I really wanted to like this book. The premise is cute enough (if not overdone). Two independent individuals who aren’t looking for relationships decide to ‘just’ be friends, and then end up falling in love. But honestly, this book is about 200 pages too long. It’s super repetitive, the timeline often jumps forward without telling the reader how much time has passed (which was confusing), and the dialogue is choppy. Also, if you haven’t read the previous two books in the series, SO much of this book will be incredibly confusing. Previous characters are brought in with little to zero explanation as to who they are, I guess assuming the reader will just remember all of these details. Also, this is just a silly complaint, but the main character owns a salad shop, and every single salad she mentions sounded so boring and basic that I couldn’t understand why everyone would be raving about them.

If you want a simple, non-steamy romcom that doesn’t really touch on anything deep, you might enjoy this one.

This was a fun twist on a traditional trope, and I LOVED how much detail the book went into. The characters were instantly loveable and there were so many moments when reading where I was so excited for what was going to happen next. Some romance books have dialogue that seems so formal and stiff, but there were pieces of dialogue (especially between the brothers) that made me laugh out loud.

I wish I had a fun salad store, that's an acute idea! I also really like Wes and his little hang-up. He acknowledged that his desire to fix everyone's problems was an issue and that he was trying to work on it so it would have been nice if Hailey acknowledged her own hang-ups and trust issues a little sooner because Wes really didn't deserve that level of hate. Wes was coming from a place of concern and love while Hailey was just being dramatic so I am glad that they worked things out quickly and with little drama. I also loved Wes’s relationship with his brother and his relationship with their significant others. I also love the brother's relationship it was super fun seeing them again and seeing how they have settled into their happily ever after. Overall it was a fun rom-com.

This was such a cute sweet read! :) I really loved the chemistry between the characters and Hailey and Wes’ overall story together. The book had a lot of sweet swoon worthy moments and just a very genuine take on the typical rom com vibe.

The pacing was a little slow at times towards the middle, but my love of the characters helped make up for those moments. :)

All in all, a really great read!

This book was cute! I love a friends to lovers trope which is what drew me to this cover. The story was sweet, and I liked the two characters the author created.

My biggest issue with this book was the writing. At times I found the dialogue choppy and some of the metaphors a little unintuitive. Just something about the way the dialogue was worded felt unrealistic at times for me.

I haven’t read the other two preceding books in the series, and while I was intrigued by knowing the other couples stories from the small snippets we got in this book, I think the writing style would hold me back from reading the other books.

Overall a cute, feel-good read but not a standout for me!

Sophie Sullivan writes cute novels, and this was no different. Her characters are always well thought out and I like that we get both sides of the romance. I love Sullivan’s writing, and this was another one!

This was a really cute read that didn’t feel too mushy like some RomComs can get. I really liked how each character stood out from the others and really developed by the end. It felt like a real-life situation and not unrealistic.

I must give a disclaimer at the beginning of this review: I was unaware that this was the third book in the Jansen Brothers series, so this may have an impact on my opinion of the book.

THE GOOD:
- Very cute concept! I loved Hailey's small business juxtaposed with Wes' huge successful business. It was an interesting dynamic, especially in their conversations about money/gift-giving boundaries.
- Two scenes I really liked: the platonic cooking scene and the goofy quiz-taking scene.
- SUPER slow-burn romance

THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
- Time jumps were not clear and very choppy. It took away from the flow of the story.
- I had a hard time connecting with SO MANY CHARACTERS. This may be because, again, I have not read the first two books set in this universe, so they all seemed very underdeveloped to me. It was overwhelming meeting so many characters and keeping track of names when a lot of them seemed... the same?
- Slow-burn doesn't have to be all filler. This took me forever to read because it just LAGGED so much. It felt like nothing was happening.
- The dialogue was a lot of "tell" and not "show" by narration. Most of it felt unnatural.

