I’m going to start this review with a disclaimer that I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and I was unaware that it was the number three in a series of books.

Haley moves to a new town after a bad break up and opens a restaurant of sorts to start over. She runs into Wes which, they don’t have a great first meeting, and eventually become friends throughout the course of the book.

I’ll be honest when I read the description and that it was going to be somewhat like when Harry Met Sally at sure I could do some of that in my life. I don’t know if I can finish this book. It is painful to read. It says like it’s a slow burn friends to romance kind of read but at this point it feels like glacial slow burning. Like I gotta go find wood to rub together to start the fire kind of slow burn and it’s been raining a couple days.I don’t know if it’s because I missed a whole lotta backstory from the previous two books or what, but it’s not even that entertaining.

So I honestly would not recommend this book if you have other books on your TBR that you want to get to. Unless you’ve read the previous two and you’ve enjoyed it then, have at it. I just can’t.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The writing just wasn’t for me. The plot was rather slow moving as well, which contributed to how long this took me to read. I definitely loved some aspects, especially the salad shop and running your own business, but it was a ho-hum romance.

Okay holy cuteness overload! You want a fun little rom com, some sunshine/grump trope energy, some sass, and some steam? Then pick up A Guide to Being Just Friends! It's such a stinking cute book. I read it all in one sitting and was giggling so much. What a feel good read.

Entrepreneur Hailey Sharp is determined to make her preppy salad bistro a success if only she can convince customers to enter. The coffee shop next door has no problem drawing a crowd, which pushes Hailey to edgier campaign promotions.

Wes escapes New York and family stress to start again in a new place. When a chance encounter with a woman he mistakes as a blind date goes wrong, he begins to wonder if he made the right decision. Determined to apologize for his bad behavior, Wes tracks Hailey down and though there is an immediate chemistry between them, they decide it’s best to become friends to protect their damaged hearts.

This is an enjoyable slow-burn romance with plenty of humorous moments and a good guy hero- what more could you want? 🙂

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

3.5/5
One of the most incredible slowest of slow burns. In this rom com we have Hailey who just moved to a new city after leaving an emotionally abusive relationship. She opens up her new shop, By the Cup, which is a unique salad restaurant. She is trying prove to herself that she can be successful all by herself and is focused on herself rather than dating. & then we have Wes. Lover of lists and planning. He is the oldest of the brothers and did i mention filthy rich, handsome, and extremely intelligent . After witnessing his parents brutal marriage, he doesn’t really believe in love or marriage. After one unsuccessful attempt after another on the dating apps, he chooses to give up on it for a bit.

This story shows how the right person can come when you least expect it and that you can’t force your brain and your heart to cooperate sometimes. About love, forgiveness, and growing as a person.

This book is worth the read if you love a good slowburn (i don’t think they even kiss until 70% in). But i also think there were some great messages thrown in there. & i absolutely loved all of the side characters. The banter between Wes and his bothers was great. I didn’t realize that this was book three in a series (which they can all be read as standalones) but i do wish i would’ve read them first.

Extremely well written, and sucks you in from the first chapter. You could really feel the connection that grew between Wes and Hailey the entire time. i loved it so much and would recommend with my whole heart.


Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, & the author, Sophia Sullivan for the eARC. I am always so grateful!!

It took me a LONG time to get into this book. I'm talking like at least 2 weeks from when I first started it. I felt like for the first 35% of the book, nothing really happened? Once I made myself sit down and force myself to read it, I got into it, and finished the rest of the book in less than 24 hours, but it could've been shorter in my opinion.

Some things I liked:
- How Hailey did not compromise on her values to appease Wes, and stood her ground to Ana
- The relationship between Wes and his brothers
- How Wes finally got his head out of his ass and realized that he was an idiot and Hailey was perfect
- How their friendship wasn't sacrificed in the name of lust (though I could've done without the Fade-to-Black)

Some things I didn't like:
- There were SO MANY CHARACTERS that it sometimes made it hard to focus on the relationship between Hailey and Wes
- We never really got resolution with his father and all of that?
- Why did we learn about when Wes and Hailey's birthdays were, just to completely skip over them and not get to see what gifts they'd give each other??? Actually missing the actual act of gift giving at Christmas too - I would've loved to see their initial reactions to each other's great gifts

Overall, it took a long time for me to get into it, but it was cute!

