Such a fun read! Such fun characters! Avery and Declan are a true best friends to lovers book. I especially enjoyed her job running the event hotel, so much fun especially the hobby horse scenes. I hope there is more about this hotel and her sisters. While this is my first book by this author, it will most definitely not be my last! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of Helena Hunting so I was definitely excited to receive an ARC of this book! When Sparks Fly was a quick, easy read full of fun banter and... sparks ;)
True to Hunting's form, there was comedy, romance, and friendship. While some of the situations seemed unrealistic, the characters helped make them believable and the story flowed nicely. There is not a lot of depth to the plot, but I went into it expecting a fun, summer read and that's exactly what I got! This makes for a great beach read or a nice palate cleanser after a 'heavier" title. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Sparks Fly is a friends to lovers romance. I found the setting to be interesting, Avery and her sisters own a event space, but the conflict between Avery and Declan seemed too predictable to take up so much of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed it at first, I think it just went on a bit too much for me. I got a little tired of their miscommunication before they finally wrapped it up.

When Sparks Fly is a contemporary friends to lovers romance and such a sweet read. I’ve read a handful of books by this author before and I think this is definitely one of my favs. I flew through this read and really enjoyed the characters.

Avery and Declan have been friends since college, they even share a condo together as roommates. Both have had feelings for one another but kind of pushed away those feelings, her because he’s her best friend & doesn’t want to risk losing him and he because of relationship & trust issues from his past. When Avery ends up in a serious car accident leaving her immobile for weeks, Declan steps in to be the ultimate caretaker. And lines begin to blur...especially when they both realize she has needs needing attended to in the bedroom as well. 🔥 Wow were the scenes between these 2 so hot, their friendship chemistry added so much to their romance and I loved seeing it unfold. Jealousy and trust issues do come into play but I did really like seeing the way it was handled.

I loved all the time Avery & Declan spend together while she’s healing up from the car accident. Avery runs a hotel/event space with her sisters and it was fun to see some of their event adventurers they had going on. Declan was super sweet and attentive to Avery, I loved seeing the ways he took care of her. He definitely had emotional and trust issues to work through, his parents had a terrible relationship and lead to him not believing/having a good example of a healthy relationship. I loved seeing Avery’s balance to his life and just really enjoyed this romance. The friends to lovers was done so well and I really believed their history and chemistry.

Thank you to the publisher (St. Martin’s Press) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. When Sparks Fly will be published September 21, 2021.

A friend to lovers romance that will truly touch your heart. From college to roommates Avery and Declan have a connection that makes keeps them tied to one another and in tune to each others needs. When Avery begins to date the fear that he might lose her becomes to hard for him to bare. In come the trouble.
For these two friends their romance takes them on a journey of self revelations that ultimately test not only their romantic relationship but also their friendship. Declan learned that he has to overcome the trauma of his parents relationship to learn how to become a more ground partner for Avery.
A truly beautiful romance that touched my heart on so many levels. Helena Hunting, never fails to give us comedy with her romance. Their are laugh out loud moments and some truly heartbreaking ones. A powerful read that is a must read for this year!

Cute, adorable ROM com!!!! Sparks definitely flew with this book!!! I was pulled in by the cover, but the book kept going with its witty banter and fun characters!! This is a must read for the year.

Great story of friendship, love, tenacity and learning to love yourself faults and all. I loved every page of it.

When Sparks Fly was a breezy romance with just enough depth to keep things interesting. Avery is a great tomboy heroine who is balancing a new business amidst a tumultuous past due to her parents' early death. Declan is the perfect roommate/best friend who is afraid of love because of his parents' failures. When she is injured in a car accident, Declan comes to her aid out of obligation, but the two realize that they might be more than just friends.

This was a page-turner that kept me up into the night wondering whether there would be a happy ending. There are a few open door scenes if you are concerned about that. And I always love an epilogue - it was a sweet one!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review. All views are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book because I love Helena Hunting and enjoy most of the books she writes. This one however was just ok for me. Not awful, but definitely not my favorite book of hers and probably not something I would read again.

When Sparks Fly follows the story of Avery and Declan, two best friends from college who choose to room together for years after college. Declan takes care of Avery after she's in a bad car accident and along the way realizes he feels more for her than platonic friendship.

My biggest issue with the book was that I didn't really feel any connection to the main characters, and didn't really feel their connection. It was one of those books where you were told how characters felt, rather than shown it.

The good:
-I liked the idea of the plot (best friends/roommates to lovers), cute premise and trope
-Some funny scenes
-Easy, quick read. The way the book was written makes it a very fast read and easy to get through which I enjoyed.

