Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I am now craving salad! I really enjoyed the first half of this book. But Hailey and Wes both started grated on me. They had so many hang ups and weird feelings about things. I do not believe they would ever really be able to move past that without serious therapy.
I love how fun and positive this book is despite the fact that it touches on some sad family relationships that majorly affect how both Hailey and Wes approach relationships.
Hailey is restarting her life after moving away from her awful ex. She's excited to open a salad shop and willing to put in all the work. Wes is in California with his brothers to get away from their awful father and run their business how they want to. They've both declared they're not looking for a relationship and form a beautiful friendship of support and understanding, but they're perfect for each other and feelings can only be denied so much. Seeing their relationship develop and how things from their pasts keep them from reaching out for what they know will lead to happiness adds great emotion to a story that is as fun as it is romantic.
We also get great looks at how things are going with the two brothers we met before and their perfect relationships, which is a great little bonus. That said, I don't think you need to have read previous books to fully enjoy this one but I do recommend it because those are great.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the sweet romance read!
Hailey is restarting her life after moving away from her awful ex. She's excited to open a salad shop and willing to put in all the work. Wes is in California with his brothers to get away from their awful father and run their business how they want to. They've both declared they're not looking for a relationship and form a beautiful friendship of support and understanding, but they're perfect for each other and feelings can only be denied so much. Seeing their relationship develop and how things from their pasts keep them from reaching out for what they know will lead to happiness adds great emotion to a story that is as fun as it is romantic.
We also get great looks at how things are going with the two brothers we met before and their perfect relationships, which is a great little bonus. That said, I don't think you need to have read previous books to fully enjoy this one but I do recommend it because those are great.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the sweet romance read!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an arc of A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan.
When I requested this book, I did not know that it was the third in a series! I don’t think reading this book first hindered my enjoyment of it nor do I think it would hinder my enjoyment of going back and reading the first two.
This is a slow-burn, dual POV, friends to lovers romance, but without ANY spice! The chemistry between our two main characters, Wes and Hailey, is palpable, but this is a VERY slow burn. They feed off each other and I found myself audibly laughing at their banter on more than one occasion. I loved all the side characters as well, which if you've read the first two books, I'd wager those are some familiar faces.
This book was an enjoyable read, but a little too slow for me. It was clear about a third of the way through the book that Wes and Hailey were lying to themselves about their feelings, and at that point, I just wanted the story to get going.
I have no doubt if you enjoy a slow burn, friends to lovers, clean romance with some quirky side characters, that you will really enjoy this book! Although the pacing didn’t work for me, the writing is good, there are lot of great moments, and if this book is your style, I'm sure you will get all the warm fuzzy feelings you are looking for!
When I requested this book, I did not know that it was the third in a series! I don’t think reading this book first hindered my enjoyment of it nor do I think it would hinder my enjoyment of going back and reading the first two.
This is a slow-burn, dual POV, friends to lovers romance, but without ANY spice! The chemistry between our two main characters, Wes and Hailey, is palpable, but this is a VERY slow burn. They feed off each other and I found myself audibly laughing at their banter on more than one occasion. I loved all the side characters as well, which if you've read the first two books, I'd wager those are some familiar faces.
This book was an enjoyable read, but a little too slow for me. It was clear about a third of the way through the book that Wes and Hailey were lying to themselves about their feelings, and at that point, I just wanted the story to get going.
I have no doubt if you enjoy a slow burn, friends to lovers, clean romance with some quirky side characters, that you will really enjoy this book! Although the pacing didn’t work for me, the writing is good, there are lot of great moments, and if this book is your style, I'm sure you will get all the warm fuzzy feelings you are looking for!
A Guide to Being Just Friends is the close to Sophie Sullivan's Jansen brothers trilogy. Readers get an insight into Wes, the uptight brother who handled most of his dads verbal put downs and recently moved to live with his brothers. We also meet Hailey, a salad shop owner who wants to do things her own way. Both quickly become friends navigating the new city and going grocery shopping. But will they be able to stay just friends?
