Perfect for fans of Sally Rooney's Normal People and David Nicholls' One Day. Just Between Friends is a seductive read about friendship and love and the inherent messiness that comes with being human.
Ivy King has dropped out of uni, so her best friend since childhood, the infinitely cool Sam, convinces her to put adulthood on pause and join him on an adventure in Thailand. But when they start to think of each other as more than friends, things start to get complicated and each must decide how far they are willing to go to keep the other. Is their friendship strong enough to survive the future?
Stretching over twenty years, this book follows Ivy and Sam and illustrates how love and familiarity follow you through life, for better or worse.
Perfect for fans of Sally Rooney's Normal People and David Nicholls' One Day. Just Between Friends is a seductive read about friendship and love and the inherent messiness that comes with being human.
Ivy King has dropped out of uni, so her best friend since childhood, the infinitely cool Sam, convinces her to put adulthood on pause and join him on an adventure in Thailand. But when they start to think of each other as more than friends, things start to get complicated and each must decide how far they are willing to go to keep the other. Is their friendship strong enough to survive the future?
Stretching over twenty years, this book follows Ivy and Sam and illustrates how love and familiarity follow you through life, for better or worse.
Walking through the revolving doors, Ivy pulled her boarding pass out of her travel wallet with her teeth whilst dragging her mumâs scuffed, blue suitcase behind her. She looked up to see the airport wasnât particularly busy and was relieved since she hadnât grown out of the occasional nightmare where she was trapped in the departure lounge.Â
They wouldnât be back for five weeks, so Ivy had booked some hold luggage as well as the carry-on duffle bag she hooked onto the handle of her case. Sam, of course, only had a backpack slung over his shoulder which Ivy could only assume contained a phone charger, condoms and three t-shirts. He leaned against the metal frame that demonstrated how big your hand luggage should be. With his eyes closed, he waited for her to drop her suitcase at the desk.Â
He wasnât superhuman after all, Ivy thought, looking to her best friend. Sam was one of those friends who you wanted to hate because everything came easy to him, including not having hangovers despite the copious amounts of alcohol he drank, but you couldnât hate him if you knew him. Mainly because he had a self-destructive streak that usually undid all of his good luck, but also because he was so aloof and untouched by anything you just forgot to keep hating him. She, on the other hand, had woken with a splitting hangover this morning that was just beginning to die down.
They had left the bar together at around 3 a.m., not among the last out, but they werenât far off. Neither of them were ready to call it a night yet so the pair kept walking until they reached a large green that was popular with homeless people and weed smokers, which Ivy found ironic as it backed onto the cityâs council building. Ivy sat on the grass while Sam went over to a twenty-four hour Tesco to buy them some drinks. Her head was spinning but she still felt in control of herself.Â
She lifted the case on the conveyor belt and felt an ache as the weight of the case strained against her hand. Greenish bruises were setting in around her knuckles and more pieces of her night started surfacing in her memory.Â
She had been sitting on the green, waiting for Sam to return with their beers when she heard voices to her right and looked up to see a man holding a girl against a wall across from where she sat. At first, she had dismissed it as some drunk couple, but something about the girlâs voice sounded panicked and Ivy was pretty sure she could hear her crying. This guy wasnât her boyfriend. He was forcing himself on her. Before she could register she was doing it, her feet were pounding on the wet concrete floor in time with her hammering heart.Â
He had his back to her, so relying on her instincts, she grabbed his shoulder intending to throw him around, but he barely moved. Thinking quickly, she wrapped her hand around his neck and managed to push him against the wall and punched him square in the face as he turned. Â
She hadnât ever really hit anyone before, except her sister when they were younger, but not like this. It was surprising how much it hurt to be the one who threw the punch, but the light buzz of the alcohol was still there so she knew it was going to hurt more later and she wasnât wrong. Â
âYouâll get no sympathy from me,â Sam said, âthree points for feminism remember?â He tugged at her sleeve, pulling her towards security. She scrunched her nose up and remembered their conversation.
âI mean fair shout for doing that, but what the fuck?â
âWhat?â she asked innocently.
