Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wasn't a big fan of the "hurt/comfort" trope in this book with the way it was framed and also how it was used as a plot device to get the couple together. Made me uncomfortable with some of the ableism and that got in the way of me fully enjoying it fully. Otherwise it was a fairly good read. I liked the past revelations that the couple had to face as it added more layers to their friendship and eventual love.

When Sparks Fly is a friends to lovers story. It was a quick and fun romance that would make a cute Hallmark movie. I enjoyed it, even though I was not a fan of Declan. He did redeem himself in the end but it took a while to get there. If you need a fun weekend read this is a great book!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins press for my advanced reader copy, all opinions are my own.

Absolutely adorable and witty! I enjoy the one liners and couldn't put it down. A great summer read on the hammock!

Overall this is a good best friends to lovers read. Underneath there is a heavy emotional aspect for both of the main characters. Avery is unfortunately in a terrible car accident that leaves her injured in many ways both physically and mentally. It brings up heavy past emotions for both her and her sisters about their parents fatal accident. Declan who was meant to be driving with Avery that day is also torn up with guilt over what’s happened, and the realities of why he wasn’t there.

Luckily they are best friends and roommates so he can work for forgiveness by taking care of her while she’s on the mend. Which is honestly pretty sweet, and it was great as a reader to see their connection and friendship from that side and not just a romantic side. These two start to realize their feelings for each other and while neither of them are relationship experts they do know that they already have an established friendship and dedication to each other. Declan however has only seen a very toxic relationship between his parents, and he’s always cut any of his relationships off before they became serious at all. So is their relationship journey simple? No. It gets bumpy and while I liked that things weren’t all gumdrops and good times, how their angst starts did make me want to junk punch Declan.

Anyway. I’d consider this relatively slowish burn, sweet at times, heated at times, emotional at times, frustrating at times, and fun at times. If you’re looking for a good contemporary romance, then you’ll find it here.

Sadly this one just didn't hit the spot for me.
I usually enjoy a good friends to lovers premise but this one quickly turned into something repetitive and boring which is a risk with this trope. I just didn't understand how these two made it this far sharing a place together without anything happening between them and then I wasn't convinced with their half-assed chemistry, it felt forced, far from genuine.

The hero's behavior at the beginning of the story was also hard to forgive and I bet it will be a serious no-no to readers seeking non-cheating male characters. I usually don't care much about these things myself but I have to admit his actions from the beginning then again when things turned sour between him and the heroine truly bothered me until the end of the book.

I get the hero had trust issues and I appreciated the author's highlight about therapy and mental health BUT once again we have a hero using and abusing women—heroine included— to get over his issues. Not attractive.

I'm a total sucker for stories where friends fall in love. This was no exception. It's a story about friends who become closer when a terrible accident ends up pushing them closer together. The author has crafted well developed characters and a lovely, quick paced plot. A perfect weekend beach read!

A light, fun read, but not my favorite of Helena Hunting's unfortunately! Still enjoyable... I'm not a fan of best friends turned lovers after an intense and scary incident with arguably many foundational issues to work through. But, a good weekend summer read!

I enjoyed this story so much! 5 stars for this one!

We have Avery and Declan, they've been the best of friends since college. They even have a condo together, she's just like one of the guys. Declan has had a rough life with his parents always pulling them into their cheating drama, which has made him feel he will never be able to be in a committed relationship.
When Avery is in a car accident, Declan feels responsible, and as he helps nurse her back to health, their relationship changes, crossing lines they weren't sure they could handle. Will they be ok venturing into this new territory?

This story to me held a message, that friends to lovers isn't always an easy transition, and until you face your demons head on, you will always error on the side of safety!

I wanted to love this book. I had been looking forward to reading Helena Hunting’s When Sparks Fly for months and maybe it was the high expectations I had but this story didn’t meet them. To me, the writing felt stilted and hard to get through. It was missing the humor that is normally so prevalent in Hunting’s books. I had to force myself to continue, hoping the writing would get smoother, the dialogue more natural, and the transitions and descriptions less confusing but it never happened. There were so many inconsistencies that I had to force myself to finish this book.

