It’s easy to put someone in the friend zone. But what happens if you change your mind?
Bea isn’t happy. Desperate for a change, she looks to her friends for inspiration. Every single one of them is paired off, perhaps that’s what she needs too.
So, she starts dating again. But everywhere she goes – amid the hilarious and scarring dates – there’s Peter. Good old, oddball Peter, her closest friend from university. He’s always been firmly in the friend zone but something’s happened lately – he seems taller, more handsome and suddenly making him smile is Bea’s favourite thing.
But how can Bea possibly risk their friendship? And how do you even go about taking someone out of the friend zone?
What if Bea and Peter were only ever meant to be just friends…
A Delightful Debut! 
What a delightful debut! I’ve loved getting to know Bea and learning all about her life.
Bea is just coasting along in life. She has a job she doesn’t enjoy overly much, a hobby she hasn’t got enough time to spend developing and friends who are getting paired off almost daily – or so it seems. Her friend Peter is always there, but he’s too good a mate to dally with, and following a bad experience with her first love, Bea avoids getting into relationships with friends, but perhaps now is the time to get herself back into the dating pool .. isn’t it? As long as she avoids Peter, it’ll all be fine . . .
Bea is a very normal character; she has doubts and anxiety just like the rest of us and I loved getting to know her, flaws and all. She isn’t perfect. Not great at knowing what she wants but quite sure what she doesn’t – or, at least, she thinks she is. With a great cast of supporting characters and a well-plotted storyline, this is a book you can settle down with and really get into. I’m so glad I’m well past the days of boyfriends and dating – oh, the angst! Very humorous and engaging as well as an honest portrayal of life, I’ve rather enjoyed this novel, and will certainly look out for more from Holly McCulloch. A good read, well worth 4*.
My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: women’s humorous fiction
- Format: ebook, paperback
- Size: 304 pages
- Publisher: Transworld Digital
- Publication Date: 11 June 2020
- Links: Goodreads
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- Waterstones
- amazon
Author Bio
Holly McCulloch lives in Oxfordshire and bakes beautiful (and delicious) cakes for a living. Just Friends is her debut novel.
Social Media
Twitter: @by.holly.mcculloch