out her sentence. The one bonus, she will finally be able to reconnect with her best friend from her childhood and college years. Thick as thieves once upon a time, a tragedy pulled them apart two years prior; but, she is hoping to rekindle their friend-mance - especially since he offered to pick her up from the train station (promising!). What should have been a long awaited reunion quickly turns into awkward silences, tense moments, and proof that what they once had may be long gone. Never one to back down from a challenge, Josie is determined for her and Zac to find their way back to each, never expecting the path she ends up on will change the trajectory of their bond forever.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I did not care for the characters. Josie was written to be a smart, well-rounded, down to earth, and likable person but Natalie made her far too clueless and obtuse. Sorry but no one can possibly be as clueless as she often was throughout the story.  I found her inability to read Zac continuously frustrating.

Zac wasn't an easy pill to swallow either. Again, Natalie attempted to portray him as the kind, loving, caring individual that got along with everyone but when you read his interaction with people - he often came across as a jerk. Understanding his feelings ran deep, he still lashed out at Josie with jealously, was rude to any man in her life, and was just not a likable person. 

Despite the disdain for the characters, the story itself was promising. Josie's struggle with anxiety and mental health issues was as real as it gets. I can see her in so many women who are struggling with genetic health fears and the dread of "ground hog day" - i.e. feeling stuck all while coping with the dreaded 30. Her impending reconnection with Zac makes you feel like it is going to be your typical second chance but Zac has been through the wringing and back again as paramedic dealing with his own grief and trauma. The injection of coping skills, therapy, and survival were enlightening throughout the story. 

I do applaud that Natalie did not shy away from the big issues, and instead tackled them head on. Again, health anxiety, grief, and trauma are all front and center. She jumps between past and present so that the reader can have a full understanding of what is happening and how the main characters have changed over time and what has made them who they are in the present (which was insanely helpful).

Speaking of the leaping timelines, the overall structure of the book made it just engaging enough that you didn't want to put it down; however, the story did have a tendency to drag out whenever we were in the present day - making the slow burn of the romance more dull than enthralling.  

While slow and frustrating at times, this book takes you on an emotional roller coaster, packing a punch with its deep dive into mental health, friendship, and second chances, all while perfectly capturing the essence of was is, what was, and what could be.

Newcastle's very own Natalie Murray brings us a wonderfully fun friends to lovers novel set wonderfully in our home town. This is a rom-com that has depth, dealing with some tough topics of anxiety, mental health, grief and trauma.

I found it a bit hard to get into this book and had to force myself to finish it. The reason was Josie just annoyed me so much and I have never wanted to punch a fictional character as much as i did with her.

Although the premise is really sweet, the characters, dialogue, and style just really wasn't to my taste. There was a juvenile air to the type of writing here that ended up giving the novel a YA fiction vibe to me.

There are slow burns and then there is Love, Just In.

🎥 🎥🎥🎥/5

This book immediately drew me in and all of the broadcasting mentions threw me back to working in news myself.

Add to your TBR If you love:
🔥 sloowwwwww burn
💗 timeline jumps
🫣 miscommunication/misunderstanding
🔥 o p e n d o o r 😏😏

Zac and Josie are just everything and thank you @nataliemurrayauthor for not banning me while I harassed your inbox with my reactions 🤣♥️ the timeline jumps worked so well in this book and we’re great introductory chapters for the next scene. I had a FEELING ZAC WOULD BE A GENEROUS LOVER AND BOIIII 🥵🥵

Thank you Natalie for this chance to read & review ahead of the release date 🥺🎉