A new Helena Hunting book? Sign me up! When Sparks Fly is a friends-to-lovers romance.

CW: car crash, death from a car crash (in the past)

The book follows roommates Avery and Declan, who have been best friends since freshman year of college. Both have always found the other attractive but buried it for the sake of keeping the friendship. After Avery gets into a car accident that Declan blames himself for, he vows to take care of her. Declan becomes Avery's primary care provider as she's on the road to recovery and as sparks ignite, Declan and Avery finally admit how they feel about each other.

I loved the friendship in this book and the sister friendship. I hope that both of Avery's sisters end up getting their own stories. I thought that Helena Hunting did an excellent job in her handling of the conflict and how it was resolved. I appreciated that it was obvious through not just words, but also actions, that the two of them wanted their HEA.

I enjoyed both narrators and did a mix of audio and e-reading that mixed well together.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read quite a few of Helena Hunting’s books and I really enjoy her writing style. After just finishing When Sparks Fly, I can say it was definitely another of hers that shouldn’t be missed.. Avery and Declan are best friends and roommates, they actually own a condo together and have been friends since college. Avery deals with a lot of anxiety due to losing both her parents in an automobile accident. She gets tremendous anxiety driving in general, but especially in rain or any other inclement weather. Declan ends up being a caretaker to Avery when she is recovering from injuries from an accident he feels he is ultimately responsible for. The close proximity while he takes care of her through recovery definitely draws their true feelings to the surface. 

There is a pivotal plot point in the story where miscommunication is the main reason these two are apart. Normally, I am never a fan of miscommunication. Especially when it could easily be talked about and worked through with a conversation, but I think in this story it worked.. It addressed far deeper issues. Mainly issues that stemmed from Declan’s own experiences watching how his parents treated each other. The dysfunction in his parent’s marriage and how that skewed Declan’s view on all relationships. Including lack of trust, extreme jealousy, and just an overall negative view of marriage. 

It’s evident the love these two have for each other throughout the story. Avery has two sisters that adore her and they are close as is the friend group that both Avery and Declan share. We see their devotion and connection to each other grow and we see it falter in a big way, but we also get to see the healthy way that it’s pieced back together. The ending was so sweet and brought their relationship not only full circle but stronger. A definite recommend.

First I want to thank the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook and giving me the chance to give an honest review!

What a great read! 4.5 stars, I really enjoyed this! I normally find friends-to-lovers romance books really slow in terms of romantic buildup, and I tend to lose interest. However, "When Sparks Fly" definitely was not like that at all. I think that Declan and Avery had this really great banter and chemistry even as friends... so obviously all of their friends saw it but them! I think that is what made me enjoy their friends-to-lovers build a lot more than others that I've read in the past.

I personally also think it's really wonderful how Helena Hunting handled the aftermath of the trauma that the characters have gone through in their lives, and how each one has handled it all in different ways. Declan handled his past issues differently than how Avery did, and I feel like that's really true to life. Not everyone is going to process and work through things in the same way, but it's important to remember that asking for help and accepting help is okay! One thing I am recalling now that I really loved was how Declan helped Avery get used to things again after her accident, slowly and in increasing increments of time.

I really wish that there had been a little bit more of a resolve between Declan/Avery and London! London's character to me was really relatable as a younger sibling. I'm really close to my sister, and she's very protective of me, so I really understood where they were both coming from throughout this book. However, I feel like London had a little bit of apologizing to do too and I think a resolution there would've been a really wonderful scene! I suppose not super necessary, but still would've been nice for some character development on her, I think especially where Declan was concerned. If my sister had such a grudge and placed blame against someone I was dating, I would definitely want a resolve there if I was to continue dating that person and have them both in my life.

Lastly I want to say how much I also loved the audiobook narrators! I normally don't comment on narrators because it's not often that I find a book where I don't like the narrator. These two, Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke did an excellent job and it made listening that much more enjoyable! One thing I can recall now that I liked specifically was Jason Clarke's reading of the chapter with the accident. I think he really conveyed Declan's stress there really well... as well as Stella's reading of just after the accident, and Avery's fear was really noticeable here. Well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, SMP, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: cheating (past relationship), fear of car accidents, death of parents in car accident (past), grief, car accident, long term recovery

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f best friends to lovers
-roommance/close-proximity
-hurt/comfort
-so major pining and denial
-a love of crossword puzzles
-A helping hand (wink wink)


I really enjoyed the audiobook, both narrators really added so much to the MCs. The expression, inflections, they truly added to the story.

