Just Friends

Whether because of self-doubt, or too much awareness of how others at his school view him, Josh is painfully aware he's about as far from the popular crowd as possible. That realization, however, doesn't make much difference when new girl Jena Capistrano moves to town. He's more than smitten and when they start talking and she begins relying on him for friendship and emotional support, it's a dream come true.
However, when you're a teen guy with self-esteem issues and find yourself on the razor's edge of ambivalence, the line between dream and nightmare can become very thin. The longer they hang out, the more conflicted Josh becomes...Does he tell her how he feels and risk losing her friendship? Asking his friends just makes things worse show more for they're as clueless as he, but add in their own mental jumble when giving him advice. Somewhere in this confused mess, he loses sight of his oldest friend, Ramona until it's almost too late to wake up and smell the coffee. Following his ambivalent journey could be really annoying, but it's done so well and he comes across as so sympathetic that everything works and the ending satisfies. show less

Josh does what many adolescents do - he falls in love with a pretty face. With the hope of maybe having something more with Jena, Josh allows her to use his friendship while he refuses to see who Jena really is. I liked that the emotions were very real, and that Josh's friends were really forgiving, even though he doesn't treat them very well at times. Popularity and compromises to maintain that popularity are very real parts of the teenage experience and Ms. Sheldon handles these themes with compassion. There aren't any bad guys - just kids trying to figure out who they are and what they really want.

This review is also available on my blog,
All in all, I was kept entertained by Just Friends but I wasn't wowed by it–rather, I was very show more y frustrated/embarrassed for the characters in parts. I don't really recommend it highly, but I won't actively warn you off it either if you still think it sounds interesting. If you do decide to read it, let us know in the comments what you think of it!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher through a LibraryThing giveaway. show less

Just Friends is a believable story of a boy falling for a girl that he believes is out of his league while the perfect girl for him is right next to him the whole time. I thought the book was cute and the characters quirky. The author had good insight into the mind of a teen and I felt portrayed their feelings realistically. I will recommend this book.

JUST FRIENDS by Dyan Sheldon is a sweet YA romantic comedy featuring Josh Shine, a music-loving, ponytailed, chess-playing, short high school student who falls for new girl Jena Capistrano the first time he sees her. By happy coincidence, Jena lives across the street from Josh's long-time friend, Ramona, so Josh actually gets to meet and talk to Jena even though she has been embraced by the popular crowd--a group that wants nothing to do with Josh and his equally geeky friends.

JUST FRIENDS chronicles the time from Josh's first glimpse of Jena on the first day of school through the spring of that school year. In typical crush fashion, Josh bends over backwards to be the friend that Jena needs while trying to figure out how to tell her show more that he more than likes her... he LIKES her. Josh's focus on Jena causes a strain on his other friendships, and his core group is more patient than he may deserve.

Many of the characters in the book are the same as others you'll find in a host of storylines focused on high school. There's the jock, the mean-but-popular girl, the flaky parents, the concerned mom, and the close group of nerds. None of these stereotypes are fleshed out enough to feel real, but Josh is wonderfully quirky and witty at his best, and he more than makes up for the hollowness of his friends. I would have in particular liked to spend more time with Ramona--I was always sad when she left the page. Equally disappointing is the fact that the amazingly good times that Ramona and Josh have shared are referenced a lot, but they are only references.

Though the outcome of JUST FRIENDS is predictable, it is a light, fun read, and Josh's kindness and humor will appeal to fans of teen romance. My thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. show less

Just Friends is your typical geeky boy (Josh) falls in love with popular girl (Jena) story. It's about unrequited love, being friendzoned and that tricky line between friendship and romance. Reading this book reminded me of those romcoms I watched when I was a teen, predictable yet sweet. I was rooting for Josh throughout the story, but it was frustrating how weak he was when it came to Jena. Jena is so self-absorbed and irritated me at times, which made me wonder why such a smart guy like Josh likes her in the first place. However, I really like Ramona and I wish there was more Josh and Ramona time, especially towards the end. I think a Josh and Ramona sequel would be far more interesting.

Thank you to LibraryThing and Candlewick show more Press for sending me a copy of this book. show less

I received an ARC of this book by Dyan Sheldon, who also wrote the popular novel (and hit movie) "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen." Unfortunately I really could not get into it at all and dropped it halfway through. Josh's obsessive pursuit of Jenna is more annoying than cute, and Jenna treats him like dirt most of the time. It's obvious where things will end up with Ramona, who really likes Josh for the quirky guy he his, and Josh's real friends are entirely too forgiving of Josh's absurd behavior.

Last, the book was written in the present tense, which sometimes can work, but in this case made it awkward and stilted to read. DNF.