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readingmoonlitpages's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I want to preface all my thoughts by saying that this book is a hard one for me to review. I finished it last night and am not really 100% sure how I feel about it. However, 3.5 stars is probably the fairest rating to give it.
Just Friends is an adult best friends to lovers story. Our main character is Bea, and she is not happy: she has been stuck in the same job for 10 years without any progress, her card side business has gone sort of stale, and to top it all off, she is single. In order to attempt to put her life back together and be happy again, Bea decides to start dating.
Peter is Bea's best friend, and has been by her side since University. Kind, reliable Peter who always seems to know what to say and where to be. In the midst of all of Bea's failures in the dating world, Peter is always there to save the day. So much so that Bea starts to see Peter not just as her odd best friend, but perhaps as something more? But how is Bea supposed to risk her friendship with him over something she doesn't even know she feels for sure?
I love a good old friends to lovers story. The realisation that that person that has been there for you throughout all your ups and downs is actually the person who you are meant to be with, the person who lights up your world, is a beautiful thing.
And so the reason I had a hard time rating this book was because for the first half of it, I absolutely did not care for Bea as a character. I was struggling with empathising with her and found her to be a really difficult character to love. However, as the story progresses, my feelings for Bea were put in the back-burner and I was able to really enjoy the evolving love story. Peter is an absolute sweetheart and his character saved the story for me and kept me interested in the overall development of it.
I do think Just Friends was a fast paced, enjoyable read all together, and as far as friends to lover stories go, it was incredibly sweet and heartwarming.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I want to preface all my thoughts by saying that this book is a hard one for me to review. I finished it last night and am not really 100% sure how I feel about it. However, 3.5 stars is probably the fairest rating to give it.
Just Friends is an adult best friends to lovers story. Our main character is Bea, and she is not happy: she has been stuck in the same job for 10 years without any progress, her card side business has gone sort of stale, and to top it all off, she is single. In order to attempt to put her life back together and be happy again, Bea decides to start dating.
Peter is Bea's best friend, and has been by her side since University. Kind, reliable Peter who always seems to know what to say and where to be. In the midst of all of Bea's failures in the dating world, Peter is always there to save the day. So much so that Bea starts to see Peter not just as her odd best friend, but perhaps as something more? But how is Bea supposed to risk her friendship with him over something she doesn't even know she feels for sure?
I love a good old friends to lovers story. The realisation that that person that has been there for you throughout all your ups and downs is actually the person who you are meant to be with, the person who lights up your world, is a beautiful thing.
And so the reason I had a hard time rating this book was because for the first half of it, I absolutely did not care for Bea as a character. I was struggling with empathising with her and found her to be a really difficult character to love. However, as the story progresses, my feelings for Bea were put in the back-burner and I was able to really enjoy the evolving love story. Peter is an absolute sweetheart and his character saved the story for me and kept me interested in the overall development of it.
I do think Just Friends was a fast paced, enjoyable read all together, and as far as friends to lover stories go, it was incredibly sweet and heartwarming.
ixa105's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hollyrosee's review against another edition
4.0
I’ll admit that for the first half of the book I was really struggling to find any characters I liked, it wasn’t that the characters were unlikeable but I felt like the narration was slightly lacking. However, as I continued through the book, I fell in love with the main characters and was absolutely rooting for the couple. The ending was amazing but I almost wish the resolution happened earlier or there was an epilogue! Overall a feel-good easy read! Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the ARC!
the_one_and_only_lyra's review against another edition
2.0
—2 stars—
Bea was slightly annoying and VERY ✨QUIRKY✨
At some point I will run out of bad romcoms on Libby...and then idk what I’ll do
Bea was slightly annoying and VERY ✨QUIRKY✨
At some point I will run out of bad romcoms on Libby...and then idk what I’ll do
sara9b's review against another edition
4.0
Received the ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review:
Rating: 4/5
You know when you come across a novel and it speaks to you on a personal level? Well at times it felt Bea’s thinking was a reflection of mine.
Anyhow, Bea is a thirty something woman who realises she’s not actually happy. She has supportive friends, a stable job that she hates and a side card designing business that she’s not really doing much about. After her best friend’s wedding, as part of a New Year’s resolution she makes an effort to change things up and seek the happiness she feels all of those around her have achieved. One of the things she decides to go for, is putting herself back into the dating world.
Throughout the novel you will watch the highs and lows as Bea tries to make the best of what life throws at her, whilst learning a lot about her own person including the fact that maybe she already found the perfect someone without having realised it.
I loved Bea’s character and her growth and her little faults throughout. The characters were all well developed (even the dog Hugo!) and I enjoyed their supportive attitudes who would sometimes despite their best intentions, still cause some hurt. The writing was great; it flowed well and the pace felt even throughout the book. There were even a few moments that had me chuckling out loud. Never did the plot feel too over the top, in fact, it was downright authentic by managing to mirror life pretty well.
One thing that really bugged me though, was the formatting (I’m not sure if it’s just in the copy I’ve received from Netgalley) such as text messages being indistinguishable to the main text, a different font would have made so much difference. Another thing was the dialogue, and how it was written. Occasionally it would get a bit confusing as to who was saying what, and I would have to go back and try to figure it out, as it wouldn’t be made obviously clear. Lastly, it was too short - at least another chapter or an epilogue would have been amazing to tidy everything up, show how life for Bea was turning up after she decided to stop running from her problems. Some scenes could have been longer and if it were up to me I would have included slightly more interactions between Bea and Peter, as I loved their chemistry but just didn’t feel that they interacted all that much throughout the novel.
