I really like Helena Hunting and this was a fun and easy romance. I rounded my review to 4 stars. It was a nice friends to lovers romance with sweet characters. There was lots of amazing sexual tension and attraction. The story dragged a tiny bit and I wasn't always completely immersed in Declan and Avery's story. The aspects that focused on mental health and therapy were great and needed.

Love Declan and Avery , who are roommates and best friends that become more then best friends after Avery was in an accident and Delcan becomes her care taker.
Some fun situations humor and sweet slow romance.
Fun story.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Classic Helena Hunting Rom Com gold!
Maybe nothing will ever match her Pucked Series or All In for me... but I enjoyed this one immensely. Friends to lovers - swoon!

This book evoked a lot of emotions in me. I enjoyed getting to know the main characters as friends in the beginning of the book so we could fully experience their journey. I loved the deep connection and care that comes out when Declan realized just how close he came to losing the most important thing to him. I was a little annoyed in the middle when there was such an emphasis on the physical attraction, but the didn't last too long. In a dramatic turn of events, I wanted to slap Declan and yell at him for being a jerk. Thankfully, the author took this moment to focus on how working through your trauma with a therapist can help set you on a better path. Overall, it was a good read and I would recommend it!

Another cute read from Helena Hunting! Having been immobile for months after an accident and suffering ptsd as I recovered, I totally got Avery and her emotions. I only wish I'd had a Dechlan while I was learning to walk again. Lol!

Unfortunately this book was not for me and I did not bother to finish it or even get half way through. I was bored and annoyed by this book and it’s lackluster characters. All of the characters are very basic and the author constantly repeats the same descriptions of them, Avery is sporty while her sister is more girly and Avery’s friends are all guys who like sports. The constant references to Spark House were tiring. It was never the hotel or work but always Spark House. Who talks like that? Plus the characters were crass. How many times does a woman need to mention masturbation? Or a guy the effect of being turned on? It felt juvenile and so unnecessary. There were zero sparks flying in this book, more like a lot of physicality and words to that affect. I was bored and saw zero romance of chemistry. I saw a lot of titles listed by the author at the beginning of the book and a series of books that sounded like hockey so maybe there’s an audience for these books among sports fans but I am definitely not one of them. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Slow start, great middle, drawn out ending, awesome epilogue! Avery and Declan both had some major baggage to overcome. Avery was definitely a fighter, and Declan scarred but willing to put in the work.

Avery runs the Spark House with her sisters. A hotel/event space that caters to the whims or its guests. Avery loves it as it's been in her family for some time. Avery is living her best life - running Spark House with her sister by day and getting to hang out with her best friend and roommate Declan whenever she's not as Spark House.

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college. They go way back and Declan and Avery even hang out with their buddies from college once a week! Life is going good for Avery and Declan until some choice decisions cause Avery to get into a car wreck. Declan feels responsible and vows to always be there for Avery if she ever needs anything.

Being around one another so much with Declan helping Avery with everything is bound to cause a shift in their relationship. Every touch and glance is somehow amplified now on both sides. But what happens if Avery and Declan decide to become more than friends?

While I did enjoy the friendship between Declan and Avery - I wasn't completely sold on the two of them as a couple. Parts of When Sparks Fly were hard to read. I felt bad for both Avery and Declan when Avery had her accident. I understand that there was a lot of forgiveness and self reflection on both sides and especially for Declan. I still really had a hard time with Declan's character and wasn't very fond of him at times - especially the last quarter of the book.

I appreciate Helena discussing mental health and therapy in When Sparks Fly. I'm glad that more authors are able to discuss these important issues in romance now!

Not a favorite HH romance, but I hope we get Avery's sisters stories too!

A sweet story of long time friends that find love through tragedy. I really enjoyed both of the main characters and their sweet friendship that grew into so much more!

This was my first time reading a Helena Hunting novel, and I am shook. This novel will tear your heart up, make it melt, and feel roasted, but dang it's a wonderful ride.

