For some reason, I thought this was a rom-com, but it was more of a “deep feelings” book, except it didn’t feel like that for me either.. I liked the MC’s but I wasn’t in love with them. I liked their chemistry, but again, it didn’t give me a wow factor.. sadly, it was an ok read, but not great for me.

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is the first book in the Spark House series and tells the story of Avery and her best friend Declan. The lines are blurred after Avery gets into a car accident and Declan becomes her caretaker and they explore their feelings. The pacing of the story was perfect for me, and I loved the way the characters were drawn to each other. The push and pull between them was written perfectly, and I loved the dialogue and banter between the characters. It warmed my heart and was a sweet, easy read. I can't wait to read Starry-Eyed Love, the upcoming book in this series!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are honest and my own.

Helena Hunting has consistently been one of my favorite romance authors, but this unfortunately wasn't my favorite book of hers. I did still really enjoy it, but parts of it just felt weird. & forced (the guilt, the romance ... it just didn't quite hit right for me). I did enjoy the story, and I enjoyed the familial relationships (and ultimately the arc of the main characters), but parts just felt off for me.

Loved it! What a fun book! I like the friends to lovers theme. I connect with her since I too was in a car accident that changed my life. Tho mine was a lifetime change. The Sparks business sounds amazing. Declan and Avery were interesting characters. There were so many things that made this book a fabulous read.

A fun start to a new series! I love a friends to lovers trope and a split narrator and this was a delight

I loved the friend dynamic between our heroine, Avery, and Hero, Declan. Best friends try not to judge one another, but accept their friend for who they are, which is what happens at the beginning of this story. You should also be able to depend on your best friend when he makes a commitment to you, knowing you have concerns about driving distances in the rain. I felt all the same angry and hurt emotions Avery did when she realized WHY Declan wasn't going to be able to drive to their event together. I can understand why he did what he did the night before, but in the morning, he had a chance to make it right, but opted not to. This set the tone of the story for me regarding Declan's character.
There was a lot of predictability with this story, but I did enjoy Declan's attempts to right their relationship "ship". This is probably more a 3.5 star read for me.

What a cute story of two friends denying their feelings for each other. I loved the relationship between Declan and Avery and how an accident puts things into perspective.

This is a friends to lovers romance, sweet and fun. Avery and Declan become roommates and the chemistry is there and of course things start to evolve, like feelings, jealousy and so much more.
This was a great emotional and fun read, definitely give it a try if you favor Friend to lovers trope. Wasn’t one of my favorites by this author, but definitely one I enjoyed.

3.5 stars

Honestly, I had a hard time getting going with this title. I responded better to the audiobook. Overall it was a good listen/read once it got going.

Not my book. Couldn’t get behind the trope. Didn’t understand the entire premise of her job / why it was the focus of the book. Wasn’t invested in the relationship arguments. Didn’t feel the emotion as the characters went through it.

Helena Hunting strikes again! I loved this story and the relationships she created. I hop this ends up as a sort of series and not just a one off. Like always, Hunting has created a world with relationships that feel real and complete… you can feel the history and all the characters fit so well together.

I loved Avery and Declan’s friendship and this book had me hanging on through all the ups and downs. I also really enjoyed Avery’s relationship with her sisters; it’s such a special story and relationship. My emotions were all over the place.

Definitely recommend if you like a little steam and the best friends to lovers trope.

This is probably one of my favourite romances!

I never really gravitated towards friends-to-lovers books but this one was so good! It reminded me of Emily Henry's writing. I thought everything in here was fantastic. I loved the progression both characters went through. I love that our male protagonist was so in love and trying his best to hide it. The conflicts in here were so well done and fit perfectly into the story and the backstories of the two MCs.

Definitely some steamy scenes in this one!

This book was different from any other book I've read by Helena Hunting and in the most refreshing way! I couldn't get enough of the story. The characters had so much depth and the slow burn friends-to-lovers romance was fun to see play out.

The plot itself was EXTREMELY relatable for me. Almost a decade ago my husband broke both hands in an accident at work. Seeing Avery and Declan navigate that recover brought up so many old feelings. Even if you haven't had a similar experience, the author does great at putting you in their shoes.

WHEN SPARKS FLY is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren's books and of course Helena Hunting herself! If you enjoy a fast paced, slow burn romance, with just the right amount of drama and a whole lot of swoon, definitely pick this one up.

Une romance new adult plutôt mignonne qui commence fort en couleurs puis qui prend un rythme plus tranquille. On s'attache rapidement à ce duo qui traverse des épreuves . Avery et Declan n'ont pas un parcours facile et même si souvent on devine là où nous embarque l'auteure les remise en questions laisse planer bien des doutes. Une jolie lecture !
A rather cute new adult romance that starts out colorful and then takes a quieter pace. We quickly become attached to this duo who are going through a lot of trials. Avery and Declan do not have an easy path and even if we often guess where the author takes us, the questioning leaves many doubts. A nice read!

This is my first, and definitely not my last, book by Helena Hunting. I really enjoyed this story! When Sparks Fly is the first book in a new series about sisters who are running Spark House, their grandmother's inn. In this book, the events were focused mainly on Avery Spark, one of the sisters. I can only assume the following books in the series will focus on the other sisters. I really enjoyed reading about the characters in this story and I loved Avery and Declan so much, most of the time! Although I thought things happened kind of fast and awkwardly between the two of them, I was rooting for them during the entire story. There were some moments that I was worried about how this story would end, but overall, this was a fun read! I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series!

This was a delightful friends to lovers romance. I enjoyed this so much. I liked Avery and Declan and the mine characters as well.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. I was very excited to read this, but it just fell flat for me. I never thought would find a Helena Hunting book boring, but I barely made it through this one. Friends to lovers trope, and of course Helena is excellent at writing steamy scenes, but I found these two characters (especially Declan) so unlikeable. It just made me not care about their story, and while Avery had her faults too, I just wanted her to run far away from this man.

I didn't really see eye to eye with the male lead - but overall this was an entertaining read with an engaging plot and romance. Thanks for the ARC

This book started out great - longtime friends who love each other and can’t figure it out. Once Avery is in a bad car accident, Declan takes care of her and they finally start to acknowledge their feelings.

The end of this book dropped my rating though. Declan’s relationship issues come raging forth and suddenly the story takes a whole left turn. The brakes are slammed and suddenly no reconciliation can happen until he and his therapist agrees it’s time and the tone of the whole book changed and became very heavy versus the light rom com I was hoping for.

I received a copy of this book to read and review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really like friends to lovers stories when done well, this one was done adequately, but still left something to be desired. I did not feel the chemistry between the heroine and hero, and the way the heroine sustained her injuries, the whole part of the plot that set it in motion, made the "hero" unforgivable in my eyes. I did not feel there was a compelling reason for these two to be a couple, there union seemed to be one of convenience. There were some enjoyable aspects of the novel; Hunting does a great job of worldbuilding and I especially enjoyed how the hero finds it in himself to go to therapy to better himself. In the end, it was a mostly fine book that some may like but I personally would not recommend.