When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting has quite a few of my fave tropes including friends to lovers! Avery and Declan have known each other since college and have always had a great friendship. They even live together after college and 🚨 caretaker trope alert 🚨 Declan looks after Avery when she gets into an accident. The awkward and intimate moments that arise when he looks after her was just adorable.

This is where things take a downturn for me though. I don’t really enjoy books where things can be solved if the characters JUST COMMUNICATE and Declan’s jealousy and insecurity about his relationship with Avery leads him to make some questionable decisions. YMMV.

There were definitely super cute and steamy scenes whilst Avery was home bound and recovering from her accident. That was probably my favourite part of the book- watching their chemistry build up even further and finally admitting their feelings for each other and we get to see sparks fly. But as their forced close proximity comes to an end with Avery’s recovery, we start to see more issues arise and they have to learn how to be with each other and have a healthy relationship. Declan pisses me off as he becomes a real jerk, as his behaviour spirals to asshole territory over another misunderstanding. I found it more frustrating than fun to watch them muddle through their journey to their HEA.

Overall, this was a cute read, if you squint and ignore some plot inconsistencies. (It niggled at me, but it honestly wasn’t too bad!)

I am going to say that I love a friends to lovers slow burn while we navigate our realtionship but this one just wasn't for me.

Declan and Avery have been friends for years and been through a lot together and have been roommates for a while as this story starts. Declan's actions end up with Avery being in a horrific car accident and needing care. Trying to find a place for Avery to forgive him and to repair what has been broken Declan takes on being her full time care giver.

This time watching them be swoony with each other is great and I am just hanging on to my irritation even though he is so great to her during her recovery. I felt like he was making great communication efforts when they became more than just friends.

And then he just blows the whole thing apart acting like an idiot. I get it there was more going on but good grief there were a lot of RED FLAG things. Storming into accuse her of cheating while she is in the shower, tracking her whereabouts on your phone, having women there when she comes back and going through her things. NOPE NOPE NOPE I just couldn't get past it and feel ok about her falling again.

I think it's great that we are openly talking about therapy and having professional guidance through dealing with how childhood trauma can affect our lives. But I just couldn't get past how he acted, grand gesture or not and I'm bummed about it. I think the actions of our Heros and Heroines hit us all different and this one just hit me wrong. Won't put me off from reading this author in the future or have me telling the world I hated it, it just wasn't right for me.

3.5

Overall, this is a nice read and a good story of friends to lovers.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and are now roommates. Avery has never been romantically involved with him, but an accident pushes her to rely on someone while she recuperates and Declan is right there to help her out.
Avery’s car accident leaves her physically and emotionally scarred. Declan, who was meant to be transporting Avery that day, is split between remorse and the reality of why he was absent and it causes a rift between Avery’s sisters and Declan.

Fortunately, because Declan and Avery are best friends, he can win her forgiveness by caring for her during her recovery. As a reader, it was great to see their relationship slowly turn into something more.

As things begin to change between them, we also learn more about their previous relationships or lack thereof. Declan has been greatly influenced by his parents’ toxic relationships and has never been in a serious one himself. His insecurities made him jump to conclusions and I found their romantic relationship a bit straining. Their chemistry lacked a bit as they got together and that is a shame.

3.5 Stars
This was a fun and witty friends/lovers story with loads of fear/emotions to overcome. The characters were likeable and the connection was pretty good but there was times I didn't feel the chemistry and longing between them.

Avery runs the family business with her two youngers sisters and is very proud of what they do. She is strong and intelligent with a spark for life, sports and hanging with her buddies. Relationships haven't been in the forefront since college when she got her heart broken. After a serious car accident she finds herself very reliant on others and that someone ends up being her roommate and best friend. She wasn't prepared for the feelings that the close proximity was going to bring.

Declan is your true player in all the senses, always forward with his plans for a good time but not a long time. He has not plan for relationships as he has spent too much time watching the train wreck of a relationship his parents had. But he is loyal to his friends and will always be there when needed. When his guilt takes hold he offers to be the person that Avery can rely on when she is recovering from her accident. When he starts to understand his feeling, he begins to freak out a little.

Can these besties transition from friends to lovers and keep the normal they are used to? Will it affect their social time with buddies? Will the fears they harbor from the past be too much of a wall to climb or will they realize that the hard work is worth the wait and time for true love?

