I really loved this book! The characters were great and how they were best friends to lovers was really sweet. Josie was also dealing with health anxieties and loved how that was handled. Great story!

I wanted to like this book more than I did, especially seeing the comparison to authors who I have given 5 stars across the board.

I really liked the realistic showing of how someone with anxiety lives their lives, and their thoughts that go along with it. I did find it confusing in the start, understanding what was real and what was her anxiety. I love a friends to lover trope, but couldn't really feel the connection at first. It was still a fun fast read, and I really enjoyed that it was an Australian romance book, it felt different and added some flare to it! I liked this book, didn't love it. But I would recommend it to someone looking for a quick fun read especially if they were interested in friends to lovers. 3.5 rounded up for the accurate portrayal of anxiety.

I impulsively picked Love, Just In up because it was "read now," and while it had its cute moments, it was kind of boring. People are comparing the writing to Emily Henry and People We Meet On Vacation, which is one of my favs by her, but I have to disagree. The slow burn romance was too slow and the parts that were supposed to be funny missed the mark for me. The main character's personality didn't fit with some of the choices she makes in the book and the romantic relationship wasn't believable to me. One positive thing about this book is the focus on health anxiety. This isn't a topic that is covered in a lot of books, but is very real and relatable.

Overall, this book isn't bad, just okay. I read it quickly and liked the Australian setting. I've seen tons of love for it, so check it out if you are a friends-to-lovers fan and enjoy predictable rom-coms.

I’m really torn about this review…. Because the writing itself was very good and the author created many feelings in me through my reading of the story… but I just didn’t enjoy some of those feelings. I’ll describe more about that to help others choose if this book is for them or not, but it might lean towards semi-spoiler to some facets of the book. Be warned.

The MMC was truly an 11 out of 10 unicorn of a human, friend, and man. Hard to believe but then also hard to cheer for the FMC when she was NOT even close to his level in her life choices, communication, consideration of him or others, etc. Aside from that the majority of the book just made me feel sad, especially for the FMC.

Aside from the sad feelings this provoked for 85% of the book (not why I read romance books) I really, really didn’t love the in your face OM physical relationship moments and the clearly alluded to sexual relations with OW (overnight stays don’t normally indicate a PG relationship). Not cheating technically since they weren’t together, but still ick and not enjoyable once two people start their journeys together again on the pages before you and you are supposed to hope and cheer for them getting their HEA.

2 stars seems a bit harsh, but overall I didn't love this one unfortunately amd there were too many things that annoyed me.

I did like it much more towards the last third of the book and I loved Zac. I also liked the health anxiety rep.

I didn't like the first third or so of the book - I didn't like any of the characters and it all just felt a bit detached. I was excited to read a romance book set in Australia (as an aussie) but it felt overly forced in the beginning. Without spoilers, I hated the scene about a third of the way in where Josie does something stupid and lands her in a situation that is very triggering for Zac. Despite all the talk from other characters about how good a person Josie is and how forgiving she is, I think Zac was much more so.

Overall, I didn't really click with this one unfortunately, but I think it has potential!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley and Allen & Unwin, for this ARC.

