I liked this one a lot. Hailey and Wes weren't looking for romance but that is exactly what they found. Hailey had just opened her own business after a lot of research. She makes custom salads to go, in what should be a good location - lots of nearby businesses with people who want to pick up a quick lunch. She meets Wes accidentally and they start off on the wrong foot - he thinks she is his date and she thinks he is trying to pick her up. Wes comes to her shop, apologizes and gives her some good tips to improve her business. Wes and his brothers are partners in various business venues and Wes is a wiz at setting up business apps, and also creating signs that attract people. They become friends and over time, it turns into something else.

The road to the happy ending was not smooth but it is well worth the ride. I enjoyed this one very much and can see myself re-reading it soon. I also plan on reading the first two books in the series. I received an E-ARC of this book from the publisher St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

I received A Guide to Being Just Friends as an ARC but hadn’t read the first two in the series yet. So I hurried and read them this week. I’m glad I did. Most of the time when you have a series where each book follows a different person, you don’t necessarily have to read the others. With the Jansen Brothers series, you really should. All three were super cute, closed-door, romcoms. How to Love Your Neighbor is sort of an “enemies to lovers.” While Guide to Being Just Friends is sort of a “friends to lovers.” But all three feature three main female leads that are strong and independent. Hailey is no exception. I definitely wish her salad place was real! The three male main characters are great. Chris is probably my favorite of the three brothers. but each of the three brothers are very dreamy. Wes, being the oldest son of a pretty bad father, had a little more trouble figuring it all out. But he got there and was very cute about it. I love the brothers’ relationship. But I definitely would recommend if you’re in the mood for something fun and sweet and if you’re not into spice but want a good heart-fluttering romance.

Content Warnings: Body shaming, toxic relationships, gaslighting, emotional abuse, and parental abandonment.


Slow burn that gets steamy right up until the fade to black moments. 🔥😍

Loved the build up to them recognizing their feelings for each other but could have had less back and forth after that 😅 Overall sweet and fun friends to lovers. 💜

I quite literally gobbled up the Jansen Brothers series. I love friends to lovers so much and Hailey and Wes completely emulated that. This book really tugged on my heart strings especially around the 75% mark. While I completely understood where Hailey was coming from the third act drama was a little bit touch and go and I wasn't so sure we would get our HEA... but we did!

The Jansen Brother's books can be read as stand-alones because much of what happened in the first two books is mentioned throughout the third. Though, I think reading them in their entirety is so worth it. The epilogue at the end made me feel all warm and fuzzy as we are able to get caught up with Everly/Chris and Grace/Noah. They are all VERY slow burn with a closed door.

This book was a super cute romance that I thought had a little too low stakes. For a lot of the book, I was wondering what the point was. I thought Hailey’s restaurant was a cute setting, although I was wondering if that’s how restaurants really work (I wouldn’t know, I’ve never worked in one). The characters themselves were cute, but the minor miscommunications and the third act breakup was a little annoying.

I did absolutely eat up the friends to lovers vibe with mutual pining, but I thought that the timing was slightly bizarre with some of the random jumps to a few months ahead. I guess in that sense, the story didn’t feel too rushed and Wes and Hailey’s relationship didn’t feel rushed, but it sometimes took me off guard a little too much.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this though! I didn’t realize until the acknowledgements that it’s a part of a series about Wes’s brothers, and I’ll definitely check out the other books.

After a meet-disaster opens A Guide to Being Just Friends, Wes Jansen and Hailey Sharp reconcile and decide to be friends. Neither wants a relationship—each for their own reasons—but spending time together and becoming fixtures in each other’s lives blurs some lines they both thought were written in stone.

I enjoyed the characters, especially the side characters, but there were a lot of them. This was my first book of the series so I imagine reading the first two would have helped. However, there was so much finance talk and other comments that felt irrelevant that I felt the book dragged and was a little boring. There were a few threads of intrigue that I was excited by, but nothing ended up happening. I think if it had been shortened to a novella, the story would have been more successful. Not exactly to my taste but I’m sure there are readers out there that would enjoy the network of relationships and small business focus.

*Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sophie Sullivan for this ARC!

A fantastic grumpy/sunshine; friends to more story.
I didn’t realize this book was part of a series but I enjoyed it on its own and didn’t feel out of the loop at all.
(ironically I have the first book in the series sitting on my tbr shelf and had already added it to my 23 in 23 list 🤦🏻‍♀️)

The main characters Hailey and Wes were likeable, I loved their friendship and their banter and simmery affection which made the slow burn not only bearable but enjoyable. I also loved the supporting cast family members and found family.

