Thank you so much for allowing me the chance to read and review this.

I did enjoy the book. I initially had to put it down because it didn't interest me at first but I picked it up today and was able to finish almost in one setting.

I do like a good friends to lovers books. I felt bad for Avery when she got into a car accident and even worse for Declan because he felt bad about it.

This book was a four star rating. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How do you know the book you read was 5 stars worth?
Well, one of the signs is if it warmed your heart to the point you feel like you're melting of pleasure.
Obviously, this is me figuratively speaking, but I am not far away from the truth, because this book really brought me so much joy. In other words, it reminded me why I fell in love with books in the first place.

The writing style was so addictive, I understand why Helena Hunting is popular in romance community.
She knows how to start a book to grab your attention, and she surely knows how to finish it.

The characters of the story were both likeable and relatable.
The story is written in first person, following Avery's and Daclain's POVs. If I am being completely honest, they did kind of sound the same, but I didn't mind it.

This story is somewhat personal to me as I was in a car accident myself and I was also at one point in my life a carrier, so I could understand both of the characters to some point.
Of course, this being a romance fiction it was sugar coated to a certain degree.

My favourite part was the last fourth of the book, when the writer (or I should say characters) approached to problems in realistic and mature way. It is what made this book special and of course, when it sums with the end, it made perfect friends to lovers story.

This is a really sweet friends to lovers romance from
Helena Hunting. It’s a standalone, not part of any other existing series.

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college, and they live together. When Avery is in a car accident that Declan feels responsible for, he volunteers to be her primary caregiver as she recovers. As they spend so much concentrated time together, they both start questioning whether their feelings for each other are strictly platonic.

I loved the relationship between Avery and her sisters, and their larger friend group. And Declan and Avery have a lot of chemistry. I also appreciated how the conflict was handled.

Thanks to St Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Friends-to-Lovers Romance

I really enjoyed this sweet funny romance, but be warned ... it starts out with a tragedy. The chemistry between Declan and Avery is undeniabe ... everyone can see it, but them. The characters are well developed and I loved the realistic banter. I sure hope that the other 2 sisters get a book!

Declan and Avery have been best friends since college, so they bought a condo together. Avery and her sisters own an events company, therefore Avery's weekends are busy and she doesn't have time to date, while Declan is a total playboy bringing home hook-ups all the time. Avery's parents were killed in a car accident, therefore she has issues with driving. But when Declan misses a planned alumni reunion, Avery takes off on her own for an hour's drive ... in the rain. Avery is involved in a car accident and ends up with a broken arm, leg and ribs. Declan feels responsible because he was supposed to be the driver, so he volunteers to be her caregiver till she's back on her feet. By spending so much time together, they take a really good look at each other and realize that maybe they are more than friends. Should they move their relationship to more than friends ... or are they better off just staying friends?

I received an early copy courtesy of St Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Swoon! I love a solid, well thought out, best friends-to-lovers story and Helena Hunting NAILED this one.

I often find, in many friends-to-lovers books, the friendship isn't as well established as I would like. In "When Sparks Fly", Declan and Avery are more than just the very best of friends. They've purchased a home together. They are as close as two people can be without being in a romantic relationship.

I enjoyed how Hunting told both sides of the story. You were able to see what both Declan and Avery were thinking and feeling. I loved how they came together at the start. Super creative (and HOT).

This book was sweet and fun. I loved it and I can't wait to see what else is next for the Spark sisters.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college, in fact, they are so close that that they are also roommates. They see the comings and goings of each other’s lives, have regular hang outs with the guys, and play soccer together. On a deeper level, they’ve always been there for each other through the serious side of life too.
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Declan has been there for Avery as she handles the grief of heartbreak — through romance and death, and Avery has seen Declan through the baggage of a toxic family. Though neither of them are perfect, they always see in the best in each other. However, mistakes are made and an accident occurs. Avery is physically hurt and Declan deems himself responsible. Therefore, he devotes his time to helping her through a difficult time. Throughout this process, sparks start to fly when they recognize they both have deep feelings for each other.
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Overall, I liked this one. I enjoyed the friendship that Avery and Declan had and even the chemistry that was fizzling between them. Those moments were undeniably smooth and sexy. However, I wasn’t totally on board for the quick transition of friends to lovers. Declan had an evident sexual history that Avery was fully aware of and yet she never questions it as they start to physically be together. I think that the two of them should have had a discussion about this to highlight the importance of asking important sexual questions to the reader. On the other hand, I appreciated how the author included topics such as forgiveness, mental health, creating boundaries, and therapy. It was refreshing to see the characters taking care of themselves in this way.
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I’d recommend this to readers looking for an entertaining, quick read.

What I really loved about this book was the fact that the author gave space to the characters to make their way back to each other. The focus on getting to the root of the problems was highlighted in this book.

Absolutely loved this story! The characters had me hooked from the first page. The chemistry was there and I enjoyed the build up. The dialogue was great to read.

Friends to lovers and forced proximity are two of my fav troupes. They totally worked in this one! What didn't work was the the actual characters. They both had deep "issues" but they were dealt with in an immature fashion. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I Avery and Declan better as friends.

This book is a super quick read, but I could just not get into it at all. I really liked Meet Cute and Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting, but When Sparks Fly just really fell short for me.

I am pretty picky about friends to lovers tropes and this one just did not work for me. I liked the protagonist enough, but I did not like the love interest, or really the premise of the story itself.

All in all, I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't.

What a sweet story! I adored this slow burn friends to lovers. It’s always nice to read about an athletic girl, who scores the sexy guy.

I always love a damaged guy too, who doesn’t?

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college. They live together, play sports and watch sports together, and have guys nights, until something happens and everything changes.

