Shockingly disappointed in this one because Helena Hunting has always delivered some solid romances. I found that Declan as a romantic lead was really unappealing from the get go. His instincts to sabotage knowingly and unknowingly made him a massive red flag and no amount of character development helped. And in my opinion there was next to nothing when it came to ON PAGE character development which is where I start to like characters in the first place.
The whole caretaker dynamic between Avery and Declan was a massive power imbalance and the aspect of dependency for Avery and Declan's need to have control really made me uneasy. The construction of the hurt-comfort trope in this book came off as toxic instead of tender.
Which then led to the sex scenes being really uncomfortable because a lot of imbalance was brought to light in terms of needs versus consent. I was glad there was only one on page sex scene and that's always my biggest complaint in romances.
The expanded cast of characters were also grating. I didn't care for a lot of what happened and after 40% of the book I was simply reading to finish it.
I trust Helena Hunting's next book to be better. This felt like a one off mistake.

I was absolutely enamored of this book for the first three quarters. It was my first by Helena Hunting and I was really regretting that fact. The basis of the story is two college best friends who are now living as roommates as they pursue their careers. When Avery is in a horrible car accident after Declan fails to drive her, he takes on caring for her throughout her recovery...including every intimate need. Their relationship evolves into much more.

I loved, loved, loved the way Hunting had their relationship progress. Then she threw in some major obstacles and the complete tone of the book changed. It went from sweet and playful to sad and grim. It did, of course, have an HEA. I was just really thrown by the conflict part that seemed a little prolonged to me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was just such a classic, solid, friends to lovers romcom. I sped through the thing in just a few sittings and felt so incredibly satisfied after reading it!! I should have know because @helenahunting never disappoints me!

Read it if you love:
•Friends to lovers with forced proximity
•One of the main characters caring for the other after trauma
•Great steam (but not as much as her hockey books!)
•The start of a series about Avery’s sisters!!

I’ve gotta say, Declan pissed me off at times, but I thought Hunting did a great job showing his growth! Can’t wait for more of the Spark sisters!!

Admitting you are in love with your best friend!

Avery Spark was happy running Spark House with her sisters and living with her best friend Declan McCormick, but everything changed when she was in a car accident and seriously hurt.

When Sparks Fly has major friends to lovers’ feelings because Avery and Declan have been best friends since their first year of college, but Declan must admit that he has feelings for Avery after almost loosing her in the accident. Everybody else knows that he has been in love with her forever but learning to open up and trust is a work in progress that they need to work through, but it is a romance and realizing that they are in love is what the story is all about!

It’s a book by Helena Hunting and you need to read it soon!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh no, not another review where I don't agree with (checks thousands of Goodreads reviews), well, everyone. I'm a big-time sucker for friends-to-lovers but Avery and Declan just didn't provide the delicious tension or wonderful payoff I love when friends realize how much better they'd be as lovers. Helena Hunting is so good at funny, often zany, sweet, often steamy, rom-coms but this one wasn't my favorite of hers.

I missed the lack of romantic and sexual mystery. I love a good friends-to-lovers where one or both have secretly wondered about the other, only to discover that oh, there is much, much more. Declan and Avery have been friends since college and longtime roommates. Declan, notorious for his parents-related commitment issues, has blithely paraded hookups in front of his good buddy roommate. But it takes a traumatic car accident for them to act on their pants feelings was a bit much. I'm with Declan and Avery's friends who were totally skeptical when Declan claimed he and Avery became friends with benefits because her injured hand kept her from finding sexual release and he was helping her... as a friend. Dang, where's the emoji for the "Sure, Jan" face?

The sexual chemistry was hard to maintain when so much of the first book is about Avery's injuries. Hard to believe these two were lusting after each other in between inelegant moments like descriptions of Avery's unwashed hair and body and Declan assisting her with bathroom functions. If Declan hadn't walked in on Avery, would either of them ever made a move? Doubtful.

Finally, the wait for Declan to get his act together fell flat. Avery really was the perfect friend - patient, forgiving, understanding. But a girlfriend deserves so much more than a guy who takes what felt like forever to be "boyfriend-worthy". Again, I know this is a big case of "it's me, not you" but I was disappointed, having enjoyed other Helena Hunting romances that actually sparkled (pun intended).

3.5 stars

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a sweet and steamy friends to lovers romance. It had a cute storyline and some adorable characters specially a swoonworthy hero.

