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
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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!

Can life-long friends become more than “just friends”? Friends since middle school, Josie & Zac are the best of friends, they share everything and are in sync with each other except for one thing.

For me, this was a bit too slow to develop story. Josie was a bit neurotic for my taste while Zac was a very likable fellow. It was a well written story, just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love, Just In is a cute story set in Australia about two best friends that over 14 years have had many ups & downs before they realized their friendship was so much more. Some serious issues are addressed in this book & they're all set in a wonderful story involving friendship, passion, drama, family, & some pretty spectacular romance.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!
My only gripe regarding Natalie Murray's writing in this book Love, Just In is you really have to follow the storyline closely as it jumps back & forth from past to present, but not in a sequential order. Quite a few scenarios are explained throughout the book when the scene jump backs to the past, just try to to keep up as the years move around throughout the story.
Overall, I was impressed & I look forward to reading more from Natalie Murray again soon.

4.5 stars for me. The type of romance novels I enjoy most are those that carry substance. This friends to lovers and second chance romance fits the bill. While there was a lot of flirting and back and forth banter, there were far heavier topics addressed in the story as well. I was fully invested in both main characters, Josie and Zac. The story alternates between the past and present. In the past we learn more about Josie and Zac's friendship that began in childhood and also the trauma that almost tore them apart forever. In the present we find them sorting out their feelings, their past, and what both want for their future. I really loved the characters and their story!

Thanks to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time & i could not put it down. I loved the story between Josie & Zac and the friendship they grew over the years. I truly found Josie so relatable as I also deal with severe anxiety & health anxiety. Could not recommend this book enough!!