When Joss Met Matt

by Ellie Cahill, Liz Czukas

What if after every bad breakup, there was someone to help “cleanse your palate”—someone who wouldn’t judge you, who was great in bed, someone you were sure not to fall in love with? “Sorbet sex” could solve everything—as long as it never got too sweet.

Joss and Matt have been friends since freshman year of college, meeting one night after Joss is dumped by her boyfriend. After a few drinks, Matt humors her with a proposition: that he’ll become her go-to guy whenever she needs to heal a broken heart. In return, she’ll do the same for him. The #1 Rule: They’ll never fall in love with each other. People scoff at the arrangement. But six years later, Joss and Matt are still the best of friends . . . with benefits.

Through a string of boyfriends and girlfriends—some almost perfect, some downright wrong—Joss and Matt are always there for each other when the going gets tough. No strings. No attachments. Piece of cake. No problem. After all, since they wrote the rules, surely they can play by them. Or can they?

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, College, Adult

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Want to be the first to know the latest releases and giveaways from Ellie? Sign up for Ellie's newsletter to get a free epilogue to CALL ME, MAYBE! HERE

Ellie Cahill is the author of the Cordially Invited series, including I Temporarily Do, as well as stand-alone romantic comedies like When Joss Met Matt, Call Me Maybe, and Just a Girl. Ellie is also the not-at-all secret pen name of Young Adult author Liz Czukas (Ask Again Later, and Top Ten Clues You're Clueless). Liz's books are often compared to John Hughes movies, while Ellie usually gets compared to Nora Ephron. Either way, if you like a good 80s rom-com, you've found the right place. When they're not writing fun, funny romances full of shenanigans and awkward kisses, Liz and Ellie are at home with their family and a golden retriever with different ideas about the definition of "dog bed."

You'll find Ellie on Facebook and Twitter (@ellie_cahill) but you'll more easily find Liz in those same places as well as Instagram and Tumblr. You'll find either one of them parked in front of the TV every Sunday night getting their fill of Zombies, Westeros, The Doctor, or any other place where cute English guys fight evil.

Speed round: sweet tea, Hufflepuff, dark chocolate, cheese is the perfect food, Go Badgers, and Han shot first.


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Reviews

[Patty ~ Wrapped Up In Reading Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

*****FOUR SORBET SEX STARS*****
{ARC Provided by Random House Publishing Group via Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review}
(BR with My Lovely Friend Alice)


Love was coming to my apartment on a Tuesday night so I could decorate for Christmas. Love was calling in sick to work so I could get to the hospital when his father died. Love was the best kisses I'd ever had in my life, and the lazy, sleepy talks we had in bed.







Jocelyn Kiehl and Matt Lehrer meet and become fast friends during their Freshman year of college. One weekend during her first semester away, her boyfriend Ben comes to visit and after two days of non-stop sex, he drops the bomb on her that he has met someone else and wants to break-up. She tries to go out to a frat party the next weekend in order to have a hook up with someone so that her last sexual experience would not be with her douchebag ex. She ends up failing miserably. Poor Joss is utterly devastated and tells her sad story to Matt. He is the one who comes up with the brilliant idea of "SORBET SEX". Sorbet sex is having sex with someone else to erase your most recent disappointing relationship.




Matt and Joss end up having really great sex but only after coming up with a set of Sorbet Sex Rules. One of the most important and top rules is that they must always remain friends and not let the sex make things weird between them.



So this story keeps going from past to present till we get up to the 81% mark, and I have to say, I was so freaking frustrated!!! The present chapters were so tiny and I felt like they were a HUGE TEASE!!! I wanted to know where Joss and Matt were in their relationship or was there promise of more between them.



Their sorbet sex pact goes on for about 8 years and through too many disappointing relationships that I lost track and was starting to even lose interest in this story. I wasn't even liking either character. I just thought how vapid these two were with how many people they went through in 8 years. I also was convinced that Matt and Joss were complete morons because in all those years, they never realized that they had deep feelings for each other.




Thankfully by the time we get 80% into the story, the chapters going back to the past were over and done with and we remain in present day. I started to get invested in these two and was rooting for them both to get their heads our of their asses and take the risk on each other finally!!



I ended up loving the ending and that's why this book went from a 3 Star to a 4 Star rating!!


A BIG "thank you" to my lovely friend Alice for waiting to buddy read this one with me!!!

[• Lisa • · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE LOVE ME MATT STARS.

"One rule ... Don't fall in love."



Readers I can't tell you adequately enough how much I adored this 'friends to lovers' book. My absolute favourite trope was spectacularly showcased in this little diamond of a novel and I'm hoping that this book gets all the credit it deserves for being the well written, wonderfully put together book that it is. This book caught my eye when I noticed that a fellow book addict had loved it and after reading the blurb I almost instantly knew that this book would be just my cup of tea (the sweet and hot kind, see what I did there?) and I was definitely not wrong. Everything about this book appealed to my inner book romantic and from page one to the end I was flipping pages like a romance loon possessed. So without further ado (or gushing) here are some of my other reviewing thoughts ...

What's it all about?
I don't really want to give anything away other than to say that those that can't get enough of those spine tingling stories of friends who cross over into the best kind of lovers then this book will be for you. Two friends, two life times, love, longing and all that comes in between. A not to be missed story that made me laugh almost as much as it made me swoon.



What did I love?
Oh the feels, the heart thumps, the slow (but sweet) agony of waiting for that one girl and that clueless boy to fall helplessly in love *insert longing sigh here*. Joss and Matt's story was perfectly funny and heart meltingly addictive and I wanted nothing more than to shut away the world and lose myself in this book. It was pure romantic indulgence at it's finest and I was happily allowing it to steal my time and love. I really enjoyed the past and present story telling of this book it included all the juicy history and all the sweet anticipation of the present day. It had a great build up and although a predictable storyline it never felt overdone or certain. Matt was the perfect hero charming with a side order of manwhore and Joss was the identifiable friend funny and sweet. Overall the story did absolutely everything for my tastes and there's not even a tiny bit of criticism to be had. In fact I'm already scheduling my read read and getting ready to fall in love all over again.

Final thoughts ...
I took a chance on this book and didn't for one minute look back. Nothing makes me happier than when I fall in love with a novel and I can say with a huge smile on my face that Joss and Matt are well worth reading about. A Well written tale combined with a wonderfully quirky plot this book is what romance dreams are made of and I'm very much looking forward to discovering more from this author. Now that I've finished this marvellous story I'm can say hand on heat that I'll forever be in love with these characters and all that's left to say is that I'm one happy reader excited to see others enjoy this book as much as I did. Enjoy ... Kisses.



*ARC generously provided by random house publishing via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a unique spin on the friends with benefits idea. A truly adorable story, the banter, friendship and chemistry between Joss and Matt was perfect, I really enjoyed this one. It was fluffy and fun, which was a nice escape from some of the darker stories I tend to gravitate too.

Sorbet Sex...

