When sparks fly is the story of two excellent friends who share everything, love of sport, hobbies, friends, a house ... But who have always kept the limit of their relationship to friendship. Declan categorically refuses to have a serious relationship with a woman because of his parents' experience which marked him. Avery dated a friend of Declan's for a while, but Declan's friend cheated on her. In short, Declan and Avery are friends and roommates.
After a series of events and bad decisions from Declan, they find themselves closer than ever. Declan tries absolutely everything to be forgiven and has to help Avery all the time. This physical closeness and the prospect of what they might have lost changes their relationship.
I loved seeing these two friends realize their feelings and declare them. Their relationship is very beautiful, before becoming lovers, they are best friends and it is the best basis for a couple.
Avery's sisters who are very protective take care of her, the three of them are a united family.
Our couple's friends are real friends, they want the best for everyone.
Declan made a big mistake, hard to forgive, especially considering what Avery has been through in the past, and even though he feels terribly guilty and works hard to deserve forgiveness, I wish Avery had forgive him less quickly.
Avery is adorable, she needs to please everyone, to take care of others, maybe a little too much. Declan has deep-rooted fears that lead him to make bad decisions. I appreciated that he was helped by a professional. Even the best friends and the love of your life can't save you from everything, sometimes you need professionals, there's no shame in that. Declan is ready to do anything to get better, to move forward, to rebuild a healthy relationship on solid foundations with the woman he loves. It is admirable.
This very touching novel addresses important themes such as friendship, fidelity, trust, forgiveness, redemption, family, mourning, love ... There is a lot of sensuality too. In short, a pleasant romance to read.

I so enjoy a friends to lovers story - and one where the friendship has as much history as this story really gets me excited.

Avery and Declan’s friendship dates back to their college days - they share friends, her sisters know him well, they know each other’s bad decisions - that’s a lot of baggage to overcome when you realize you are meant to be a whole lot more.

I really enjoyed reading as these two struggled and realized how important it was to grow as individuals in order to become a pair.

Helena Hunting has really spoiled us in the last year or two with new worlds and new groups of friends and I have really enjoyed meeting all these characters.

Pick this one up!!!!

Best friends becoming more is one of my favorite tropes and this one is wonderfully done. I loved the characters in this story. Avery is such an independent woman with fabulous friends and sisters. Declan is a wounded hero who tries to protect his heart. The friendship between Avery and Declan is a so close. I loved that they became even closer. The book was a roller coaster of emotions but I loved every minute. I loved that they both ended up helping each other heal. I am definitely a fan of Helena Hunting after reading this book! I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a fun friends to lovers story. Ms. Hunting has done a good job telling this story of how Avery Spark and Declan McCormick move on from best friends to a loving relationship after Declan, who was already Avery's roommate, spends lots of time with Avery caring for her after a car accident. I enjoyed reading along as this relationship develops. Avery and Declan sure do deserve their Happily Ever After.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

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

1 star

I did not enjoy this book at all. The writing was subpar. It was too simple and didn't invoke any sort of feelings. I finished the book because when I write a review I feel obligated to at least read the whole story. However, I did not care about the outcome at all. The characters were seriously underdeveloped, the dialogue was cheesy, and the story was way too cliché.

This quick light romantic tale is a perfect summertime beach read. Avery and Declan are engaging characters and they each have tragedies in their past that make committing to a permanent relationship difficult. Predictable story arc? Yes. But enjoyable and satisfying nonetheless.
#netgalley

Really enjoyed this rom-com from bestselling author Helena Hunting!

Avery Sparks is a lovable heroine, though defiantly frustrating at times! I really adored Declan, he is so caring and loyal- I wanted him to be happy so much. Their slow friends to lovers journey went just at the right pace! I liked how the author didn't rush them into something more- instead we got treated to the step by step journey and it made the turning point so wonderful. I do wish the side characters had more development, but overall this book was a fun ride.

If you're looking for a fun, happy romance read, pick up When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting.

This story was an entertaining romance. Avery Spark and Declan McCormick are best friends and have been since they met in college. Both are athletic and sports mad. Both are wary of relationships. Avery is busy with her event planning business, her sisters, and her friends. She doesn't have time to build romantic relationships.

Declan is the product of a broken home where his parents were constantly fighting and cheating on each other. It has made Declan relationship-averse and given him a deserved reputation as a playboy.

When Avery is in a car accident, Declan feels guilty for not being with her and decides to become her primary caregiver while she recovers from a broken arm, broken leg, and broken ribs. He should have been with her on the trip since he knows she hates to drive in the rain because of its reminder of her parents death, but he went out drinking and picked up a woman for a one-night stand instead.

The two of them become much closer when Declan has to do everything for Avery as she recovers. Both realize that they are in love in a whole deeper way than just the comfortable friendship they enjoyed for years. Their friends and her sisters recognized this much sooner than either of them.

