JUST FRIENDS

JUST FRIENDS                           CAMILLA ISLEY

Love and friendship mix in the Just Friends series... the books follow the misadventures and exploits of a group of college students in Boston.

For Rose being in love with her best friend has never been easy, but now that she's moved in with Tyler her feelings have become impossible to ignore.

Tyler has bitten more than he can chew, torn between two girls he must decide where his heart stands.

Georgiana is determined to do everything in her power to keep Tyler and Rose apart. After all, all is fair in love and war.

Alice fell in love with Jack the day she moved into her freshman dorm. Problem is, she's been stuck in the friend zone ever since. After another meaningless breakup, she's ready to confess her feelings to Jack.

Jack has mistaken friendship for love once before and has vowed never to do it again. A varsity sports player, he's determined to enjoy college with no strings attached.

Peter is Jack's best wingman. He enjoys his popularity as team captain and when he meets Alice, he's ready to steal her heart.

David and Scott Williams are in love with the same girl, again.

Haley has never been happier than in her relationship with Scott. But she can no longer deny bad-boy David has gotten under her skin.

Madison has always been insecure in love. The only satisfying romances in her life come from the many books she reads. Book-boyfriends are easy to fall for, but the real world seems short of swoon-worthy heroes. And just when she thought she might've found one, he fell in love with her best friend...

Read the complete series in this amazing box set...

MY REVIEW:

Book 1

     This was an interesting mix of characters.  Some of them, rich and spoiled and cheaters.  Some just rick and loose and shy.  Some not so rich, not so loose and strong.
     The story is about Rose and Tyler, friends who have known each other since preschool.  Now, at Harvard law school together.  Rose had always had it in her heart that one day that Tyler would grow up and stop girl hopping and being the man she knew him to be.  Instead of the cheater, he tended to be.
     He dated and had girlfriends for the shortest of times because he can’t seem to keep it in his pants.  All the time Rose was waiting and secretly saying “See Me!”  “Be With Me!”  But when her boyfriend Marcus dumps her and she had already given up her apartment and she had nowhere to go because he broke the lease.  She told Tyler and he offered his extra room at his place rent free.
     Of course, she couldn’t do that so she wouldn’t just, not pay she would get the mail first and pay the utility bills.  His girlfriend, Georgiana, really hated that whole arrangement.  Almost as much as the fact that this was the first girlfriend that Tyler ever had that he wouldn’t chew and spit out.  Both women hated each other.  Making Tyler’s life a living hell.  Georgiana believed men and women couldn’t live together.
     I may have felt uncomfortable with the cheating but the emotional confusion was real.  These characters were even more engaging than I had even thought or wanted to like.  The author grips you and doesn’t loosen the ties at all.  She allows you to see what is going on in the world of some of our young people of today.
     I give this: 4 stars I would really say 4.5 stars. 

Book 2

     This was an interesting setup.  You have a trio of friends.  Alice being the dumped ex from the last book who was with Ethan.  He is now with Rose who hates his little sister Georgiana who is dating Rose’s best friend Tyler who Ethan hate.
     Which is interesting because Alice who is going into law, rooms with Ethan and Georgiana’s cousin, Madison who Georgiana hates.  Now Madison is a romantic always with her head in a book.  Aspires to be a writer.
     The third in the roommate trio is Haley, she is the smart, airhead, butterfly all rolled into one.
  Now that you know the players this is where the interesting parts come in.  This trio seems to work.  Alice has been in love with Jack also studying law since her freshman year.  Jack is on the basketball team.  Odd as it is Alice hates all sports.  But her and Jack became best friends. 
     This is the year she is going to finally tell him her feelings of loving him.  One little mistake happens first.  She tries to kiss him and when he rejects her she says she’s sorry it was a rebound thing and from after her break up with Ethan.  Before Jack can say another word, she is gone.
     She explains she already knows how to handle one of those meaning him.  From that night his jealousy meter is off the charts.  See where this box set takes you.  Because there are whole other two romances that keeps you hopping.  I give this: 5 stars.

Book 3

     This book follows mainly Haley and her crazy love triangle.  Not one of her making but of two basketball brothers who have a more than a hate relationship.  It’s so bad it’s like putting two bulls in the same pen.  Which by the way would be safer?  Then you add a pretty woman in the middle who didn’t even ask to be there, “Forget about it!”
     She went with the one she saw first as eye candy from afar at the airport, Scott.  Then ran into coming out of the men’s restroom.  (When a girl got to pee, a girl got to pee.  No line there.)  Anyway, without that, she would have never met Scott.
     It turns out Scott plays on the same basketball team as her friend’s boyfriend Jack plays on at Harvard.  So, they would be traveling to Hawaii together.  While in Hawaii she thinks she’s meeting him at his room turns out she ended up with two of them fighting over her.  She is totally freaked out she has never seen such behavior especially over her.  It took their teammates to break them up.
     After that their bone of contention just grew between them.  Haley was able to get out of Scott unknowingly that he had stolen a girlfriend of David’s (his brother) in high school while they were still dating.
     So, now through twisted truths and mind games, he was making Scott's relationship with Haley uncomfortable.  Not to mention his feelings for her grow.  I give this: 5 stars.


Book 4

     I have to say the fourth book in the series revolves around the triangle of Haley, Scott, and David.  There is a resolution and I really can see an understand the reasoning when questioned by Scott for how Haley’s emotions changing could happen.
     Some would say his lack of emotions was cold hearted but the reason she gave about Scott leaving did it.  Made sense.  Not that he left, but that he never called, called her back, barely texted her, or emailed her.  Sorry, there is no Doctor that busy.  Especially, if homeboy came back blonder and with a tan duly noted by the author that wasn’t addressed but was made a point and noted by the author as Haley noticing.
     She could justify the action because the opportunity was once in a lifetime but to live without him physically is one thing but you can’t text me to at least say “Hi” “Miss you.”  Weeks go by then nothing.  No, I get it.  It would be one thing if he was military couldn’t call but not the case.
     Anyway, you also get to see Madison come into her own.  She lets her dad know she’s not going to go to law school.  She finds the man of her dreams is now a part of her reality.  No to mention you find out about Rose, Tyler, Georgiana, and Ethan.  Seee what has happened, over the last year in their lives.  You will find yourself laughing, being appalled at times.  At the same time, you will see life in a real way.  The characters are believable and likable and some you would love to hate but find you can’t.
     Overall, when you see the fierceness of these friends you hope your kids have friendships like this.  Minus the “one and done” and backstabbing of course.  I give you this: 5 stars.

Truthfully, as much as I like these books and I did, can’t say that I would be the one to do the individual books.  My memory is bad so being in the set was perfect.  I read them straight through which made it perfect for me.
     College girls need to beware of the “one and done” they are more common than not.  But for guys too.  Let’s be honest.  The fields have been leveled for both the sexes being this cold.  But, when you bring this attitude of one and done into your life you open yourself up to be a throw-away.  So, the consequences, be damned.  Is that what you really want?  If anything this book gives you an open look at college relations and hook-ups.  Overall for the set I give this: 5 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at 
www.1rad-readerreviews.com

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