What is that you say? Well, after Joss is dumped by her douche-bag of a boyfriend, her college friend Matt gets an idea. That idea being sorbet sex, a way to erase the bad feelings, or 'cleanse your palate' of the last person you've had sex with. But there are rules in place.

Our arrangement depended on observing the rules, and without them, we wouldn't be able to function as friends after tonight.

Thus begins their Sorbet partnership. Both Joss and Matt go through a number of dating woos and disasters, but they can always count on each other to be there when they need to 'cleanse their palate'. But these type of arrangements rarely work out and now years later, Joss has finally accepted she has fallen for Matt. When Joss Met Matt is told from Jocelyn's present POV and flashbacks. This was a really cute story, filled with humor and heart.

"I see you Joss. I see you all the time."

*ARC generously provided by random house publishing via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF about 150 pages in, after an endless cycle of both parties constantly hooking up with one idiot after another, immediately followed by automatic friends-with-benefits sex every time. If a book is going to be based around a premise this iffy/icky, you'd better be convinced that these two are meant to be be together, or at least have fun living vicariously through their mindless hook-ups. As it was, I have no idea why they kept coming back to each other, on any level. They barely seemed to be friends, and the sex sure didn't seem to be worth it.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review. Unsolicited copy, so you win some, you lose some.

[Lady Vigilante (Feifei) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars!



As a huge fan of friends-to-lovers romances, I really did go into this book with the lowest of low expectations and was just looking to be entertained. I can’t really pinpoint exactly where things started to go downhill but the gist of it is I was bored for the first half and extremely frustrated in the second half. The author’s writing was appealing, the banter was occasionally witty and fun, and the side characters were great, but these positives were completely overshadowed by the unconvincing romantic connection between the main characters, and part of that disconnect stems from the way the author executed her story.

For starters, 99% of books that have alternating past/present scenes usually don’t go well for me, and over half of this story was centered on the past. I think those flashback scenes were to serve as the romantic development but it’s hard to see that when nearly all those scenes involved Matt and Joss seeing and sleeping with other people before going back to each other for sorbet sex to ‘cleanse their palate.’ Every time it’s a different person, different scenario but the process is the same and pretty soon, I got tired of reading about it all.

The scenes set in the present weren’t much better. Somewhere along the way, Matt and Joss both realize they have feelings for each other but they don’t work up the courage to tell each other until the very end, after a boatload of misunderstandings and drama that I really didn’t care about either.



^^Too late!

There were definitely positives to this book (as mentioned earlier) but the inherently weak romantic connection concocted entirely on sex is the foremost reason why I can’t give this book even a 3 star rating. To me, a friends-to-lovers premise literally sets the stage for a solid romance: the characters know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and the bond that grows from this intimate knowledge that gradually becomes the romance…THAT is what I look for, and is the special spark that will convince me that the romance has depth. Details matter and because this story chose to only focus on a few scenes in the past that served as the ‘romantic development’ it sorely lacked that special spark.

Considering that there are many glowing reviews for this book, it may just be another case of me being my usual picky self again so I don’t want to discourage anyone from trying it if you were interested before. If you’re in the mood for something lighthearted and on the fluffy side but with a good dose of angst and don’t mind character stupidity, you may very well enjoy this one!

When Joss Met Matt is a NA romance standalone.

ARC provided by Random House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Matt and Joss is a friends to lover story and I love these types of stories, so I couldn’t wait to jump in!

The story is told from Joss’s POV and begins in present day. Joss has just received a call from her friend Matt that he wants to meet for dinner. The story quickly changes to seven years prior and we get to see how Matt and Joss met.

Seven years prior Matt and Joss are just two college freshmen trying to find their way, fit in and survive the unknown. Living in the same dorms they form a fast friendship over peach schnapps. Joss is dating her high school boyfriend, but things end quickly when he breaks up with her for another girl. Devastated Joss decides to go out with the girls and has too much too drink. In her inebriated state she thinks it’s a good idea to sleep with a random frat guy. Luckily, that plan blows up in her face when he passes out. Left to her own devices she heads home and runs into Matt.

Matt being the young college guy he is decides it’s a perfect plan to develop a “partnership” with Joss. Together they decide they will “help” each other out by cleansing their palettes between breakups. Thus a stronger bond is formed and the rest is history.



The story progresses switching between past and present. Now most of the story is told looking back over the past seven years. We watch the couple go through multiple relationships and experiences together. We see that even though things started out as one thing, Matt and Joss have formed a real friendship over the years.

As I was saying we do see some of the present in this story, but most of it spans over a few days. During this time we see through Joss’s reflections that she has developed real feelings for Matt. She isn’t sure it is right to continue on with their agreement when her feelings have progressed outside their original parameters.



I really love the idea of this story, however, I didn’t love how much of the story was spent looking back. I get that this time is required for us to believe and feel their connection, but I really wanted to see more of the present. I also felt the some of our present time was wasted on unnecessary drama.

I did enjoy how sweet this story is and Matt and Joss’s banter. I feel most people will enjoy this one more than I did, as most of my friends have loved it. So while it may not have been a complete win for me, I do recommend checking it out if you enjoy sweet, friends to lovers stories.



ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

When Joss Met Matt is not a type of book I’d normally pick up at the bookstore. I do not read much NA at all, due to several reasons. One of them being that the majority of NA novels I’ve encountered seem to follow the same recipe each time. The same tropes, the same clichés; you get the point. Anyway, when I found out that this book was actually written by one of my favourite contemporary authors—Liz Czukas (under the pen name Ellie Cahill), I knew I had to take the chance and give it a shot. Alas, despite all hopeful feelings, When Joss Met Matt fell flat.

This story is told by Joss through a series of flashbacks. We do get present day snippets here and there, but about 85% of this novel just consists of the flashbacks that begin 7 years earlier when Joss met Matt and soon build up to the present day. Personally, that was immediately problematic for me. We don’t really get to see Joss and Matt being together as a couple all that often and for majority of the time, all we get is Joss and Matt being in relationships with other people. Its hard to ship a couple when you have them in other people’s beds, y'know?

I will say that the banter was insanely fun and entertaining. If there’s one thing that Liz Czukas ALWAYS manages to excel at, it’s the liveliness she brings to the dialogue. I’d eat it all up, if I could. Unfortunately, despite Joss and Matt’s brilliant conversations, I could only see them as friends with benefits; I found it hard to accept them as a couple because like aforementioned, they were with other significant others for almost the entire novel and they lacked the chemistry that I was promised.

Additionally, I spent a lot of this book being bored out of my mind. I guess we can all agree that this book has a very predictable ending—and so therefore, it’s the journey to the end that matters. I felt that this book didn’t have much plot other than Joss simply recounting the past 7 years of how she started falling for Matt. There didn’t seem to be anything else. No depth, no character building, just a lot of sorbet sex, really.

Furthermore, I failed to see how Matt was appealing as a love interest. He seemed like a pretty subpar character with a pretty face and not much else. He doesn’t really even try to be romantic, if that makes sense. I’m not saying that every guy has got to be romantic but man this guy didn’t even try.