As the blurb is pretty detailed, I am not going into the synopsis. Long term best friend and roommate Avery and Declan are forced to spend some difficult weeks confined to their home when Avery gets into a major accident. Declan quickly goes from best friend to her caretaker to friends with benefits. But Decland and Avery both have a lot of emotional baggages. I loved their beautiful friendship and how it slowly progressed. Declan has deep seated issues but he is a loyal friend, caring boyfriend and a goregous man overall. His love and devotion for Avery is unquestionable but his bad experiences made him make some mistakes. Avery is a sweet and sassy woman who is mostly engaged in running their hotel Sparks House with her sisters. And Declan made her feel a lot of sexy complicated feels. The chemistry and slow burn was definitely there.

The issue I had with this story was the predictability. By second or third chapter I knew how this is going to go. However I trusted Helena Hunting to make it interesting but it was flat. I didn't like how Avery didn't communicate with Declan about the issue or how Declan just lashed out at her after everything. And I didn't like how her sisters tried to blame Declan for the accident or put so much pressure on her.


If you are looking for some uncomplicated good time, When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is worth a try.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

When Sparks Fly is a friends-to-lovers romance that had me feeling all the feels as I made my way through it.

Avery and Declan are best friends and have been for a long time. They are roommates and nothing romantic has happened between them, they've always just been there for one another in all aspects of their lives. When Avery is involved in a terrible car accident, she needs help with almost every single everyday task you can imagine and Declan is the person who steps in to help her.

As the two spend more time together as she recovers, things begin to shift between them with respect to their feelings. They both deal with issues stemming from their past and those issues could very easily threaten any future they could have together.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit and like I said, it definitely evokes all sorts of emotions. It's one I would recommend picking up.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I love Helena Hunting’s bingeable writing style and the way she creates magnetic characters. So when her latest novel When Sparks Fly popped up on Netgalley I was excited to request it. When Sparks Fly mimics a best friends and roommates turn lovers plot line. It differs from other best friends to lovers stories in that Avery survives a horrific car accident and needs extra care from from her best friend Declan. Avery is not used to needing extra help. I liked this aspect of her character. I also liked the dynamics of their relationship. The pacing in the story moved very quickly, and I was happy to finish this one in two days. If you’re looking for a quick, light read for a plane ride or a day at the beach, this is a good one to pick up. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I enjoyed reading this book. It set up the sisters for follow-on books of their own, and maybe more events at Spark's House.
Declan is someone with a few issues stemming from his parents and their relationship. Avery is in a serious accident and Declan steps up to really help her recover. I liked seeing them get to know each other physically, as they were already close friends.
It's an easy book to read and had some realistic exchanges between the family and friends.

So. I started reading this shortly after the ARC hit my Kindle in May because I usually love Helena Hunting's work and I couldn't wait to dive in. It did not go well. I ended up skimming ahead and ruined the ending for myself, which was REALLY not good. Unforgivable conflicts not good. I haven't had any desire to pick the book back up and officially finish, and it's... been awhile. I'm sure I will at some point, but I don't know when that will be.

Let's just say that these friends have an unhealthy relationship, this manwhore hero is SUPER cringeworthy, and he does a few things that I'm not sure that I can come back from. I personally wouldn't recommend this one.

When Sparks Fly was cute, funny, emotional, steamy, basically everything! The storyline, while sad at times, was interesting. It kept me hooked and rooting for Avery and Declan. Both Avery and Declan have been through some hard times and it has shaped them into who they are as individuals. They both have some issues because of their pasts that they have to work on. I really enjoyed learning about Avery and Declan and being in their heads. They're both good people and deserve to be happy. You can tell from the start that they are very close and there could easily be more than friendship there. They're a very cute and strong couple and I loved watching it grow from friends to more than that. The last chapter and epilogue were particularly adorable and sweet and I loved them!

Not at all what I was expecting. It was a slow read, I had a hard time finishing it as it just didn’t grab the reader.

I absolutely adored this book. I was totally invested in Avery and Declan’s relationship and watching them grow from friends to lovers. The chemistry and struggles between the two was believable, which helped make the story so strong. The book had great pacing and flow and was the perfect balance between comedy and drama. Totally reccomend if you’re into romance! I couldn’t put the book down :)

How does she do it? Helena Hunting wrote another entertaining and devour-esq romance!

