A love triangle never had so many sides! She likes him, he likes a different her, a different him likes the first her, and then there's a him that could seemingly care less, all while the second him plays second fiddle squarely in the friend zone with they original her. Did you get all that? :-) Goes to show you that while the good guy/girl may not always steal the show, they do have their day


**Copy received for review ( )

I had a hard time getting into this book, and to be honest, I did not finish it. I really did try, as I want to give all Early Review copies a fair chance, but I just couldn't do it. I thought there were a few sweet parts but overall it was too predictable. Geeky boy falls for popular girl, not realizing that his best female friend is there all along and is a much better catch. Also, geeky boy allowing popular girl to treat him like a doormat.

This was my first Dyan Sheldon book but I would be open to giving a different book a try. ( )

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○ i have a physical copy
○ read an e-version, will definitely purchase physical book
● read an e-version, a physical book will be appreciated
○ read an e-version, not interested in its physical book
○ a page-turner
● less than 500 pages (although I felt like it has more than a thousand pages)
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
● took me a long time to finish
● an LMAO read
● i laughed more than a few times
○ it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books i’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
○ confusing
● sooo relatable
○ it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
○ i’m sorry it’s a NAY
● it’s between YAY and NAY

What made me read this?
Netgalley. AND UNREQUITED LOVE.

Did I regret reading this?:
At first, YES. Because it’s such a slow read for me. Look at my timeline!

February 8 – 1%
February 12 – 11%
February 13 – 18%
February 13 – 24%
February 14 – 30%
February 14 – 32%
February 16 – 45%
February 16 – 50%
February 17 – 100%

Then, some kind of magic happened. I read the first half for days and I read the other half for like an hour or more. LIKE, HOW?

PLUS The ending’s pretty unfair. It’s so short. I mean, I can tell that the story’s gonna lead there but I need more GUY x GIRL moments (I used guy and girl as substi because I don’t want to spoil you! It’s not right to tell who ends up with who, right?)

There were also many many many conversations, TMI conversations, between them. And a lot of guessing-what-guessing-who happened. But I enjoy guessing things, so that’s good.

Read it but don’t blame me if it gets a little too boring. ( )

JUST FRIENDS by Dyan Sheldon is a sweet YA romantic comedy featuring Josh Shine, a music-loving, ponytailed, chess-playing, short high school student who falls for new girl Jena Capistrano the first time he sees her. By happy coincidence, Jena lives across the street from Josh's long-time friend, Ramona, so Josh actually gets to meet and talk to Jena even though she has been embraced by the popular crowd--a group that wants nothing to do with Josh and his equally geeky friends.

JUST FRIENDS chronicles the time from Josh's first glimpse of Jena on the first day of school through the spring of that school year. In typical crush fashion, Josh bends over backwards to be the friend that Jena needs while trying to figure out how to tell her that he more than likes her... he LIKES her. Josh's focus on Jena causes a strain on his other friendships, and his core group is more patient than he may deserve.

Many of the characters in the book are the same as others you'll find in a host of storylines focused on high school. There's the jock, the mean-but-popular girl, the flaky parents, the concerned mom, and the close group of nerds. None of these stereotypes are fleshed out enough to feel real, but Josh is wonderfully quirky and witty at his best, and he more than makes up for the hollowness of his friends. I would have in particular liked to spend more time with Ramona--I was always sad when she left the page. Equally disappointing is the fact that the amazingly good times that Ramona and Josh have shared are referenced a lot, but they are only references.

Though the outcome of JUST FRIENDS is predictable, it is a light, fun read, and Josh's kindness and humor will appeal to fans of teen romance. My thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. ( )

I was excited to read an advance copy of a book from an author I've enjoyed before. Unfortunately, the book was very predictable and like every other romcom you've ever seen or watched. The characters were generic and forgettable. I felt like I could skip large sections without missing things. The book had some sweet moments but overall lacked charm. ( )