Overall it was a good book but I did find it a little dragging in the latter half. I did like the secondary characters so I am excited to see what is next.

*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***

What a sweet and sexy friends to lovers story. We’ve got the characteristic Helena humor we adore, the fantastic chemistry we expect, yummy and memorable steamy times, and a good dash of angst. Not to mention, we meet a fun crew of lovable Spark House sisters- and I’m hoping we get more of them in the future.

Declan and Avery have been besties in college- ever since Avery’s boyfriend cheated on her and Declan, their mutual friend, chose her in the break-up. Now roommates, these two are like two peas in a pod- and they’ve never crossed into the friendship line, despite a clear closeness between them. But, a bit of subconscious jealous creates a snowball of unfortunate events that suddenly changes the dynamic between them- and Avery finds herself reliant on her sexy roommate. And, well, suddenly sparks start to fly.

What I loved most about this friends to lovers story is how these two haven’t been secretly pining for each other- in fact, while they had real affection for each other and recognized a mutual attractiveness, neither was already secret in love with the other, drowning in longing. These two are classic buddies-so immersed in their friendship and so comfortable in it that they failed to realize the something more lurking just below the surface. All they needed was the right catalyst- the spark, to unsettle them. To knock them out of their comfortable pattern and familiarity, and then they see each other in a whole new way, and find that feelings had already seeped in. And that made for the great angst and interesting tensions- not only because they have the baggage from the first leg of this book, but because they really haven’t wrapped their brains around ever being together. And even worse-neither is good at relationships. Somehow it feels incredibly easy to them- but the stakes are so high that jostles that ease.

I know some won’t be a fan of Declan’s behavior at the beginning, but outside of that, he’s really quite lovable and dreamy. He’s funny, caring, sweet, and so sexy. And Avery is incredibly relatable- a tomboy with ambitious dreams and a ton of spunk. Their chemistry is fantastic- emotional and physical, and I loved the ease of their friendship and the way they both inspire comfort and safety in one another while also exposing all their “ish” they need to confront. Cause they both have baggage. We’ve got a bit more angst than I’ve read lately with a HH Book, and the ending ended up going a bit deeper than I expected, but I appreciated the look at characters building emotional maturity, and prioritizing their own self-growth to be the best they can for each other. All in all, a lovely, sweet, and sexy escape!

Avery has a tight knit circle of friends and she currently lives with one of them, Declan. In fact, they went halves in a really cool condo together. She has a job she loves, with her two sisters they run an events business that was started by her grandfather many years ago. All in all life is pretty good.

When it comes to her love life, Avery had a long term relationship that recently ended and she hasn’t really had time to date much lately. Declan doesn’t date either, he has a revolving door of one night stands that Avery has the displeasure of meeting on occasion - not to mention the sounds she tries to block out late at night.

One thing both of them know is that they can count on each other no matter what. After deciding to dip back into the dating scene one night, Declan is shocked at how jealous he feels about Avery going on a date, looking gorgeous for another man. He isn’t used to feeling like this but she hasn’t been single before either.

‘I’ve always been aware of Avery’s hotness level, but after Sam demolished her heart, I compartmentalized that knowledge and filed it away under fantasies never to indulge in.’

The result of his jealousy does not end well for either of them and Avery feels let down by Declan when he fails to deliver on a promise he made to her. When Avery gets injured in an accident, Declan is adamant that he should take care of her. He feels terrible guilt over letting her down and this is one way he can prove how much her friendship means to him.

Becoming completely dependent on Declan leaves Avery feeling vulnerable but she has to put aside her insecurities and let him help her. After all, he knows her better than anyone and despite everything that led them to this situation, she does trust him. The level of intimacy required for looking after someone does change things over time. As Declan mulls over the feelings he is having about Avery, she too is looking at him in a new way.

‘Everything about this situation with Avery is different. And I find myself wanting things I’m not sure I’m capable of handling. Like monogamy and stability and something real.’

This situation has changed things for both of them and lines begin to blur but in a slow and steady way. It feels right and like it was always meant to be. Declan has never been a relationship sort of guy, he had no positive examples of it in his own upbringing, he thinks he is better off being uncommitted. However, being with Avery has him rethinking the narrative he has played over in his mind all his life. Maybe he was just waiting for the right person?

