
Member Reviews

Hilarious rom-com that will keep you turning the pages! Avery and Declan have great chemistry, but their insecurities about relationships toss them into chaos. Can best friends become lovers, can their relationship survive knowing so much about each others pasts??? Super fun, quick read!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in return for an honest review.
I love a good friend-to-lovers book, and this one was no exception! I just loved Declan and Avery and their sweet friendship! I thought the chemistry between these two was amazing right from page one, it was a unique situation that caused them to transition from friends to lovers. The novel is told from dual points of view so we get to see into the minds of both characters fairly equally
This book was very well written. I highly recommend this book by Helena Hunting, she's a great writer.

I started this Sunday afternoon and finished it Monday after midnight. I love how quickly Helen Huntings plot moved. It was a super light and endearing read! #netgalley #whensparksfly

This was such a great Book.. swoon...
Friends to lovers I could not get enough of this book.... this book has it all.. its funny, has its sexy passionate moments , and also its heart felt moments ... once again Helena Hunting gives us an amazing book where the reader easily gets lost into the story and never wants it to end.
This is a must read book for all...

A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel!
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I read this entire book in one sitting on a plane, and I had no regrets with my choice to start it when I did. There was nothing to disrupt me from just reading, and I was happy for the distraction free zone because the book had me hooked from the start. Avery and Declan are the definition of friends to lovers (though sometimes I wonder how they made it this far in their friendship with nothing happening). This is definitely not a slow burn which you often find with this trope, but Hunting does give enough background on them both that it feels earned. I really loved Avery as a character, and while Declan rubbed me the wrong way, I did love how much he meant to Avery.
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Their journey as a couple is far from straight-forward and smooth-sailing. Pretty much every complication that could get thrown at them does, and toward the middle of the novel I started to just want something to go right for one of them. I am all for giving contemporary romance couples huddles to get beyond, but for my taste there was maybe one too many. I was entertained the whole time, and Hunting crafted a story that includes side-characters I would love to see in their own novels.

When Sparks Fly is the perfect summer or vacation read. I loved the romance, the family ties ans the writing. Great beach read.

I am a total sucker for all kinds of different book tropes. One of my most favorites is best friends to relationship. Declan and Avery are best friends and live together. One accident changes everything. Each has their own hang ups and past scars, that threaten to derail their romance. All the characters are likable and the progression is believable and realistic. My favorite part was toward the end. What Declan does for Avery is so sweet and the final gift will make you weak in the knees. Let the sparks fly as you connect with the characters and see what all this story entails.

Let me begin by saying that I love Helena Hunting, loooooove Helena Hunting, but this one was not my favorite, I could not stand Declan and he could not redeem himself in my eyes, and maybe I am a petty person and just not a forgiving person but I just couldn't, Avery was just a way better person than I was. That being said, when she has a new book, you can bet your bottom dollar I will be getting it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE. Usually I read my advance copies in the order they are released, but when Helena Hunting's latest was approved, I couldn't resist. Excellent read. Friends to lovers stories might just be my favorite.

What can I say. I liked this book. Must read. Do it. If you do anything else. Read this book today. Great read and enjoyable.

This story is sweet, romantic and swoon worthy. Avery is very mature. Declan is her loyal best friend. And friendship is the strongest foundation to a lasting relationship. When they are forced by circumstances to spend every waking moment together, they are also forced to accept that their mutual love might not only be of friendship. So they struggle with insecurities and fears but we also get to read about their determination. And there is no lack of it in their story. There is no better match. No one more important for them than each other.

Publish Date: September 21, 2021
When Sparks Fly is a best friends-to lovers romance that brings a unique spin to the classic trope.
Declan and Avery are the very best of friends. Things begin to change when a guilt stricken Declan desire to car for Avery after a terrible accident. Declan and Avery are a wonderful match and I commend Hunting on bringing awareness to mental health in this novel. Declan is so caring but struggles with guilt and his self-worth. I loved how supportive Avery is in this story and she had friends to lean on.
When Sparks Fly is a great best friends-to-lovers romance that will evoke a multitude of emotions but still love every minute of it. I recommend this books for any romance reader.
Thanks to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoy Helena's fun, romantic comedies and was really excited to read her newest creation.
This book is significantly heavier than the other books of Helena's that I've read in that there's a lot going on including; parental death, a very serious injury, and mental health issues, and so it doesn't really fit the rom-com genre for me. It did, however, highlight why therapy can be extremely important when dealing with mental health issues, something we don't see enough of in this genre.
Saying that, I enjoyed the plot and the forced proximity between the two lead characters, and the pacing of the story certainly kept me gripped from start to finish. I liked that most of the scenes were between the two leads and it felt like things were building well at the start to create an interesting friends-to-lovers romance.
I do wish there was more chemistry between the characters, the heat and 'sparks' just weren't really there until the last chapter or two, and the writing, especially some of the dialogue, felt a bit stiff and formal at times in a way that's very different to Helena's other books.
I liked Avery's character, she's strong and resilient, but a lot of things about Declan unfortunately didn't sit right, including his view that Avery is 'broken' while she's hurt and Avery admitting fault for certain things that happen later in the book just didn't fit with her character or the situation, in my opinion.
Overall, it was a very different type of rom-com than I'm used to reading and was much heavier than I'd expected. It kept my interest throughout, but probably isn't something I'd read again as it just didn't pique my interest enough.