I enjoyed that Hailey was independent but the only thing that bugged me was that she also kind of took that independence a bit to far in that she almost acted unreasonably and took acts of kindness as personal attacks on her and Wes definitely needed to communicate better. Overall though they were a likeable couple you wanted to root for.

I also love that this is a Canadian Author!!

Low Spice but sexual innuendos and sexy time implied (PG13)
Some cursing


Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (fade to black sex scenes)
Trigger Warning: brief mentions of divorce and neglect

After a bad breakup, Hailey Sharp is ready to start fresh in a new place while launching By the Cup- her very own salad shop. When she bumps into Wes Jansen at the bakery next door, she finds him attractive but isn't interested in trying to start a relationship again. And Wes has no interest in falling in love after watching his parents go through a divorce years ago. Instead, the two decide to start a mutually beneficial friendship- Wes will help Hailey with her shop's website, and she'll teach him to cook. That one trade-off turns into weekends spent shopping together, hanging out with Wes's family, and brainstorming ideas for By the Cup. And soon they both realize that they've been lying to themselves- this friendship is turning into feelings they never planned for. Can these two change their opinions about love and open their hearts to one another?

This was my first book by Sophie Sullivan, and I had no idea it was part of a series. Luckily, it was easily read as a standalone. I thought the book started strong with a cute, awkward first meeting between Wes and Hailey. I loved her salad shop and how it was a big part of the storyline. Seeing her gain success as an entrepreneur was so heartwarming. And I liked how her employees were all people who needed a job to better their lives. It was also great to see Hailey be accepted by the Jansen brothers and their girlfriends- nothing beats a good found family trope! The second half of the book is what brought down my rating a bit. As much as I loved how Wes and Hailey's friendship began, things started to drag when I hit the halfway point. Their inner dialogues became repetitive, and I was a little frustrated by the conflicts that arose. I did adore the grand gesture and declaration of feelings from Wes in the end, but it wasn't enough to bump my rating back up to four stars. I still would like to go back and read book 1 in the series since it features a character with social anxiety, and I will be curious to see what comes next from Sophie Sullivan.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Life rarely followed a straight path but the curves and the unexpected detours had a way of leading to the exact right place.”
Wes and Hailey! I love both of them such sweethearts! Their friendship was beyond amazing but them as a couple was breathtaking.
This is the third book in a series but it can be read as a standalone. I will definitely read the other two books because I completely fell in love with this one!

Sophie Sullivan’s A Guide to Being Just Friends is book three in her Jansen Brothers series (following Ten Rules for Faking It and How to Love Your Neighbor). This one may just be my favorite of the three.

Book three centers on Wes Jansen, the oldest brother who set himself the goal, when he was very young, of protecting his younger brothers from the trauma of his parents’ vicious fights and eventual divorce. This has left him proud of the lives that they lead but convinced that loving someone will lead only to misery.

Hailey Sharp has moved to a small town and opened a new salad restaurant, By the Cup, in hopes of starting fresh after a toxic relationship and ugly breakup. Though her business is struggling, she’s determined to make her new life work.

Hailey and Wes’s meet cute is not so cute. Hailey, seeking to drown her sorrows about her new business in chocolate, has picked up a to go order at the neighboring bakery when Wes approaches her, convinced that she’s his date. When she protests—she’s Hailey, not Hayden—his reaction is less than kind.

But Wes is determined to admit and apologize for his mistakes (unlike his dad!), so when circumstances bring him together with Hailey again, their friendship begins.

While Wes’s determination to be friends-and-nothing-more meets with approval from Hailey, still fragile from her last relationship, it did eventually strain my credulity. Still, with a bit of suspension of disbelief, I was immersed in this romance and enjoyed the slow build of their relationship. I’m also a fan of romance series, allowing the reader to see the couples from previous books living out their happily ever afters, so this one was a joy.

I’m sad that Sophie Sullivan’s first series is over, but I look forward to what comes next!

Adorable! What a fun story. I like the characters, their support systems and their interactions. He never wants to fall in love. She wants happily ever after white picket fence. He is wealthy, she is just getting buy. They could never be more than friends...could they? I didn't like Ana. Did you? She had that whole evil woman thing that adds to the story so we have someone to dislike.
Thanks for such a fun book. Loved it!

I am a SUCKER for a grumpy/sunshine trope & this one did not disappoint. Wes is a investor who does not believe in love and marriage, he grew up seeing people fight and not teach him what love truly was so he believes it will not be worth his time and energy. Haley is a salad cup shop owner who is finally putting herself first!

I was given the digital ARC for this book and i couldn’t get into it, it started off super slow and it took until about 30% in for me to say i was truly enjoying the characters and the story. I was then given the audio ARC and restarted the book from the beginning via audio and i really enjoyed the entire story!

