I’d probably round this one up to 3.5 stars. I liked both Declan and Avery as characters and the situation was interesting (college “platonic” best friends sharing a condo) but it was painful once they got together. Both of their issues made it awkward and uncomfortable. They both acted super young, which I believe they were (mid-20s) but it made the book less fun to read. It was well-written and interesting, I just didn’t love the direction their relationship went.

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced my rating.

When Sparks Fly is an awesome friends to lovers story with endearing characters and an emotionally charged plot. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Hunting, and while there are lots of humor, for me, the stronger part of this novel is the raw emotions that both characters experience.

Avery Spark is the female protagonist, and I quickly warmed to her character. The hurt she has when the hero breaks his promise to attend a planning get together with old college cronies, I could feel her hurt and disappointment. Then when she’s almost killed in a horrific multi-vehicle accident, her fear is visceral. Her embarrassment when Declan helps her manage her personal needs had me blushing for her.

Declan McCormick is our hero, and while it appears he’s a man-whore, I soon realized that image is only a very small part of his complicated personality. His fear to allow anyone to know who he really is, tugged at my heart and I understood it is the real reason he only has one-night stands. Deep inside his soul, he knows Avery is the only woman for him, but fear keeps him from letting those emotions come to the forefront.

The romance develops slowly as it normally does in this troupe. Both are so afraid that if they let the attraction move beyond the physical, it could tear their long-standing friendship apart. When it falls apart, the pain both characters have is heart breaking. I thoroughly enjoyed their love story and wanted them to find their happy ending.

If you enjoy contemporary romance with plenty of heart and engaging characters, then you’ll love When Sparks Fly as much as I did. I look forward to reading other books by this talented author. Happy reading!

#WhenSparksFly:

Don’t let this adorably fun cover fool you, this is kind of a difficult and deep read in regard to grief and PTSD. Avery’s parents die in a car accident many years ago, and the sisters are always so cautious when it comes to driving. When Avery gets in s serious car accident, where others have perished, she becomes scared again of getting behind the wheel.

I loved Avery and her story. I’m glad we were able to see her relationship with her sisters as they navigate through past trauma and current dilemmas. I loved their honesty with each other, regardless of how it might affect them. It may have been a bit too clean for 3 sisters and arguing, but it t was still realistic.

I enjoyed Declan and Avery’s relationship at well. I liked how we got so much of their back story to understand their chemistry and all they’ve gone through to strengthen it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Declan, to be honest. He is supposed to love Avery, but knows she’s terrified of driving in the snow and he just.. goes off to not help her, causing her to be the driver and get into an accident. I also was not a fan of the “great misunderstanding” I felt like the anger was basically rage and came out of left field. I did enjoy that it was wrapped up with a big chat about mental health and therapy, which are super important. I do think the redemption part was wonderful, especially with the time it took to rekindle. It was realistic to where they didn’t just snap their fingers and say okay! We’re good now!

Overall, I really enjoyed it! (The Spark sisters more than Declan) Thank you so much SMP for the gifted copy! When Sparks Fly is out 9/21! 3.5

Thank you to # netgalley and #stmartinspress for an an advanced copy of When sparks Fly to honestly and fairly review. In this small town, friends to lovers romance, the talented Helena Hunting tells the story of the journey traveled by Avery and her best friend Declan following Avery’s auto accident. How guilty should we feel when a quick, maybe selfish decision has lasting consequences? Should a perfect friendship be risked in hopes of finding something more? Can showing true honest emotion cost everything?
In this tender novel Hunting guides her characters toward the answers to these and other relationship questions with compassion and depth. This novel will be enjoyed by readers of small town romance and mainstream women’s fiction.

This friends-to-lovers was a good concept, but unfortunately it was just okay for me in execution.

I think one of the biggest things lacking for me was chemistry. I didn’t feel it with Declan and Avery. They were best friends, that was very clear, but their attraction felt a little passive.

The storytelling also felt a little passive. There was a lot of skimming over events in a single sentence, and lot of telling instead of showing. There was also a lot of repetitious language, which always makes me wonder if the author is just filling space.

I have enjoyed many of Helena Hunting’s books, and by all means, I still recommend them. However, When Sparks Fly just wasn’t my favorite.

