I actually enjoyed Just a Girl a lot more than I expected, which is always a nice surprise. This was a nicely written New Adult Romance that was wonderfully steamy and expectedly swoonworthy, but also managed to offer some depth.

This wasn’t entirely a fluff piece. The story had its fair share of angst and struggle. We have a great protagonist who lost her band, her boyfriend, and her dream all in one swoop, and in the aftermath of her losses, her fears began to outweigh her passion for singing and music. By the end of the day, however, Presley was a strong-willed female lead who was determined to be more than a pretty girl with a pleasing voice. She had a clear vision of the sort of artist she wanted to be, and she never strayed from that. We also have an equally compelling love interest, Paul, who suffered from anxiety and panic attacks, which resulted in him depending on medicinal marijuana and drugs to keep his nerves in check before performing on stage.

One of the things I liked the most about Just a Girl was its honest, painfully realistic portrayal of substance abuse and addiction. It emphasized on the necessity of seeking the right help, instead of feeding readers an idealistic scenario where one character ‘saves’ another character from themselves.

This was quick to read and easy to follow. I finished Just a Girl in one sitting. Ultimately, however, I wasn’t very emotionally invested in anything, and I think, in the long run, Just a Girl won’t be a story I’ll be able to vividly remember.

Quick disclosure: I received a digital copy of Just a Girl from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.