So my pet peeve with Sophie Sinclair never changes: I like her plots and characters, but at the end of the day she tends to tell, not show, too much. She tells us how the characters felt about a scene more than she wrote the scene. I read all the other books in this series, so I was glad to complete the set, but as a one-off I don't think this would have been my cup of tea. The "let's just be friends" setting has been done a lot, and although people always catch feelings, as the kids say, we just didn't quite see enough of why the main characters were MFEO. Also, am I the only person weirded out by the fact the MFC's business is serving salad in a CUP?!?! Rich, fancy people are supposed to go nuts for salad in a foam to-go coffee cup?! But anyway, it was a totally no-stress, quick read, and that's always appreciated these days.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan in exchange for an honest review.

Can women and men be just friends? Hailey and Wes think they can, at least until feelings start happening. Both have baggage and vow to themselves that being friends is enough. But can they stay that way?

This book had me feeling ALL the feelings! If I ever had a male BFF crush, it would have to be Wes. These two have a great friendship, even at the end of the book. Hailey needed to back off a bit on letting Wes look out for her, especially after the way her previous guy treated her. Although, she had a right to be weary of relationships.

The friend groups in this book were so awesome! I have not read the previous books that feature Wes and Chris, but they are on my TBR list now.

So thankful to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So, this book was cute but not my favorite. I appreciated that it was a friends to lovers story because I adore that trope. The friendship between Hailey and Wes was adorable and it was cute seeing their relationship develop. Other than that, I didn't enjoy a lot of this story. Everyone almost seemed too nice, and everything happened too easily like Hailey making her friends and getting business through them. I also thought her issues with her previous boyfriend were never really explained well so then her trust issues just came off annoying when Wes would try to buy her gifts or do favors, and she would just argue with him about them. The whole third act breakup was just ridiculous and was all rushed very quickly. I think this book had a lot of potential but just wasn't executed great.

Completely adorable. Finished in a weekend and loved every second. This is a book I’ll be telling friends to look for at a bookstore and when I go to a bookstore making sure they have on a featured table.

I was excited when I got this book, however, it didn’t work the way I was expecting. It took me a while to finish it and then a little longer to think about what to say in this review.
The thing is the blur, and the concept is good, but the problem is the execution, the writing felt too forced even from the beginning when the Mc spent the entire first chapter rambling about food and being hungry. It might be a hard review, but as a writer to be and as a reader, for me, the most important part of a story is to care about the characters and to connect with the story, and it didn’t happen, on the contrary, the story felt just plain.

I loved every second of this book. It was a cute and fun read. I couldn’t put it down. I will definitely really another book from Sophie Sullivan.

This one was okay. I found myself kinda of bored with it, but I still thought it was cute. I just didn’t really connect with the characters.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Sophie Sullivan is back with the third installment in the Jansen Brothers. This time the story is all about Wes Jansen, the oldest of the brothers. I enjoyed the previous two books in the series and was excited to start the third. I will admit that I had some trouble keeping the other two brothers and their girlfriends straight in my mind but that was all my issue and not the authors.

Wes Jansen has always felt responsible for his younger brother growing up and nothing has changed. Wes has made a cross-country move to be closer to his brothers and away from their father.

A mistake on Wes' part assuming a woman in the coffee shop was his blind date leads to a friendship with new-to-town Hailey Sharp. Hailey has just opened By the Cup salad shop and is determined to make her business a success.

The friendship between Wes and Hailey is special but suddenly both are feeling a lot more than just friendship for the other.

This was a sweet and fun book about friendship turning to romance. It is a great vacation read that was enjoyable. I will continue to watch for future releases from Sullivan.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Jansen brothers are back and dishing up another wonderful love story. Love me a good grumpy/sunshine and friends to lovers story.

Happy-go-lucky Hailey Sharpe meets Wes Jansen in a humiliating circumstance and from then forward their paths are crossed. Wes is this uptight perfectionist and Hailey is this bubbly salad shop owner. Just having moved to LA, she joins a book club and a round of friendly gossip. Having more time to spend with Hailey, Wes realizes there’s more to her and decides to take a chance on happiness.

