Sophie Sullivan is an auto buy for me, and A Guide to Being Just Friends was no exception!

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Hailey and Wes *deep sigh* 🥹 I loved them so much. I am a sucker for friends to lovers and this hit all the marks. Their chemistry was undeniable, but I loved that it developed over time to form into something bigger and greater. I also loved seeing the other Jansen brothers and their significant others play a role.

I think I fell in love with this book because I related to Hailey on such a bigger level. I struggle with letting people help me, and it was nice to read about a protagonist who learns to accept this as I have been working towards all of my life. This book is definitely going into my comfort read column.

A friends-to-lovers romance set in sunny California with a quirky leading man, and a friendly sunshine-esque leading lady. A really fun, light romance read!

What I liked:

- I liked all the references to side characters and the updates on their lives. Although I didn’t read the other two books in this series, I liked that the other characters made so many appearances. I am sure readers who have followed along from day one will be pleased to get updates on their faves!

- I liked that Hailey stood her ground with Wes and set clear ground rules (I.e. the necklace, her business). I liked that she didn’t want or need to be “saved”

- I liked that Wes wealth was mentioned, joked about and then we moved on. It was a piece of his persona, not his whole personality like in some books

What I didn’t like:

- I found Wes kind of bland. I felt like he didn’t emote very much, and it was sort of flat for me.

- I found the intro a little long and was ready for things to start moooving.

- I would have liked a little more spice 🤏

You know, I'm glad I'm not the only person who picked this up from NetGalley not realizing that it was the third in a series. Also the recommendations/comps for this were amazing. Harry Met Sally? 500 Days of Summer? Of course I was hooked.

I proceeded to spend the rest of the story looking for how in the world they matched those comps beyond "they started as friends."

Look, I'm down for a sweet story with a fun friends to lovers romance. It's not my favorite, but I'm down. This was... weird. The fights they had felt so left field. The characters were a bit bland. The situation was also a bit bland - I saw a few mentions about how people got tired of the Shop Talk and tbh that was the most interesting part of the book!

This was a fade to black romance which is fine, but also like, goodness. I don't know! I spent quite a few days reading this and I retained very little. The characters were fine - though there were a lot (maybe if I read the rest of the series I would've known about them?)? The romance was... fine. The problems were... fine.

Overall, this book was fine. Cute, quick read if you're looking for that.

Thanks to St Martin and Netgally for a chance to read and review.

This is a perfect beach read rom-com! This is a first read for me by Sophie Sullivan and she hooked me... I loved it so much. The cutest characters, Wes and Hailey, with real life flaws & laugh out loud banter moments. A Guide to Being Just Friends is a story of two people who become best “friends” only to realize that it is turning into something more. All of the characters are so believable and such good friends, I didn’t want the book to end. Such a fun read. I loved Wes’s brothers, whom are all in business together and their brotherly banters. Can't wait to read more of Sophie's books!

I did not realize until i reviewed this that it was part of a series! I dont read romance often, but i had a nice time with this book! Its very comfy and cute,

This was cute and predictable but not outstanding. I just did not connect well to the characters. This could be due to reading book 3 before the others in the series.

I was so happy to see this 3rd book. I went back to read the first two so I could get some insight and know the characters. I love that Wes finally realized the women in front of him, was the best one for hi,.

So apparently this was part of a series but could also be read as a stand-alone. I noticed a little at first but within a few chapters I felt caught up and understood the backstory. I loved Wes and Hailey as characters. They were very hallmark movie esque so it felt a little “I know exactly how this will end” but I didn’t mind it. I loved as Hailey built her business without any help from others and we saw her grow into a savvy businesswomen. The friends to lovers trope is one of my all time favorites and this one was very well done. Definitely a slow burn romance. What I didn’t expect was the double twist at the end. They had that small argument and I thought that was it but then they threw another breakup in there. All in all, they had a really cute story and I loved reading it! Definitely wanna go back and read about the other Jensen brothers!

Special thanks to Net Galley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 stars I'm rounding up for a cute cover.

This is the story of Wes. I probably liked him the best of all the brothers. Although this one lacked the snark and the banter from the first and second books, I still liked Hailey and Wes. But this one definitely slowed way down in the middle as Hailey expanded her business and Wes worked his business meetings. But the time we hit 90% and the big drama unfolded, I was rolling my eyes. This one is cute, don't get me wrong, and I love all the cute salad ideas (I'd totally eat that Santa Salad!) but I don't feel like this one added anything new to a genre or plot that I've read over and over again. I wish I'd loved it, but it was just okay.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Hailey Sharp is excited to get her “By the Cup” salad shop off the ground. While at the bake shop next door, Hailey is mistaken for Wes Jansen’s date and it doesn’t exactly go well. When Wes comes by her shop to apologize, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love and Hailey doesn’t have time for distractions. 

What could possibly go wrong?

