I will never stop loving friends to lover romances!!!

If you love friends to lovers, closed door romances, series following each brother typadeal, and “you’re an idiot you already love her” trope, this book is for you! I haven’t read any others in this series, and it was pretty easy to pick up on all the other characters, there relationships, and dynamics. This book was SO CUTE. but damn, if I’d known it was closed door I would’ve been more prepared for that let down 🤣 but that’s the only thing!

Hailey opened up her own salad shop in a smaller town near Los Angeles, and is really focused on her career/herself after a bad breakup. In comes MMC who is also not wanting any relationship, after being so scarred from his parents’ ugly divorce. After the best meet cute I’ve read in awhile, they decide to jsut be friends. Yes, they actually have a guide for their friendship and it is so adorable 🥹

Obvs feelings come into play and there is a HEA but what I appreciated the most was their maturity and their communication! It was on point. Yes, they’re sometimes lost with that they want and have their walls up so high, but at least they talk it out like adults!!

I loved it so much I do want to read the first two in the series to see how their relationships formed, but it was nice seeing their appearances in this book & how the brothers supported this MMC (I cannot for the life of me remember his name rn 🙈).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot. Recommend it.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC!*

I read the second book in this series when it came out last year, and it was super cute. I was very excited to dive back into this world with these lovable brothers!

I really liked the main couple in this book. Hailey was a fun character, tackling a new venture and starting her life over after a bad breakup. That takes courage and drive, both of which she had in spades. Wes was a lovable control freak with some trust issues. But, he was also willing to do whatever it takes to make sure those he cares about are well taken care of.

The side characters, as always in this series, were fantastic. I loved Hailey’s cousin, Piper, and her new friend, Fiona. Getting to see Wes’ brothers, Noah and Chris, again in this book was a delight, as well as their ladies, Grace and Everly. I love a good found family, which was exactly what Hailey gained in this story.

The romantic hurdles in this friends to lovers romance were all mental, which I enjoyed. I thought the trust issues, control issues, and pride issues were all very well handled. I could see where everyone was coming from, which made for delicious tension.

All in all, this was a lovely little romance with some hard-hitting mental health themes. It also made me incredibly hungry!

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave A Guide to Being Just Friends 4 Stars!

I have not read the other two books in this series, but I didn't feel like that made a huge difference with understanding the plot. This book is cute, not the most original plot but it was still enjoyable.

If your favorite romances are friends to lovers and slow burns, then this might be a book for you! However, I am not a big fan of slow burns so it made me cringe a lot along the way.

The book was cute, but I feel like literally nothing happened at all the entire time. It felt like I was reading the episode of SpongeBob where squidward gets up drinks coffee, goes to work, and comes home to bed over and over and over 😂

When I requested this ARC I had no clue it was apart or a series (this is the third one). But this can definitely be read as a stand-alone because I wasn’t confused at all.

Hailey annoyed me for some reason?! I feel like she wanted to be independent so bad but is super annoying and whiny about it. Wes is a nice guy but he also came off very whiny to me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Read if you enjoy:
🥗 Salads
🔥 Slow burn romances
👩‍❤️‍👨 Friends to lovers
💌 Hallmark movies

I love friends to lovers. I also love slowburns and this gave both but unfortunately it felt lacking. I didnt feel much of the chemistry, I loved the friendships in the book but it just did not hit as hard as I wanted it to. I didnt know it was a series, maybe that wouldve helped me understand things better. thank you st. martins press & netgalley.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I haven't read the other books in this series, but it felt like it worked well as a stand alone. Maybe I would have known more about Wes and his family (I think it's his side that is the series) if I'd read the others, but it worked out ok. I'm not a big romance reader, so don't really have opinions for different couple styles like many reviewers seem to comment on. I did enjoy the friends first aspect of the characters, but it seemed like that portion of their relationship was just too rigid. Maybe that's more real life for current days, and I'm out of touch, but it seems like though they started out as 'just friends', as time went on, one or the other would bring up the topic of maybe dating or being a couple. Or I'm out of touch, I don't know. Someone commented this book was "too clean to be adult romance but not clean enough to be clean YA" and that's how I felt too. The "rules" felt really regulated.