I truly loved the friendship aspect of this book. The conflict was so well put together, their histories and backstories melding together. I'm also a huge fan of hurt/comfort and the building sexual tension while Declan took care of her, in a full-service manner, was excellent. Both characters were fully realized and independent, not needing each other but wanting the other.

There were some emotional aspects I wish the book had delved deeper into, but I loved that after the dark moment they didn't just get back together. They fought for each other and earned their HEA.

Rating: 4
Steam: 3.5

When Sparks Fly is another home run book by Helena Hunting. There were of course fiery steam scenes balanced with sweet moments between the protagonists, Declan and Avery.

This well written novel has a sense of authenticity that you don’t find in a lot of romance novels. The leading man is very flawed but Declan owned it and although he was far from perfect, he was a realistic character.

There were some heavy events that occurred within the story that amplified my interest in the book and kept me engaged while the characters navigated themselves through these happenings. I felt this added more substance to the plot and aided in the development of the complex characters.

The audiobook was great and the dual narrators are always a win for me.

I really enjoyed all the characters and I was glad not one thing about the story was drawn out way too long; keeping the pace of the story ongoing. In the end, I don’t have one criticism about this book and recommend it if you want to read a solid romance.

A great Friends-to-lovers story. Avery & Declan have been best friends since they met in college, they even bought a condo together. When Avery is in a dangerous car accident, Declan must become her care taker. In more ways than one.

Very cute light story.

I enjoyed the narrator for Avery, not so much for Declan.


*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

I was sent this book from the publisher/publicity team. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.

This may be my favorite Helena Hunting so far! I could not put this one down and I highly recommend the audiobook. I ended up reading this one in one day.

The first half of this was a five star read for me. This had my heart pounding as certain moments as it does deal with some more serious issues especially based on the families past. The audiobook just brought the right intensity to these parts and I found myself in tears waiting to see what would happen.

Once everything happens though, it does slow down. It did get repetitive at times and started to drag a little towards the middle. I needed more to happen after such an amazing start.

I loved how Avery had a group of guy friends as it just reminded me of me.

If you love friends to lovers, I would say give it a try.

This is only my second book by Helena Hunting, but certainly won’t be my last. In fact, I think Meet Cute might have been one of the very first romance books I ever read!

Avery Spark’s parents died in a car crash and not only does she have issues getting in any car, let alone being behind the wheel, but her and her sisters have taken on the duties required for running the family business. This has required a lot of sacrifices, but they’re working hard to make Spark House a destination spot in Colorado Springs.

Avery’s love life is fairly non-existent but she lives with her best friend Declan and has a good group of guy friends, not to mention her sisters, to keep her company.

When Avery gets in a car crash (on a strip of highway I’ve driven myself more than a few times) on her way to Boulder, her life comes screeching to a halt. She’s suddenly reliant on everyone else in a way she doesn’t usually like to be. Out of necessity, her and Declan become much closer and he looks after her in such a sweet way. When it becomes apparent that there are other needs she can’t fulfill herself, with a broken arm and leg, Declan says he’ll help her out, purely as a friend…right?

There were some seriously traumatic events in this book, but levity and fun as well. It took me a little while to warm to the characters but once I did I was all the way in. This is a great friends-to-lovers romance and one I’m sure you’ll want to add to your list.

The audiobook is narrated by Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom. Both of them have an impressive number of romance audiobooks under their belt (so to speak) so it’s likely you’ll recognize their voices. I thought they did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life and spilling the emotion off the page. The audiobook is 8 hours and 32 minutes long, and went by in a flash.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since their first day of college, they even compete in the same soccer team and share an apartment, so when Declan breaks a promise and Avery gets into a car accident he takes the role of her caregiver and their relationship moves to a new terriroty they have to learn to navigate.

This story had my favorite trope: best friends to lovers, and 8 loved the chemistry between them, I also loved their friendship and how organically it evolved, and there was enough background for each character to understand their flaws and why they act the way they do, which I appreciate.

It was funny, hot and cute, so I totally recommend it.

I went into WHEN SPARKS FLY by Helena Hunting with tempered expectations. I’ve read one of her previous books and didn’t love it. Sadly, this book wasn’t my cup of tea either. I decided not to finish this book around the 50% mark. Overall, the writing was decent, and the secondary characters were great, but I couldn’t get on the hero’s side after he was such a jerk at the beginning of the book. He didn’t cheat on the heroine or anything, but he was a lousy friend, a bad one-night-stand, and it pretty much ruined him in my eyes. I think I am just over the irresponsible playboy heroes. We all mess up, but this was a big mistake that the hero handled poorly.

