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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

I can never get enough of Helena’s words. She’s penned an amazing best friends-to-lovers story that is beyond scintillating. Declan and Avery’s journey is filled with ups and downs, with an amazing happily ever after. When Sparks Fly is an EPIC read that will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

I absolutely enjoyed this book! It was so good at showing all the scenes and it was so very real. The characters were wonderful and I hope there will be more books, stories for the other sisters.

Avery and Declan are roommates. It works well since they are best friends. When an accident happens, all of that changes when they end up needing to depend on each other. This is another good story by Helena Hunting. It has some heartwarming moments, laughter and romance. I enjoyed the characters and story. It is a friends to lovers story that shows sometimes the best relationships start out as friends.

Avery and Declan are roommates who have been hiding their true feelings and have stayed platonic. Now when Avery gets severely injured in a car accident, Declan takes up the responsibility of taking care of her completely until she recovers. This proximity forces them to reveal their feelings for each other and this friends to lovers trope book also has good supporting characters who add value to the plot.

And there is some good steam for those who are interested and is definitely a cute romcom albeit too predictable. At the end there is some hurt and breakup situation due to some misunderstanding making it emotional as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When Sparks Fly is a cute friends to lovers story about Avery and Declan. Longtime friends and roommates, they have both been in love with each other but have never been willing to admit it. After being in a serious accident, Avery now has both an arm cast and leg cast. She needs tons of assistance and who better to help than her best friend and roommate. As they grow closer than ever before, and the lines they never crossed before get blurred, their friendship is tested in ways they never thought would happen. Will their crazy chemistry end up setting them up in a situation that will blow up in their faces? Read this book and find out!
When Sparks Fly is a delightful, fun, and fast read. Fans of the authors other books will enjoy this one as well.

Avery and Declan have been best platonic friends forever but things change rapidly when he becomes her primary caregiver after a bad accident. Enjoyable friends to lovers romance. Recommended.

I've been on a Romance/Rom-Com kick as we head into summer, and this certainly delivered that was cute, fun, but with a little bit of depth to it.

Avery and Declan's friendship and chemistry is the backbone of this book, though it does start off rocky for us at the start with some of the questionable choices that Declan makes that lead to Avery being driving out, alone, in the rain the morning of her big car accident when they should have been making that trip together, especially considering Avery's trauma with driving due to her own parents car accident when she was a teenager. For a moment when it all goes down, you are left to wonder how good of a best friend he could really be to let her down so horribly for a meaningless hook-up.

However, post-Accident, you get to see a different side of Declan. One who is dedicated, loyal, and wiling to do whatever necessary to take care of his best friend. That is when this book truly shines. In the moments you see their closeness, their banter, and the first sparks of them realizing just how much they truly love one another. My biggest gripe is that it stemmed from a place of guilt for Declan when I think we could have likely gotten there without that part of the storyline.

I do wish that the conflict that drove them apart before coming back together had been built up just a little bit more because the latter part of the book felt a bit forced and awkward and lacking the emotional impact on myself as a reader because while I felt all the emotional flutters of the build-up, the heartbreak felt rushed and resulted in the Happily Ever After feeling a bit cheapened for me, which is how we wound up at a 3 stars because my excitement over the story definitely waned in the back half of the book.

All in all though, I think Helena Hunting is a master at her craft and writes beautiful love stories that romance readers will adore.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in return for my honest review!

5* Soul Mate Stars

When I was invited to read an ARC of When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting I was very excited because I knew I was in for a fun as well as emotional read. From the first chapter you will be laughing out loud as the author introduces us to Avery who is hosting a Hobby Horse Convention, (I had to look this up to make sure it was indeed a “sport”) and other chapters where you will feel annoyed and sad.

The story of Avery and Declan is a slow burn friends to lovers romance. They meet each other in college and become best friends and then roommates when they graduate. Their friendship is solid, and loyal, and they have been there for one another without crossing the line romantically. When Avery has an accident and needs fulltime care Declan does not hesitate to become Avery’s caregiver.

Lines are crossed when favours are asked, (some hilarious moments when this happens) and before they both know it, they have crossed the barrier of being more than “just best friends”.

When trust and insecurity issues arise, their friendship is fractured, and hearts are broken. They will be in the fight of their lives to rebuild, heal and accept what the future holds.

The story of Avery and Declan was funny as well as emotional. I highly recommend this wonderful well written book, I loved everything about it!

So, I want to start by saying I love Helena Hunting. But, this book just was meh for me. I tried really hard to love it. However, it’s a 3 star for me. Declan was just not all that likeable. And besides the scene where he and Avery first get together, I just wasn’t feeling their chemistry. I did like avery’s sisters. The chemistry was much better in their story line. Thanks to nergalley for the ARC. all opinions are my own.

This is a friends to lovers romance. Usually in these types of reads, the couple 'Don't want to ruin their friendship by becoming intimate,' but in this, they sort of just jump into it and think about the possible fall out after the fact. The two have been friends since their early college days, and have since become best friends and even purchased a condo together. Though she is more like one of the guys... until she gets ready for a first date and walks out looking smokin' hot. To say that that opens his eyes is an understatement. He is a good guy and loyal to his friends, but he is also a but of a player. Never getting too serious with any one woman. There are lots of laughs, but also some pain... both physically and emotionally. They both have things from their past that cause some stress both for them personally and for them as a couple. There are fun times and there are frustrating times. Over all it's a good light-hearted read. Nothing too terribly heavy. It's well written and the characters are well developed. It reads easily and alternates between POVs. There is sexual content that is suitable for mature readers.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

This book was a quick, breezy, pleasant read. It's not that I didn't like it, I was just hoping for more. The two main characters, Avery and Declan, were both a little too vanilla for me. It started strong but fizzled out quickly because I was hoping for more banter and depth from both of them. It felt more like an outline of a really great book instead of a a well-developed and finished piece. I would have preferred a book about Avery and her two sisters --- their interactions were much more lively and entertaining.

