I loved this book. I loved the setting, I loved the characters and I loved their chemistry! This was a perfect Rom- Com with just enough drama.

Love, just in.  Although a bit of a slow burn, overall, what an adorable friends-to-lovers read.

As Zac and Josie have been friends for over 14 years, I loved how the novel switched back and forth between past and present to provide some insight into the dynamics of their friendship.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this one so much <3 It's a super cute and relatable romance with a sprinkle of drama and the perfect amount of emotion to allow you to connect to the characters.

I really enjoyed the format of the different time periods through out their history (kind of reminding me a little of One Day, but just nowhere near as tragic)! The writing was also engaging and easy to follow and I devoured it in a couple of short sitting once I got stuck in.

Overall, I enjoyed both FMC and MMC and thought they were well written and portrayed, with a perfect balance of tension and chemistry between them through out.

Highly recommend for any one who loves a classic rom-com / chick flick :)

Thank You! to Netgalley, Author Natalia Murray and Publishers Allen and Unwin for the opportunity to enjoy this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Natalie Murray's Love, Just in is a friends to lovers romance with a twist. It is a great story with wonderfully written characters that make you love and hate and love them.

This novel tells the story of Josie and Zac two friends who have passed at romance more than once who are brought together again to re-establish their friendship while addressing a number of personal issues. They become friends again, after dealing with their issues and even find the romantic opportunity again. But will they move forward together or will they once again pass?

Read this novel by Natalie Murray to find out- it's well worth your time.

Slow burn rom-com that absolutely has my heart. Zak and Josie have been friends for forever, it seems that they missed their several chances to be more-than-friends. After Josie has a health scare, they reconnect again. I love how the book honestly and openly addresses mental health. Great book!

Thank you netgalley for this arc, all opinions are my own

Josie feels that she has not been living her best life , but is rather like an onlooker on the sidelines , watching others parade through hers, Throw in the unfortunate fact of her proneness to public panic attacks and the radio silence of her best friend Zac for a number of years, she is despairing of ever realizing her full potential and achieving her dreams. But wait, change is in the air when she is reassigned to a new gig that places her front and center with her withdrawn friend Zac. Their reunion is awkward and hateful and at this point I didn't much like Zac or the direction this story heading, but like all "friends to lovers" romances , it changed course. As you read on, you come to realize Zac is not the person he was portrayed as at the beginning but he is a cautious,considerate guy who values people's feelings, even to the point of self-guilt, and is not slow to admit when he is mistaken, Josie, on the hand, tried hard to discount the rift between them and went in full speed to resume the friendship from the last time it was"perfect". As is the predictability of these stories,misunderstandings and lack of open communication was key to their demise ,but once they acknowledged the elephant in the room and started opening up and speaking frankly, their life took on a newer, more positive trajectory. At times ,while reading I felt a strong urge to crawl into the pages of the book and shout at them to "get a clue", and it was this emotion that drove me to keep going to the happy conclusion of their story. This was a well written, emotive , heart-breaking but redemptive novel that propelled you to read on in anticipation, kudos to the author.

While this book is compared to the likes of Emily Henry, Sally Thorne and Ali Hazelwood, it does march to the beat of its own drum - whether that is a positive or negative is up to the reader.  With similarities of the People Who We Meet on Vacation (timeline jumps, historical reference, flashbacks), Love, Just In is a slow-burn tale of two people who are so embedded in each others lives, they can seem to separate friendship from real feels, giving way to a rollercoaster ride of emotions when the stars align and they finally collide. Natalie Murray does an excellent job taking away the rose colored glasses of what we wish romance could be and reveals the truth: It's messy, it hurts, and it isn't an easy journey to navigate.

