Helena Hunting's latest novel relies heavily on the friends to lover and close proximity romance trope. Both of which can make for a fun romantic read. Which for the most part, that is exactly what this novel was. Surprisingly, this novel also focused quite heavily on the hero seeking professional mental help to work through many of his issues that were preventing the couple from moving forward. While I applaud the author for including this and trying to make more people aware of mental health, at times I felt like it made the resolution simply drag on for too long. But perhaps that was also the author's way of showing that counseling is not a quick fix but a necessary one just the same. Despite the slow wrap-up, overall the book was quite enjoyable and I hope we get to see more of the Sparks sisters in future books!

Avery lives with her best friend, Declan, and runs the Spark House hotel with her sisters and has little time for much else, especially dating. A car accident leaves Avery needing help doing pretty much everything, a job Declan volunteers for since he blames himself for Avery getting in an accident. He dives headfirst into being the best friend and nurse a girl could ask for. Compromising and awkward situations lead to an intimacy between the friends that can only alter their relationship.

This is a feel good romance with just the right mix of heat and humor for an enjoyable read that keeps Helena Hunting as a must read author for me. Friends-to-lovers is my favorite romance trope, so I jumped on the opportunity to review When Sparks Fly. Hunting is a go-to author for me so I knew I’d enjoy her latest. I think she is a great author. The plot was appealing and flowed very well. This book pulled at my heartstrings. It’s got a lot of funny moments but it has a lot of depth to it’s storyline. The characters were well developed and relatable and I cared about the outcome of their story. I loved their group of friends and how supportive they are with each other. I knew that the couple would have a happily ever after since that always happens in romance, which is one of the reasons I like to read this genre. Sometimes you just need a HEA story. The emotional depth of the story was great! Avery and Delcan’s chemistry is fire! Smoke was coming out of my Kindle. And I liked the sweet conclusion to Dec and Avery’s story. I hope the other Sparks' sisters get their stories told. I'd love to know more about London and Harley. Thanks to Netgalley and the St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an eARC of the book.

I love a good friends to lovers romance, and this one did not disappoint. Avery and Declan have been best friends and roommates from their first meeting at their college freshmen orientation. After some disappointments and a car accident, the two start to connect romanctically. The story was predictable and the characters were a little unoriginally, but it was an easy read for a lazy day.

Best friends to lovers with lots of internal challenges to overcome. After an accident leaves Avery unable to care for herself, Declan steps up to selflessly, if guiltily, be her caretaker and then some.

Easy, fast read with feel a good ending.

I really enjoyed this latest book by Helena Hunting, for a variety of reasons - the alternating perspectives between Avery and Declan, the loyal and endearing friendship they had from the get go, the reality of caring for someone after a profound accident and how challenging that is for both people, and the acknowledgment that sometimes time apart to become whole is what's best for a relationship. A delightful, quick read!

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting follows the story of the Avery Spark and her roommate and best friend, Declan McCormick, who have known each other forever. They have supported each other most of their lives and Avery is one of their "guy group" who hang out, play ball and do most everything together. When Declan gets drunk, hooks up with a woman while Avery is on a bad date and backs out of plans with Avery and she winds up in a horrific car accident, Declan feels that it is all his fault, he never should have put his date first. Especially since he was jealous! He takes on the job of caring for Avery during her recovery and all of the feelings they've set aside for so long come to the forefront.

A typical boy/girl romance, this novel was an enjoyable read, and would make a good beach read. Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

My goodness. How do I love Helena Hunting? Let me count the ways.
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The most amazing build up.
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The characters. Plain and simple. I love them.
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Prince charming is not real. What is real? A real man with real issues facing them.
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Chemistry.
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Everything is not wrapped up in a hot minute.
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I could keep going.
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This story made me smile and laugh. I blushed and all in all. Loved it. So excited it is a series. I cannot wait for the rest!

Wow- In True Helena Hunting fashion, this has everything f you could want in a book- friendship, romance, comedy, strong women, and real life getting in the middle of all that. Absolutely loved this book- finished it in a plane ride and made it go by so quickly

This is a sweet, friends-to-lovers story that is an easy read. The plot was rather obvious and it was easy to see where the story would go, which is a bit of a shame. At times it was a little slow and repetitive, but it had its good points and I did enjoy reading it.

I liked the friendship between Avery and Declan, both friends since college, they get along really well and share a flat. After Avery is in an accident they have to get a lot closer as Declan looks after her. I did find them a little frustrating at times, with all the introspection and I certainly wanted to bash their heads together.

Overall, this is a nice story and if you are after an uncomplicated love story with a touch of heat then this book will probably suit you.

