I loved this rom com in which the heroine and hero just want to be friends. But we all know how that works in rom coms. It was a cute story and I finished it in one day.

This story is the third installment of the Jansen brothers filling the oldest Wes and fmc Hailey. Their story is a cute take on friends to lovers after both decided to take a dating hiatus. It’s funny, cute, easy read and i absolutely love Haileys character and Wes is just adorable. Would recommend

this book was soo cute!!! i loved it so much!! i’m a sucker for best friends to lovers trope, especially slowburn so this was a perfect read. haileywes were absolutely amazing. i loved how strong and independent hailey was throughout the book and how her character development showed that it’s also ok to ask for help. i would def want to read this again!! sophie sullivan did slowburn trope so well! there were no boring parts too, every interaction with hailey and wes were the absolute insane and cutest!!!!

okay, picture: a combination of YOU s2 and 3, but without all of the murder and make it romantic and sweet instead of terrifying.

sophie sullivan’s final installment in her jansen brothers series is, above all, sweet, like one of hailey sharp (our cute, feisty, talkative FMC)’s special dessert salads-in-a-cup. focusing on hailey and wes’ story, a guide to being just friends sets itself apart from its predecessors in all the right ways while still offering sentimental glances into noah and chris’ lives for those of you who salivate for more when a story is over (like me).

this book is, at its core, a strangers-to-kind of enemies-to-friends-to-desperately trying to stay friends-to lovers tale that hits nearly all of my boxes for a cute, fun, enjoyable romcom.

i am a SUCKER for a good friends to lovers. something about the are you feeling it too? type of angst is delicious to me, and seeing wes and hailey’s friendship progress into deeper waters was a treat. the casual intimacy of grocery shopping together? being in each others’ spaces? brb while i reevaluate all of my platonic friendships for romantic undertones. (just kidding……………)

the only complaints i have for this one are, while i love a heaping dose of unrealism in my romcoms, wes’ self-awareness was through the roof in only the way a man-written-by-a-woman can be. his inner monologue didn’t feel authentic to the standard male-love-interest voice we get in these types of books, and it left him feeling a little two-dimensional. while the writing is a bit clunky, and wes is a bit too unrealistically observant, it’s still a fun story that explores all the delicious, painful ways a friendship develops between two people who are perfect for one another.

be forewarned, my spicy friends, this book is STRONG fade to black. PG at the most. but sweet enough to keep your belly full through the whole thing. mostly.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sophie Sullivan for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Going into this book, I didn’t know it was part of a series! But it can definitely be read as a stand-alone, especially since Sophie does a fantastic job at helping us fill in the blanks with who the other side characters are. I feel Ike I know them just as well as the main characters!

Hailey is starting her life over after a breakup by starting her own business, By The Cup. It’s salad in a cup, how creative! Wes is working on fulfilling his own career with his brothers and sticking to his plan, and that includes absolutely NO falling in love. Considering his past, Wes doesn’t believe in love and Hailey feels that she can’t rely on love, or anyone for that matter. They rely and take care of themselves until they meet and sparks clearly fly. Perhaps it’s time to challenge the notion that they can’t rely on anyone?

Considering where they are in life and what their stances are on love and relationships, they decide to stay JUST friends, and alas, The Guide to Being Just Friends is born.

I adored the whole premise of this book. Wes and Hailey are such lovely characters. I relate to Wes so much. Overhelpful, wanting to fix everything, oldest sibling, sticking to a routine, not falling out of order with his life plan. He’s me in a nutshell!

Sophie is an incredible writer. I adored the dual POV and being able to witness what both characters were feeling! Friends to lovers, overprotective, headstrong gf + overhelpful bf, slow burn, found family, you name it! I cannot wait to read the other two books in this series!