And to those who are wondering, this book is perfectly suitable for YA readers. Ellie Cahill skips over the details and keeps everything clean. I would say the only reason why this book is pitched as a NA novel is due to the fact that the main characters are in their early twenties and also because of the concept: sorbet sex.

In all, When Joss Met Matt turned out to be inherently disappointing with an incredibly shallow and predictable story. I was seriously expecting better from Ellie Cahill for her YA novels are utter brilliance.

~Thank you Ballantine Books for sending me this copy!~

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Clueless Stars

”Thanks for being here.”
“Of course. What are friends for?”
“Not too many of them are for this.”

These two were absolutely adorable. Clueless as hell but adorable none the less. Joss and Matt meet their freshman year of college when Joss and her roommate attend a kegger in Matt’s dorm room. Ahhh the memories! An easy friendship forms between the two and the story’s off and running. When Joss’s long distance boyfriend dumps her and confesses to cheating on her AFTER he’s spent the weekend screwing her, Matt comes up with a theory. What she needs to start getting over her douche of and ex is some palette cleansing sex. Something to erase her ex as her last lover. Some sorbet sex, if you will and he’s willing to volunteer his stud services and take one for the team. Big of you, Matt! After their first round of sorbet sex has the desired effect the two come to an agreement of sorts. They’ll be there for each other when one of them breaks up and needs to cleanse their sexual palette. They won’t sleep together unless a breakup’s involved but agree to always remain friends. Along the way they add other rules such as required spooning and spending the night and not being able to bring a change of clothes to ensure the dreaded walk of shame. Things move along great for these friends with benefits. Until they don’t.

This book was definitely a pleasant surprise. I’d classify it as an NA read but the formulaic angst that I find in most NA reads was thankfully missing. Ellie Cahill did a fabulous job with the snappy dialogue and making sure these characters sound like college students and young adults without making them sound like dumb shits. Something I always appreciate. The writing in general was good but if I have a big complaint it’s with the amount of time the story takes place in Joss’s head. It’s a first person POV and we’re privy to ALL of the back and forth confusion Joss experiences, along with all of the other thoughts she has via seven years of flashbacks. I found myself skimming a whole bunch of these sections because it’s a lot of Joss and her inner monologue and they tended to drag on a little longer then I would’ve preferred. Joss and Matt were realistically written and both reminded me of friends I still have from college so it made it easier for me to overlook the other stuff.

”I see you, Joss. I see you all the time.”

Overall this book was just what I needed right now. Thanks to my Kindle Unlimited addiction I’ve been spending much of my book time with billionaire assholes so this was a refreshing change of pace. The characters were well thought out and completely relatable which I’ve come to appreciate lately. I most definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a sweeter, not so smutty New Adult novel.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥{Ever So Mela}♥{Bloglovin}♥{Facebook}♥{Google+}♥
(ARC provided via NetGalley. Much appreciation!)



A unique take on the classic friends with benefits story.

A fun, lighthearted story that had me smiling from beginning to end. It takes us on a trip from from the spark that initiated a friendship to the simmering fire that enticed an attraction to the raging flames that led to love. And I adored every second of it.

Sorbet sex...What more can you want?

What I enjoyed most was the absence of tropes. We didn't see the virgin with slutty friends, the experienced bad boy, the insta-love that blossoms after their one time sex, or any other that comes to mind. They were fresh characters with a great balance between funny and sarcastic, confidence and vulnerability. And the complete absence of petty melodrama made me fall hard!

Now, I know this has quite an abundant amount of mixed reviews but I freaking loved this to pieces. It goes from flashbacks to present time and we see who they start out as and who they end up being. The flashbacks might be off putting for some but they worked perfectly for me

[Rachel Maniacup · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's surprisingly a disappointment to me..didn't know where and how to start my review because honestly,I got exhausted reading this! Having read Henz's lovely review made me think that this one's a feel-good read but,turned out..my friend's review is better than this novel.

I wanted to like this book,because my friend liked it..and because I thought this is a story of good friends turned to lovers..but really?! Where's the romance in here?

So the story went like this..a young woman,named Jocelyn(Joss)who has recently been dumped by her boyfriend,tried to find a guy who wants to sleep with her in order to forget her jerk boyfriend and to make herself better.

Here came Matt then,Joss' friend and offered her to be her "Sorbet Sex"partner(their sort of contract/arrangement)where,each time one of them breaks up with their current bf/gf,they would comfort each other by engaging to sexual intercourse just to clean their palates from their exes?! Oh,wow! What a way to comfort a friend! So,yes..they kept going and going like this for almost 8 years!! My God! Just imagine how many times they've "comforted" each other,not to mention the times they "did" it with their too many exes!

See now why this didn't work for me? One more thing I didn't like here was the past/present narrative shift..it was a little confusing and boring,when I only wanted to know was the "now"..so for the first time in my serious reading,I did the thing that I hated to do..I did skimmed some chapters and it made me feel bad..

The only reason why I'm giving this 2 star rating,instead of 1 is because the author somehow,made an effort to make the last part a bit swoony. So,to those who haven't read this yet..if you're on to so much ***then,you can try this..But this is certainly not for me..so,sorry HENZY!and thanks!^^

[Dee Montoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

****4 Refreshing Stars****

(Arc kindly provided by Netgalley)




What a lovely book this was, I always enjoy a best friends turn lovers story and this was was sweet, likable and very well written.

Joss met Matt on her first semester of college, they hit it off on that first night and he even tried to kiss her, but Joss was dating her high school boyfriend and was very much in love with the boy from back home, so she turned Matt down. College is in full swing and so is the friendship between these two kids who have a lot in common; their banter is witty and Matt and Joss always have a great time together. Joss is very excited because her boyfriend Ben is coming to visit her but the encounter turns sour after he brakes the news to her that he's met another girl and wants to brake up, heartbroken Joss decides the best way to get over her first love is to go have meaningless sex with a stranger. The plan fails but when she shares her thoughts with Matt he understands her reasoning and comes up with a plan called : Sorbet Sex. Whenever any of them brakes up with someone, they will turn to each other for a night of sex between friends. the idea is to get the bad taste of the failed relationship out of their system through sex, spooning and the always fun walk of shame. They make up a list of rules to ensure that their friendship won't suffer by the weirdness sometimes follows a night of sex. Joss and Matt are very compatible and they care for each other tremendously so as the years go by they go from brake-up to break-up knowing that in the end they will always have each other. The question is, why instead of always searching and going through an endless string of dead-end relationships, don't they try to be together????

This book was not only sweet but super fun, I had a good laugh reading about all the different dating debacles these two kept going through. I also loved the banter and the sense of humor between the characters. The story was so well written and all the characters, even the secondary ones and the pet cat were awesome. My only complain was that I would have liked the author to include an epilogue because I seriously couldn't get enough of this story, I read all it in one day. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and fun romantic read...

My When Joss Met MattPlaylist:
*My Best Friend by Tim McGraw
*You Don't Know Me by Harry Connick Jr.
*Dreaming with a Broken Heart By John Mayer
* Fireproof by One Direction

[aimee (aimeecanread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right of the bat, I'm going to tell you guys that this book won't be for everybody. The two main characters have a best friends with benefits relationship, and a few readers might not be comfortable with that.

