When Sparks Fly is Hunting's contemporary side mixed with her light humor. This had more of a realistic twist infused with Hunting's fantastic romantic flare and dusted with her wit and charm.

This book takes two emotionally damaged people, given real life drama and solutions and then they still have to figure out if they are better off together or apart at the end.

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college and have been living together has roommates for the past couple years since graduation. They have been through a lot together, but have never dated or even crossed a line into indecent waters. They both have been able to put each other in a friendship box with absolutely zero trouble, but when Avery gets seriously injured and needs help with basic needs, some shall we say, lines have to be crossed just so Avery can use the bathroom or take a shower. The proverbial box is opened and it's hard to close once things have been released.

Declan is there for Avery- 24/7 . As her caregiver, he will do or give Avery whatever she needs, literally anything to make sure she heals properly. He can't even imagine what he would have done had she not survived her accident so he truly becomes a hovering, over protective stalker. While he knows it's not healthy, he also can't stop and while Avery isn't in a place to help herself he's fine, but when she begins to heal...Declan slowly unravels, but remember that opened box...yeah it's trouble for both of them.

These two may have known each other for years, but when their relationship begins to change neither are prepared for the emotional pileup that is coming for them. Deck is a normal self-saboteur and Avery never lets anyone in emotionally. While these two think their friendship basis is strong enough to handle everything, hopefully it will be enough to withstand their heartbreaks.

This book is different than a lot of Helena's other works, but it is still crafted with her great writing and fun wit. It's a 4.5 overall only because Deck was a bit of a hard sell for me personally. I normally love Helena's hero's, even her jerky ones which I seem to love more (like Shippy), but again this was just my personal opinion on Declan.

This was a fun, easy read. I loved seeing the relationship evolve between Declan and Avery from best friends to lovers to more. I was angry, I was scared, I was annoyed, I laughed, and I cried. This book hit all the emotions for me.
I was laughing from the beginning when it starts with a hobby horse convention (yes, you read that right).
I'm hoping there will be more books set amongst this group like her sisters and their friends. This book isn't as outrageously fun as her Pucked series, but it was definitely a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

“When the Sparks Fly” by Helen Hunting was a delightful book. I have not read any books by this author before but really enjoyed it. I like friends to love genre.
Avery and Declan were in school together and now roommates. Declan is a playboy and Avery does not like the dating scene.
Avery is hurt in a car accident and needs a lot of help. Declan feels guilty and steps up to take care of her and help her heal.
The story unfolds -- The writing was good and the story sweet. I may go back and read a few more by this author. Highly recommended

Helen Hunting’s books are exactly what you need when you want to finish a book in one day. This is a lovely story of a couple that’s meant to be. The most interesting part was their separate struggles with their own insecurities. It’s not very often you see the male lead dealing with insecurity and seeking help for it. It’s great to see the hero learning and growing. This weekend I brought “When Sparks Fly” with me to the beach and finish it in one sitting!

Helena Hunting is one of the best at creating fun yet dramatic, chemistry-filled romantic comedies! In "When Sparks Fly", best friends Avery and Declan are sharing an apartment, working busy jobs, and dating around. However, after Avery is in a near-fatal car accident, Declan takes over caring for her, and lines begin to blur. What used to be just a friendship has now become much more than that. The sparks that fly between them are fun to read about, and I enjoyed that their relationship was based on a deep friendship first. However, once jealousy rears its ugly head, they have to figure out how to deal with difficulties in a healthy way in order to save their relationship. I also loved how Hunting normalized going to therapy and dealing with past pain.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so fun to read and the story is easy going. I’d not heard of this author before but I found it a nice easy read

This friends to lover's romance story had me glued to my kindle from the very beginning! The characters were so well rounded that Avery and Declan kept me turning the pages of this fantastic book until the very end!

I really enjoyed this story, so very enjoyable. I love the characters and how they interact. Very well written

Declan and Avery, best buds, roommates and business associates are forced into extremely close quarters when Declan becomes Avery’s constant caretaker as she recovers from a terrible car accident. As they become closer and more intimate, their past histories interfere and push them apart.

In the beginning, I felt Declan’s character came across as immature-ish for an almost 30 year old man. Thankfully he redeems himself in the end and proves himself worthy of Avery’s love and friendship.

While I’m a huge fan of Helena Hunting’s Pucked series, When Sparks Fly does not have the same outrageous, laugh out loud antics. This is more of a sweet, slow burn read.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

I LOVE best friends-to-lovers.....it is by far my favorite genre. When one of my favorite authors writes it? Yup, I'm in seventh heaven! Helena Hunting's When Sparks Fly is funny, sexy, and emotional with just the right amount of heart. Readers will adore Avery and Declan's story.

Avery is such a fun character. She's kind, hard-working, an amazing friend, athletic, and has a strong drive to succeed. Declan is funny, sexy, loyal, and dedicated. These two are so much fun together and when their friendship takes a turn towards the romantic, their connection intensifies. Tragedy brings them closer and Hunting will definitely tug at your heartstrings with this emotional component to the story. My heart broke for both Avery and Declan but these two fight their way to a perfect happy ending. These two really do have a ton of spark!

