This book was so strange to me because it's extremely well-written, and yet... I disliked it intensely. The basic premise is fine, but first, the idea of posting pictures of a guy doing shirtless pushups on a business website is really appalling. Why would anyone book an event for something like that? The fact that she posted without telling him was a big trust violation, too.

And then...Avery basically asks Declan to serve as her human vibrator. That's completely gross because he's a human who deserves better. But also, it made no sense. The book SAYS she has actual vibrators. I can't believe none of them worked with her left hand. Not to mention, detachable shower head? That was all so bizarre.

Declan had no character arc at for 90% of the book. We don't see a single scene from his POV that isn't centered on Avery. I'm only 50% sure what he does for a living (Accountant? Financial planner? Stockbroker? He did things that made no sense for all of those jobs.) I wanted to love this book. I was so sure I would. But it just wasn't a good fit.

Review based on ARC (not published elsewhere)

Let me start by saying Helena Hunting has been and always will be a one click author for me. I love her! But this one wasn't my cup of tea. I just didn't connect with the characters or storyline as much as I usually do in one of her books. I found it easy to put down and hard to pick back up again. I am of the firm opinion that not all books are for all readers and therefore there are few actually bad books. I think this is the case here for me. The central trope surrounding Avery's accident and the caretaker/patient interaction leading to romance just isn't something that does it for me in a romance novel. And while this didn't hit it out of the park for me it was by NO means badly written. It's the quintessential 'it's not you, it's me' situation. I look very much forward to her next release.

I almost hate to write this review. And I feel I need to write a disclaimer - I usually love stories by Helena. I’ve even done re-reads of several of her stories. With that being said, I could not get into this one. I have tried on three different occasions to get into this one and it just didn’t work. I did not finish reading this one. Yes, I attempted to skip around and it still didn’t capture my attention. It sure why.

A great story...maybe a little longer than it needed to be...about best friends, guilt and sacrifices, including the house and lessons learned to leave your past behind. Avery & Declan show what strong friendships are about. A good read!
Note: chapter 20 is messed up...please fix before final printing.

This is your typical friends to lovers story. Both of the main characters had some issues that they needed to work on. I liked that they took some time to work through their individual issues. Overall it was a cute and quick read.

This wasn’t the book I was expecting going in and I mean that in the best way possible. I was expecting a RomCom, and while this book did have its share of laugh out loud moments, it was so much more. There were scenes that simultaneously broke my heart and irritated my mind and character growth that was unexpected, but made this story incredible.

I adore a friends-to-more story. I love the familiarity and comfort that came with the Avery and Declan story. At the beginning you could tell how strong their friendship was and when it was tested, lines and boundaries were blurred in a way that felt like a new take on the class trope. I thought I knew how this story would flow and how it would end, but the author totally surprises you with an unexpected twist that brought depth to the story instead of unnecessary drama to fill a void.

There is a lot of maturity and growth in this book and I’m happy with the way the author presented it. Many books tend to skip ahead, but having each character work towards being a better partner not only for themselves but for each other made this story unique. It was refreshing to see characters that are flawed and damaged, but somehow find a way to use their insecurities to make them stronger.

I was really impressed with this book overall. The authors have the ability to suck you in from the first page and bring you into a world that is captivating and charming. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.

This book was an enjoyable friends to lovers romance that I devoured in a short time! I really loved the banter between Avery and Declan, and their arc from friendship to love was well plotted and thought out. Avery's relationship with her sisters was also a highlight for me, I hope that we will get London and Harley books soon!

Avery was a very endearing and believable main character and the reader was really able to understand her emotions throughout. I also thought that her back story and Declan's back story were both well developed so it was easy for the reader to understand their motivations. To me, this book stands out in the friends to lovers trope because of the well developed back story - you feel like you are a part of their friendship. I also appreciated the honest portrayal of a character going to therapy and what that looks like for their growth.

