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Just Friends #1
Just Friends
August and Ethan have been best friends since the day they met at Ethan's seventh birthday party. And now, twelve years on, their friendship continues to grow. But after magic, fame, money and an unexplainable miracle in a car accident, August realises maybe she wants to be more than just friends.
292 pages, Paperback
Published March 11, 2016
602 people are currently reading
9703 people want to read
About the author
Billy Taylor
42 books204 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 542 reviews
June 4, 2016
Okay. So, not gonna lie, I was expecting a bit more from this book. It's a pretty big deal on Twitter, and the little excerpt from Twitter? It's in the second to last chapter soooo. The plot itself was very cliche, although I was expecting it so it didn't bother me. The flow of the story was quite choppy at times, and the events that happened were far-fetched, for happening to two people in such a short amount of time, which made the story seem immature, almost like a story you would dream up. With all that negativity being said, the ending was BEYOND ADORABLE. The ending was so cute it was almost worth reading the rest of the book.
July 24, 2016
Very disappointed with this book. After noticing a lot of people talk about this book on social media I decided to purchase it for my summer holiday. I was expecting it to be a light book that would be easy to read and relax with, however it was actually incredibly difficult to read as the grammar and wording was awful, consequently I found it hard to concentrate on the actual storyline. Moving onto the storyline I found it predictable and uninteresting. Overall a very tedious book to read, I was glad when it was over. Personally I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are absolutely desperate.
September 11, 2016
well this was bad
May 15, 2016
Good story, but grammar problems. It can be very distracting at times.
February 7, 2017
Just Friends by Billy Taylor follows the story of August Bishop and Ethan Knight, who have been inseparable best friends since Ethan's seventh birthday. But when Ethan saves her life in a car crash, she begins to wonder if maybe they could be more than just friends. They go through a lot but they always come back to each other.
At first I didn’t know what to expect, I kept hearing/seeing quotes and pictures on Twitter, about this book and new author, so I took a chance and ordered it, because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.......
~Read more on my Blog~
At first I didn’t know what to expect, I kept hearing/seeing quotes and pictures on Twitter, about this book and new author, so I took a chance and ordered it, because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.......
~Read more on my Blog~
June 12, 2021
Just friends, I thought it'd be an okay read if not amazing as it is a huge hit on social media but all my expectations died down quickly which mind you weren't that high to begin with like I said that I was expecting it to be just okay.
August was of course clumsy and I found her to very materialistic and money hungry like she couldn't think beyond all those presents and apartment and all. Ethan's character was okay and I would and could have liked it more had there been much of an explanation to his magic and also how exactly he won all that money. I know there was a sort of explanation which didn't make any sense.
Other characters were just there adding to the story which isn't bad but there wasn't much of a story to add to. I didn't find a single character strong enough for me to like the book. Normally if the story is bad but there are some strong characters in the story I'm all for it. But this was a very disappointing read for me all around.
Not to mention the words, dear and sat were thrown in every second sentence and the grammar mistakes, there are so many of them in the book. Some sentences didn't even make sense but that's pretty much the whole book.
1 star
August was of course clumsy and I found her to very materialistic and money hungry like she couldn't think beyond all those presents and apartment and all. Ethan's character was okay and I would and could have liked it more had there been much of an explanation to his magic and also how exactly he won all that money. I know there was a sort of explanation which didn't make any sense.
Other characters were just there adding to the story which isn't bad but there wasn't much of a story to add to. I didn't find a single character strong enough for me to like the book. Normally if the story is bad but there are some strong characters in the story I'm all for it. But this was a very disappointing read for me all around.
Not to mention the words, dear and sat were thrown in every second sentence and the grammar mistakes, there are so many of them in the book. Some sentences didn't even make sense but that's pretty much the whole book.
1 star
February 18, 2017
For the amount of publicity this book got, it's utter crap. I can't believe the number of times I saw it on my twitter feed! How could anyone like this enough to recommend it?!
Aside from the fact that it was apparently never proofread, as it is riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes, the plot wasn't great either.
August was a complete Mary-Sue character, who did not grow/develop in any way throughout the story. The many successes the main characters experience are both unrealistic and do not add anything to the story. Ethan was a bland cardboard cutout of a character. And EVERYONE, without a single exception, loved the two main characters, wished them well, and did everything in their power to help them succeed.
It wasn't the worst book I've read, but it's certainly close. One star because I had such high expectations, only to be extremely disappointed :( I'd probably have had a better reaction if I'd anticipated a mediocre read, but it had been built up so much online that my disappointment was at such jarring odds with my expectations.
Aside from the fact that it was apparently never proofread, as it is riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes, the plot wasn't great either.
August was a complete Mary-Sue character, who did not grow/develop in any way throughout the story. The many successes the main characters experience are both unrealistic and do not add anything to the story. Ethan was a bland cardboard cutout of a character. And EVERYONE, without a single exception, loved the two main characters, wished them well, and did everything in their power to help them succeed.
It wasn't the worst book I've read, but it's certainly close. One star because I had such high expectations, only to be extremely disappointed :( I'd probably have had a better reaction if I'd anticipated a mediocre read, but it had been built up so much online that my disappointment was at such jarring odds with my expectations.
September 22, 2020
Perhaps the worst book I've EVER read.
Really, the only reason I finished reading this book was so you don't have to. I am just a causal reader who loves to read for fun, so I am by no means bashing this book because it isn't "fine literature." I don't sit there an "analyze" my books like I am in an English class.
Just a small list of the terrible aspects of this book: the characters are extremely bland and boring, the main character is idiotic, the plot is dull and uninspiring, the setting isn't fully developed (I didn't realize that they were British till 50 pages in, I was so confused), sloppy writing, the events make no logical sense, etc. I could go on and on.
All in all, I was so appalled by this book because I honestly think that the author (Billy Taylor) thinks that women are idiots. The main character does not have a brain. She was supposed to be 18/19 years old, but her emotions and thought processes were equivalent to an 11 year old girl.
A lot of people are saying they love Ethan Knight. His character is a creep. His whole plot was completely outlandish.
This is why I am so shocked as to how well this book has done. It honestly just seemed like Billy Taylor wrote this book to make a quick buck off the YA genre trend that is happening right now. I'm not making this up, I watched his YT video on the book and from everything he said that seemed to be the case. This book is essentially a mockery of the genre as a whole.
Really, the only reason I finished reading this book was so you don't have to. I am just a causal reader who loves to read for fun, so I am by no means bashing this book because it isn't "fine literature." I don't sit there an "analyze" my books like I am in an English class.
Just a small list of the terrible aspects of this book: the characters are extremely bland and boring, the main character is idiotic, the plot is dull and uninspiring, the setting isn't fully developed (I didn't realize that they were British till 50 pages in, I was so confused), sloppy writing, the events make no logical sense, etc. I could go on and on.
All in all, I was so appalled by this book because I honestly think that the author (Billy Taylor) thinks that women are idiots. The main character does not have a brain. She was supposed to be 18/19 years old, but her emotions and thought processes were equivalent to an 11 year old girl.
A lot of people are saying they love Ethan Knight. His character is a creep. His whole plot was completely outlandish.
This is why I am so shocked as to how well this book has done. It honestly just seemed like Billy Taylor wrote this book to make a quick buck off the YA genre trend that is happening right now. I'm not making this up, I watched his YT video on the book and from everything he said that seemed to be the case. This book is essentially a mockery of the genre as a whole.
February 4, 2017
tbvh i'm usually very generous with my ratings so when you see me giving 1 stars for this book, it is a pretty big deal.
June 12, 2016
THIS WAS SUCH A CUTE LOVE STORY IM A SUCKER FOR ETHAN KNIGHT!! THE GRAMMAR ERRORS ANNOYED ME A LITTLE, BUT OTHERWISE A GREAT STORY. I WISH THIS BOOK WAS MORE POPULAR.
November 20, 2017
Just Friends by Billy Taylor is a thoughtful romance book. It has drama and love. It is kind of an addicting book it keeps you always wanting to know what happens next. I would recommend this to a teenage girl although probably not an adult, because they might find it very cliche and cheesy. The book is about two college kids that have known each other almost all of their lives. It's obvious they're in love, but they won't admit it. Eventually there life takes a turn and isn't the most normal. They both become semi famous. They go through ups and downs together. The ending is so well planned and ties the whole book together.
The book kinda skips around, but it would be super long and annoying if it didn't. I think Billy Taylor did a marvelous job at creating the characters. They really do make the story interesting. The love story is very unique and full of surprises. I saw some people say they didn't like this book, but coming from a teenage girl it was definitely the best book I've ever read. For someone who can stand cheesy love and jokes I 10/10 would recommend the book.
The book kinda skips around, but it would be super long and annoying if it didn't. I think Billy Taylor did a marvelous job at creating the characters. They really do make the story interesting. The love story is very unique and full of surprises. I saw some people say they didn't like this book, but coming from a teenage girl it was definitely the best book I've ever read. For someone who can stand cheesy love and jokes I 10/10 would recommend the book.
