A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan

This is book #3 of the Jansen Brothers series. Hailey moved away from Los Angeles to San Verde and opened a small restaurant making salads. It’s the perfect solution for the small strip of businesses and her knowledge of the industry. But she doesn’t have any money for marketing yet, so she’s counting on repeat business and locals finding her. She makes friends with the owner of dessert place next door and other business owners. Wes and Hailey meet and ultimately decide to be friends. The relationship starts off pretty solid in the friendship lane. Will Halley and Wes move from that lane into lovers lane?

This was a quick read but a slow burn in the romance part of the story. This sort of turned me off a bit. I didn't like some of the banter even though I can respect Hailey wanting to do things on her own in her business but Wes wanted to help her business be successful. You always perk up to someone who has knowledge to improve your business it is best to at least listen take what you think will work. I know stories need some contention but sometimes it is just irritating in this instance it was irritating.

Narrated by Stephanie Willing and Timothy Andrés Pabon did a good job narrating the story. This was a 3 star read for me. I would still recommend this book to people who love friends to lovers romances. It is not your typical friends from childhood so be prepared for that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for a free audio copy of A Guide to Being just Friends for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This book had such potential, but it just didn't completely work out for me. While the writing was pretty good and the characters likable, I felt like the storyline was a little boring at times. I also would have preferred single POV. Mostly it just had me craving a salad since Hailey’s salad shop was a prominent part of the story. If you enjoy friends to lovers or When Harry Met Sally, you may still want to check this one out. I probably would have enjoyed it more in a different format other than an audiobook since I didn’t really care for the male narrator and like a few other review I’ve seen I had no idea it was book 3 in a series so I’m still interested in reading those. 3.5/5⭐️
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

*Major thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to receive a copy of this audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review* I stumbled across this book and was intrigued by the description and title. This is Book 3 in the Jansen Brothers series and I had no idea, but I was able to follow along without needing information from the previous books. I plan to check them out though! While I did enjoy this, Hailey and Wes slightly annoyed me as the main characters of this story. I appreciated them organically developing a relationship, but there were times where I was yelling at them for some of the things they said. Hailey did want help from a "friend" and neither character wanted to admit their feelings. While this was a typical romantic novel, it was a breath of fresh air and I will definitely listen to this again.

The audiobook featured two narrators and they were not boring or monotonous. This is a quick listen and can definitely pull you out of a reading slump if you find yourself in one.

#aguidetobeingjustfriends:⁣
⁣
“… a little fear goes a long way. Toward what, I’m not sure. Best to be cautious but I’ll have your back.”⁣
⁣
This was like a big hug. I’ve really enjoyed this series and it just felt like a great big hug to finish it off. Hailey and Wes were wonderful and I felt like they complimented each other well. I was so excited for his story, and I’m glad it played out the way it did!⁣
⁣
I did listen on audio and I felt both readers did a great job. I did enjoy Stephanie Willing’s read a bit more, but overall a solid listen on audio.⁣
⁣
I will say, it took like 70% for the will they/won’t they to happen, so it almost felt like they held out for too long. Of course we have the great misunderstanding and the makeup, and I wish we could have spent more time in those areas. However, I did really enjoy getting to know Hailey and Wes as individuals before a couple.⁣
⁣
Overall, another solid Sophie Sullivan hit. Plus that epilogue 🥺🥺🥺 Thank you so much @smpromance and @macmillan.audio for the copies!! A Guide to Being Just Friends is out now. ❤️⁣
⁣
QOTD: If you had to play a fun board game, what would you choose?

I really wanted to love this book, but it seemed as though it really lacked any sort of real chemistry. Friends to lovers is one of my favorites, but I didn't feel a real connection in this book, unfortunately. I really wanted to love it!

As a constant consumer of chicklit and romance, I feel pretty qualified to say that this book missed the mark. I was trying to put my finger on it today, but it feels like it would be better geared towards a 15 year old than an adult. The plot is painfully slow, including details that aren’t required to propel the story forward.

If you’re looking for a somewhat shallow read, you might be happy with this simple story!

A perfect book for Valentine's Day! This sweet book has everything a rom com needs.
Meet cute✔️
Independent female✔️
Wealthy best friend✔️
Being brave and putting everything on the line✔️
I really liked Haley and Wes. The supporting characters: friends, brothers and cousins were all great as well. I love how Wes handled any opposition that tried to get in between him and Haley. Very predictable but that's why I choose these types of books.
3.5 stars:)

This is a cute, light-hearted read. From the start, you know exactly where it's going. And it's pleasant enough when you get there. But there's nothing new or especially engaging about their story, and there were more than a few moments that made me roll my eyes. But overall, it was totally worth a read if you like uncomplicated friends-to-lovers romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC.

Such a sweet rom-com!

Hailey is in a place in her life where she wants to focus on growth and her business so that does not leave much time for dating. When she decided to take a well deserved break for break when she runs into Wes. And let's just say they do not start off on the best footing. Before she knows it their circles cross again and they try to play nice.

This is a sweet story about people who really do not want to give into their attraction. Great tension and banter. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sweet cute friends to lover romance. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

I listened to the audiobook as a standalone, I don't think there was any issue not knowing other backstories.

