Thank you to NetGalley, SMP, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: cheating (past relationship), fear of car accidents, death of parents in car accident (past), grief, car accident, long term recovery

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f best friends to lovers
-roommance/close-proximity
-hurt/comfort
-so major pining and denial
-a love of crossword puzzles
-A helping hand (wink wink)


I really enjoyed the audiobook, both narrators really added so much to the MCs. The expression, inflections, they truly added to the story.

I truly loved the friendship aspect of this book. The conflict was so well put together, their histories and backstories melding together. I'm also a huge fan of hurt/comfort and the building sexual tension while Declan took care of her, in a full-service manner, was excellent. Both characters were fully realized and independent, not needing each other but wanting the other.

There were some emotional aspects I wish the book had delved deeper into, but I loved that after the dark moment they didn't just get back together. They fought for each other and earned their HEA.

Rating: 4
Steam: 3.5

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is sweet and emotional love story, and I enjoyed it very much.

I like in this author's book, that no matter if it's standalone or series, I can feel Mrs. Hunting vibes from every word. From the beginning, When Sparks Fly, I could dive into the whole story line very fast, and I've read it in one sitting.

This author can mix perfectly sweet story line with specific humor and the right dose of angst. When Sparks fly was exactly this kind of a story, that squeezed my heart, but also make it keep very warm thru the pages. Main characters were written so well, like they really belong together. Watching how Declan and Avery are finding way to their hearts was amazing. I liked, how every twist, ups and downs were changing dynamic in their relationship.

Mrs. Hunting done really good job - for this few moments I was living with Avery and Declan in their world. When Sparks Fly is unforgettable adventure, I hope all readers will enjoy this story as much, as I was.

Avery runs an event hotel with her two sisters. When a car accident forces independent, workaholic Avery to take some time for herself and depend on others, her roommate and best friend, Declan, becomes her caregiver. Spending so much time together, Avery and commitment-phobe Declan finally realize that they have feelings beyond friendship for each other. What will the future hold for the best friends?

It was refreshing that When Sparks Fly dealt with the hard part of maintaining a relationship, rather than the fade to black shortly after the friends admit their love to each other. In this friends-to-lovers situation, the hard part isn't Avery and Declan just confessing their love for each other, although that took some work too! Their challenge is to make their relationship work on a day-to-day basis, given their pasts could easily keep them from finding lasting happiness together. The story starts lighthearted but soon turns into a moving, emotional one (but there's still plenty of humor and banter). It was more than I expected and I loved it. Kudos to Ms. Hunting for positively portraying mental health and therapy in this story.

I loved the Sparks sisters and their strong family bond. Oldest sister Avery stood out for her strength, independence, and drive. Harley and London seem just as intriguing. I'm looking forward to learning more about them in the upcoming books of this series.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital copy to read and enjoy. This voluntary review reflects my honest opinion.

When this book first started I kind of liked it even though it is told in a first person style, I did like how the author switched because both Declan and Avery. I did like the relationship between the sisters, I did feel like the author made London this very meek character but also tired to make her a strong boss women. I feel like this book was completely predictable and I just quickly loss interest when it just seemed like the characters were more forced together due to the circumstances verse what seemed like would be organic being that they were best friends. There is a lot of adult language, situations throughout this book which may not be suitable for all readers. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I quite enjoy romance novels, although I usually leave those up to my friends to review because it’s their favorite. However, I love a good catchy cover and this one caught my eye. The description of the book hooked me and then it was all over. I had to check it out.

I’ve never read a book by Helena Hunting before and I was very excited this book took place in one of my favorite places, Colorado Springs. It follows Avery as she has a life setback that involves needing a caretaker, which is taken on by her best friend and roommate, Declan. And what do you know… sparks fly.

I love Avery. She’s this athletic, attractive girl with all guy best friends (aside from her sisters) and eats like a long distance trucker. My kind of people! I love the dynamic from the beginning between her and her three male friends. I do love Declan and I have this image in my head of the way he is described. Hunting does a good job describing someone, but leaving just enough to the imagination where you create your own image of the person. That’s my favorite. Now he’s my dream man. The sisters play an important role in this story and I love the relationship Hunting created between them. Each relationship is slightly different in this book with each holding a strong point to helping Avery be who she is. I love the family business angle and felt it added enough fluff to the conversations that the story flowed nicely and had this nice background story going aside from romance. I love me a good romance, but it needs to have a basis in reality too! This one did.