Now that I got that off my chest, I'll tell you why I personally thought that this was a fabulous read.

1. There's some sassy and hilarious dialogue. Like I've mentioned before, Ellie Cahill (better known as young adult author Liz Czukas), writes spot-on when it comes to humor. She writes such naturally funny banter between the characters in this book, and I was pretty much grinning my way through every page.

2. Although I'm not yet in college, I think that this book portrayed college life realistically. (But again, I'm just basing this off what my parents tell me.) Joss and Matt go through some tough, weird and pretty creepy relationships with other people. This may have bothered me just a bit, but mostly I was entertained by what odd situations these two have gotten into with their exes.

3. Both Joss and Matt are very flawed. Both of them made some stupid mistakes, but they learned from those and tried to fix them... sometimes. Still, you have to admit that most of us are this way, right? We make mistakes and sometimes we just don't bother trying to fix them.

4. I loved how we got to see Joss and Matt's relationship progress. This book is actually told in alternating chapters, ranging from when they first meet to their current situation. It was absolutely lovely seeing how they turned into friends and how their friendship bloomed into something more. It gave them a lot more chemistry, which is definitely something I look for (and mostly don't find) in new adult books.

Overall, I'd still say that I totally recommend this to fans of light, fun and cute reads who are looking for realistic portrayal of teen romance.

3.5 stars!

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/24/15: Now Available!

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

4 Stars!

I think that this is the first friends with benefits story that I have read even though I have seen quite a few movies based on that theme. I will admit that I had a pretty good guess about where this story was going to go when I started because I have watched enough of those movies to figure a few things out. Despite the fact that some parts of the book could be considered predictable, I loved the journey. It was so easy to just forget about everything else going on in my life and enjoy this story.

Joss, or Jocelyn, meets Matt at a dorm party as a college freshman. There is a spark between the pair right away but Joss has a boyfriend and Matt respects that because he is honestly a nice guy. Joss and Matt have a class together and become friends. When Joss is dumped by her boyfriends, she looks for a physical encounter with someone just so that her ex-boyfriend will not be the last person she had in her bed. Joss and Matt soon come to an agreement. They will be there for each other when needed to help cleanse each other's palates after a bad breakup. They enter into an agreement for sorbet sex with a few rules laid out and it seems to work for both of them.

This story is told from Joss's point of few and while at times I would have liked to know what Matt was thinking, I think that the single point of view was really the best choice for this story. The story is told from different points in time - some set in the present with others over the seven year course of their arrangement. I loved that this story took place over such an extended period of time. We really get to see each of the characters grow during the course of the story. I think that if they had started dating as college freshman there is no way their relationship would have been as likely to work in the end.

The writing in this book quickly pulled me into the story and I really had a hard time putting this book down. I loved Joss and Matt. I loved that even though we saw them doing some really stupid things during the time period that the book covers, they always treat each other well. There was never a moment where I thought either one was taking advantage of the other. I loved the fact that their friendship was so important that they protected it and were always there when needed.

I had a pretty good idea where the book was headed before I read the first paragraph. I was so happy to see both of them so happy and loved the way that it happened. I really don't care that it was a bit predictable. Most books are in one way or another. There were a few things that happened in the story that I wasn't a fan of but those things did not stop my enjoyment of the story.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This is the first book by Ellie Cahill that I have had a chance to read but I plan to keep my open for more in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been torn about the rating. 2 stars? 3? The actual rating is 2.5 stars, but I'm going with 3.

The story begins in the present; Joss is going over to Matt's house to have dinner with him. She believes she has finally gathered up some courage to tell him that she wants more from their relationship. So we're brought back to the moment they met..
When Joss met Matt, she had a boyfriend, Ben, so they ended up just friends. After breaking up with her jerk boyfriend Ben, Joss wanted to hook up with a random guy because she just wanted to forget about Ben. That's when Matt comes up with the idea of "sorbet sex".
Sorbet sex is a way to "refresh" your palate after a long relationship. But will it work? Will they be able to be just friends again?

I didn't connect with this story, I didn't like either Matt or Joss and I didn't feel the connection between them. I really liked their friendship and I believe they were better off as friends instead of a couple.

The story was mostly set in the past and this bummed me a lot; whenever I thought we were going to know more about a particular event (the dinner) in the present, we were brought back to the past.

I lost track of all the relationships the two of them had with different partners, and I had no interest in reading about all of them.

I only enjoyed the last 20% of the book and that's what made me upgrade my rating a little.

I had a couple of issues that didn't let me enjoy this book, but this doesn't mean that everyone will feel the same. With that being said, if you don't have a problem with the situations I listed above, you may end up really enjoying this friends to lovers story!

Br with my dear friend Patty ! Patty's review

Arc kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Henz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of you guys know that I was doing a readathon about the friends-with-benefits thingy … reading When Joss met Matt was in a way unique because it’s a whole different twist to the whole Friends-with-benefits concept. Joss and Matt called it Sorbet sex , like sorbet when you’re eating this course it’s supposed to cleanse your palate. Same as to this Sorbet sex they’re doing. The two of them do it every after they break up with a partner. It’s sort of a moving on sex to get the previous lover out of their systems.

I like the idea of Sorbet sex very much!


Seriously stop .... hahaha

And it’s funny because the two of them stretched the rules for so long that it got complicated and for those of you who are asking if there’s a lot of sex in here? Well the answer is YES!!! buuuuuuut it’s a clean romance, you won’t feel weird or grossed out because it’s the PG 13 kind of sex we’re talking about here… not that hot but I wouldn’t like it any other way. There’s no insta-love, they sort of took years to figure things out, there’s no assholes here .. Wait I think there’s one, oh well at least not a lot of them.

Although I like this book I still felt the story had dragged on for so long because of the alternating flashbacks and present moment. I know that the book needs to go into these details but it just felt too long to get to the point, some of those in between stories can be taken away if you ask me but again I still like this book .. My fave part was the classic “make-out in the elevator” there’s a twist behind it …

Will recommend this to those who craves … ahahahahahaha

[Linda ❤️ Sassy, Classy && a Little Bit of Nasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 Adorable Stars*







This is a story about a couple of college-mates who become best friends. Joss Meets Matt during Freshman year in college. The two hit it off and we're taken on this... different roller coaster. The two are obviously attracted to each other from the jump, but Joss has a boyfriend back home. She loves him, and he loves her. So friend-zone it is.

When said boyfriend comes to visit, they spend the weekend screwing each other's brains out. But of course, with visits comes departures. While boyfriend is packing, he remembers what he went to visit her for. Oh, by the way, I've been cheating on you, she's also my girlfriend (as well, if you must) and um, now she's my only girlfriend. Bye. Ok, it didn't happen exactly like that word for word, but remove a few words and it might as well have.