Hailey has decided to put all her money into moving and starting a new business. Since she's never owned a business before, she doesn't get off to a great start, opening before she's got a functioning website, online presence, or even business cards. To nobody's surprise, this results in no customers, until she meets Wes, and the ladies nextdoor, and they more or less help her figure out all the stuff she needs to help her business.

Wes and Hailey are sworn buddies because they're both stuck in their heads and businesses and generally have trust issues. There were misunderstandings galore and these two both needed a self esteem boost. Hailey is more than happy to receive help in the form of referrals and website help, but when Wes wants to solve some issues with money, she's ready to jump ship. The friends-to-lovers bit was a bit lukewarm and rest assured the lovers part was def PG. The blow up at the end really made me dislike Wes, but it was otherwise pretty cute.

The narration by Stephanie Willing; Timothy Andrés Pabon was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an early audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this friends to lovers romance. I thought their meet cute was was really cute. It was nice to see their friendship develop to a romantic relationship. I also really enjoyed the friend group. I didn't realize this was the third book in a series but I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone. The big conflict at the end of book seemed to come out of nowhere for me but it was quickly resolved. I did think that the narrators did a really good job. I would recommend to fans of the friends to lovers trope.

LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED!!!!! Would recommend this book to everyone!! It was relatable with life choices & decisions made the characters, what we as people strive for in relationships and what we all want, a good ending! And I loved the narrators!!! Would definitely love more from this author and narrators!

I listened to the audio book from netgalley. This was a really cute, easy listen. I appreciate romance that shows healthy relationships. Also, since I always want to eat food from books I'm reading this one made me crave salad which is nice! I didn't realize it was book 3 when I requested it but it was fine to read as a stand alone. I'll be checking out the other books in the series.

Did I realize this was book three... No
Does that impact the story line at all ...NO
This book can work as a stand alone since the other books follow the other brothers, however it will give you more backstory into the other characters.

Haley.
My heart goes out to her. Girl worked her butt off only to be treated like crap by an ex. Sells what she has and goes after what she truly wants in life. Also being able to have a salad shop to get food from is literally something I think about all the time, no lie. I love her and how she truly cares about people's hearts and how they treat people rather than how much money they have or the flashy things they can provide.

Wes.
Grumpy with a good heart 1000% Truly cares for those around him and wants to take care of them in any way possible but also tends to use his money to do so. His past trauma with his dad is why he needs therapy!

This is a super cute Grumpy/Sunshine meet cute I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for my honest review

A Guide to Being Just Friends (Jansen Brothers #3)
by Sophie Sullivan

A playful and emotional romantic comedy from the author of Ten Rules for Faking It

You don’t need to read the prior books (each of three brothers stars in a book with their own romantic comedy) but you’ll appreciate some of the little things more if you’ve read them all. This is a light, fun romantic comedy. I’ll miss these characters and their lack of communication shenanigans.

*Thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

I really enjoyed this audiobook!

Hailey is a small business owner of By the Cup - a salad shop (that I would love to visit in real life!). Wes is way out of her league and is committed to not falling in love. This story is a fun romantic comedy and very Hallmark-y. Great storyline and not too many additional characters. A feel good, must read for modern romance fans in 2023! I didn't realize until after I listened to this audiobook, it's actually part of a series. I read as a stand-alone and will be finding the other books in this series soon!

A very special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was extra cute, and the voice actors were top notch! I don’t usually read closed door spice, but this book was so interesting without it. It’s rare to find a book that keeps me enthralled in such a way, but Sophie Sullivan has really mastered the art of entertaining romance! This book was a wonderful read!

the book was good it was kind of scary how much a related to the characters in the beginning it was almost like same person different front the characters were cute i liked wes he was sweet and you could tell you liked hailey even if he kept on denying but some times he got a big mouth and says some things that just don’t sound right as for hailey she cute like i get her a lot and like she really sweet there were some parts were it was just like cringe like i get why she said it i would have done the same thing just maybe use different words but in all this was such a cute romcom and don’t even get me started on the side couple like noah and grace were cute but what i’m really taking about is chris and everly like i haven’t read their book but i know for a fact that i definitely am planning on reading their book eventually THANKS FOR THE ARC!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and net galley for this Audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a cute friend to lovers sorry about Wes, the eldest of the three Jansen brothers, and Hailey, the new girl in town. Wes mistakes Hailey for his blind date and things start out rocky between them. Their relationship builds into a close friendship when Hailey realizes she had feelings for Nate.

My favorite parts of this book were:
✨️the familial banner between the Jansen Brothers
✨️Hailey and Wes adorable friendship
✨️the charity work the two MCs did throughout the book
✨️the audiobook narrators

What I didn't love:
✨️Honestly, they seemed like better friends than lovers
✨️Hailey deserved better than uptight Wes
✨️Slooooow burn

If you were a fan of the other books in this series, maybe this book is for you. It just wasn't for me.

This was a really fun strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story. I thought Wes and Hailey were really cute together and I loved the emphasis that was put on their friendship and how that developed into a romantic relationship. The supporting characters and friend groups were great and really added to my enjoyment of the story. I though it was a little weird that the narration switched from 1st person in Hailey's POV to 3rd person in Wes's POV, but overall I enjoyed this one!