The story flowed very smoothly and I was surprised by a few rated R scenes that kept things interesting. I adore Avery. I adore all the supporting characters and felt they were pertinent to the story. What I loved the most is the very mature way Hunting handled the tough relationship stuff. Usually someone apologizes and everything is fine. In reality, feelings are hurt and trust takes time to mend. Hunting did a phenomenal job of writing that aspect of the story and the way she did it impressed me so much. Without spoiling it, you will know what I mean when you read it.

With that said, I have no complaints about this book. It was a feel good read that I got through fairly quickly. It’s the perfect end of summer book for that last trip to the beach or cozying up on a chilly fall afternoon. I highly recommend it. I will definitely be checking out more from Helena Hunting very soon. Stay tuned.

Friends to lovers is quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes and I like how it was done in this book! I think this could be touch to read for anyone who is triggered by car accidents I also think this book starts out really strong and then falls into a bit of the miscommunication trope that can be so frustrating for readers to experience.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers romance. Avery and Declan are best friends and roommates and have been for years. When Avery is in a major car accident, Declan offers to step in to help with her day-to-day care. He partly feels guilt that he wasn't with Avery when it happened as he was supposed to be and partly feels a wake up call that he could have lost one of the most important people in his life.

Friends to lovers can be very difficult to write. This one felt very believable. These two don't have a overnight change of heart but a slow realization of deeper feelings that the forced proximity brings on them. The way in which Declan drops everything and goes out of his way to care for Avery is wonderful. He does nothing by half-measure. I liked the relationship that Avery had with her two sisters and the ways in which they worked together for their event planning and hosting business. The chemistry between Declan and Avery was definitely there.

One of the greatest strengths of this book is that these two have real issues to work on and they do. Neither is a magical fix with the other. Both Avery and Declan come to realize that to be in a whole relationship with each other, they need to learn to love and forgive themselves. There is talk of therapy and real, true communication over time instead of a quick fix. Real growth and change happens with the characters on the page which is something that is often missing from books. I continue to be a fan of Helena Hunting and this novel is no different. 3.5 stars

5 star Review When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting
 
When Sparks Fly ticked all the boxes for me as Avery and Declan’s story unfolded. I love Ms. Hunting's style of writing, her stories are always entertaining and her characters engaging.

The writing was descriptive and I could easily imagine Colorado Springs. When Sparks Fly is a great friends to lovers story that ticked all the boxes for me. When Avery is injured in a car accident, Declan volunteers to nurse her back to health. After nearly losing her he realizes just how much she means to him and feelings become complicated.

The chemistry between Avery and Declan was intense, almost electrifying. I fell hard and fast for Declan and I loved how sassy and feisty Avery was as she focused on her recovery. The relationship she has with her sisters was also heartwarming .

From start to finish Helena Hunting wove together a story that I could not put down. I was me totally engrossed from the first to the last chapter and for me these two were meant to be.

I received an copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley

This book is why I love RomComs. I love the accidental feelings, I love the friends to lovers, there is just a lot to love in this book. Avery and Declan had their friendship figured out, they knew where they stood with each other. What they didn't know was when Avery puts on a fancier dress than normal to go out on a date, Declan would see her for so much more than he allowed himself to see before. Watching these two through as their friendship slowly develops and grows with the surfacing of deeper feelings was an amazing journey to be on. There is a fun and well acquainted friendship, awkward moments, heartfelt moments. Just about everything you would want in a story.

By this point, Helena Hunting is an auto-buy for, no questions asked. But every time there's a new series involved, it takes me a bit to establish a connection with the new characters and new settings, since I've spent so much time with beloved characters of previous series.

This was a really slow burn, best friends-to-lovers that had banter, a great friendship, steaminess, sweet moments and enough angst to send all the 00's emo girls spinning.

While I've seen people enjoying the first half better than the second, I was completely the opposite. The struggle to accept their feelings and the the new territory they were embarking on, was absolutely amazing. The fact that Avery was standing up for herself and the decisions Declan made after the fact, the whole process of getting back together was the most wholesome getting back together I've read in a while and a marker of a and I. WAS. HERE. FOR. IT.

All in all, it was a very good start to a new series, and I'm intrigued about the rest of the supporting cast now.