When Sparks Fly was a winner for me! Lovable characters, friends to lovers romance, good conversations that all partners should have. I mostly loved when Declan had to be Avery’s nurse. That would almost many anyone happy to have a broken bone. I was worried that this would become a stereotypical girl thinks she isn’t good enough for guy storyline but the drama was elsewhere! Avery stayed a strong, honest, capable woman and got exactly what she wanted in the end.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a chick-lit romance.

This book has a really nice and realistic storyline. It started by introducing the characters and explaining how they are connected. Then there was the accident that changed the whole vibe of the book. It went from funny to a bit dramatic and then sexy. It's not your usual romantic story since it goes a little bit on the "dark" side with the guilt trip and the heavy injuries. Other than that it's quite entertaining and the love scenes are hot as well. The characters were very relatable and fun. There was obvious chemistry from the beginning between them. I liked how much they cared for each other and how they dealt with their issues towards the end.
My favorite part was the romantic gesture in the end.

It's a great book that romance readers will love. I will rate it with 4 stars.

I've been on a rom-com kick lately, and after enjoying Helena Hunting's last few books, was excited to get my hands on When Sparks Fly. This is a well-done friends-to-lovers romance that touches on some very real issues.

Avery is running Spark House, her family business, with her three sisters. Their parents died several years before in a car accident, and Avery and her sisters are very close. Avery lives with her best friend since college, Declan. Declan is relationship-adverse after growing up around his parents' toxic relationship. He's much more of a one-night stand guy. Then Avery and Declan get into a terrible argument, ending with Avery getting into a terrible car accident. Declan throws himself into taking care of his best friend, partly to assuage his guilt over the accident. But the cocoon caused by Avery's recovery means the two are thrown together, and more intimate, than ever before. Suddenly, the chemistry they've been suppressing for years can't be ignored.

I generally like the friends-to-lovers trope, and I thought this was well done. The friendship between the two was very believable, and truly the crux of the book. I also liked that the book didn't shy away from the more messy aspects of each character's hang-ups, or have these problems be insta-solved by love (cue the Disney music). I also really liked the dynamic between all of the characters, and hope that we get to revisit this group with more books (hey, just about all of them are single, so who knows).

I love all things Helena Hunting. This friends to lovers book is so emotion filled. I love that they love each other and are unable to admit the truth. I love the sisters. I love Spark House. This is a great read, and I cannot wait for the next one

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Social Butterfly PR for the free ARC of When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting

Rating: 4.5 star
Genre: Romance

If you read romance, you probably already love Helena Hunting's books. She writes witty, steamy romance books! When Sparks Fly is a great new addition! Avery and Declan have witty banter, and there is lots of steamy romance too! The part of this book that I enjoyed the most were the struggles that both of these characters went through in the story. This story has some deeper topics and challenges for the main characters. I loved that there was work to be done before the happily ever after!

If you enjoy romance reads, I highly recommend this one!

This was my first book by Helena Hunting and it did not disappoint. When Avery is hurt and has to rely on her best friend for everything their friendship ignites. A fast paced easy read with plenty of steam this book will leave you with a smile.

4.5⭐

When Sparks Fly is an utterly delightful romance that had my attention from the moment two hobbyhorse enthusiasts started a duel and never let go. As best friends and roommates Declan and Avery navigate a rocky path as they begin to supply each other with some mutual satisfaction and slowly admit that they have real feelings for each other and begin a relationship.

And with plenty of depth, chemistry, sweetness and Sparks. Not to mention Ms Huntings trademark humour which is always on point and perfectly balanced this was a wonderful story that I honestly couldn't put down and one that developed to the perfect conclusion. And I hope there is more to come; I would also happily recommend this story to others.

Helena Hunting is one of my favourite authors. Sometimes she has hits, sometimes she has misses.

This was a bit of a miss for me but that was mostly because of my own mental health problems and being unable to handle the subject matter.

It was still written well enough and the friend group was fun.

I have to say there were no sparks for me while reading When Sparks Fly. I think it is because it lacked the strong characters, fun banter, or steaminess that I've enjoyed in this author's other books.

The ‘hero’, Declan, was the most disappointing. He acts selfishly and blows the main ‘conflict’ portion of the romance arc way out of proportion. In the end, Declan did not redeem himself in my eyes.

