I loved this conclusion to the Jansen brothers' story! This was definitely a SLOW BURN but super sweet and wonderful. I loved that the main character has curves and appreciated her boss lady drive. Her struggles with a new small business really hit close to home for me and I was rooting for her and celebrating with her during all her achievements in the local shop world.

The communication issues with the couple could be a bit agonizing at times but I was glad when things finally came together. I do feel like the video game subplot was wrapped up a little hastily, but perhaps that's because it was just a subplot so they quickly summed it up and moved onto Hailey and Wes? Or perhaps there were too many irons in the fire between Hailey's small business and Wes's video games and apps? I'm also pretty sure they only mentioned updating their "guide" a couple times and we never really revisited it even though the book is named for it. I mostly feel like we focused a lot on Hailey and her business and very little on Wes and his video games and apps but that could just be a me thing or maybe that's because Hailey is the one with an actual store.

Wes and Hailey were completely adorable either way and that's the most important thing.

<blockquote><i>You're mine. And I want to be yours.</i></blockquote>

Overall it was an enjoyable book and made me feel satisfied with where the Jansen brothers as a whole ended up, I do however wish we had some more Wes wrap up as I feel like we could've had a little more about how he was moving away from cyber security and more into video games or something like that since this is <u>HIS</u> book.

But in the end...

<blockquote>There's no guarantees, man. Not in real estate, investments, or love.</blockquote>

... Or in books getting to share every part of the story.

If it weren't for Hailey this probably would've been a 3.5/5 but I'm giving this a 4/5 because honestly Hailey was the best ♥️

Thank you NetGalley and [author:Sophie Sullivan] for the ARC, is was lovely.

Wes and his brothers really made this book. Without their banter it would have been fairly boring. The MC Hailey was boring and really forced conflict. There was far too much talk about salad. I get that was her business but it brought up wayyyyyy too much.

If you love friends to lovers, a good slow burn, and big happy chosen family vibes, A Guide to Being Just Friends is for you. This was sweet, enjoyable read I recommended to romance fans.
Wes and Hailey are amazing friends. They both learn from each other and develop a strong friendship. Haley hast to learn it's OK to lean on other people and Wes needs to learn how to have faith in other people.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Huge praise for one of my favourite Canadian authors!! Another 5-star read!

Sophie Sullivan, a true gem from the great white north (ok, BC doesn’t get that white), is an incredible author and such a great person, too. When I first read Ten Rules for Faking It, it happened to be my birthday - main character Everly just happened to start the book on her birthday, too. I messaged Sophie to laugh at the coincidence, and she ended up sending me some swag - such a sweetheart! I’ve read Ten Rules a few times now, about to read How to Love Your Neighbour, and pretty sure that A Guide to Being Just Friends is going to be another that will be re-read over and over again!

This story is everything - I love this family of the Jansen brothers and how hard and fast they fall for their girls! I love how much the previous characters are in these books and how important of a role they all play and continue to play (are we getting a book 4, for sister Ari!?!), and so many cross-over friendships.

Even though Wes fights it every minute because he doesn’t believe in love and relationships, and fully believes that he and Hailey should just keep to their excellent friendship (why ruin a good thing)…. Especially with the rough start after the awful not-so-meet-cute at the beginning of their story. This is a very slow-burn, friends to lovers, closed door (my only complaint with all of the books is that they’re closed door!), follow the guide and rules they created for each other to ensure friendship is the ultimate goal - we all know how this one is going to turn out and someone will get hurt when feelings change if they end up trying to change the rules.

A definite recommendation from me to everyone, especially if you’ve read either or both of the previous books (can be standalone but better with some background from the series). Closed door so great for all ages and audiences. No real triggers I noticed.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and this is my honest feedback.

𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 🥗

Author: @authorsophiesullivan
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Release date: January 17, 2023
👈🏽 for description

You all know I love myself a good slow burn and a good friends to lovers trope and boy was this book both of those things. It was sloooooow, friends, but in a way that’s agonizingly sweet so that when the romance does happen you’re like fin-freaking-ally. That was me when Wes and Hailey were finally ready to stop pretending they were ‘just friends.’

That being said, this book is the third in a series, but can be read as a standalone. Just be warned if you pick it up without reading the other two books.

Let’s talk characters now. I love Hailey. She’s a ray of sunshine and she must be protected at all costs. I will say, though that at times I felt like her anger was unjustified. Listen, I get being self-reliant (hello, I’m the queen of it) but she was a little over the top sometimes. Wes, sweet boy Wes, who was overprotective and full-on must provide and a delight to read about. I do wish, though, that we’d discussed his dimples more. They were mentioned once and then sort of disappeared. WHERE IS THE DIMPLE JUSTICE??? I might be alone in this, but y’all know how I feel about dimples.