Alright. This was pretty cute.
I enjoyed a majority of this book, but I don't know that it's one that will leave a lasting impression. 🤷‍♀️
I feel like there was opportunity for more of an in depth view into Wes as a character. Maybe it's because this is technically part of a series and I haven't read the other two books? But I feel like I was left confused by his character quite a bit.
I loved everything about Hailey though. Super relatable, hyper independent female for the win.
I also feel that the end conflict/resolution was extremely rushed, while so much time was spend on the build up.
3.25⭐️

As always, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is the last installment in the Jensen brother’ series (even if Goodreads doesn’t say so) I haven’t read the ones before but this book can be read as a standalone.

I had a couple of problems with the book and that is why the rating is so low:

- there were way too many characters; maybe this one would not have been too much of a problem if I read the other books first? I am not sure, as my problem was not the fact the side characters didn’t have much of a personality (they probably had it in the other books) but that the dialogue between them was so boring!
- too much business talk that made the story go very slow.
- I was not a fan of Hailey and I was not happy with the fact Wes was the only one doing some changing. He was clear with her about what he wanted, he told her he didn’t want to lose her as friend, and she kept pushing, then - when he reminded her what he didn’t want - she bailed. Even when he helped and saved THE WHOLE street she got upset because she didn’t want his help… he save the whole neighborhood and all the parties involved were happy! *eyeroll*

What I liked:
- I liked the timeline and the fact they took their time. That made the relationship more believable
- I liked all the parts with the main couple and I really liked Wes, it was very real and reminded me of my husband with his need to fix it all.
- I likes the tension when they were about to transition from friends to lovers.
- No miscommunication trope YAY! I hate that trope!

I think it would have been better if there were less people involved in the story and less business talk… a little bit more tension and harder obstacles would have improved the story, everything was getting resolved way too easily!

This was the sweetest story! Perfect easy read! I haven’t read the other books in the series, but I will now!!

I really didn’t expect to like a book about a girl running a salad bar this much but it was so cute! Hailey & Wes had such great chemistry!! The way they pushed their true feelings aside so they would just have an incredible friendship was so adorable. There’s dual pov which I LOVE! We get to see both their feelings about everything and we don’t have to guess how the other person is feeling. Overall this was definitely a sloooooow burn friends to lovers story but it was definitely very sweet so if you’re into both of those things you’ll love this story!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for sending this arc in exchange for an honest review*

What a adorable story! The characters were so easy to fall for and the relationship was so real. I absolutely loved this book!

I definitely went into this blind - I loved the idea of it and the cover, but what I didn’t know was how much I would fall in love with the characters in this book and the way they fell in love. Wes and Hailey were the perfect mix of friends who made me laugh and throw my hand over my mouth. They made me scream in anticipation, I “awed” out loud and so much more.

I loved that this was one of the first books I’ve read that actually brought up solid issues in relationships, not just “you have something from 5 years ago that hurt me” but “hey, I have a different idea on this.”

I didn’t know this was part of a series, so I am off to read more. My only hesitation from a 5 star review was whether this is marked YA for the fade-to-black aspect or romance, as the conflict feels a little more adult

This is everything you could want in a rom-com.....adorable characters with relatable flaws, witty banter, romantic angst, and full-on LOL moments. A Guide to Being Just Friends is the classic tale of two people who form a friendship that they both desperately need, only to discover that it is morphing into something much, much more, yet the story is told in such a way that it feels fresh. It is so easy to become immersed with the lives and emotional struggles of these characters, and it leaves you wanting more. Thanks to @NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the fabulous opportunity to review this new classic. It will definitely be on my list to recommend!

I fell in love with both of these characters immediately. Both Wes and Hailey posessed characteristics that I could so closely identify with and struggle with on my own. The book itself was beautifully written and for being one huge miscommunication trope, it is done so artfully that you completely understand how and why it happens.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Sullivan is another author that has been on my TBR for ages but I haven’t had a chance to read until now. After reading this, I can’t wait to check out her other books!

Hailey has moved to a new town in California and she has opened her own business. While grabbing coffee one day, Wes mistakes her for a blind date that stood him up and the rest is history. They become friends but they both start developing feelings.