So now, Joss is single and in a funk. Her perfect solution is get over one man by getting under another. Which was a miserable fail because the contestant she chose couldn't even play, because he was so drunk. Which turned out to be a good thing! But fear not, her best friend has the perfect fool-proof solution. Sorbet Sex.

Sorbet sex is cleaning your pallet from your last mistake sex.

They explore the sorbet sex whenever their other relations/relationships don't work out.



There were so many rules that applied to their sorbet sex it was making my head spin. But the rules were just added on as they went, so to me, there weren't really any merit to it.

I get it was kind of going for the whole friends with benefits theme, but I almost felt like it was more of an open relationship kind of thing. They slept with each other, quite often actually, then they went on about their business pursuing new relations with new people. Wash, rinse, repeat. Overall the story was sweet. Not a five-star read, but I did enjoy it.

[Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 "Sorbet Sex" Stars



Can you keep having sex with a friend with no strings attached?

Joss and Matt met during freshman year of college. After Joss dumped her son-of-a-bitch of a boyfriend her and Matt created this solution, Sorbet Sex.

Sorbet sex is cleaning your pallet from your last mistake sex.

They're on and off with it, every time one of them end a relationship they Call the other.

This was a funny, refreshing story. I really enjoyed it. I loved Joss's friend Nellie she was kind of a badass. Overall great story.

"I see you Joss. I see you all the time."

{ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.}

[Nancy❤The❤Bookaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~4.5 SORBET HEARTS~~


ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This book surprisingly kept my interest throughout. I thought this was going to be another same ole’ “friends with benefits” book, but I like that it didn’t have all the drama and it “worked” for Joss and Matt. When Joss finds out her long time boyfriend cheated on her while she is away at college she has one mission in mind...have rebound sex and get him out of her system. When Joss’ attempts at this fails horribly, Matt offers himself as her “sorbet” sex partner when her relationships go wrong and vise versa. Why have a one-night-stand with a complete stranger when you can have “sorbet sex” with a friend minus all of the awkwardness afterwards. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me.



This arrangement starts early freshman year of college and continues way after graduation. Eight years to be exact. Though this isn’t the normal way to have a “friendship” it actually works for them. There was no drama and jealousy. They understood the rules and they followed them. Even though they were written rules and not contractual they have to abide by them right?! As they go into this arrangement blindly, more and more rules get added to the list when they encounter different situations, which I found really funny.



What bothered me a bit was the fact that Joss said Matt is not her “type” and he is too nice of a guy for her to date but yet he’s good enough for her to have sex with??? What’s wrong with that picture?



Just in case you want to engage in sorbet sex. Here are Joss & Matt’s rules.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

One of my favorite author discoveries in 2014 has to be Liz Czukas - I loved Ask Again Later and Top Ten Clues You're Clueless - so when she announced a new adult book under a pen name, it was pretty much at the TOP of my wishlist. When Joss Met Matt is banterfluffy perfection, with plenty of swoony sexiness, which all made for the best refreshingly addictive read.

So When Joss Met Matt is the quintessential friends-with-benefits romance. Joss and Matt meet in college, and after Joss gets dumped by her loser boyfriend, they come up with the idea of sorbet sex. Their theory is that you need a good lay after a break up - but it's best if you know that it's going to be good. Having a one night stand could just fill you with more regret and disappointment if the guy/girl ends up being really creepy. So.. they have no-strings-attached sex! After any time either of them breaks up (so long as the other is single). There's no way this could go wrong! Right?



It's a premise that fills me with glee, to be honest, because even though it's predictable and you know that they're going to end up feeling more for each other and one side might get dumped, their relationship is so awesome. They're such good friends, and their dialogue is 100% banter. They actually make rules - a binding contract - relating to the sorbet sex, one of which being that right after the sex, they have to start teasing each other and giving each other a hard time. I was cracking up all over the place - they're HILARIOUS. And adorable too - cuddling is also mandatory. Say it with me, "AWWWWWWWWWWW!"



But that sex, man. There's a lot of it, and it's plenty hot, because Joss and Matt have a palpable chemistry - but it's not gratuitous either. It's not, say, Cora Carmack-levels of explicit hotness. In fact, young adult readers would do fine with this book - I'd argue that it's more classed as "new adult" because it covers a wide age range, from 18 - 25. It goes through these seven years of Joss and Matt's friends with benefits relationship and nods to different situations and issues that people in this age range face. There's college with parties and roommates, deciding what to major in, coping with new jobs and new cities to live in, going to friends' weddings... As someone who could be considered a new adult, I liked seeing all of these things while simultaneously getting a super adorable, hilarious, hot romance and not having any of the tragedy or heavy issues that are usually featured in this genre.

It is heavy on the romance, though. Both Joss and Matt go through their fair share of relationships and it may seem like their lives revolve around romance. But I could relate to them feeling pressured like they had to be in a relationship and sometimes making some pretty shitty choices. It's realistic. I loved Joss's voice, actually, and her sex positivity was really admirable. I wish I could be as confident as her. But more than anything, what I love is that we got to see both their friendship and their feelings for each other growing over the years. In their adult years they have a standing brunch date every Sunday - I love that kind of thing! They can tell each other ANYTHING, so it took next to no time for me to SHIP IT LIKE BURNING and wanting them to finally take the relationship plunge. But taking that step obviously carries quite some risk when you're SUCH GOOD FRIENDS - best friends even - so I appreciated the realistic hesitance on both sides (albeit asdfjkl; frustrating and that tiny bit cliché).



I also have to take a moment to praise the hell out of the strong female friendships in the book. Nellie and Joss are flipping amazing together. They have almost as much banter between them as Joss and Matt - though there's more emotional heartfelt stuff in between. But seriously, Nellie's so supportive and hilarious at the end. She made me giggle, and I loved how she was just a straight shooter, telling it like it is, and making Joss see sense. ALSO Joss has a cat, Darwin, who is cute and hilariously loves Matt more than Joss. That has to be mentioned, because every detail of this book was just that charming.

Summing Up:

When Joss Met Matt was basically everything I wanted, and it cements Liz Czukas/Ellie Cahill as one of my auto-buy authors for sure. I was completely addicted to this book and just COULD NOT stop reading it. The banter was PERFECTION, and the slowly developing friendship and romance between Joss and Matt just made me melt. The sorbet sex scenes didn't hurt either, though ;) Seriously, this book just filled me with so much happiness and glee that I heartily recommend it to ANY romance fans. And I almost want to pick it back up and start rereading it right now. It's that good.

GIF it to me straight!



Recommended To:

Any romance fans! Even those who would typically shy away from new adult!


*Review copy received for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review.

[Brittany S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial Impressions 12/5/14: IS WAS AMAZING. I LOVED IT. I either want to be friends with Joss & Matt or be Joss & Matt.
CAN'T STOP CAPSLOCKING. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING.
Everything was so perfect and realistic. Yes. Perfect.
All the stars.
This is what new adult should be.
Give me all the Liz Czukas books/Ellie Cahill books and no one gets hurt.