I was willing to keep going after the hero’s big mistake because there was sufficient groveling, but around the halfway mark, the book was still just okay. I wasn’t feeling the romantic chemistry between the hero and heroine. They have been friends for years? Sure, but he wasn’t a good friend to her on the page when it counted, and the guilt-caretaking wasn’t doing it for me. The trauma, both on the page and off the page, was both weird and heavy, yet not heavy enough? The whole tone of the book felt off. I, personally, was more invested in the heroine’s sisters and the hero’s friends. I hope they get books that have better plots. As a side note, I thought it was weird that two platonic adult friends of the opposite sex would purchase a condo together.

I listened to an audiobook copy of this book. I liked the heroine’s narrator but the hero’s narrator sounded like a television announcer and kept over-enunciating the heroine’s name, “Aye-ver-ree,” and it was pulling me out of the book.

Overall, I would be willing to read the next book in the series, but I am going to consider this book a wash and move on. It’s not a terrible book, but it’s just not for me.

**I received a free copy of this audiobook in order to provide an honest review**

Oh my goodness did I enjoy this book. I fell in love with both characters Avery and Declan. After a devastating accident Avery has to count on her best friend Declan to tend to her every need. Will they be able to remain best friends or will it turn into something more? I loved the dynamics of the relationship, the idea that we can’t let our past define us and the sweet ending. Loved this story!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first experience with a fictional audiobook and I really enjoyed the narration in this! I loved how much they made each character come alive. I loved the relationship that was built between these two friends and usually, I am not a fan of friends-to-lovers tropes but this one was done well. I am excited to pick up more of Hunting's books as there was just the right amount of sexual tension, steam, and conflict to keep me intrigued.

I loved Declan's growth as a character but did find Avery to be a little self-involved. I liked them as a couple and watching their love blossom.

I am excited for the next book in the series and am curious to see whose story will be tackled next!

Y’all - I can’t believe this was my first Helena Hunting book, but it certainly won’t be my last.

When Sparks Fly is the friends-to-lovers trope done right. Long time besties, Avery and Declan, are forced to rely on each other in new ways after a car accident and one becomes a caregiver for the other. The reader gets both POVs and I loved the tension/buildup to the two finally confessing their feelings.

I’m also a sucker for any story with event planning as that’s what I did in a former life.

I would recommend if you enjoy:
- friends-to-lovers
- forced proximity
- incredible tension
- open door romance (medium on the steam o’ meter)

The audiobook features dual narration and they did a fabulous job of bringing Avery and Declan to life.

TW: car accident, infidelity, parent death

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. When Sparks Fly is out 9/21!

This was a cute rom com, I listened to the audio version and the narrators were great- they truly helped make the story come alive. The characters were likable, the plot was good and the dialogue was believable. It was an easy book to keep interested in and fun to read.

This was just such a classic, solid, friends to lovers romcom. I sped through the thing in just a few sittings and felt so incredibly satisfied after reading it!! I should have know because @helenahunting never disappoints me!

Read it if you love:
•Friends to lovers with forced proximity
•One of the main characters caring for the other after trauma
•Great steam (but not as much as her hockey books!)
•The start of a series about Avery’s sisters!!

I’ve gotta say, Declan pissed me off at times, but I thought Hunting did a great job showing his growth! Can’t wait for more of the Spark sisters!!

I really enjoyed both of these narrators and they definitely added to an awesome reading experience!

I read and loved Meet Cute by Helena Hunting, so I decided to give this one a try when it came across my radar. I’ll be honest, I didn’t read the full synopsis before diving in, so I assumed this was a lighthearted rom-com, which it really isn’t. There’s a lot of tough issues in this one, so definitely check out the trigger warnings before jumping in.

TW: car accidents (one recounted, one during present but mostly off-page), PTSD, parental death, toxic relationship, stalking/phone tracking, cheating (in the past), anxiety & panic attacks

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and share a condo together. Avery is not your “typical girl” because she’s athletic and would rather be in sweats on game night with the guys versus doing girly things (yeah, all of that is really annoying since let’s just roll out the gender stereotypes and societal expectations). After Declan bails on giving Avery a ride, Avery winds up in a car accident. Since Avery’s mobility is significantly reduced, Declan volunteers to be her immediate caretaker, but the line between friendship and lovers begins to blur.