âYou shouldnât have gone storming into a situation like that without thinking.â
âI was thinking,â she said, pouting for emphasis. âMan bad. Girl sad. Me help.â she said and looked up at Sam in a forgive me sort of way. Which of course he would. âPlus, I did it all in high heels,â she said, clicking her heels together and smiling. âThree points for feminism.â
She winced a little at her drunken boasting but fell into step behind him. She was glad it was Sam she was out with last night, not her older sister Agatha who would have thrown a fit if she had seen the bruises on her hand today. Luckily she seemed to have already left for work before Ivy had woken up.
They tagged onto the end of the queue for security and Ivy pulled her travel wallet out of her pocket in anticipation. She wore flip flops and no jewellery to make sure the painful process of security was less so. She only needed to add her hoodie, wallet and phone to the tray, dumping her duffle directly onto the belt behind it. Sam added his wallet and phone to her tray, plus the contents of his pockets which included lighters, keys and some loose coins.
Ivy walked through without a problem but heard Sam set the machine off behind her. He took his shoes off and put them into a new tray and was waved over to an x-ray machine.Â
âYou canât wait here, Miss. Youâll have to go on through.â Ivy acknowledged the direction with a curt nod and picked up Samâs things as well as her own and walked through to the duty-free. She browsed the sunglasses section and tried a few pairs on while she waited, still thinking about last night.
It wasnât very like her to go all superhero like that, but the liquid courage and the thought of escaping life for a while loosened her usual caution. After so many years, perhaps Samâs reckless behaviour was rubbing off on her, but that might not be such a bad thing. This trip had been his idea after all just you, me, sun and fun, he had said.
âI like the red ones best,â Sam said, coming up behind her. She turned on the spot and handed him his wallet, phone and keys in a pile into his hands. He stuffed them back into his pocket.Â
âI believe I also had some change.â
âFinderâs fee,â she replied absently as she put the sunglasses back. âBesides, it was about 80p,â she said, zoning back in and looking at his face properly for the first time since they left her house this afternoon. He wouldnât be out of place in an early eighties punk band all he needed was a smear of eyeliner and studs on his jacket. That was part of his appeal, one part wild, one part apathy with just a smidge of charm and after almost ten years of friendship, Ivy was grateful to be immune. âCome on, letâs check when theyâre gonna announce our gate,â she said.
The screen in front of them showed THAILAND DELAYED in capital yellow letters.Â
âWell, thatâs a good start,â Ivy said, sucking in her cheeks and biting down on them in annoyance.
âMore time to drinkâ Sam replied, patting Ivy on the shoulder with a quick drumroll.
âAirports are expensive though.â Ivy whinged, pulling a face at Sam.Â
âJust go find somewhere to sit,â Sam said. So, she did.Â
There were no free seats in the area they were in, but she didnât want to leave that section in case Sam couldnât find her. She sat on the floor near a plug socket so she could keep her phone charged up. Who knew how long they would be delayed?Â
She decided to facetime her sister. The cheaper, Tuesday flight meant travelling during normal peopleâs office hours, so she hadnât said goodbye to her. It was past 5 p.m. so she should be home from work by now. One thing Ivy was glad to get away from was work. She didnât think she had the stomach for temp work anymore â at least not in administration. Should probably look for a better job when I get back. If I decide to come back that is. She had dropped out of uni in her second year. Unlike Agatha, who excelled at her studies, Ivy had little motivation to do well and had been temping over the summer to try and figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She still didnât know what that was, but when Sam suggested they go to Thailand for a month she thought maybe she could at least go enjoy herself to break up the monotony. Just as Ivy was about to hang up, Agatha answered.
âHey!â
The picture came in of Agatha lying on her front in bed typing on her laptop. The phone was propped up against something to the side and Agatha wasnât looking at the screen.
âWhatâs up? Youâre bored of Thailand already?â Her sister said jokingly, but Ivy could tell she was distracted. By what she didnât know.
âWe havenât got there yet. Our flightâs delayed, but even if it was on time, weâre about thirteen hours away from being there.â Ivy replied.
âSounds great,â Agatha replied, still not looking at the screen.
âWhat, the delayed part or the thirteen-hour plane journey?â Ivy replied confused. She usually felt so in sync with her sister.Â
âOh, youâre delayed? That sucks. What are you going to do?â Agatha asked.