This was a sweet, funny romance as Sophie Sullivan has been known to write. It has the perfect chemistry and angst and heartfelt story that I devour.

Sophie is an ultimate auto buy author for me now!

Wes and Hailey have what should have been a meet cute that ends up in an awkward misunderstanding. Despite their beginning, they end up best friends with an agreement and 'rules' on how to stay just that. Pining, misunderstandings, and outright disregard for the other person's wants leads to an ending that definitely paid off.

These characters were both endearing and so frustrating. I understand the people that they were, but the stubbornness and rigidity of these two people who obviously cared for each other was a bit much at times. Also, even taking the title into consideration, this was a VERY slowburn that at times felt a bit drawn out.

Overall, I enjoyed it and found myself wanting to get back to it but I wish it moved a little faster.

this was a cute friends-to-lovers romance, and even though I haven't read the other books in the series, I loved this one. Hailey was an amazing FMC, and Wes... i think I have a new fave book boyfriend. the only thing I didn't like was that Wes was so insistent on not wanting a relationship, even though he himself said how much he liked Hailey.

Hailey Sharp recently broke up with her boyfriend, moved to a new town, and opened a salad shop. She spends time with her favorite cousin and meets new friends including Wes Jansen. Hailey and Wes have both had disastrous love lives which leads them to thinking they can only be friends.
This book is a sweet slow burn romance where the main characters finally learn that there is always hope for a new romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC! This was a very cute and funny rom-com. I enjoyed the writing and the friends to lovers. My only complaint with this read was the slight miscommunication trope that it had and the MMC was a little infuriating at times, but he got better at the end.

This was my first read by this author, but I’d be interested in reading more!

I really, really enjoyed this opposites attract, friends to lovers, dual POV, slow burn retelling of When Harry met Sally. Both Hailey and Wes aren't interested in anything more than friendship but as the months go by and they keep hanging out, sparks keep flying that increasingly have them wondering if something more might be worth a try.

As the oldest Jansen brother, Wes has seen his brothers find happiness in love but he's determined it's not for him even though he really hates seeing Hailey go on dates with other guys. I didn't love the third act break/misunderstanding in this one but the grand gesture at the end and epilogue really made up for it. I also really liked how the characters helped one another with their business goals/dreams (Hailey with her online website and Wes with his secret dream of videogame design).

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review. I listened mostly to the ALC and was so excited when it arrived I had to drop all my other reading plans immediately! My only small quibble is that I wish this was an open door romance instead of a fade to black one.

This was a good book I just found myself wanting more. More romance, more chemistry, I like a slow burn romance but I feel like this one didn't have a lot of pay off by the end. There was so much build up and then we barely got to see the couple together.
I did really enjoy the side characters and I'll continue to try out the books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was just alright for me. Nothing really unique or different. Normal rom com if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

Dang i wish it would of said somewhere this was the third book , because it was a good slow burn but dang did i feel like i was missing ona lot I have gone back now to start reading the other two.

"Sometimes we don't know who we are until we find the right person. The one that helps us see ourselves in a way we never did before."

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan is the third and final installment in the Jansen Brothers series, but you don't need to have read the previous two to understand this one. I have not read the two other books, but Sullivan does a great job establishing the chemistry and love shared between the three brothers without forcing it, as well as providing backstory for the other two romances without sounding like she was summarizing Jansen Brothers 1 and 2. I will be going back to read about Chris and Noah though!

Summary:
Hailey needs San Verde to be a fresh start--literally. After leaving behind LA and her toxic ex-boyfriend, Hailey has opened her salad restaurant By the Cup in San Verde, California to prove to herself, and everyone in her life, that she can make it on her own. Sure, restaurants aren't the most secure ventures, but it's California, so everyone loves salad, and she knows hers are good. She gets to live near her wonderful cousin, Piper, and Piper's family, her store is right next to a delicious bakery, and despite her ex Dorian being a heinous human being, she still believes in love.