Last, I enjoyed the writing. It was fun and quirky and sentimental when it needed to be.

This book, though, is perfect if you’re looking for something sweet and if you love slow burns with a great best friends to lovers trope.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange of an honest review.

Dual POV
Friends to lovers
Sloooooow Burn

Hailey is searching for that makes her happy. After a failed relationship she is forging her own path and doesn’t want to rely on anyone. She moves from LA to the quiet beach town her cousin lives in to open up her salad shop. Wes the oldest of the Jensen brothers has finally broken away from their father and moved closer to his brother to help with squishy Cat Industries. When their paths cross with a case of mistaken identity a friendship is born. Wes wants companionship with out the emotions. Hailey is also ok being just friends. But will their hearts keep inline with what they want or think they want?

First, I didn't realize this was the third book in a series when I started reading. This book can definitely be read as a stand alone, but I'm sure it would have been even better if I had read the other two books.

I really liked the characters in this book. The story is good, maybe a little long in parts, but overall I enjoyed the book. I will say I didn't enjoy the book enough to go back and read the other two.

Overall, this is a really quick read, with a cute story and likable characters.

So it looks like this book is pretty popular and a lot of people like it, but it just wasn’t it for me. The meet cute was awkward but didn’t seem all that terrible. The way Wes responded to it was so extra it didn’t seem real. Like dude really had to go HOME and think about how to apologize? And then when he did it was a normal apology. Ummm. Okay. Nothing about the book really stood out. Except for all the salad talk. We got a lot of info about salad. I’m all for descriptions and everything but I wasn’t understanding the innovation or creativity of salad in a cup. That sounds like less food for the same price. But maybe I got it wrong. There was quite a few info dumps and I just couldn’t make myself feel for either Hailey or Wes. Normally I love finding out a book is part of a series so I can check it out but I’m not really too into these characters so I’m gonna pass on this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I love Sophie Sullivan's writing. I have read all three of the Jansen Brother's stories. This one did not disappoint. I was so excited to receive both the audiobook and e-arc from NetGalley. I love Wes and Haley's story so much and the way they meet was the best, who hasn't had a similar experience of mistaken identity at some point. the character development was excellent, and I love the friendship that they had developed. I loved that we got to see so much of the other bothers in this story it was nice to come full circle (so to speak). I can't wait to see what Sophie Sullivan comes out with next.

This was a sweet, quick romance read. It was the third in a series but totally works as a standalone.

We follow Sophie who is just coming out of a long term relationship and has decided to start up a salad shop. It’s a pretty basic story of a meet cute, friends to lovers and a sprinkle of family trauma.

My problem with this was the miscommunication trope that kept occurring, as well as the big “act three break up” which felt shoe-horned into the story for a little bit of drama. I wish we had spent that time with Sophie and Wes instead.

All in all, it was a fun read and I would recommend it to fans of sweet romance and rom-com style books.

This was a beautifully done slow burn romance with some kissing and a couple of fade to black scenes. I love a HEA where the main characters build a foundation of friendship and understanding before diving into a relationship. Our characters come from very different backgrounds and I thought the author did a great job navigating how that would affect their views on love and relationship. Both show significant growth through out the book making their relationship a perfect blend of trust and compromise.

I really enjoyed A Guide to Being Just Friends, a sweet Hallmark type romance. I would rate it a solid 4.5/5 with the only real downside being I hadn’t read the first two books in the series. It can be read as a standalone but I believe many of the characters were introduced in the previous books and knowing their backstory would have added another layer to their relationship with the main characters in this book. Though this is easily remedied and I’ve already added the books to my TBR. The other minor (tiny really) issue I had with the book was how many times the work “salad” was mentioned at the beginning of the book, I’m not sure why this irked me so much – such a silly thing. I really look forward to reading the other two books in the Jansen Brothers Series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Griffin for the chance to read A guide to being just friends by Sophie Sullivan. I didn't realize this was the 3rd book in a series, and while it can be read as a standalone, because the characters from the first two books make appearances I wished I had read them first. This was a cute love story that would be a good read for the cold winter nights, or beach read.

This was such a fun rom com! My only regret was reading this during winter because it has such STRONG summer vibes. This was an adorable little fake dating number, and I will definitely be putting this on my summer romance recommendation lists. What a cute and fun novel! It's perfect to take to the beach, or read on a balcony.