I thought this book was so cute and I loved their banter. I struggled a bit with the monthly jumps but enjoyed seeing the relationships develop. This is another book that had top notch pop culture references. I got similar vibes when I read Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, which I also very much enjoyed. Check this out when it comes out in January!

I was given the opportunity to read this ARC by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press and I’m so thankful! This was a great friends to lovers slow burn story. It was closed-door steam, which isn’t typically a favorite of mine, but I can overlook it for a strong story premise.

Hailey after a bad breakup has moved out of LA and has opened a salad shop (honestly, made me want all the salads) and made some friends with local shop owners and a radio DJ in the area. She was introduced to Wes through these new friends and they immediately hit it off, though neither want a relationship. So they form a friendship and learn to trust each other until they can’t ignore their feelings for each other anymore.

While they’ve earned trust, they both still have issues giving totally in to what they’re feeling and how they approach issues. The conflict felt realistic and believable and they communicated well with each other, even when they didn’t agree.

This was a fabulous story and it was the last in a stand-alone series, I’m going to have to go back and read the others now too.

This was a very enjoyable and nice read! I found the main characters very likeable and loved every moment of this book.

I absolutely loved this story! A fun read, one I definitely didn’t want to stop until I was finished!
I found the characters all to be like people I would have in my own life, very relatable! I was sad when it ended, there could definitely be a part 2 or 3, and I would definitely read them! Highly recommend this one 😊

I LOVED it. I'm talking stay up late, wringing hands, nail biting loved it. The teaser compared it to When Harry Met Sally and that was spot-on.
I did not realize that this was the third book in the Jansen brothers series, and read it without the other two. The way it reflects on the other two relationships is so sweet, and I got enough context that I didn't feel like I was dropped in the middle of the action. It wasn't until I read the author's acknowledgment page at the end of the book that I realized there were other books.
The friends-to-lovers arc was wonderfully constructed, and the characters were so sweet while being realistic, as well. I like the dual POV, as well. The brothers' dynamic was funny and warm, too.

When I started this book I had no idea that this was the third book in the series, but the author does such a good job of introducing the past characters that you don’t feel left out from their stories. With that being said I will definitely be checking out the first two books in this series.

This is a dual POV story about our main characters Hailey and Wes. Hailey just got out of a bad relationship and is starting over by opening her own salad shop By the Cup. Wes has recently moved from NY to CA to be with his brothers and to escape their toxic father and continue their family business. Wes doesn’t believe or trust in love and Hailey has found it best to only rely on herself. When the two meet during a chance encounter they both feel a spark, but decide what they both really need is a friend… NOT a relationship. Thus the Guide to Being Just Friends is born.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Hailey and Wes and how genuine their friendship felt. This was the perfect slow burn romance which I am so happy did NOT include my most hated trope ever… miscommunication!!! Both Hailey and Wes were upfront with each other at all times, especially Hailey. Hailey was a badass boss lady and couldn’t help but constantly root for her and her success.

This was definitely a feel good read, and I honestly have zero negative things to say about this book.

I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Sullivan for this ARC!

First of all, thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC!

I had not read any Sophie Sullivan books prior to this so I was going in blind. My thoughts might not be the same as others who have read this but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

I felt like the early interactions between the main characters felt ... Teenager-ey and they're not. They're 2 individuals who are both strong willed business owners. I felt like the book went back and forth a bit on the writing style. They had cute back and forth banter at first but then that stopped about a 1/3 in. There were time lapses between the chapters that you'd realize happened after a paragraph or so into the chapter but then a few chapters had the month listed on top of it (didn't make much sense to me).

And there was a plot hole left open on the guys dad? What happened with that whole situation? Or did I miss something? 🤔

I really really wanted to like it because it sounded just like something I'd read. But I was honestly not giddy at the end of the book like I typically feel when a book gets it's happy ending.

Maybe I'm just being harsh?