This book pulled at my heartstrings. It’s got a lot of funny moments but it has a lot of depth to it’s storyline. There’s pain and sorrow to go along with the funny. It’s a best friends to lovers story. The writing is super and I loved the characters. I just devoured this book. I was so wrapped up in Avery and Declan’s relationship. I really hope Avery’s sister’s each get a book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to the publisher for ARC of When Sparks Fly. I love a good friends to enemies and forced proximity - sign me up!! Overall, I enjoyed the interaction between Avery & Declan. I do feel that this story was missing the great banter and heat from HH’s books. I was frustrated with Declan with his self sabotaging ways and those types of big conflicts. This was a 3.5 star read.

I’m normally a fan of Helena Hunting’s, but this one fell a bit flat for me. It’s an ok friends to lovers/forced proximity but the transition from friends to lovers felt rushed and just kinda weird for me. I wanted to like the characters more, but I feel Avery was a huge pushover and I wanted her to be stronger. She kept apologizing for things she shouldn’t have with both Declan and her sisters. I also didn’t feel a more than friends chemistry with them, until nearer to the end of the book. With them having been best friends, I felt the big conflict was a bit much. I know Declan has trust issues stemming from his parents, but I don’t feel he would have gone off the way he did. I did like that therapy played into it because he wanted to be better for her and he needed it for himself. The last 25% of the book I thought was the strongest. I just wanted to feel the love between them more.

Overall, it was an ok, quick read and I will continue reading Helena Hunting books.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3 1/2 Stars

I struggled with this one. I honestly forgot I was still reading it. There was a lot going on, more than necessary. I liked both main characters but thought they were a little too one dimensional and caricatures of what people should be like. It followed the exact format a friends to partners story would, but what split them up just didn’t sit right with me or feel realistic.

Ms. Hunting’s romantic tale of friends to lovers has angst, sweetness, anger and redemption. Declan and Avery have put each other firmly in the friend zone, until an accident makes her dependent on him and gives him the chance to change the status quo. Told with sweetness and humor, these friends get...eventually to their H.E.A. although it was a twisty path. It’s definitely a fun read and not to be missed.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse, and recommend it .

Another win for Helena Hunting! I’ve been reading her stories since her days of Twilight fan fiction and she never disappoints. I loved the angsty arguing back and forth with Blaine and Ronan that they both realized was based on situational irritation. I will ALWAYS request a Helena Hunting novel because it’s a promise of a page turner I won’t put down.

Declan and Avery are college friends who become roommates and with some bumps along the way eventually more. After an accident forces some dependency issues things progress fast between the pair but Declan has some relationship/family/trust issues and these come up in a not so pleasant way. This kind makes him a not so lovable character, but it wasn't irredeemable to me. Overall this was a nice quick friends to lovers read.

When Sparks Fly is an emotionally satisfying romance novel that’s easy to love. I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope and appreciated how the ending wrapped up nicely. There were some instances where it felt a tad bit too lengthy and crammed with unnecessary details but overall, I fell in love with Declan & Avery.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed others by the author. Story and characters were fine, but I feel as though it went from zero to sixty with some of the romance scenes and it felt a little out of place. However, I really liked the main characters and how their relationship grew through the experience. I will continue to read more Hunting's books because overall I am still big fan.

Best friends to lovers is the worst trope in human history, IMO. That being said, THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!
Avery and Declan have been friends since college and now live together. They share the same friends and spend most of their evenings together.
When Avery is involved in an accident, Declan is wrecked with guilt. He was supposed to be with her in the car but he blew her off for a one-night stand.
Declan dedicates himself to helping her recover and keeping her company while she is stuck at home.
Declan and Avery get closer than ever as he helps her heal and soon they realize that their feelings might be more than just platonic.
So again, like I said. Worst trope ever but Helena Hunting does it SOO good.
The friendship between Declan and Avery honestly seems platonic at first and I was like "eeww" because I couldn't see them falling in love.
Basically their feelings surprised me as much as it surprised them. I loved how the evolution of their relationship just seemed so genuine.
This was the book that brought me out of my book slump and I am so glad for it. If you're a fan of romance, this is the book for you.

Spectacular! This book has it all, tragic backstory, amazing friends and family, friends to something more, car accidents and then healing not just the physical body but the mental mind as well. I could not put this book down, once you start and really get a feel for the characters you are immersed in this world and nothing else exists, just ask my family who had take out pizza because I burnt dinner.
Dec is an amazing male character who doesn’t have the physical wounds but is emotionally unavailable. I know I shed a tear when the car accident happen just thinking if only Dec would have put her first, or not been a jealous jerk the accident may not have happen.
I love that this story felt very real after she moved out. It took that much for him to start to get some help. Then how they took their time to rebuild their relationship, the scavenger hunt at the end, tears!
You really saw the characters grow in this story and really take a superficial relationship and start building a firm foundation for their relationship to grow on.
I wonder did the fountain ever get restored before grandma came home? How about the super sporty bride, how did the bachelorette party go with the penis piñata? Which was hysterical by the way.
I wish there was a way to rate this story with 10 starts or an over the top, you need to read this book because it’s so awesome rating!
Excellent job!