Thank you, NetGalley for granting me this arc!

This was about a 2/2.5 for me. I did not realize this was the third in a series (but can be read and understood as a standalone) and I, too, felt like there were waaaaay too many side characters.

What I liked was that the friends-to-lovers trope totally made sense and fell in line with Wes and his personality. I did like that they were friends, but I did not feel a strong connection between them at times. I think I needed more of them bonding. More show and less tell.

My other critique is that I did feel like the plot moved too slow for my liking. There wasn’t a lot driving the plot or enough tension between the two leads.

Otherwise, this is a sweet book and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I read the first two in the series.

Every relationship should start off this way. As a friendship and getting to know each other better. Hailey and Wes do a great job of supporting each other-as friends. What they can't seem to see is how and when to move on from that. Each of them has a past to get beyond. They seem to talk about everything else, but can't seem to do that. I am glad they figure it out.

I didn’t not like it. Cute premise. Probably not a book that’ll stick with me, but it was a good book to pass time.

This book was a fun read, and the cover is darling! Our main character Hailey has recently moved to open a salad shop and she had me craving a salad the entire book! She and Wes are a great match and it was a pleasure to watch their story unfold. I appreciated how intentional Hailey in particular was throughout the story, and I found myself rooting for the characters all the way through. I would recommend this to a friend for sure!

A Guide to Being Just Friends was a sweet read. While I found myself wishing for a little more depth at times, I enjoyed myself. Reading this book was like watching a Hallmark movie - safe, cozy, feel-good. A cute book.
3 Stars.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 1/5
REVIEW:
Hailey is new to town running her salad shop when she meets Wes Jansen in an unexpected way. When they start to hang out for weekly grocery shopping trips and a movie, they decide to be just friends.

I admired Hailey's fierce independence but although it was a strength of hers, it was also a weakness. Same for Wes and his giving, protecting heart. It was a strength of his but could also be a weakness of his.

Falling in love with your best friend can be a beautiful and strong relationship. I love that this book showed how amazing it can be.

It wasn't until I reached the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS that I realized this is the final book in the series! 😂😂 Clearly it can be read as a stand alone book too.

I really enjoyed this book and will absolutely go back to read the other Jansen brother's stories.

This book was really cute, and I had a great time just reading and enjoying it. It was lighthearted and fun!

This was a really good read! If you like your romance novels filled with smut, this is not the book for you. BUT it has a really great story line and is one of the better romance novels I’ve read in awhile. The author did a fantastic job at developing the characters and the story line. Hailey and Wes have amazing chemistry the entire book, but are trying to navigate just being friends, until they don’t!! I’m not one for spoilers, so just give it a chance!!

The Jansen brothers <3 <3 <3

Wes is the oldest of the mogul brother trio and the last to move from NYC to California out from their father's thumb. Hailey is trying to find her footing in this new town after opening up a salad by the cup shop.

After an awkward chance encounter they end up seeing each other again through mutual friends- they call a truce and decide maybe they should be friends since they're both new to the town. Since they've both decided to take a hiatus from dating they dive headfirst into a platonic friendship. Although, the slightest touches and Saturday night grocery trips give them each a sense of security yet excitement...they swear maybe that's just the beauty of being friends!

Hailey while strong and independent still believes in true love, Wes brooding and Mr.Fix-it-all swears he'll never find true love. After both doing some digging they find themselves along with each other.
The story of the last couple of the series is a sweet, slow burn friends to lovers, showcasing the special nature that a friendship turned relationship is built on steady ground. You know what they say! Your partner should be your best friend <3

I'll truly miss reading about this family as all the characters I've been invested in!!! I loved this book and the others in the series as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Sullivan for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was a great read. I didn't realize that this was a part of a series, but I would say that it did not affect this story at all. This could definitely be a stand-alone. I love the character progression throughout. The story started, with what I thought to be very predictable, but I was pleasantly surprised with the twists that the plot took. There were times I thought I knew what was going to happen and I was wrong. I really liked that because it made me want to continue to read to see what was going to happen next. I'm kind of sad to know that this was the last in the Jansen brother series but I am so excited to go back and read the other two. I really felt true emotions for these characters as they were exploring new friendships or maybe more. I have to admit, the last few chapters really tugged on the heartstrings and I was not sure how this story was going to end. Tears were shed because I felt my heart shattering for this character because I felt like I knew them personally. I really love when a book can draw the reader in like that. I didn't realize how connected I felt until the tears were rolling. I think Sophie Sullivan is super talented with her words and I am pleased to say that she has a new fan. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this upcoming story!

I was SO excited to receive and early copy of this story! I've read a few other books from Sophie Sullivan and have adored them all. This was no different! I really enjoyed this light hearted rom com and Sophie continues to be a must read author for me!

I think a lot of people will enjoy this book but I couldn't get attached to the main characters personally. The writing is good and I'll definitely give the author another go!

