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!

Avery Spark’s lifelong dream is to run the Spark House. After years of hard work and sacrifice, Avery and and her two sisters have turned the Spark House into a premier destination. Avery might not have love, but she’s living her best life. That is until an accident brings everything to a screeching halt. With Avery immobile, Declan becomes her caregiver and lines begin to blur. Best friends since college, the attraction they feel for one another is undeniable. The more time they spend together, the lines begin to blur. As things get serious, their past threatens to destroy everything….

I thought this book was a cute read. It was a little slow in the beginning, but once I got in to it, I couldn’t put it down. I adored the friends to lovers romance with Declan and Avery. I loved watching the two of them grow and try to navigate their way through their feelings for one another. That being said, the road to happily ever after wasn’t an easy one for these two. Their story was filled with romance, family drama, and misunderstandings. I was curious to see where this story would go and how it would all come together in the end.

When Sparks Fall is a sweet friends to lovers romance. While I had an issue with the pacing in the beginning, I think this book is a solid and enjoyable read.

I thought Avery and Declan were great friends to lovers story. When Sparks Fly was a great story of best friends from college. Declan is the ever playboy scarred by his parents idiocy and disfunction. Avery likes Declan early on but sees how mannish he is and puts him in the friend category and then dates his best friend Sam who she finds attractive. Declan and the guys drop their friendship with Sam when he cheats on Avery and Declan continue to be best friends who live together. Their mutual friends and her sisters always wandered about the two if they would ever get together. A near tragedy has Declan caring for Avery in a way that crosses the boundaries and the two start to notice the other. A lot of growing pains on Declan's side and patience and understanding from Avery.

Such a cute, fun quick read!! Avery and Declan have been best friends since college… Avery gets hurt and is in need of some help and there is nothing better than your best friend…. This is where it heats up Declan realizes his feelings for Avery!! I like the book but at times it fell flat.. it was a cute romance and I really enjoyed the epilogue!

Ty to NetGalley for this early edition for my my honest review!!

I’ve been waiting so long for this book—and it does not disappoint!! Full of classic Helena Hunting love scenes and a great love story. An absolute must read in my opinion!

This started well but eventually dragged and while I can't say I didn't enjoy it, it wasn't really as nice to read as other books by this author. The premise was all right and the side characters engaging (though sometimes stole a lot of the show) but I felt there was too much talk about irrelevant stuff (like fake pony racing) and not enough focus on the relationship.

Helena Hunting is always an enjoyable read! When Sparks Fly met expectations. Avery, post accident, requires help from her roommate and best friend, Declan. Declan has to help her in many ways and of course "sparks fly!" This was a warmhearted and spicy read. I loved the characters and the writing. Thoroughly enjoyable and will recommend to fellow romance fans.

Thank you to Netgalley for advanced copy. I really wanted to love this book! Unfortunately, it fell flat. The premise of the hotel and meeting the grouchy caretaker was great. However, this read like a young adult book with very immature characters and storyline. I did not care for this book.

This story had me hooked with anticipation until the 40% mark. I feel like the build-up worked itself out too soon and left the story being more about the demons in the closets than what I thought I was going into. I was kind of discouraged by that.

However, I still loved the main characters Avery and Declan. Their interaction and romance seemed reasonable and realistic (and a little awkward at times 🤣). I was definitely in the 'duh' group with their friends.

I did appreciate the accident avenue for the story. I can totally see where this was hard for both characters, and the guilt associated with the accident was something I really felt for both characters for.

I liked how the writer touched on the eco-friendly side of business and the importance of it, but at the same time calling out all of our thoughts that too many people are afraid to say, yet still believe we need to do better. That was a laughable moment I got a couple chuckles out of.

I thought this was a pretty average, sweet romance. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it, but it was good overall.
It included friends to lovers and forced proximity tropes which I liked. I also appreciated that it was dual perspective because that allowed for a lot more understanding behind the main characters’ motives and feelings.
It was definitely cute but I felt like it was missing something. There wasn’t really any good banter and the romantic connection between Avery and Declan was physical for so much of the book that it was harder to see depth in the emotional connection later on.
It was a fast and enjoyable read but nothing really stuck out as special to me.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I received a NetGalley widget via email from St. Martin's Press Publicity. This books expected release date is September 21st.