It was nice to read a Friends to Lovers Romance, set in Australia.
The main characters Josie and Zac, were best friends growing up but drifted apart due to a tragedy. When Josie's job brings her back into Zac's life, they rebuild their friendship.
Josie is struggling with health anxieties and Zac with a trauma in his past.
I loved the mental health representation in this book and think a lot of people can relate. The story switches between the now and flashbacks. I feel that the flashbacks could be explored more deeply. This was a very very very sloooooww burn…very slow!! It was a bit of a struggle to get through the beginning, but it was not that I wanted to DNF the book. I liked how easy it was to understand the characters and their struggles. They are ‘human’ and I love that. The only thing that made me cringe at moments were the text messages and the pet names, it felt a bit immature. The story has some heavy topics, but I guess we all (or most of us) deal with them in our lives. There was some good banter and lovely moments. I truly enjoyed the book, even though I had to push myself through the beginning. Definitely recommend this book especially if you are interested in Mental Health.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Josie and Zac are childhood best friends who reconnect two years after Zac’s fiancée dies. Overall, I had mixed feelings about this book. I usually enjoy a friend to lovers romance but Josie’s obliviousness annoyed me throughout the book. It is challenging to explain why the flashbacks seemed forced without spoiling the story. She is adamant that she is just friends with Zac and has no clue about any possible feelings he may have. The flashbacks seemed forced in order to justify the plot line as the story unfolds.
Additionally, I do not feel as though the description accurately summarizes the heavier topics explored during the story. I went into the book believing it was going to be a lighthearted romance and was surprised to find the author depicting many serious topics that could be triggering for some readers (death, grief and anxiety in addition to other topics).

I was hesitant on this book because the pitch mentioned Emily Henry and I just can’t seem to get myself to like those books. But I am glad I tried it! The story was easy to get into and connect to — the characters were real and down to earth. I love a good enemies to lovers. The time switches in each chapter were sometimes hard to keep track of but the book flowed well.

2.5 stars

This wasn’t terrible, but I think Josie and Zac need therapy more than they needed a romance with each other.

Also, they were almost too into each other if that makes sense? Like almost toxic how intense they were about their feelings.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Just In was kindly provided to me by NetGallay and Allen&Unwin in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately I did not care for this slow burn reconnecting friends to lovers romance. This book felt very similar to People we meet on vacation in that both books are ultimately about friends who have feelings for each other and don’t realize it after years of friendship until after they reconnect and already seeing other people. It always gives me kinda verging on cheating lines (emotional affairs) and I’m not a fan of those storylines.
The flirtation between Josie and Zac while they are “just friends” includes her touching him, playing with his hair etc at times. Him stuffing a TV remote down his pants and her shoving her hand in there to go get it. We even get the standard all 4 of them in this drama go to the fair and the boys get to have the standard who can win their lady a toy routine.
By 65% of this book I was ready to DNF it, but continued on. Probably should have just DNF to be honest.
While I appreciate the chance to read and review this book it didn’t work for me and i won’t be recommending it.

This is my first time reading a friends to lovers trope and I enjoyed it. I felt that the issues that both characters faced were portrayed realistically. I enjoyed this book and was delighted that it was not duel POV (until the end which made since). I was able to see through the eyes of the main character. I def recommend this book as it had everything- best friend to lovers and then-
dealing with mental health and death/ loss of a loved one.

This was such a sweet romance! I absolutely adore the childhood friends to lovers trope and I think the author wrote this trope really well. The flashbacks were also a perfect length and weren't too long. The relationship between Josie & Zac was such a slow burn and I found myself wishing there was a bigger "proclamation" of their love given their history. However, I still really enjoyed seeing how their relationship developed. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!

I enjoyed this emotional contemporary romance about 2 childhood friends who develop feelings for each other while one of them is on a temporary work assignment near the other.

There were a lot of comparisons in the write-ups about this book to Emily Henry, and while I didn't quite get that, there definitely were some emotional and tragic aspects to this story, especially in the MMC's romantic history.

While this was sweet and enjoyable, I did think the flashbacks to Josie and Zac's history could have been a bit better fleshed out. They were typically really short vignettes that didn't have a lot of detail other than what I felt like the author was trying to spoon-feed us in that particular scene because it was too obvious was the takeaway was supposed to be, and didn't really leave a lot of room for their earlier relationship to sort of grow and marinate, it just sort of felt like it was being told to us instead of being let in.

Additionally, one small aspect I didn't like is that once feelings between Zac and Josie became clear and explicit between them, I didn't like all of the pet names and dialogue between them. It changed a lot suddenly and felt almost.....high school. It felt like you were hearing a cringey pair of 16-year olds interact with each other ("You're so cute and hot") and it didn't match the adult versions of themselves they'd become.