My thoughts: I didn’t realize at first this was the third book in the Jansen brothers series. Maybe readers who are already familiar with the characters will have more reason to like them, but I just found everyone to be so boring. There was zero chemistry between Hailey and Wes and everyone felt flat. This is a romcom, but I encountered neither rom nor com in what I read. The most interesting thing about the first third of the book was all of Hailey’s talk about her salad shop (and there is a lot!), and I’m not even a big salad gal so that should tell you a lot.

If you like salad, this might be the book of your dreams!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I actually picked this book before I realized it was book three in a series where I enjoyed the first two books and the world created. I was beyond excited when I realized that this would be a continuation of that world and I wasn’t disappointed (well until the very very end where the author said it’s bittersweet to be done with this series, that made me sad). This is a book if you like opposites attract/friends to loves/Harry Met Sally- ish romantic comedy than the this the book for you. You don’t need to read the prior books (each of three brothers stars in a book with their own romantic comedy) but you’ll appreciate some of the little things more if you’ve read them all. Wes is a bit out of sorts now that he’s moved to California and truly left his father’s clutches in New York. He loves his brothers but doesn’t seem to have the same passion for what their business is doing as they do. Hailey has fled LA after her jerk of a boyfriend dumped her after she’d supported him while he cheated on her. She has started up her own salad shop. She’s determined that she will be successful at building her business. Throw in a slightly embarrassing but super cute meet and Wes and Hailey’s fates are doomed. That being said neither of them are looking for love or even to date. So they decide to just be friends. Which of course is easier said than done. This is a light, fun romantic comedy. I’ll miss these characters and their lack of communication shenanigans.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4811069182

I'm leaving a three because I can see that people are enjoying it, I, however, didn't. I don't know if it's because this is the third in the series, so I have no connection to the books or characters as one would when reading from book one, or if it's just that these characters, for me, are unlikeable. Honestly, had I know this was #3 in the series, I wouldn't have requested it.

The uncomfortable meet cute between Wes and Hailey is just that. Uncomfortable. The amount of salad references is.....just not great and really threw me out of the story and just made it hard to keep reading. I like salad just like the next person, but Hailey's personality was salad which doesn't allow much movement.

The writing was fine, and I can see why people would enjoy the series, and while it could in theory, be read as a standalone, I think for a book that you should be able to just jump into, it's hard to keep track of all the people and their place in the book.

Ah this book was so good! I was really not expecting to love this book so much. I kept putting it off, thinking the premise was a classic long time friends to lovers, but it was actually a lot more interesting than that.

Hailey and Wes have a not-so-meet-cute that ends up with them battling increasing interest and a wish to stay ‘just friends’. It felt a little slow after the initial meeting but settled into a good pace after the initial chapters. It includes glimpses of the characters lives from previous books but can definitely be a stand alone. I haven’t read the previous books but have added them to my TBR after enjoying the interaction with the main characters. The push and pull angst was just right even towards the end. A tad emotional but overall a very cute read. Definitely recommend for the lighthearted rom-com fans!

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

A fun and witty rom-com, A Guide to Being Just Friends was a lovely reprieve from every day life.

Hailey is an up-and-coming shop owner. She sells customizable, single serving salads at By The Cup. Her one and only goal? Getting it off the ground. She doesn’t have time for family, or friends, and especially no time for relationships.

Everyone around Wes seems to be married or getting married, but he just doesn’t get what it’s all about. Romance doesn’t interest him at all. His parent’s nasty divorce left a sour taste in his mouth. He’d rather have a companion than fall in love.

When they meet accidentally, Wes doesn’t make the greatest first impression. And it doesn’t matter anyway because Hailey’s unavailable, right?

This was a very cute, light-hearted read! I enjoyed the way the dialogue is written, and the storyline itself kept me enthralled the whole way through. The ending was everything I wanted it to be! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a break.

I was able to confidently read this book as a standalone. It was a case of friends-to-lovers but takes a while to get there. The friendship is formed during the novel and not some backstory we are made to believe. I liked that aspect. However I felt like the characters were very young acting with their behaviors and what made them happy/upset.

The audiobook was well made and played well. I felt like the narrators voice were very contrasting though. He was soft spoken and she was loud. I think some of that was to match the characters but also a little production.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a sweet and easy read. Hailey has recently moved to a new town to start over after a messy breakup and opened her dream store, a to-go salad shop. She has a chance to meet with Wes, and the two end up hitting it off and becoming friends. This book is a slow-burn, from friends to lovers.

It was a cute romance, but the story wasn't as memorable as I hoped it would be. I enjoyed seeing the genuine friendship blossom between the two main characters. I caught myself laughing out loud at a few parts.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.