Full review posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 1/19/15: I love Liz Czukas (sorry, I mean Ellie Cahill *wink*) and so I knew I would love When Joss Met Matt but I didn’t realize how MUCH I would love it. Her debut novel, Ask Again Later, totally won me over but WHEN JOSS MET MATT had me totally falling head over heels for these characters, the story, and how much I connected with absolutely everything (and I already have it pre-ordered).

WHEN JOSS MET MATT is everything I want New Adult to be. Always. We first meet the two during Joss’s first years of college and when a good relationship goes bad, she leans more and more on her new friend Matt who also helped her coin the new idea of “sorbet sex” (having sex with someone else after a bad encounter to wipe the slate clean). I’m not shy around sex in books but there are quite a few times in the new adult books that I’ve read that the sex scenes become tawdry and over-the-top and unrealistic, so although there is plenty of sex in WHEN JOSS MET MATT (hey, that is the whole concept of the book…), it never felt silly or awkward to read (well, except when it was supposed to be)!

The characters were fantastic too. I LOVE Joss and have been in her shoes so many times. I just really connected and although I may not have been in the exact same predicaments, everything was just so incredibly relatable no matter what it was. She and Matt are both just totally normal people. No one is over the top sexy or hunky but there’s enough attraction between the two to flirt with that line of best friends vs something more (MY FAV) and see how the two end up.

Books with flashbacks/flashforwards are often “take it or leave it” for me but I loved the back and forth in WHEN JOSS MET MATT. We start to get to know Joss & Matt in college but the story constantly flashes back and forth between their past and their present day (which also made me VERY NERVOUS but in a good way). It takes a great author to really make those scenes fit together plot-wise even though they’re not chronological and I love the way Ellie Cahill handled them.

But really my favorite part was just the overall feel. I loved that it took place in Wisconsin since I’m from Illinois (and one scene in Chicago!) and I felt that Midwestern vibe, which may not be much different than any other setting, but it really helps me connect that much more. Everyone is very down-to-earth and the situations these two ended up in felt like they could happen to me — or HAVE happened to me. The book was funny yet serious, sexy and sweet, and I absolutely love love loved the ending. If you’re not a fan of new adult, PLEASE try this book! I absolutely adored it and it’s one that I think could easily appeal to YA, new adult, and adult fiction lovers alike.

[Jessica Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try really hard to formulate eloquent reviews for really great books. But sometimes I just have to throw all etiquette to the side and just SQUEEEEEEE!!! This book..... oh my, this book... all the feels.... all the yummy. See? Incoherent blabbering. But, how desperately do we hope to be left feeling that way after reading a great book? Just over the moon happy that you found that kind of story? The holy grail of romances? This book is that.

I love the premise behind this story. It's more than just a romance, it's a coming of age story of self-discovery. This author pens an incredibly accurate portrayal of college life, life in dorms, how college life changes and grows from freshman year to graduation. It actually gave me flashbacks, it was so perfectly real. And then it examines how no matter where life takes you, you never outgrow the things, the people, the behaviors that really matter...

Joss has this skewed idea of what true love should look like. Matt seems to enjoy serial dating. He enjoys the company of beautiful college girls, but he's not much of a romantic and he's clearly not looking for commitment. When their respective romantic escapades falter, and it happens often, Joss and Matt use each other for "sorbet sex" to cleanse their sexual palate, erasing the bad memories of bad breakups and providing a clean slate for them to move on to the next. What could possibly go wrong?

It might sound cliche but it is SO SO SO NOT. When Joss Met Matt is like nothing I've read to date!!! It's such a refreshingly original concept wrought with emotion and angst, sensuality and friendship. It defines what I hope to find and feel in every new adult romance. I just loved it!!! Ellie Cahill's writing is clever and smart, the story is addicting. It's angsty and sweet and it hurts in all the best ways. I just loved it... I couldn't put this book down.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Liz Czukas, she does light-hearted and fun in such an amazing way, so when I knew she was releasing a New Adult title, I knew I was going to enjoy it… the only question was how much.

As the title suggests, this is about when Joss met Matt… and their ensuing relationship/friendship from that day forward. Cahill/Czukas tells this story in flashbacks… in current time, Joss is getting ready to head over to Matt’s house and let him know that she can’t continue on in the kind of relationship they have built over the years… she needs and wants more.

Their story begins when Joss and her roommate attend a party at Matt’s and despite an awkward almost kiss, Joss explains she has a long-distance boyfriend and that is that. They go the route of friendship instead.

But the long-distance boyfriend turns out to be a ginormous douche and Matt offers up a suggestion. Sorbet sex… she needs some relationship palette cleansing and he’s willing to be there to help her out with it. After it happens, they decide that this is something that could work and an agreement is formed and rules are put in place. They will never sleep with each other unless a breakup happens and they have to always part as friends. As the years pass and relationships happen, the rules adjust and change … as do their feelings.

The catch here is that Joss is convinced that she never had feelings other than friendship for Matt, so that made this relationship easy… but suddenly it’s not easy, and as they get older and their relationships and wants evolve, Joss is afraid that what she wants, isn’t exactly what Matt wants.

Like I said, Cahill/Czukas does an amazing job of writing a fun story and this is exactly that. She manages to dive into the NA genre with a wonderful story that is missing the typical over dramatic storylines that so many resort to… and I love it.

I couldn’t help but find myself laughing at some of the dating hi-jinks that happen in this story, and I loved the evolution of Matt & Joss’s relationship… being able to witness the small moments that really solidified their friendship was wonderful. And the characters themselves were incredibly relatable and likable and I love that Liz chose to set this in Wisconsin! (Wisconsin needs more love!)

Czukas does amazing banter and friendship and When Joss Met Matt is filled with both! Watching these two fumble through relationships was so much fun, even when it wasn’t meant to be, because you knew that they’d find each other when it was necessary.

One other thing that really stood out to me in this story was that while it’s ultimately about sex and all the tangled webs that weaves, it wasn’t filled with sex. I mean there is sex obviously, but nothing over the top or overly descriptive and ultimately the point wasn’t that it was about sex. Instead it’s about these characters who just happen to be having it on occasion and how that impacts their feelings and lives.

I, for one, and super happy that Czukas has jumped into the NA genre and I’m definitely looking forward to whatever she has next on the horizon!

Thank you so much to Netgalley & the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

[Jasprit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t had the best of luck with NA books, so I’ve always been a little wary when going into an NA read, however with the steady trickle of praising reviews for when Joss met Matt and the fact that it was written by Liz Czukas, an author whose debut I adored, I went into this book with some hope that I would finally have an NA read which I would adore and I’m glad that this was the case.

