Helena Hunting has a way with writing stories that makes you love the characters she writes-warts and all. Avery and Declan are best friends and live together. They have strictly friend-zoned one another after Avery’s breakup with Declan’s former best friend.
Through a series of rather unfortunate and near-death event, the two friends start to recognize their affections for each other may not be friendly at all and start thinking of each other in very non platonic ways. Declan is there to help aid Avery after the accident and starts to care for ALL her needs, including some of those personal ones she can’t manage on her own. Sparks start to zing and these two find themselves in new territory.
“When Sparks Fly” doesn’t have as many steamy scenes as some of the other books written by the author, but it is a good story on its own merit.
Advanced copy provided for honest review.
4.5/5 Stars Overall

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance by Helena Hunting. The plot was different than many romance novels I've read, and I enjoyed the chemistry between the hero and heroine. I really enjoyed the maturity of the characters at the end and how they came to resolve their issues.

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a delightful, entertaining, and a bit steamy, friends-to-lovers romance.

Avery Spark and her two sisters run an event planning business at the Spark House event space that has been in their family for years. They work hard to keep the business running and are always on the lookout for more events to plan.

Avery and Declan are best friends and roommates. Avery and Declan both enjoy soccer and spending Monday nights with their friends watching football and have a special friendship that neither of them wants to mess with. Back in college, Avery was dating, Declan’s best friend Sam, but when Sam was unfaithful, they broke up their relationship and Declan sided with Avery and they both pushed Sam out of their lives.

When Avery gets in a car wreck while driving to an important Spark House meeting, Decan is sick with guilt because he was supposed to drive her, but was too late getting up after spending the night with his latest one-night stand. So, when Avery is unable to care for herself due to her injuries, Declan takes time off work, to care for her and help Avery recover and gain back her mobility. The time Avery and Declan spend together during her recovery unearths their deeper feelings for each other, but they have to learn to be together again as Avery gets back to normal.

This was a fun, but also deeply emotional book with a perfect friends-to-lovers trope. Both characters have some emotional baggage that keeps them from fully finding love. I like that the main characters are really good friends to start with, and they both understand each other so well, that when they both realize they have stronger feelings for each other, their transition to lovers is easy until they have to face reality again.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a fun romantic book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mein Leseerlebnis

“When sparks fly” ist eines dieser Bücher, das ich beim Lesen nicht schlecht fand, das mich aber auch nicht voll überzeugen konnte. Dazu wirkten die Charaktere auf mich nicht echt genug. Flotte und teils intensive Dialoge konnten das ein wenig wettmachen.

Manche Szenen haben mich zum Lachen gebracht, andere interessierten mich herzlich wenig. So empfand ich alles rund um Averys Job im Spark House als wenig fesselnd. Auch empfand ich die Beziehungen zu ihren beiden Schwestern als etwas blass. Avery und Declans Beziehung fand ich glücklicherweise interessanter.

Statt Entwicklungen in der Beziehung der beiden Hauptcharaktere sich natürlich entwickeln zu lassen, hat die Autorin zwei Beschleuniger eingebaut. Beide Beschleuniger basieren auf Aktionen Declans, die meiner Meinung nach nur bedingt zu dem passen, wie Declan ansonsten dargestellt wurde. Die erste Aktion schien mir dabei noch unwahrscheinlicher als die zweite. Vor allem die Declan an sich als Mann dargestellt wurde, auf den man sich durchaus verlassen kann.

Blicke ich auf mein Leseerlebnis zurück, so fiel dies also recht gemischt aus. Sollte es Folgeromane zu Averys Schwestern (vielleicht in Kombination mit ihren beiden männlichen Freunden?) geben, plane ich derzeit nicht diese zu lesen. 🖤🖤🖤1/4

Für wen?

Wen der Klappentext anspricht und wer für das Liebesroman Genre recht typische Geschichten mag, könnte mit dem Buch eine gute Zeit haben.

This started out so well, and then quickly fizzled out.
I loved the banter and comradery between Avery and Declan, but it never really developed beyond the surface. It felt like so much time was spent in their day to day or their past stories, while the angst and development was rushed and very quickly resolved.
I would have preferred to have more of their romantic growth and time together rather the constant reminders that she can't wash her own hair.