The bad:
-Stilted dialogue. Dialogue is the most important part of any book for me, and this dialogue felt very unnatural at times. It was written in a way that was clearly only for writing because no one in real life would EVER talk that way, which was very distracting and took me out of the story completely.
-Too many things introduced and then never followed up on. I felt like there were a lot of things brought up in the plot (ie. Declan's parent issues) that were mentioned but then never really resolved. (Yes that one in particular was kind of brought up at the end to explain things but it felt very unnatural and not fleshed out fully). These extra plot details were really distracting for me because I kept trying to figure out how it fit in to the larger story, only to find out that it in fact didn't fit in at all. I think the story would have flowed a lot better without those random, additional details.
-The conflict was unbearable. You know how awful it is when conflict is based solely on miscommunication that could be solved by a simple conversation between the characters? This was somehow worse.

Final thoughts:
The book started out pretty strong for me but very quickly declined about mid way through and then became insufferable to me once I reached the conflict stage of the book. At that point I really had to force myself to finish it. This book had so much potential and fell really flat for me.

Overall, the plot was cute but I didn't really feel a spark between the characters and I personally hated the conflict of this story and the way it was handled afterward. Definitely wasn't my favorite Helena Hunting book (I'd probably go so far as to say this was actually my least favorite book of hers that I've read) but it won't stop me from reading her future books. This one just missed the mark for me.

This book is a 3 star read for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Some of the things I liked were the set up of friends first, and the whole Declan taking care of Avery. I also liked the supporting characters, London and Harley seem like great sisters, and the guy friends were great friends as well. I also liked the Spark House aspect - it added another layer to what could have just been a silly read. However, there were some things I didn't like though about the book. I didn't find either main character to be super likeable. Declan obviously had lots of issues to work through, and Avery came across as quite entitled and spoiled. I also didn't love the end scenario. I realize there has to be a problem in these types of books that the characters have to work through, but this one just seemed forced and stupid. A simple conversation could have easily solved the problem. I also found the chapter names quite cheesy and they honestly made me roll my eyes a few times.

Overall, I liked this one, but didn't love it. I have read a few Helena Hunting books, and will continue to read them, but this one just fell a little flat for me, especially towards the end. I appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy though. Thank you to Netgalley, Helena Hunting and St. Martin's Press for the copy.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This book is set in Colorado. This book has many different emotions happy ,sad, frustrated,guilt ans betrayal. The main characters are Declan whos parents have done a number on him. Will he be able to overcome those issues. Avery is loyal, stubborn can she see what is in front of her to help. Her sisters London and Harley are family that has each other's back and also you will meet the guys Jerome and Mark. This storyline reminds me of love, lost and can people actually know what they want in life. Have they had it all along or is it new. This book is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere.

Helena Hunting is one of my favorite go to authors & this book is just fabulous!! It has all the feels, it’s funny, emotional, heartbreaking, heartwarming. You will love Declan & Avery along with all the supporting characters. Avery & Declan are best friends who live together & have buried their attraction to each other. Deck gets jealous when Avery goes out on a date that ends leading to a terrible car accident Avery is in the next day when he was supposed to be with her. He takes care of her & it leads to more. You will be hooked once you start reading this book & won’t want to put it down!! What a journey they have to their HEA! You must read this book!! I received an arc from Netgalley & the publisher for an honest review.

Helena Hunting's books are hit or miss for me, and unfortunately, this was a miss. The whole beginning was not for me - making both Avery and Declan to seem unlikeable, while at the same time making them seem like they were still in college despite nearing/being in their thirties. This maybe would've worked if she aged them down to be a year or so out of college, but that's not what this is.

Too much drama at the beginning for me for a friends to lovers story. I want obvious sparks and cute supporting moments in a friends to lovers story, and this had none of that. This was overall a flat read.

This is the first Helena Hunting book that I didn't love. The book was good and the characters were charming but it was at times unbelievable and completely foreseeable. This is the type of book that you don't really have to read to the end to know what's going to happen. That being said it's still well-written and an easy, ruggedly cute read.

Loved it!
This was such a wonderful friends to lovers story. I couldn’t get enough of Avery & Declan. When Sparks Fly brought out a wealth of emotions & I loved everything about this book!

Thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for this arc. Helena Hunting has been a familiar staple for me, especially in terms of rom coms. I appreciate how she doesn’t always go for the conventional character (or humor). But this book didn’t work for me. Couldn’t connect to the characters. Didn’t root for their romance. The plot and jokes felt a little flat. I’ve really enjoyed some of this writer’s work and am looking forward to the other romances in this series, from side characters (all excellently rendered).

