Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for this advanced copy of Love, Just In

This book gave me major Emily Henry vibes but make it Australian

I loved the story although found Jose frustrating at times. I didn’t like the plot kind of making Zac cheat on Meghan. There were a few questionable scenes there likewise for Lindsey.

I liked the inclusion of health anxiety as this is not something you hear about often. It was interesting to see what it may feel like for someone to live with it.

This book doesn’t contain much smut which I enjoyed. There was only a few pages of this which felt necessary to the plot

Overall great romance book and will be keep an eye on this author for future releases

Also posted on Goodreads

3.5 stars = I like it but...

I like friends to lovers, so the basic premise of the story with the starring pair who were best friends from childhood, their friendship derailed by tragedy, reconnecting when Josie moves to Zach's new hometown for a job opportunity is my catnip. I liked the reconnection and thought the author did a good job of portraying long time friends and developing the sensual tension between them. I also liked the Australian setting a lot.

There are a couple places where I struggled a bit though. Josie seems a bit clueless about the fact that the guy she's dating has a drinking problem and doesn't handle the situation well. The other thing is that Josie's issues with health anxiety, while probably portrayed well since the author herself has personally dealt with the same issue, were hard to read mostly because of how she deals with events with real potential consequences.

Trigger warnings: There are several deaths in the past which impact the characters, and mentions of cancer, deaths from cancer and a scene with a character in the final stages of cancer. Also: alcohol use, drunk driving and survivor's guilt.

Overall, I like this, but it is not the light romance read I'd expected from the cover - but it's all there in the cover blurb that I must not have read.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Expected publication January 3, 2024. This is an unpaid review.

Special thanks to Natalie Murray, Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the eARC!

This definitely gives me Emily Henry vibes but I absolutely adore it being set in Australia!! It's so nice to have a book like this set in areas I actually know and can just imagine it 🥰

But for real this was such a lovely story and I really enjoyed it, definitely recommend if you're into Emily Henry 😊

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy. This story was definitely Australian and used some terms that I didn't understand, but it didn't slow down the flow of the story too much. I wanted to have more sympathy for the main character, but found it hard going at times. As each back story unfolded, it made it a bit easier to understand where she was coming from. Liked the setting.

I'd like to start by thanking the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read "Love, Just In" by Natalie Murray before its official release. This book is a mix of humor and heart in a friends-to-lovers romance, but it has pros and cons.

The story delves into some heavy stuff, like loss and mental health issues. It's important to mention this, as it might be a bit much for some readers.

The book has moments when it jumps back to show us the characters' pasts. However, these flashbacks feel rushed and could have been more thoughtfully integrated into the story to give us a deeper understanding of the characters.

Another thing to note is that the characters often speak like teenagers, even though they're in their late twenties. This can make some parts of the story feel a bit awkward and take away from the more serious moments.

The book’s pacing is all over the place, making it difficult to get into. Some parts move too quickly, while others drag on. It's a rollercoaster in that sense.

Despite these issues, "Love, Just In" offers a cute and enjoyable romance. Just be prepared for a few bumps along the way. Natalie Murray has crafted a story with its ups and downs, but it doesn't quite hit the bullseye in the romance genre.

Thanks #netgalley for this ARC copy of such a cute book. Josie and Zac are about the cutest things ever. This book is a great combination of all my favorite chic lit things: the love story; a real topic, and witty banter.

You may be asking yourself why I only gave it three stars. The reason, this story had two alternating timelines and quite frankly by 30% in the book I found I didn't like the flashback montages timeline and began skipping them. So for 70% of the book I only ready every other chapter. That's my main down side and then there were I believe two fairly graphic sex scenes that with a bit of editing could have been perfect.

I always get excited to read books about journalists as a career for characters and this one was no exception.

Zac and Josie have been best friends through childhood and into their 20’s when a tragedy rocks their life and sees the pair estranged.

Josie gets a temporary job and ends up rekindling her friendship with Zac - but does it turn into something more?

They have to navigate this new dimension to their friendship while Josie deals with her career and health problems.

I really enjoyed the book, it was easy to read and flowed well. It was also centered around an important topic which affects a lot of people - health anxiety.

Highly recommend, it was engaging and funny without being corny.

This is a fresh read. First read for me by this author and will not be my last. This book takes you through the ups and downs of two childhood friends and navigate their relationship to adulthood. This book also deals with anxiety panic attacks. This book has it all, romance, friendship, trials, wrongs that are righted. Heartwarming read. Recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy of this well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Love Just In is a deeply emotional friends to lovers romance. Josie and Zac have been friends since childhood but when Josie moves to Zac’s town for work, the pair both have their fair share of trauma. Josie has severe health anxiety and Zac still struggles from the loss of his fiancée.

