5 stars! I absolutely loved this book, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the duel pov of Hailey and Wes, it was nice to get both of there different perspectives. I also enjoyed how it was a friends to lovers story. Such a cute romance that was a nice quick read, I highly recommend to any romance readers.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I absolutely loved this cute romance! It was an easy read that brought butterflies and funny moments. I also really loved how independent the female MC was and enjoyed the love story. It was a little slow towards the end, but I would still recommend this book to all romance lovers!

I was so excited to be able to request the third book in this series! This one did not disappoint. Sophie Sullivan knows how to write amazing slow burns that hold you captive.

Hannah and Wes are adorable, and their chemistry is off the charts. They’re the type of friends to lovers you can’t wait to see admit their feelings for their happy ever after. Highly recommend for a fun, light read!

I did enjoy the characters and the slow burn of this book. It was a light-hearted, enjoyable read. However, there was something lacking in this friends-to-lovers trope, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I just didn't feel the chemistry between the characters through the pages? Cute read but not entirely memorable.

This was so good! I didn't realize until about halfway through that I had read the first book of the 3 book series so that was a nice tie-in that took me a minute to realize. I love when a series can be read out of turn and still be enjoyable. The flow was perfect, the characters were so sweet and easy to like, and the storyline was a nice change. Normally the guy has been in love all along and the girl finally admits to more-than-friends feelings so I liked how this one worked through and ended up. The pacing and everything felt very natural - I dislike when we get tons of details and backstory to be rushed through the end but this was very well done. I look forward to her future writing and am so glad I was able to read the ARC of this "guide".

Let's face it- the Jansen brothers are hot and their women are fabulous. I really enjoyed the first two books in the series so I was super excited for the many appearances of Chris, Everly, Noah and Grace. I love the friends to lovers trope, so I was eager to dive into Wes and Hailey's story. Unfortunately, their story didn't hit me the way that the previous books did. The Saturday night standing shopping date? So cute. Wes buying Hailey the dress for the holiday party? SO cute (so was that kiss). But Wes shutting Hailey down so harshly when she uttered the words I love you? So not cute. Neither was Hailey's business acumen. She came around in the end but her salad business in the beginning was plain ol' sad. What would've happened if Everly and Stacey hadn't walked in?!

The side characters were great, from Fiona to Tara and even Leo and Dolly. I love a solid supporting cast! I especially loved the storyline with the rec center. I look forward to reading more from Sophie Sullivan because she is such a fun writer!

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
3.5/5. i would have given it a little bit of a higher rating if it wasn’t for the big scene towards the end. i felt like i either missed a HUGE plot point with wes or it wasn’t covered enough because it was a big surprise to me when that all happened. otherwise i thought it was a good book

This is the third book in the Jansen Brothers series and one that I have been looking forward to. Who doesn't want to see the grumpy older brother who doesn't believe in love fall flat on his face for the woman who runs the local salad shop? In the end, this was just an okay read for me. It felt too long and the conflict was not believable to me.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sophie Sullivan for this book. This book is a slow burn, friends to lover situation. Hailey and Wes had a very awkward introduction to one another that developed over the course of the book. It might be because it was such a slow burn that the dynamic between the characters seem stiff. Also, the characters were kind of flat, so it made it harder to enjoy. The MCs weren't great, but the side characters in Hailey's shop were pretty funny, so I did enjoy that. Overall, it's a cute, clean read with a wholesome storyline. I did enjoy it even though it was a bit slow.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

First of all, I didn’t realize this was part of a companionship with two other books so I read this without knowing anything from those, which may have altered my feelings for this one. I’m not going to lie, it took me a while to get through this. While I’m all for a slow, slow burn, the build up of this relationship was better than the actual conclusion in my opinion. I loved the tension and pining when they were just friends, but their relationship felt flat when it turned romantic. I thought the things they were arguing about were just annoying to be honest. There was a huge side plot all about their business things that I just wasn’t interested in. Maybe if I had read the other two books I would’ve felt something more for these characters, but like I said I wasn’t aware of them before reading. Thank you again, Netgalley, for this arc!

As a lover of rom coms, especially those where our MCs go from friends to lovers, I was super excited for A Guide to Being Just Friends. I mean, the blurb freaking references When Harry Met Sally AND 500 Days of Summer. How could that not be my jam???

Well...

What I liked about the book:

1. Of course, the idea was cute to me.

2. My favorite characters were the side characters who worked in Hailey’s shop. They probably had the most personality in my opinion and I wanted more for them.

What could have been better:

1. This whole story just felt really stiff and I didn’t really feel a connection to anyone. There were hints to backstories, but no real depth to the characters, which was a big miss in my mind.

When I requested this book, I had no clue this was book 3 in the series (though can be read as a standalone). So perhaps I’m missing a lot of the background for Wes in books 1 and 2, but I know I’m not missing anything for Hailey, so there is no excuse there for poor characterization.