This friends to lovers, forced proximity, dual perspective love story was just an okay read for me. I was lucky enough to receive an ALC from Libro.fm and an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I was really looking forward to this latest contemporary romance by Helena Hunting (a favorite author of mine) but I felt the story lacked the depth I usually enjoy in a good romance and was just a quick, one-dimensional ready. Not terrible but not a standout either.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since freshman year of college. They are so close, they even bought a condo together to share as roommates. But there is a line neither has ever crossed even though they are wildly attracted to one another, keeping their friendship the only relationship they have together.

When Avery is in a serious car accident, however, Declan steps in as her caretaker. Reliant on Declan for almost everything, the lines of friendship begin to blur with every intimate moment spent together. Can their relationship survive once Avery is on the mend and they leave the bubble they have been living in during her recovery?

When Sparks Fly was an amazing best friends to lovers romance! Helena Hunting did a fantastic job developing characters with incredible depth and history, putting them into a forced proximity situation, making them both leave the comfort of the friend zone they were firmly planted in and causing them to explore the potential of what they could have together.

Avery is so independent and self assured, that having to rely on anyone for everything made her incredibly vulnerable. And, Declan’s past has pretty much ruined him for romantic relationships, so right off the bat, you know this is going to get rocky. But, it’s brilliant! It’s brilliant because it’s real. People get jealous. People get angry and frustrated and sometimes need time to work through issues on their own. Friendship is the best way to build something more, and I love that friendship is what ultimately brings this couple together in a gorgeous and emotional journey. 5 stars!

I’m a definite fan of friends to lovers rom coms, and that’s why I wanted to read Helena Hunting’s When Sparks Fly. I really enjoyed the premise for sure.

Avery Spark is a busy lady running Spark House, a hotel and event space, with her sisters. Though she has had some tragic moments in her past, life is going pretty well. When she’s not busy with work she gets to enjoy watching sports and eating wings with her best friend and roommate Declan. Then a car accident throws life off a bit for Avery, and it’s time for Declan to step up for his best friend.

The idea of having someone care enough about you to go to the lengths Declan does is so sweet and heartwarming. I could really relate to Avery in a lot of ways. The hanging with the guys, love of sports, love for her work in event planning. While I found parts of it to be a bit over-the-top, I think anyone with a love of friends-to-lovers romance will enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Are you feeling the need for a quirky, cheesy read in your life? Well, you will get it with reading When Sparks Fly!
The storyline is best friends/roommates to lovers. When one of them gets into a accident, the dynamics of their friendship changes dramatically.
I found When Sparks Fly a ok read. Some parts of it were just a bit….forced and unrealistic. The humor aspect saved the storyline for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book sucked me in from the start. Since the premise of the book includes someone being hurt, and nobody started hurt, I immediately wanted to know what happens. By the time that is made clear, you’ve already been hooked on these two.

Avery is a very independent woman, very athletic, who absolutely LOVES her job planning events at Spark House. Declan is her long time best friend and roommate—also very athletic, he works in the finance sector, and helps Spark House with their funding. The two met in college and became friends, part of the same core group of friends. Due to various circumstances, they both categorized each other as “Friend Only” in their minds, early in their relationship.

Like the description says, an accident forces the two to have a LOT of isolated time together, and … things start bubbling to the surface. They try the friends with benefits thing, but quickly realize this is something more. But Declan has some pretty intense relationship issues from seeing his parent’s dysfunctional marriage up close for 18+ years, and Avery isn’t exactly a relationship guru either.

The side characters are all pretty fun too—I’m anticipating potential a trilogy where Avery’s sisters each get their own Prince Charming. London is creative, but more cautious. Harley is more outgoing than London, and loves to cook. Mark and Jerome are “the guys” and they provide a similar role for Declan that Avery’s sisters do for, but I felt they were a little less well developed. We did see them less, so that makes a sense.

I thought the author did a good job of sprinkling in backstory and creating tension by having that backstory have realistic consequences. There was also a very successful example of “everything is perfect! … there’s an hour left of reading? Oh NO!” and having that twist problem be both out of left field but still believable and realistic in consequence. Avery and Declan don’t have a magically perfect relationship, and watching as they work things through was very satisfying. Both mention — pre-relationship — that they depend on the other consistently in their daily lives. It’s like they got the domestic parts straightened out before the feelings part, which was fun and different.

Overall, I thought it was a well done modern romance, a quick read, and wonderfully light hearted.

