I would love to interview this author on my podcast. I love Sophie’s writing style and the protagonists. I’m a huge fan of friends to lovers.

This book didn't stick with nor did the characters which was a bummer, I liked the set up of the story

I couldn't stop and finished it in less than 36 hours! It was such a cute read, and I can't wait to read more by Sophie Sullivan and the first two books to learn more about the other brothers and their relationships. I loved Wes and Hailey as friends, and how they care for each other. Although we don't get to see them as lovers for an extended period of time throughout the book, I know that they are great together.

‘A Guide to Being Just Friends’ by Sophie Sullivan was an absolutely adorable story and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Sophie Sullivan, NetGalley, & St Martin's Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in a series; however, I did not read the first two and was able to understand and enjoy this book as a stand alone.

Hailey has moved to a new town to start fresh and open a salad shop. Wes mistakes her for his date and they become quick friends, but only friends. You quickly learn from alternating point of views that they may feel more for each other. The will they won't they throughout the book made it so much fun to read. I am definitely going to look into the other books in this series!

I DNF this book. I found the relationship not that terribly believable. Hailey's character was a little too insecure for my taste even though I liked the By the Cup salad shop and thought that her putting her career first was interesting. Wes also seemed a little underbaked. That said, Sophie's writing was pacey, funny and I have enjoyed her other books. I only post reviews that are three stars or above, so I didn't add this one to my bookstagram account.

This was my first read by Sophie Sullivan. It is technically the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone. It was the perfect slow burn, friends to lovers story!

Wes and Hailey are relatable and it’s perfect for those who love cute, clean, light-hearted romances. It does feel slow at times but it’s easy to look past.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a cute friends-to-lovers story with main characters who are adorably flirty and fun. This is part is a series, but definitely can be read as a standalone. Hailey and Wes’s story is definitely a slow burn and I will admit to being pretty frustrated with how blind they were at times. However, I thought they complimented each other really well and I enjoyed their story. I am curious now to go back and read the stories of the other brothers, as I really had fun with their characters and the parts they played in this story. I think the conflict toward the end of the book was a little unrealistic for two people who knew each other as well as they did as friends first. It seems like that might make them a little less clueless. That said, though, I did enjoy this book and am interested to read the others in this series.

When Hailey discovers her relationship is doomed, she moves to a new city to open her salad restaurant and start over. Hailey succeeds in making her professional dreams come true and makes new friends who become more like family. She develops a close friendship with one of them, Wes, and soon begins a relationship that feels more than she ever hoped. But is risking a friendship for love a good idea?

This book takes the reader on a journey of loves ups and downs. Through character development and growth, relationship changes are explored. A great read for anyway wanting a happy ending!

This was a cute, fun read. I thought that the meet cute was hilarious and really enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. To me, this wasn't anything particularly special, but I did enjoy it. I had not read the previous books in the series and that may have impacted how invested I was in the characters. Overall, it was cute.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love a friends to lovers story! This was so sweet and fun! I would've liked to see a bit more tension build up between the characters, but I think that is just personal preference. All around I recommend to my romance loving friends!

I had popped into Sophie Sullivan’s rom com series about three brothers with book two (my review of How to Love Your Neighbor is here) and thoroughly enjoyed it. When I had the chance to review A Guide to Being Just Friends I jumped at it and I ended up really liking this one too!

Here’s the book’s description:
Hailey Sharp has a one-track mind. Get By the Cup salad shop off the ground. Do literally everything possible to make it a success. Repeat. With a head full of entrepreneurial ideas and a bad ex in her rearview, her one and only focus is living life the way she wants to. No distractions.
Wes Jansen never did understand the fuss about relationships. With a string of lackluster first dates and the pain from his parents’ angry divorce following him around, he’d much rather find someone who he likes, but won’t love. Companionship, not passion, is the name of the game.
When Hailey and Wes find each other in a disastrous meet cute that wasn’t even intended for them, they embarrassingly go their separate ways. But when Wes finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, they strike a friendship. Because that’s all this can be. Hailey doesn’t want any distractions. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love.
What could possibly go wrong?
Friends to lovers is a favourite trope of mine so it’s no surprise that this romance hit the mark for me. It was a slow burn and while I was anxious for the pair to finally realize that, HELLO, they had romantic feelings for each other, I was just happy to be along for the ride. I really think friendship is so very important for romantic relationships so I was all in for Hailey and Wes building that foundation before jumping into bed with each other.

I loved both the characters so much. They had some of their own issues to sort out, as per usual with romances, but they weren’t insurmountable or completely ridiculous. They both wanted to succeed on their own without any help (Hailey from anyone and Wes without being tied to his father’s business, which is what he and his brothers were trying to get away from). Wes had some learning to do when it came to Hailey and how to help her and Hailey had to, you know, allow others to help (and recognize that it didn’t mean that she was a failure). As I write this, it sounds like something that would drive me nuts in a romance but Sullivan did a great job of writing the characters so I was invested and rooting for their character growth.

