This book was so different while being similar. Has a grumpy sunshine feel though not fully, and it's about two people who do not plan on love or relationships who just happen to fall into it. Or was a fun read

Man, was this girl passionate about salads. This was a super good novel. I loved the relationship between Wes and Hailey. They were so cute.

I really enjoyed this one and the small business owner storyline. I loved the entire friend group that encompassed this story. What I wasn’t a fan of was the fact that one of these characters had to completely change what they wanted from life in order for this relationship to work. I understand there needed to be conflict and the character needed to do some personal exploration but it’s just not my personal favorite storyline that we all need to change our life goals to find happiness.

This review has been added to Goodreads, Literal and Storygraph, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This will be posted to my instagram (@manymerrybooks) within the week.

Thank you for allowing me to listen to this story!!

Hailey is new to town and looking for a fresh start. Wes isn't interested in love but finds himself needing Hailey in his life. A Guide to Just Being Friends is a friends to lovers romance with a lot of baggage being overcome to fall in love. The premise was cute but I struggled a bit until the second half

Hailey 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 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.

This was a slow-burn, sweet romance. It is a true friends to lovers storyline. A Guide to Just Being Friends is book 3 in the Janson Brothers series and can be read as a standalone, but includes characters from the two previous books.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this one, I had no idea it was part of a series. That's my bad, but it can be read as a standalone. A Guide to Being Just Friends was a slow-burn, friends-t0-lovers that I enjoyed! 3.5 stars rounded to 4

This was just okay. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. I think Wes is a sweet guy and Hailey's business at By The Cup is a fun idea I liked learning about and watching grow. This is a slow burn and sometimes a little too slow. Hailey bothered me at times for not wanting or accepting help, and Wes bothered me with trying to fix things. I think they were a good couple in the end, but getting there was a bit drawn out at times.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t read the other two in this series but it was definitely cute! I didn’t really vibe with the FMC but I liked the relationship building. Loved the duel POV! Super slow burn that made me feel like it took a while to get through.

This was a SLOW burn… maybe a little too slow. It was more business than pleasure lol I felt like it focused more on Hailey’s salad Business she just started and Wes focused on his business he has with his brothers. I would have loved the book to focus more on their “friendship” and because it did not I felt like I wasn’t connected to them. I did enjoy the relationship that Wes had with his brothers. Additionally, although this is the third book in the series you can read as a standalone.

Perfectly enjoyable read if a little bland. I think the friends to lovers trope may just not be for me. Likable characters, but I found the story a little boring, perhaps due to things like the heroines singular focus on building her business. Third act breakup, while park for the course in formulaic romance, was annoying.

I love a good friends to lovers romance, and overall, this was a fun and cute story! I appreciated a newer twist on the trope, since these were not best friends of decades or more. It was nice to see two adults meet after both moving to a new city, rather than childhood friends who’ve known each other forever. The side characters were interesting, and though I didn’t know it at the time, this book is part of a series, so it makes a lot more sense when you’re reading about them after that!

There were a couple of plot points that lost me at times (or had lack of follow up — like the lawsuit with the father, the community center, the Ava situation, and most importantly, the guide itself) and I felt like the chemistry and conflict could’ve been better once the characters were actually together, but I appreciate getting to read this book! I do also appreciate the fact that it was a little different from other friends to lovers!

The Jansen brothers are back and they do not disappoint. Wes is nerdy , by the book and totally type A businessman. Hailey is sweet, perky, a new business owner, who has had her heart broken. When they clash initially, we know there’s going to be more to their story. After their initial meeting, they decide to become friends. But as they grow closer and closer each wants more. Can Wes figure out how to fall in love even with the bad memories of his parents dissolved marriage? Can Hailey forget her past experience and learn to trust again.?
Fun, romantic read that I certainly recommend!
Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy!

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan sadly marks the conclusion of the Jansen Brother Series. This book follows oldest brother, Wes, as he makes the move from New York to Los Angeles. Leaving his former life behind proves to be harder than he thought, even with a built in community.

A serendipitous meeting leads Wes to Hailey. After confusing her for a woman he met online, they keep bumping into one another around town. While both Wes and Hailey admit to being jaded by love, they agree they are in need of friendship. Can the two keep things platonic, or will their undeniable chemistry segue into a romance?

I read the first two Jansen Brother books in early January of 2023. As much as I enjoyed the series, I delayed reading this one. I just wasn’t ready to leave their world.

All three books in the series have been amazing, but this one has my heart. It features my all time favorite trope (friends-to-lovers) and tied all of the lose ends up beautifully. Sophie Sullivan’s writing gets better and better with each book.

*The three books that make up the Jansen Brother Series are designed to be standalone books. I highly recommend reading all three in order for the best experience. I had some friends who didn’t and the lack of background knowledge on characters and storylines made their reading a bit more challenging.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Incredibly cheesy set up and unbelievable dialogue. And as the third in a series, I wasn’t invested in the brothers’ stories enough to keep trudging on.

A very enjoyable read all around. I fell in love with the characters and the writing was exactly what I needed to get me out of my latest book slump!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

I really enjoyed this story, however there were parts of it that made me angry. The two MC’s had chemistry, but I wanted more .

i'm not a super huge fan of the friends to lovers trope or slow burn vibes, but this book was oh so good!! i loved wes & hailey so much!! 💕🥰 i loved all of the sibling banter!! they were all hilarious. i'm definitely gonna have to go back and read the rest of the series!!

This friends-to-lovers/closed-door romance was really good! Our main characters have some stubbornness that was borderline annoying but thankfully they got their act together by the end 😂 This is the last in a trilogy but can definitely be read as a stand-alone because that’s what I did and didn’t feel like I was missing anything all.

I love how fun and positive this book is despite the fact that it touches on some sad family relationships that majorly affect how both Hailey and Wes approach relationships.
Hailey is restarting her life after moving away from her awful ex. She's excited to open a salad shop and willing to put in all the work. Wes is in California with his brothers to get away from their awful father and run their business how they want to. They've both declared they're not looking for a relationship and form a beautiful friendship of support and understanding, but they're perfect for each other and feelings can only be denied so much. Seeing their relationship develop and how things from their pasts keep them from reaching out for what they know will lead to happiness adds great emotion to a story that is as fun as it is romantic.
We also get great looks at how things are going with the two brothers we met before and their perfect relationships, which is a great little bonus. That said, I don't think you need to have read previous books to fully enjoy this one but I do recommend it because those are great.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the sweet romance read!

This book was so painfully average it hurts.

I love a slow burn but this slow burn lacked chemistry. I'm not sure how the reader is suppose to believe that Hailey and Wes are destined for love.

There's no chemistry, the characters are boring and unrealistic. Yes these are book characters but Hailey's behavior feels so off from how a real person would speak/act that I was just left constantly annoyed.

Overall this story is just very blah. It gave zero feels.