This is a fun friends to lovers romance that I read in one sitting :)

In ‘When Sparks Fly’ we read the story of Avery and Declan. Avery runs a hotel/event space with her sisters and loves everything about it. Next to having a great job, and having a great relationship with her sisters, Avery lives with her best friend Declan in a nice apartment. They have a great living arrangement and they share some great friends. But there has always been something more between Avery and Declan. Everyone could see it, except themselves.

When Avery survives a horrible car accident, she is forced to accept help from Declan for about everything. And soon the grow closer than ever before. But Declan is haunted by his past, and soon things aren’t going as well as hoped.

At first it honestly took me a while to really get into this story. It took a very long time for me to really feel the connection between and Avery and Declan. And I found things taking to long to really start. But luckily, when I did start to enjoy their ‘relationship’, I soon really really loved them. Especially Declan. There just was something about him that I found really charming, and I didn’t want to stop reading about him.
Avery’s character wasn’t my favorite though. There just was something about her I didn’t really like all that much.

The romance was definitely a slow burning one. At times it got a little bit more steamy, but it was mostly sweet and I definitely liked it. I always love the friends to lovers trope. There’s just something about having this solid friendship before turning lovers that I’ve always enjoyed.

This was my first Helena Hunting book, and although it wasn’t my favorite book, I did enjoy the writing. And I’d definitely love to read more books in this series.

The opening chapter of this book sent me to Google to question the validity of the author's writing, which had me howling with laughter at the sheer incredulity of it. Sadly the next phase of the book is rather sad as Avery is involved in a life-threatening car accident that leaves her debilitated for some time. Avery's sisters have to learn to do without her daily presence, but she cannot do without her best friend's help as Declan undertakes to be her caregiver. Declan is sitting with a load of guilt and blames himself for not being there when Avery had her accident, and it takes some time for them to deal with the consequences. Caring for Avery is not a chore, but the independent woman, who has always been one of the gang, finds the humiliation almost too difficult to bear. Dealing with the intimate day-to-day tasks that need to be taken care of, results in a new dynamic in their relationship with interesting results. Avery and Declan make a delightful couple as they move away from best friends to lovers, but not before Declan is able to unload the past to start living in the future. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through St. Martin's Press and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

“When Sparks Fly” is the story of Declan and Avery - best friends since college and are so close that they even live together. However, things take a turn when Avery ends up hospitalized and in a cast for several weeks due to Declan’s jealousy and neglect in her time of need. The story slowly progresses during their forced proximity when Declan does everything he can to make up for his ass-like character. Whether it’s giving Avery a bath, wrapping his muscly arms around her to help her maneuver around, or extending his hand for other “relaxing” activities, they grow closer physically and emotionally.

There was a couple steamy moments, but I feel like their story could have been delved deeper. While the conflict was predictable, I did like how Declan had to work for the HEA. He proved to be stronger, motivated, and eager to be a better man - for himself and for Avery. Though I favour other Helena’s books over this one, this remains a likeable one. I just wish that the final lead up to the “down and dirty” was not an unexpected fade to black.

If you like a friends to lovers story, forced proximity, and the whole “will they or won’t they” angst, this is for you. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy for an exchange for an honest review.

Boy oh boy, did these sparks fly!!!

As an avid Helena Hunting fan, this was another incredible addition to her collection! I have become such a sucker for slow burn best friends to lovers in the last year, so this was legit PERFECT for me!

I adored Declan and Avery!!! I loved them individually, but they truly brought out the best in each other! Their friend moments were to die for and you could feel the chemistry between them that only comes from years of friendship and it was amazing! Then when they finally started exploring their attraction to each other, sparks legit FLEW.

I always LOVEEEEEEE when a character is injured and ends up being taken care of by their love interest. I swooooon hecka hard for that and so this was absolute perfection for that fantasy in my mind! Declan’s attentiveness to Avery when he was taking care of her was so wonderful to read about! It doesn’t hurt that Declan is mighty mighty FINEEEE. Goodness gracious almighty, he is hot stuff.

This was the perfect rom com that I was looking for to make me smile and giggle and swoon!

*Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press, Social Butterfly PR, and Helena Hunting for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This is a very realistic friends to lovers story.

Avery and Declan have known each other since college. They own a condo together, and are just roommates, as well as best friends. They play sports, watch sports, and hang out with the same friends. Declan also is the financial adviser for Avery and her sisters’ business. Avery really hasn’t dated anyone since college - Sam (who was friends with Declan) totally broke her heart. And Declan has a revolving door of women, but no one gets to stick around for very long.

But we get to see what happens when a major event causes Avery to be totally dependent on Declan helping her. Lines get crossed. Guilt and feelings happen. There are also past family circumstances for both of them, which cause some other wrinkles. Will they admit to their feelings for each other? Can they compromise? Can they move forward? If a relationship doesn’t work, can they still hold on to their friendship?

I like how the story gradually builds. It’s not all sunshine and roses, and there is introspection and growth for Avery and Declan.

I love a good friends to lovers story and this book just hit the spot. Avery and Declan's story has feels with splashes of steam which just make for a great romance. I love Helena Hunting so when the opportunity presented itself to read an early copy I took it and was not disappointed. This is an absolute must read! Loved it!

Avery and Declan are the best of friends. As roommates they feel very comfortable with each other, seeing that they've been friends since college. When Declan sees casual and comfy Avery wearing a slinky dress on her way out for a date, feelings that have been long buried make their way to the surface, resulting in Declan making rash choices that ultimately affect his friendship with Avery. When she ends up in a bad car accident that limits her mobility, Declan stands firm with his decision that he will be the one to help Avery recover, much to the dismay of her younger sisters. With Avery needing help with the basics of care and spending time in close proximity with each other, they end up crossing the friendship line. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, Declan can no longer hold in his insecurities and trust issues when he thinks she's been lying to him. He once again makes rash choices that may end up losing Avery for good.

Declan has deep-rooted trust issues that he's never dealt with. He keeps his feelings buried and deflects so no one will see his vulnerable side. I love the support their friends and sisters offer, wanting the best for them both. Looking forward to see what the author has in store for Avery's sisters.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

comme à chaque fois avec un roman de Helena, j'ai passé un très bon moment avec les personnages, j'ai aimé leur évolution au fur et à mesure et malgré les mauvaises décisions de Declan, j'ai aimé le voir évoluer du côté de ses sentiments. Avery est une héroïne sympathique qui va devoir par force ralentir le rythme, prendre parfois de mauvaises décisions et les gérer ensuite comme elle peut et j'ai beaucoup aimé la manière dont ils tombent amoureux ou du moins le reconnaissent puisqu'ils l'étaient déjà plus ou moins. C'est une romance fraiche et légère qui m'a donné le sourire tout au long de ma lecture et m'a faite couiner avec les personnages. Un très chouette moment !

3.5 stars

When Avery's in an accident, it forces her roommate/best friend, Declan, to become her caregiver. It also forces them to acknowledge, and act upon, long held feelings that lay between them for years now. And, most significantly, it forces Declan to finally deal with his metric ton of baggage and demons, which have the serious consequence of possibly ruining both their friendship and their newly formed romantic relationship.

Friends to lovers can be a hard trope to do right by. It's hard to walk the line between fun and exciting for first time lovers and the easy familiarity of long-time friends. For the first half of the book, I think the line was held to beautifully, and I loved reading Avery and Declan's long friendship, how easy they were with each other, how much they cared about each other. Then the last half, something happened. I'm not sure what exactly, but it felt as if everything was just there. Then the ending when everything imploded. Sigh...

So 3.5 stars because I really liked the first half, really enjoyed their friendship, and the writing was excellent, as usual for this author. But not higher for a couple reasons: 1) because the second half was kinda flat, and 2) because Declan became one of those red flag guys near the end when everything fell apart. He was insanely jealous, cruel, and lashed out with anger that was uncalled for, and definitely not something I could see him directing at his supposed best friend. I do appreciate that he got the help he needed, though, so points to him and to the author for that. But, I can safely say that although I normally love this author's work, (her Pucked series is one of my favorite of all time), this one really did not completely work for me past the first half.

When Sparks Fly is a friends to lovers and forced proximity romance. For me, the first 60%-70% was the most enjoyable.