February 7, 2017
Clichè. Bad. Poorly written.
October 20, 2016
2.5-3 Stars
This book, something is wrong with it.
I went into this book hoping with all my heart I would love it like many other people..
unfortunately I did not. I was heartbroken since its a 19 year old guy who wrote this! That is amazing! But I had many issues with this book.
First of all the writing. It didn't feel like a 18/19 year old female. She felt 13-15 to me. Maybe its because a guy is writing a females perspective (which I think is really cool) or just cause he writes like that.
There were many grammer mistakes as well, which I don't get considering this book is published.
There was absolutely no flow in this book what so ever. The thoughts weren't blended or merged in anyway which always made me think "what the hell?". Everything was being pushed as well. Literally a phone call would just start and then a second later "Oh wait I got to go now bye!!". This book isn't even that long, so there was absolutely no need to rush with these things. I have a feeling he just wanted to get to the ending as soon as possible, but that isn't a way to be when writing a book.
This book was so predictable too. Maybe it was supposed to be, but still.
The romance was ok, but the Eleanor thing was weird as hell, it was so rushed as mentioned above I couldn't even keep up with it. I felt August and Ethan were a couple already just excluding the fact they aren't sleeping together. They cuddled all the time, kissed each other everywhere except the mouth and just acted like a couple without the sexual stuff.
I'm probably missing some other stuff I want to say, but overall I hope his future books improve. I will give his work another go whenever he releases something since I have some hope for him.
This book, something is wrong with it.
I went into this book hoping with all my heart I would love it like many other people..
unfortunately I did not. I was heartbroken since its a 19 year old guy who wrote this! That is amazing! But I had many issues with this book.
First of all the writing. It didn't feel like a 18/19 year old female. She felt 13-15 to me. Maybe its because a guy is writing a females perspective (which I think is really cool) or just cause he writes like that.
There were many grammer mistakes as well, which I don't get considering this book is published.
There was absolutely no flow in this book what so ever. The thoughts weren't blended or merged in anyway which always made me think "what the hell?". Everything was being pushed as well. Literally a phone call would just start and then a second later "Oh wait I got to go now bye!!". This book isn't even that long, so there was absolutely no need to rush with these things. I have a feeling he just wanted to get to the ending as soon as possible, but that isn't a way to be when writing a book.
This book was so predictable too. Maybe it was supposed to be, but still.
The romance was ok, but the Eleanor thing was weird as hell, it was so rushed as mentioned above I couldn't even keep up with it. I felt August and Ethan were a couple already just excluding the fact they aren't sleeping together. They cuddled all the time, kissed each other everywhere except the mouth and just acted like a couple without the sexual stuff.
I'm probably missing some other stuff I want to say, but overall I hope his future books improve. I will give his work another go whenever he releases something since I have some hope for him.
September 11, 2016
Just Friends kolay okunabilen bir kitap. Konusu ilgi çekici olmasına rağmen sonlarına doğru sıkılmaya başladım. Asıl konunun son sayfalarda gerçekleşmesi, sonuca varması beni biraz sıktı.
Eğer istediğim olay birkaç sayfa daha erken olsaydı biraz daha eğlenceli şeyler okuyabilirdik. Her şeye rağmen gülümsetmeyi başardı. Eğer kitap çevrilirse, okuyanlar tarafından sevilecektir.
Eğer istediğim olay birkaç sayfa daha erken olsaydı biraz daha eğlenceli şeyler okuyabilirdik. Her şeye rağmen gülümsetmeyi başardı. Eğer kitap çevrilirse, okuyanlar tarafından sevilecektir.
December 2, 2017
Hands down, one of the best books I've ever read in my life! I fell in love with it like no other book I've read. It's not your typical love story, but that's just why I loved it so much. It's filled with mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat, hope that will convince you to keep reading till the end, and love that will have you believing in happy ever after, after all. I highly recommend it to anyone who's in need of a good read.
March 9, 2017
In my opinion, this book is amazing! The story line is so perfect and well thought out as it is easy to understand what is taking place throughout the book. One strength I found in this book is that even though I'm not an actress like August is, I can still relate to her. The main thing I can relate to is how her internal thoughts show so much more emotion than what happens outside of her mind in real life. One example of this is when her self- conscious guides her on Patrick's show. I can't find a flaw in this book as the writing style is so descriptive and the story line just flows nicely. Throughout this story the author included many plot twists which led to me reading more and more of this novel. I would definitely consider this book a quick read and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a silly love story to read!
