I absolutely adored Friends to Lovers! It's the perfect blend of humor, heart, and a whole lot of swoon-worthy moments. Charlie and Alex are the ultimate friends-to-lovers duo. Their banter is hilarious and their chemistry is off the charts. I was constantly laughing out loud and swooning over their interactions. I loved how their friendship slowly turned into something more. It was so sweet and heartwarming. The small-town setting is super charming, and the supporting characters are lovable and quirky. I especially loved Charlie's best friend, Jess. She was so funny and supportive. If you're looking for a fun, flirty, and feel-good romance, Friends to Lovers is the perfect book for you.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is the perfect slow-burn romance! It’s about two longtime friends who start to realize there’s more between them than they thought. The chemistry builds naturally, and you can’t help but root for them.

I loved how the relationship developed—it felt real and sweet, with just the right amount of tension. If you’re a fan of friends-to-lovers stories, this one’s a great pick. Perfect for when you want a light, feel-good read!

Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Carley Fortune! I loved this one so much, and it gave such amazing summer vibes.

This was an enemies to lovers that definitely gave Emily Henry vibes. She is an autobuy author for me so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed this read. Who can resist a beach setting? The only negative was Joni is a pretty frustrating character.

Friends to Lovers is a heartfelt, swoon-worthy debut that perfectly captures the beauty and complexity of falling for your best friend. Joni and Ren’s annual tradition of being each other’s plus-ones for wedding season is both charming and bittersweet, especially as their unresolved feelings and past heartaches come to light.

The dual narrative adds depth to their story, allowing readers to truly feel the weight of their friendship-turned-romance and the emotional stakes of their choices. The stunning beach setting and warm, nostalgic vibe make this the perfect summer read, while the tension between Joni and Ren will have you rooting for them until the very last page.

Perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty and People We Meet on Vacation, this is a tender exploration of love, loss, and the question of whether the strongest friendships can turn into something more.

You know the feeling when you don't want to go to the gym, but you know you're going to feel great afterwards? You know it's going to be a good decision after the fact, but going through the work of getting to the afterwards is exhausting. That is how I felt about this book. You know from the title how it ends, but dang I did not want to go through the messy, relationship building part of the book.

Ren and Joni have been best friends their whole lives. When Joni decides to move to New York to follow her dreams, they make a pact that they will be each other's wedding dates no matter what. Of course, life gets in the way and things get complicated. Now, 2 1/2 years after the last time they've seen each other, they're forced to see each other again at Joni's sister's wedding. How will they ever get through the wedding week without drudging up feelings?!

Ultimately, I loved this one. I hated that I had to go through Ren and Joni's past to get to their future, but that is the life I've chosen as a romance reader. Thanks to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for eARC!

Joni and Ren grew up together, with their parents sharing a beach house. In the present, they are reunited after not speaking for 2.5 years. The book then flashes back to their relationship over the years. I loved Ren, but Joni was a pretty frustrating character. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Friends to Lovers is such a beautifully written, heartwarming debut. Joni and Ren’s story had me hooked—(it’s 3 a.m. as I write this 😅).

The writing was descriptive without being overdone, painting such vivid scenes that I could totally see this as a movie. The capture-the-flag game? Adorable. I legit want to play!

I wish it had been dual POV because I need to know what Ren was thinking, but even so, the romance was swoon-worthy, funny, and so full of heart. And the playlist at the end? Perfect touch.

This was such a fabulous debut. If you love warm, heartfelt romances with vivid imagery and lovable characters, you won’t want to miss this one. I’m already excited to see what Sally Blakely writes next!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

This is such a cute story and a great introduction to Sally Blakely. I fell in love with both the main characters and their story. The setting, the story, it was all absolutely wonderful and I can’t wait to read the next book that Sally comes out with.

Wow, I LOVED this book. I was invested in the characters and the relationship between Joni and Ren so quickly. I thought the time jumps were well done and easy to follow. I loved how the author used weddings as timestamps for the past and the connection to Stevie’s wedding in the present. I find the friends to lovers trope tricky - it can easily feel unnatural or cringey, but I didn’t feel that at all in this book. Joni and Ren’s connection was so natural; I felt like one of their family members being like “yeah duh of course you love each other you silly gooses!” Only two things I didn’t love: 1. The title. It’s just named after the trope, which feels a little weird and plain, but then again, this book is literally the definition of friends to lovers, so maybe it works? 2. I found some of the characters pretty one-dimensional (primarily Thad and the parents). It wasn’t crucial to the story, but I would have enjoyed more from Thad.
This was a 5-star read for me. A telltale sign is when I find myself thinking about the characters when I’m not reading and going back to reread parts after I finish the book. I loved it and will absolutely be getting this in print when it comes out.

Oh my gosh, this is the friends to lovers book of my dreams. If you have a serious hangover from PWMOV, let me introduce you to your remedy. This book has the best of friends to lovers—the pining, the chemistry, the ‘right person wrong time’. I am a huge fan and can’t wait to see what comes next!

