Best friends since high school, Josie and Zac’s comfortable relationship was abruptly shattered when Zac’s fiancée died in a car accident. Zac left Sydney soon after and stopped returning Josie’s messages.
Two years on, Josie is at a crossroads as she nears 30. She is unhappily single. Her TV news reporter career has derailed after a panic attack on air and she is relegated to the regional bureau in Newcastle for six months. Josie feels like she is failing at life – even her parents have abandoned her to live overseas.
But Zac is in Newcastle, and when Josie nervously reconnects with him, she discovers an altered man from the person she remembers. As they resurrect their neglected friendship, Josie is appalled to have romantic feelings towards her former platonic best friend, which only complicates things as they try to reestablish their friendship that was once so easy. Dating someone else doesn’t help, nor does the work pressure cooker…
Natalie Murray is the author of the Emmie and the Tudor King series of books that are being adapted for TV. Love, Just In is her first contemporary romance novel.
Make sure you apply your sunscreen before starting Love, Just In, as it’s the ultimate beach read, and you will lose track of time while reading. It’s a light, romantic read, and the characters are eminently appealing. While you might guess the ending, you probably won’t predict the more serious themes about anxiety and grief that are gently layered through the book, providing just the right balance of escapism and food for thought.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Allen & Unwin
This review also was published in the Sunday Star Times.