Although a bit uneven, much of this novel was completely fascinating. I loved the sharply drawn characters and the narrative arc. The book surprised me at many turns.

This one had so much potential but it felt a little flat. It had the potential to really dig deep into raw and uncommon emotions but it missed the spot. I wanted more feelings and insight into the main character. I thought the ending and where the book went was super interesting and didn't mind it at all - it added to the complexity of the situation - but I think in the end, it was too surface level.

THANK YOU to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy


"Just Want You Here by Meredith Turits is a deep and sensual novel that explores the complexity of modern relationships and loneliness. The author skillfully conveys the subtle emotions and feelings that arise when a person tries to find himself or herself while remaining close to others. The story balances between the desire for intimacy and the fear of being vulnerable, which makes it very real. The book makes us think about how we build connections and the cost of maintaining them, even if it means losing a part of ourselves.

This was a captivating read and not at all what I expected. Ari is going through an identity crisis after her longtime partner breaks up with her. Soon, she starts an affair with her new boss and she also becomes intrigued by his wife. I think readers looking for an intense relationship drama may enjoy this - I was slightly charmed but maybe also annoyed by the fact that Ari didn’t seem to get any closer to self-discovery or enhanced self-awareness by the end of the story.

Thank you to Little A and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

loved this one a captivating read. very interesting to see the dynamic of these characters! THANK YOU FOR THIS ARC

Unfortunately this book wasn’t really for me. I love the classic tropes of post-breakups relationships, and Ari’s relationship with her boss Wells could have been really intriguing.

However, I felt like there was nothing particularly to set this book aside from other similar books and I felt that the characters lacked some depth and unique qualities…

I hate giving negative reviews but this wouldn’t be a book I’d recommend!

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC. This book is complex, with flawed characters. Finished it in a weekend as I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The first half of the book is different than the second. It was not what I expected. While I thought the story line was good, I was disappointed in the ending. It left a reader hanging. Maybe a sequel is in the works. Overall a story about love, lust, loss, and moving on. I’d recommend.

my first netgalley advance read! i enjoyed the character development and multiple POVs. the storyline was not as believeable as originally laid out in the beginning. despite the first and second half being wildly different, there were enough twists that left me guessing. an interesting take on the different types of love and loss that life offers.

I read this book in a weekend - I absolutely could not put it down. The realness and relatable flaws of these characters will pull you in from the first page.

Ari has just been broken up with. Her fiance suddenly calls it quits after a decade=long relationship. Ari feels that she doesn't know who she is anymore without him, and so moves from NYC back to Boston where she went to school. She takes a job at a tech start-up where she meets Wells, the much older (and married) founder of the company. Wells and Ari find they can't stay away from each other, and soon, Ari finds herself deeply entangled in his family life. Ari's journey of self-discovery will keep you hanging on every word.

I loved this book because it was so much more than just an age-gap affair. The complexities that each character faces internally and in relationships were so well crafted. This is sure to be a title that has the celebrity book clubs fawning.

Thank you to NetGally for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Just Want You Here will be published on March 11, 2025.

Messy, messy, messy. If you love mess, complex characters that are deeply flawed, then this book is for you. This book was a quick read and very engaging. The only thing I didn't like was the characters at the end didn't really learn anything and were virtually the same people, but I guess that is closer to real life.

This book wasn't for me, but I think it could be for a lot of people. This story focuses on Ari who's reeling after a big breakup with her high school sweetheart and its ramifications on her friend group. The novel shifts halfway to be more about Ari's new life and an affair with her married boss, his wife also becomes a primary character. This novel focuses on messy relationships, but often stops short of fully interrogating the full range of emotions of its characters. That said, it was a fun and engaging read that I think others may love.

This was such a sad and touching book! I would be devastated to be in the position that the main character was in, losing the person you are in love with and did everything with and confided in. It would wreck me, so seeing the character in this book go through it and grow is so heartbreaking but nice to read. I loved it even though it was painful.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s a story that follows Ari, who’s trying to navigate life post-breakup with Morgan, and while the premise seemed promising, the execution left me somewhat conflicted.

The first half of the novel felt slow. Turits uses complex and almost unnecessary language that occasionally disrupted the flow. It felt like the characters, especially Ari, were being drowned in over-complicated expressions that didn’t really match their personalities. This made it a bit hard to connect with them initially. However, by the second half of the book, the writing settled into a more natural rhythm, and that’s when I found myself more invested.