I loved the story of best friends Joni and Ren as they navigate what went wrong in their friendship — the shifts between timelines provided a captivating way to continue seeing what happened. This was very reminiscent of Emily Henry's Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

grrrrrrr
this book changed me for the better and i don’t know what to do about it

it messed me up, ripped out my heart, left me aching on a hard concrete bench just because of how much of myself and what i want i saw reflected in Joni and Ren

there is no doubt in my mind that this absolutely is a five stars and that it needs to be read by all the hopeful dreamers out there who just want love to come in the form of the person who is all they’ve ever known

Sally Blakely takes us through the story of best friends Joni and Ren, as they are forced to face the issue that ended their life-long friendship. This books is reminiscent of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and shifts between timelines in a way that wants you to keep on going to see exactly went wrong. For those who love Emily Henrys "Happy Place", I think you'd like this one too. I'm excited to read future works from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

loved this romance of friends to lovers and what happened over the 5 years and going to weddings. Loved that things all came down to the week with family in the Portland area and figuring out their relationship. loved the family

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 4.75 rounded up.

It's easy to make comparisons to Emily Henry's "Happy Place" or her earlier "People We Meet on Vacation", or even Christina Lauren's "Holidaze" without the supernatural Groundhog Day-esque repeating. But this was its own gem of a story. Total Man Falls First friends to lovers, as the title says!

Told in Joni's first-person POV we explore her lifelong (since age 3) friendship with Ren as they reconnect at her sister's wedding to his band mate (okay Ren runs A&R so not IN the band, but he discovered them for his label) at their shared family cabin on the Oregon coast.

Joni and Ren had a falling out and haven't spoken in 2.5 years after HIS sister's wedding. Before that, they spend 4 years attending family & friend weddings as each other's plus one. With Ren staying in their Portland hometown while Joni was at her dream job in NYC, the weddings are their only time to connect and renew their friendship in person.

I really enjoyed the strong friendship focus within this story. Ren makes Joni playlists, she encourages his career, their families are intertwined, and they have a lot of inside jokes and history. But reflecting on all their recent time together shows both cracks and greater potential within their relationship.

While the central friendship is the main focus, we get some side characters. I loved Joni's sister Stevie for her dry wit and general support. I am unfortunately Sasha with my planning, and though my mom isn't a therapist, I understood the relationship Joni has with her mom. Joni also deals with anxiety, sometimes manifesting as attacks, which has been hovering over most of her life.

There are some lightly spicy moments but they're on the level of the referenced books at the start of my review. Also, the author listed a playlist at the end and I felt VERY cool for already knowing half of the list.

Yes! Summer beach read vibes galore. I loved the story's writing style, and I adore books with weddings! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have a love/hate relationship with this title - on one hand it hooked me immediately because FTL is one of my fave tropes…but also spoils the plot on the cover??? I was invested with these characters, but the plot lost some steam for me around 75%. The climax just didn’t have the payoff I was hoping for. (Tho I did appreciate the focus on emotion over smut!) All that to say, I was in from the jump with the Emily Henry PWMOV vibes and I enjoyed Ren and Jodi’s story. I would definitely read more from Sally Blakey. I give this one 3.5 stars.

Friends to Lovers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read this book if you like:
- Friends to lovers & 2nd chance romance
- Romcoms
- 30 y/o main characters
- Slow burn and a little spice
- Two close knit families with kids who grew up together
- Shared family vacation beach home
- Weddings
- Sobbing through the last 45 minutes of a book

I felt everything, every emotion, Sally Blakely, wanted us to feel through her words while I read this book. The happiness and the angst, the peace and the anger, giddiness and anxiousness, then the feeling of heartbreak and the feeling of falling in love over and over again… so many types of love - love between friends, love between siblings, love between a daughter and her mother and then the love of a soul mate. Throughout this book, weddings are a common setting and you get to experience not only the transformation of the main characters from friends to lovers, but also the love of their closest friends and family. This is an epic love story. Thank you, Net Galley, for the opportunity to read this ARC. I can’t wait for everyone to get a chance to read this book! @netgalley @sallyblakely #friendstolovers #netgalley #arc #bookreview #bookrecommendations

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is an absolutely delightful read. As I journeyed through the pages, I found myself rooting for Emma and Jake, childhood friends whose bond deepens into something undeniably special. Blakely does an incredible job of illustrating their relationship's evolution, capturing the awkwardness and joy of transitioning from friendship to romance. What stood out for me were the authentic moments of realization and vulnerability between the characters, making their love story feel incredibly real and relatable.

I could genuinely feel the tension and anticipation build, and even though the plot follows a familiar trajectory, the charm and chemistry between Emma and Jake made every moment enjoyable. The book balances humour and heartfelt moments beautifully, and I appreciated how Blakely portrayed the challenges of redefining a long-standing friendship. Overall, the book left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling and a renewed belief in love's transformative power.