Tia Williams delivers a heart-melting YA romance in Audre & Bash Are Just Friends, centering on Audre, a high-achieving sixteen-year-old navigating familial upheaval, canceled plans, and her own anxiety through a summer of unexpected possibilities. The concept of hiring Bash—Brooklyn’s most enigmatic new senior—as a “fun consultant” to rekindle her summer sparks an experience-filled friendship that blossoms into something richer, with their sizzling chemistry fueling both humor and emotional truth. Williams infuses Audre’s journey with humor and sensitivity, exploring mental health, personal growth, and identity in a way that feels both authentic and uplifting. The dialogue crackles and the characters resonate—especially Bash, with his unexpected kindness and depth that turns him into “everyone’s crush” for all the right reasons. Witty, warm, and emotionally grounded, this summer romance not only entertains but also celebrates self-discovery and the joy of imperfection—a perfect read for both YA newcomers and longtime fans of Williams.

I have really liked Karen White in the past, and this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed the Southern Setting, and the fact that this story had a little bit of everything... mystery, romance, and family drama. At times, the dialogue just seemed respective and that repetitiveness dragged the story down for me, However, I loved how White handles the heavy topics...the dementia, the estrangement, the loss...I felt a lot of realism and a lot of heart with this. All in all, this was a well written novel about confronting your past, and finding your way forward to your future. I rated this a 4 star book on my Goodreads.

This book was the perfect young adult romance! It was so much fun, and I adored the characters. In addition, the relationships and plot felt realistic and believable.

Nice character development, suspenseful and interesting, waiting for their secrets to unfold.
Really confused about the lunch box/phone. The author refers to the Smurf item as both at different times, it is inconsistent. I hope it's edited in the final version.
Great parental dynamics, I would definitely recommend this as a YA romance, not too spicy, with home life, school, sports, and family dynamics.

A YA continuation from The amazing Seven days in June that does not live up to the beauty of its original. I did not connect to the characters in the YA version as much as I did in the adult one and was getting annoyed half the time. Still beautiful writing, but I think Im going to stay to the non YA of Tia Williams going forward.

"Audre and Bash Are Just Friends" is very funny. There are a lot of cute moments. Bash was definitely the highlight of what I read. I love and respect Tia William's work. She's one of my favorite authors, but reading "If We Were a Movie" and then Audre and Bash right after was a mistake. I just can't do YA contemporary romance anymore. From now on, I'm just gonna leave them alone. I can't afford to let a book put me in a reading slump when I know I'm not enjoying it.

Audre & Bash Are Just Friends is a rare kind of YA novel for me these days, one that has all the best elements of the YA romance genre. It follows Audre, a chronic overachiever who wants to write an advice book for her college applications, and Bash, a local heartthrob with a troubled past and a big heart. Both have issues with their parents, and the expectations put on them, and find solace in each other. These are two characters that balance each other perfectly. Plus I'm sucker for stories like Audre, involving a teenage girl trying to get out of here comfort zone. We also spend a lot of time with Audre's best friend, a POV that was fun but totally unnecessary. This character created a lot of drama, some of which was and some of which was over the top. I expect a decent amount of melodrama in my YA romances, and there were definitely a few moments in this that felt like too much. Still, I do think teens appreciate moments like that.

Ultimately, this was great and sure to be a crowd pleaser. It'll satiate teens who are desperate to try adult romance, while also being relatable and fun for young readers.

"Seven Days in June" is one of my top tier books, and getting to revisit Eva and Audre was something so special. This is the kind of YA book I want to read and wish I could've read as a kid. It is sweet and beautiful, tender and raw, and deals with all the good/bad/ugly of being a teenager. Audre is smart and kind, full of life. Bash is "everyone's crush" but down so bad for Audre (and with his own past that broke my heart). I loved their dynamic so much, and will forever and always be a fan of Regina's writing. It's poetic and beautiful and absolutely worth spending time with.

This is a spin off in a way from Seven Days in June but it’s Eva’s daughter Audre. She’s a perfect student and on the track for an Ivy League school or at least those are the goals.
Bash is a popular new guy but he is her opposite and she randomly asks him to help her experience different goals for a book she’s writing.
I loved this was in dual pov since they both had feelings but didn’t realize it was two sided for awhile. Audre has minimal experience with guys and there was anxiety in the past that she hides.
The anxiety was handled so considerately by those close to her. When you are expected to be perfect, those kind of struggles can feel like weaknesses to hide but they aren’t. They are normal and need to be managed.
The romance was so sweet. He fell first and so hard. There were a few miscommunications cause people gossiped about Bash and he didn’t correct anyone so it took Audre awhile to find the real him under the stories.
Definitely recommend!!