The book dragged for me, especially about halfway through. I stayed up late to finish this book and felt let down by the anticlimactic ending.

I did like the representation of mental health and the importance of seeking help.

A mostly fun listen. Avery and Declan have been friends forever. They are truly the best of friends and even bought a condo together that they live in platonically thinking they’ve got it all worked out. They are both fooling themselves.
They are also both emotionally stunted and immature in their personal lives, though are both stellar in their professional ones. Avery gets in to a car accident as a result of being monumentally let down by Declan and a really bad driver in the other car. As they live together Declan feels immense remorse and wants to help her with any and everything. They make an agreement to a few unconventional things and it all start off well. And then it goes off the rails. Refer to my previous comments about their collective maturity levels. Some of the story is really sweet and you only want the best for them, but keep hoping they’ll grow up. Overall it makes for a nice listen and or read by a terrific author.

This book is worthy of all the stars in the world. Here’s my thing. I love romance books. I love romance books even more when authors, who I’ve read from previously, are coming out with a new book that I’ll probably love, knowing that I’ve read books from them previously.

Helena hunting is an amazing writer. Her way with words when it comes to characters and romances in general is amazing. This was a beautiful romance and I even shed tears.

I got very attached to everything in this book. From the relationship between the two main characters and even the relationships they have with everyone else. I really love second chance romances. I particularly love those where it’s “right person wrong time” and what could we have had if we acted upon our feelings? That’s exactly what this book is. I loved it and I think even describing this book by saying I loved it is too much. I cannot wait to see what else Helena hunting has in store for us all in the future because this was everything and more!

Avery and Declan have been bestfriends since college, they are so close they purchased a condo together. Avery and her sisters run the Sparks House, and she's happy, although she makes a lot of personal sacrifices. After a car accident leaves her immobile for a few weeks, Declan is eager to be at her beck and call. Once his caretaker duties take over, they both realize, there's more to their friendship...

When Sparks Fly is a cute but, predictable romance story. I'm still trying to wrap my mind over how suddenly the lines of friendship were blurred. I feel like a huge factor was missing and I can't place it. The writing was great, the multiple POVs were good however, I would have enjoyed learning more about Declan's family life, sooner. I love the character development between both Avery and Declan, it remained strong throughout the story. Overall, the story was good just, not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for a review

When I first started reading romance, friends-to-lovers was my favorite trope. This book made me remember why!

Friends for years, Avery and Declan shared a great bond. When Avery gets into an accident and Declan blames himself, he steps up and drops everything to take care of her. Lines start to blur with the level of care she needs and things between them start to change.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Avery and Declan. Their friendship turned more was very sweet (and sometimes steamy.) I’m not going to lie, Declan frustrated the hell out of me a few times, but I’m certain that was the point.

What I loved most about the story was that it revolved around a sister-owned, family business and put a spotlight on therapy and mental health. Having the conflict stretch out a little while the characters worked on themselves was a refreshing change of pace to the normal instant conflict resolution.

Thank you to SMP Romance, NetGalley, and the author for a #gifted copy of this book!

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting - 4 Stars I love Helena Hunting's books so much!! I will pretty much read anything from her and set a book by her in Colorado and have hobby horse tournaments and you know it's going to be good! She writes some hilarious scenes that take place at her main character's event center. In this book we are following Avery who is happy running the event center with her sisters and living with her best friend Declan. When Declan ditches Avery and she is forced to drive in the rain she gets into an accident and is seriously injured. Declan feeling horribly guilty about the situation plus scaring him at the thought of losing her, he decides that he will be the one to take care of her. This was a cute and steamy story about two friends who are both hiding their feelings from one another as they learn that there might be more between them. I really hope we get more stories following her sisters, they were a lot of fun to read about. Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy for review.

➳ Rate: 3,5/ 5 stars

This started off really interesting. I had no clue what would happen next… it was a lot.

It started off cute, got cuter and emotional-ish but then idk, it was all kinds of cute but I didn’t love love it.

It was a fun friends to lovers romance until things went south. But I actually really enjoyed the effort put into change and making things work. It was super angsty to read those chapters and super sweet.

Overall, this was a great story and I enjoyed it.