âDrink,â Sam said, sitting down next to her and handing her a pint of lager.Â
Sam had requested extended leave from the mechanics he worked for, so he would have a job to come back to when he got home. He had always been good with cars and fixing things in general, so the mechanics suited him for now. How long that would last, she didnât know. Knowing how flaky Sam could be, he would probably be off to the next thing that took his fancy soon enough.
They tapped their plastic glasses together saying an exaggerated cheers for the camera, which Ivy screenshotted to add to her Instagram story later.
âHow was work?â Ivy asked Agatha.Â
âWork like.â She replied. They never really spoke in full sentences because they didnât need to, but this was clipped even for them. âIâm gonna go. Not all of us are on holiday. Some of us have real-life things to do,â Agatha said smiling.
Ivy smiled back. âYeah sure. Iâll see you in a few weeks.âÂ
âBe safe,â Agatha said, then hung up.
Ivy continued to stare at her screen for a few beats before lowering her arm and putting it in her lap. âWeird,â Ivy said more to herself than Sam. Sam just shrugged at her.
âSheâs fine, sheâs probably just jealous she canât come with us,â he said and gulped down most of his pint in one go.Â
Ivy nodded but she wasnât so sure about that. Agatha was, as her mum called her, a ball of light. She was always wondering how you are and what was going on with you and remembered even the most trivial of details. She actually thought her dismissive behaviour might have something to do with what she had said when she had last seen her. Agatha had commented on how she had been staying out a lot recently with Sam and now she was going to be on the other side of the world for five weeks so she wondered whether her sister might feel a bit abandoned.Â
âShe will probably write some angsty poetry about it and be over it tomorrow. Besides, sheâs too nice to hold a grudge,â he said, bumping her shoulder.
She smiled at him. Heâs right. She will be there when I get back so I just need to spend some more quality-sister-time with her then. A few texts and calls from Thailand probably wouldnât go amiss either.
Ivy carried on sipping at her beer. Rearranging her things, so Samâs backpack was between her and the wall, she put her travel pillow around her neck, leant back and started reading on her phone. Sam spent his time wandering back and forth to the Irish themed airport pub for the next hour. He finally settled next to her for a moment around an hour later and plugged his earphones into his phone and started scrolling. Ivy swivelled herself and put her head in his lap, partly for comfort but mainly to stop him from getting up again. All his toing and froing was getting on her nerves. He always had to be doing something, rarely content to just sit with himself. They stayed like that until their flight was eventually called, two hours after it was originally supposed to depart.
Ivy tried to sleep on the plane, wedging herself and her travel pillow into the window. She dozed on and off but didnât really sleep. Mostly due to Samâs incessant ringing of the steward bell to order gin and tonics. After a few hours, she gave up and ordered herself two vodka cokes on the stewardâs next visit. Sam looked at her with a raised brow.Â
âWhat? I need to catch up, donât I?â she said, swallowing most of the first one in one gulp.
They passed the time mostly in silence playing thumb wars with each other. Ivy couldnât remember where they picked up this little pastime, but they always did it when they were bored. They didnât take notice of who won, just enjoyed passing the time like they were still kids. When they got bored with playing, they watched videos on Samâs phone, until they landed another nine hours later.
***
Everything seemed much louder in Koh Samui. The sounds of the streets contrasted so aggressively to the almost silence of the plane. With car horns blaring, motorcycles rumbling, people talking and street vendors shouting, it all felt like an assault on Samâs ears. Its strong humidity, burning flames and smell of spices was all that distinguished it from being a regular busy town back home, like London. It also felt brighter, which was odd considering it was eleven at night, the streets were lit up with multicoloured fairy lights and fluorescent fly zappers.Â
They got a taxi to their hotel, which was in Chaweng, just off the local strip full of bars, clubs and even a few restaurants. The room was bare, except for a small table and chairs near the bathroom, the bed and two bedside tables. There was also a silver box TV in the corner that didnât seem to work, but that didnât matter. They had hardly come to Thailand to watch TV. No artwork adorned the yellowing white walls but it still managed to look dated. They both dumped their bags on the double bed in the centre of the room.Â
âIsnât there supposed to be two beds?â she asked. He pulled out some deodorant and used it before chucking it to Ivy. She caught it with both hands. âIs that your way of telling me I smell like B.O.?â she asked but rubbed it on without waiting for the answer and threw it back on top of his bag.