Joss had been in a long term relationship with her boyfriend Ben, but when he dumps her saying he has met somebody else, Joss just needs someone to make the pain go away and that’s where Matt comes in. It sort of casually just happens where they come to an arrangement to have a sorbet sex, to sort of cleanse their palate after their last relationship which goes wrong. I could see the appeal of having a back up guy like Matt to fall back on; he was funny, handsome and knew the right things to say when you had come out of a bad relationship. I loved how Czukas gave us the story of Matt and Joss’s relationship, with the story flipping back and forth to when Matt and Joss first met and to the present day. The flips to the past weren’t random at all but in a chronological order, so giving you all their insights into all the relationships Matt and Joss had to experience to what they were doing now. To be honest I don’t think Matt and Joss’ arrangement would last that long, Matt and Joss found themselves in a lot of relationships and some did seem as if they had the potential to be a long term (I was especially heartbroken for Matt, when his relationship with Megan didn’t work out, honestly who wouldn’t want to be with Matt?). But at the time I was kind of happy when their relationship with other people didn’t work out. Okay Joss and Matt fell into their routine with each other really easily, I guess because they had been with each other for such a long time, they were comfortable around one another, but with the more time they spent around one another, it was obvious that they had something special going on,, more than what the other relationships they had been having had to offer.

At first I just wanted to gulp down everything Czukas had to offer from Matt and Joss’s past in one go, I didn’t want to be with them in the present for now. I loved seeing their relationship develop and seeing how they were always there for each another through some of the dodgiest relationships. But then as things started getting more serious, I was dying to be in the present with Matt and Joss, I needed to know what would eventually happen between them, also the serious tone of Matt in the present scenes did have me super nervous that things wouldn’t work out the way that I was hoping them to. I’m not actually going to say how things actually turn out for Matt and Joss, but their story is one you don’t want to miss out on.

When Joss met Matt has a sort of restored the faith that I had lost in NA reads, it has definitely made me want to reconsider some NA books and to not to put them all in one typical bracket as I have come to experience. As When Joss met Matt is not your typical NA read; it’s a fun, flirty read which explores a great relationship between two really funny (not broken *first pump*) characters. Joss is an amazing character which I had no problem relating to, she wasn’t you typically damaged character who needed someone to build her confidence. She was quite a confident girl, saying what she felt needed to be said when necessary and although she went through some crappy relationships, she was still willing to get out there (with some encouragement from some great friends, Nellie her friend was awesome in being honest with Joss and telling her how it should be). And Matt where do I even begin with this guy? He was a character any girl would have a hard time resisting, but also he was a great guy, the guy that Joss really needed around.

Overall When Joss met Matt is one of the best NA books I have read in a long time, if you like me have been burned by the NA genre definitely give this book a go. It will leave you with a big dopey grin on your face and warm fuzzies; it’s definitely a book that you won’t regret giving a go.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - "This has bad plan written all over it." Stars!

This is my first book from Ellie Cahill, and I enjoyed every second of it. It reminded me of a good old Rom-Com film, and whilst reading it, that's how Joss and Matt's story played through my head, this book would really transfer to the medium of film with ease. Its one of those books that is like a warm hug on a cold day.

"This must be why angels and devils don't mix."

The story spans seven years, formative years, from college to adulthood, and how a friendship can evolve and develop over that time, the one constant being the inclusion of 'Sorbet Sex'. Joss and Matt are there for each other at pretty much every pivotal moment of the others lives, happy, sad, love and loss. The sex and the parameters of their relationship deviates from the original set of rules they agreed upon whilst in College, as they get older. Understandably, as the issues they experience in life change as they branch out and move on.



The cast is plentiful, the story well paced and I liked that it moved from the now, back to the past with great ease. It was seamless, easy to keep up with and getting to look at those seven years and what had transpired between them really worked beautifully in relation to the conclusions that the story is inevitably moving towards.

If you are looking for something to dip into, or just curl up with, When Joss Met Matt will certainly offer you a well written, easy-going read. The writing style that Ellie Cahill offers really does pull you into the characters and their feelings. Low on drama, high on entertainment, and an absolute pleasure to read.

"Thanks for being here."

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

[Marla Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate that the two main mcs dated different people over the course of several years and didn't realize their love for one another until the end even though they've been boinking each other for 7 years already. i don't know. maybe it's just me. i for one wouldn't boink someone i'm not even slightly interested in. and joss kept on saying matt isnt her type so yeah. why? i love you liz czukas but maybe i'd just rather read your YA books. I STILL LOVE YOU THOUGH xoxo

3 stars because i love Liz Czukas. (I obviously cannot be trusted with ratings.)

[Gaia V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letto in un pomeriggio....
Davvero davvero carino!!!!!
Inizialmente leggendo la trama "sapeva di cosa già letta" e invece devo dire che mi ha piacevolmente sorpresa...

[Andi (Andi's ABCs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I have been finding myself more into some New Adult books. In the past I found some of them a little too cliche and hard to get into. But there are some that I have loved so I didn’t throw in the towel yet. So when I heard that Liz Czukas (Ask Again Later and Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless) wrote a NA book under a pen name I was there. And when I read what When Joss Met Matt was about I was even more there. And when I finally read it? Even happier I didn’t throw in the towel. Basically this book was pretty awesome and exactly my kind of read.

When Joss Met Matt is about Joss and Matt, two that met their freshman year of college and have been best friends ever since. Things between them start out 100% platonic as Joss has a boyfriend. But when her and her high school boyfriend break up Joss and Matt become a little more than friends. They become each other’s pallet cleanse, sorbet sex partners. And for the last 7 years it has worked. When one of the. Breaks up with someone and the other is single they are their for each other to help the other start off fresh. But as most friends with benefits situations do, Joss starts to develop feelings for Matt that go beyond what they have spent years trying to build.

It’s hard to pinpoint what I loved best about When Joss Met Matt. The characterization of both Matt and Joss was spot on. The setting was fun as it was a mix of YA, NA, and some adult. And the plot was fantastic as I’m a sucker for ‘friends to maybe more’ stories. I loved the relationship between Joss and Matt a lot too. It was complicated, but it worked for them for the most part. And it was nice that they were there for one another even when things were hard. I mean some of the emotional parts had me tearing up but in the best of ways. And I also liked that this was not a cheating book. That was refreshing as sometimes the friendship to love books are cheating in some way.

I do have to wonder what the book would have been like if it was a dual point of view story. It was told solely from Joss’s POV which worked and was fine, but I found myself wondering what was in Matt’s head a lot of the time. We got to see since he was pretty honest with Joss, but I couldn’t help but let my mind go there and want to see what he felt and what he was thinking.

Even with that small, minor thought I had, I really loved this book. It was fun and entertaining and a quick read. You easily get sucked into the story and invested. And you need to know how it will all turn out. Both Joss and Matt were very likable and easy to connect with. I will say one thing about When Joss Met Matt, it made me want to go on dates and to never date again. ;-) A definite pick up and read.

[Frency camminando tra le pagine · Rating 4 out of 5]

RECENSIONE COMPLETA SUL BLOG
http://camminando-tra-le-pagine.blogs...

3,5 stelline.

Ho avuto il piacere di leggere in anteprima questo romanzo ed è stata davvero una piacevolissima sorpresa.
Una storia leggera, frizzante e divertentissima. Un romanzo d’evasione che è proprio l’ideale per queste afose giornate estive (o meglio, giornate che dovrebbero essere afose. Il tempo dalle mie parti fa schifo).