2. These characters were too boring to have this much drama! I was legit pissed how many times the “big fight” happened between our MCs. It was like as soon as it was solved, there was something else. Between Hailey never being able to accept help and Wes being a total idiot when it came to wanting her for the rest of his life, but not, like, loving her, this whole story was a test of my patience.

3. This was too suggestive to be clean, but too clean to be anything other than YA-level dirty. Just pick a lane, don’t tease us.

4. This “guide” was mentioned, but never really flushed out. I wanted a freaking contract like in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Not a passing nod reference to the title of the book….

Final Thoughts:
I’m sure this would be great for some, but just wasn’t for me. It was too cookie-cutter, clean romance with characters that just didn’t appeal to me.

Final Rating: 2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sophie Sullivan for this book in exchange for my honest review!

Enjoyed the book
I really enjoyed reading the first two books in the Jensen brothers’ series and anticipated reading this one. In it, we meet Wes Jensen, the oldest brother, who has decided to join his 2 brothers by moving to the West Coast from New York. But where Chris and Noah have a good outlook on life, Wes’ is more pragmatic and because of this he doesn’t believe in relationships and love. Our second main character is Hailey Sharp who is open to new experiences even though she just went through a bad breakup. She doesn’t want to rebound back into a serious relationship, so when she meets Wes, who tells her clearly that he only wants to be friends, she agrees to being his friend. After this start, the books seemed to take a long time in telling us the readers that they were fine as being just friends, but in their minds that they might want more. Finally, by the end of the book, Sophie Sullivan allows us to see how the two friends truly feel. This is a well-written book, with fully developed characters. It’s also book 3, and the author does allow characters from the first two books to be part of this book, but if you’ve read the first two, they are welcome additions to this book. Question is will Sophie Sullivan give us the story of the 4th sibling, a sister who is still in New York? This book can be read as a standalone, but for the best experience, read Ten Rules for Faking It and How to Love Your Neighbor: A Novel first. I was given an ARC of the book through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a cute romance of friends to lovers. It’s definitely a slow burn, maybe a little too slow at points, so definitely pack some patience. One thing it was missing for me was the tension or yearning, but eventually you get the pay off that you desire. I definitely enjoyed this book, and liked seeing the characters from the book I read in the series. Hailey and Wes are very lovable, and I liked their dynamic and seeing their relationship develop.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. Highly recommend to all rom com movie and look lovers. It is a quick and lighthearted read that made me smile so much. Loved it!!

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

I have such mixed feelings on this one. I love Wes and Hailey has individuals, but UGH, I didn't really feel a connection between the two. The chemistry was just not there for me, but their friendship and other characters (from the first two books) really pulled it together for me.

All that being said, I definitely related to so many things in this book: Hailey's yearning for success while doing things on her own and wanting to find her own community in a new place, the feeling Wes feels that he was meant for something more - something that is his own, the value on family and friends.

Hailey is new in town. She is starting over after a terrible breakup. In walks the handsome, understatedly wealthy, computer geek, Wes. The two strike up a friendship that each of them are longing for. Wes and Hailey’s relationship is the quintessential slow-burn friends-to-lovers relationship (minus the spice, but 100% sweet).

I really didnt enjoy this whatsoever. The main characters were unsufferable and not at all likable. I dont know if they had any redeeming qualities. I winced at everything they said or did. Definitely not for me. Or anyone

Confession: I didn’t read the first two books in the series. I got this as a NetGalley ARC. I love it so much that I’m buying the other two and reading them even though I have a fat stack of TBR books glaring at me for doing so. I loved it. I totally vibe with characters who’ve been badly hurt but still believe in love. Both characters appealed to me— Hailey for her work ethic and refusal to quit chasing her dreams and Wes for his hard outer shell meant to protest an unhealed heart. This is a beautiful friends to lovers story that made me laugh more than cry and was an absolute joy to read.

What a wonderful sweet story.
Loved Hailey for wanting to do everything on her own, loved her friends.
Wes mistook Hailey for his date, then he was rude and then he had to go and apologize. This bring them wonderful friendship, and love, none of them wanted.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Key Details: New Town, Independent Business Owner, Trust Issues, Rocky Pasts, Friendship

Short summary: Hailey is done feeling bad about herself and is through trying to make others love her. She moves to a new town, starts her own business, and is determined to find happiness in her work. Wes is a computer wizard, a successful business man, has a huge heart, but major commitment issues. Hailey and Wes happen to meet, not on the best terms. A few encounters later, and they decide a friendship is exactly what they both need. They can be there for each other without any added pressure of a relationship. Soon, they couldn’t imagine life without the other person — even though they’re “just friends.”

Thoughts: I don’t always love protective characters, but I couldn’t help but enjoy Wes’ idiotic way of trying to be helpful. I also had to root for Hailey’s independence, while also wanting her take accept help from others. This is such a cute book, with the perfect amount of added drama. It’s also apparently a part of a 3 books series! I didn’t learn this until after finishing the book, which can totally be read as a stand alone, but I will definitely be reading more of Sophie Sullivan’s books!