It was a cute story, overall. Not believable to me, but an enjoyable read. I'm going to go with a 2 star rating for "it was ok." I'm not in a rush to go find the other books in the series to get more of the characters. And I can't think of any of my reading friends that I think would really go for this one, so I doubt I'll be recommending it. (To be fair to the book, I'm a mystery reader and a lot of my book friends are sci fi/fantasy or thriller readers.)

A happily ever after for the three Jansen brothers concludes with this story.

Running away from recent breakup that shattered her self esteem, Hailey moves to start a salad shop. Wes has recently moved from New York to be near his brothers and had been trying dating apps with no success. The two have a not so meet cute that turns into a sweet friendship. Even though both are fighting love for different reasons, the more they are together the less they can fight their feelings. But can Hailey and Wes learn to let people in and trust in their future?

Book 3 in the series was so good. Can’t believe the Jansen brothers story comes to an end. Wes and Hailey’s story was sweet and fun. They’re not so perfect meet cute led them to a friendship they both needed. Hailey was starting over after leaving her ex and Wes accidentally found a friend instead of a date. She’s ready to make it on her own and not rely on a man ever again, he just wants someone to enjoy his company with love out of the equation. What could possible go wrong? They set guidelines to stay in the friend zone but can they stick to them or will things get a little blurry along the way? If you’re a sucker for hallmark movies you have to read this.

This is friends to lovers done so, so well! ✨

This book felt like a warm hug—sweet and cozy. Wes and Hailey’s friendship came first, and it built such a strong foundation for them. It was so nice to see them falling for each other while also wanting to protect this friendship.

It was so fun being back with the gang again! I love, love, love series that continue to show the characters from previous books. It’s like an extended epilogue for the whole series.

Can’t wait to see what Sophie comes up with next!

It was fairly cute. Definitely a good read if you want a cute and slow-ish romance that you don't have to think too hard on. I enjoy a decent strangers to friends to lovers. A part of me really loved that they were friends first and slightly hoped they would stay friends and it would just be a wholesome story. It's perfectly okay that it wasn't, though. I liked it decently enough. That being said, the writing and dialogue is a bit hard to get past. There were things that were said that just didn't seem like any real person would ever actually say them, at least not in the way that they were written.

Hailey is a stubborn new business owner who wants to make her own way. Wes is well off, working in a business with his brothers, and he’s had a string of bad dates. But these two get along really well. They will prove that men and women can be just friends and have a blast doing it.

I confess to being lukewarm with the first two books in this series, but I am so happy that I stuck with this author. Hailey drove me a bit nuts at times. There’s stubborn, and then there’s Hailey, which resulted in unnecessary arguments. That doesn’t mean Wes isn’t without faults because he has made his own mistakes. His rule of not falling in love is as misguided as it sounds.

The best relationships are when the couple is friends first. It’s good to have that foundation to strengthen the relationship. But that’s not for everyone, which is understandable. I agree with other reviewers that there isn’t a huge spark between these two because they make such good friends. But overall, this is an enjoyable read.

Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.

When I first requested thIs book from NetGalley I had no idea it was part of a triology. What's sad about that is I already own the other books, I just haven't read them yet.

Now onto the book - I wish I had known going in that this book was a slow burn and I'm talking a REAL slow burn. I almost wish there was less "friendhsip" at the beginning and we got to the actual relationship a bit quicker. I mean their first kiss seemed like it would never come. Also, the fact that this book was fade-to-black did not bother me one bit. I think that kind of romance novel is underappreciated. As is the friends-to-lovers trope!

Wes and Hailey were great even if Hailey got on my nerves a time or two (Just let the man buy you gifts girl!!?!). And I really enjoyed Wes' brothers (and their girlfriends) being constants. I think it really added to the idea of family and friendship being enough to get you through tough times.

This book lost a star because I think it was just too slow in the first half. But overall I'm very excited to go back and read Noah & Chris' books!!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for and ARC of this book! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book will be released on January 17th!!

I wasn’t aware that this was the third book in the Jansen Brothers series, and I’m a bit disappointed to have not read those first two stories, but I really enjoyed this one nonetheless. It took me a bit to become invested in the characters, which may have been prevented, had I been acquainted with them from Sullivan’s previous work, but I quickly fell in love with the MCs, Hailey and Wes, as well as the community around them.

