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

Josie and Zac have been since high school, but have been out of touch for two years. When Josie
returns to Newcastle to work at the local news station, the two reconnect. Josie deals with high
anxiety over health issues due to the effect cancer has had on her life. Zac is dealing with the grief
and trauma of having his fiancée die in his arms. Slow burn romance.
#LoveJustIn #NetGalley

Australia. Cute. Best friends to lovers. Cute. Time hops for context. Cute! “Doesn’t know what went wrong”??? Not at all cute.

This was a faaast read and pretty average because the problems weren’t problems. But their chemistry and long-time friendship was fun.

Love love loved this one! From the start, I was invested in Josie and Zac's story. With so much history and them clearly being the perfect match, I was rooting for them from the beginning. The story covers topics such as health anxiety, loss, and past trauma and I loved how you really got to know the characters and see how they worked to overcome their issues. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and would absolutely recommend!

This was a slow burn friends to lovers romance which was pretty easy to read and get through. I also liked the health anxiety rep and focus on mental health which was well executed.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me and I found myself a bit confused with the alternating timelines and didn’t really see myself connecting with the characters.
But overall, a fast and easy read nonetheless. <3

Thank you to Net Galley and Allen & Unwin for letting me read this book for an honest review. This book was a feel good read. There’s the two main characters, Zac and Josey who have been friends since high school but as grown adults don’t really know where they stand with each other. They’ve been apart for a while then life brings them back together with a host of external characters including the nudist housemate who shows way more than anyone wants to see or hear, a boyfriend who likes one or two drinks too many and a girlfriend in the same career. But underneath the relationship story of Zac and Josey was a more serious story which unfolded as the story went backwards and forwards through time. A glorious read which was thoroughly enjoyable.

I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t get enough. It felt like watching a good old fashioned romantic movie that Nancy Myers would be proud of. I have always been an enemies to lovers die hard fan but after reading ‘Love, Just In’ I can now say I’m a massive fan of friends to lovers.

‘Love, Just In’ is set in Newcastle (Whoohoo finally a book set someplace I’ve been!) and we follow the story of Josie as she navigates her job as a news reporter, her growing health anxiety and her relationship with her bff Zac (new book boyfriend alert!). Filled with heartfelt moments and sexual tension (the spice is SO hot), this book is perfect for Emily Henry fans and readers who love a well written romance story with a whole lotta heart.

Do yourself a favour and add this book to your ur tbr asap!

Life seems to be turning into one big angsty vibe for TV news reporter Josephine Larsen. After an on air melt down panic attack, Josie is sent to work at a smaller market in the Australian town of Newcastle for six months. She is worried that being in the hinterlands will derail her career further. Not only is her job stress maxing out, but Josie’s family has decamped to foreign shores, all her friends seem to be getting married and having children, and her Sydney boss seems less than impressed with her reporting skills.

While Josie did not want to leave the Sydney market, she is nervous and excited about reconnecting with the man who was her best friend since her youth, Zac Jameson, who until two years ago was a constant in Josie’s life. After the loss of his fiancee in terrible car wreck, Zac left Sydney and essentially shut down their line of communication, to say that his feelings for Josie are complicated is an understatement.

As Zac and Josie try to reconnect, their story is told in a then and now fashion which at times seems disruptive to the narrative. They are each dating someone else while ending up living together because of Josie’s fail in finding a decent temporary roommate. Josie is a bundle of nerves and ball of anxiety for just about everything in her life including an extreme obsession about her health. Zac is an EMT who is still getting over his own trauma while facing people in difficult situations every day. Neither one seems to be able to be honest about their feelings, or in Josie’s case, explain them very well.

Josie is one of those FMC's who caused me a lot of angst. Some of the things she does including dating Zac’s recently ex-roommate who seems like a real loser while making poor choices with him, to ignoring possibly serious health issues while she is constantly obsessed with them get old fast. Zac is so forgiving of her hot and cold, push me, pull attitude, certainly more than she deserves. One of the taglines says “hilarious” rom-com, but I did not see much of that feeling at all in the book. Clearly these two were meant for each other from the very start; however, Josie never did seem to get a clue until nearly too much irreparable damage was done to their relationship.

3.5, rounded up bc inflation :)

Love, Just In is a well-written rom com with a few serious topics sprinkled in, to give it depth. It felt slightly too long, though I'm not sure whether it was the slow burn nature of the romance or if it was just 25% too long. I liked that the female protagonist was struggling with her mental health, as it made her relatable in a way that many protagonists aren't. I also enjoyed the Australian setting and the friends-to-lovers of it all, both of which made this feel very Emily Henry-esque. This book isn't full of silly tropes or pointless misunderstandings (i.e. communication issues in order to further the plot), which is notable in the genre. While it wouldn't make my 'must read' list, it was an enjoyable read and I'd recommend it to fans of the genre.

Josie Larsen is a Sydney news reporter hoping to become a news anchor in the high-stakes world of Sydney broadcast news. When she has a panic attack on live TV, Josie is sent off to a regional office in Newcastle on a short-term assignment. Enter the friend-to-lover. Zac Jameson, her best friend, lives in Newcastle. After he lost his fiancé in an accident he and Josie had fallen out of touch, but now they are back in each other’s lives and things are getting…complicated. Sexy complicated.

This sounds like a simple story, but it’s so much more. Both are dealing with mental health issues and relationship issues and baggage, and Natalie Murray takes all of this on, making this so gratifying. A romance novel about real people with issues and complicated interior lives.

What if People We Meet On Vacation had a lot of cancer talk, an Australian news anchor drama, and discussed the dangers of drunk driving?? You get Love, Just In!

This one took me a little bit to get into and I can't say by the end it was my all-time favorite, but it was a cute read! I really enjoyed the portrayal of health anxiety, I was not expecting it going in but it was a welcome touch of character to the romcom genre. The Australia setting was fun too! I don't think I've ever read an aussie romance book so it was a lil culture shocky for me. but I liked it.

Now to the negatives, it took me much longer to get really interested in these characters than usual. I think that is just personal taste rather than writing style though. I wasn't a big fan of the spicy scenes, they just didn't hit the same for me as other romance novels.

Overall, this was a decent read but I'm not sure I will reread it.

Thank you to NetGalley for supplying the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

TW: Cancer. car accident, grief, strong language, open door scenes.