5 Stars

Tia Williams's "Seven Days in June" was incredible, and my favorite part was Audre and her mini therapist self, so to get a continuation of her story as she breaks free of her perfect child self and into a young woman in love was *chef’s kiss*. The same depth and humor (and cameos from Audre's mom) that were the driving force in her adult novel are also very present in this incredible YA romance. Also, Bash is a perfect cinnamon roll.

5 Things I loved about Audre and Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams (Audiobook version)

Thank you Colored Pages Book Tours for having me on this tour! Check out my full review this evening on my blog! ( link in bio)

1. The 1-2 punch combo of having a female and male narrator. The contrast of their voices and their differentiation between characters were chef’s kiss!
2. Bash’s super chill, Cali attitude that provided for some hilarious responses to the perfectionist teen therapist Audre
3. The super cringe and hilarious parent-child discussions. Everytime Audre’s mom gets heated with her, the change in her language and mannerisms is peak Black mom.
4. The way the narrator plays Reshma, Audre’s best friend and characterizes her through a divalicious, London accent is the best!
5. I love it when a literary universe expands! If you read Seven Days in June, then you will recognize some folks. If you haven’t then you will be adding that as your next book on your TBR.

I thought this was a sweet rom-com that also dealt with some serious family issues and mental health situations. It’s great for an older teen and could possibly be a buddy read between a mom and daughter. This has been one of my fave books of the year. I definitely recommend an immersive reading experience with the physical book (so you can see the text features) and the audiobook (because the narrators made me wish the book wouldn’t end).

I love Audre and Bash so much, from their funny texts to their summer adventures, to their sickeningly adorable love story. I did not like Eva (her mom) at times in this book, which is a total bummer since I absolutely love Seven Days in June.
I still ate this book up and am so fulfilled, however I want more of them!
A perfect YA summer read that handles deep topics, while providing a lighthearted love story full of friendship, identity, and good old fashioned summer fun.

4.25 stars!

A book I can put in my classroom so I can share with my students the writing of Tia Williams! I loved revisiting the worlds from her adult books but seeing it from a different perspective.

Audre & Bash follows Audre, who hires the school’s hottest boy Bash to be her “fun consultant” over the summer, and obviously they're just friends. They are both so awkward and flustered around each other and I could feel their butterflies. They were so shy and soft and I loved them.
And their texts??? Stahpppp it!! Aside from the romance, this book actually went deeper than I expected. It talks about race, gender, sexuality, and mental health, but also family stuff—complicated, toxic family dynamics. Audre’s relationship with her mom was especially rough. Her mom, Eva (from Seven Days in June), is remarried now, has a new baby, and suddenly Audre feels like an afterthought. She’s also pressured by her mom to be perfect and reliable. Eva IS a bit insufferable in this book, which was a bit frustrating as it was not her character in Seven Days. Overall I had a great time with this book and I hope we get more of the Tia Williams extended universe in another book because I’m emotionally attached to these characters. The audiobook for this was soooo good with duet narrations and sound effects for things like the on-page texting! Highly recommend!

💖 Book Review 💖

Thank you to @littlebrownyoungreaders for my e-ARC of Audre and Bash are Just Friends, by Tia Williams.

**While you do not need to read Seven Days in June to enjoy this book, I HIGHLY recommend doing so as Audre is the daughter of the FMC from that book.**

Tia Williams can officially do no wrong. She knocked this YA romance out of the park.

🩵 Quick Blurb:

Audre is an overachieving young woman. As a junior in high school she is well put together, logical, intelligent, and a go-to ‘therapist’ for life advice for her classmates at school. She decides though that she needs to live a little and let go a bit.
Enter: Bash. Bash is seemingly easygoing and ever so cool. Audre ends up making his acquaintance, and she hires him to be her “fun consultant” for the summer as she checks items off a bucket list made for her by her best friend.

