Just Friends

maggies20 - Just Friends is about a teenage boy, Josh, and his crush for a popular and pretty girl, Jena. Josh has never felt this way before, he's fallen in love with Jena. However, Josh and Jena hang out in totally different groups. Jena is the popular new girl, but Josh only hangs out with his few friends, not really fitting in with others. However, Josh starts trying his best to get closer to Jean and slowly, they become friends. Unfortunately, now there's another problem, which is moving on from friends. Josh wants to be more than friends, but that seems to be all Jena sees in him. So there's a struggle between confessing his feelings or staying just friends. I think this book can really relate to a lot of teenagers and even adults. Sometimes being with someone you love isn't that easy, especially if they don't feel the same. However, throughout the process, you learn and might also discover new relationships. I enjoyed seeing the shift between the characters and plot. You can see how Josh changes throughout the story, the growth and maturity he gained from this experience. Just Friends is a enjoyable book for everyone, especially teenagers who might also struggle with the same problems.

November 20, 2017
Using a droll third-person narrative, Sheldon (The Truth About My Success) hilariously chronicles an endearingly dorky teenager’s first infatuation. Josh Shine is smitten with new girl Jena Capistrano the first time he sees her, but she ignores him until the day Josh is out walking his best friend Ramona’s highly energetic dog, which runs up the Capistranos’ tree. The two become friends, despite the fact that Jena has become part of the popular crowd at school, which vintage movie watcher and chess player Josh is in no danger of joining. Jena appreciates Josh’s reliability and frequently asks him to come to the rescue when she is frightened about being alone or brooding over one of her many less-than-perfect dates (“Jena’s dates may all have something wrong with them,” writes Sheldon, “but it is never that they have a face that is best seen from behind”). Meanwhile, Josh’s friend Ramona is secretly crushing on him, and Josh’s friend Sal has fallen for Ramona. It’s not hard to predict how things will shake out, but Sheldon’s romantically entangled plot offers plenty of entertainment. Ages 12–up.