I really enjoyed this friends to lovers rom-com. It’s a slow burn for sure. I enjoyed the storyline a lot. Hailey moves to a new city and opens a salad shop… who doesn’t love a good salad, right. She makes friends with locals visiting her shop & ends up with a best friend & lots of other friendships along the way. Then… typical rom-com stuff. Short & fun chapters. I never got bored. I did get a little annoyed at the character’s arguments, but I almost expect that when reading romance.
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Also, who knew this was part of a series? I didn’t 😂 but it was a very much stand-alone book. I think it would have made it better knowing the backstories of the other brothers, but not necessarily needed. This is book 3 though. I’ll defiantly put the previous 2 on my tbr.

What a cute book! This whole series is wonderfully adorable and this series is no exception. This closed-door friends to lovers romance was a treat to read and I loved meeting the last single Jansen brother. There was some stuff he said to Hailey at the end that took me back a little and made me rate it a bit lower but overall a great end to this series!

The blurb for this book piqued my interest - who doesn't love a disastrous meet cute between two people who either don't have time for love or don't believe in love?

This story had a slow start for me, and I almost stopped reading it at one point. There was a lot of character development, which every good story needs, but I didn't realize this was the third installment in a series when I first started reading. While I didn't need to read the other two books to enjoy the romance part of the story, there were parts of the story that left me (and seemingly Hailey) feeling out of the loop. There were parts of the story that also felt unresolved.

Aside from those missing or unresolved moments, I loved the relationship that evolved between Hailey and Wes. The hesitation for crossing the lines of friendship and the palpable tension between them were perfect. I loved that the Guide was more to help themselves and each other not cross a line they found themselves toeing as they grew to know each other better.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is perfect for anyone who loves:
💛Friends to Lovers
💐Slow burn romances
🚪Closed door romances

Thank you, Sophie Sullivan, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize that this is the 3rd installment in a series, with that said, it does read like a standalone. The other 2 books aren't absolutely necessary to understand what is happening in this book. This was a nice slow burn, friends to lovers romance.

✨Book Review✨

A Guide To Being Just Friends
By Sophie Sullivan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Swipe for synopsis ➡️

People let me tell y’all about this book 👏🏼 Though it may be book 3 in a series, it can be read as a stand alone which is why I’m telling y’all to run and get this book!

✨charming
✨witty
✨instant chemistry
✨FRIENDS TO LOVERS

Hailey is a empowered new business owner in town our to prove herself and make her way even if she has to do it on her own.

Wes is a broody business man who sees falling in love as a hoax especially after witnessing his parents messy divorce. “Better to like than to love”.

Hailey breaks down Wes’ walls and helps him realize that not all love stories end in a broken heart when you find your person!

This was my first Sophie Sullivan read and I just loved her writing style, her character development, and she can write a gooooood rom-com!

Instant 5⭐️ for me!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the gifted copy!

Cute and fun! Not my favorite and it’s not something I’ll remember for a long time but I enjoyed it. The characters were fun but I wish there had been more time spent delving into their pasts and how it molded them. We got glimpses of it but not enough for it to feel realistic

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Sullivan and St Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so sad this series is over. I cannot get enough of these romance series’ with family members all falling in love. It’s so fun and then you have a longer time with each character that you loved previously. This novel was so quick and easy to read and I love Wes just as much as I did his brothers. Definitely recommend.

I adore seeing two strangers foster a friendship with one another before taking it to the next level.

While the banter is fun and I enjoyed most of this, this didn't grip me because there wasn't any tension. I was frustrated with both the main characters throughout the story and their spats felt unnecessary.

Overall, I thought this was cute and sweet but also lukewarm and kind of boring.

📝 Hailey moves to San Verde, CA in the hopes of starting over. She's living her dream by opening her very own salad shop. 🥗 Her biggest worry is paying her bills and growing her business UNTIL a man mistakes her for his date that stood him up. What begins as a disastrous 'Meet Cute' turns into a beautiful friendship. Or, can it be more?

What I 🤍:
💕 Best Friends to Lovers
😂 HILARIOUS Meet Cute
🥗 Salad Shop Setting
🍭 Kind, Warm FMC
🫶🏻 Beautiful Friendships

This book left me smiling! If you need your mood boosted, look no further! AGTBJF is such an CUTE romance. I adored their network of friends, and it felt so much like framily. Due to those people, I recommend you read this series in order. (This is the 3rd book in the series.) Sullivan does a great job of keeping all her characters within this world relevant in each story. ☺️

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Passion: 🔥🔥 (Closed Door)
Read If ➡️: You want a sweet, best friends to lovers, SLOW BURN romance.
Read 📅: Anytime of Year

I loved this book, and I will be rereading it in the future! I do wish some of the spicy scenes had been more open door. Additionally, in the end there was some drama I felt was unnecessary due to the pacing. Overall, such a feel good rom-com, and I can't wait to read more by this author.

🙏 Thank you so much to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this book.

(Review to come soon on my Instagram account (@lifewithprinceman).

I enjoyed reading A guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan. The characters in this story will warm your heart. Happy Reading!
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

When I say I hate slow burns I mean it. This book was the definition of slow burn. I got to 50% mark and wanted to DNF. But its from NetGalley so I have to review it. So I skim the rest. It was so boring and slow and it put me in a reading slump so thanks for that. It took forever to get to the actual romance and wasted so much time.

This review is so short because I don’t have much to say that I haven’t said already.

Here's another Netgalley review I waited way too long to write!

I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was part of the Jansen brothers series. I enjoyed How To Love Your Neighbor, but I haven't read Ten Rules for Faking It yet. These books work fine as standalones, although now I know how Chris's story ends.

I don't remember a ton about the romance--honestly, the biggest thing that stuck with me was the fact that the narrators changed the pronunciation of one character's name halfway through. She went from Ana to Anna--I'm not sure how it's spelled in the physical copy, but it definitely threw me off in the audiobook.

What I definitely remember are the salads. This book made me so hungry for healthy food! There's nothing like a big filling salad with tons of delicious toppings. Hailey is new to being a small-business owner, and I enjoyed reading about that aspect of her life.

For a series about a set of brothers, I felt more connected to Hailey. I wish there was more resolution between Wes and his father, and more focus on Wes in general. I felt the same way about the previous book in the series, that we got more depth from the FMC than the MMC.

I'm definitely going to go back and read the first book to see if there's more information about the brothers!

A cute concept. Main character opens shop and has a not so meet cute with the guy and after a bad misunderstanding, they become friends.
However they can’t deny the connection between them.
This book really wasn’t for me. The instant attraction seemed too instant. The friendship seemed forced. I think this book would have kept my attention better if it moved from misunderstanding to attraction to lovers.

I really don’t think I was the target audience for this book and that is why I DNFed it. This book would be perfect for anyone that likes cheesy romances.

I have a toothache from how sweet this was. It’s at once overflowing with positivity. It’s unusual to find a romance where each MC is incredibly self aware about their trauma and feelings. It was refreshing, though I will say that made this feel a bit boring. When both MCs know in a very self aware but clinical way why they act the way they do and are ready to clear up any tension and misunderstanding, the plot kind of stalls a bit?

The friends to lovers trope was cute but I did find myself needing a bit more tension. The nods to responsible business and community engagement was sweet too, but again, this needed a bit more tension.

Overall, just a very sweet and positive romance, however ultimately I think I need romances with a bit more grit and tension from reality. Or maybe just MC a that aren’t so well adjusted, lol.

Rating: 2.5/3, rounding up to 3.

Absolutely adorable romance book! Totally swoon-worthy! I also loved the witty banter. A winner for anyone who loves the tenderness of a slow-burn romance!

I will start by saying I think I would have liked this book if I had read the other two books in the series. There were way too many characters for me to keep track of for the first 70 pages, and it felt like the story wasn't going anywhere because the characters were all in the way. Eventually the story started to develop and it was cute but nothing spectacular. This was a cute rom com about two people who have lots of baggage and want to stay friends. That's about it. I will probably read the other two books in this series, the hints dropped about those story lines sound more interesting.

I had high expectations after reading the blurb comparing it to “When Harry met Sally”. I guess that’s my fault? Honestly, I didn’t even make it halfway. It just wasn’t for me. I was bored. There was so much unnecessary exposition that added absolutely nothing to the story. And when they finally did get some time together, there was zero chemistry. Sorry, couldn’t do it.

Such a great read. I read it all the way through and loved every single minute of it. Highly recommend and cannot wait to read more books from this author in the future. Definitely check this one out and add it to your Tbr list.

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan is the third installment of the Jansen Brothers series, of which I have read the second and now this one. I was swept up by both of these books and enjoyed every page of them. This one is the story of Hailey and Wes, two headstrong entrepreneurs with neither the time, nor desire for a relationship. The two of them meet in quite an embarrassing way and when Wes is able to make an apology, they decide that even though they don't want to date, they could be friends, pretty much best friends. They grocery shop, watch rom-coms (her choice), play video games (his choice), and attend functions together, all strictly platonic. Although, they seem perfect for each other and as time goes on feelings start to move in that direction, their original stand on being just friends gets in the way. The story is super cute and fun, also a fast read that I would definitely recommend.

This is the third book in the Jensen Brothers series from Sophie Sullivan. This romantic comedy / friends-to-lovers works as a standalone.

Hailey is trying to establish a new life for herself, after a bad breakup and not very nice ex who leaves her with trust issues but she has a good attitude and a positive attitude that intrigues Wes Jensen. They decide to be friends while having plenty of attraction for each other. Wes is looking for a woman who is compatible with his likes and realizes that she's right in front on him in Hailey. It takes him a bit to get there, but he does.

This is a slow burn romantic comedy that is light-hearted in the right places with a little angst thrown in there for a bit of seasoning. Plenty of warm fuzzy feelings here. I liked it and I am intrigued enough to go back and find time to read the first two books in this series.