This was great! Sophie Sullivan knows how to write an extremely compelling romance, and really understands the nuances that make it both believable and extremely tender. This is a serious slow-burn, but the anticipation is SO good. It leaves you hooked, and the end is so worth it.

Wes and Hailey meet in an awkward way and keep running in to each other. When they discover that neither of them have time or desire for love, they decide to team up and just be friends. Over time they begin to fall for one another, but can they stay friends?

I liked the previous two books in this series. I had trouble connecting with this one on the same level, and the story line felt a little forced for me. However, I would still recommend this series and this book. It’s a cute story about two people who can’t help falling for each other, and it’s sweet.

When I began reading this book I did not realize it was part of a series! But I found that you could read this book on its own without having to read the previous one. I will probably pick up the others in the series just because I enjoyed this one so much.

I loved that the main character was opening a salad shop, it felt like a breath of fresh air since I am so use to them being bookstores or bakeries (not that I don't love those). I thought Hailey was pretty likeable throughout the book, though there were some times where I rolled my eyes at her reactions when Wes was trying to do something nice for her.

I love/hate the slow burn romance books! But this one had enough going on that you didn't get bored while waiting for the romance to kick in. I think Sophie Sullivan has made it onto my automatic buy list now.

4/5 stars for me!

Hailey Sharp has a dream to make her new business a success. Things are beginning to look promising with a bad relationship in her rearview mirror and a new town in her present. Also, she's decided there will be no more dating. Her previous experience was more than enough. Enter Wes Jansen, handsome, brilliant, uptight, and intent on avoiding love at all costs. When Hailey and Wes meet in a hilarious meet-cute gone wrong, their relationship seems doomed to failure. Still, somehow they manage to find their way into a friendship that fills all their empty spaces and, eventually, their hearts. Sophie Sullivan nails it with the latest Jansen Brother's novel. A Guide to Being Just Friends is an excellent read, perfect for a lazy afternoon and a good cup of tea.

I absolutely adored this book! I read it before reading the other Jansen brothers books and I can’t wait to go back and read their stories! Hailey and Wes were so cute all the way through. I loved all of the details of the journey of the shop, “By the Cup” from the food to her growing the menu to hiring staff. The story was developed so well all the way throughout, in my opinion. I wish we could’ve learned more about WHY her parents were the way they are. They were so baffling to me! BUT all in all - this was a fun, clean romantic read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

⭐️Rating: 3.5/5
⚠️TW: light cursing, mentions of emotionally abusive relationships
❣️Tropes: Slowburn, Friends to Lovers,
Would I recommend this book?: Yes, but I would read the first two books in the series first.


Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!


Review:

I read this book as a stand-alone, though it is the third and presumably final book in a series about the Jansen brothers. It read perfectly fine alone, though there were definitely hints and mentions of events or characters that would be appreciated more if the first two books had been read before.

The book itself is a cute read, with both of the leads being likable people overall. The writing is good and for the most part— about 60%—the story moves at a good pace. At a certain point it does begin to drag a bit, especially once the characters do finally move to get together. The conflict at that point hinges around the same few issues, repeated a few times from both Wes and Hailey.

It’s low in terms of steamy scenes with only a few makeout scenes and then some implications of more with little to no explicit language. There are a few minor plot details (Hailey’s ex, the guide they worked on, etc.) that I wish had come up more and or hadn’t been brushed off so easily.

All in all it’s a solid use of slow burn with a wide supporting cast of characters and a solid start to the story. Fans of slight minor angst who aren’t looking for too wild of a ride will greatly enjoy this.

What did I like most about this book? How much it related to real life and relationships. This book showed not everything is picture perfect and communication is important. However, it was a little cheesy and predictable at times. Would I read it again? Probably.