I also really appreciated getting the chance to hang out with the characters I had gotten to know in the second book (I still have plans to go back and read book one, Ten Rules for Faking It). They’re such a fantastic group and it was so wonderful getting to “see” them again in this book. I’m kind of a little sad that we’re out of Jansen brothers! Maybe there will be a spin-off with some of the other friends…

All in all, A Guide to Being Just Friends was super fun and enjoyable. I got to meeting characters I loved and read as they realized they were much better off being more than just friends! Sophie Sullivan is a great author to pick up when you need a feel good, pick me up kind of romance with a lot of heart and some laughs, too!

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Overall, a very lovely book. I got attached to the characters immensely and enjoyed everything about it. The feelings this book derived out of me were endless and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

4.5 stars - Hailey and Wes are adorable in A Guide to Being Just Friends, the final book in the Jansen Brother series. This one is well-written and so romantic. If you like romances that close the door right before 'the good stuff' happens, this is perfect for you! For me, it loses 1/2 a star because it skips over all the steam. Otherwise, this is perfect!

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fun, fast, and relatable
This is a cute friends-to-lovers, slow-burn romance that handles the pacing well and believably shows the healing process that two different people needed to undergo. I hadn’t read the two previous Jansen brothers’ books, but reading this one made me want to, especially since the brothers and their significant others were so well characterized in this book. I appreciated the realistic banter between Hailey and Wes as well as the realistic portrayal of sibling love and rancor.
Wes’s back story is particularly gut-wrenching and realistic, with a hang-up that I suspect many readers will be able to relate to if not from their own lives than from someone they care about. If you’ve ever been afraid of opening yourself up to love because of being jaded or hurt in the past — surely that describes millions of us — then you’ll relate to the anxiety and trepidation both Hailey and Wes feel as they recognize their growing feelings. This book nicely hits the spot with a fun, fast romance read.
I read this book compliments of an advance copy from NetGalley.

Finally after a long awaited wait, we are here! Honestly, I really enjoyed this book and thought the relationship with Wes and Hailey was well developed. Friends to lovers is always a hit for me, and the angst! was! top! level! Great book and I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC!

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title.

While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

I liked this one! I love these interconnected stories where you get a glimpse of a bunch of different characters but then focus on a new couple.

I want to thank the author and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ecopy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I read the second book in this series last year and enjoyed it. I didn't even realize this was part of that series when I accepted the invitation to read it. I do still need to go back and read the first book but luckily each book follows a different brother so you can read them as standalones.

Hailey just opened a business called By the Cup and it's a salad shop. I liked the inclusion of this food shop. It was unique but totally something people in LA would go for. I do kind of wish there was a little more description when it came to her restaurant though. Hailey has had the best track record when it comes to relationships whether that be with her parents or romantically or with friends and because of that she is very much a I can do everything on my own I don't need anyone's help kind of girl.

Then there is Wes who also has a complicated family history which has skewed his opinion on love so much so that he doesn't ever want to love someone. He's not against relationships but he doesn't want the emotions to be involved. Oh and did I mention he's rich. In my review for the previous book I mentioned about how the characters relationships with their parent was constantly mentioned and how it got annoying fast that did happen in this book as well but it was nowhere near the extent it was in the previous book so that's a plus.

Hailey and Wes have an awkward meet cute and then they go on to be friends and then lovers. They spent probably over half of the book being friends even though it was painfully obvious they were both into each other. I loved that they talked to each other and were able to work through things. I will say the 3rd act breakup was less than desirable. I know pretty much all books have these and I am totally fine with them. The only issue that I had with this one is how fast it happened and was resolved. If you're going to have a 3rd act breakup I think you should drag it out a little bit. Not a whole lot but definitely don't have the characters have the breakup and then the makeup all in the same page or 2 or I don't know don't have the 3rd act break up at all that would definitely be a welcoming change.

I am so glad I was able to read this one because even though I had some issues I still enjoyed it over all and I definitely need to go back and read the first book soon.

If you’ve read the first two books in this companion series, which each feature a Jansen brother, how could you not read this one with the final, oldest brother?! And if you haven’t read the first two, go do that immediately! While technically these are standalone books, you’ll get info about characters in the previous books if you read them out of publishing order.

With all that said, this book is very much like the first two: cute, funny, clean, and fairly light-hearted. Wes is basically grumpy cat, and Hailey is practically rainbows and sunshine personified. Though obviously this is a romcom, I really enjoyed their platonic relationship as well as their relationships with their other friends and family.

And like the other two books, the additional characters add more flavor. (See what I did there?) Honestly there isn’t a single unlikeable character in this book, except the Jansen dad, and he’s an “off-screen” character.

This was a great third installment in this series, and I genuinely hope there’s a fourth book for two reasons: 1) there’s a Jansen <i>sister</i> I’d love to fully meet, and 2) we get to see more of Chris’s and Noah’s stories in subsequent books, and I just feel that we deserve a follow-up to Wes’s story too. Really I just don’t want this series to be over.

Suffice it to say that not only do I recommend this whole series, but Sophie Sullivan’s got a huge fan who’ll probably read every book she ever writes.