Just Friends
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
It’s the end of summer. Just before I start senior year with my two best friends in the whole world. Dustin and Emily are everything to me. We’ve been inseparable since middle school, and when we’re together, nothing can go wrong.
But things aren’t always what they seem. Em’s turned into a drunken mess who parties too much. Dustin and I have hooked up a few times—and now he’s ready to take our relationship to the next level. Yet I’m not sure I want things to change. I’m scared if I take it any further with Dustin, our friendship will be ruined forever. Then there’s Ryan. The new guy. He’s hot. He flirts way too much. And Em has totally set her sights on him.
So when my best friend betrays me in the worst possible way, guess who’s there to help me pick up the pieces of my broken heart? Ryan. But he’s so confusing. Annoying. Sweet. Sexy. I want to trust him, yet he makes it so hard. What I really want is for everything to go back to the way it was before.
Before I found out that best friends make the worst kind of enemies.
Buy Links:
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!
What I say: Oh the angst! I don't remember my high school experience being anywhere near this dramatic but it makes for interesting reading!
I'm going to label Just Friends as a New Adult mixture of 90210, Gossip Girl and Cruel Intensions.
Olivia returns from a long holiday to find everything has changed. Her two best friends Dustin and Emily have adapted to life without her. Dustin wants to leave the friend zone and date Olivia. Emily is more of party girl and bully, than loyal best friend. Throw in hot new guy Ryan, and Olivia's in for a whole load of trouble.
There's a lot of back-and-forth between Olivia and Dustin. She's worried about ruining years of friendship, whilst he's a typical guy. I wasn't expecting certain revelations regarding Dustin and I couldn't decide whether I really liked or hated him.
The same could be said about Ryan. I'm in two minds about him as well, because although he's open about always getting his way and what he wants, he does have a shady side. The back-and-forth here was kinda stressful.
I really didn't like Emily who seemed plagued by jealousy and insecurity - but seriously who treats their best friend like that?! There's so much backstabbing and to be completely honest, there were numerous occasions when I thought Olivia should go back and stay with her Dad just to escape the drama.
I'm aware I've complained about all the teen angst and drama, but this was also what I liked about Just Friends. Most of the characters are unlikeable and kinda horrible at times, but in a really fascinating way. I want to know what happens next!
3.5 Stars in my Sky!
Author Spotlight:
Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is a traditionally published author with Bantam/Random House and Harper Collins/Avon, as well as an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson.
She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.