OVERALL:
I'm giving this 2.5 stars. I would round up but I don't feel comfortable putting it on the same level as other 3-star books I've read. There were definitely things I liked about this book, but the writing and lack of character development took a lot away from it. It was OK. If you really want slow-burn and aren't super concerned about connecting with the characters, then this would be good for you.

3.5 stars. I liked the story, I just had a hard time connecting with it at some points. They had a great bond, but I personally felt like it dragged on a little too long. I didn't like that they constantly caused unnecessary problems by constantly hiding their feelings from each other. I love a good slow burn, but this was a little too slow in my opinion.

Hailey Sharp has picked herself up after the end of a terrible relationship that left her feeling belittled and lacking. She has put all she has into a small salad to-go shop, By the Cup. Wes Jansen a firm believer that love is for the foolish and makes people do regrettable things. Wes and his brothers are entrepreneurs and like to help small businesses. Hailey and Wes cross paths after a misunderstanding and soon begin a friendship. Hailey is not looking for love-it never works out for her and Wes has no desire for love, so friendship it is. The two enjoy each other's company and fight against the pull of love.

📖 Slow Burn
📖 Friends To Lovers
📖 Found Family

This was my third Sophie Sullivan read, and they just seem to keep getting better. I love that each of her stories is heartwarming and filled with love, found families, and friendships.

I’ve really appreciated that each of her leading couples in the series have felt unique and stood apart. They face different sets of circumstances and issues and have their own opportunities for growth, as individuals and together.

In A Guide To Just Being Friends I loved the slow burn / slow build of their relationship moving over time from acquaintances to friends and of course eventually to lovers that took place between mains Hailey and Wes. I liked that they each had strong personalities, ideals and beliefs that set them apart, but they had to learn to both respect and acclimate to in order to work as a couple. It was great seeing them try, fail and keep trying.

I look forward to see what comes next from Sophie with the end of the Jansen brothers series. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press / SMPRomance for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

CW: divorce/separation, emotionally toxic relationship, social anxiety

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hailey Sharp is in no need for a relationship anytime soon, thank you very much. With making her new salad shop a major success, the last thing she wants to do is get hurt again by another guy. Wes Jansen has never been the type of person to obsess over finding the one or romantic relationships in general. However, over a chance encounter, they decide they would be the best of friends… or so they thought.

A Guide to Just Being Friends is a cute rom-com novel featuring a great ensemble of characters. The friend group dynamics really balance each other out with excellent banter. Their conversations felt natural and I felt like I could read a sequel about their friend group.

I also loved Hailey as a MC. She was so relatable and I really liked how Sullivan emphasizes that Hailey is an independent woman. Throughout the book, you see her progress for better as she works to make her business a success and her relationship with Wes only helps to support that change. While Hailey and Wes are perfect for each other, I love the fact that Sullivan doesn’t have their relationship to be the main, central focus point of the book and have both of them don’t rush into the relationship right away as well as focus on their personal growth.

So if you like an independent female MC with a witty friend group ensemble and an adorable relationship, keep your eye out for A Guide to Just Being Friends this January.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

The plot is okay, the characters are cute but I don't feel like they were developed enough. From the beginning, Wes seemed like a jerk and for me at least for a lot of the story, him and Hailey seemed surface level. I want my romance/rom coms to be witty, fun, adorable. It was easy and enjoyable but also very meh. Just lacked depth.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read the first book in the series (10 Rules for Faking It) and loved it. Unbeknownst to me, this was the third book in the series. Thankfully, it is a standalone series so it is not necessary to read all of the books in order. I will, however, be picking up the second book as soon as I can to catch up.

This was such a cute book. It starts with Wes walking up to Hailey in a coffee shop because he mistook her for his date. Oops. He later comes into her shop to apologize and the two quickly strike up a friendship.

When I say it is one of my favorite book friendships, you have no idea how serious I am being. I almost didn't want them to get together because I loved them so damn much as friends. But that tension! It was so hard because I wanted them to be friends but I wanted them to be together and of course I decided they should get together. Thank goodness because they were even cuter as a couple.

