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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
This is a fairly stand-alone novel, last in a series about three wealthy brothers. I started reading it, was bored by it, dropped it after 40 pages, and went back to finish it and had to start over because I couldn’t recall a single detail.
The oldest Jansen, Wes, has sworn off love, and in the opposite of a meet-cute, accuses Hailey of being Hayden, his missing date, when they cross paths in the coffee shop where he is being stood up. Hailey is new to town and fresh off the Hollywood craft services circuit, recovering from an emotional abusive relationship and has started her own salad in a cup to go business right next door to a popular bakeshop. She quickly ends up in the inner circle of the Jansen brothers and their loves, and she and Wes agree to forgive and embark on a friendship. He helps her with technical and social media part of marketing, while she encourages his artistic talents. They cook, play video games, watch romance comedies and sci-fi thrillers and fall in love, denying it until a drunken kiss obliterates their friendship. Some angsting follows, they decide to make a go of it until something ruins it and they have to break up, have an epiphany, and get back together.
Something fell flat for me in this romance novel. The bones are there and the writing is solid (except for calling a path cutely paved, what does that even mean?), but I think it just seemed two-dimensional, from Hailey’s absent and obsessed with one another parents, to a kid from the community center with two doctor parents who are never around, who jumps in to become Hailey’s delivery boy, to the mysterious falling out with the Jansen brother’s mean father (maybe alluded to in other books in the series?) to the fast, fiercely loyal friendships and quick resolution. Maybe it’s that in spite of the title and a brief foray into Wes’s sketches of their inside jokes, a guide to just being friends isn’t delivered.
I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #AGuideToJustBeingFriends from #NetGalley.
The oldest Jansen, Wes, has sworn off love, and in the opposite of a meet-cute, accuses Hailey of being Hayden, his missing date, when they cross paths in the coffee shop where he is being stood up. Hailey is new to town and fresh off the Hollywood craft services circuit, recovering from an emotional abusive relationship and has started her own salad in a cup to go business right next door to a popular bakeshop. She quickly ends up in the inner circle of the Jansen brothers and their loves, and she and Wes agree to forgive and embark on a friendship. He helps her with technical and social media part of marketing, while she encourages his artistic talents. They cook, play video games, watch romance comedies and sci-fi thrillers and fall in love, denying it until a drunken kiss obliterates their friendship. Some angsting follows, they decide to make a go of it until something ruins it and they have to break up, have an epiphany, and get back together.
Something fell flat for me in this romance novel. The bones are there and the writing is solid (except for calling a path cutely paved, what does that even mean?), but I think it just seemed two-dimensional, from Hailey’s absent and obsessed with one another parents, to a kid from the community center with two doctor parents who are never around, who jumps in to become Hailey’s delivery boy, to the mysterious falling out with the Jansen brother’s mean father (maybe alluded to in other books in the series?) to the fast, fiercely loyal friendships and quick resolution. Maybe it’s that in spite of the title and a brief foray into Wes’s sketches of their inside jokes, a guide to just being friends isn’t delivered.
I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #AGuideToJustBeingFriends from #NetGalley.
it's good. more like a 3.5 for me. i enjoyed it.
it started kinda meh for me because i thought the friends to lovers romance very in your face. and i know, we know, it's that but you really dont have to put that theyre feeling more towards the other every chapter. lol. but as the book progresses, i enjoy it more. i get into Hailey's and Wes's life more. sometimes it gets a little bit cringe-y than usual on Wes's but yeah... idk how to defend that. but okay, he's your cringe-y older brother.
since i never really read the first two books, these are my additional comments: (1) it gets a little overwhelming with the cast (i also felt this when i was reading later books of the Bromance Book Club series and i've read all books somewhat in order), and (2) i'd like to believe that it's the same case with the previous books in the series but there's no spice in here. at all.
it started kinda meh for me because i thought the friends to lovers romance very in your face. and i know, we know, it's that but you really dont have to put that theyre feeling more towards the other every chapter. lol. but as the book progresses, i enjoy it more. i get into Hailey's and Wes's life more. sometimes it gets a little bit cringe-y than usual on Wes's but yeah... idk how to defend that. but okay, he's your cringe-y older brother.
since i never really read the first two books, these are my additional comments: (1) it gets a little overwhelming with the cast (i also felt this when i was reading later books of the Bromance Book Club series and i've read all books somewhat in order), and (2) i'd like to believe that it's the same case with the previous books in the series but there's no spice in here. at all.
