🌶️

This one took me a while to finish. I just reallly had a hard time connecting with Joni, even as a fellow anxiety sufferer. Maybe this was more difficult for me because I don’t like the miscommunication trope, and I kind of put it in this one because of how Joni handled (or didn’t, more aptly) things and ran. I adored watching Ren try to show her how much he loved her for so long, but my gosh I wanted to make these two kiss like my dolls when I was little long before it happened. Honestly, Ren was definitely the best main character in this story. His line declaring his love on the doorstep melted me so much I went back and just reread it multiple times. Still a good read, definitely worth it for Ren alone 😅

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 friends to lovers (duh)
💋 second chance romance
💋 miscommunication/lack of communication
💋 mental health rep
💋 forced proximity

Joni has given so much of her life to her job in New York City. A job that just fired her. So she is going to nurse her wounds at the vacation home a little earlier than planned before her little sister’s wedding to be able to put on a mask that everything is fine. She isn’t going to ruin her sister’s wedding. Only.. she’s not the only one that came early. Her lifelong best friend Ren is there, which makes sense since their families share the vacation house. But they have talked in a couple years since “the incident”. She already has one mask up, another isn’t going to make a difference.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy, all thoughts are my own.

I do love the friends to lovers trope so much, so this did not disappoint! Thanks for such a fun ride, I couldn’t put it down and quite frankly did not. Ha!!

2.5/5 ⭐️

The title of this book intrigued me even though I’m not a fan of the trope very much.

I unfortunately found this to not be that fun of a book. It wasn’t very exciting and was cliche to me.

We spent most of the book trying to find out why their friendship was ruined when it was, you guessed it: A GIANT CASE OF MISCOMMUNICATION. Ren tried to talk to her and Joni just refused. They are grown adults! Like whyyyy is this a thing. A legitimate reason to have a discussion and she decided for him they didn’t need to. That would automatically make me not like the book.

I personally was bored by Joni. She was just a one dimensional character. I didn’t get an idea of any sort of personality. And honestly Ren wasn’t that much better. I personally felt like the only person who did was the sister. She was described more than anyone in the whole book.

I feel like this could have been so much better but it just fell flat.

Thanks to The Hive for the eARC and audiobook!

The first half of the book completely hooked me—I really enjoyed the dynamic between Ren and Joni. Their interactions were fun and kept me turning the pages. However, after the halfway point, the story started to feel a bit monotonous and flat. Honestly, I wasn’t fully invested in the romantic relationship; if they had remained just friends, it wouldn’t have changed my enjoyment of the story.

When I started reading, I noticed some similarities with People We Meet on Vacation, especially the setup of two best friends who stop talking after an incident, alternating between "present time" and "past time." In the past timeline, the story focuses on their dynamic attending weddings together as each other’s +1, as they had agreed to always do. I usually love stories with dual timelines, but in this case, I didn’t care much about the past timeline. I also felt that the past events didn’t build the romance in a way that made it fully believable by the end.

That said, don’t get me wrong—I still enjoyed the book. It was cute, the characters were well-written, and I really liked them. I just expected a little more from the story overall.

Ren and Joni are life long friends and have always been each other's plus one at weddings. When Joni moves across the country for a new job, they plan to keep doing the weddings as they come up - traveling to each other when needed. Ren is seriously crushing on Joni and she is a little slower to catch feelings. I like the early part of the book - their banter is awesome and the playlists are fun.

They cross the line between friendship and romance at one of the weddings and it ruins their friendship for years - it's another wedding that brings them back home again and they work through their feelings finally.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I had extremely high hopes for this, all the tropes I love truly thinking that friends to lovers is my favorite. But, this was verrrrry reminiscent of people we meet on vacation (which is, controversial opinion, my least favorite emhen).

Joni and Ren, grew up together. From childhood besties to everything to wait feelings to more to estranged to coming together for a family wedding after having not seennor talked to each other in a few years but trying to keep up their BFF facade.

I wanted more longing, more chemistry, just more. The writing was easy to get into (this was without question a one sitting read) but the flashbacks and choppiness of the transitions to present day made it less seamless. I will definitely try this author again but unfortunately this story was not for me.



Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Friends to lovers to estranged to…?

The slowest of burns, complicated by the twists and turns of family-friend dynamics.

I was rooting for the couple and teared up a bit at the HEA. Overall, it made for a satisfying late-summer vacation read!

Thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for access to this e-book in exchange for my review!

#FriendstoLovers #NetGalley #hiveinfluencer #htphive

Well, sugar, let me tell y’all—I went into this book with sky-high expectations, bless its heart, because I’d seen so many glowing ARC reviews. And darlin’, it did not disappoint one bit. This story had nearbout everything I adore in a good romance. 😍
The two main characters? Family friends who’ve known each other since forever. Everyone always thought of ’em as best friends, but heavens, what happens when those sweet feelings start to grow into somethin’ more? Oh, my heart just about melted.
Now, this tale was told through both past and present timelines, and I’ll be honest with you—I’m not always a fan of that setup. But mercy, this one was done just right. Neither timeline outshined the other. The past slipped in at all the perfect moments, and the present was just as strong, standin’ tall on its own. The whole story felt richer because of it, like a quilt stitched together with love and care.
And talk about yearning—years and years of it, woven so tight you could feel the tension humming off the page. These two were so clearly meant for one another that the idea of them not being together felt like a downright tragedy.
What I truly appreciated was how well the other relationships were written, too. Families, friends, siblings, parents—all of ’em had their own meaningful arcs that added so much depth, instead of feelin’ like filler. It gave the whole story a sense of community, like sittin’ on a big ol’ porch surrounded by folks you love.
So, if you’re a romance reader, I can’t recommend this gem enough. It’s tender, heartfelt, and sweeter than peach cobbler on a Sunday afternoon.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is a sweet, nostalgic take on the friends to lovers trope! The story follows Ren (golden retriever dream guy) and Joni (the career-driven, anxious best friend who can’t quite see what’s right in front of her). The dual timeline past and present worked really well, giving just enough history to make their chemistry believable without dragging the story down. I loved the way Blakely captured the ache of almost crossing the line with a best friend, gave it major Emily Henry/Carley Fortune vibes. It was predictable at times and light on spice, but the emotional depth and mental health rep kept me going!

*~Best Friendsish to Lovers~*

Well, we need to protect Ren at all costs. What-a-guy.
The love between Ren and Joni was so deep and so beautiful and all the more heartbreaking at times. I just felt that pain of losing your best friend and feeling so lost without them and man, it messed me up a little bit. I loved the flash backs and felt like it made kept my attention throughout the story but I would have loved even more memories, maybe as little little ones, etc.

All in all, a wonderful story by Sally Blakely.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin, Canary Street Press, and Sally Blakely for an eARC of this story.

Friends to lovers was a nice read. It’s well written, I loved the pace with the dual timeline, the back and forth between the past and present was always nicely done with everything making sense as we went on. The past scene always gave just enough to understand the relationship but still leaving you wanting more so you couldn’t stop reading. The chemistry between the characters is spot on, you see how they understand each other in a way only lifelong friends can. The FMC was a bit clueless about both their feelings, but it still felt realistic, how you can always walk the line but you’re not sure if you both wanna cross it at the same time. The wedding settings made it interesting and to see that it was always their way to come back to each other was a nice way to tie all of it together. All in all, it was a good read, I had a fun time and I thought it was really well written.

Joni and Ren were both complex and so relatable. While friends to lovers has never been my go to trope, I absolutely ate up this slow burn childhood friends to lovers story. Sally wrote it in such a way that had me believing in and rooting for this relationship 1000%. It was full of delicate emotional moments as well as moments that had me laughing out loud. Overall, Friends to Lovers is a great summer romcom!

I’m a huge friends to lovers fan so I thoroughly enjoyed this read! My friend recommended this and I’m glad I continued through it. Joni and Ren had a really strong chemistry ❤️

I really wanted to like Friends to Lovers, but it just didn’t land for me. The premise had potential, but the execution felt flat. The pacing dragged in places, and instead of building tension between the friends, the romance felt rushed and underdeveloped, despite the lengthy timeline.