I loved the writing style. It was super fun and easy. This was a book I easily could have binge read (stupid work and stuff getting in my way).

As I previously mentioned, this is the third book in the series. In case you're wondering, the two couples from the first books show up and oh my god I thought my heart was gonna burst. I love seeing past couples show up in other books because it's proof they got their happy ever afters. So cute!

The character growth in this book was phenomenal. It's almost hard to believe that the Hailey and Wes at the end of the book are the same as the Hailey and Wes at the beginning of the book. However, Sullivan's writing was the perfect pace and I could easily retrace my steps to see all of their growth. It was perfect.

Be sure to pick up your copy!

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This book had some very cute moments & a fun friends to lovers arc, but overall lacked depth which would have elevated everything. Hailey has sworn off love after a terrible relationship. Wes has sworn off love after watching his parents go through a terrible divorce. They decide to remain friends despite their obvious connection & attraction. I think both characters had okay character development throughout the story. I think as the reader, you have a pretty obvious idea of where things will lead, but I wish the story had built everything up better. There wasn’t a real fireworks moment. And the conflict at the end was so rushed and then resolved so quickly. Overall this was cute but not memorable for me.

Some lovely things:
- strong independent woman
- great character dynamics
- cute friends to lovers romance

3.5⭐️

Hailey Sharp is starting over in a new town to launch her new business: By the Cup. She meets Wes Jansen, who believes love and happiness never go hand in hand and not worth pursuing. Their first meeting doesn’t go so well, but their second meeting starts a friendship they both care about deeply.

I’m not usually a big “friends to lovers” fan, but this book was really well written. Despite their obvious attraction to one another, their friendship was truly the foundation of their relationship and both want to help each other reach their goal. I also enjoyed the slow burn in this book, since they took their time before founding their way to each other.

I also found the characterization very realistic and relatable. Hailey has a hard time accepting kind gestures from others, but she’s also determined to accomplish her goals and grateful for the people by her side. Wes, for his part, struggles to give his heart to Hailey, but expresses his love through genuine gestures without expecting anything in return. They both brought out the best in each other and are proven to be a great match.

Overall, this is an adorable and easy read. If you enjoy friends to lovers and slow burn, you’ll definitely appreciate this one.

*this ARC was given by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchanged for an honest book review*

This book needed more depth. More depth for the characters. More depth for the plot. Not to mention the loose ends left at the end of the book. The actual romance and relationship part of the book seemed rushed at the end. Wes was a serial dater but didn’t want to be in a relationship? That just didn’t make sense to me. Hailey mentions wanting an apartment that seems like a goal of hers and then never does anything about it other than mention it multiple times throughout the book. Also, the title isn’t even a true part of the story line. They mention making a guide about two times and never even go into details about what the criteria in the guide is. They have sparks upon their first encounter but then ignore it for 75% of the book just reiterating how “we are only friends”. Overall, this book lacked substance and characters with depth. 2⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hailey has moved to a new city and opened a new salad shop. Wes is also new to the city and working on building a business with his brothers. They get off to a very rocky start but end up building a strong friendship- but is that all their relationship is?

Things I loved:
-side characters, especially those working at the salad shop
-friends-to-lovers
-some cute scenes (especially the grocery shopping!)
-the friendships Hailey made
-the salad descriptions. This sounds so weird but I honestly craved salad the whole time I was reading this book because of the descriptions

I wish that there had been a bit more work in developing the characters as I found it hard to root for Hailey and Wes when I didn’t really believe their chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so fun. I really enjoyed it. This book kept me interested and i enjoyed the book and this genre

Like other reviewers, I wish I had known this was part of a trilogy. I definitely had the feeling that I’d walked in on a conversation in progress and that there were things I didn’t know. The friends-to-lovers trope is popular for a reason, and I enjoyed watching these two characters wrestle with who they wanted to be to each other. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, and so much backstory crammed into the early pages that it was tough to keep reading. But this is a sweet, warm read and now I want to read the whole series so I can fully appreciate it.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.