This is not a sweet romance but an emotional slow burn as both characters try to navigate from friends into something more. I cried several times reading this and I really couldn’t wait for Josie and Zac to finally get their happily ever after!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two stars. This was totally not the book for me. It is written in the present tense, which I hate, and it goes back and forth between the present and the past, which I also hate. The main character is totally obsessed with herself and can't see past her nose. I read the first 30%, then skipped to the end. It did get better as I worked my way backwards, but truly, it was not enjoyable to me. This was a free copy from NetGalley, and someone else will probably love it.

This book was such an emotional, yet fun read. I think more authors need to become comfortable with their characters having such strong and complex relationships with their mental health. Josie’s constant anxiety and struggles (although not exactly the same) are something that I deal with on a regular basis. I find comfort in being able to relate to her.
That being said, I sort of felt that both Josie and Zac were kind of annoying in their discussions and there was such a strong sense of miscommunication between the two that frustrated me. When those scenes were happening I often grimaced and trying to speed through.
Although that was the case throughout some of this book, I still feel like this is a great read. Is this my favorite book of the year? No, but I highly recommend this book to everyone so we as a collective reading audience can talk more about mental health!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book!

Love, Just In is a cute friends-to-lovers romance with plenty of rom-com banter. I enjoyed exploring the world of news reporting through MC Josie’s eyes and thought the career exploration was well done and insightful. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel a connection to Josie or love interest Zac. They didn’t feel like real people to me and that caused me to feel a disconnect with the story. It’s a shame because health anxiety was explored in this book and I find that very relatable, but the approach taken felt a bit juvenile.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this heartfelt, swoony romance - teenage besties estranged by their shared trauma and individual anxieties, reunited by circumstance to find their relationship changed - was unique enough to catch my interest. The story was very well-written and easy to read. I enjoyed Josie's narrative voice and characterization, and I could simultaneously understand her mistakes (e.g. dating a hot but wrong-for-her guy) and root for her to make better choices. Clearly those better choices were meant to be Zac, although I did not find him to be a particularly compelling hero despite his broody attitude and tragic backstory.

Speaking of broody and tragic - there's a lot of that here. Josie has health anxiety which affects her daily life and, occasionally, her ability to do her job. I thought this was portrayed in a very nuanced and sensitive way and really added to the story. Zac's grief and guilt over his dead fiancee, however, felt less subtle, perhaps because he wasn't a point of view character so we didn't have direct access to his emotions. And Zac's very sad past - although mentioned in the blurb - gave the story an emotional heaviness that felt out of keeping with the cover graphics and tagline.

Love, Just In
A charming rom-com with engaging characters. Meet Josie and Zac, two best friends since they were 13. They were inseparable but they haven’t stayed in touch after Zac suffered a horrible tragedy when his fiancée was killed in a car accident.
Now they have a chance to reconnect when Josie has a short term assignment where Zac is living. Will they be able to save their friendship or perhaps have even more?
A very enjoyable romance.

Natalie Murray’s new book, Love, Just In, stole my heart. It was everything that I look for in a contemporary romance and somethings I didn’t know I was missing. The characters feel raw and real and there’s a powerful story in their struggles with real world scenarios. It’s nice to see characters who are figuring it all and stumbling through life a little while they try to find themselves and each other.

Zac and Josie‘s friends to lovers romance is a 14 year slow burn in the making and I kind of loved it. Natalie had me rethinking everything. I am normally an enemies to lovers girl, but I was buying into the friends to lovers trope. She really sold it. And nailed the pining and fear that goes along with changing a relationship. Natalie took these two broken and lost people as well as the reader for a trip down memory lane with alternate timeline of the past that showed Zack and Josie’s friendship and budding romance from the time that they’re 13 to their late 20s.

I love that Josie’s character also dealt with health anxiety, which I think is something a lot of women struggle with and it’s some thing that we don’t talk about enough. It was real and empowering to see a character deal with those real world struggles in a way that made you empathetic and acknowledge that this is something we all feel at some time.

And I don’t have enough good things to say about Zac. He’s a patient cinnamon roll of a guy who doesn’t mind telling it like it is. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own demons but he’s working through them and you find yourself rooting for him.