Josie Larsen just wants to be an anchor! You wouldn't think it should be that hard but after an on-air mishap, she just can't seem to catch a break. Things go from bad to worse when she is reassigned to Newcastle to cover for another reporter. Leaving her friends, family, and home behind - she makes her way to purgatory to live out her sentence. The one bonus, she will finally be able to reconnect with her best friend from her childhood and college years. Thick as thieves once upon a time, a tragedy pulled them apart two years prior; but, she is hoping to rekindle their friend-mance - especially since he offered to pick her up from the train station (promising!). What should have been a long awaited reunion quickly turns into awkward silences, tense moments, and proof that what they once had may be long gone. Never one to back down from a challenge, Josie is determined for her and Zac to find their way back to each, never expecting the path she ends up on will change the trajectory of their bond forever.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I did not care for the characters. Josie was written to be a smart, well-rounded, down to earth, and likable person but Natalie made her far too clueless and obtuse. Sorry but no one can possibly be as clueless as she often was throughout the story.  I found her inability to read Zac continuously frustrating.

Zac wasn't an easy pill to swallow either. Again, Natalie attempted to portray him as the kind, loving, caring individual that got along with everyone but when you read his interaction with people - he often came across as a jerk. Understanding his feelings ran deep, he still lashed out at Josie with jealously, was rude to any man in her life, and was just not a likable person. 

Despite the disdain for the characters, the story itself was promising. Josie's struggle with anxiety and mental health issues was as real as it gets. I can see her in so many women who are struggling with genetic health fears and the dread of "ground hog day" - i.e. feeling stuck all while coping with the dreaded 30. Her impending reconnection with Zac makes you feel like it is going to be your typical second chance but Zac has been through the wringing and back again as paramedic dealing with his own grief and trauma. The injection of coping skills, therapy, and survival were enlightening throughout the story. 

I do applaud that Natalie did not shy away from the big issues, and instead tackled them head on. Again, health anxiety, grief, and trauma are all front and center. She jumps between past and present so that the reader can have a full understanding of what is happening and how the main characters have changed over time and what has made them who they are in the present (which was insanely helpful).

Speaking of the leaping timelines, the overall structure of the book made it just engaging enough that you didn't want to put it down; however, the story did have a tendency to drag out whenever we were in the present day - making the slow burn of the romance more dull than enthralling.  

While slow and frustrating at times, this book takes you on an emotional roller coaster, packing a punch with its deep dive into mental health, friendship, and second chances, all while perfectly capturing the essence of was is, what was, and what could be.

Newcastle's very own Natalie Murray brings us a wonderfully fun friends to lovers novel set wonderfully in our home town. This is a rom-com that has depth, dealing with some tough topics of anxiety, mental health, grief and trauma.

I found it a bit hard to get into this book and had to force myself to finish it. The reason was Josie just annoyed me so much and I have never wanted to punch a fictional character as much as i did with her.

Although the premise is really sweet, the characters, dialogue, and style just really wasn't to my taste. There was a juvenile air to the type of writing here that ended up giving the novel a YA fiction vibe to me.

There are slow burns and then there is Love, Just In.

🎥 🎥🎥🎥/5

This book immediately drew me in and all of the broadcasting mentions threw me back to working in news myself.

Add to your TBR If you love:
🔥 sloowwwwww burn
💗 timeline jumps
🫣 miscommunication/misunderstanding
🔥 o p e n d o o r 😏😏

Zac and Josie are just everything and thank you @nataliemurrayauthor for not banning me while I harassed your inbox with my reactions 🤣♥️ the timeline jumps worked so well in this book and we’re great introductory chapters for the next scene. I had a FEELING ZAC WOULD BE A GENEROUS LOVER AND BOIIII 🥵🥵

Thank you Natalie for this chance to read & review ahead of the release date 🥺🎉

I started this with high hopes, especially seeing it was recommended for fans of Emily Henry, but it ultimately fell flat for me. I was not drawn to the characters and found myself not interested and not wanting to pick it up. Can't win 'em all! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity!