Hunting delivered a story that will make you laugh and make you cry. She balances the more emotional parts of the story with humor and lightness. I loved all of the characters and hope we get to see more of Avery's sisters as well as her and Declan's friends. The whole cast of characters were so much fun! I loved this story! 5 stars

I love Helena Hunting's books, but this was not her usual style book. I found this one was just ok. I was expecting more and got a just ok read.

I enjoyed the book, don't get me wrong. It was a predictable friends to lovers romance. Nothing shocking or even a little different happened.

I am a Helena Hunting fan, so I was excited to read When Sparks Fly! My favorite romance trope is best friends falling in love and the friendship in this book really shines! I immediately got a sense of who the characters were together as friends, soccer teammates, and roommates. I liked the book and recommend it, I just didn't love it.

I appreciated how strong Avery is - the perfect combination of sporty, intelligent, and mentally resilient. She is my ideal female main character! Unfortunately, Declan, Avery's best friend, falls a bit flat by comparison. He's an attractive, nice guy most of the time, but I never got to the point of being able to visualize him like I did with Avery. While I appreciated their friendship, I never fully got a sense of their latent physical chemistry except for in one steamy scene, and that, from my perspective, kind of came out of nowhere. Typically, I FEEL the author's characters' chemistry build up over time, but this time I didn't and I can't pinpoint why since all the essential elements were there. I also felt like the drama over her ex, Sam, around the 70% mark was just there for drama's sake. It made Declan's character unlikable (and triggering, see Content Warning below) for the next few chapters and didn't speak to the lengthy relationship that he and Avery actually had.

With the switch in narration from Avery to Declan, I appreciated getting into each of their heads as the story progressed, but at times it was really repetitive and I just wanted to keep the story moving forward. I never felt their emotions in a way that I expected. The book has some great potential for high emotion and I think I would have felt their chemistry more if it were a more emotional story. Perhaps this is just an example of me going into a book with too high of expectations?

Advanced copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Rated R / One scene involves a door violently flung open in anger while the other character is vulnerable, which may be triggering for some

This is a roommate friends to lovers story, hinged around a car accident to make Avery needing Declan's help with...a lot of things. This was more of a 2.5 stars for me, rounded up as I liked the sisters (hoping they each get their own book) and the wacky events at the hotel. The other two guy friends who came over to watch sports felt like their characters were very unrealistic, in my opinion.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is written in first person, hopping from Avery, our main female character, and Declan, her roommate slash best friend since college. Being a Type A personality, she spends most of her hours at her dream job of running an events hotel with her two sisters. Her downtime is spent with Declan and a couple male friends, drinking and laughing. Avery is an onion of many layers, a more complicated character with insecurities and issues. A nasty car accident puts her in an awkward position of needing personal care and Declan steps up from his deep guilt that he should have been with her in the car. The title's a fun play on words as Avery works and part owns the Sparks Hotel. A nice beach read.

I really loved Declan and Avery’s friendship. They had a very strong bond and amazing chemistry, even if it was only as friends for so long. Everything turned upside down with Avery’s accident. I enjoyed the transformation of their relationship while he was taking care of her. Things went a little fast and they ended up paying for that later, but it was all very entertaining and a great story.

This was such a fun, cute read! I really enjoyed it and read it fast. The chemistry between Avery and Declan is amazing from the very beginning and builds perfectly throughout the book. A true friends to lovers story. There are some steamy, sexy parts included. This book made me smile and gave me feel good vibes. This is my first book by Helena Hunting and I will definitely be reading more!

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

Avery and Declan had been best friends since college. There by each other’s side for everything until a date changes the carefully played relationship they built. A one night stand leading to a broken promise changes their entire world. Not only leaving Avery and Declan questioning their friendship but realizing a simmering attraction was slowly beginning to consume them both. Helena crafts an amazing tale of healing and letting go of the past to find the happiness that will heal you.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Avery is happy working with her two sisters. She lives with a couple guys who she has been friends with. This book was an enjoyable read.

Avery Spark is living her best life. Between her friends, her sisters, and Spark House, the event hotel her family owns, she doesn’t have much time for anything else, especially relationships. She’d rather hang out with her best friend and roommate, Declan McCormick, than deal with the dating scene. But everything changes when she is in a car accident and needs someone to care for her as she heals.

Declan avoids relationships, giving him a playboy reputation that he lives up to when he puts a one-night stand ahead of a promise he made to Avery. While he may not have been the one driving the car, he feels responsible for Avery’s injuries and is determined to make it up to her by stepping into the role of caretaker.

Friends to lovers usually isn't my favorite trope. It's hard to write the sparks and cuteness... But this book is very well-written. The sisters stole a lot of the scenes and I would love to read more about them.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the ARC.

I think the friends-to-lovers trope is one of the most difficult to pull off but in Helena Hunting's more than capable hands, When Sparks Fly is a romantic, enjoyable escape of a novel. I was rooting for Avery and Declan from the very first page until the last. Highly recommend.