Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me the opportunity to read and review "A guide to being just friends" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was such a delight! At one hand we have Haley, a hard working, fun and with a good dose of pride girl that left a toxic relationship and is trying to be independent and have her own business! On the other hand, Wes is a business man with a talent for arts and coding that doesn't want to see himself in a committed relationship. After a funny first impression both of them decided to be friends, but of course with the time, things change..
I really enjoyed this book! It was fun and light. I loved how their relationship blossomed! It did not felt rushed and I was giddy at certain scenes. I really enjoyed as well how the characters do not feel flat and had interesting past experiences and how that affected how they approached their relationship with each other. The only thing I believed it could have been different, is that I wish both of them did not seem so stubborn. What I mean by that, is that it's ok for the characters to have their principle, but sometimes they are so adamant in their opinions that it feels narrow minded.
Nonetheless, I liked the healthy discussion they had to overcome past traumas.
That's totally on my recommend list for someone that wants friends to lovers!

Sophie Sullivan is back with her latest, A Guide to Being Just Friends, which obviously leans hard into the friends-to-lovers trope. It felt like When Harry Met Sally for a new generation, and it really worked for me. It was a solid, swoony romance, and I enjoyed it.

Hailey has just opened her own business—a little salad shop—and she’s desperate for it to succeed. She’s also freshly out of a really bad relationship, and she isn’t looking to jump into a new one. Wes has never seen the point of love. As the oldest kid, he got a front-row seat to his parents’ disastrous marriage, and that is NOT for him. When Wes and Hailey first meet, it does NOT go well, but when he comes back with an apology, a friendship springs up between them—and they decide that’s all it’ll be. They even write a guide, complete with silly illustrations. But what they don’t expect is to fall for their best friend.

Sophie Sullivan writes mostly closed-door romances, but she proves the door doesn’t have to be open to deliver the swoon. Wes and Hailey are perfect for each other, and I’m glad they finally pulled their heads out of the sand and figured it out. I also loved that we got glimpses of her characters from previous books—cameos are my favorite!

This is a wonderful rom com that is told over the span of a year and a half about two friends who fall in love. It’s very cute, there’s no smutty scenes that don’t contribute to the storyline like many others these days. It also seemed very realistic to me. Their meet cute was something that could very much happen and I appreciated that.

I listed to the audio and it was a cute story but the characters lacked development and it fell flat for me. I had a hard time connecting with the character.

Hailey and Wes are really, really... dumb. Not that they lack character development or anything. I actually really liked both characters and their dynamic together. They are just both incredibly dense and take way too long to act on their feelings. I don't mind a good slow burn, but these two... It got to the point where I got frustrated with the romance part of this book and instead got more invested on the salad shop marketing techniques.

The saving grace of this book? It was funny and the cast of characters were cute. And when the romance finally fired up, it was super adorable. From what I can tell, there are many cameos from previous books in the series. When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was part three of a series. Unfortunately, I have not read the first two, but this book can totally be read as a standalone.

As this was an ALC, I'll also add that the narration was good and clear! Though, I did find Wes's pov to be a bit more difficult to follow when sped up past the 1.5x mark.

I like Sophie Sullivan's writing, but this one missed the mark for me. I do not know if I just was not in the right place for it, but I did not care about the characters or the story. It just didn't do it for me. I do look forward to her next books, though.

This book was my jam! If there was a book that perfectly described me as a reader it would be this one. It’s a classic trope with standout characters that speak to your heart the moment you meet them. There’s enough depth to both the story and characters to make it a stand out read.

Hailey recovering from heartbreak and a firm believer in love mixed with Wes the love cynic that refused to open his heart to the idea of love was the perfect combo. They felt so relatable because the author wrote them with authenticity. They were flawed, complicated, and frustrating (I’m looking at you Wes) but it only enhanced your appreciation of their journey to love.

If there’s one book I hope everyone reads it would be this one, but I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrators embodied Hailey and Wes, brought them to life, and told this story with such emotion and love. I couldn’t have picked a better combo than these two narrators.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC

4.5 stars!