Can I say that this book took my by surprise? Not because I didn’t think I’d love it, I knew I would. Helena Hunting is always a good decision. I love every book she’s written, from the Pucked laugh out loud then cry my heart out series, to the sobbing all along the way Broken Ink books, I love them all. I knew I’d love this one. But I didn’t know I’d FLOVE it. Declan is a yes, please and thank you. Book boyfriend extraordinaire, ya know, once he got his head out of his a$$. Avery is the epitome of Heroine and her strength gave ME strength. I couldn’t do what that woman did, but she did it flawlessly. Hunting knocked this one out of the park, grand slam. But…now I need more Spark. Please tell me the other sisters get a book???? I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

First off, if you have read Helena Huntings other books get your expectations of what this will be out of your head before you begin. It's not Pucked or even Shacked Up. This book has more emotion pulling and less comedic zingers than her other books, and that's ok- it just has a different feel than her previous books so read it with an open mind. This book will appeal to a younger crowd, so again- some fans of her previous work may not want this. BUT new readers to her work that are looking for a well written story for young adults will really enjoy this I think. As always, the side characters (sisters and friends) add to the story and character development and I'm sure we will be seeing more of them in the future!

Hot! Hot! Hot! The sparks certainly do fly between Avery & Declan! Oh, I really loved this couple. So perfect! This is a really wonderful friends to lovers HEA book that needs to be on your TBR list. Looking forward to more books with London, Harley, Mark and Jerome’s stories-with updates on Avery & Declan of course!

I usually like friends to lovers romances, but this was a bit boring and repetitive. Declan and Avery lacked chemistry. I didn't like Declan. He sounds like an immature player. He is very posessive and insecure. I didn't like how he treats Avery. The story lacked depth and I wasn't able to connect to the characters. This book wasn't for me.

I’m a sucker for a good friends turned to lovers story.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college. They’re about as close as two roommates can be. But when Declan lets Avery down, he feels totally responsible for the accident that could have cost Avery her life.

While Avery is on the mend, Declan makes it his top priority to care for her. He helps her in every aspect of her life. But while Declan is helping Avery, the two realize that the feelings they have for one another might be more than platonic.

This was such a sweet story. The way Declan dropped everything to help Avery recover from her accident was touching. He was made out to seem like a tough, frat boy type, but Avery really brought out his soft side.

Avery was so sweet to Declan as well. Working with him through his trust issues and helping him become a better person instead of just making up and jumping back into their relationship. I loved that the author made a point to show how the two worked to rebuild their foundation.

The ending had me bawling, it was SO sweet. But to be honest, the beginning had me crying too so it was a full circle I guess! It was such a good romance story!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it might be my last. I found it steamy with lots of angst, but it’s not one I would recommend to others. Declan is a man-whore and doesn’t respect women nor himself. Avery deserves more and shouldn’t be so quick to trust him. All I could think about was - how many STD’s does this guy have. I’m not old fashioned, but the carefree attitude about sex is ruining true love relationships and this story doesn’t help.

I loved this book- maybe a favorite by the author. A classic BFF to lovers stuck in force proximity with a twist. The two main characters have great chemistry (they are bff and roommates). Watching them come together and grow individually was really sweet. There was some steam but off the charts.

Special thanks to Sara at St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars rounded up.

I've seen Helena Hunting's books a lot in the book community and the covers always catch my eye and make me want to add them to my TBR but this was the first time I've actually read one of her books. That's why I'm pretty sad to say that the sparks didn't fly for me with this book—that said, I do seem to be in the minority with my thoughts on this!