While I don't think this will become a favorite, I did enjoy it overall, and liked how the author explored Josie's anxiety.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful friends-to-lovers romance that packs just the right amount of spice to heat up your reading list. I would easily give this book a 4.5 star rating.

The story follows the life of Josie Larsen, who is a news reporter about to turn 30. Her life seems to be a series of missed milestones compared to her friends. This relatable premise immediately draws readers in, as many can empathize with the feeling of falling behind in life. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she is sent to cover a regional bureau in Newcastle as punishment for an on-air panic attack. Here she rekindles her friendship with Zac which also has complications.

Murray skillfully navigates the complexities of other neglected friendship and the simmering attraction between Josie and Zac. The banter between the two is both hilarious and heartwarming, making their journey towards romance all the more enjoyable.

This was truly an engaging and emotionally resonant read. It's not just a romance, it's a story about personal growth, overcoming obstacles, and healing from past wounds. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the chemistry between Josie and Zac is electric.

This book had me laughing out loud at times and also tugging at my heartstrings with its touching moments. It's a perfect addition to the romcom genre, this is a 4-star gem that will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and leave you with a smile on your face. If you're a fan of friends-to-lovers romances with a dash of humor and plenty of heart, then this book is a must-read.

Wow. Just wow. The friends to lover trope can always be overly messy or too quickly gone through but this book nailed it. It had heartbreak, miscommunication, support, life problems, job anxiety, and health anxiety all neatly wrapped up. There were a couple duplicate words and I believe one name was messed up on accident but the overall story was perfect and I didn’t want to stop reading. Both characters went through so much and the way the timeline shared the current and past events tied to together so well. I enjoyed getting Zac’s perspective in the end as it was a nice touch to tie it up and give closure.
Will definitely be recommending to others!

4.5 but i am going to round up to 5 stars. only reason it’s not a full five stars is that at first, i’d say the first fifty pages, it felt a little slow. incredibly slow. but once i got past that, i completely adored it. i really enjoyed the characters, and josie’s battle with health anxiety (a huge part of the story.) obviously the romance with josie and zac… nothing i love more than a good best friends to lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.
An incredibly beautiful, funny, heartfelt story that also opens the readers eyes to two important issues. Highly recommend to all.

I’m not even sure how I stumbled across Love, Just In but I sure am glad I did.
I’m not usually a fan of the best friends to lovers trope. Maybe because I never would have seen any of my guy bffs in that light? Like, ew.
However, Natalie Murray gave me a whole new love for this romance trope!
These best friends haven’t seen each other in two years and the story follows the six months they spend together after that separation.
The dual timeline throughout the story sets up the basis of their friendship while also having you follow the real time happenings of their life as they navigate rekindling their friendship and, perhaps, something more…

The story explores some mental health aspects tastefully, which is so important.

These characters are lovable but realistic. You find yourself rooting for them, individually, but also their friendship.

This story had me GIDDY. I’m talking laying on my stomach, kicking my feet in the air while reading. 😂
I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this book!

Two besties, find each other but not without drama and angst. Good read, a little silly angst, even with the health scare. The HEA is there, it took several diverse paths. Good read.

"Love, Just In" by Natalie Murray had me hooked from the first pages. This friends-to-lovers romance had building tension and unanswered questions that kept me turning the pages. I struggled a bit with the character's avoidance patterns and the health anxiety was a bit triggering for me (because relatable!), but I was glad to stay the course and see the full story at play out. I think many readers will want to be aware of the heavy content before diving in. I think I either glossed over it or it wasn't apparent in the summary. While it is a romance and there is an HEA, the triggering content did pull me out of the story quite a few times. Murray's writing is wonderful, sweet and sexy. Fans of Emily Henry's "People We Meet on Vacation" will enjoy the familiar bouncing timeline as it goes back and forth between the present day and the 14 year friendship between Josie and Zac as it leads them to the current precipice in their relationship.