Posted to Good Reads & Instagram

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a heartwarming rom com in the friends to lovers vein. Hailey is new to town and setting up a new business when she meets and befriends Wes. Their friendship comes easily as they get to know each other and become part of a friend group including Wes’ brothers and their girlfriends. Wes and Hailey are determined to be just friends, as they each have some emotional baggage to unpack. But their chemistry and deepening friendship may lead them in another direction!
I went into this book not knowing it was the third in the Jansen brothers series, but that didn’t detract from my love of the story and the characters. I’m excited that there are two other books for me to go read featuring these characters, as they are all well written and entertaining. I loved the relationship between Wes and his brothers and also loved seeing Hailey develop friendships in her new town. There was some predictable conflict throughout the book and there were times I would have liked to give the main characters a shake, but all in all I adored this book and would highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for the ARC of this fun book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Sophie Sullivan book and it was a bit of a struggle for me. The premise sounded cute and I love a good friends to lovers and grump/sunshine trope, but this one missed it hard for me.

It started out cute - was kind of reminding me of Kiss My Cupcake (honestly just that she was opening a new shop), but I quickly became annoyed every time Hailey had to spell out in her mental dialogue that she couldn’t trust her judgement and every Wes chapter, he had to think about his brothers and how happy he was that they found love and that he liked their girlfriends. It really felt like the author didn’t trust the reader to remember those tidbits about the characters.

I did like the two points of view. I did like the salad shop idea and kept wanting to visit it myself.

I really enjoyed Wes and Hailey’s story. They had instant chemistry, but things started out as a friendship. She wasn’t ready for anything more and Wes had a specific plan for his life, that didn’t include marriage and kids. Their friendship was very sweet and a lot of fun. I loved every one of their interactions. This was a very cute and entertaining story.

Thanks Netgalley for the arc!

Being friends with someone who thought you were his tinder date is hard. This story follows Wes and Hailey’s blossoming friendship………….turned into relationship (?)

This book was very cute, and swoony. Also very slow burn, it got me thinking if they’re really goong to get together because of the title lol.

What a fantastically good slow burn. While this book was a 0 on the spicy scale, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t sizzling with amazing chemistry. I absolutely adored the interactions with Wes and Hailey, even if Wes could be closed off at times. I can’t believe how fast I also tore through this book. I only started it the night before and I’m already done. I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know how it ended. Definitely recommend for those who love a good slow burn romance.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publish for this e-ARC.

I've read all the books in this series, and I can honestly say this one was my personal favorite. This is a slow-burn friends to lover romance between Wes, the oldest of the 3 Jansen brothers who is the most hurt from his parents divorce and doesn't believe in low, and Hailey, new to town salad in a cup business owner who moved to town because of a crappy breakup. The two meet in a hilarious rom-com meet cute way where Hailey was mistaken for Wes' date Hayden who stood him up. They develop a friendship because neither is ready for a relationship and that friendship ends up blooming into more.

Pros:
1. I really like the relationship between the three Jansen brothers. I can't remember the other two books, but this one really brings out how close the three of them are, and I really liked that.
2. Wes - out of all three brothers, I thought the sweet, nerdy tech geek, who is protective of those he cares about was my favorite one. I personally can't remember Chris but Noah was just a little obnoxious and the book I probably enjoyed the least.
3. Friends to lovers slow burn. I'm still a sucker for the friends to lovers trope.
4. The cute salad shop idea.
5. The two points of views.

Cons:
1. Hailey was honestly a little annoying outside of the salad shop. She blamed Wes for buying her a Tiffany's bracelet? I hate that she's obsessed with how rich he is and how she's so poor.
2. How quickly Wes went from, nope I don't believe in love to professing his love to Hailey. He never even talked about why he felt the way he felt. The happy ending just came way too fast for me.

Overall 3.5/5 but can round up to 4.

I love the sort of opposites attract dynamic with Hailey and Wes. Hailey is a pretty free-spirited, high energy girl who is willing to take risks while Wes is a more black-and-white type of character who prefers to have things straight to the point. Together they balance each other out; Wes helps Hailey with putting a little more organization in her life while Hailey teaches Wes to let loose. While this is a romantic comedy I like how the story also puts focus on Hailey and Wes' personal issues and how they overcome them to become better individuals while also navigating through their feelings and current relationship both as friends and lovers.

This is a strangers to friends to lovers, pretty slow burn, and not too spicy read (it's closed door). I have not read the previous Jansen brothers' books but still enjoyed reading this story and seeing the different characters interact with each other. The other brothers and their partners come up pretty frequently throughout the story so I think readers who have kept up with Noah and Chris will enjoy seeing how they're doing.

Bonus: As a BTS ARMY it was a nice surprise seeing the scattered mentions of the group ;)