Going into this book I did not realize that it was a part of a series? That is my fault for looking into that. Although, I didn’t feel like I missed anything while reading this book. I enjoyed the cute romance and was a slow burn for sure. Overall, a good book if you are looking for a cute romance with no “spice”.


Thank you Natgalley the eARC

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

When I requested this book, I did not realize it was part of the Jansen brother’s series. Have no fear! It can be read as a standalone, but I will be going back to read the other two books.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a story of Hailey opening up a salad shop. Wes is the computer tech guy in a family business who dreams of the day he can design video games. Neither are looking for romance, but they are drawn to each other. They agree to be “Just Friends.” We all know how that goes in a romance novel 😊

This book is a slow burn but worth the wait! I also appreciated the self-discovery and forgiveness that is part of the story, making it much more than just a romance novel.

4 stars

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This was a great read! I look forward to reading more why the author! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Thank you for the eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and all for an ARC for an honest review.
This is a cute clean friends to love romance. There are many underlying themes.. new friends, community, found family, trust, emotional abuse.. but remains a light read.
This was the third and last in a series. It was a little heavy on referencing the other storylines which may be nostalgic if you've read the others but I had not.
Problems I had: there was a investment that isn't good in one situation but is good in another..? Also, there was a lawsuit that was left unresolved..?

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this one! I read book two, but still haven’t read book one. I’ve seen some people say they feel they can’t be read as standalones, but I disagree. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything that couldn’t be pieced together.

This book is a nice pallet cleanser. It’s not too stressful. It’s cute, there’s an awesome friend group, and I love this romcom premise. Two people fairly new to town who need a friend but they’re also harboring secret feelings for one another? Sign me up.

Get ready for a slow burn, but it’s totally worth it! I loved this book!

I didn't realize this was part of a series, but I think it read fine as a stand alone. This one was a super slow burn, which typically I don't mind, but I felt like parts of it really dragged for this reason.

This is book 3 in the Jansen Brothers series which can be a stand alone The other couples are in this book you can go into it without reading the other 2 as I did

This is about Hailey she's starting her own salad shop and is trying to get her business going and starting over in a new place and new people. She's also a people pleaser she will go out of her way to help anyone but doesn't allow someone to help her and if they do strings have to be attached as she's learned in the past.

Wes doesn't feel the need to get close to other people in that way he has his brothers and that's all he needs. He is the computer Tec at his company but he has also been into making his own games or he used to be.

After a bad run in with Hailey a few times he realizes he was a dick for no reason and they start a friendship and its nice for both of them to be friends only until one day the pull is to much.

This is a SLLLLOOOOOWWWWW Burn and I don't typically like that that slow of romances but I really enjoyed this book the writing was nice and the cast of family/ friend charterers were great. I love how they both help them overcome pass issues to go towards things they really want.

*Thanks to NetGalley for my e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

While I overall enjoyed A Guide to Being Just Friends, it was a slow burn that I had a hard time connecting to. Overall, A Guide to Being Just Friends is a sweet romance that gives you the warm and fuzzies. Sullivan knows how to write with a warm-hearted feeling and sucks you into the story and makes you want to root for the characters. For me, I just had a hard time connecting to the characters in this story.

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan is the best rom com I’ve read this year. This book was such a breath of fresh air! From the very first pages, I fell in love with the characters and was committed to finding out what happened to them. The plot kept my interest throughout. As I finished this book, I discovered that this is the final book in a series. I have really missed out on the first two books! I immediately looked for them. Such a great book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I’m sad! I love friends to lovers. It’s one of my favorite romance tropes. Maybe since it’s my favorite I just expect more from those stories. What i want to feel is the tension of yes we’re friends but could something more happen, the push and pull of maybe this situation is more than what I thought. Yes that is included here but i don’t know what it is but it felt flat. Maybe a little forced?

This could totally be a my bad moment though. When I picked it up, I didn’t realize it was the 3rd book in a series. I’m sure if I had read the first two books I might feel differently. I would probably have some kind of connection with the main characters as side characters in other stories usually draw me in. I just didn’t feel anything!