I loved being back with the Jansen brothers! If you like a good slow-burn, friends to lover romance, then this book is for you. I liked that the other brothers are tied into this story as well but this can still be read as a stand-alone. I did get slightly annoyed at Hailey when people were trying to help her but the build up to hers and Wes’s relationship was worth it.

Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martins Press for this eARC!

A slow burn friends to lovers romance told in multiple POV. This was a fun and entertaining read with a satisfying HEA. Checks all the boxes for me.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is the third book the author has given us about the Jansen brothers. This time we get Wes’s story. I like how the brothers from the previous book were part of the story. I have read both of the previous books, and feel it helped me keep all the characters and relationships straight.

This is a slow-burn, friends to lovers romance gold with a dual POV. Both Hailey and Wes do not want a relationship so being friends seems like a great way to spend time with the other. Of course we all know that staying friends won’t work and we see their feelings grow for each other.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Finally the last Jansen brother gets his book! And it did not disappoint, not only giving us the happy ending for Wes and Hailey, but also a satisfying way to wrap up the stories of all the brothers. Relationship-resistant Wes and Hailey try to be just friends… and as all of us romance readers know, this doesn’t ultimately work out. How Sophie crafted this is what stands out to me. The tension and slow-burn here was excellent, and I didn’t get frustrated waiting for romantic moments because of how well it was done. If you like a friends-to-lovers or want to read one even if this isn’t your typical genre, I would pick this up. It works so well, and I just can’t wait to read more of her writing!

This is a very fun romcom and turns the "just friends" trope on its head! I enjoyed it and great for fans of Tessa Halliday and Sally Thorne.

What could possibly go wrong?

For those who like a slow burn, friends-to-lovers, and clean romance, this is a good book for them.

Told in dual POVs, our MCs (Wes & Hailey) meet each other at an important moment in both their lives.

Despite an awkward first meeting, Wes and Hailey develop a friendship. They decide that they are just going to be friends. Hailey moves to San Verde, and coincidentally so does Wes and even though they don't know each other they have the opposite of a meet-cute. Wes mistakes her for his date at a cafe, and they become fast friends. Hailey is recovering from a bad breakup and Wes is taking a break from dating and so the two agree to be just friends and not cross that line from friends to something more. Well, you can imagine the rest, but a fun read.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC! While not my normal steamy romcom - this one has all of the angst and tension you can imagine between a self made business owner and a determined to use his money to help rich man. We don’t always need men to rescue us and Hailey does her best to reinforce that against Wes. But in the end it is nice when those invested in your future help you make your way work! Def recommend when published on Jan 17, 2023. And given I hadn’t read the first 2 of the Jansen brothers stories - I will ABSOLUTELY be going back for them.

cute little romance i sorely needed. it was a slow burn done well ! the lowkey angst, the banter, the characters - i loved this so much

I thought this book was really good. Kind of a typical happy ending but I still enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of a Hallmark movie, but that's not a bad thing. Hailey and Wes both have their reasons for wanting to only be friends. He suffered through his parents messy divorce and she had a difficult relationship with her ex. So when they meet they agree to just be friends. It irks Hailey that uses his money and influence to help her business. She wants to do things on her own. So when his mother buys the building her salad shop is in , that's the last straw. It makes a stranger to help her realize that helping out a friend is just that , help. Wes as the oldest of four sees no reason not to help out someone if they need it, wether they want help or not. He is a lot over bearing at first and totally against love. It takes his brothers to realize he is already in love with Hailey. The only thing that I didn't like is the dialogue. It was a little hard to figure out who talking at a few points.

Friends to lovers
Slow burn

I will admit, when I received this ARC from NetGalley I didn't realize that it was a part of a series but this book was really easy to follow as a stand alone.

This one follows Hailey who has moved outside of LA to restart after a bad relationship, and is working hard to get her salad by the cup shop off the ground. In doing so, she meets Wes the analytical Jansen brother. Wes doesn't see the point in relationships, to him love has never made sense but he finds himself drawn to Hailey in a way that just doesn't make sense to him.

These two were a well written couple but there were some parts about this read I struggled with. The book was kind of over detailed in a way that made it a struggle for me to follow, and even as a slow burn the build up fell a little short for me. To be totally fair though, I love spicy reads. I would say if you love slow burn reads then this one is for you. Throughout the book you see multiple times that both want more but neither will instigate the first move and when they do finally get there there is a fight that seemed unnecessary because Wes refuses to admit he loves her or that he is even capable of love.

Overall, it was a good read definitely 3/5.

I wanted to love this story and there were parts of it that I did LOVE. However, it took me 50% to feel like I was really interested in the story line. Then it fell apart for me at the end when I felt like the character took a step back in his character development. All in, it wasn't my favorite and would probably recommend other friends to lovers book instead.

This is book 3 in a series. I had no problem reading this as a standalone.