When I started reading Love, Just In by Natalie Murray, ​I​ was looking forward to a cute romance. And while it was a cute romance, it also had some great substance, and ​I ended up reading it in a single sitting!
•
Josie has a great job as a TV reporter in Sydney and is working her way up the ladder when an on-air panic attack gets her sent off to a smaller station in Newcastle. With a plan to fight her way back to Sydney (and hopefully to a full time newsreader position), Josie heads off to the sleepy beach town...and to her best friend, Zac, who moved there two years earlier, after his fiancée passed away. Although they were best friends since high school, Josie and Zac haven't really talked since his move. Now, they have the chance to reestablish their close friendship, and perhaps their secret attraction, as well.
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Growing apart from friends can be so painful, and reconnecting with them, while very nice, can be very awkward.I loved watching Josie and Zac reestablish their friendship, at times falling back on old inside jokes to feel connected, and at other times pushing each other to grow.
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Moreover, Murray portrayed Josie’s health anxiety and Zac’s grief so authentically. Josie's anxiety spirals, although specific to health, were easy to relate to, and ​I​ was so happy to see her finally open up to people she trusted to get help and support through very stressful times. Zac's grief also felt real, and ​I could really understand why it had, at times, driven a wedge between Josie and him.
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Overall, ​I really enjoyed Love, Just In by​ Natalie Murray. If you like sweet, funny, and genuine stories about love and friendship, Love, Just In is out now! Many thanks to Allen & Unwin, Natalie Murray, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There’s a reason the cover evokes Emily Henry’s novels - Natalie Murray could very well be the Aussie Em Hen! This is a romance with heart, heat, humour, a lot of will-they/won’t they, and emotional depth and back story that builds the slow burn.

I love how this all came together. The explanation for why the friends were never anything more in the past can sometimes let a story down, but LOVE, JUST IN & Josie & Zac’s backstory totally worked for me.
And while we’re talking about Zac…More of his transition from friend-zoned paramedic to dirty-talking sex god, please 👏

✅ Love a romance with mental health rep.
✅ Love an Aussie-based romance (and even better for this Sydneysider, a NSW setting!).
✅ Love some heat & a little forced proximity.
✅ Love a happily-ever-after.

LOVE, JUST IN was a winner for me!

This was just an okay read for me. I loved the writing style, but couldn't get into the characters.

3.5 rounded down.

I’m not sure I was the intended audience for this book. There were many parts of the book that I liked. I’m usually a sucker for friends to lovers romance. I appreciated the roommate debacles. And overall I liked the tension between the fmc and the mmc. The spice was good and well places. I also did like the medical anxiety and the way it was presented.

Things I didn’t like-
Fmc acting very immature. Lack of communication. The whole have the boxes ticked by 30 trope. Getting in a car with anyone after drinking really? Maybe I’m just too old to commiserate with these kinds of plot points.
Book felt drawn out, mildly repetitive, over written. I feel like we could have slimmed down a bit and still gotten the points across. There were definitely points where I lost interest.

Arc provided by netgalley. My opinions are my own

I loved Josie and Zacs friends to lovers romance. It was absolutely beautiful. I loved it! I will he put this on a shelf to keep. Love love loved it! Can't wait to read more from Natalie Murray.
I just reviewed Love, Just In by Natalie Murray. #LoveJustIn #NetGalley
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I’m learning now that I actually am a fan of friends-to-lovers books! Love reading a story where the characters already love and respect and care for one another.

I do see the similarities with Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation, but Josie and Zac were just two characters I couldn’t find myself super invested in. I’m glad we learned more about Zac’s experiences later in the book, but other than that, seeing him from Josie’s perspective in this way just painted him as yet another squeaky clean, sweet, patient, perfect guy while Josie herself is—in her own eyes—a mess. When it came to Zac and her love life (only when it came to these things!) I couldn’t much stand Josie’s woe-is-me attitude and some of her very knowingly careless choices.

On another note, Josie struggles with some mental health obstacles (that won’t be spoiled in this review), and I think Murray did a great job of approaching how Josie learned more about it and navigated it as part of her personal and professional life.

All in all—not a book that I would return to, but I do like Murray’s writing style and would be interested in reading more books by her.

3.5 stars!

This was a cute friends-to-lovers and second-chance romance. I was invested in these characters and was rooting for them from the start. This story was told from a dual timeline, past and present. Josie suffers from anxiety, and I felt that it was handled in such a delicate manner by Murray. It was nice to see a voice given to anxiety.

There was such great character development throughout this book. It made me feel lots of varying emotions as it dealt with some difficult topics. All of this made this a great read. This is my first book by Murray, and I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for an ARC in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Love, Just In by Natalie Murray is a book about life being messy and how differently people deal with it. I will say that this is written nicely, I just couldn't finish it. I hope to try again as so many reviewers enjoyed it.