It was a lighter read and not often do I say that I ever choose to re-read those, but ‘Just Friends.’ is one I would like to keep on my bookshelf and revisit again.
Rating: 4/5
You know when you come across a novel and it speaks to you on a personal level? Well at times it felt Bea’s thinking was a reflection of mine.
Anyhow, Bea is a thirty something woman who realises she’s not actually happy. She has supportive friends, a stable job that she hates and a side card designing business that she’s not really doing much about. After her best friend’s wedding, as part of a New Year’s resolution she makes an effort to change things up and seek the happiness she feels all of those around her have achieved. One of the things she decides to go for, is putting herself back into the dating world.
Throughout the novel you will watch the highs and lows as Bea tries to make the best of what life throws at her, whilst learning a lot about her own person including the fact that maybe she already found the perfect someone without having realised it.
I loved Bea’s character and her growth and her little faults throughout. The characters were all well developed (even the dog Hugo!) and I enjoyed their supportive attitudes who would sometimes despite their best intentions, still cause some hurt. The writing was great; it flowed well and the pace felt even throughout the book. There were even a few moments that had me chuckling out loud. Never did the plot feel too over the top, in fact, it was downright authentic by managing to mirror life pretty well.
One thing that really bugged me though, was the formatting (I’m not sure if it’s just in the copy I’ve received from Netgalley) such as text messages being indistinguishable to the main text, a different font would have made so much difference. Another thing was the dialogue, and how it was written. Occasionally it would get a bit confusing as to who was saying what, and I would have to go back and try to figure it out, as it wouldn’t be made obviously clear. Lastly, it was too short - at least another chapter or an epilogue would have been amazing to tidy everything up, show how life for Bea was turning up after she decided to stop running from her problems. Some scenes could have been longer and if it were up to me I would have included slightly more interactions between Bea and Peter, as I loved their chemistry but just didn’t feel that they interacted all that much throughout the novel.
It was a lighter read and not often do I say that I ever choose to re-read those, but ‘Just Friends.’ is one I would like to keep on my bookshelf and revisit again.
lizwhite25's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just.... not for me. Which is a real shame as it wasn't that far off being really good.
I couldn't like the main character, or find anything about her to actively dislike either. She somewhat coasted through the plot relying on everyone else to direct her narrative and not herself. I found her outlook, actions, and thoughts quite juvenile, and her relationships with people around her quite unpleasant to read.
The story itself was somewhat pedestrian with a clear set of tropes and a obvious routing and while I am usually someone who can get on board with that, someone who doesn't mind the obviousness of it all, the pacing, and lack of direction and drive made the payoff negligible at best.
Not my cup of tea.
I couldn't like the main character, or find anything about her to actively dislike either. She somewhat coasted through the plot relying on everyone else to direct her narrative and not herself. I found her outlook, actions, and thoughts quite juvenile, and her relationships with people around her quite unpleasant to read.
The story itself was somewhat pedestrian with a clear set of tropes and a obvious routing and while I am usually someone who can get on board with that, someone who doesn't mind the obviousness of it all, the pacing, and lack of direction and drive made the payoff negligible at best.
Not my cup of tea.
nyxthereader's review against another edition
4.5
This book was so relatable. I felt like the fmc was exactly like me in behavior so a lot of think that happened I could se myself in them. It’s probably one of the first books I read with a plot that doesn’t focus on the lead character but instead on her journey to realization and taking action of her life. The few moments of actual romance were really sweet and in the end they get together. I’ll just say that sometimes the right person is right under your noses
ashleighjaynexx's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy a friends to lovers romance and when I seen this I knew I wanted to read it, it was great book with engaging characters.
I really enjoyed peters character he was so easy to like in this book. I also enjoyed Beas character, I found this book fun , quirky and Beas character is so unique she had be laughing out loud throughout the book.
I found this book really easy to follow and enjoyed the authors writing style. This is my first book reading from this author and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
I really enjoyed peters character he was so easy to like in this book. I also enjoyed Beas character, I found this book fun , quirky and Beas character is so unique she had be laughing out loud throughout the book.
I found this book really easy to follow and enjoyed the authors writing style. This is my first book reading from this author and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
lindsay79's review against another edition
4.0
Nice easy read for a cold, damp Saturday in January!
Bea and Peter have been friends since university, but as everyone starts to couple up Bea is left wondering if she will ever meet her other half. With issues at work, and being stick in a rut it is being told off by her best friend Mia that gets Bea to finally open her eyes and decide what she wants in life and what will make her happy- even if it means risking her friendship with Peter and moving him out of the “friends zone”
Bea and Peter have been friends since university, but as everyone starts to couple up Bea is left wondering if she will ever meet her other half. With issues at work, and being stick in a rut it is being told off by her best friend Mia that gets Bea to finally open her eyes and decide what she wants in life and what will make her happy- even if it means risking her friendship with Peter and moving him out of the “friends zone”
maggies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Quirky but not, flawed but not, apparently amazing at everything but has really low self-esteem, scenes that felt like they wouldn't be out of place in Bridget Jones. Not my favorite.