One last thing and maybe it’s just me bc I didn’t see any other reviews mention it, but some of the conversations around food and healthy ratings vs eating at the cake shop made me cringe. Like I know it’s trying promote being healthy & living a healthier lifestyle but it kinda rubbed me the wrong way!

This was a DNF for me. I have read the other two books in the series and while I LOVED the first one the second one wasn't my favorite. I was hoping this one would be better but it was just moving at an odd pace and felt kinda choppy? I made it about 28% before I put it down. I do think if you enjoyed the second book you'll like this one I just didn't love the second one and this one was more similar to the second than the first.

After finishing A Guide To Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan, I have now completed reading the Jansen Brothers trilogy.

Hailey runs an up-and-coming salad shop; Wes is a business-oriented type-A planner. Both are jaded about relationships and love, so they enter into the friend zone, creating a guide along the way.

Let's start with what I didn't enjoy. Wes is supposed to be the oldest and wisest of the three brothers, but I'm not convinced I saw that being portrayed; I found him to be very immature at times. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, and after Hailey and Wes decided to be in a relationship, ditching being just friends, there was one issue or argument followed by another until the book ended. It was odd that Wes, as an American, referred to the day after Christmas as being Boxing Day (which is not observed or celebrated in the United States). There seemed to be a plot hole when Tara mentioned the wrong meeting date to Hailey; I had suspected this would play a part later in the story, but it never did, and it really caused me to mistrust Tara.

Let's finish by what I did enjoy. I love this cover, and this is what drew me into requesting this novel on NetGalley. Hailey is a book worm, and I obviously really enjoyed this aspect to her character. After having read the first two books in this series, it was really easy to keep track of the Jansen brothers, and the group of friends (although I can see this being very overwhelming if this was the book you start the series with). I truly loved the found family theme that runs through this book especially, but also occurs through the entire series.

Overall, I've decided that Sullivan's writing, characters and plots are just not for me. This novel (and this series as a whole) are just too perfect, and I need more grit to my stories.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Sophie Sullivan's next installment in her series about brothers just warmed my heart. I loved the story and it was quite heartwarming.

Having a book start off with salad commentary is such a bold move with high reward. Now if anyone thinks they know me and doesn't understand how much I love a good romantic comedy then they don't know me at all!

A Guide to Being Just Friends (AGTBJF - for short) has witty banter and fun characters. You have Hailey, a business owner who is new to town, and Wes, a business mogul who doesn't believe in love. This book also has dual pov for everyone who loves being inside the mind of a man. I love me a good friends to lovers especially when there's that simmering of 'what if we could be more?' always hanging over their heads. You could argue that the friends worked better than the lovers in this book.

This book is a great option for the days you just need a no stress, only good vibes story and this book is definitely that. AGTBJF is a really calm and cozy book that doesn't require a thousand brain cells to follow. Which is perfect and much needed throughout a busy week. My go-to to solve a reading slump is to read a feel-good story, typically a rom-com that's heavy on the comedy and banter. I definitely want to read the other books in this series!

Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press, SMP Romance and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I'm delighted to give A Guide To Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan a glowing five-star review. This playful and emotional romantic comedy is a must-read for fans of the genre. The author weaves an enchanting story around Hailey Sharp and Wes Jansen, two individuals with different goals and beliefs when it comes to relationships. The book highlights their meet cute, their hesitant friendship, and their struggle to suppress their undeniable attraction towards each other.

Sophie Sullivan masterfully crafted the story to ensure readers are entertained and emotionally invested throughout the book. The character development is superb, as we witness Hailey and Wes grow into their friendship and learn to navigate their complicated emotions. The romance aspect is swoon-worthy, and the author creates moments that are both tender and humorous.

Moreover, I appreciated the themes of self-discovery, trust, and forgiveness woven into the narrative, making the book not just a love story but also a commentary on human nature. The supporting characters are also delightful, and it's always fun to see beloved characters from previous books in a series make appearances.

