This was a DNF for me. I really liked the blurb that NetGalley/Candlewick had up for it, but something about the author's writing style didn't gel for me. I found it hard to follow and didn't emphasize or relate to the characters. Sorry!

It took me a while to get into this book because I think it is really for a much younger audience. With that in mind, it is a good telling of what can happen in the life of a young teen thinking he is in love and trying against all odds to make the girl fall, too.

I liked the blurb for Just Friends so I requested it. The actual book was a letdown. I felt like the whole thing was pieced together with cliched teen tropes and written in a hurry. I didn't like it at all.

Just friends focuses on what happens when you have so much self doubt and feel invisible. Josh doesn't really believe in himself and knows he isn't good enough for new girl Jena. When they become friends and she relys on him his situation becomes more screwed up. A should he/shouldn't he starts. Add in an old friendship that takes a backseat and it's a lot to read.
For me the inner monologue was just a tad annoying. I felt the ending was suitable but the way it comes around just doesn't feel complete.

With a somewhat confused narrative, I followed the classic story of the boy who thinks he likes the girl, but clearly she is not the right person for him.

I liked some points of the story but what irritated me was that the writer also don’t created a connection between the reader and the right girl for the protagonist and the ending sincerely left much to be desired. She could have developed more, as the release is planned for next year maybe the writer accepts the suggestion to rewrite some scenes and create a more developed plot.
when I read the synopsis and saw the cover I really create a very big expectation because it's the book style that I like so much, but I got really frustrated

No. This was not good. The writing was confusing and hard to follow. The characters weren’t likeable and this is not one I would recommend to anyone.

I had a very hard time with this book. I found it very choppy and I found myself not able to get into the book. It was extremely hard to finish as I just wasn't entertained.

I couldn't really get into this book. Chugged along until about half way then I couldn't take it anymore and skimmed the rest. I did kind of like the ending though.

Mini review:

DNF

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I saw this book on Netgalley and decided to request it. I liked the synopsis. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.

I really didn't like the writing style. How the main character described everything (including people). It seriously turned me off.

As this was a personal thing I still recommend.

DNF

This will appear on my blog on 14 February 2018

Josh is into old movies, old music, and doesn't mind taking yoga classes with his best friend, Ramona. He also has a two friends who are equally off-the-beaten-path for high school students, Sal and Josh. When Jena Capistrano moves to town, Josh falls for her hard. He wishes that she would just speak to him one day, but through a series of circumstances, the two become "just friends". Jena opines that it's hard to be friends with a boy when they could make a move at any moment, but she knows that Josh would never do that. To complicate matters, Ramona has a bit of a crush on Josh, but they've known each other forever. Sal likes Ramona. Jena manages to fall into a crowd of popular kids, so starts dating a hunky football player, and every time the two fight, she goes running back to Josh, which only gives him hope. Will Josh be able to distance himself enough from Jena to move on with his life and relationships?

Sheldon's books are wonderful because they cover high school romances in ways that are still appropriate for middle school students to read about. This is a bit of a departure because the story is really Josh's. Even in middle school, there are a lot of boys who want romance books, but they really prefer them to be from the boy's point of view. Josh's feelings are so well described, and his insecurities and confusion about what to do will definitely ring true for boys just starting their romantic lives, no matter what their ages.

The characters in Just Friends are really what make the story. They are all very diverse, with unusual interests or quirky families, and none are stereotypical. While both Josh and Jena have a deceased parent, this is no dwelled upon. The adults in the story are supportive, and Josh even has a father figure in his Uncle Walt, who is helpful. Ramona's parents have a gift shop/new age story that is described in such an appealing way that I wouldn't mind going to Parsons Falls to shop there, and then maybe have some tea at Hava Java!

Romance books are always in demand, and the readers who enjoy them are usually voracious. I love the covers on Sheldon's newer titles-- they are very bright and appealing, and this one is very gender generic, which is excellent for the audience who should be reading it. This is a great book to hand to readers who have moved beyond Byars' Bingo Brown or Paulsen's Crush books and have enjoyed Korman's Son of the Mob, Finnegan's Not in the Script and Scott's Jingle Boy.