Just Friends by Monica Murphy Review
4.5 Smooches
Synopsis
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
Review
‘“You look scared,” he says the moment they’re out of earshot. Ugh. I hate how he does this sort of thing. “You don’t scare me.” He starts walking toward me, his body brushing against mine as he passes. “Maybe I should,” he murmurs‘
So I know that this book is not for everyone. It is very mature YA and therefore full of “high school drama.” But I personally become addicted to the back and forth storylines and constant bad decisions that come from books about people going through those teenage years. The angst was dripping off every page and I was ready to drink it all up. Just Friends starts and ends with a bang that will leave you so excited for the next book, there are some moments in the middle where it slows but just trust me power on and I know you will be glad you did.
‘I was already burned by Em and Dustin, and their betrayal cut like a knife. Maybe now I can finally even up the score.’
Em, Livvy and Dustin have been best friends for years and lately Dustin and Livvy have been secretly hooking up and after her summer away she thinks she is ready to make it all official with him. But while she has been gone her best friend Em has transformed into a party girl giving it up on the regular, especially to the hot new guy Ryan, who only wants to be Em’s friend with benefits. But after Livvy finds out how Dustin and Em betrayed her this summer all bets are off and anything van happen. Now the hot as fuck Ryan is flirting with her non stop and she might just be weak enough to give in to the temptation. But with all these lies, betrayals and messed up beginnings can anything real come out of this for anyone?
‘I slap my hands over my eyes, waiting for the shame to wash over me. Yet it never comes.‘
Hold the front door, this book had so much going for it. If you like a soap opera book with moments that make you cringe knowing that yet another bad decision would make the drama level rise to a whole new area than this is perfect for you. I get not everyone likes books like this but for me they are an escape and I think Monica did a good job of portraying the mindset of the 18 year old crowd. At that age you make stupid choices and you are selfish and petty. Not to say that every moment in this book is like that because it is not but the ones that occurred had me hooked.
~miranda
