I loved Hailey and Wes! They were so great as friends turned to lovers. My one call out was not having a resolution to the Jansen brothers dad issue after 3 books!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, it was the first one I have read for Sophie Sullivan. Wes and Hailey start off as friends because he wants to help her with her salad business but as more time goes by their feelings deepen. I did like Hailey I felt she was ambitious, a good friend, and was there to balance out Wes with his black and white thinking.

Wes was genuine and you could tell her cares for the people he loves and wants to solve problems that they have. I will definitely be reading more of Sophie's books now!

A Guide to Just Being Friends by Sophie Sullivan

Hailey Sharp has a one-track mind. Get By the Cup salad shop off the ground. Do literally everything possible to make it a success. Repeat. With a head full of entrepreneurial ideas and a bad ex in her rearview, her one and only focus is living life the way she wants to. No distractions.

Wes Jansen never did understand the fuss about relationships. With a string of lackluster first dates and the pain from his parents’ angry divorce following him around, he’d much rather find someone who he likes, but won’t love. Companionship, not passion, is the name of the game.

When Hailey and Wes find each other in a disastrous meet cute that wasn’t even intended for them, they embarrassingly go their separate ways. But when Wes finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, they strike a friendship. Because that’s all this can be. Hailey doesn’t want any distractions. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love.

What could possibly go wrong?

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Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of A Guide to Being Just Friends! This book was cute. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite and it didn’t really stand out to me. However, I still enjoyed reading.

3.5⭐️

I’m so sad the Jansen Brothers series has come to an end. I just can’t get enough of them! I love all of the different relationships throughout the book, but I especially love Wes and Hailey together. I will admit, Wes is probably my least favorite of the brothers. Overall this story was good, but I love it even more in addition to the other two stories.

First of all, I loved this book. The characters were so loveable, and I had no idea that it was the last in a series! I appreciated Hailey's dedication and drive as a small business owner, even if it did cloud her judgement and she was a little bull-headed at times. She and Wes were a great couple with a fantastic friendship to build a relationship on.

I did find that the end conflict came out of nowhere for me and kind of made the ending a little less believable for things to turn around so quickly. It did make me cry though. 😂 So for that I did dock a star, as well as some of Wes' questionable yet well-meaning actions.

I would recommend this if you're wanting a fun, light read or you like a romance series!

When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was part of a series, let alone a series I had read part of before. Wes and Hailey's friends to lovers arc was fun but made more interesting because I knew and cared about several of the background characters. I know the Jansen brothers series is now complete but I would love more in this universe (maybe Tara's story next?)

That being said, I am getting pretty tired of romance novels where the main tension between the romantic leads is that one of them "refuses to love" despite being actively clearly committed. This might be naive of me but if you're already doing all of the right things and like your reality, it shouldn't be difficult to accept a label once it's brought up. The thing that annoys me about this plot device is the head shaking no I can't possibly be in love reaction once it's pointed out to someone. Like come on, I know romance isn't a genre known for its basis in reality but at the least we can have humans whose reactions are mildly plausible, no??

There's no guarantees...not in real estate, investments, or love."

For those who like a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, clean romance, this is a good book for them. But I tell ya, I've never wanted to smack someone upside the head as much as I do Wes. My god, is he thick (and no, not the good kinda thick). It was marketed as a standalone, but I came to find too late that it is the final book in a trilogy of brothers finding their love, so I'm interested to know if Wes factored in either of the previous two books and what his character was like then.

Told in dual POVs, our MCs (Wes & Hailey) meet each other at a seminal moment in both their lives. As their relationship develops, we see them grappling with their need to stay away from romance and keep themselves as 'friends'. Both dealt with a lack of parental love growing up and approach romance differently - Wes would prefer to focus on 'liking' rather than 'loving' a partner, while Hailey is looking for someone who will treat her as more than 'an extra...a nobody.' Can you see where there may be some friction & miscommunication as their relationship develops?! Because Wes sure can't! He doesn't trust his own emotions enough to be vulnerable, even though he is totally smitten.

While they did have some cute banter, the push-me-pull-you of their feelings was repeated over and over, and it became tiring to read. Had more time been spent fleshing out their actual romantic relationship rather than the filler of how to run a business, or some awkward forced OW/OM situations to spark jealousy between Wes & Hailey, perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I have read by Sophie Sullivan and I loved it so much! I seriously could not put this book down and read it every chance that I got, finishing it in only two days.