💖 My thoughts:

I love when a YA book can both validate and heal my younger self, and this book does just that. I loved Audre so much— she was such a relatable character, and I think her growth arc was so endearing. She is a perfectly written teenager who is on the journey to self discovery and finding a balance between holding on to what matters to her and leaning into new experiences that will continue to mold her and help her grow. Her struggles between her and her mom are things teens will absolutely relate to, and I loved the eloquence with which her indulgent self exploration was written.

I also loved Bash so much. He was gentle and kind to Audre, and he had his own individual growth arc that differed from Audre but still carried relatability and meaningful emphasis. He was validating and accepting to Audre, both helping her explore her adventurous side and independence without suffering her character or comfort/safety.

Their chemistry was truly swoon-worthy, and I was absolutely in love with how their friendship slowly evolved into something more. I felt their young insecurities and longing to my core, and I celebrated their young love filled with my own butterflies and giddiness.

A must read for young romance readers and general Tia Williams fans alike.

I absolutely adored Audre & Bash Are Just Friends. It was so stinking cute and heartfelt. This is Tia Williams YA debut. I was super excited to learn we'd be getting a book about Audre, Eva's witty, funny, hella smart teenage daughter from her adult novel Seven Days In June. I thought this was a fresh, fun, messy, engaging take on a teenage coming of age story. The characters were well developed and interesting. Some of these parents needed to be gathered! I was rooting for these teens to overcome their struggles and laughing my butt off with them along the way. These kiddos were funny. Top tier banter. I laughed out loud. It def gave teenage romcom. It was awesome to see what Eva and Shane have been up to. I would also just like to add that I too would love to read Eva's new book. Incredibly grateful to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for this eARC.

Audre & Bash Are Just Friends is Williams' first YA novel that connects to one of her adult romance books where her Audre's mother is a main character. Since I had read the book it connects to I really enjoyed seeing these characters again, though Audre's stepfather, Shane, was my favorite in both books and was featured in a pretty limited way in this book, seeing as it focused on Audre and Bash. I really like Audre and especially Bash as characters. They were nuanced. They were young. They were growing. They were making mistakes. They were learning along the way. This would be a fun summer read for anyone who likes romance, YA, or Williams' other books. I loved the relationship between Audre and Bash and appreciated the strong central idea of the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. I did feel like Eva, Audre's mother, was over the top/exaggerated at times. For example, she missed an assembly that was important to Audre but barely apologized and didn't make further efforts to be there for her more. I also really enjoyed the audio and felt the narrators did a fantastic job conveying the characters and narrating the story. Overall, I really liked the characters and story and how it all wrapped up. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Final rating 4.5

This was very cute!! As someone who LOVED Audre in "Seven days in June," it was nice to see her get her own moment.

I appreciate and could identify with the pressure to be the perfect overachieving "easy" child and how that doesn't allow one to fully explore life.

It was difficult to read through Audre and Eva not seeing eye to eye, but I thought it was authentic because even the closest mother/daughter relationships will be challenged by teen years.

Bash was such a cute love interest, and I loved how down bad he was over Audre, AND I super-loved that he never acted as if Audre and her self-assuredness was too much.

Full of all the warm and cozy vibes you want from a romance with the chaotic truths of being a teenager, this shaped up to be a well-done, feel good YA romance.

4.75⭐

Me 🤝 Audre

My forever favorite YA book at sixteen is The Truth About Forever because it was about a teen perfectionist learning to go beyond her boundaries and not be afraid of failure. If I was a teenager now, this would be my favorite YA book. Because us former gifted kids deserve that permission to both dream big & fail spectacularly & have beautiful messy lives we couldn't dream of. And all YA readers deserve books with people of color and queer people which just didn't exist in 2000s YA books, so this is even better. 🙂

3.5 ⭐️
This is the perfect palette cleanser.
You don’t need to read “Seven Days in June” in order to read this, however, I did enjoy seeing the change/ growth from little Audre to teen Audre.

You follow Audre who is navigating life as a 17 year old whose mom has a new baby and a soon to be new husband and while looking forward to going to her dads for the summer (dadifornia) she finds out that her dad’s wife is pregnant. So like any reasonable teen she begins to spiral with many different feelings.

This summer though her friend convinced her to make a list where she learns to loosen up and have fun so that she can have experiences to write into the book she wants to write. In doing this she ends up “employing” Bash to help her complete the list and of course this is where the story begins.
Definitely enjoyed.