Just Friends

by Dyan Sheldon

Can chasing the wrong girl lead down the right path? Witty as ever, best-selling author Dyan Sheldon maps the agonizing distance between “like” and “love.”

Josh has never really thought twice about girls before. He’s usually too busy watching old movies with his friends Sal and Carver, petitioning for more vegetarian options in the school cafeteria, or flailing in yoga class with his best friend Ramona. But when new girl Jena Capistrano walks into school, Josh loses his heart faster than he’s ever lost his balance on a double downward dog. Not that he has any real aspirations, of course: he knows Jena is completely out of his league. And then, against all odds — they become friends. The closer they get, the more infatuated Josh becomes, and the more he wonders if just maybe Jena might like him back. There’s only one way to find out. But it’s not exactly easy to put your heart on the line.

• ISBN10: 0763693545
• ISBN13: 9780763693541
• Publish Date: 13 February 2018 (first published 20 August 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Candlewick Press,U.S.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780763693541

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

This is a book filled with unrequited love. You see, A liked B, but B liked C, however C liked D, and D had no interest in any of them. Yes, broken hearts all around.

What I liked:
• Josh was adorable. Jena had invaded his heart, but he was firmly friend-zoned. Math, music, chess, the kid was interesting, and I liked all these different attributes Sheldon gave him.
• Josh had a pretty great squad. Yes, they were quirky, but they were genuine, which is an adjective I would not attach to Jena and her friends.
• The writing was quite amusing and witty, and filled with many comedic moments.
• Josh's friends were patient and supportive, even when he wasn't being a very good friend. He should be grateful to have such a fine group of friends.

What I didn't like
• I did not like Jena. She wasn't a good friend and she was shallow. It was hard for me to understand what Josh saw in her, but I guess that was the point.
• I would have liked a little more from the ending. It was fine. I definitively knew which direction the story was going, but I would have liked to have seen a little more of it play out.
• The story seemed to meander a little in the beginning (though still amusing), but eventually got on track.

Overall: A fun and cute story of unrequited love, was light, breezy, and quite amusing.