This book was the last in a series, but it can be read as a stand alone. At no point in reading book number three of the Jansen brothers was I confused because I had not read books one and two yet.

This is your typical friends to lovers trope. I loved the dynamic between Hailey and Wes. Hailey is an independent small business owner starting over in a new town. I felt that she was a great representation for strong women. Although Wes is filthy rich, he does not act overly arrogant and he is extremely giving. He was likeable MOST of the time.

Of course the friendship/relationship had its ups and downs, but what book does not?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the digital ARC!

This for me is one of those rom-com's that is quite forgettable the moment you've finished reading. The premise is cute, all the salad recipes sound quite delicious - but everything for me felt quite tepid. I could not feel Hailey's enthusiasm for her business. Instead it felt almost like she fell into the small business and was just winging it, instead of being fully invested. So later when she wants to prove a point that she can do everything herself, it feels inauthentic. Hailey talks more about chocolate than about salads or healthy eating or even vegetables. It just seemed a little fake, I couldn't understand her motivations. Wes really had poor behavior and it was sort of the same thing repeatedly. I also hated that we had Wes' internal thoughts about why he didn't believe in love/relationships, but for as close as he and Hailey had gotten THEY never really had that conversation fleshed out until it was "too late." Overall this felt very surface level and I couldn't get into it unfortunately. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I absolutely loved this!
Hailey has just opened a salad shop and during a quick coffee stop has an awkward encounter with a good looking guy, Wes, who mistakes her for someone else and he gets a little testy. After he realizes his mistake he goes to apologize and they strike up a friendship. Neither of them wants anything more than that due to a string of bad experiences, so what could go wrong?
This was a friends to lovers, closed door romance. Definitely a slow burn, but I felt it was so worth it. The relationship between Hailey and Wes was so sweet. I appreciated how much pride Hailey had even though it did lead to some relationship strain. I felt that they were able to work through their major differences in a pretty natural way.
I loved the relationship between Wes and his brothers. They razzed each other a bit and I thought it was pretty funny.
I didn’t realize that this is the last in a series. It works well as a standalone, but I will definitely be reading the other two books!
This book gave me butterflies, made me laugh, and made me cry. An absolute win in my book!
I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Guide to Being Just Friends - uh ok, yes this was so cute. Predictable? Sure. But man I just love a friends to lovers rom-com any time of the year. How I have been sleeping on this series? This is book 3 in the Jansen Brothers series and excuse me while I go back and read the rest because sometimes you just need a fun romance in your life and this just did it for me.

Hailey Sharp is taking control of her life and starting fresh after a breakup. Her new salad shop is starting off slow but she is optimistic. Plus, the bakery next door has the most delicious treats to help her get through the day. After a run in with a handsome stranger who mistakes her for someone else, she meets a group of brothers and falls into making friends in her new community. She and Wes have differing views on dating and the future. Wes witnessed the instability of his parents’ marriage and subsequent relationships and is closed off on love and happily ever affects. Hailey is optimistic and hopeful that someday she will find the one. In the meantime, they create their own friendship guide and enjoy being together. But as friends. What could go wrong?

I loved every side character in this book (other than Dorian and Ana, naturally. This is such a great little world and I am excited to read more!!

Very sweet and clean romance novel, I liked the main characters and Haileys strength, I also came away from this book wanting to eat all the salads! Ha!

I felt like I wanted to be friends with this group! There was fun, laughter, friendships, love, but there was also family frustrations, and misunderstandings. It made for a good story.

My only complaints are that some scenes in the story didn't get teased out as much as I had hoped. There was a "meeting family" event that felt cut short, as well as a situation with Wes' fathers upcoming wedding. These were situations that felt they would be developed on the pages for us but they were just open. I also got confused by all the characters. Maybe if I read the first books in this series I would have a better grasp on who all the people were, but it just felt like more names and not much content for those people.

I would recommend this story for sure! Hailey and Wes for the win!!

This is a difficult review for me to write because there wasn’t anything wrong with this book necessarily, but it also wasn’t a great read for me.

I didn’t feel a connection to the main characters and didn’t feel like there was anything to really set this story apart from other romance novels. I will say that when I initially requested this ARC, I did not realize this book was a part of a series. Maybe if I had first read the other books and had more background into the other characters, I would’ve felt differently.