I ended up listening to this one and it was fabulous on audio! The main characters were so much and I didn't want to stop listening to it.

Wes and Hailey were so fun together. I loved how they first met, how she owned a salad shop & didn't want his money. They both pushed each other to grow and worked so well together. One of the conflicts were obvious from early one however that third act breakup was not my favorite so I knocked off half a star. The ending was really good tho!

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advance copies in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillanaudio for a copy of this book. I enjoyed the first toe in this series and enjoyed this one as well. This was a cute friends to lovers story between Wes and Hailey which still started with a disastrous meet cute. It was fun to see how they keep bumping into each other and set a pact to being friends. So much fun to see the other brothers and their significant others appear in the book too.

The dual narration was a lot of fun too.

I struggled with this one & ultimately didn’t finish. There was zero character development at the beginning. Just jumped right into it. I also really struggled with the idea that she bought & started a business in a coveted area of town….. with no business plan? Come on!

I loved this slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance. I can struggle with slow-burn but not this one.

Hailey is chatty and full of sunshine. Wes is hesitant when it comes to relationships. He's overly serious but deep down has a heart of gold. I loved the dual POV and seeing his feelings develop and seeing him fall for the girl. He messed up at times but his effort to show that he cared had me swooning.

This is the 3rd book in the Jenson brothers series. It can be read as a standalone but you get a better sense of the Jenson background reading the previous books. I loved seeing the other brothers. The relationship newcomer Hailey built with their girlfriends was amazing.

This friends-to-lovers story is full of charm and some fun banter, especially between the brothers.

From the moment I started to listen to this as an audiobook I was hooked! This was my first book of Sophie Sullivan and it will not be my last. Her style of writing was so engaging, leaving you interested at every chapter. The back and forth between Wes and Hailey’s point of view gave a wonderful flow to the story. This book felt like watching your favorite romcom. The female lead, Haley was so like-able and relatable that you felt like she was either you or your best friend. Macmillan Audio is probably my favorite auto book publisher and this audiobook was a very clear example why, the different voices for Wes’ point of view and Hailey’s, kept me engaged and hanging on their every word. This is definitely one of my new favorite books. A romance novel that isn’t graphic. And a bit of humor to brighten up the situation. Will definitely be buying this in paperback, hardcover, and any other form that is possible. Huge fan of this work of art. (But seriously can they make this into a movie?)

Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Sophie for the chance to review this book with my honest honest review. Thanks for trusting me… but more importantly- thank you for introducing me to this wonderful author!

This was a cute friends-to-lover romance that has a fun meet cute - I enjoyed the relationship buildup, but I had hoped for a bit more chemistry. The friend group from the prior books in the series were incorporated a lot, which I also enjoyed. IDK, despite this being a cute and easy read, there just wasn't much that was memorable for me.

3.5 stars

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

Friends to lovers is one of my least favorite tropes, but every once in a while I will give it a shot just to see if I still feel the same. However, I enjoyed this book, overall. It had its ups and downs, though.

Hailey is a new and unexperienced business owner of a salad shop in a bustling area. She meets Wes in pretty typical rom-com fashion: a drink mishap at a coffee shop. It didn't lose me there, just because I initially really liked Hailey. She was bumping Taylor Swift in her shop, just left a trash relationship, and was trying to figure it all out. Relatable enough. I have worked in food before and I thought it did accurately portray the way some people look down on essential workers.

Wes, on the other hand, was so-so. A run of the mill, rich, white love interest. There was nothing that made him interesting, in my opinion. He was socially awkward and that was basically his only saving grace. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked their friendship. The chemistry once they got together seemed to dissipate, though. I was not rooting for them because they just didn't seem to have the same values in life. From Wes' perspective there was also this "woe is me, a rich, privileged individual, I'm so misunderstood" narrative that was annoying.

Basically, I really liked the first half of the book but the last half just didn't work well for me. Wes was getting on my nerves, then Hailey started to as well. I appreciated her trying to remain independent despite his wealth but she started sounding like a broken record. Either accept him trying to buy your love or leave his ass, y'know? Overall, I thought the writing style was solid and there was a lot of potential here. My hang-ups came with the lack of chemistry once they got together and some of the characterization.