Overall, A Guide To Being Just Friends is an enjoyable, sweet, and heartwarming read that is perfect for anyone looking for a fun and engaging romantic comedy. The book is a testament to Sophie Sullivan's exceptional storytelling abilities, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great read.

This is a really sweet friends to lovers story, I just found myself not connecting with the characters.

I had such an amazing time reading A Guide to Being Just Friends. Although the third in a series of interconnected standalones centred around the Jansen Brothers, Sullivan tells the story of Wes and Hailey in a way that leaves little room for confusion or lack of context. While still being delightfully tied into the previous love stories of the past instalments, I never found I was lost or missing something. All necessary context is provided in a smooth and natural way that never feels like exposition or an overwhelming dump of information, nor does it hinder the progression of Wes and Hailey’s own love story. The involvement of Wes’s brothers and their love interests is so sweet, and I just know that had I had the chance to read the previous books, this one would provide a very heartfelt and satisfying conclusion to the story. In fact, with how much I enjoyed this book and how intriguing the other ones seem, I’m definitely looking forward to reading the full series, and seeing how the predecessors compare to A Guide to Being Just Friends!
Like a very dominating part of the book community, I am a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope. That being said, I am always down for the sweet and beautiful transition from friends to lovers and Sophie Sullivan absolutely nailed it. It’s not often that we see this friends to lovers romances that don’t span multiple years, and I found this more mature take on the trope refreshing and rather interesting. No nostalgia or memories weighing them down, just two people who want to be with each other for who they are now, and who they will be. And while I’m certainly not knocking the childhood friends to lovers trope, I would definitely be open to seeing more books with this blueprint.
Both Wes and Hailey were so easy to root and fall for, and I loved shifting between their perspectives. While quite different people, both are relatable and endearing in their own right and they work so well as an unconventional yet lovable couple. I I would only loosely label the two as an example of the grumpy-sunshine trope, but I found Wes’s more approachable demeanour to be an unexpected but pleasant surprise. The two contrasted and complimented each other in all the right ways, and I loved their chemistry as friends and lovers alike.
This book was absolutely shaping up to be a five star read, but the bump in the road came at about the 68% mark, where we were hit with an unexpected and, in my opinion, unnecessary time skip. I had to turn back a few pages to ensure I hadn’t actually missed something. I admit I felt a little lost and would have appreciated more time dedicated to explaining what had gone on between these moments, because it felt like the pair were off after the skip in ways that hadn’t been adequately focused on prior to it. It felt unnatural and left me confused for a number of chapters, all the way into the confession which, while charged and well written, felt out of the blue. The slow burn had been keeping me on my toes and the suddenness of it all left me unbalanced. I don’t know what it was, but something about that time skip really threw things off for me.
That being said, I still greatly enjoyed this book and found myself smiling through the epilogue. I look forward to revisiting those tender moments after having read the previous books. Sophie Sullivan is incredibly talented, and will certainly be staying on my radar!
As always, thank you so much to NetGalley and the lovely team at St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review <3

I have given this book a 4/5 according to the reviews on Goodreads.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this book prior to the release date, as the file I downloaded would not work on my device. I look forward to purchasing it on my own and reading it, as I have read the other two books in the series and loved both of them.

This book was “just okay” to me, which is truthfully why I initially struggled in writing a review. I didn’t completely hate or dislike it really, I was honestly just reallt bored. I’m normally a huge fan of slow-burn romances, but this one unfortunately felt like it dragged on and on, with no clear end in sight. I also think that this book would’ve benefited from having just *a teensy bit* of steam (NOT full-on spice; I understand this is a closed-door romance), especially in light of how long we play “will they-won’t they” with our two MCs, Hailey & Wes. Overall, while I thought this book had a cute premise & some promising development/character arcs for and between the two leads, it just missed the mark for me.

I LOVED this book! This is an amazing continuation of the series and it was great being able to see how the couples from the other books have grown. Wes is such a sweetheart and the relationship between him and Hailey is adorable!