As an ortho physician assistant, I really loved the medical/orthopedic aspect to this story even more. Spark house sounded like an awesome event planning location, and I wish I had something like that closer to me.

I loved watching these two best friends navigate through to more, Declan was so attentive and thoughtful until he self sabotaged and Avery was so kind and ambitious, truly inspiring. I also adored her sisters and their friends.

Thank you @smpromance and @stmartinspress for an ARC for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were likeable and relatable. It was a little difficult to believe that a guy and a girl who met in college could be such close friends as to buy a condo together and never have questioned the status of their feelings until years later. And I feel like it jumped very quickly from Declan helping her after her injury to more physical.

This is a disappointing read but not a bad.

I didn’t feel the connection between the two. Their love seems to be more platonic by the time things start heating up It was too little too late.

This is a slower read. People who want a slow burn friends to lovers might like this book.

This was a very good friends to lovers book. I really enjoyed all the supporting characters also. Avery has a wonderful relationship with her younger sisters and her friend group. This was my first book by Helena Hunting, but will certainly not be my last.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Avery is going to attend a reunion with her friend and roommate Declan when he lets her down and she ends up in a accident.
When she is seriously injured, he is filled with guilt, and resolves to help her with her recovery.

They are spending all their time together and their new closeness leads to them becoming more than friends. but Declan never wanted relationship, so will he be able to change this for Avery?

Hoping that Avery's sisters get their own books next!

This was a fun romance and a very quick read!

I don't know if it needed to be told from two points of view - I think 3rd person could have worked just as well. This is because the main characters are pretty good at talking to each other directly about their feelings and concerns.

Both Avery and Declan are reasonably put together and grown up for almost thirty. They each have some big emotional baggage that throws some tension and conflict into their relationship but it doesn't prevent them from having stable friendships, jobs, etc. I like that they were realistic and flawed but not cliche. I liked that Declan worked on his trust issues himself with a professional. They both were good at recognizing where they went wrong, apologizing, asking for forgiveness and working to improve. I liked this realistic, adult approach instead of the heroine trying to "fix" the broken dude.

I'm guessing there will be two more Spark House books featuring the other two sisters, London and Halley. I hope that one has to be the fake girlfriend going to Mark's family reunion. His disastrous first date with a woman who turned out to be his second cousin was hilarious and it HAS to be a set up for a future book.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

With a title like When Sparks Fly, I expected sparks and passion between main characters Avery and Declan, but there were fewer than I hoped. It's a good book, and there's nothing inherently bad about it, we (the book and I) just didn't have the kind of sparks I expected.

Best friends Declan and Avery navigate their changing relationship after an accident leaves Avery dependent on Declan and brings the two closer in proximity than usual. I adored their relationship right away because they were completely attuned to each other, as best friends usually are, from sharing a love of sports to knowing one another's favorite foods. Although both have firmly friend-zoned each other, stolen glances suggest the lines aren't as rigid as they appear to be. Had it not been for the hints of long-buried attraction, I would have been perfectly fine with their relationship remaining platonic.

From a technical standpoint, all the events of the book fall in line with each other. It's planned well with nearly flawless execution. Similar to Hunting's other books, it all leads to a logical conclusion, even if there are surprises along the way. I've come to appreciate this about Hunting's writing, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy her books so much. From an affective standpoint, this particular book lacked the romantic tension and the emotional entanglements I often look forward to. The romance was a little disappointing. The sexual tension begins building after Declan becomes Avery's caretaker, but the sparks don't turn into fireworks. I was hoping for something that burned fiercer than what I got, which is not what I am used to with Hunting. Romances in her previous books that I particularly enjoyed always had some amount of longing that helped to bolster the impending romance. The romance here is more slow than slow burn.

What a fun little friends to more romance! I was able to devour it in a weekend and really enjoyed it! I loved Avery and Declan! They had a strong friendship and I was like hurry up and realized you two love each other!!! I also love Avery’s sister and their bond that steamed from tragedy!
When Sparks Fly is a great escape with a side of some 🔥🔥!! The storyline is your traditional friends to more that is so fun! There was some substance in the back stories and characters that was a nice bonus!

Helena Hunting’s latest romance features friends to lovers who deal with their forced proximity by becoming even closer. But can their friendship survive their relationship hang ups?

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college, and now are roommates too. They’ve always been very close, but since Avery broke up with her boyfriend, and Declan’s friend, Sam in college, neither one has seriously dated. But, when Declan discovers Avery is going on a date, he freaks out and immediately heads out to find a hook up. Since his one night stand is still around the next morning, he bails on his planned road trip with Avery. She proceeds to get into a serious car accident on the way. While dealing with his guilt over not being with her, Declan offers to take care of her when she gets out of the hospital. This new responsibility and proximity brings the two even closer together, and they are forced to deal with their deepening feelings for each other.

I liked but didn’t love this book. Declan and Avery are great characters, but I missed the banter and humor that shows up in my favorite Helena Hunting books. The story had tons of potential but didn’t quite get there for me. It feels like one bad thing after another happens and it doesn’t seem like there are enough fun asides to lighten the tone. Sparks definitely fly in this story, with lots of steamy scenes. If you are looking for a straightforward romance, When Sparks Fly will do the trick.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Full of potential just waiting for a spark to illuminate the dynamic characters, detailed story lines, and incendiary chemistry that I've come to expect from Helena Hunting, but sadly the flickering moments of potential in this friends-to-lovers romance never ignited into a satisfying read.

I always eagerly anticipate a new read from Helena Hunting, and while When Sparks Fly missed the mark for me I will still look forward to reading more of her books.

***Note: Potential trigger warning: As the blurb says, one of the main characters is recovering from a car accident. Which is described in the book as Avery experiences it, and may be traumatic for some readers.***