So back to what I enjoyed about this one:

The friendships that Declan has with Avery as well as the guys. It’s clear from start to finish that Declan is an incredibly loyal friend and will do anything for those that he cares about. Watching him anticipate all of Avery’s needs and never once make her feel humiliated was great to watch.

I really liked the emphasis on seeking therapy to work through issues versus relying on self deprecating behavior. The last part of the book places heavy emphasis on therapy and healthy coping strategies, which was honestly some of my favorite parts.

What I didn’t like:

Because Declan comes from parents who constantly lied and cheated on each other, it felt like he was destined to be insecure and jealous as a boyfriend and therefore the attributes given to him during those moments felt exaggerated. The author really played up the “paranoid boyfriend”, which I was not a fan of.

Back to my earlier comment, I also don’t like this whole women are considered othered and unliked other women just because they don’t like to wear makeup and dress up. Avery playing sports doesn’t make her special by any means.

Overall, I’m just sort of lukewarm with this romance. Sure there’s some good banter and friendships, but there’s also some issues that felt overly dramatized just for no reason.

Thank you to MAcmillan Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

This book is a solid addition to the category that I refer to as “fluff with substance,” aka romances that have a decent semblance of a plot behind the main relationship and that also address some kind of contemporary social issue(s) in som way. I found the first couple of chapters a bit slow, but that started to change right before the car accident scene. After that, the central relationship pulled me in, and I largely enjoyed the protagonists’ story; I couldn’t wait to see how everything was resolved, and for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed.

In short: Friends to lovers romance ignited by a lengthy recovery from a car accident.

What to expect:
🎇Lots of steam!
🎇Dual Point of Views
🎇Friends to lovers & Forced Proximity

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book! Avery and Declan are roommates and have been best friends since college. They both have a hidden attraction to each other that finally comes to the surface while Avery recovers from a car accident. The tight friendship, chemistry and banter in this book are what I enjoyed most. I was so mad at Declan for “the fight” and it came up abruptly taking me back a little. The way they work through it and find their way back to each other made up for it.

Audiobook: I alternated between reading this and listening on audio. The dual POVs were great in the audiobook. I loved the voice of Declan!

A truly enjoyable friends to lovers romcom. When Sparks fly has great characters, humour and just enough heavier topics to make them seem realistic and even more lovable.
Avery manages an event hotel with her sisters, and enjoys her job so much it that sounds like a lot of fun even to a shy person like me! When she is injured in a bad car accident, her best friend/room-mate feels guilty for not getting up early to drive with her, so he offers to help her get around while she recovers. Spending so much time together makes both of them question their feelings as well as each other's.. and not always in a good way.
I adored Avery's relationship with her sisters and the fun banter between Avery and Declan. The part of the book where there is a misunderstanding felt a little formulaic but both the sisters' and roommates' relationships evolved very naturally and I really enjoyed everything else about this story. The audiobook had separate narrators for each of the main characters, and Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom really made their personalities come to life. I always look forward to Helena Hunting's books and this one did not disappoint!

#WhenSparksFly:

Don’t let this adorably fun cover fool you, this is kind of a difficult and deep read in regard to grief and PTSD. Avery’s parents die in a car accident many years ago, and the sisters are always so cautious when it comes to driving. When Avery gets in s serious car accident, where others have perished, she becomes scared again of getting behind the wheel.

I loved Avery and her story. I’m glad we were able to see her relationship with her sisters as they navigate through past trauma and current dilemmas. I loved their honesty with each other, regardless of how it might affect them. It may have been a bit too clean for 3 sisters and arguing, but it t was still realistic.

I enjoyed Declan and Avery’s relationship at well. I liked how we got so much of their back story to understand their chemistry and all they’ve gone through to strengthen it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Declan, to be honest. He is supposed to love Avery, but knows she’s terrified of driving in the snow and he just.. goes off to not help her, causing her to be the driver and get into an accident. I also was not a fan of the “great misunderstanding” I felt like the anger was basically rage and came out of left field. I did enjoy that it was wrapped up with a big chat about mental health and therapy, which are super important. I do think the redemption part was wonderful, especially with the time it took to rekindle. It was realistic to where they didn’t just snap their fingers and say okay! We’re good now!

The audio was wonderful. I could hear the desperation and love (and even the embarrassment) in their voices and it really amplified the story!

Overall, I really enjoyed it! (The Spark sisters more than Declan) Thank you so much SMP for the gifted copy! When Sparks Fly is out 9/21!