Ari is not your typical protagonist. She’s messy, makes poor choices, and at times is hard to root for. But that’s what makes her real. We all know people like Ari—people who don’t always choose the best path but are still trying to figure things out. I appreciated that about the book. It felt relatable, especially for someone like me who’s in the middle of figuring life out as a college student.

That being said, there were moments where the pacing felt off. The story drags in the middle, and then suddenly everything seems to happen too quickly, especially towards the end. The abruptness of the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. It’s like the book builds up to something significant, only for the final pages to leave us hanging without any real resolution.

In terms of character development, I wish there had been more growth. Ari doesn’t seem to change much by the end, which was disappointing. I wanted to see her learn from her mistakes or at least have some clarity by the conclusion, but that never really happens.

It’s a decent read if you enjoy complex, flawed characters, but don’t expect a neat and tidy resolution. While I finished the book, it’s not one I’d highly recommend unless you’re into slow-burn character studies that don’t necessarily wrap everything up with a bow.

Raw, emotional, and often jarring in it's intensity - what happens when the one true love you have always relied on is ripped away? A journey of the self, finding strength, making connections, be they appropriate or not, to ultimately find your way.

Ari and Morgan are childhood sweethearts, they move away together then Morgan decides to end it all.
Through the book we meet true friends, family members and new loves.
Life moves on for both characters and the book mostly concentrates on Ari. This is where I found the book strange and unrealistic (I know it's fiction).
It's an easy read.

This novel offers a familiar storyline about heartbreak, self-discovery, and morally complex relationships, but it doesn’t do much to set itself apart from other contemporary romances. Ari, the protagonist, starts the novel reeling from the end of her decade-long relationship with Morgan. While her emotional turmoil is relatable, the plot quickly veers into well-worn territory when she begins an affair with her married boss, Wells. The dynamic between Ari and Wells is meant to be intense and forbidden, but their connection feels somewhat contrived, lacking the depth needed to engage the reader truly.

The inclusion of Wells’ wife, Leah, adds an interesting complication to the affair, but the triangle feels underdeveloped. Too much focus is placed on the affair itself and not enough on the emotional consequences or the psychological depth of the characters. Ari’s entanglement with both Wells and Leah could have been a source of real tension, but instead, the relationships come off as predictable.

The writing is decent but unremarkable, with moments of insight into Ari’s feelings. The themes of self-reinvention and the search for happiness are compelling in theory, yet Ari’s journey toward discovering who she is lacks originality. Her choices often seem impulsive rather than introspective, making it hard to invest in her growth fully.

In the end, while the novel has its moments, it never quite delivers the emotional impact or the complexity that its premise promises. It’s a quick, moderately enjoyable read, but one that ultimately doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be slow getting off the ground, but once I was invested and connected to the characters, I really started to enjoy this story. It was an interesting plot and the characters were well written. The timeline worked for me- I always like a past and present storyline.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Amazing book that leaves you wanting more, in all the best ways. The author draws you in to the lives of all of the characters in a way that makes you love them despite their flaws. The book ends in a somewhat surprising way that leaves you wanting to know where the lives of each character takes them next.

"Without Ari, Leah wouldn’t be able to function in her daily life, care for her only child. Without Leah, that space Ari has found unoccupied so many times in her life would be open again."

this was a pretty interesting read! it really picked up around the second act when i got my head around the characters. however i feel like some of the characters really lacked depth, i do love reading about complicated/dysfunctional characters but didn't really feel the connection between ari and wells or the friendship between ari and summer. the time jumps can get a bit confusing and cause the text to feel disjointed at times, it also doesn't help with character development as it feels like the author is just telling us things and not showing us.

overall, i really enjoyed this read! and found at times i couldn't put it down, very compelling and emotional.

I get what the author was going for here, but between Wells, Ari and Leah...there was a lack of character depth. I felt like I was supposed to care about Wells and Ari having an affair but I didn't care because I wasn't sold on the sexual chemistry-actually Wells had more chemistry with Khrish than both of his romantic leads. Ari basically fell into the background as I've read too many characters similar to her that are going through a millennial lid life crisis but find themselves attracted to people within reach. Leah was just...Leah. I felt the book could've benefited from cutting a few chapters where the plot didn't move.