This friends to lovers was such a great yet cute, sweet read and I enjoyed it from page one. This did not feel like the typical friends to lovers type of read. In this book, we meet Declan and Avery, two friends and roommates that have known each other since college that have had unresolved feelings for the other for just as long. When Avery is severely injured in a car accident, Declan steps in as her caregiver. While taking care of Avery, the pair take that their friendship to the next step and let their amazing chemistry loose. In the end, events occur and the pair are forced to face some serious issues in their life.

In this book, the characters were well written. Avery, the tom boyish girl who is also one of the guys is still a little damaged from her parent's death while being busy trying to please everyone in her life. She is the oldest of her sisters and runs an event center with them. She works hard with them to keep ensure that the business is successful while keeping her sisters happy as well as their customers and determined to have a full recovery from her accident. Declan on the other hand has been Avery's long time friend from college. He assists her and her sisters with the finances of the event center and comes from a set of parents that did not have a healthy relationship who constantly use him during their arguments. He is extremely loyal and carries a lot of guilt when it comes to Avery's accident.

This book moved along well and had me hooked from the start. I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters as well as their chemistry. I was sorry to see this book end and while on one hand wish that the supporting characters can get a story of their own also feel that the book ended just right and it would not matter if this story turns in to a series.

Overall, this was a great read that I enjoyed from page one. I have been a long time fan of Ms. Hunting's books and like her other books, I would recommend this book to others.

This one was a miss for me. I normally love Helena Huntings book but for some reason couldn't get into this one. I loved the side characters and I hope the sisters get a book.

I loved this book so much! The chemistry you could feel between Avery and Declan was everything! This was perfect for a fast paced, light, summer read. I can’t wait to read more from our characters.

Friends to lovers, what's not to adore? My only complaint was being glued to my Kindle and staying up way too late to see how this adorable story played out. Highly recommend!

Helena Hunting will never cease to write an amazing and sweet rom com!

If you're a fan of friends-to-lovers romances, this book should be at the top of your list! Avery and Declan are best friends who live together until an accident forces true feelings that have been hiding all this time to come forward. Helena Hunting is amazing at what she does, and that's writing sweet romances with real characters. They have their flaws and they make mistakes, but the beauty of it is that they find a way to overcome it, to forgive and to live their lives to the fullest.

My heart is happy!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

A book boyfriend-worthy romance!!! This friends-to-lovers love story will deliver sweet and sexy moments with a dash of angsty drama. Declan will become your favorite book boyfriend!

Avery has just been one of the guys for years. Her best friend just happens to be a hot guy who she lives with. They have always had a strictly platonic relationship. She's driven and works along side her sisters running Spark House.

Declan is a good time guy. Loves his friends, enjoys his hook ups and has a great job. Avery has been his bestie for years. They even bought a condo together since they get along so well. All is perfect until he makes a mistake.

Avery finds herself in the hospital and in need of care to mend. Declan steps up. They already live together, so this should be easy. However, being so dependent on another person is not what Avery wants. As her frustration with her limitations mounts, she seeks comfort and relief from her best friend.

A friends-to-lovers romance with lots of heart and steam. Two people who mean the world to one another cross a line they cannot come back from. Declan is buried under his own baggage so far down that he can't see the light. He's struggling with what he wants but can't get past the feeling of not deserving happiness. Avery isn't willing to go back and erase what happens, but she can't fix him. Declan will have to find his way.

I absolutely loved Declan and Avery. The relationship they fostered over the years was the perfect foundation for the most beautiful forever. It took some work to get there, but that kind of love is worth the sacrifice. The author dug deep with these characters and their struggles. I loved watching Declan's evolution from a man who was just pretending, to a man that felt everything and wanted to be the best partner he could be. A fantastic couple with real life challenges and a love worth fighting for. You are going to fall in love with Declan as he becomes Boyfriend-Worthy!

I tend to think of Helena Hunt as a romcom writer and while When Sparks Fly definitely has romcom moments, I enjoyed that this novel packed a more emotional punch. Both Declan and Avery had some baggage that was begging to be unpacked and in Helena Hunting's hands, it definitely was. To get to that point, though, there were all sorts of events--some funny and some horrific--that kept me turning pages.


The novel started with a completely ridiculous and funny scene, leads us through the backstory of Avery and her family and introduces us to her friendship with Declan via a college relationship gone bad. All of this gets us to the car accident that gives us the meat of the story. There's forced proximity, guilt, frustration, and many opportunities for this best friendship to turn into something else, which obviously it does only to blow up before we get to their HEA ...all well worth the journey to get there.

In addition to the main story of Avery and Declan, the secondary characters also provided a lot of comedy and interesting diversions and I'm definitely seeing the potential for several of these characters to get stories of their own.

When Sparks Fly is a fun read that definitely brings the emotion--a good way to spend your weekend.

I really enjoyed this book. At first I wasn't sure if I really liked the male main character however I fell in love with him. This book is full of drama, laughs, and heartaches. The two main characters (Declan and Avery) evolved from best friends to lovers. The story is an easy fun read. I would definitively recommend this book to anyone who loves a happy ever after stories. I received this book as a ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.