3.5 stars
I received this e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review
This one was very cute! I think I probably would've enjoyed it more if I had picked up the other two books first (but honestly, that's a personal problem), but having not read those, I found this one easy to follow nonetheless. The premise was cute, and just the right amount of cheesy - they like each other, but they want to be just friends? Sign me up!! It had everything that I love about a good, fluffy rom-com.
That being said, I just couldn't get into it right away. bummer. At times, I found the plot just to be drawn out, and it was hard to keep me hooked - the way I like my romance books to be.
I really did enjoy it - I just wish it was faster paced.
I received this e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review
This one was very cute! I think I probably would've enjoyed it more if I had picked up the other two books first (but honestly, that's a personal problem), but having not read those, I found this one easy to follow nonetheless. The premise was cute, and just the right amount of cheesy - they like each other, but they want to be just friends? Sign me up!! It had everything that I love about a good, fluffy rom-com.
That being said, I just couldn't get into it right away. bummer. At times, I found the plot just to be drawn out, and it was hard to keep me hooked - the way I like my romance books to be.
I really did enjoy it - I just wish it was faster paced.
I really enjoyed this funny, sweet, slow-burn, friends to lovers romance. Hailey Sharp has opened her new restaurant and is solely focused on making it successful. Wes Jansen is an uptight, nerdy businessman who is more comfortable talking shop than small talk. He and Hailey have a not so cute 'meet cute' but end up becoming friends. They feel comfortable with each other and share ideas, and dreams they never shared with anyone else. Hailey is determined to make it on her own, with their vast financial difference, when Wes tries to help her or give her expensive gifts, Hailey declines. When their feelings start to grow into more than friends, they are afraid to act on it because they don't want to risk losing the one person who knows them best. When Wes secretly crosses the line, and Hailey wants what Wes Wes isn't able to give, will they be able to trust each other again?
Wes was so sweet, giving, and protective. He was always there for those he cared about, making sure they had whatever they needed. Hailey was determined, kind, and loving, making them such a perfect pair. I really enjoyed Wes's family, they were fun, loyal, and supportive.
Narrators, Stephanie Willing and Timothy Andrés Pabon did a great job bringing these characters and story to life. They delivered all the wit, emotion, and steam and I was totally lost in their performance.
Wes was so sweet, giving, and protective. He was always there for those he cared about, making sure they had whatever they needed. Hailey was determined, kind, and loving, making them such a perfect pair. I really enjoyed Wes's family, they were fun, loyal, and supportive.
Narrators, Stephanie Willing and Timothy Andrés Pabon did a great job bringing these characters and story to life. They delivered all the wit, emotion, and steam and I was totally lost in their performance.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.
I haven't read the other books in this series, but it felt like it worked well as a stand alone. Maybe I would have known more about Wes and his family (I think it's his side that is the series) if I'd read the others, but it worked out ok. I'm not a big romance reader, so don't really have opinions for different couple styles like many reviewers seem to comment on. I did enjoy the friends first aspect of the characters, but it seemed like that portion of their relationship was just too rigid. Maybe that's more real life for current days, and I'm out of touch, but it seems like though they started out as 'just friends', as time went on, one or the other would bring up the topic of maybe dating or being a couple. Or I'm out of touch, I don't know. Someone commented this book was "too clean to be adult romance but not clean enough to be clean YA" and that's how I felt too. The "rules" felt really regulated.