After a serious accident, Avery was in need of personal care until her body healed. Declan wanted to be there for her, so he began assisting her with her tasks for daily living. Things started to heat up between them and soon the boundaries between friends and lovers was blurred.
Though there were a few good steamy scenes, I found it difficult to invest in the development of their romantic relationship.
What didn't work for me was once Avery was mostly recovered and she no longer relied on Declan, the romance lost some of its sizzle. That, and at times Declan made decisions that were frustrating and problematic.
Overall the transition from "friends" to "lovers" worked nicely, but "lovers" to "in-love" just didn't feel genuine; the connection wasn't strong enough. By the end I felt the characters were better as friends.

So, while I was entertained by the story and characters, I wasn't swept away by the romance.

_______

*TW/CW: On page car accident; death; PTSD

**Complimentary copy for review provided by St. Martin's Press (SMP Romance). All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.

Declan and Avery are roommates and best friends who have known each other since college. Avery dated Declan’s friend and when it came out that the friend was cheating, Declan sided with Avery. He is commitment-averse, sticking to strings of one night stands. She is focused on the hotel and event center she runs with her sisters with big goals to expand their services.

When a misjudgement on Declan’s part leads to Avery being alone and involved in a car accident, Dec dives in headfirst to take care of Avery while she is healing, trying to prove his loyalty and dependability. During the course of her recovery, they decide to test the chemistry between them.

The chemistry between them is high. Though they had each ignored the spark of attraction before, for a variety of reasons, their friends had noticed and were surprised things hadn’t crossed lines before they did. Even before there was a physical aspect to their relationship, it was clear that they both truly cared for the other.

There was a lot to like with this friends to lovers, but I also felt like there was something that kept me from loving the characters fully. I think for as long as they had known each other, I wanted their communication when they started to blur lines to be more open, or at least for there to be some kind of gradually change to the level of intimacy between them. I did love how they worked to fix things when things started imploding between them, and the lengths each character went to in order to fix what was broken. I loved the end, but at times it felt like it took too long to make it to that point.

I really enjoyed the group of characters around the MCs - their mutual guy friends and her sisters and wouldn’t mind more stories from this group.

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a romance novel following Avery, a tomboy who is running the event planning company of her family's hotel that keeps her busy from romance. Instead, Avery spends much of her time with her roommate Declan, a commitment-phobe who she shares a strong friendship bond. Tragically, Declan becomes Avery's caretaker as she suffers from a serious accident limiting here mobility. However, with this change to their dynamic something else shifts in the relationship between Declan and Avery. Will they see each other from a new lens or will this upend their friendship irreparably?

It was fantastic to read about Avery, a character who is an athletic tomboy, which is a fairly uncommon trait in romance heroines. I was rooting for Avery as it was clear she cared for her family deeply and it showed in her work for their family business. Declan at first is a character you would probably not root for as he is a player. However I enjoyed that there was no pining on either end at the beginning and instead was a story of seeing someone in a different light in the face of unexpected circumstances.

This book read easily and I found myself flipping through this book just to see how the dynamic between the two main character's was developing. I loved also seeing the before the accident and how quickly things can change, even in the face of horrific events. I think this book combined an unique set of tropes such as romantic caretaking and friends to lovers, which was very unexpected and added to the draw of this book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to romance lovers, especially for those who may not typically enjoy friends to lovers!

Many thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press Griffin and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been in a book slump and just not enjoying reading right now. But, I picked this up and I’m so happy I did. This is probably one of the most unique friends to lovers I’ve ever read. With the blurb, I was unsure how this was going to actually play out but it worked flawlessly. The characters were great. When things got hard, they worked it out like grownups with very little drama. It was a joy to read and definitely on my favorites list of the author’s books. I would highly recommend you pick this one up.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I haven’t read a friends to lovers romance in awhile so I was looking forward to this one. I really liked how Declan and Avery started off with actually being friends and seeing how their relationship progressed. There were times when I wasn’t the biggest fan of Declan and the things he did, that being said, I’m glad this story was told in alternating point of views so I could get insight to how the MCs were feeling and thinking. Overall, I thought this was a good read. I liked the ending and I was really glad we got an epilogue. If you are looking for a friends to lovers romance and love it when one of the main characters takes care of the other, this book may just be for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC!