Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute friends to lovers story! I liked how Hailey and Wes took their time to really get to know each other and become friends before starting a romantic relationship. My only problem was that I found the storyline to move a bit too slow at times

This book was a great conclusion to the Jansen Brothers series from Sophie Sullivan. Hailey and Wes were both such great characters and I love a good will-they won't-they, slow burn as much as the next person and Sophie Sullivan wrote this one super well! I also really enjoyed seeing the connection between the brothers and how the other couples were doing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

A Guide to Being Just Friends was an enjoyable, friends to lovers, slow burn romance. After an adorably awkward meet cute, Hailey and Wes become friends because neither is ready for more. But could there be more?

I enjoyed the progression of their friendship from friends to a relationship. It was a bit slow at times and I wish there had been at least one steamy scene, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Salad shop owner Hailey has an awkward first run-in with Mr. Wes Jansen. Hailey has committed to get her salad shop off the ground and successful – with no distractions from dating anyone after a bad breakup. The best solution is to being ‘just friends’ with Wes. As the two spend more and more time together, Wes realizes that he might like Hailey more than just friends. Does being ‘just friends’ ever really work? This has a very When Harry Met Sally feeling and a true slow burn. I didn’t know this was part of a series and can be read as a stand-alone, but I would like to read the previous books for insight into the other Jansen brothers.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A cute, wholesome, close-door romance featuring the ultimate trope friends-to-lovers. Wes and Hailey start off on the wrong foot when Wes mistakes her for the blind date that never shows. Immediately, Sullivan settles this tension between the two characters and gives us a wholesome friendship filled with longing and pining. Hailey wants a new start and to focus on her business, Wes has unresolved family trauma and doesn't believe in love - obviously they are going to be perfect together.

I wish we had a deeper dive into both characters backstories and they felt a little underdeveloped, especially Wes. I understand this is part of a series, but it does make you feel like you are at a disadvantage if you do not read the others prior to this one because it gives you more insight into the Jansen family dynamic.

I loved the easy dialogue and relationship between the two - the banter was top notch and further proves that friends-to-lovers is The Trope. I also really enjoyed the pacing, the friendship dragged on for just long enough to keep me invested without me rolling my eyes. The pacing also helped with the character development because there were moments where I did get frustrated with both characters but mostly because they were so obviously in love and just needed to confess. But when they FINALLY did, it was adorable.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
This book is part of a series that can be read as a standalone, but after reading it, i want to dive into the author’s back list! Definitely gonna read more from the author and this series.

Thank you to Netgalley, SMP Romance and St. Martin’s Press for the Advance Reader’s Copy.

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
Hailey recently opened a salad shop that’s still navigating through its ins and outs. When she bumps into Wes in a disastrous meet cute, he offers his services to help her business thrive as an apology. They start a friendship that can’t blossom into anything more. He’s not looking for a relationship and she’s steering clear of dating.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. A meet cute, a strong and independent female lead, an unbreakable friendship and an undeniable chemistry. This book checked off on all the great things that a rom-com should be. I loved Wes and Hailey’s friendship along with the increasing tension between them. I always wanna shake two people who try to deny their true feelings with these storylines, so miscommunication will always go hand in hand with these tropes. Yet, i still found myself enjoying, laughing and strongly rooting for the two. It’s a bit heavy on the business talk but it was a quick and easy rom-com read that will surely satisfy the fans of the friends to lovers trope.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘳𝘰𝘮-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘴

After reading A Guide to Being Just Friends, by Sophie Sullivan, I realized it was not the first in the series. While it may have been better if I'd read the others, I enjoyed it as a stand-alone. It is a quirky fun romance that can easily be read in a long afternoon. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this title! I LOVED this book! This is the third installment of the Jansen Brothers series, but it can be read as a standalone (which I did). Wes and Hailey shine as MC's and watching their story unfold was a delight. Both have baggage to unpack as they work through their friendship and romantic relationship, and you can't help but root for them along the way. Their banter had me giggling, the romantic gestures had me swooning, and the HEA was completely satisfying.

Read if you enjoy...
- Friends to Lovers
- Closed-door/Fade-to-Black
- Slow Burn
- Witty banter
- Strong female lead

I have already added the other two books in this series to my TBR, and can't wait to read them! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romcoms. It ticked all the boxes and more for me!

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters, Hailey and Wes, together, They complimented each other well and I loved that while they quickly became friends it took them a while to realize how much they meant to one another, It was a great slow burn romance but not in a frustrating way, it was honestly nice seeing this natural progression of them coming together. I also really loved the relationship between Wes and his brothers and Hailey, her cousin, and her cousin's friends who quickly became her friends too (and besides, who doesn't love a book club that just gets together to drink wine?). Overall it was an adorable read that I was honestly a little sad to see end.

I love Hailey and Wes. Such a cute story. Wes had long ago hidden his heart. He thinks it is much safer that way. Hailey has had her heart stomped on so many times, but she is willing to put it out there again. Wes isn't willing to risk his heart. They decided to be friends because neither of them was looking for a romantic relationship. That worked for a while, but it seems Hailey is irresistible, and Wes wants more. So does Hailey, but it isn't the same things that Wes wants. He thinks he wants to have fun and just be with Hailey. He thinks that will be enough. Hailey wants a family to love. After dealing with his father, Wes doesn't think love is in the cards for him. Will he come to his senses? Will they ever make a life together?

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance with very low heat. The chemistry they had as friends was bursting! They could have kept that tension for a few more chapter and I would have been absolutely ok with it! This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, light, cute and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and would read others by this author.

Hailey is driven when it comes to her business. Opening her shop is ultimately the end game, and nothing will stand in her way. She ends up embarrassing herself in front of a complete stranger, and let’s just say that it leads to a newfound friendship that she was not expecting. Can she balance her new relationship and her dreams?

Wes has been there and done that when it comes to relationships. He is perfectly fine with the single life. When he tried to rectify a situation with Hailey, he finds himself enjoying his friendship with her. He may even admit that he is enjoying even more than a friendship. Can he let go of past trauma to enjoy what can be something good?

I enjoyed this meet cute romance. It starts off strong with Hailey and Wes both on the same page. Neither of them wants to be in a relationship. They slowly embark on this friendship that is cute and funny at times. The banter with Hailey and her staff was fun. Wes and his brothers are great. I think I liked the side characters a bit more than the main characters.

Over the past few years, I have tolerated the slow-burn romances more if executed perfectly. This just falls slightly short because the steam factor is not there. The level of intimacy that is to be expected in the background and the sexual tension between Wes and Hailey is off. Wes is so scared because of his pain from previous relationships. Every time I would think that we were getting closer, he retreated. Hailey is so driven that at times, I wanted her to take a look around her. She didn’t connect with Wes until the very end. At some point, the slow burn became painful.

If you have read the previous books in this series, you are in for a treat because the couples from the series are in this one. This is still a stand-alone novel but it was nice to see what the others have been up to.

Overall, if this is perfect for fans of the series to close it out.

~ Samantha

This book is the conclusion to the Jansen Brothers series, but can be read as a standalone. To fully enjoy the history of the characters, I recommend reading the other books in the series.

Hailey has just moved to San Verde from LA to open a salad shop. While taking a break at the coffee shop next to hers, she encounters a bit of a grump who incorrectly assumes she's the blind date that stood him up, based on her name. She encounters him again while delivering salads to a business meeting. Wes feels bad that he was rude earlier, so he goes to her shop to apologize. They commiserate over bad dates and decide to become friends.

What results is a sweet slow burn that is a joy to read. I had a lot of fun reading about these characters and would love to have a book about Fiona....

I received an advanced reader’s copy of A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan.

Hailey and Wes start off as friends and we get to see the relationship grow to something more without it feeling rushed. Hailey was the stronger one emotionally and willing to take chances as far as their romantic relationship. Wes was reticent and had some work to do to face his fears. I thought how he was portrayed and the reasons for his fears was well developed. I was interested in reading on to see how he would come to his realizations and grow as a character.

The epilogue wrapped up the series in a satisfying way for the Jansen brothers.

While I love enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, there wasn’t as much chemistry as I would have liked between the two MC’s. They really did feel like “just friends” at most points. This can be a standalone but doesn’t necessarily make as much sense without the background in the first two books! The characters were frustrating at times but I also wasn’t a fan of When Harry Met Sally so maybe it was just not my vibe? I appreciated where both of them were coming from in their reluctance, but it was a bit too much sometimes. The supporting characters were fun though! All in all, cute story but not my favorite of the series.

Did this read blow me away? Not particularly. But did it help me to clear my mind enough that I actually want to read other books now, too? Yeah. And it’s hard to find a book that can do that for you, so definitely check this one out. This is the perfect book when you’re in a reading slump.

I was a touch disappointed in the beginning of the book, the pacing was off, I felt the tenses were odd, and the story just seemed stagnant. Once I made it through about 24% of the book, that’s when things really started to pick-up. If the book started at 24%, with the first scene added in, I really think this could have rated higher for me.

I enjoyed the plot, the pacing through the rest of the book, and the characters (yes, even the ex and the evil woman trying to take Hailey’s man). While I am not a fan of miscommunication/lack of communication, I do think that this was done with taste. There wasn’t a huge thrown down or fall out. They took the time to cool off (as one should when you’re upset) and they talked (WHAATTT?!?!).

Did I find Wes’ approach to life sad? Yeah. But I also think that so many of us can see ourselves in him. Maybe not for the same reasons but how many of us can honestly say we haven’t erected walls to protect ourselves from one thing or another?

Hailey Sharp is starting over. She had been living in Hollywood, dating an actor and working on movie sets, cooking and serving the actors and crew as they worked. But when she found out that her boyfriend of three years had been cheating on her, she decided it was time to move on. She kicked him out of the apartment that she owned, sold the apartment, and found herself a cute storefront in San Verde where she could open a small take-and-go salad shop. By the Cup offers a variety of salads that showcase California’s fresh vegetables and Hailey’s creativity with food.

She stops into the coffeeshop next door for a caffeine fix and a sweet treat, and that’s when a good-looking man appears right in front of her. He clearly thinks he knows her, but she has no idea who she is. But then, he’s also calling her Hayden. And while that is the name that the barista who hadn’t been paying attention wrote on her cup, she smiles and tries to explain that her name is really Hailey and she has no idea of what he’s talking about. She finally figures out that he had been expecting to meet up with a woman he’d met on a dating app, and she feels bad for his disappointment, but she is not interested in dating. Hailey just wants her shop to succeed.

A couple of days later, Hailey is delivering a lunch order to a local radio station, where she finds her recent customers producer Everly and on-air talent Stacy, who had recommended her shop. She also meets the owners of the station, brothers Chris, Noah, and Wes Jansen, and she stops short. Wes is the one who had accosted her in the coffee shop, and he clearly looks embarrassed about that. They all laugh about it, and Wes insists he is giving up dating for a while. He feels so bad about it that he comes by Hailey’s shop to apologize and offers to help with her website, one of the many things she’d been meaning to get to.

As they talk, Hailey and Wes find they have an easy chemistry, and as the weeks go by, and Wes and his brothers spend more time in Hailey’s shop, they find that they are becoming friends. There is one area where they struggle though.

Wes is a fixer and wants to face any problem head-on. His family has money, so he has had the resources to fix a lot of problems that have come up in his life. Everything except his parents’ marriage. His father can be abrasive, and there had been a lot of fighting before he had finally kicked his wife out of the house. As the oldest brother, Wes had done what he could to protect his younger brothers from the drama, but there was no one to protect him. Now he likes to fix the problems he can, but he still struggles with the voice of his father in his head.

Hailey hates to ask for help. She doesn’t even like to accept help when it’s offered. There were just too many times in the past when she accepted help from someone she thought was a friend to be let down. She had believed in her boyfriend, until he had turned out to be a jerk. Now, she is starting over on her own. And she wants to do this on her own. But running a successful restaurant is a lot of work to do all on your own.

As the friendship grows between Hailey and Wes, Hailey figures out that she can trade favors with Wes, so she can get help without having to give up control. They spend time with his brothers and their girlfriends, and Hailey also spends time with her cousin Piper and her book club friends. As she grows a new life, one step at a time, she finds herself opening up and finding ways to expand her salad offerings. And Wes finds a life in California separate from his brothers, where he can be himself and follow some of his own dreams.

But despite their dedication to growing their friendship, they both find themselves increasingly attracted to each other. The small touches, the thoughtfulness, the vulnerability they find in their friendship could lead to something more. But will they find the courage to open up to the possibility of a deeper relationship, or will they let the opportunity for true love slip through their fingers?

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a sweet rom com from Sophie Sullivan, whose charming writing style draws readers in and makes them feel right at home. This includes some of the characters of her previous Ten Rules for Faking It and How to Love Your Neighbor, but this can be read as a stand-alone also. It’s fun and funny, and there is a genuine warmth to this story of friendship and starting over.

I have loved all three of these novels about the Jansen brothers, but this one may be my favorite. Wes and Hailey both have some awkwardness, and their friendship seemed to fill in those gaps, making them a cohesive couple. They genuinely brought out the best in each other, and watching this friendship develop slowly and bring out the best in both of these characters was amazing. It’s the perfect ending for the stories of these brothers and those in their lives, and I loved every minute of it.

Egalleys for A Guide to Being Just Friends were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I can’t believe we are done with the Jansen Brothers series. A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan was as adorable just like the two previous books. There’s something about Sophie’s writing that hooks me from the beginning. I enjoyed the slow-burn romance and the friends to lovers trope. The story was well developed and I enjoyed it very much. Hailey and Wes were great characters. Both of them had flaws but I do have high hopes for them. This story was really sweet and I loved the romance. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an early copy. I can’t wait to have a physical copy for my collection.

From an awkward mistaken identity first meeting to an even worse second one, Hailey and Wes end up forming an unique friendship. It's cute and funny with just enough chemistry that you know them being just friends won't do. Both characters are just what the other needs in their lives and I was down for it. The other characters bring a great connection for these two and offer them to be more than one dimensional.
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, light, cute and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and would read others by this author.