Best friends, turned lovers because of an embarrassing encounter. Lovers turned boyfriend/girlfriend… but how does that work when one of them is extremely sexually promiscuous and the other is cautious in regards to relationships.

I struggled with the first half of this book. Although I love the writing and characters, issues and all, the way Avery and Declan came together was awkward. It also felt very one sided, Declan “taking care” of Avery and her needs, when she did little or nothing for him. I know she was partially immobile, but it just seemed wrong and taking advantage. I really liked the ending though, working through the past issues and overarching insecurities and self-sabotaging. I felt that the ending was a very redeeming quality, after the awkwardness of the whole first part of the novel. I really enjoyed the characters and their development, especially after the breakup.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. I will be suggesting this book to my friends who enjoy the same reads in this genre. This is my favorite book I have read by Helena Hunting – right up there with Meet Cute.

This is an absolutely perfect romance novel for me. It gave me all the feels in all the right moments. I highly recommend reading it.

I love stories with humor. I am a fan of friends to lovers stories. For some reason, this one is not a favorite of mine.

Avery and her sisters run a family business. They have an entertainment venue. Avery shares a condo with Declan. They have known one another since college and he is Avery’s best friend. Declan is a ladies’ man, a hunk who thinks that one night stands are a good part of life.

I wanted to like these two people. I liked Avery. She is a smart woman who enjoys working with her sisters and she does a good job at it. In fact, she is the one who can stop a fight between two hobby horsemen. After all, who wants to have someone injured by a wild hobby horse used as a weapon?

For me, Declan was a lot of good things. But, he was not what I would want for Avery. I would not want someone jealous and unreasonable. She deserves better.

I know – by the end of the book things are all sunshine and lollipops. But, I don’t buy it. And I don’t buy Declan as a great guy. I would not expect anyone to change their life. But, it is a big leap to go from one night stands and giant size jealousy to being an ideal boyfriend.

This story just did not provide me with what I hoped

I really liked this book. Declan and Avery are best friends and roommates. Avery gets in a bad car accident. When she is released from the hospital Declan is there for her. And takes care of her, and helps her recovery process. During this time both of their feelings for each other start to come forward. Avery hasn’t been in a serious relationship since her last boyfriend cheated on her and left her heartbroken. Declan has never had an example of a good relationship because his parents kept cheating on each other. This was a sweet story that was funny and emotional. An overall good read!

It had it’s cute, sweet, and steamy moments, and I loved a lot about the first half, but the last half didn’t work great for me. The book kind of lost that spark for me. It wasn’t bad by any means, just all the tension and those moments between Avery and Declan were gone. Add in the hero jumping to conclusions and things crumbling for a while as well as a few interactions with London (her sister) that bugged me, this one just ended up being okay for me.

I have really enjoyed Helena Hunting's books and was especially pleased at the opportunity to read When Sparks Fly. My favorite romance trope is friends-to-lovers, and this is an excellent example.

Declan and Avery have been friends since college and even live together. But they have both firmly placed their relationship in the friend zone. Things change when Avery is badly injured and Declan becomes her primary caregiver.

I really enjoyed the pacing of the book and the way in which the transition from friends to lovers happened. I loved Avery and resonated with her right from the start. Declan really grew on me, as his motivation and baggage became clearer.

The side characters are fantastic. Avery is the oldest of three sisters. This book sets up a possible series featuring her younger sisters really well. I have my fingers crossed that will happen.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: car accident

Thank you SMP Romance for the advance readers copy. All opinions are my own.

**3.5 Stars**

When Sparks Fly didn't really "fly" for me - bad dad joke intended.

My loves:
1) I love the plot premises. Best friends to lovers is one of my favorites troupes.
2) On top of the best friends to lovers, readers also get the bonus of the roommates troupe.
3) The dynamics of Avery, London and Harley - each totally different yet work so well as a team
4) The happy ever after ending + epilogue

My dislikes:
1) I am not a fan of Declan. Yes, I love totally love his redemption at the end but up until that portion of the book he is a very hard male lead to actually like. He is described as and 1000% acts as f*#k boy the majority of the time and it took me out of the book.
2) I didn't buy into the chemistry that is Avery and Declan...at all.

Helena Hunting is an amazing romance writer. Every book is not for every person and this one was just not it for me. If you are a fan, definitely read this book!