But things don't go smoothly, Declan has a lot of issues that he needs to work through before he can trust relationships and be in one without the self-sabotage of his past. It takes therapy and a gradual rebuilding of their relationship before they get their happy ending.

I liked both main characters. I liked that there wasn't really a third outside party who has trying to ruin their relationship though Sam who was Avery's first big love and Declan's friend does play a role when he reappears in Avery's life.

Romance fans will enjoy this one.

This is the first book I have read by Helena Hunting and it will not be my last. This story begins with Avery and Declan. The are BFFs who live together. Neither one of them have ventured out of the friend zone. Avery is sporty and one of the guys. Declan is a heartbreaker with fear fo commitment. Declan's fear of commitment and subsequent player ways land him in hot water when he isn't there for Avery when she needs him the most.
Avery has an accident and the Declan feels that he must take care of her to make up for his mistake.
BFFs become lovers and we get to go along for the ride.
There are some endearing moments, hysterical moments and the book was such a pleasure to read. I was cheering Avery and Declan on from the beginning.
This was an easy read that I couldn't put down. It was well written and kept my attention. The writing was polished. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of her books.

This brand new book, and hopefully series, Helena Hunting takes us to Colorado Spring with the three Spark sister that run an event hotel, the Spark House.

I really enjoyed the plot and story arc of this book. Sometimes in romance we get everything tied up in a bow at the end, and this author took the time for healing, self care, and much needed therapy (yay, normalize therapy!)

While not the typical rom com that we’ve come to love fro Helena Hunting, this book takes us on a much more gentle and sweet romance of forced proximity, with two friends/roommates that have been denying their lust for each other.

With a swoony grovel by the hero, Declan is sure become your next book boyfriend.

*5 Stars*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

I devoured this book. I always love Helena Hunting books, and this was certainly no different. Avery and Declan's story is fun yet emotional, and packed with lots of great moments. There are serious issues in this as well as fun ones, and I just couldn't put it down.

I really liked the relationship they had, and found myself hanging onto every word and waiting to see what would happen next. Best friends to lovers is one of my favourite romance tropes, so it's no surprise that I loved this book.

I don't really have much else to say, apart from the fact that I enjoyed this thoroughly and I can't wait for more from Helena Hunting!

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF: 29%

This is my first introduction to Helena Hunting and based on the reviews I scrolled through, it's not a very good one. I had to stop reading because I knew I would never be able to suspend my disbelief enough to finish this book.

I read the summary; I wasn't under any delusions that this would be an easy romance. But I didn't think the male lead would be such a crap character. Declan is not a good guy and Avery deserves much better than him. Sure, maybe he redeems himself (though the reviews don't paint it that way), but I can't get over what a terrible friend he is in the first quarter of the book.

Like some other reviewers, I didn't love the very graphic car accident but I can separate my personal feelings on that from the rest of the story. It felt like everything happened too quickly in order to get to the car accident point because that's a driving factor for the rest of the story.

This is most definitely not a story for me.

Sorry to report this wasn't the book for me. I can see why some readers would enjoy it, and perhaps it was my mood, but it just didn't do it for me. I found the characters and situations silly and annoying so I'm thinking maybe I'm just the wrong reader. Clearly a lot of readers loved it given the 4 and 5 star ratings on NG but I'm going to move on to my next read. All the best to Helena Hunting and my thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read When Sparks Fly.

Avery and Declan are best friends since college and are currently living together platonically as just friends. Unfortunately Avery is in a car accident that leaves her badly injured, Declan who was supposed to be driving her that day is torn up with guilt and takes full responsibility of taking care of her.
Avery and Declan have always been attracted towards each other but it was shoved under their friendship. As they spend 24x7 with each other, they can’t hide anymore. Things seem to be going well when suddenly a blast from the past shakes things up.
This is a cute and fun friends to lovers read. I loved the friendship between Avery and Declan and enjoyed their development to more. There was some angst and I like how the author resolved it. Overall a sweet, cute and steamy read.

4.9 Stars

Avery + Declan

They've been besties since college and now they're even living together.
Avery works for her family's event hotel and Declan is in finance.
The one time Avery really needs Declan to be ready on time to drive them to their class reunion/ business opportunity, he's not ready - he still has an overnight guest in his room, plus he left his car at the bar last night - so Avery has to drive alone - in her old car.
That doesn't end good and we're really mad at Declan after that...

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ... 😍

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Adorable!

Such a cute romance!
I loved the whole setting. The family hotel - which they took over from their grandma - with its sometimes really weird events. Not just bachelorette parties. Nope. LOL!
And Avery and Declan are so cute together. They love watching sports and hanging out - and of course the reader is the only one aware of their love for each other. It might take those two a little while to figure it out.
I loved reading this! It was funny and sparky and sweet and just adorable!
Of course Declan got on our nerves a bit with his views on relationships. How he could never have a real one because his parents were horrible examples. But he'll get there in the end of course.