The characters themselves never quite clicked for me either. Their dialogue sometimes felt forced, and I didn’t feel the emotional depth that makes the friends-to-lovers trope so satisfying. By the end, I found myself more frustrated than invested.

AHHH! I was holding my breath until the very last page. “Friends to Lovers” was stunning - full of yearning, love, and vulnerability. I loved every second of this book and it COMPLETELY wrecked me (THE ENDING Y’ALL UGH!😭). This book is everything I could’ve hoped for in a novel. Sally’s writing was so immersive, real, and honest - I felt like I was right there with Ren and Joni, watching their story unfold. Falling in love is such a brave, beautiful, and vulnerable act. To give your heart to someone and to receive theirs in return is one of the greatest honors we can have as humans. Stepping into the unknown is terrifying, but if you are lucky enough to have someone by your side who makes the world a little less terrifying… hold onto that. 💕🥹 “Friends to Lovers” captures all of this perfectly. Just WOW! 🥹💕 thank you @sally.blakely for sharing this beautiful story with the world - I can’t wait to see what you will create next 💕

Disclaimer: I received a free audio and ebook review copy of this book from Harlequin Audio and Harlequin Publishing (Canary Press). All thoughts and reviews are honest and my own.

A cute and easy read that delivers exactly what the title promises. The friends-to-lovers trope is always a comfort, and this story had some sweet moments that made me smile. That said, it didn’t feel especially unique or memorable, and the pacing dragged in a few places.

Still, if you’re in the mood for a light, low-stakes romance that leans into familiarity, this one does the job. A solid three stars for me.

𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔
🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚🌊🐚

“ 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜’𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂.” - 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆

𝑹𝒆𝒏 𝑿 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒊 💕

This is a must read for readers who enjoy an Emily Henry or Carley Fortune novels. This was 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇 𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 meets 𝒫𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝑜𝓃 𝒱𝒶𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃. There was so much chemistry and romantic longing between Ren and Joni. Ren was the calm, steady and loveable golden retriever MMC that makes nostalgic playlists that include millennial anthems like “Mr. Brightside” (which seemed to give away how he really felt about Joni). Joni was the career driven, black cat FMC with anxiety who wants to prove to the world she’s strong.

The inside jokes, shared history, so many moments where they almost became more than friends but couldn’t quite commit were well written. There was a loveable cast of friends and family enjoying summer fun at a shared summer house. I especially enjoyed how Sally incorporated mental health into the story.

However if you are looking for plot twists you aren’t going to find it here. I gave this book three stars because it was predictable, the title gives it all away. It doesn’t meant I didn’t enjoy the story, I just found myself waiting for Ren and Joni to wake up and realize they had feelings for each other.

Also if you are looking for spice you won’t find much here, there’s a few moments that I swooned over including kiss scene during a capture the flag that was so romantic. 🥰

Thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for gifting me this advanced digital copy. The review and thoughts are all my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Canary Street Press/HTP for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

If you don't love friends to lovers then you should probably avoid this one. I found it to be perfect - it was sweet, emotional and just such a great feel-good romance. Jodi is a mess, and watching her come back from being fired from the job she gave everything to, and get to reunite with her former best friend? It was such a heartfelt arc for her!

This book is told in dual timelines - all we know is that she hasn't spoken to her former best friend in 2 years, and something bad happened, but now they're reunited at her sisters wedding. It was just a lot of fun watching them reconnect and get back together.

Such a perfect light read.

This book was so cute! I loved the storyline! The family seemed a bit toxic but I think that is what made their relationship so much better. It was kind of a miscommunication trope book which isn’t my favorite, BUT it was for kind of nice reasoning so I was okay with it. This kind of gave me the same feeling as reading love and other words and I loved it! Overall a great read!

This was such a sweet, summery read! The “plus-one wedding pact” between Joni and Ren was such a fun premise, and the tension of seeing them fake a friendship while clearly still caring about each other kept me hooked. I loved the mix of beachy vibes, wedding-week chaos, and second-chance romance. Perfect for anyone who likes their love stories with a side of nostalgia, humor, and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!