CW/TW: car accidents (one in the past, one happens in present but mostly off-page), PTSD, parental death, toxic relationship, stalking/phone tracking, cheating (in the past)

Friends-to-lovers is easily one of my favourite tropes in romance and although the relationship ended up being more toxic towards the end, there were some sweet heart-fluttery moments between Avery and Declan throughout the book. I liked how their romance grew organically from the friendship and another trope that I do like is 'forced' proximity and this one definitely served! Despite everything that happened leading up to the accident, Declan was so sweet and considerate when taking care of Avery so I can't deny I felt some smooshy feelings in those moments. As someone who often reads fairly sexy romances, this one was very 'mild' with only one more 'graphic' sex scene that faded to black and the rest were just mentions of intimate moments that already passed or thoughts of a sexual nature. So if you're not into reading graphic sex scenes, you could pick this up.

I really liked that Hunting emphasized the importance of seeking out help by seeing a therapist. I'm seeing this more often in books and I love how reaching out to support for your mental health is being normalised, especially in romances and for both H/H. While I wish the lead up to Declan's therapy was handled better, I'm glad that his seeking support was acknowledged and highlighted.

The concept of Spark House was fun (I'd love to go there!) and that was one area where I actually felt Avery's passion come to life. I also enjoyed how the sisters worked together to keep the place running and it showed how close their bond was and how much they cared for each other. I always love reading about sisters in books and this one was no exception. I did want the sisters to have stronger development but I still liked whenever all three came on the page together and I loved how natural and fun their interactions were!

The biggest issue for me was in the writing. Since I haven't read anything by Hunting before I was honestly a little shocked by how stilted and repetitive it was. The writing made it pretty difficult for me to not only immerse myself in the story but to really connect with the characters, especially because I felt it was a lot of telling and not enough show, which made it hard to feel invested in the romance and the characters' personal growth. There were also some parts that were uncomfortable to read, such as when one of the characters said that this person isn't whole if they have a disability, and it made me cringe! I also thought that Avery's PTSD was handled well at first until it just disappeared and then she was suddenly very okay with driving and being in a car again which didn't feel realistic to me.

In the end, I just didn't feel much of anything towards the characters and their romance except rage for how quickly everything spun out of control in such an over-the-top fashion. I already wasn't a huge fan of how the story started with the incident leading up to the accident, and while the situation mellowed out in the middle, the relationship quickly became toxic (I mean, phone tracking?) and everything that happened after the big blow out felt rushed and unrealistic. Overall, while I'm disappointed that this one was more miss than hit for me, it was still a very fast read and would be a good palate cleanser between genres!

"When Sparks Fly" was a sweet, funny, emotional roller coaster, where I found myself constantly rooting for the main characters. While some of the plot points caused major eye rolls, I really enjoyed the friendship/relationship dynamic between Avery and Declan, best friends whose relationship changed following a life altering event for Avery. I would definitely recommend!

I've enjoyed other romances by this author, and as I've been on a romance kick as my way of dealing with pandemic hibernation, I grabbed this one though the premise involved car accidents--not usually my idea of a trope to get a romance going. Especially as the heroine's parents had died in a crash, as you learn right up front.

But that is the motivator for her closeness to her two sisters, as well as her fear about driving, and Hunting really makes it work. Avery forces herself to get into the car and drive alone after her roomie and best friend, Declan, blows her off though knowing her tires are crappy and that she is tense on long freeway drives.

Bang!

It's Declan who wants to take care of Avery after she gets out of the hospital to make up for his thoughtlessness. The story really takes off there, as impatient I-want-to-do-it-myself Avery and Declan, product of horrible parenting and still emotionally a frat boy, have to deal with the reality of casts, meds, and just getting to the bathroom to pee. Which is so very unromantic that it becomes romantic because of the way Declan learns to take care of her.

I really loved watching these two begin coming out of their emotional shells and in trusting the other, become trustworthy, and capable of real love in all its varieties.

The middle did get a tad one-note (when Avery desperately needs the release of sex and Declan is there for it; it felt like all of a sudden there were 586,784 uses of the word 'orgasm' per page, to a rather clinical effect) and the Big Misunderstanding inevitable these days in so many romances kind of threw Declan back into jerk territory, but watching the two talk things through like grownups was a pleasure to watch. Despite those slight bobbles I really enjoyed the book, especially the humor.