Common Sense Media Review
By Sage Moreaux
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Clean, predictable second-chance romance explores grief.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In JUST FRIENDS, twenty-two-year-old Blair returns to her hometown to see her great-aunt who's health has taken a turn for the worse. Deciding to stay for the summer, she submits a job application at the local coffee shop only to discover Declan, her former best friend and love of her life, is the manager. As she grapples with her grief and the sudden resurgence of feelings for Declan, Blair sees the future she'd set up for herself in New York slipping away. As she and Declan grow closer, will Blair decide to change her entire life in hopes of a happily-ever-after, or is grief clouding her judgment?
Is It Any Good?
Clean, predictable, and sweet, this book is a small-town romance similar to many other second-chance storylines. Just Friends shakes the trope up a little with the layer of grief that descends on the main character when her aunt dies, but otherwise, the plot and structure read like many other popular contemporary romances of recent years.
The author Haley Pham is an content creator with a huge online following. While the story includes a main character of Vietnamese descent (the author is half-Vietnamese), the story doesn't include many cultural elements other than a nickname and a few Vietnamese phrases, which feels like a missed opportunity. The great-aunt, supposedly so important to the main character, feels like a vehicle for the grief subplot more than a real person, and the other characters feel similarly flat. But for dedicated Haley Pham and romance fans, this will likely be a satisfying, if not original, read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Blair's capacity for empathy changes over the course of the story in Just Friends. How do you think grief affects our ability to see beyond our own heartache?
This romance novel has a very similar premise and structure to many other popular novels. Why do you think authors choose to write books that are a variation on existing storylines? How does this book differ from other, similar ones you've read?
How do you feel about the miscommunication trope that keeps people from resolving their problems until the end of the story? Do you feel this is realistic? What can we learn from the characters?
This is a closed-door romance with not much sex shown on the page. Why do you think the author chose this style of book?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Family Stories ( Moms , Single Parents ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Empathy , Gratitude
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Atria
- Publication date : March 3, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
- Number of pages : 352
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : March 31, 2026
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