So if you were a fan of friends to lovers, alternate timelines, handsome cinnamon rolls, some spice, and some pining, you definitely want to pick up Natalie Murray’s new book. It won’t disappoint. I’m already clearing a spot off on the shelf for the next one.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review Love, Just in by Natalie Murray. From the first page, I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading this and found myself staying up until 2am because I just couldn't put this down. Josie and Zac, best friends since the age of 14. Both battling their own issues and eventually losing touch; only to be thrown into eachothers lives again. I don't want to spoil a thing and highly recommend everyone picking this one up and giving it a go. One of my favourite tropes involved - friends to lovers and a bit of spice too which never goes astray. I really enjoyed reading about the health struggles incorporated into the book, it was definitely very relatable in that way too. This was the first Natalie Murray book I have read but it certainly won't be my last! Thanks again!

New favorite author alert?? ✨ I saw a blurb from Emily Henry about this book so I HAD to read it asap. Thanks for the ARC!

📖 The Details:
Love, Just In by Natalie Murray

⏱️ Quick Summary:
Josie is a TV news reporter in Sydney that just got sent on a temporary assignment to Newcastle, which is also the home to her long-time best friend, Zac, who she’s grown apart from in the last few years.

💁🏻‍♀️ My Take:
Classic friends to lovers with such freshness and heart. I was rooting for Josie and Zac, as their own people, as friends, and as more. They had great chemistry and a lovely banter. There were times I just wanted to say “Josie, you can’t be THAT clueless,” or “Zac, just be honest!” But there were so many other themes (some heavy ones - grief, anxiety, illness) that brought the story to life. Really really well done.

4.5 ⭐️ 100% recommend!

This is a best friends-lovers romance that had quite the long (and bumpy) road to get there. Their friendship started in high school and continued on through college and now it's some 14 years later. After a devastating incident, one moves away and they haven't seen, nor talked to each other in about two years. Now they find themselves in the same city once again, only this time both have some mental issues they need to deal with. Can they pick up their friendship where they left it those years ago, or has everything changed, and not for the best? Josie has several health anxiety, mostly due to some family deaths. She lives in almost constant fear of dying young. (Of course, doing her best 'ignorance is bliss' thought process in regards to actually taking any tests to prove if her fears are warranted or not.) Zac is really quite the man. He's kind and patient. There are hints at his feelings toward her when we get the flashback chapters from their younger years, but he's never really made his real feelings shown. In the present, he is struggling to overcome the death of his fiancé two years prior, and what role Josie played in it. He also struggles with his feelings toward her. He still loves her, but she isn't keen to do anything to disturb their best friend status. Josie's character isn't perfect. There may be aspects of her that turn readers off, but if you can get past any negative thoughts about her and get to the end of the book, you will see she does redeem herself. She also sees herself in a different light, and becomes self aware of her 'wrongs,' and works to be a better version of herself. Don't get me wrong, she isn't a terrible person at all, but I can see some personality traits that readers may not care for (especially after growing fond of Zac.) Readers who are a little more nit picky. There was some tension with the characters and some hot and cold going on. There are some laughs throughout, but there is also some heavy/tenseness about the book as a whole (with the subject matters included.) There is a small amount of sexual content (nothing too graphic.) The book is taken from Josie's POV.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Love, Just in can easily sit on your book shelf with your Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry books. It is set in Sydney, which is so nice for an Aussie reader! It is a childhood friends to lovers, forced proximity. This book is so beautifully written and just draws you in for a touching read. The Author addresses mental health and anxiety issues in such a touching way with the two main characters, making you stop and think without being all preachy.

I will definitely be adding this one to my bookshelves when it is officially released.

Thank you NetGally and the Publishers for my ARC copy of Love, Just in by Natalie Murray. I gave this book 4 stars.

Josie and Zac have been friends since since thirteen when Zac befriended the new girl. In fact they are best friends. Now that they are grown they work in two different cities in Australia. Josie suffers from health anxiety and believes she is unwell. She works as a reporter and has a meltdown on camera. This causes her to be sent to a smaller station. It happens to be in the town where Zac lives in. They haven't really talked in two years and Josie wants to rekindle the friendship or something more.

This is the first time I am reading a friends to lovers trope. It was hard to imagine that the two had not hooked up at any time during their friendship. Josie's anxiety makes her a mess and trying to figure out how to save her career. Zac has had trauma of his own and just now is in a good place. Should they risk their friendship for love?
This book has some slow spots but is a lovely read.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #NatalieMurray, and #Allen&Unwin for a copy of this book