I read this as a stand alone, and will definitely be going back to read about the other couples mentioned! While i do feel that you can read these as standalones, I feel like there were aspects i was missing by not knowing more of the relationship of the brothers and their father!

It’s giving:
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Slow burn Romance

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for supplying digital and audiobook ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.

First of all I would like to say I have not read the first two books of this series and read this as a standalone. I was so happy to get to review this book but about halfway through I lost my interest. I pushed myself to finish this book and I honestly did not enjoy it as much as I wanted to. This is definitely a slow burn but without that burning passion at the end. The beginning was the best part. It was cute and funny but it quickly died out and became boring for me. The biggest part of the plot was solved within seconds... Unfortunately this didn't live up to my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and share this ARC.

I’ll preface this by saying that I haven’t read the other two books in the series and I’m basing this review on the book as a standalone. That being said, the beginning was cute. I was sold for the first quarter with the premise and the blossoming friendship but by the halfway mark, it completely lost me.

I appreciated the relationships that Wes and Hailey had outside of each other but there were so many characters — minor or otherwise — that I honestly began to lose track of who was who, especially their connections to one another. If you ask me now which woman was paired with which brother, I probably couldn’t tell you. It just felt unnecessary to introduce all these other small stories only for them to not pay off in the end or become a side note.

The slow burn, friends to lovers, was expected but it didn’t pay off. It didn’t have the passion behind it that I’ve come to want from this sort of trope. It was more of a tell than a show and I found myself frustrated with Wes and Hailey by the end of it. The very last fight tucked into the middle was resolved far too quickly and it should have been addressed earlier, considering how big of a character trait it is.

I wanted to love it because there’s a lot of potential but it was very average to me. I obviously can’t speak for the other books in the series and I’m willing to go back to them at some point since the writing wasn’t my issue. I’m sure plenty of people will find what they need in this story, unfortunately I didn’t.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun YA RomCom from friends to lovers. While it is very PG13 it would be great Hallmark movie. Hailey and Wes love chemistry was missing a passion consodering they were a young adults. I wish there was a little mord of love chemistry.

This was a really sweet friends to lovers book! I love the grumpy and sunshine dynamic and enjoyed the balance of fluff and angst. Lovely book!!

Hailey is starting a new business - a salad shop in LA and doesn't have time for romance. When she's getting coffee one day, she's mistaken for a guy in the cafe's coffee date. When Wes sees Hailey again, she's delivering salads to a business meeting he is having with his brothers. Hailey and Wes have an instant connection but neither are looking for love. I enjoyed this book.

I was so excited for this book, it was definitely one of my most anticipated 2023 releases, and it was unfortunate that it didn’t live up to my expectations as much as I had hoped it would. I found the plot to be just a little too dry for me.

I found Hailey to be a little too much of an “independent woman” who doesn’t need any help from anyone, even though she’s actually really struggling and should accept the help. Hi, I have been Hailey and it led to burn out, so girl it's really not worth it, be willing to accept the help!

Wes could have been a really great male counterpart of his story, but he just had daddy issues and refused to acknowledge anything about them. My friend, therapy will make your life so much better, maybe give it a try.

I found the romance between Hailey and Wes to be a little bit too strained for my liking. He was a strong, rich helpful type who “didn’t want love” whereas she was the independent woman who didn’t want help from anyone and was also down to earth, so extravagant gifts freaked her out type. I can honestly say that in real life, this couple wouldn’t make it. Like, girl let him give you the extravagant gifts! He’s trying to show you he loves you in the only way he knows how to!!!

Overall, it was still cute but it wasn’t super for me.

⚠️TW: body shaming, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, cursing

Thank you @macmillan.audio , @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own

Hayley and Wes meet under hilarious circumstances and decide that friendship is something they could broach. Both have backstories that make them wary of relationships and so they chart a course for friendship….

As they learn to trust each other then barriers fall down and their plans go to ruin. They develop feelings for each other but will they get out of their own way to believe in each other and the L word?

This book was perfect after the heavy one I just finished. I listened to it while putting away my Christmas decor in one sitting. ❤️

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and share this ARC.

“A Guide to Being Just Friends” is the 3rd and final book in the Jansen Brothers series by Sophie Sullivan. I have not read the preview 2 books but this book recaps enough that you don’t really need to have read them to enjoy it.

This book was cute and can easily be read in a day. I liked that none of the villains in this story were truly too bad and they all disappeared into the background rather quickly allowing more focus on the main characters relationship development.

My only real issue with this book was the rent storyline. It was so built up and seemed like it was going to be something nefarious and then all of a sudden the problem was resolved.

Solid 3 stars. The book didn’t “wow” me and it felt a little camisole but it wasn’t a bad read. Good for a lazy day spent on the couch.