January 6, 2024
I found this in a box of books my mom made me take home last month. I read it in 2015 because I saw it on Tumblr and I think about it a lot because it might be the worst book I’ve ever read lol
March 24, 2017
I bought this book because it was only $3.99 and had good reviews but I was in agony the entire time. I only kept going because I have never NOT finished a book. It was terrible, and not even worth the $4. It seems like the audience is targeted for 9-12 year olds
August 20, 2020
Honestly, the book is horrible.
First of all, the characters are shallow and didn’t develop at all throughout the book.
Secondly, all the characters -and i mean ALL the characters- supported the two main characters and loved them. Which is so stupid and lame.
Thirdly, the plot was messy and soooo slow. Random chapters were filled with literally zero events, and there were a lot of these chapters.
Fourthly, the amount of grammatical mistakes in the book is ridiculous. I mean come on, did you even bother to proofread the book?
Now talking about characters in depth.
August is cringe, predictable, boring, and DUMB. Seriously, she sounds like a 13 yo all the time when she’s 18 and it is ridiculous.
“I love how i can stick my tongue down his throat whenever I wish. It’s fun.”
That is an actual sentence from the book.
I’m not even gonna comment on that.
Also, what’s with the weird and cringe nicknames? Breakfast? Really? Dear? A 19 yo calling an 18 yo dear. Srsly.
this is the worst book I’ve ever read. I finished it because I refused to judge it before finishing it, but honestly? That was a waste of time and money. The lowest rating I’ve given to any book before this one was 3 stars. It is this bad.
AND THERE IS A BOOK 2!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO SUCCESSFUL THE WRITER ACTUALLY DECIDED TO WRITE ANOTHER ONE!!! FFS
If you liked this book I’m sorry to say that you probably never read a good book in your life.
First of all, the characters are shallow and didn’t develop at all throughout the book.
Secondly, all the characters -and i mean ALL the characters- supported the two main characters and loved them. Which is so stupid and lame.
Thirdly, the plot was messy and soooo slow. Random chapters were filled with literally zero events, and there were a lot of these chapters.
Fourthly, the amount of grammatical mistakes in the book is ridiculous. I mean come on, did you even bother to proofread the book?
Now talking about characters in depth.
August is cringe, predictable, boring, and DUMB. Seriously, she sounds like a 13 yo all the time when she’s 18 and it is ridiculous.
“I love how i can stick my tongue down his throat whenever I wish. It’s fun.”
That is an actual sentence from the book.
I’m not even gonna comment on that.
Also, what’s with the weird and cringe nicknames? Breakfast? Really? Dear? A 19 yo calling an 18 yo dear. Srsly.
this is the worst book I’ve ever read. I finished it because I refused to judge it before finishing it, but honestly? That was a waste of time and money. The lowest rating I’ve given to any book before this one was 3 stars. It is this bad.
AND THERE IS A BOOK 2!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO SUCCESSFUL THE WRITER ACTUALLY DECIDED TO WRITE ANOTHER ONE!!! FFS
If you liked this book I’m sorry to say that you probably never read a good book in your life.
March 13, 2017
Ughhhhh Billy. I expected so freaking much. I don't know if it's not my type or I don't like its idea, next to some disturbing grammar mistakes. I don't know. But I am sure if there is another upcoming book, it will be much better.
July 2, 2016
Cute story line. The problem is that the book is poorly written and poorly edited. I felt like I was reading a draft as opposed to a final copy.
December 3, 2016
Unbelievably bad. After all the trouble I went to to get this book I'm really disappointed, I didn't even finish it. It's written terribly.
January 9, 2017
I expected more.. /:
May 16, 2024
predictable and kinda boring 🙆♀️ but the ending was cute though, i got butterflies , mmkan 3ashan 3andi fara8 3atfii bass😂🙆♀️❤️ bas anyways still....cute🦦🥺❤️
February 26, 2018
Personal Response:
I had my ups and downs with this book. I enjoyed the characters and the ending; however, the storyline was not what I had hoped for. It had more of a slow pace than I am normally used to. The writing style was decent, but I did notice quite a few writing errors.
Plot:
August and Ethan have been friends since August moved to the neighborhood when she was young. Both of them grew up together but remained strictly best friends. They were both in college until August got discovered as an actor. She filmed a movie in New York, and Ethan went to see her as much as he could. When Ethan told August that he was dating her co-star, Eleanor, August questioned her feelings about him. She kept thinking they were just friends, Ethan did not like her, and that he is now with someone else. As much as August tried, she could not keep the jealousy out of her mind. It seemed too late for August to express how she felt. When Eleanor and Ethan broke it off, August formed a plan to tell him how she felt.
