Why do we love a good beach read? Perhaps it’s the slower pace of a vacation, a quiet afternoon on the porch, or the sound of waves in the background.
Whatever the setting, summer often gives us permission to read for pure enjoyment. We aren’t studying for a class or researching a project. We’re simply spending time with a good story.
That may be why the phrase beach read has become so popular. Despite the name, you don’t need a beach to enjoy one.
A beach read isn’t defined by where you read it or even by its genre. It’s the kind of book that makes you promise yourself “just one more chapter” until you suddenly realize the sun has set.
The best beach reads share a few qualities. They introduce characters you genuinely want to spend time with. They balance humor and heart. They create enough tension to keep the pages turning while leaving room for moments that make you smile, laugh, or occasionally sigh out loud. Most importantly, they remind us that reading can be a joy rather than an obligation.
Theodora Williams’Just Friends fits that description beautifully.
Lulu O’Conner has every reason to swear off romance after being abandoned just days before her wedding. Determined never to put herself in that position again, she’s convinced her heart is officially off-limits. Tanner Baxter sees things very differently. Charming, persistent, and accustomed to getting what he wants, he’s convinced Lulu is worth the effort, even if she insists they remain “just friends.”
Williams brings both characters to life through alternating first-person perspectives, allowing readers to experience the hopes, frustrations, misunderstandings, and undeniable chemistry from both sides of the relationship. Along the way, the novel delivers humor, emotional honesty, and the reminder that love rarely follows the carefully constructed plans we make for ourselves.
There’s something especially fitting about reading Just Friends during the summer. While many people spend their summer vacations traveling or tackling projects around the house, Theodora Williams, who works with junior high students during the school year, spends hers writing the kind of heartfelt romances she has always loved to read. It’s a wonderful reminder that summer isn’t just a season for reading great stories. Sometimes, it’s the season when they’re written.
Midwest Book Review praised Just Friends for its engaging blend of romance, friendship, personal growth, and thoughtful character development, noting that it offers plenty for both beach readers and book clubs to enjoy and discuss.
Whether your perfect reading spot is a beach chair, a hammock, a front porch, or your favorite corner of the couch, summer is a wonderful time to lose yourself in a story that leaves you smiling.
If you’re looking for a romance filled with wit, warmth, memorable characters, and plenty of heart, Just Friends might be exactly the beach read you’ve been hoping to find.
Chapter 1 Lulu
10 months ago
I chew on my thumb nail and clutch the brand new, hot pink blender close to my chest as I pace back and forth, looking down at the mess I made.
It wasn’t supposed to go this way. It was just going to be one. I was only going to open one gift, then stop. On the other hand, I was only going to have one Oreo the other night, and one drink at the party last weekend, and look how that turned out. For an engineer, I’m terrible at math. I can’t be trusted.
Balled-up wrapping paper in muted tones, shiny satin ribbons, and empty boxes now litter my once pristine living room floor. But, in my defense…presents. I mean, they were just sitting there, begging to be opened. Frankly, I should win some type of award for letting them pile up over the weeks without touching them.
On a scale of one through ten, I wonder how mad Seth is going to be with me. He was a five when I lied and told him I knew how to drive a stick, then immediately ruined his transmission. So, going on that logic, I’m going to estimate a solid three.
I know we promised we would wait until after the honeymoon to open them, but he also knows I’m weak. So, it’s kind of his fault we’re in this position. Right? I glance down at the blender in my arm we registered for not too long ago and cringe. That’s another apology I’m going to have to eke out. We registered for a red one, but, boring. While his back was turned, I quickly changed it to hot pink.
Oh well, there’s nothing to be done about it now. In two short days, we’ll be man and wife, and there’s no take backs.
Speak of the devil; the front door opens and slams shut as it tends to do. When Seth takes in the mess I’ve made, I feel like a recovering alcoholic who just got caught with a drink in her hand.
“Don’t worry, babe, I’m doing us a huge solid. Look at all the space I’ve cleared out. Well, once you take all the boxes to recycling, that is. Besides, won’t it be nice to come back from our honeymoon to an apartment that’s all put together?” I throw one of my adorable smiles his way, but instead of laughing, his lips purse in a thin line, his face looking pinched.