Rating: 3.75/5
Genre: Contemporary Romance and Adult Fiction
Warnings: death of a parent, car accident and injury, infidelity
Read if you liked: Crazy Stupid Bromance People We Meet On Vacation
Steam: 3/5

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. When Sparks Fly will be released on September 21st.

I’m pretty hit or miss with Helena Hunting books but this was a win for me…I’m a friends to lovers fan and this does it well.

Things I loved: Great chemistry, you could see their friendship woven throughout as well. Crossword puzzle moments. The accidently eating of pot brownies…y’all this was funny. Avery is a feisty independent woman!

Things I didn’t care for: Their fight was silly and way blown out of proportion but they handled with well after with (*cough) therapy. I wasn’t always a fan of Avery’s sisters (mainly London) and the verbiage they used.

I usually really enjoy Helena Hunting's standalone contemporary romances and while there were parts of this book that I enjoyed, it mostly fell flat for me.

I loved the overall premise of the book, but would have loved more of the emotional connection to be at the forefront rather than the hooking up. Because while it was clear that they loved each other and got along well, that was all pushed to the side the moment they started hooking up. Then it just became a book about hook ups...

I did love the side characters - her sisters and their friend group - the little quirks they all had (making the little origami stars was so fun), and all the other event details that went into the story.

I really enjoyed Avery and Declan’s story and the way the best friends to lovers plot unfolded. The business and family plots were also well done.

When Sparks Fly is a fun contemporary romance by Helena Hunting. Ms. Hunting has provided readers with a well-written book and a lovable cast of characters. It is written in first person, alternating point of view though, not my favorite format. Ok, I hate it. But the story made up for it so as my finger hovered over the 4th star I debated with myself was it good enough to make it to 5. Declan and Avery have been friends since college and now share an apartment, as friends. Declan was to take Avery to a meeting but went out the night before, brought a woman home, left his vehicle at the bar, totally failed Avery. Avery was in an accident and Declan claims he's the one to take care of her recovery since it was his fault she was driving her can. Avery and Declan's story is loaded with drama, humor of the laugh-out-loud variety, smoking hot sexy bits, action and suspense. I enjoyed reading this book. When Sparks Fly is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Declan and Avery’s friendship starts to change after her car accident. They find out those feelings they have for each other are deeper then they both wanted to realize. While their past gets in the way for a while, they find out their love is strong and forgiving.

Avery Spark is an event planner living her best life. When a car accident leaves her bedridden, her roommate and best friend Declan steps into be her caregiver. The car accident is indirectly Declan’s fault - he was supposed to be driving her in his SUV. Instead, he had a one-night stand the night before and was too hungover to take her. Declan feels responsible for Avery’s accident and takes on the responsibility of handling all of Avery’s needs. (ALL of them - do you see where this is going?)

I love Helena Hunting, and I was so excited for this one. It did start off slow for me, but once I get into it, I couldn’t put it down. Typically, I hate the friends to lovers trope, but Avery and Declan’s relationship felt realistic. Put this on your TBR list.

Thanks to @NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC! When Sparks Fly is on shelves on 9/21/21. You should preorder it, so it’ll fly to your shelf in September. 😉

Helena Hunting is always a solid choice if you are looking for a fun, entertaining romance story. Avery and Declan are best friends and roommates who fulfill almost all of the platonic roles in each other’s lives. When Avery sustains serious injuries in a car wreck, her busy life as a hotel manger for her family business and forays into the dating scene are impacted. Declan drops everything to take care of her around the clock. Their close relationship begins to turn romantic and they each have to decide if the risk is worth the payoff.

I loved Avery and Declan and it was hard to imagine how they couldn’t see their own chemistry from the beginning. Their friends and families were not surprised at all when things quickly went from friendly to romantic. As with most love stories, there is a twist that threatens the connection but this one felt very authentic. I was rooting for a clean resolution and for a happy ending for everyone. I also really enjoyed the scenes between Avery and her sisters. Family businesses can be complicated and you could see how each sister filled a role in the team. They were supportive of one another and ultimately communicated well. This was a very captivating read!

Thanks to Helena Hunting, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and the characters were likeable enough. Was a fun, light read, but somewhat predictable as well. Easy HEA when you need a quick read!