He bent down and lifted the layers of bed sheets at the bottom of the bed. âItâs two singles, theyâve just pushed them together.â
âWe can pull them apart later â Iâm starving,â she replied as she changed into a pair of wedges that laced up her ankles and a small, cotton playsuit while he changed his t-shirt but kept his jeans on.
They wandered down the street from the hotel and stopped at a side street that was full of market stalls, the fronts covered in food. The smell of fried meat and noodles made his stomach rumble. And they took turns choosing something from each stall to try and everything was delicious. Sam bit into a giant prawn which tasted like it had been caught that evening and the saltiness made his mouth water. He spotted Ivy coming back from the next cart with what looked like fried meatballs on sticks.Â
âSo, this is gai and I think gai means chicken,â she said, handing a stick to him. Chicken or not, it was good, he thought. Going back for seconds while small, scruffy dogs ran around their ankles, begging for scraps.
When they couldnât eat anymore Sam guided them into a bar. He ordered them both a cocktail while Ivy found them a small table outside. Balancing two extravagant red drinks, topped with pineapple, cherries, an umbrella and curled straws, he sat down opposite her and handed a drink over. Ivy took it from him and began slurping at the drink.Â
âWoah, woah hang on drunky,â Sam said, holding out his glass.
Ivy mirrored his behaviour and said, their usual mantra: âFriends and loversâ to which Sam replied, âFuck the others.â and they clinked their glasses together.
He felt especially bloated from inhaling so much food before their drinks. Ivy drank her fruity drink slowly, then told him she wanted to explore the area a little more. They made their way down to the beach at the end of the strip. The bars on either side of them were bustling but the beach was quiet. Ivy looked out as if she could already hear the call of the sea despite the fact it was drowned out by the sound of the conflicting music around them. He watched as she stood on the edge of the concrete path and took her wedges off, hooking her fingers through the backs.Â
âLetâs swim.â She said before running towards the water, clutching her heels to her chest as she did. He saw her reach the water, and stop to wait for him to come panting behind her.Â
âThatâs a real work out that, running in sand.â he puffed but she ignored him and dropped her shoes in front of her. She took off her playsuit and tucked it into one of her wedges. Then hooked her fingers on her underwear, pulled them up over her hips and walked into the water.Â
He was quick to follow and was already pulling his t-shirt over his head. His trousers around his ankles. The water was surprisingly warm, and it felt like silk draping his legs in contrast to the balmy heat that was still in the air. They carried on walking until he could only just touch the seafloor with the tips of his toes.Â
By the time the water was up to his neck, Ivy was floating next to him. He watched her dunk her head back into the water, bringing her legs up so she was starfished on top of the water and copied her pose, bobbing next to her, bringing his face close to hers.
They lay there still for a moment, the only noise: the tide coming in and out and the distant thud of the nightlife not too far away.
âSomethingâs going to bite me in a minute,â Sam said, breaking the silence.
âLike a shark?â Ivy asked.
He rolled his eyes. âNo not like a shark, V, but doesnât it freak you out a bit not being able to see whatâs in here with us?â He turned his head to look at her.
âWeâre in the sea, thereâs a lot in here with us,â she replied, lifting an eyebrow. She was being purposely obtuse he knew. âIâm not scared of what is in the water.â
He heard the water ripple and felt her pinch a small bit of skin on his arm.Â
âHa-ha, very funny.â He said looking round in her direction.Â
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â He could hear her smiling sweetly even though he couldnât see her. âIn a strange way I feel safer than I ever have, thereâs no one here to disappoint,â
Sam cleared his throat forcefully, to indicate himself and lighten the mood slightly.
âYou have to admit. No weekend to drag ourselves towards, no expectations, just freedom. This place is paradise.âÂ
âWeâve only just got here,â Sam replied. âTell me that after three weeks. I bet youâll be bored.âÂ
âNo, I mean, weâre so far away from everything weâve known. Itâs niceâ she said quietly.
Sam turned to look at her. He didnât respond, but he was glad. He knew how lost she had felt lately since dropping out of her business degree so he was glad he could spend five weeks partying in Thailand and give her a break from reality. Two birds, one stone thrown six thousand miles away. His eyes adjusting to the dark meant he could just about make out her profile. The light of the moon hit the edges of her nose and lips, her eyes fluttered slowly as she blinked, water droplets hanging on her lashes. He turned his head back to look at the night sky.
