Thank you to Net Galley and publisher for this e-arc!

This was such a sweet story of friendship, second-chances, and the soul-mate kind of romance. What a lovely debut novel! While friends-to-lovers and second chance romance are not typically my favorite tropes, I loved this story and these characters. This will be a perfect summer read.

“Friends to Lovers” by Sally Blakely is a cute, slow-burn romance about childhood best friends Joni and Ren figuring out if they’re meant to be more. The story jumps between past and present, showing how their relationship has evolved over the years.

I really liked the deep friendship between Joni and Ren—it felt genuine, and their history added a lot of heart to the story. But the back-and-forth timeline sometimes made it hard to stay fully invested. While the romance was sweet, the plot was pretty predictable, following a lot of familiar friends-to-lovers tropes without many surprises.

Overall, it’s a solid, enjoyable read, just not one that completely wowed me. If you love slow-burn romances with a lot of nostalgia, you’ll probably enjoy this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this read! Felt like People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry with the dual timelines, loved it!

Thank you to @htp_hive @htpbooks for the e-ARC of Friends to Lovers by @sally.blakely 🩵✨🐚 this gave all the good vibes and it’s so true that everyone said this gave off The People We Met on Vacation vibes ✨

One of my favorite reads are a friends to lovers second chance romance and this one delivered that! Joni and Ren are you two main characters and they have been best friends since they were kids. They make a pact together to be each others plus ones for a wedding they got invited to and the more time they have spent together on this trip sparks and feelings start to develop.

The chemistry between these two was so intense and you can tell it was there especially how well Sally described their connection in this book. Well done!

Looking forward to reading more from Sally as I believe there will be a book 2! 🫶🏼✨

Novel is releasing on July 22, 2025 🩵

This seemed like a Happy Place by Emily Henry reboot. Slow start, slow burn, lots of characters, friends become lovers (as the title suggests). Would have loved some more backstory on Ren and Joni as they seemed like somewhat surfacey characters.

This one was sadly not a standout for me. I had a hard time being placed in the story and understanding who all the characters were. With two families it was hard to keep track of who was related and just friends. I’m not sure the relationship also provided any new or interesting insights about romantic relationships. By the end I really wanted to love it but it felt like it was trying too hard to be Emily Henry.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Sally Blakely for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! Such a cute read, I could not put it down! It is very well written and grabbed my attention within the first couple of chapters. They are childhood best friends who would always be each others plus ones to weddings but they have not spoken to each other in 2.5 years. I do wish the book contained a few more chapters of Ren and Jodi as a happy couple though.


Tropes:
- Friends to Lovers
- Second Chance
- One Bed Trope
- Forced Proximity

Friends to Lovers

To be honest, I'm quite shocked that this is Sally Blakely's first novel. There was so much emotion and feeling to every sentence in this book. I loved it! She did such a great job writing their story from childhood to present day, so much so that you want to have had a childhood friend become your plus one for life. The supporting characters (siblings) added to the fun as well.

I truly couldn't put down this book and am hoping for another book some time soon from Ms. Blakely.

This was overall a great read. Thank you for the advance copy to enjoy!

This is “Happy Place” meets “People We Meet on Vacation”! And from someone who loves Emily Henry, this was really good! This book also has some of my favorite tropes, friends to lovers, forced proximity and second chance romance. The tension and the romance was immaculate.

-3.5 rounded up-
This book is the perfect summer book for reading on a beach! The main characters in this book are Ren and Joni, two estranged childhood friends who are reunited at Joni’s sister’s wedding. Friends to Lovers follows Joni and Ren’s path from best friends, to awkwardly avoiding each other at family events. I think the best comparison that I can think of is People We Meet on Vacation, which is also a vacation setting and has the same flashbacks that this book has. This book was very emotional, and I felt everything. For most of the book, I felt it was leading up to the point where we find out why they are estranged, which is honestly heartbreaking. I did think that the writing was a bit subpar at times, but I think the plot made up for it.

Features-
- Childhood friends
- Friends to lovers
- Second chance
- Forced Proximity
- Fake dating
- Weddings

Several of my favorite tropes all in one sweet story: best friends to lovers (title gives that one away obviously), second chance and forced proximity.

