Just Friends by Holly McCulloch #Review

 

Holly McCulloch's latest romcom, Just Friends, was published in paperback by Corgi on February 4th. I am delighted to take part in the blog tour to celebrate this novel. I will also be running a giveaway to win a print copy. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.

Laugh-out-loud and moving, Just Friendsis a feel-good ‘will they, won’t they’ love storyperfect for reading by the pool or on a rainy afternoon from an exciting new voice inwomen's fiction.

It’s easy to put someone in the friend zone. But what happens if you changeyour 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 thehilarious and scarringdates –there’s Peter. Good old, oddball Peter, her closest friend from university. He’salways 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 takingsomeone out of the friend zone?What if Bea and Peter were only ever meant to be justfriends...

My Thoughts

What an enjoyable romcom this is! You are hooked in from the start with the humour and with Bea's engaging character. She is such a great invention, so fallible and human. She says the things other people don't but at heart is full of basic kindness and untapped potential. I loved her! From the beginning, you know where you want her life to end up but at times, you seriously doubt her ability to get there. She is chaotic and intuitive, but in the end, manages to plan out what she wants out of life.

    There is an informal feel to the novel throughout. It feels conversational and contemporary. Bea's working life makes you smile as she spends most of her time under the radar of office politics. Always feeling she has to please others; she has to learn to also put her own wishes forward. She likes to stay on the periphery of a group but actually, proves herself to be a true friend. I also enjoyed the glimpses you get of Bea's family. Her mother certainly made me smile, but despite everything, you do see where Bea gets her kindness from. There are laugh out loud moments and a real vitality in this writing.

In short: An endearing romcom full of witty moments.

 

About the Author

Holly McCulloch lives in Oxfordshire and bakes beautiful (and delicious) cakes for a living. Just Friends is her debut novel.

You can follow Holly here: Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK

Thanks to Holly McCulloch, the publishers and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out these great bloggers!

Giveaway (UK only)

To win a print copy of Just Friends  just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

Competition starts February 13th 2021.

Closing Date is 18th  February 2021 and there is one winner.

*Terms and Conditions – UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.