Friends to lovers and roommates are two of my favorite tropes. I enjoyed Declan and Avery’s friendship but there were parts that were a bit over the top. I do appreciate that there was a certain amount of angst that made me swoon at the beginning but kind of trickled off towards the end. There were things that could have been done better but I still enjoyed reading it! Overall, I really do love this author and can’t wait to read more from them.

What a build up for this best friend to lovers! I can’t help but fall in love with Declan and Avery.
I love that their friendship comes first.

I expected this to be pretty cookie cutter to majority of the same with this trope. Some could get boring with the repetitive storyline but this one was very different.
Avery has an accident and nursed back to health by her roommate/best friend.
This was heart warming, funny, and heated.

When Sparks Fly is so delightful - read it in a single day.

Avery is dynamic and complex - she's the type of woman that loves to play sports and is no-fuss, but it isn't out of character for her to get a pedi or wear a dress (even thought it may have been at the behest of her sisters). She's a girl who is friends with the boys, and life is good; the business she runs with her sisters is good and things are just getting started.

But she's not in college anymore, and her sisters talked her into putting in a bit more effort for her date with the guy from the dating app. Damn did she look good in that dress. Declan, her best friend and roommate noticed, and didn't like how it made him feel.

What happens next, I can't say without out spoiling, so what I will say is that this story felt very real. The characters complex, the situations not all wrapped up in a bow with a 'they lived happily ever after'. No - relationships, all of them, take work, effort, and consideration.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book for an honest review, as always, all opinions are my own.

I’ve read several of Helena Hunting’s books before and was really excited for this book when I saw it come up. I loved the friends to lovers dynamic between Avery and Declan, I thought their relationship really developed in a believable way and one I was swooning over while reading. As in most romance novels, there’s usually a disagreement or miscommunication of sorts that breaks the couple up before they ultimately get back together and this book was no different. I just didn’t love how it was done. I know Declan had some problems with relationships in the past but it seemed like he jumped to conclusions a little quickly and I didn’t love how they handled things. It made the ending a little harder to get on board with, even though I really loved them together.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this sweet story. Great characters. Interesting.
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A story about friends who become more when a horrible accident pushes them closer together. Good characters and a fast paced rhythm. Really enjoyable weekend read.

I adored Declan and Avery’s friend/relationship. They had this great chemistry. It was obvious to everyone but them that they had deep feelings for one another. Declan’s hang ups on relationships and love were understandable after getting a glimpse of his parent’s antics. Avery had moments that grated on me because she seemed to be on this high horse. After getting upset with Declan over the situation she was in made her unlikable to me at that moment. He had no control over that situation and it was not his fault. I even disliked London’s reaction as well. The guilt portrayed made it hard to read at times. I did enjoy the book and throughout it there were some laugh out loud moments. Outside of the drama it was very entertaining, especially with Avery eating the pot brownies!

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this introduction into this world and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I just so thoroughly enjoyed meeting these new characters and getting to go on their journey. I will most definitely be reading more wonderful books from this author.

I’ve been really digging on contemporary romance since the beginning of the pandemic. But, unfortunately, this novel has too much cringe worthy material for me to recommend. From penis themed bridal party events to phone tracking/stalking, i just could not get behind this one. And, huge trigger warnings for car accidents, for those sensitive to that topic.

This was such an adorable and emotional rom com! A friends to lovers trope that was so hard to put down. The way Declan took care of Avery said so much on so many levels. The guilt he felt broke my heart. With their undeniable attraction I found myself rooting for them while simultaneously waiting for the other shoe to drop. I loved Avery’s character, from her background, her independent personality to her relationship with her sisters. Declan is the ultimate friend anyone would be lucky to have in their corner, furiously loyal would be my description. Hunting has a way of making you feel all the feels in this one! Out in September 2021- a must add to your TBR for rom com lovers!

This book was a slow burn, in exactly the right way! I definitely recommend if you are looking for a light, fun read. Hunting never disappoints and I am left already looking forward to her next book.