Just Friends: College Romance (#JustFriends Book 1)

I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I want to say about “Just Friends”, mainly because I have so many mixed feelings about it and I want to try not to giveaway any spoilers. It really bothers me when people do that in their reviews. Before I start with that though I want to mention that there is a prequel that you can get one of three ways. First if you sign up for Marie’s newsletter at mariecolebooks.com she sends you the first chapter of “HS Old Friends” also known as “Ellyphant”, there is also a link to get the ebook through Instafreebie. (With the email at the end of each chapter there is a button to ask for the next chapter until you have all twenty-four chapters in your inbox). Second, you can pick it up as an audible book for free with a trial, this is where you need to look for the name “Ellyphant,” on Amazon. Third, Marie told me that if you purchase the box set of the “#JustFriends” series the prequel is included for free. I have also left a review of the prequel, which I got it through the newsletter. Now let’s get back to the review.

Where to start, I guess I could start with a warning. If you are sensitive to taboo and explicit sex scenes or heavy language then I would say this book might not be for you. I’ve seen some reviews that label some of the scenes rape, and even though I can see where they are coming from and how it could be looked at that way I wouldn’t go quiet that far. Also if cheating is a trigger for you, again you might not like this book. You will also not get an HEA from this book, though it is promised in future books of the series. The “cliffhanger” only exists in the since that there is no HEA for Kent and Elly. Aside from that the story of their time in college is finished and wrapped up by the end of the book.

If you read the prequel this book picks up the story three years later at the start of their junior year in college. Jen and Kent are still the high school sweetheart couple, where as Elly has worked hard to lose weight and change her look. Even though Elly and Kent are supposed to be best friends no matter what it appears they really haven’t seen that much of each other. Considering Jen’s rule that Kent is never to be alone with Elly and that she conveniently doesn’t add her to the invite list for any parties they have, including Kent’s birthday, that’s not to surprising. Kent is still bending to Jen’s every whim and not manning up to tell her point blank, “Elly is my best friend and I want her involved in my life.” Elly is still holding out hope that Kent will notice her and see her for the woman she has become, yet still to afraid of just coming out and telling him how she truly feels. Granted at this point I’m not sure what else she would have to lose since he’s barely part of her life. As such and since up until this year she has been a little heavy she hasn’t had a lot of experience with boys sexual or otherwise. This is where she starts making a lot of mistakes ones that are really not that uncommon for a girl who hasn’t dated until her 20’s. Now that she is “skinny and hot” she is getting a lot of attention from boys who only have one thing in mind. At this time she is also coming out of her shell and going to open mic nights showing that she can sing and trying to make a name for herself. She and Kent are lucky that this year they have a class together which Kent chooses to keep Jen in the dark about. Throughout the story we find out that Kent does and has had feelings for Elly for many years now. But instead of acting on them he’s played it safe staying with Jen, a girl that is frankly, in this reviewers humble opinion, not good enough for him. There isn’t really any proof of this and it is truly just my opinion but I think Jen has been cheating on Kent. Then at the end of junior year Jen tells Kent she is pregnant. Kent’s solution to this is to ask her to marry him and as Elly points out to him “repeating the cycle” that his parents did. Conveniently over the summer and before their senior year in college she loses this child. Now I understand she is young and everything but the way she so casually says she lost the baby over the summer and doesn’t seem truly upset over it makes me think she was never pregnant. Granted this doesn’t change the fact they are getting married. Even though it is also obvious their relationship has been rocky the past few years. If they had used a proper minister they would have had premarital counseling and no minister would have approved of their getting married.

Now my rating is based off of a few things. One, there are some editing errors, one of the biggest I’ve already pointed out to the author. There are still a few areas where a word is left out of the sentence. Two, the way these two (Kent and Elly) behave is just so frustrating. I just want to reach in and smack them both, telling them to wake up and look at what they are doing and how they really feel. I’m more at a 3.5 but that’s not easy to put in. I might not agree with the choices these characters have made but the story keep me pulled in so that I finished it in just over a day. At this time I do plan on getting the next book to continue reading the story. Which due to a preview at the end of this book I know is ten years later.