Since they were age seven, Blair and Declan have been best friends, which progressed to dating in their last year of high school. However, a series of traumatic events following their first kiss separated the couple, but more importantly, their friendship.
Four years later, Blair is back in the coastal town of Seabrook to care for her mother and ill great-aunt. To make ends meet, Blair applies for a barista position at the local coffee shop but soon realises after applying for the job, that the manager of the company is Declan, the boy she loved and lost. Their paths keep crossing, making old wounds resurface . Could they rekindle their relationship or has
the past tarnished any chance of a future?
The plot of Just Friends is easy to follow, but it often feels familiar, echoing the well-worn beats of other small-town, second-chance romances.
At times, the writing could have been more polished; I occasionally found myself re-reading phrases to fully understand what Blair was trying to convey.
That said, I appreciated that the novel centres on characters in their early 20s, which felt like an authentic and refreshing portrayal of that stage of life. Many small-town romances tend to focus on characters in their late 20s or 30s, so this was a welcome shift.
Just Friends is fast-paced and makes for an enjoyable read – especially for fans of authors such as Emily Henry and Elsie Silver.
Reviewed by Christina Theodoratos
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Haley Pham is a content creator who has been building a dedicated online community for over a decade. She has shared every phase of life with her audience and become a true tastemaker in the book world.
Just Friends is Haley’s debut novel.
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