Wes is also new to San Verde. He's spent years living in New York under the thumb of his tyrant father, but after his two younger brothers, Chris and Noah, moved to California and found love, Wes followed close behind. The Jansen brothers are breaking free from their father's hate and are starting their own foundation, and Wes can do his investments and acquisitions from his computer at home. Wes may not believe in love himself--after all, he's only seen the hatred and destruction that follows--but he's happy for his brothers, and is ready to make San Verde is home.

When Wes and Hailey meet, it's anything but love at first sight. But as time passes, the two become fast friends, with Hailey's sunshine balancing Wes' realism, and Wes teaching Hailey how to accept help. Both have been jaded by love before, and have no desire to ruin their friendship with romance, so as a joke, Wes and Hailey create a guidebook to being just friends, complete with illustrations and silly rules. They have a routine, and each is helping the other feel more comfortable in their new homes. Love is not on the table. Not at all.
Or is it?

Thoughts:
This was a classic, cute romcom. Sullivan hits all of the beats, and it's clear that the formula she cracked with her previous two Jansen brothers works. I really liked Wes and Hailey together, and enjoyed how long they stayed friends before inevitably starting to date. Their friendship was so necessary for both characters personal growths, and I don't think the book would have worked without that foundation. I loved seeing them do the mundane--grocery shopping on Saturdays, playing video games together, making homemade marinara sauce--and I especially enjoyed how easily they fit with the other's friends.

My biggest problem with A Guide to Being Just Friends was how formulaic it was, which I've come to expect in romance books, but this one was particularly predictable. The Jansen brothers series reminds me a lot of Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker; both use the same formula: meet cute that isn't actually cute, slowly become friends, sexual tension but refuse to cross that line, start dating after "the best kiss of their lives," one (usually the man) makes a mistake, they break up, big gesture, happily ever after. There's certainly nothing wrong with this formula--the same steps are followed in every successful romantic comedy movie--but after being spoiled by the likes of Emily Henry, I've come to expect more from my romances. My favorite romance books have substance beyond the love plot, and I didn't really see that in A Guide to Being Just Friends.

Nevertheless, this was a great romance to escape the world in and just feel happy. There were numerous "awh" moments, and a plethora of well-done tropes, including grumpy/sunshine, protective man, jaded man learns to love, and a grand gesture.

Overall:
I won't read this book again, but Sullivan hooked me enough to read the first two Jansen Brothers books, and probably anything else she publishes in the future. This was a quick, fun, romantic read, and was a great choice during finals week as a place to escape to for a few hours. I definitely recommend A Guide to Being Just Friends to anyone who loves a classic romantic comedy (both movies and books)! But be forewarned: you will crave salad and brownies the entire time reading this novel.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is being published January 16, 2023 by St. Martin's Griffin.

Overall a cute read. Wes and Hailey are cute as a couple and it is a fun read. Very slow burn and sweet. I appreciated the writing style. I recently found out that this was the second book in the series but I don't think you need to read the first or read in order. However, I'd be interested in reading another selection by this author.

I really adored A Guide to Being Just Friends! Hailey Sharp has just opened up her salad shop By the Cup, so she isn’t looking for any distractions; Wes Jansen is not a romantic and is tired of the dating scene—so after a confusing meet-cute, the two decide they’re over dating and they’re only going to be friends. These two are adorable. They’re fun and quirky, and I loved the grump/sunshine aspect of these two. Hailey is independent and determined and just a joy of a heroine, and Wes is sexy and charming. I loved their banter and how they fell into each other’s lives. The chemistry is just wonderful and addicting, and I was just really rooting for these two. This was such a fun conclusion to the Jansen brother series with some perfect classic rom-com vibes, including my favorite When Harry Met Sally. I loved these two and their Saturday night grocery shops, their sweet gestures, and their wonderful friendship. It’s a lovely, heartfelt rom-com I would highly recommend.