The one small thing that bothered me and I had a hard time getting over was the scenario with the accident. The author alludes to multiple people dying in the accident at a couple of points, and it's clear that Avery has a traumatic back story with driving, but there is never any mention of Avery tending to her emotional trauma. That just felt off to me and I kept thinking back to that and how it felt kind of flippant given the seriousness of Avery's past and also the amount of casualty from the accident. It didn't completely ruin the book for me, but I think I would have been more fully able to immerse myself in Avery and Declan if that wasn't there.

So much heart in this book! I've come to expect to have a good laugh when I read a Helena Hunting book but I got so much more with Avery and Declan's story. I wasn't expecting to get all emotional ! I really loved that we got so much depth into their characters, how they met and what drove them to stay friends instead of reaching for more. You really feel like the author put her heart and soul into this couple.

Declan's loyalty and the amount of care he gives made him one of my favorite heroes. He has his issues and he did do some things in this book that I didn't like, but when you do get that character development to show you why he is the way that he is, I find that I am more forgiving. I could look past his faults and see what he will become. Kudos to the author for making me care so much.

Avery was a pretty awesome heroine. I loved how she was herself. Completely. There was no guessing to what kind of person she is or what you will get from her. She was such a refreshing character and exactly what Declan needed.

This was a fantastic, emotionally driven read that you can't help but fall hard for these characters. I highly recommend it!

Really fun read friends to lovers storyline. The chemistry was was nicely built upon in as the story progresses. Fun quick read for me. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Honestly, it's more like 3.5 stars. I liked it overall, but there were a few things that didn't work for me - the biggest being the 'jump straight to cheating accusation'. I will admit that both of them came through it much better at communicating and realizing to be an adult in a monogamous relationship, you have to communicate with your partner, regardless of whether you want to talk it out or not. Good for the author for making her characters show their work. :P

I'm going to assume this turns into a series and we'll see the sisters in their own books soon.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC via Netgalley!

When Sparks Fly was my first book by Helena Hunting so I did not know what to expect. I enjoyed the beginning and liked the characters. I went down hill from there. All the characters seem to have way to many hidden issues and from there we go into pages of explicit sex. Not what I read a book for I actually enjoy a good plot line wrapped in good story telling. I made it half way through before deciding there are to many good books left to read to keep fighting my way through this one. It was not for me.
Thank you netgalley for the early copy.

I hadn't read any of Helena Hunting's books before diving into this book did not know what to expect in her writing style, but after reading I'll be looking for more of her books.

When Sparks Fly was a fun friends to lovers story with extra heart thrown in. I was hooked from the beginning, when Avery was hilariously separating a fight between patrons at Spark House - where could this book possibly be going if the main character starts out with such a ridiculous thing to have to deal with.

I thought that Avery and Declan's relationship developed in ways real life relationships develop. They have been friends since college, witnessed each others romantic endeavours for years and have jointly owned a condo for two years - these two are clearly real best friends.

I really enjoyed reading Avery's POV chapters and her interactions with her sisters, who are hilarious, kind and protection, and I want to know more about them! Declan's chapters were a little too guilt ridden to be believable, but they did lead into the mental health aspects and relationship building perfectly.

Overall, I loved this book and found the storyline to be well developed, making it a quick, fun read I wanted to keep reading, and I was wishing for more after it was done.

I am a major fan of Helena Hunting's books and have read almost every single one. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book. I wasn't sold entirely on the main character's chemistry and some of the plot twists. I will always continue to read this author's books and while I didn't fall completely in love with the story I did get some connection where I read it cover to cover.

Thanks to @netgalley for this early copy of When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting! This one is out in September.

Synopsis: Avery Spark & Declan McCormick have been friends since college and are now happily roommates. But when Avery is severely injured in a car accident on the way to secure a sponsorship for her and her sisters’ business, Declan becomes her primary (and full of guilt) caretaker. And while it should feel like normal, some dynamic has totally shifted — and Avery’s not sure how long it can last given Declan’s “hit it and quit it” past.

If you want a book with a fairly good amount of steam, this is your book. There’s quite a bit of body massages turned into more, oral sex and so on. Otherwise, I found it to be a bit of a boring read & hugely predictable. There are some swoony moments of “friends-to-lovers” that involve like mutual pining and self-restraint, and I do enjoy the trope of taking care of someone injured, but there were a lot more moments that just didn’t work for me as a romance reader (tons of jealousy/jealous actions which I only find okay in very specific situations).