Can't wait to read the other two Sparks siblings books!

► WHEN SPARKS FLY was an adorable + funny + sparky + sexy + sweet BFFs-to-lovers love story! I just loved it! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Deck- he'll be sold out in no time!

As a long time fan of Helena Hunting’s writing, I really wanted to love this one. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, but Declan and Avery’s transition to more felt a bit forced. I understand that the accident and aftermath put them in a bubble together all the time and that there were reasons for them to bury their feelings all these years, but for them both to be so oblivious for so long was a lot to accept.

Declan was a hard character to love. He was a loyal friend and it was sweet how attentive he was while Avery healed, but the reason she was in that situation in the first place bothered me. I know Declan’s choice will be a deal breaker for some readers, so please check the content warnings before jumping into this one. I found his behavior overall pretty toxic (especially in the last quarter of the book), but I understand that his numerous previous extracurriculars, inability to control his jealousy, and his difficulty with relationships was all part of his character arc. I’m glad that this was addressed at the end of the book and that Declan and Avery took time to get healthy and take care of themselves so that they didn’t fall back into destructive old habits.

The epilogue was very sweet and thoughtful and it was a great way to highlight the connection these two have shared through the years. A lot of wonderful secondary characters were introduced in this one and I would definitely be interested to see them find their own happily ever afters. Perhaps we’ll see a story for London or Harley next.

CW: automobile accident (on page, detailed descriptions), death of parents (automobile related), PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, parental infidelity, strained parental relationships, cheating ex, drugs (pot brownies), some OW drama (main character has a one night stand and later receives a proposition from a previous sexual partner)

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Avery Spark is a busy event planner with her two sisters at The Spark House. She has close friendships with a group of guys from college, but she is closest with her best friend and roommate, Declan. After a jealousy-fueled one night stand, Avery gets into a car accident leaving her dependent on a guilt-filled Declan. Sparks begin to fly as the two best friends realize there might be more to their friendship.

I'm a sucker for any friends-to-lover story, and this wasn't an exception. The plot summary sounded cute and funny and it mostly delivered. I loved how the story was told from the alternating perspectives of Declan and Avery and how we get glimpses into the past of their friendship. Avery and Declan are two likable characters despite making some pretty bad decisions. While I enjoyed this read, I would have liked a little more buildup between Delcan and Avery, as it felt like things got kind of rushed. Overall, I really enjoyed this read.

Avery Spark, along with her sisters, runs Spark House in Colorado Springs. The family-owned business welcomes weddings, corporate meetings, parties, etc. Avery works very hard keeping it running since the sisters lost their parents some years before, and now that their grandmother has retired, she is in charge. Avery lives in a nice condo that she bought with her best friend from college, Declan. Being such an athletics loving gal, Avery hangs with Deck and other of their guy pals playing sports or watching them on TV while drinking beer and snacking.

Declan has alley cat morals going through random hookups and a string of women using the excuse that his parents have been a very bad example relationships comprised of cheating and fighting. Avery doesn’t seem to mind her roommate’s sleazy habits until they come to play in a big let down for her culminating in a very bad wreck. Declan feels extremely guilty vowing to care for Avery while she recovers including helping with her most basic and everyday needs. Not surprisingly, this closeness brings out other hidden feelings both of them have had for a long time.

Their relationship goes from friends to lovers until an unexpected call from the past sends Declan into a tailspin wrecking their relationship and causing a lot of hurt feelings. Both Avery and Declan made mistakes; however, he is the one that needs to get his head on straight to have any kind of real relationship. After the split, it takes months for Avery and Declan to get back together with a kind of slow-crawl texting, video call, meet in public kind of thing that gets really tedious and is less than satisfying.

This is a cute and quick read. I read it in just a few hours and enjoyed it overall. It wasn't an all-time fave but was the perfect beach book and I really liked Declan and Avery. I just wanted a little more depth and to see more of her sisters. ⭐⭐⭐💫 I recommend for fans of My Favorite Half Night Stand.

Best friends to lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes and Helena Hunting nailed this one! From beginning to end I devoured this story, needing to know how different things were going to play out for Avery and Declan.

I loved Avery, she’s strong and sassy, and independent. Watching her navigate through her independence being semi taken away from her due to the accident was so heart wrenching at times, but also uplifting too. She didn’t give up and worked hard at her recovery.

Declan…ugh loved him so hard too! His playboy days are put behind him after Avery’s accident, and watching him care for her was so sweet. His moments of guilt were so sad, but I loved him taking accountability for himself and making Avery a priority as well as his own mental health!

All in all this was a fantastic book. Both Declan and Avery have serious baggage, but they figure out how to navigate it together in a great way. Helena is a go to author for me, and I really hope she writes stories for the secondary characters in this book as well!