When Sparks Fly is the story of Avery and Declan, two college roommates who became fast friends due to their shared obsession of various sports, and have been living together in a shared apartment for years. Best friends that are always there for each other, their bond grew stronger when Avery’s college boyfriend cheated on her and Declan chose her over his friend Sam. Now, years later, the unresolved feelings between the two of them threaten to come to a head when a commitment-phobic Declan makes a drunken mistake that lands Avery to drive alone to a college reunion – and ends with a car crash that leaves Avery immobile and in desperate need of full-time assistance. Riddled with guilt, Declan declares he will take care of her every need and wish. And what starts out as a way to pay penance turns into much more when the phrase ‘lending a helping hand’ takes on a whole new meaning.
The friends to lovers trope mixed with forced proximity? Sign me up. Helena Hunting delivers another light romance with darker undertones with When Sparks Fly. I loved the juxtaposition of Avery who is very focused, diligent and career-driven, running the Spark House together with her sisters while her grandmother is taking a well-deserved break, with Declan who is always in a good mood, fun to be around and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Throughout this story, their friendship is the greatest highlight because they take care of each other in the small and grand ways even before Avery is dealing with the aftermath of recovering from her car accident and whenever their friends came around, you could tell that their dynamic worked really well. Avery’s sisters London and Harley are also quite involved in this story when they have to take over most of Avery’s input in the business and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll return to those characters in the future.
Hunting also balances the quirkiness of the characters with their dramatic past. Declan is a commitment-phobe because he’s seen his parents’ using each other and being unable to step away from their toxic relationship. Avery, meanwhile, is still smarting from the death of her parents in a car accident and struggles with riding in cars. Though these aspects are more told than shown in When Sparks Fly, they added another layer of depth to the romance between Avery and Declan.
One slight thing that kept me from being fully immersed in the story, however, was the constant repetition of certain key information – e.g. how Avery’s parents died in a car accident when she was younger – which was phrased the exact same way in both POVs multiple times – I wish it would have been paraphrased to fit their individual ‘voices’ more. In general, once Avery returns home from her accident, some scenes became quite repetitive as they followed the same pattern, it felt like sometimes Hunting fell into the trap of describing outfits, weather and the likes at the start of each day that slowed the pacing down quite a bit in the middle right when things are about to get interesting.
Aside from that, When Sparks Fly is a super breezy read – I read this in one sitting because the chapters just kept flying by and I was antsy to see Avery recover and for Declan and her to finally be together beyond the confines of their apartment. Despite the rather unfortunate car accident, there are loads of feel-good moments in this book and I especially loved the dynamic between Avery and Declan. Friends to lovers can be tricky because you have to establish years of friendship without relaying every conversation that led to that special bond and Hunting did that marvelously with memories from each POV and other friends and family members chiming in. Their friendship is such goals and once they admit their feelings for each other, things get steamy and sexy in the best way.
That being said, the last fourth of this book was quite difficult to reconcile with the first three quarters. While it makes sense for Declan to react to the events with jealousy, the way he lashed out kind of went against everything the reader learns about Declan up to that point in the book. Of course, he’s never been in a relationship before but still, the way he was burning bridges left and right and especially how he treated Avery felt very out of character and you have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit to accept what happens next. It was great to see the positive representation of therapy and working on your intimacy and relationship issues within When Sparks Fly, but I would have wished for a bit more groundwork so the abrupt ‘disaster’ moment wouldn’t have been so unlikely. However, I did enjoy how we got to see Declan and Avery both reclaim their friendship, work on their separate problems and then find their way back to each other much healthier and well-balanced than before.
Sparkling and emotional, When Sparks Fly combines the friends-to-lovers trope with forced proximity and offers a happily ever after to two forces of nature – the perfect summer read!

Declan and Avery have been close friends since college. When he steps up to care for her, the sparks and chemistry erupts. Neither want to ruin their friendship but it is always possible when the chemistry overrides their sensibility.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a great friends to lovers romance! I am a bit biased as it is one of my favorite tropes, but it is so well done here. I cannot wait for readers who have yet to discover Helena Hunting to fall in love and then find out she has an incredible back list.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

I was so excited to be able to read this book, however, it just didn't hit on all cylinders for me. I was so distraught. I love Helena Hunting because her books are amazing. This one just fell short (for me). This is one of my favorite scenarios to read and I was about to freak before I could start it. And then the disappointment....

I had trouble liking Avery and Declan. I found her to be a spoiled brat and was thrilled when her sister called her on it. Perhaps I missed something, but I got the impression she "badgered" (my word!) her sisters to go into business with her. That was never actually stated as the details were slim. Declan was ...ehhh. I'm sure many would think he was amazing to help out Avery, but I found his apologizing just a bit over the top. I have yet to meet a man that will barely apologize once...much less numerous times. It just struck me odd, I guess.

I'll continue to read Ms Hunting. I think she's an awesome author. This one just didn't do it for me.