Hailey and Wes are both starting over in California, and they become acquainted when their personal and professional circles intertwine. They have both sworn off dating for a while - Hailey, because she wants no distractions as she launches her business, and Wes, because he is carrying around the aftermath of his parents’ divorce. However, their chemistry and connection are undeniable and when feelings inevitably develop, remaining friends becomes tricky to maintain.

This was such a cute friends-to-lovers slow burn romance. Even though you know that they are eventually going to end up together and in love, Hailey and Wes spent a little too much time as friends for my liking. Thankfully this story is written with a dual POV, because these two MCs spent so much time denying their own feelings and misjudging the other’s that I’m not sure I’d have been convinced they would see their HEA - had I only been inside one of their heads. The denial did become a bit much for me at one point, but mostly because I was just eager for some action! I did really appreciate the growth that both of these characters faced though. I think they both exemplified the importance of personal evolution and improvement over pursuing love and relationships, which I do consider a really significant message - a message that is not always highlighted in romance stories.

What I loved most about this book is the sense of community it exudes. The bond between the Jansen brothers is one not commonly depicted between adult males, and I was all for it! I am curious to know if their history is explained a bit more in depth in the first two novels because, while reading, I got the feeling that I should be privy to more background information than I had. I also really loved the secondary family that they built, including their partners and friends. This group of characters was honestly great, and as a reader, you still learn so much about even the secondary characters that they all felt imperative to the story.

This was a middle of the road rom-com for me. It is a SLOW burn, meaning the characters do not have any true romantic interactions until pretty far into the book, which made it a bit difficult to connect with the characters and their relationship.

The meet cute however? Super adorable. And there were enough of those adorable, give you butterflies in your stomach feelings that kept me going until the end.

I have not read the previous books in the series, but I think I would have better connected with the full cast of characters so I would definitely recommend starting from the beginning!

I didn’t know this book was part of a series when I got it, but it was definitely a good read as a stand-alone for me anyways. I plan on reading the first 2 books soon.

Wes and Hailey start out as friends in this slow-burn friends-to-lovers story. Their characters are well written and their relationship is so sweet so I enjoyed reading them realize their feelings for each other throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a quick and breezy read within the friends-to-lovers trope of romance novels. I do prefer a specific type of friends-to-lovers plot line (where they've been friends for years) and this is not that - the reader gets to see the friendship form and then blossom into something more within the timelines of the novel. I haven't read any other books of this series or by Sophie Sullivan so I would say that you do not need to have read the others to understand the characters (main and supporting) and the plot. Although I did not really support the rationale for the behaviour and actions of the main characters despite the author's attempt at explanation, I rooted for the characters but obviously not as strongly as my favourite novels which is why I would rate this as being in the middle of the pack.

A Guide to Being Just Friends gives the readers another Jansen brother to love. By Sophie Sullivan with her signature style: sweet but angst, slow building but true romance and wonderful characters that you might not put together but fit perfectly. Two opposites, Hailey Sharp and Wes Jansen meet in an unique but awkward way which leads to a friendship. Neither are looking to invest in love. Neither one has had positive experiences when it comes to the love department. Hailey is focusing on her new Get By the Cup salad shop while Wes would just like someone to do things with, a friend.

Somethings life gives you more so much more as in the case of Hailey and Wes. Maybe it is a struggle to see, and grab hold of when you do. Hence Hailey and Wes’ story. One enjoyable swoony read, that is romance perfect.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this is my least favorite of the Jansen brothers which is so strange because of out of the brothers I liked Wes the most going into this.

Loved this sweet, friends-to-lovers romance. Hailey is new to town and opening a salad eatery and through some connections, meets entrepreneur Wes. They form a beautiful friendship that eventually turns into a beautiful romance and everyone gets their happy end (one of the reasons I love a good romance novel!).

I had not read either of the other two books in the Jansen Brother series, but plan to now so I can get to know them better. This book had really loveable characters that I got totally invested in. Spice level of this book is .5 a 🌶️ out of 5. Nothing graphic at all, only a few tame makeout scenes.