This was a great story about friendship, love and loss. Avery and Declan are both so well written and perfectly flawed, you can’t help but root for them to get their HEA. The only thing I missed reading was Avery meeting Sam’s wife. I think that would have rounded out the story perfectly but other than that, this book was exquisitely delivered!

After a terrible accident, that wouldn’t have happened if Declan wasn’t being a jerk that morning, Avery is couch bound to heal for the next two months. Since he blames himself for his best friend being down for the count, Declan decides he will be her full time caretaker. Though they have been best friends and roommates since college, but both are shocked when they start to feel more than just friendship.
I love a good friends to lovers book, and this one was no exception! I just loved Declan and Avery and their sweet friendship! There were definitely some times I wanted to smack Declan, but that’s always needed to add some tension right? I though the chemistry between these two was amazing right from page one, and while it seemed like a very quick switch from only friends to hooking up, I still really enjoyed it! Hunting knows how to write a great rom com! I also loved that therapy was so normalized in this read!

This was a steamy friends to lovers romance. Declan and Avery have been best friends and roommates for years. I loved the forced proximity aspect to this book. The majority of the scenes were between the main couple which is always right up by alley. It was a unique situation that caused them to transition from friends to lovers. However that transition didn't feel natural to me.
In contrast to the title, I didn't really feel sparks between Declan and Avery until the very end. I struggled through the majority of the book to feel any chemistry between them. It felt more like just friends hooking up. Ultimately I did appreciate the effort they put in to trying to make their relationship work after a conflict pulled them apart. The last two chapters had some very sweet moments.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released September 21.

I LOVED this friends to lovers trope! I was on vacation when I started this one and couldn't put it down! Avery and her sister's run "The Spark House" and event center. Declan is a financial adviser or something like that. He's also a commitment phobe. When he blows Avery (his roommate) off for a one night stand, she heads to her event without him and his more reliable vehicle. She gets into an accident and Declan feels so guilty he offers to care for Avery. This is when the "sparks" fly. They realize they like each other more than friends. This book was super spicy and hit me right in the feels. I enjoyed every second laughing through many parts. This book was very well written. I highly recommend this book and any other of Helena Hunting's books. She's a fantastic writer.

I burn through the pages of this is a funny, fantastic, emotionally driven story. This is the perfect friends-to-lovers romance.

Avery Spark and Declan McCormick are best friends who live together and have a great relationship. When Avery is in a serious car accident things change. Declan was supposed to go with her to a potential client meeting, but messes up and has a one night stand. Now he's full of guilt and remorse and will do anything he can to help her mend her broken bones. Can Avery forgive him for his selfishness and will their relationship endure or be lost forever?
This is the first book I've read by Ms. Hunting and while she hit on some important issues, it was just okay for me. I thought it was a little slow in the beginning, but that was necessary to set up the story. Avery and Declan are two people who for years refused to see what their relationship could be, instead keeping things strictly in the friends zone. Through Avery's painful recovery and Declan's refusal to deal with his own childhood issues, these two struggle with maintaining their friendship or moving past friendship into something more. The author does a good job highlighting the need for mental health therapy for Declan to begin his own healing. In the end, this story was okay for me. Nothing really wrong with it, just wasn't my favorite.

Helena Hunting's books are so sweet that I couldn't resist diving into this one a perfect relaxing weekend read. I love a good friends to lovers trope and was very curious about the premise where the friendship changes to a caregiver role after a severe car accident
Unfortunately this book fell flat for me. I don't feel like I really felt Avery and Declan's relationship until the end of the book where more of their shared history was uncovered, but I really wish there had been more flashbacks at the start of the novel to develop their friendship backstory more.
The biggest miss to me though would be Declan's declaration after the car accident that Avery needed to be "whole" so she could maintain her active lifestyle. The term "whole" is a an able bodied term and does not recognized that people with disabilities can have an rich and active lifestyle (which includes sports!). I sincerely hope this passage is removed from the final version of this book.
Overall, this book was very cute. I loved how strong and resilient Avery was, but I just needed a bit more relationship development. I definitely loved that Declan went to therapy to deal with his issues and thought the ending of this book was lovely!