I really liked Sophie Sullivan's first two books, but I found that A Guide to Being Just Friends fell a little flat for me. I think it's because the "Friends to Lovers" trope gets repetitive to me. That being said, I enjoyed the audiobook MUCH more than the text book. The narrators really brought the characters to life!

I like Sophie Sullivan a lot and look forward to her future books!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest reiview!

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley.

Author: Sophie Sullivan
Narrators: Stephanie Willing; Timothy Andrés Pabon

This is a good audiobook… a good romance. It’s a slow work up to a sizzle… and don’t expect any real steaminess.

This is a story about two people who are obviously destined for each other, having to work through their own emotional baggage before they can be together.

I kept wanting more sizzle and steam. So, this book was good and I do recommend it… just be aware that the sizzle you are going to yearn for is slower than you’re going to want it to be.

The narrators were fantasic! I loved them both! Very easy to listen to!!

I am generally not a friends-to-lovers trope fan, but occasionally one will catch my attention and thus was one of them and it was worth it! It had some cute mom, some dark moments and I really liked the relationship with the support characters. I had no idea when I requested it that it was book 3 in a series but I read it with no issues so it clearly can be read as a stand-alone.
Hailey and Wes have both moved to San Verde for a fresh start. Hailey has opened a salad shop and Wes and his brothers have broken off from their father’s businesses and are going on their own. Neither are looking for a relationship because they’re both very career focused and they both have been burned in the past and are having a hard time moving past it. After a super awkward meeting, they bond super quickly and form a fun and flirty friendship. They are both super supportive of each other and each other’s dreams. Being that neither want to be in a relationship, they decide to be just friends so they set up some rules or a “Guide” and what they can and can’t do. Of course they don’t see what everyone around them sees-they are clearly head over heels in love with each other. Eventually they figure it out and start dating but that leads to a big breakup scene which feels out of place with the story. Other than that, it was enjoyable. The narrator was fab and fun!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

When I started this book, I was completely unaware it was the third book in a series involving three brothers. As a result, there were times I felt at a bit of a disadvantage in not know the backstory between the brothers and their estranged father. It is still possible to read this as a standalone, but keep in mind, you’ll struggle a bit with who’s who and what their history is.

That being said, I think this was a cute friends to lovers, closed door romance with major When Harry Met Sally vibes. As a huge fan of that movie, I loved seeing this fun twist on it. I enjoyed Halley and Wes’ creation of their guide to being just friends and how they navigated through some very complex emotions throughout the book finally finding resolution and huge emotional growth. And of course, the found family trope, like the one presented in this novel, will always have my heart. The group of brothers, their significant others and friends made for quite a fun and boisterous gang and I loved seeing Hailey connect with them as someone who felt so alone and disconnected.

All in all, this is a pretty standard romance but with a fun twist on a classic and one I think a lot of people will enjoy, especially those who prefer closed door/kissing only romance. I plan to continue reading this series, starting with book one and am excited to see what Sullivan writes next.

Read if you like:
•friends to lovers
•slow burn
•closed door romance
•found family
•when harry met sally

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! Such a cute and fun read, a perfect lighthearted romance.

If you're looking for a book with:
• friends to lovers
• witty banter
• opposites attract
• slow burn
• closed door romance
• found family
• sweet and cosy vibes

Please give this one a shot, it's totally worth it!

I enjoyed this book so much! I had a lot of fun getting to know Wes and Hailey but sadly I didn’t know that it is part of a series.
I guess it‘s okay to read them as standalone, but I usually try to read them in order.

Anyways, Wes and Hailey are amazing friends and I loved following them while they were slowly realizing their feelings. Usually I don‘t like slow burns that much but since they were friends we still got a lot of content of these two together.
I have slightly mixed feelings about Hailey. I understand that she wants to make it on her own, but it‘s never wrong to ask for and accept help from others especially people that care about you!

However, I personally really felt their feelings and got so excited whenever they got closer.
The side characters also were amazingly written and I will definitely checking out the other books!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.