Characterization:
August: August was a college girl who seemed to have almost everything in her favor. Besides the fact that she is in love with her best friend, she had great things going for her. She landed a huge movie role and is suddenly the next actress to watch. She just needed to figure out how to express her love for Ethan at the right time.
Ethan: Ethan was also in college and had a huge interest in magic. He was always entertaining the peers around him with his tricks. He also got discovered and ended up having his own television show. Ethan was also in love with August but did not know how to tell her.
Setting:
The book took place in both the United Kingdom and the United States. August and Ethan were both from the United Kingdom, but they came to the United States to take the next step in their careers. The location affected the storyline by the way the characters spoke. The sayings the author wrote were different from sayings known in United States. The time period the story took place in was present day. This affected the storyline, because the book showed young teenage love. It showed how love in present day is a lot different than love in the past.
Thematic Connection:
A theme I picked up in this book was: no matter what the outcome ends up being, trying will never fail you. This is presented with the whole concept of August and Ethan’s relationship. Both of them were too afraid to admit to the other on how they felt for each other. Once they both got over that fear, the outcome was greater than they could have imagined.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to females ages 12 and above. The book was not too graphic in detail, yet it is still at a more mature level on the concept of love. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is a sucker for romance novels. The book left you rooting for the couple to get together and strive.
I had my ups and downs with this book. I enjoyed the characters and the ending; however, the storyline was not what I had hoped for. It had more of a slow pace than I am normally used to. The writing style was decent, but I did notice quite a few writing errors.
Plot:
August and Ethan have been friends since August moved to the neighborhood when she was young. Both of them grew up together but remained strictly best friends. They were both in college until August got discovered as an actor. She filmed a movie in New York, and Ethan went to see her as much as he could. When Ethan told August that he was dating her co-star, Eleanor, August questioned her feelings about him. She kept thinking they were just friends, Ethan did not like her, and that he is now with someone else. As much as August tried, she could not keep the jealousy out of her mind. It seemed too late for August to express how she felt. When Eleanor and Ethan broke it off, August formed a plan to tell him how she felt.
Characterization:
August: August was a college girl who seemed to have almost everything in her favor. Besides the fact that she is in love with her best friend, she had great things going for her. She landed a huge movie role and is suddenly the next actress to watch. She just needed to figure out how to express her love for Ethan at the right time.
Ethan: Ethan was also in college and had a huge interest in magic. He was always entertaining the peers around him with his tricks. He also got discovered and ended up having his own television show. Ethan was also in love with August but did not know how to tell her.
Setting:
The book took place in both the United Kingdom and the United States. August and Ethan were both from the United Kingdom, but they came to the United States to take the next step in their careers. The location affected the storyline by the way the characters spoke. The sayings the author wrote were different from sayings known in United States. The time period the story took place in was present day. This affected the storyline, because the book showed young teenage love. It showed how love in present day is a lot different than love in the past.
Thematic Connection:
A theme I picked up in this book was: no matter what the outcome ends up being, trying will never fail you. This is presented with the whole concept of August and Ethan’s relationship. Both of them were too afraid to admit to the other on how they felt for each other. Once they both got over that fear, the outcome was greater than they could have imagined.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to females ages 12 and above. The book was not too graphic in detail, yet it is still at a more mature level on the concept of love. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is a sucker for romance novels. The book left you rooting for the couple to get together and strive.
January 4, 2021
This book was very poorly written. The author tried to fit so many cliche things into one book that it seemed very rushed. The author also didn’t do a very good job in painting a picture of what the charters looked like, my friend and I read this together and realized that we didn’t actually know what the characters looked like. The book was a mess and needed to be slowed down and gone into depth
July 14, 2023
The story is okay, I think I would have liked it more if the writing had been more well done I suppose. Several typos and errors in sentence structure, improper use of different words that kind of took away from the story itself. I describe this as something I might have written in middle school, and I don't think that's necessarily the intention of the book considering the characters are all above 18 and it is her journal. Quick, easy read with a happy ending is never a bad thing in my book, but I wouldn't reach for it again.
January 4, 2021
Probably the worst book i’ve ever read, so much stuff is going on that never gets spoken about again it’s all over the place. I wish the writer took more time to research things and go into more detail of things that happened. maybe have some more character development.
April 16, 2017
I was kind of disappointed in the way this book played out. It was cute and wasn't bad but it was just drawn out and had a lot of unnecessary plot lines.
December 28, 2017
' Life would be so much easier if we had the courage to ask the questions we fear the most. '
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