I received an Advanced readers copy of this book thanks to NetGalley, Overall I enjoyed this book, it’s my favorite of the three in the series. I wish things were a little more spicy once the main characters finally fell for each other, it felt like there was a lot of build up to it and then the chemistry was kind of stagnant after that. I also didn’t love that Wes kept making the same mistakes over and over, by the last time I was ready for Hailey to give up on him. I liked that we got to see some happily ever afters of the previous book characters and I really liked independent Hailey. I especially loved the first half as the characters are being friends and not realizing they’re falling for each other. I’d give this book 4 stars.

The start of the book was strong, I was interested and intrigued with Hailey and her new business venture. However, I just didn't care for Wes nor their chemistry, or lack thereof.

Just okay.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and publisher, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Publishing: January 17, 2023
Pages: 336

“A Guide to Being Just Friends” is another read by Sophie Sullivan. Okay…what to say about this book…I truly enjoyed, enjoyed this story a bit better than, ”How to Love Your Neighbor” and realizing this is a part of a series but standalone read.

Now to the story…there is Hailey and Wes who are close friends who appear to be to be stubborn individuals who can’t admit the feelings they have for one another. There is Wes Jansen who likes routine and really doesn’t see a future where it involves love. He doesn’t beat around the bush and knows what he wants out of life. Unfortunately, something changes when he meets Hailey Sharpe, an independent shop owner. The two strike up a friendship and are adamant to keep their relationship at being “just friends”. They do everything together and eventually find themselves fall for one another.

This was a slow burn romance with a trope of friends-to-lovers that I quite liked the writing for Ms. Sullivan with this book. Loving how these two individuals allowed their love to grown and really get the chance to learn a lot from one another. The pace was on point and the plot well-written. I loved Hailey and Wes as they have strong character personalities that pours over into the people in their lives or close to them. There are times that I found myself laughing out loud and enjoyed the angst between the two. Well, there was some sexual tension 😊 that I did look for since these individuals have crossed the lines of friendship. The supporting characters were a welcome addition to making this a good read too.

I loved this trope and think that it really worked for this book. A fun and entertaining read that I highly recommend.

Overall an enjoyable book! I didn't realize it was part of a series when I read it, but I didn't feel lost like I needed to catch up. It's a cute and easy read, perfect for vacation.

The salad shop that the FMC owns sounds right up my alley and I did spend a good chunk of the first part of the book thinking about my lunch! The MMC wasn't really my jam, he was a little wishy-washy and at times his actions didn't line up.

I will seek out the other books in the series to get a complete picture of the characters. Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this book we follow Hayley and Wes and their journey to just being friends. But will they be able to?? Hayley just moved cities and opened up her salad shop. She doesn't have time to mess around with feelings she just wants to put her main focus on her goal: Have a successful business. But, with Wes around, she finds it difficult to focus on one task.

This book was really fun to read! Hailey and Was were really cute together! I loved that the author talked about how childhood trauma can affect present day relationships. We also love to see a boss women who doesn't need a man to help her run her business. The characters were really relatable and overall very fun. I loved the relationships between Wes and his brothers and the relationships between Hailey and her cousin. They felt real and relatable. I have to admit the story started off kind of slow and I was wondering where it was going but I don't regret continuing with the book. The romance was worth it. The ending was really cute!
If you're looking for a second chance romance, small business owner, friends to lovers, no spice book, this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving me to review this book for free!

Really enjoyed this book! Thank you NetGalley.
I had never read a Sophie Sullivan book, and am now unsure why.
I really enjoyed the salad spin, so fun and different. Hailey was relatable and I really liked her cousin Piper and her family.
I also enjoyed the realness of her relationship with Wes. This book was very clean as far as content which would make it appropriate for teenagers.
Only negative is that all the couples were a little too “glossy” or all around perfect, but maybe that is because I am single:)

What a fun read. Hailey is such a lovable character, you just want to meet her and become best friends. I loved the slow burn romance between her and Wes and how they built such a solid friendship and foundation with each other. I also really enjoyed watching them build their chosen family together. It was a very sweet, feel good book.


Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Sullivan, and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I’m not normally a huge fan of friends to lovers, but I adored this story. Both Hailey and Wes desperately needed a good friend at the start, and despite both of them being too stubborn to admit their feelings for way too long, the development into romance felt very natural.

I especially loved how strong of a role the supporting characters played in their love story. Obviously I need to go back and read about the other Jansen brothers, but it was really sweet how each of their girlfriends, as well as Fiona and many of the other local business owners, readily welcomed Hailey into their circle and supported her relationship with Wes without pressuring her to define it (even though really, they were OBVIOUSLY in love).

The last ~15% of the book got on my nerves a bit with the typical break up in the third act due to unnecessary miscommunication. I know it’s a fairly standard element of this genre, but there was hardly even time to process the breakup before everything was suddenly fine again.

That aside, this was a fun, lighthearted story and I’ll definitely be reading more by the author. 3.5 stars.