When Sparks Fly follows two best friends who must decide the boundaries of their relationship when one of them is in a terrible accident and needs around-the-clock care.

There’s something about a friends-to-lovers romance that just always gets me. I love the comfortable chemistry between Avery and Declan. This story was easy, breezy and lovely. While it’s a true predictable love story...that’s what I love the most about this genre. Perfectly sweet escape!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for sending me an eARC via Netgalley.

When Sparks Fly is available September 21, 2021.

When Sparks Fly is fantastic a friends-to-lovers with maybe a touch of unrequited love. I'm a pretty big Helena Hunting fan and this is one of my favorites by her so far. I liked that Avery isn't down on her luck in the form of a recently lost job/boyfriend/house and that she's independent. Declan was not immediately likable for me, and I wasn't really sure he was redeemable after Avery's accident. Fortunately, his dedication to righting his wrongs is so sweet and he proved himself. I loved everything about this. It has good pacing and flow and I love the secondary characters. It's funny and made my heart hurt a few times. I'm really excited to see what happens to the other two Spark sisters. I wouldn't mind a book for Mark either, he's got an interesting dating history I'd like to hear more about.

Avery & Declan are best friends who do everything together. They live together, hang out together & sort of work together….after Avery has a terrible accident things change. They find themselves giving in & helping to ‘service😉’ each other. They are reluctant to label their new relationship though (Declan has a ton of baggage from his parents & Avery is gun-shy from a bad breakup).

Their relationship works for them in the steamiest of ways until it doesn’t😢 It takes them a while to mend their broken friendship and find their way back to each other.

Declan wins all the medals for the scavenger hunt (so sweet💕) and he sets up the best obstacle course ever! Coolest word puzzle❤️

Fave quotes:
‘We’d spent so much time together, immersed in each other’s lives, that we’d almost become an extension of each other. We needed to learn how to stand on our own before we learned how to stand together again.’—-these are Avery’s sentiments but it’s refreshing that Declan realized he needed professional help to deal with his relationship woes and that they are able to reconnect.

‘For so long, we were magnets unpolarized. Facing the wrong way and orbiting each other, missing the connection until the world finally aligned and brought us together, only to tear us apart again. But this time we’re both whole and ready.’—🥰

A classic friends to lovers trope! Avery and Declan are best friends, they live together, work together and when Avery gets in a terrible car accident leaving her helpless Declan is there to pickup the pieces and be her caregiver. But the more time they spend together the lines between friendship and romantic relationship blur. It starts out so great, until Declan's insecurities from his parents nasty divorce get in the way and break them apart. Can Declan fix his insecurities and win Avery back? Or is their friendship forever ruined?

I've loved every Helena Hunting book I've ever read. She has a great balance of comedy and drama which makes her an auto-buy authors for me. I was so freaking excited to get an ARC of this book! She is truly a rom-com queen! I devoured this book. It's not particularly long and you won't be able to put it down! I loved the sisterly bond between Avery and her sisters and how real it felt when the sisters had to pick up the slack after Avery's accident and how it felt like they were losing a part of themselves. I loved Declan's loyalty to Avery and their mutual friends. This book will give you all the feels! 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book, even though at times it seemed repetitive. Declan and Avery definitely had a connection and the chemistry was off the charts. I loved both characters and when things finally seemed to be heating up, you could feel it coming off the pages. This is a great quick read and very well written.

This best friends to lovers story was a good read. Avery and Declan are best friends, who have lived together for years and when Avery is hurt in a car accident and needs 24 hour care, Declan wants to be there for her since he feels responsible for her situation. Declan grew up with parents that didn't set a good example for what a relationship looks like and Avery had lost her parents at a young age and both of their pasts play into their changing relationship. Looking forward to the rest of the books in this series.

In short: Friends to lovers romance ignited by a lengthy recovery from a car accident.

What to expect:
🎇Lots of steam!
🎇Dual Point of Views
🎇Friends to lovers & Forced Proximity

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book! Avery and Declan are roommates and have been best friends since college. They both have a hidden attraction to each other that finally comes to the surface while Avery recovers from a car accident. The tight friendship, chemistry and banter in this book are what I enjoyed most. I was so mad at Declan for “the fight” and it came up abruptly taking me back a little. The way they work through it and find their way back to each other made up for it.

Audiobook: I alternated between reading this and listening on audio. The dual POVs were great in the audiobook. I loved the voice of Declan!