Friends to Lovers is told from past/present viewpoints and ties together perfectly at the end. Ren and Joni have been best friends since childhood and each other's "plus one" at any wedding event they were invited to. When life took them different directions, they agreed to keep one thing the same- they would always be each other's plus one.

I definitely got some "The Summer I Turned Pretty" vibes with the beach/beach house setting in addition to Ren and Joni's mothers being best friends. There was also a little bit of family drama and secret keeping that added some angst to the story.
Sally Blakely wrote a page turner because even though we know how romance stories typically end, I wanted to know exactly how Ren and Joni ended (or started) their story. You will absolutely be rooting for a happy ending for the two of them.

I loved this and would highly recommend getting it on your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

The friends to lovers trope is one of my favorites and romantic fiction. This novel does not disappoint. Excellent setting in chemistry between the two main characters. Believable depiction of situations between friends who become more. A fun read that is highly recommended. I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

This book was absolutely charming! I adore the friends-to-lovers trope. It’s such a sweet and cozy romance.

Friends to lovers, timeline jumps, late to the party love, personal strife - all things that makes this book enjoyable! I loved the way this book made me laugh, my heart slightly squeeze and make me root for Joni to “get it together lady!”. The premise of being each other’s plus one is adorable and laid a great foundation for the timeline jumps.

I enjoyed the yearning, tense, and fun takes on the sweet and tender moments. I don’t love the miscommunication aspects of this book, but could absolutely understand the need at times. Overall - a great read to have you rooting for another fictional couple!

I couldn’t get into it. I didn’t care about the characters. The writing was good but I just didn’t enjoy the story.

Awww the loved friends to loves trope and also second chance trope combined.... Can it get any better. The family feels and the best friend feels all wrapped up in one adorable book. Was such a quick sweet read with some drama. Absolutely enjoyed this book and can't wait to have a physical copy for my shelf.

Thank you Net galley for my arc of this book!!!

**Book Review**

This book beautifully captures the warm, fuzzy, yet complicated and confusing emotions of falling in love.

I saw so much of myself in Joni—her struggle with equating professional success to self-worth and her journey toward trusting her own feelings resonated deeply. She’s a beautifully flawed character, making her growth all the more compelling.

Ren, on the other hand, is such a lovable character. The way he patiently and passionately loves Joni through life is truly perfection. His unwavering support and quiet strength made him a standout in this story.

At times, the miscommunication in their relationship frustrated me to the point where I almost considered not finishing the book. But in the end, it was love that kept me invested—the love that had always surrounded Joni and, most importantly, the love she was finally learning to give herself.

This was an emotional, heartfelt read that perfectly captures the complexities of love, self-growth, and second chances.

I really enjoyed the story of Ren and Joni and the family plot line as well. The dual timelines kept the plot line interesting. I find I dont love when there is miscommunication between characters so that is why I took a star off. Other than that I enjoyed the book and would recommend to a friend!

There were moments of this that I enjoyed, but said simply, I just wanted/needed more. I wanted some more depth to Joni and Ren, so I could root for them harder. I wasn't fully invested in them until the end, and I wish that would've been more present throughout. I did like the inclusion of some wedding songs throughout, and while simple, I wish that thread would've been more of a thing throughout because that humorous add was a good balance to the serious stuff. I do love a friends to lovers, so did like that as a general premise. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this July 2025 release.

I adored this book so much! Best friends since childhood, Joni and Ren agree to always be each other’’s plus ones to weddings, until one night changes everything. Fast forward 2 1/2 years later and they are forced to reunite at their families shared beach house for Joni’s sister’s wedding.

I loved how the story continuously switched from past to present and how we got to experience Joni and Ren as best friends, and how inseparable they were. The tension, the forced proximity, the angst, I loved it all! Not to mention that Ren is absolutely perfect and my heart broke for him so many times with how vulnerable his character was. You can't help but root for this once in a lifetime kind of love story.

If you enjoy second chance romances with lots of nostalgia, yearning, and emotions, then this book is for you! Thank you to Sallly Blakely, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this lovely ARC.