Dopo libri intensi, carichi di emozioni avevo proprio bisogno di una lettura spensierata. Di un romanzo che non fosse impegnativo e che non avesse alcun genere di dramma tra le sue pagine – per quanto ami le storie con drammi e strappalacrime ogni tanto sento il bisogno di evadere leggermente, e di leggere qualcosa che sappia distrarmi e che non abbia le brutture classiche della vita quotidiana. E questo romanzo, ragazzi, centra proprio il suo obiettivo. Un romanzo che sa distrarre e divertire raccontando una storia di puro svago.

“Regole d’amore per amici confusi” ci narra la storia di Joss e Matt, tramite il sapiente intreccio di passato e presente e ci lascia una visione completa di come evolve nel tempo il rapporto dei due protagonisti.

Quando la narrazione è al passato ci viene raccontato come i due protagonisti iniziano il loro rapporto e come nasce la loro amicizia particolare – un amicizia con benefici (o per dirla in modo più volgare Matte Joss sono trobamici).
Sono entrambi al primo anno di college, sono due matricole spaesate alle prese con le prime lezioni e con le innumerevoli feste che ogni sera occupano i corridoi del dormitorio.
Joss è fidanzata da tempo quando arriva al college, ma quando il suo storico ragazzo la lascia senza preavviso, la delusione le lascia un forte amaro in bocca, e tutto quello che vuole è dimenticarlo al più presto; ed è prontissima a salire il sella e vivere a pieno l’esperienza di vita collegiale – comprese esperienza da una notte con ragazzi ubriachi. Ma quando è pronta per lasciarsi andare alla sua prima esperienza da una botta e via, le cose non vanno esattamente come si era immaginata, in quanto, il suo “accompagnatore” troppo ubriaco si addormenta prima di iniziare. Joss capisce che quel genere di cose non fanno per lei e quello di cui ha bisogno è un ragazzo sorbetto, con cui fare dello splendido sesso sorbetto... CONTINUA SUL BLOG http://camminando-tra-le-pagine.blogs...

[Lisa (lifeinlit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was jointly reviewed by myself and my co-blogger, Becca!

THE STORY:
Lisa: If I wasn’t intrigued enough with this friends-with-benefits story line, as soon as I found out this was Liz Czukas writing under the pen name of Ellie Cahill I grabbed this without another thought. I read Liz’s prior two books, Ask Again Later and Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless, which were both completely adorable and had story lines that flowed beautiful and without pause. I was beyond eager to see how she would approach writing her first new adult book. And guys… it was so good! It had Liz’s fun and free-spirited writing, mixed with the romance and feels you would expect in any new adult romance novel.

You have to take responsibility for your own happiness.

This is one of my very favorite types of romances. Any relationship that starts off as friends adds a whole new level of awesomeness, in my opinion. Joss and Matt meet at a party at college, and immediately they hit it off. Not on an emotional or physical level at first, just simply as friends. Matt is so sweet, and Joss is so welcoming, and the two make a great BFF team. Joss soon gets dumped by her boyfriend, who has already moved on to another girl, and she’s left lonely and heartbroken. Looking for any way to heal her broken heart, she sets off to find a one-night-stand guy. When that doesn’t go so hot, she ends up chatting with Matt and admitting to her problems.

“Why did you want to sleep with him anyway?”
“It wasn’t him! I just… I just wanted to… I don’t know.”
“Get your boyfriend out of your system?”
“Yeah.” I felt deflated, hearing it out loud like that. “I didn’t want him to be the last person I slept with anymore.”
“Like sorbet.”
I must have looked confused because he elaborated. “You know, at a fancy restaurant, you get sorbet between courses. To cleanse your palate.”
“That’s exactly it!” I slapped this thing with both hands. He laughed. “I need to ‘cleanse my palate’.” I made finger quotes. “Sorbet Sex.”

So that’s how they come up with an idea of Sorbet Sex, which is a friends-with-benefits type arrangement. The adorable Liz Czukas twist to this… there’s a list of rules! (Wouldn’t be a Czukas book without lists!!! :D) The rules are the most fun part to this arrangement, in my opinion, and kept me giggling every time a new rule was added. But wait… there’s more. This story wouldn’t be complete without FEELINGS to mix up this arrangement and have Joss questioning whether it’s worth it.

Becca: This was actually my first Liza Czukas/Ellie Cahill book but it was one of the ARC’s that I was the most excited for! Because of the concept and Lisa’s love for this Author. This book was sweet and fun and I loved the change of the typical “friends with benefits” scenario by adding the sorbet sex. The term and list of rules had me giggling throughout the book! I absolutely loved the writing style and the flow of the book was great! We start off with Joss and Matt in present time and then as we read Joss has flashbacks from when they first met and became friends all the way until the present time. I really liked learning about their personalities and friendship this way.

THE CHARACTERS:
Becca: I had so much fun with these characters! One thing that amazed me was how Cahill easily transitioned from past to present and was able to maintain the appropriate maturity levels. The Joss and Matt that we meet at the beginning of college were completely different from the adults we see in the present. I loved both versions of them and watching them grow into adults. Joss was a bit immature at the beginning of college, silly, naive and a bit idealistic. But she was such a refreshing and light character. I felt that she kept that silliness and idealism through to the end. Matt was just a sweet guy, the classic “good guy” and probably a typical friend zone type of guy. But there was so much more to him, he was witty, funny and adorable too! The friendship between these two had me wishing that I had a best guy friend throughout college! They were just always there for each other and had a shoulder to cry on… even when it crossed the lines to their more than friends “sorbet sex.”

Love was truly knowing someone, truly knowing him, and still wanting to be with him. Love was caring so much about another person that you willingly put his needs before your own. Love was sharing passion, history, trust. All of that, plus a fearless belief that life is better with your love than without. That everything that comes next will be made easier, happier, richer by his inclusion.

Lisa: I have to agree with Becca 100%! She said it all. :) The flipping back between past and present while maintaining the appropriate personality and maturity of each character was perfect! I personally really enjoyed the flipping between past and present. The majority of the story is told in the past, yet it flips back to present to basically tie in a small portion of the story, then back to past. It was really neat the way it was done, and very entertaining. I also loved to watch them each grow and change as the years progressed. They were such good friends, yet had this little Sorbet Sex addition that added a little wrinkle to any otherwise perfect friendship. I loved not knowing how this story was going to end, where these two were going in their friendship and in their lives. And no, I’m NOT going to tell you what happens, so don’t worry. ;)


OVERALL:
Lisa: I really didn’t know what to expect going into this story. When you adore an author writing in a certain genre, it’s always a bit nerve-wracking starting something new and different from them. At least for me. But man, I’m so happy to say this was exactly what I had hoped for. I’m so excited to see that an author I truly enjoy has even more in store for my reading pleasure. :)

Becca: Like Lisa, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. I was pleasantly surprised and ended up really enjoying it! I have not red anything else by Cahil/Czukas but I am definitely going to now! This was a very unique and fun NA contemporary and a such pleasure to read!

(Thanks to Ballantine Books for the review copy!)

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