While I loved the friends to lovers relationship between Hailey and Wes, the would they/ won't dragged on. This story could have been cut shorter to make the flow better. I enjoyed listening to Timothy Andres Pabon narrate Wes's point of view.
Thank you Macmillan audio and St. Martin's Press Romance for my alc and arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
While I loved the friends to lovers relationship between Hailey and Wes, the would they/ won't dragged on. This story could have been cut shorter to make the flow better. I enjoyed listening to Timothy Andres Pabon narrate Wes's point of view.
Thank you Macmillan audio and St. Martin's Press Romance for my alc and arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Guide To Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, The Author, Sophie Sullivan, as well as NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of A Guide To Being Just Friends
I love friends to lover’s troupes. Let me tell you that this one did not miss. Wes and Hailey's characters are so well written, and the development was well done as well. I’m sure this is probably the reason why I liked the book as much as I did. I had no idea at the time when I requested this from NetGalley, that this was the third book of a series.
This story follows Wes Jansen and a new shop owner Hailey Sharp. Hailey is starting to open her new shop, and it’s been challenging to say the least. Wes and Hailey have a cute moment in a coffee shop after a misidentification by Wes. They both thought this was a once encountered moment, but they run into each other again after Hailey's company is hired to provide salads for a meeting that Wes is at. Things progress and their friendship grows, neither wanting more due to experiences from past relationships.
Hailey and Wes together, and their relationship...when they got there because this was a slow burn...but very cute. It was refreshing that, for the most part, they had a functional line of communication and were able to see from each other's points of view. Hailey with her strong independent mind set and Wes with only wanting to help Hailey succeed and protect her. I enjoyed Hailey and Wes’s characters and was rooting for them, but I am always a sucker for the independent woman and protective/supportive male relationship!
After my enjoyable experience with this one, I am planning on picking up the other two books. Although I hadn't read the first two books, it was completely fine. This book stands strong on its own and does a great job incorporating the previous characters into the narrative. You have time to read the first two books in the prior this one being released!! (Jansen Brothers Series)
Book #1 Ten Rules For Faking It (2020), #2 How To Love Your Neighbor (2022) #3 A Guide To Being Just Friends (Jan. 17, 2023)
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, The Author, Sophie Sullivan, as well as NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of A Guide To Being Just Friends
I love friends to lover’s troupes. Let me tell you that this one did not miss. Wes and Hailey's characters are so well written, and the development was well done as well. I’m sure this is probably the reason why I liked the book as much as I did. I had no idea at the time when I requested this from NetGalley, that this was the third book of a series.
This story follows Wes Jansen and a new shop owner Hailey Sharp. Hailey is starting to open her new shop, and it’s been challenging to say the least. Wes and Hailey have a cute moment in a coffee shop after a misidentification by Wes. They both thought this was a once encountered moment, but they run into each other again after Hailey's company is hired to provide salads for a meeting that Wes is at. Things progress and their friendship grows, neither wanting more due to experiences from past relationships.
Hailey and Wes together, and their relationship...when they got there because this was a slow burn...but very cute. It was refreshing that, for the most part, they had a functional line of communication and were able to see from each other's points of view. Hailey with her strong independent mind set and Wes with only wanting to help Hailey succeed and protect her. I enjoyed Hailey and Wes’s characters and was rooting for them, but I am always a sucker for the independent woman and protective/supportive male relationship!
After my enjoyable experience with this one, I am planning on picking up the other two books. Although I hadn't read the first two books, it was completely fine. This book stands strong on its own and does a great job incorporating the previous characters into the narrative. You have time to read the first two books in the prior this one being released!! (Jansen Brothers Series)
Book #1 Ten Rules For Faking It (2020), #2 How To Love Your Neighbor (2022) #3 A Guide To Being Just Friends (Jan. 17, 2023)
While I haven't read the first two books featuring the Jansen brothers, and was a bit worried I might need too, I learned that A Guide to Being Just Friends works wonderful on it's own, and I can't wait to go back and meet the other two brothers and learn their stories. MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
I loved Hailey's character. I loved how driven she is, how determined and how strong-willed she is. I love a story featuring a strong woman entrepreneur who is out there chasing her dreams. The story is definitely a slow-burn romance and the plot lines felt familiar - SPOILERS! (girl meets boy, becomes friends, discovers romance, has a fight, breaks up, and gets back together) but the overall plot was really good.
Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
I loved Hailey's character. I loved how driven she is, how determined and how strong-willed she is. I love a story featuring a strong woman entrepreneur who is out there chasing her dreams. The story is definitely a slow-burn romance and the plot lines felt familiar - SPOILERS! (girl meets boy, becomes friends, discovers romance, has a fight, breaks up, and gets back together) but the overall plot was really good.
Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
I absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed how for a huge chunk of the book and the very beginning of the friendship, they you were just two people who were just friends until this feeling ended up going in a deeper, different direction, even though we always knew it would. I appreciated how Hailey had a hard time trusting and Wes was always ready to fix his friends’ problems. They also were closer to each other in a way that wasn’t really possible with the other people in their lives. I would highly recommend this book.
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook to review.
I guess I should have looked at my review of the last book in the series before requesting this one. There were some cute parts but overall, I was bored. The storyline did not grip my attention much to the point I definitely checked out while listening multiple times and can’t even recall what happened despite just finishing it.
I guess I should have looked at my review of the last book in the series before requesting this one. There were some cute parts but overall, I was bored. The storyline did not grip my attention much to the point I definitely checked out while listening multiple times and can’t even recall what happened despite just finishing it.
Final rating: 3.75.
This was a good book. It had slow burn, friends to lovers, a strong female protagonist, and a bunch of adorable and complex secondary characters. However, Wes as a character annoyed me. I understand his motives and even his personality to an extent, but overall he just irked me. He kept preaching logic, logical thinking, practicality, but is constantly acting illogically and being straight-up stupid. The multiple mentions of him loving to make games and code, and knowing that it’s his dads fault that he feels bad enjoying it, and then that thought line just NOT GOING ANYWHERE. That was just ridiculous. All of the brothers try so hard to cast off their father and his shadow, but when it comes down to it, it seems like Wes still has some casting off to do, and he just doesn’t and it’s not really mentioned seriously except by Hailey, and then it’s still never taken seriously. It might seem like such a small thing to be hung up on, but it just cemented the fact that I don’t like Wes, and even though him and Hailey are super adorable together and seem to be growing together, I’m still not convinced that they should be forever-loves.
This was a good book. It had slow burn, friends to lovers, a strong female protagonist, and a bunch of adorable and complex secondary characters. However, Wes as a character annoyed me. I understand his motives and even his personality to an extent, but overall he just irked me. He kept preaching logic, logical thinking, practicality, but is constantly acting illogically and being straight-up stupid. The multiple mentions of him loving to make games and code, and knowing that it’s his dads fault that he feels bad enjoying it, and then that thought line just NOT GOING ANYWHERE. That was just ridiculous. All of the brothers try so hard to cast off their father and his shadow, but when it comes down to it, it seems like Wes still has some casting off to do, and he just doesn’t and it’s not really mentioned seriously except by Hailey, and then it’s still never taken seriously. It might seem like such a small thing to be hung up on, but it just cemented the fact that I don’t like Wes, and even though him and Hailey are super adorable together and seem to be growing together, I’m still not convinced that they should be forever-loves.
To be completely transparent, this book was not for me. I did appreciate the fact that the characters went from strangers to friends to lovers. I feel like a lot of the time, friends to lovers romances begin with a pre-established friendship before the book begins. so that was a nice change of pace. The pacing of the book just did not work for me personally. I had a really hard time getting into it because the beginning just seemed really slow to me. I am also not a fan of third-act breakups as it feels very overdone. As far as contemporary romance books go though, this could definitely be someone else’s cup of tea. It just wasn’t for me. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.