Ok first I just have to say the first paragraph hooked me and at first I was like what the heck am I getting myself into but luckily the rest of the story wasn't as weird as that. Lets just say I didn't know hobby horse riding was a real thing especially amongst grown men. Anyways I freaking loved this book. This is a best friends to lovers romance and I loved how the romance developed. Declan and Avery have been best friends since college and they even bought a condo together after college and have lived with each other for 2 years I believe at this point. Avery is essentially one of the guys. Declan has commitment issues because of his past but its obvious that these two are into each other even before they realize it themselves the chemistry just jumps off the pages. It's funny, it's sexy it's cute it's just everything I could possibly want in a romance. This is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time.

I loved, loved, loved this book. I felt that chemistry was very real between Avery and Declan. I loved that their relationship started out as a friendship and when something "bad" happens it makes them re-evaluate their relationship. i loved Avery, and how she communicated with Declan. Would definitely recommend this book to others.

I fell utterly and completely in love with this book. Friends to loves stories are always challenging, with histories and obstacles that get in the way—and that was certainly true about Avery and Declan. But I loved watching their relationship evolve and change more than once over the course of this book. I swooned, i sighed, I worried, and above all else, I felt all of the emotions swirling between them.

This is an excellent friends to lovers story, and Avery and Declan have a complicated past which makes for a bumpy ride along their love story. They have great chemistry, and even though there was more angst and emotions than some of Helena’s books, I appreciated the complexity of this story. It was a wonderful read.

Okay, two characters in which I was hesitant to dive into because of the synopsis. And with time, something that is brand new to me when it comes down to Helena, Avery and Declan have a past connection that brings them to the present of loving each other.

This was a sweet romance, and I am looking forward to see if Helena has more in stock for Avery's sisters!

I'm sad to say that When Sparks Fly wasn't for me, but I also have to say that I think much of my review boils down to personal preference. I found the characters underdeveloped and two-dimensional and the writing matter-of-fact and tell-not-show. I saw potential for this book to be more meaningful and well-rounded, but in the end I was left unsatisfied. Some of the statements the characters made about women that weren't the protagonist or her sisters also disturbed me; I felt that they promoted internalized misogyny I was uncomfortable reading about. The resolution of the plot was also illogical and damaged much of the character development for both protagonists.

That being said, I know many other readers had a much more positive experience with this book than I did, and I encourage all readers to give this book a chance. I think my one-star rating doesn't fully capture all of the elements of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review to my blog and to my Goodreads promptly.

I'm ambivalent concerning this book.

So I'm gonna list the things that I really liked:
- The author did an amazing job showing us a realistic relationship, with its ups and downs. They screwed up, owned up to it and worked on it. I particularly liked how it wasn't magically fixed after saying I'm sorry.
-It left me with a hopeful feeling about overcoming hardships

Things I didn't love:
- Declan. I just didn't fall in love with him.
-The sisters. It seemed like each one represented an archetype, they were a bit flat.

There are many promising aspects to this friends-to-lovers story, but the last portion of the book just didn’t do it for me.

Overlooking Declan’s despicable behavior and lame excuse at the beginning of the book, his friendship with Avery is quite enjoyable. There is an ease between them that only best friends who know each other’s strengths and flaws—and accept them—have. I melted at Declan’s attentiveness to Avery while he is helping her recover, and how he repeatedly proves just how well he knows her likes and dislikes. The reason for them crossing the line into friends-with-benefits is rather cringeworthy, but I liked them together as a couple and enjoyed the bit of steam.

Overall, the first half of the book is entertaining and then out of nowhere Declan has a personality transplant. It drastically changes the tone of the story and not in a good way. The plot goes down a path that failed to hold my interest and severed my investment in the couple. Conflict could have been introduced in a less extreme way that would have been more believable and enjoyable.

I admired Avery’s amazing problem-solving skills when it comes to her job, but I was baffled by why she takes the blame for other people’s poor decisions. I wanted to shake her sometimes. Regardless, she can always count on her sisters to have her back. I liked their relationship and how each one is distinctly different. I also enjoyed the camaraderie in Declan and Avery’s friend group.

It’s safe to say this book is a mixed bag of feelings.