They floated there for a while, just looking at the stars until their skin was pruney and wrinkled.
âCome on, we should get out,â Sam said. âItâs shark season.â He smirked. Knowing Ivy she probably rolled her eyes, but she followed him out of the water. He looked around and realised they were still alone but only a few feet from civilization.Â
He pulled his jeans on smacking the sand from them as he did. He could see out the corner of his eye, she had turned her back to him and had unhooked her bra to wring it out. As he pushed his head through the neck of his t-shirt he saw her crouching low to the sand using one hand to hold her boobs and her free hand to search for her playsuit.
Sam watched her search for a second, before walking over to where she had left her clothes, which were only just out of her reach and threw them at her.Â
âThanks.â She said, straightening and wriggling into the outfit. He caught a glimpse of her one and only tattoo as she did. It was a simple line drawing of a crown, the size of the tip of his thumb on her left bum cheek. If you werenât looking closely, you could mistake it for a mole or a birthmark.
He remembered going with her to get it. She wouldnât tell him what she was getting or where, but she was excited. He looked down at the snake tattoo that wrapped around his hand that he got that same day. She had come over to him beaming while the tattooist was still working on the outline of his snake and pulled down half of her shorts to show him this tiny tattoo, in a place that no one would see, that she was very proud of. He smiled at the memory.Â
That very much summed them both up: Ivy was endearing and quietly rebellious whereas Sam was eager to show his disobedience as plainly as his hands with no forethought to how it would serve him later down the line. Ivy would have considered that small crown for years and kept it to herself until she was ready to commit but every one of Samâs tattoos were on a whim. Each time he added to his collection it was a permanent reminder that no matter how many times he marked his body, his parents would never notice or care. His smile faded. That got dark real fast. I must be sobering up.Â
He looked up and saw that a group of people were heading towards them now.
âWe should head off.â He gestured to the group walking towards them with his head. Ivy looked up and nodded. She picked up her shoes and tucked her bra into the back of his jeans, which quickly began soaking through his pocket, weighing it down. They walked up the sand to where the path met the beach and he watched as she thought about putting her shoes back on. Anticipating her dilemma, he bent in front of her and said, âjump on.âÂ
So, she did, and he carried her like that, up the strip, all the way to their hotel, with her heels knocking against his shoulder with every step.
Just Between Friends is a book that has a lot of potential, but it misses the mark multiple times.
Our main character, Ivy King, drops out of University and also drops everything else and goes to Thailand with her best friend, Sam. It's immediately clear that the two want to be more than just friends and it comes to no surprise when good things happen in Thailand between them... until they don't. We then explore their lives after Thailand and this is where the issues with the story start.
First, and I'm sorry to say this because the writing has a lot of potential, this book needs a lot of work. The beginning is enjoyable and that's it. Things either happen too fast or too slow. The pacing is all over the place, the story doesn't give you the time you need to explore the characters' feelings and when we get the chance to do it, something still feels off. We get a taste of the characters motivations, but unfortunately, a taste is all that remains. This is a pity because the concept is a strong one, but it doesn't translate well to the page. There is a lot of telling not showing in this story, which really bugged me for all the duration of the book.
Second, the characters are awful. To connect to the point before, the writing makes it feel like the characters don't seem to have motivation, they're just awful for the sake of it and you need to think hard about the decisions they make before understanding why they're making them. The reader shouldn't be thinking this hard.
Ivy is awful, I'm sorry, but what she does is awful. That's the point, yes, she is traumatised, that's what the story keeps telling us, so I get it. Ironically, this book could have used more time with Ivy trauma though. What she goes through is pretty interesting and there is hope for good grief exploration, and yet it never comes. Because of how the book was written, Ivy comes across as spoiled and selfish. Her choices as an adult are maddening.
Sam is probably one of the blandest, also selfish, bad boy for the sake of being one, character I ever seen. We never know why he does what he does, we just know he has a hard time opening up, just because. He, too, is awful.
I appreciate what this book was trying to do. The broken and not-at-all-perfect main character is an interesting take, the mental health struggle was actually great, but, unfortunately the rest is not so great.