It you’re looking for a light hearted, slow burn romance novel with not a lot of spice/smut, this would be a good read for you. I also would’ve really like if the “guide” was more a part of the story instead of just being referenced maybe 3 times in passing.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. In full transparency - I didn't know that it was the third book in a series when it was requested. I still was able to follow along with no problems. This was a super cute rom-com! It was a quick and fun read. I'll definitely be being reading the first two books.

I loved the characters in this book. The brotherhood was awesome and the group of friends Hailey found were really great.

Overall though, the plot felt kind of forced. I feel like the part where they are trying not to like each other and forcing them towards other people goes on forever. Then when they finally get together there’s still more drama to come. Just felt like the book was dragging at points.

🌀Synopsis
Hailey is starting a new life and a new business. She’s intent on staying single but is hopeful that a new life includes some new friends too.

Wes just moved to town, away from his controlling father, to start working with his brothers. After watching his parent’s messy divorce when he was younger he’s convinced that marriage is not in his future.

Wes and Hailey meet when he accidentally mistakes her for a date he set up online. Determined to make it right with her he shows up to her shop and helps her redesign her website. This starts an incredible friendship between the two.

Except they both have feelings for each other and those feelings keep trying to push themselves to the surface. When they finally admit it to each other their friendship turns into a relationship quickly.

The only problem is Wes is still against marriage and Hailey knows that’s what she wants for the future.

So excited to be back reading the 3rd Jansen Brothers book, and with a title like this one has I couldn't think of much better. Wes and Hailey's first meeting was less than ideal but when fate has them meeting again soon after it seems like they're meant to be in each others lives. After the rocky start, the two have the sweetest friendship. Wes and Hailey constantly swearing that they're "just friends" even going as far as making a guide to their friendship was absolutely hilarious. Honestly Wes swearing he doesn't want to fall in love was even funnier, especially when it was beyond obvious he was already deeply in love. Nothing the other two Jansen brothers couldn't help Wes realize though. There's also just such a wonderful element of found family throughout the story that I absolutely fell in love with. And of course the ending, including the sweetest epilogue, was everything I could've wanted from this book.
Thank you Sophie for writing another adorable and funny romance. And thank you to St. Martin's Press for the arc.

A guide to Being Just Friends was such a fun read. I instantly fell in love with the main characters. I wasn't sure about Wes at first, but I did end up loving him so much! This is a 3 book series so far, but can be read as a stand alone book. I can't wait to grab the other two that came before this. The friends to lovers trope always gets me! Sophie Sullivan did an outstanding job with this one.

Hailey is a hard working independent woman trying to make the most of her new business. Realizing she needed a fresh start from her past relationship, Hailey decided to open up her own salad shop in a new city. Little did she know how much she was lacking in the form of running her own business. Wes, a smart and wealthy businessman doesn't ever want to fall in love. His business with his brothers is primary focus and he is on a path to prove that he is nothing like his father. Hailey and Wes meet in the most awkward way in a bakery in town. Thinking they would never have to engage in each others presence again, they find themselves in the same place at the same time. A friendship blossoms and oh, is it the sweetest of friendships!!! Will being just friends really be enough for them?

A Guide to Being Just Friends is for those enjoy the slow burn, friends to lovers trope. It’s a fairly gentle read with behind doors intimacy and with characters who experience personal growth in the end. The conflict was more internal than external which made the story seem a bit too slow to me at times. However, I know I’ll be recommending this book to my library patrons who enjoy a gentle and cozy romance.

This book has: a slow-burn, strangers to friends to lovers, and an adorable blushing hero.

Wes and Hailey have the opposite of a meet cute when he mistakes her for his date at a cafe. Hailey has recently moved to town to start a salad business and Wes is a successful businessman who runs a company with his two brothers. 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 with one another.

I really enjoyed seeing the genuine friendship blossom between the two main characters. Wes and Hailey fit into each others worlds so well and I loved their weekly grocery shopping dates. I did find the pacing of this book to be a little slow. The leads didn’t get together until around halfway through the book and all of the subsequent problems happened in the last 40%. I found the conflicts tedious at times but the open communication and vulnerability displayed during the resolutions made up for it.

Overall, this is a cute, low angst rom com that is perfect for fans on the strangers to friends to lovers trope.

I loved Wes and Hailey and how they met in this book! I absolutely loved their hilarious back and forth chats and their friendship. Such a cute book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks Net Galley.