It was a cute story, overall. Not believable to me, but an enjoyable read. I'm going to go with a 2 star rating for "it was ok." I'm not in a rush to go find the other books in the series to get more of the characters. And I can't think of any of my reading friends that I think would really go for this one, so I doubt I'll be recommending it. (To be fair to the book, I'm a mystery reader and a lot of my book friends are sci fi/fantasy or thriller readers.)
I haven't read the other books in this series, but it felt like it worked well as a stand alone. Maybe I would have known more about Wes and his family (I think it's his side that is the series) if I'd read the others, but it worked out ok. I'm not a big romance reader, so don't really have opinions for different couple styles like many reviewers seem to comment on. I did enjoy the friends first aspect of the characters, but it seemed like that portion of their relationship was just too rigid. Maybe that's more real life for current days, and I'm out of touch, but it seems like though they started out as 'just friends', as time went on, one or the other would bring up the topic of maybe dating or being a couple. Or I'm out of touch, I don't know. Someone commented this book was "too clean to be adult romance but not clean enough to be clean YA" and that's how I felt too. The "rules" felt really regulated.
It was a cute story, overall. Not believable to me, but an enjoyable read. I'm going to go with a 2 star rating for "it was ok." I'm not in a rush to go find the other books in the series to get more of the characters. And I can't think of any of my reading friends that I think would really go for this one, so I doubt I'll be recommending it. (To be fair to the book, I'm a mystery reader and a lot of my book friends are sci fi/fantasy or thriller readers.)
* MILD SPOILERS* A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan was so fun! The pacing in the first 95% of the book was great. The tension built slowly and the task of being "just friends" became increasingly difficult for Wes and Haley. The packing in the ending was rushed. Wes brings up topics that are essential for couples to talk about ( wanting to get married, kids, etc.) and they get brushed to the side and do not get addressed as they should be. I just wish that these fears of Wes and Haley's were addressed properly and not brushed to the side. Altogether I enjoyed this book, I related to the MC (main character) Haley. My biggest issue was the pacing. I did not realize when I received this arc that there are two other books that predate it that follow Wes's brothers love story. Although the book read nicely without me having read them in my opinion!
* This ARC was sent to me by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
* This ARC was sent to me by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
I fell in love with both of these characters immediately. Both Wes and Hailey posessed characteristics that I could so closely identify with and struggle with on my own. The book itself was beautifully written and for being one huge miscommunication trope, it is done so artfully that you completely understand how and why it happens.
This book was such a cute romance that contained great banter, a salad shop, and baristas who mess up names on coffee cups. What was great about this book was the tension and I appreciate how it could be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. I loved all of the sweet moments between the large cast of characters, but especially those between Wes and Hailey. The descriptions of the salads were amazing and I wish “By The Cup” was a real store so I could visit and visualize all of the cute scenes that took place in the shop. Although I initially found the dialogue a little awkward, the plot soon swept me away. I look forward to reading any other books that Sophie Sullivan writes. In conclusion, I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light, romantic read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had to read the first two books in this series in order to properly review it (A Guide to Being Just Friends is the third Jansen Brothers story). The series overall is excellent, and I enjoyed Hailey and Wes' love story so much!
First of all, Hailey might be on to something with her boutique salad venture! Sophie Sullivan does an excellent job of setting up her characters and has a knack for making them interesting but relatable. Wes Janzen was set up in his brothers books, but now we get an up close and personal look at the eldest Jansen bro. He and Hailey start off on the absolute wrong foot, but recover to friendship status seamlessly. From there we are taken on a bumpy friends to lovers journey - and I loved every moment!
First of all, Hailey might be on to something with her boutique salad venture! Sophie Sullivan does an excellent job of setting up her characters and has a knack for making them interesting but relatable. Wes Janzen was set up in his brothers books, but now we get an up close and personal look at the eldest Jansen bro. He and Hailey start off on the absolute wrong foot, but recover to friendship status seamlessly. From there we are taken on a bumpy friends to lovers journey - and I loved every moment!