I didn’t feel for or connect with these characters at all, which was odd to me because they had all suffered through difficult circumstances (CW for brief mentions: death of a parent, car accidents, divorce, adultery/cheating). But the whole book had a way of showing and not telling, which kept me at a distance from them. Even the sister dynamic didn’t end up working for me, which was disappointing because I feel like this is getting ready to be a interconnected romance series about all the Spark sisters.

I wouldn’t put someone off from reading this themselves, as I didn’t find anything inherently offensive, but I might call it a library read.

Helena Hunting's latest novel relies heavily on the friends to lover and close proximity romance trope. Both of which can make for a fun romantic read. Which for the most part, that is exactly what this novel was. Surprisingly, this novel also focused quite heavily on the hero seeking professional mental help to work through many of his issues that were preventing the couple from moving forward. While I applaud the author for including this and trying to make more people aware of mental health, at times I felt like it made the resolution simply drag on for too long. But perhaps that was also the author's way of showing that counseling is not a quick fix but a necessary one just the same. Despite the slow wrap-up, overall the book was quite enjoyable and I hope we get to see more of the Sparks sisters in future books!

Avery lives with her best friend, Declan, and runs the Spark House hotel with her sisters and has little time for much else, especially dating. A car accident leaves Avery needing help doing pretty much everything, a job Declan volunteers for since he blames himself for Avery getting in an accident. He dives headfirst into being the best friend and nurse a girl could ask for. Compromising and awkward situations lead to an intimacy between the friends that can only alter their relationship.

This is a feel good romance with just the right mix of heat and humor for an enjoyable read that keeps Helena Hunting as a must read author for me. Friends-to-lovers is my favorite romance trope, so I jumped on the opportunity to review When Sparks Fly. Hunting is a go-to author for me so I knew I’d enjoy her latest. I think she is a great author. The plot was appealing and flowed very well. This book pulled at my heartstrings. It’s got a lot of funny moments but it has a lot of depth to it’s storyline. The characters were well developed and relatable and I cared about the outcome of their story. I loved their group of friends and how supportive they are with each other. I knew that the couple would have a happily ever after since that always happens in romance, which is one of the reasons I like to read this genre. Sometimes you just need a HEA story. The emotional depth of the story was great! Avery and Delcan’s chemistry is fire! Smoke was coming out of my Kindle. And I liked the sweet conclusion to Dec and Avery’s story. I hope the other Sparks' sisters get their stories told. I'd love to know more about London and Harley. Thanks to Netgalley and the St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an eARC of the book.

I love a good friends to lovers romance, and this one did not disappoint. Avery and Declan have been best friends and roommates from their first meeting at their college freshmen orientation. After some disappointments and a car accident, the two start to connect romanctically. The story was predictable and the characters were a little unoriginally, but it was an easy read for a lazy day.

Best friends to lovers with lots of internal challenges to overcome. After an accident leaves Avery unable to care for herself, Declan steps up to selflessly, if guiltily, be her caretaker and then some.

Easy, fast read with feel a good ending.

I really enjoyed this latest book by Helena Hunting, for a variety of reasons - the alternating perspectives between Avery and Declan, the loyal and endearing friendship they had from the get go, the reality of caring for someone after a profound accident and how challenging that is for both people, and the acknowledgment that sometimes time apart to become whole is what's best for a relationship. A delightful, quick read!

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting follows the story of the Avery Spark and her roommate and best friend, Declan McCormick, who have known each other forever. They have supported each other most of their lives and Avery is one of their "guy group" who hang out, play ball and do most everything together. When Declan gets drunk, hooks up with a woman while Avery is on a bad date and backs out of plans with Avery and she winds up in a horrific car accident, Declan feels that it is all his fault, he never should have put his date first. Especially since he was jealous! He takes on the job of caring for Avery during her recovery and all of the feelings they've set aside for so long come to the forefront.

A typical boy/girl romance, this novel was an enjoyable read, and would make a good beach read. Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.