“Um, you want me to wrap these back up?”
Seth pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a long breath. “Lulu, we need to talk.”
Yeah, no thanks. Those five little words have never led to anything good.
“Lulu, come sit down.”
“I think I’ll just stay here.”
“Lu? Come on,” he pleads.
I walk slowly across the floor and over to the couch on shaky legs. He’s perched on the armrest and pats the cushion next to him, all while looking like he’s going to be sick. It might be going around, though, because honestly, I feel like I’m about to throw up. He reaches for my hand, but his eyes are downcast.
“Lulu, baby, listen to me.” He clears his throat.
“I never planned for this to happen. You have to believe me. But…I’ve met someone.”
My mouth flaps open and closed, like a fish taking in oxygen, and my smile falters when I see his serious expression hasn’t faded. The blood drains from my face as disbelief settles in.
“Please tell me this isn’t happening, Seth. We’re getting married in two days,” I croak.
“Lulu,” he whispers, “I owe you an explanation.”
Oh God, Seth. Please tell me you’re gay.
“Who is she? He?”
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Really Lulu? He?”
“Seth, I need you to spit it out because I am about to run out of here and pretend this conversation never happened,” I whimper as my stomach bottoms out.
“Lulu, I love you, I really do, but we’ve been together since we were nineteen. I mean, you and I never really got to know, like, other people.”
“Is ‘get to know’ a euphemism for sleeping around? Is that what you’re trying to say?” I cry, my voice coming out shrill and uneven, my mind unable to process his words.
“Listen, Lulu, you’ll thank me for this in the long run, and maybe we can look at this as a time-out of sorts. We may find out that where we are now is exactly where we should be. But, in the future…” He sighs. “I just don’t want us to have any regrets. We need to explore and really get to know ourselves, by ourselves.”
My mind is wandering as black spots start appearing before my eyes. Everything starts to go numb, and I feel myself starting to float. Wait, what? ‘Know ourselves, by ourselves?’ Is he freakin’ kidding me?
“You’re a real wordsmith, Seth. The simplest way to get your point across would be to say, ‘I want to screw my way through Chicago, and if I don’t find anyone better than you, we still may be able to work out our relationship.’ Does that about sum it up?”
“It’s not that crass or cut and dry, Lulu. I just think we need to take a time-out. Find out if this is what we really want.”
“I already know what I want, and that’s to get married this Saturday.” I gulp. “To you!”
This conversation is getting more and more clichéd by the second, and between clenched teeth, I point out that this exploration should have happened years ago. Certainly long before he put a ring on it.
Hysteria starts to bubble up inside me, and I’m on the verge of losing it.
“What do I tell my parents? They’re going to be devastated. You know what? You can tell them yourself.”
Somewhere between yelling and disbelief, I grab my phone and, with shaking hands, call my folks. Dad answers on the third ring, sounding harried, as I put the phone on speaker.
“Go ahead, Seth! Tell him!” I shriek.
“Lulu, what the hell is going on? Why are you screaming?”
If I was in a normal state of mind, the look of horror on Seth’s face would have had me doubled over with laughter, but my current state of mind is far from normal. I’ve just crossed the line from disbelief to pure rage.
“Ah, yeah, hi, Mr. O’Conner,” he sputters as he rubs the back of his neck. “I was just telling Lulu that maybe, um, we should wait a bit on the wedding.” Then, he starts to really babble. “I’ll pay you back and everything…I’m really sorry…my fault…deserves better…” Blah, blah, blah. The silence that follows is deafening.
“Seth.” My dad’s voice is calm. “You need to leave right now. If I so much as catch a glimpse of you when I arrive, I might just kill you. Lulu, honey, your mom and I will be there soon. Hang in there, kid.”
The phone goes dead and Seth turns toward me, wearing a look of resignation. He reaches down to grab his coat, and I can hear him mumbling something about “being sorry and that it’s for the best,” then, the front door slams shut.
I’m all alone.
~Excerpt from Just Friends, by Theodora Williams~