I’ve read many of Ms. Hunting’s books and she deftly writes stories where you feel all of the emotions and has compelling characters. I love the friends-to-lovers trope and this was quite entertaining as it covers everything from sweetness, long-time friends, angst, and love.

Avery and Declan have been friends since college and, while unusual, they decide to room together later as friends, while they kinda-sorta-maybe have feelings for each other but neither wants to ruin their friendship. For several reasons, Declan ends up providing full-time care for Avery after she’s in a serious vehicle accident and things begin to change between them.

Both Avery and Declan have sadness in their lives that sometimes overwhelms them. There were things I didn’t like about Declan during parts of the story, which took away a bit of my enjoyment. Avery was a great character with her hard work as part of the Spark House that she and her sisters run, avid sports enthusiast, and her maturity while also being vulnerable.

I enjoyed the side characters and know that Avery’s sisters will have a book. I highly recommend that book but also all of Ms. Hunting’s work.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work.

When Sparks Fly is a sweet and spicy friends-to-lovers standalone (first in new series?) featuring roommates and long time pals Avery and Declan. I think I wanted to love this one more than I actually did. Avery seemed to be written a tad too "I'm not like other girls" for my liking and Declan was... kind of a dud. I didn't totally buy their sudden chemistry and found the power dynamics slightly off putting. I did enjoy reading about Avery's sisters and their relationship and the hotel/event space Spark House they ran together. I've read a lot of Hunting's books and this one was overall easy to read, but just meh compared to some of her others.

A few content notes as this book does deal with some heavier topics that could be triggering. They include: loss of parents, fear of driving, on page car accident, recovery after a big accident, and cheating (past relationship).

I flew through this book and I’m giving it a 3.5 rating. I think the characters were fleshed out and I loved Avery’s support group. Her sister’s were a little flat but there is potential for follow up books for them to be more fleshed out and to have their own romance. I would be interested in that or books about Avery’s male friends.

It was a little repetitive though. Not the things that happened but the background information or exposition.

Overall this book is a good palette cleanser between heavier reads and BONUS there’s a couple spicy 🌶 scenes.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. The cast of characters kept the storyline sharp and engaging. Declan and Avery were a complicated pair with their share of baggage, some worse that others.
Neither were interested in a relationship, even though they were living together... just not as a couple, at least in the regular sense.
But, then Avery is forced into a blind date...and Declan started to see what he'd been missing all those years together. He didn't understand the feelings and chased them away in the worst way possible.
He let his best friend down and caused untold agony in her life.
Avery doesn't need a man in her life, certainly not the one responsible for her life right now. but what can she do. She lives with him.
These two could have spent a little more time looking inward and would have found their answers before Avery had her accident, of course, then there wouldn't have been this heart-warming and sexy tale, lol.

When Sparks Fly is an easy-to-read, friends to lovers romance with a little forced proximity thrown in to keep things interesting. Avery and Declan have been best friends for years, roommates for part of that time and a major part of each other's lives. This wasn’t my favorite Helena Hunting story, but it was a good read that helped get me out of a bit of a slump.

Avery is an event planner and the typical oldest sister, mothering her two younger sisters and trying to take care of as much as possible. But, when she gets in a bad car accident and needs help doing almost everything, she has to take a step back from work and focus on recovering. Declan feels guilty for putting her in this situation and volunteers to be her caregiver. While stuck in their condo together, they get closer than ever before and things start to change.

Declan has a reputation for being a ladies man, never getting serious about a relationship, never settling down and doing whatever makes him happy. After making a mistake the morning of Avery’s accident, he feels responsible for her injuries and volunteers to help her as long as she needs him. He’s so sweet to her after her accident but he definitely took her for granted before that, thinking she’d always be there.

I didn’t totally buy Avery and Declan’s underlying interest in each other that they didn’t act on for all the years they’ve been best friends. This was a slow burn, but I feel like the switch was flipped pretty quickly from friends to lovers and they didn’t fully think about the repercussions to changing their relationship dynamics. They were both really selfish throughout the story, both in their relationship and outside of it and weren’t really likable characters.

The ending of this book was kind of a let down. After all the build up of them being such great friends, their communication broke down so quickly, trust disappeared, hasty decisions were made and it all just felt unlikely. Their sexual tension and chemistry seemed to disappear once they got together and it made me lose interest in the rest of the story.

I know London’s book is next and I’m really hoping for a more enthralling story from the kind of neurotic, people pleasing, middle sister!