Generally, this was a fun read. The characters are likeable and well developed, and there is some quirky stuff happening that made it unique given that it is a typical friends to lovers romance. I liked the two mains well enough, although I did have a hard time accepting a few of the things that Declan did for Avery when she was in a cast. No spoilers! Declan and Avery are in a good relationship from the start with a lot of interaction that shows how much they truly care for each other. And overall the conflict that complicated their relationship worked.

I do feel that, at the end of the book, some loose ends weren't really wrapped up. Like the situation with her grandmother's fountain. But I guess that's because they aren't really pivotal to the story.

💖I started this ARC hoping to enjoy it. Unlike other books, it wasn't because it was a book I'd heard good things about online already (since it’s an ARC), but I was hoping to enjoy it because I just finished reading Meet Cute also by @helenahunting ! Knowing I had this ARC sitting in my inbox after finishing Meet Cute was so exciting and it did not disappoint at all.

☺️The book is definitely a binge worthy read, yet I'm so glad I took the time to savour Avery and Declan's story. I absolutely love how Hunting writes a beautiful harmony of comfort, nerves, trust, and pleasure when Avery and Declan finally connect.

🙂Though I loved the time and reflection it took for Declan and Avery to get back together, the writing felt a little too reflective at that point (a little bit like how most epilogues are written). Nonetheless, the story and character growth was phenomenal and I loved how the entire book came together.

📚If you weren't planning on reading this sweet tale about love between friends, family, siblings, and more, I highly recommend you add it to your list! Pre-order now to have your hands on a copy when it releases on September 21, 2021!

🍦Also, Declan and I are totally on the same wave length because I've used ice cream as a bribe to get someone to go out before.

🎁Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Helena Hunting for this ARC!

This was a super cute friends to lovers story. Declan and Avery were fun to read about. I was so glad Declan stepped up and totally took care of Avery after what happened.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for sending me an e-ARC of this romance!

I really enjoyed Avery and Declan’s story!

Avery and Declan are roommates, best friends, and... secretly in love with each other?! Shocking! No, but jokes aside, these two characters and their history/friendship were very well drawn out and I enjoyed watching their relationship turn from platonic to romantic, as Declan assisted Avery in functioning for the months following a car accident she was in.

I really loved Avery’s sisters; they cared so much for her and I’d be invested in seeing them fall in love and the types of guys they’d be matched with as well.

I read this book pretty much all in one sitting and I’m excited for it to hit the market later on this year!

Such a fun read! Such fun characters! Avery and Declan are a true best friends to lovers book. I especially enjoyed her job running the event hotel, so much fun especially the hobby horse scenes. I hope there is more about this hotel and her sisters. While this is my first book by this author, it will most definitely not be my last! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of Helena Hunting so I was definitely excited to receive an ARC of this book! When Sparks Fly was a quick, easy read full of fun banter and... sparks ;)
True to Hunting's form, there was comedy, romance, and friendship. While some of the situations seemed unrealistic, the characters helped make them believable and the story flowed nicely. There is not a lot of depth to the plot, but I went into it expecting a fun, summer read and that's exactly what I got! This makes for a great beach read or a nice palate cleanser after a 'heavier" title. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Sparks Fly is a friends to lovers romance. I found the setting to be interesting, Avery and her sisters own a event space, but the conflict between Avery and Declan seemed too predictable to take up so much of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed it at first, I think it just went on a bit too much for me. I got a little tired of their miscommunication before they finally wrapped it up.

When Sparks Fly is a contemporary friends to lovers romance and such a sweet read. I’ve read a handful of books by this author before and I think this is definitely one of my favs. I flew through this read and really enjoyed the characters.

Avery and Declan have been friends since college, they even share a condo together as roommates. Both have had feelings for one another but kind of pushed away those feelings, her because he’s her best friend & doesn’t want to risk losing him and he because of relationship & trust issues from his past. When Avery ends up in a serious car accident leaving her immobile for weeks, Declan steps in to be the ultimate caretaker. And lines begin to blur...especially when they both realize she has needs needing attended to in the bedroom as well. 🔥 Wow were the scenes between these 2 so hot, their friendship chemistry added so much to their romance and I loved seeing it unfold. Jealousy and trust issues do come into play but I did really like seeing the way it was handled.

I loved all the time Avery & Declan spend together while she’s healing up from the car accident. Avery runs a hotel/event space with her sisters and it was fun to see some of their event adventurers they had going on. Declan was super sweet and attentive to Avery, I loved seeing the ways he took care of her. He definitely had emotional and trust issues to work through, his parents had a terrible relationship and lead to him not believing/having a good example of a healthy relationship. I loved seeing Avery’s balance to his life and just really enjoyed this romance. The friends to lovers was done so well and I really believed their history and chemistry.

Thank you to the publisher (St. Martin’s Press) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. When Sparks Fly will be published September 21, 2021.

A friend to lovers romance that will truly touch your heart. From college to roommates Avery and Declan have a connection that makes keeps them tied to one another and in tune to each others needs. When Avery begins to date the fear that he might lose her becomes to hard for him to bare. In come the trouble.
For these two friends their romance takes them on a journey of self revelations that ultimately test not only their romantic relationship but also their friendship. Declan learned that he has to overcome the trauma of his parents relationship to learn how to become a more ground partner for Avery.
A truly beautiful romance that touched my heart on so many levels. Helena Hunting, never fails to give us comedy with her romance. Their are laugh out loud moments and some truly heartbreaking ones. A powerful read that is a must read for this year!

Cute, adorable ROM com!!!! Sparks definitely flew with this book!!! I was pulled in by the cover, but the book kept going with its witty banter and fun characters!! This is a must read for the year.

Great story of friendship, love, tenacity and learning to love yourself faults and all. I loved every page of it.

When Sparks Fly was a breezy romance with just enough depth to keep things interesting. Avery is a great tomboy heroine who is balancing a new business amidst a tumultuous past due to her parents' early death. Declan is the perfect roommate/best friend who is afraid of love because of his parents' failures. When she is injured in a car accident, Declan comes to her aid out of obligation, but the two realize that they might be more than just friends.

This was a page-turner that kept me up into the night wondering whether there would be a happy ending. There are a few open door scenes if you are concerned about that. And I always love an epilogue - it was a sweet one!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review. All views are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book because I love Helena Hunting and enjoy most of the books she writes. This one however was just ok for me. Not awful, but definitely not my favorite book of hers and probably not something I would read again.

When Sparks Fly follows the story of Avery and Declan, two best friends from college who choose to room together for years after college. Declan takes care of Avery after she's in a bad car accident and along the way realizes he feels more for her than platonic friendship.

My biggest issue with the book was that I didn't really feel any connection to the main characters, and didn't really feel their connection. It was one of those books where you were told how characters felt, rather than shown it.

The good:
-I liked the idea of the plot (best friends/roommates to lovers), cute premise and trope
-Some funny scenes
-Easy, quick read. The way the book was written makes it a very fast read and easy to get through which I enjoyed.

The bad:
-Stilted dialogue. Dialogue is the most important part of any book for me, and this dialogue felt very unnatural at times. It was written in a way that was clearly only for writing because no one in real life would EVER talk that way, which was very distracting and took me out of the story completely.
-Too many things introduced and then never followed up on. I felt like there were a lot of things brought up in the plot (ie. Declan's parent issues) that were mentioned but then never really resolved. (Yes that one in particular was kind of brought up at the end to explain things but it felt very unnatural and not fleshed out fully). These extra plot details were really distracting for me because I kept trying to figure out how it fit in to the larger story, only to find out that it in fact didn't fit in at all. I think the story would have flowed a lot better without those random, additional details.
-The conflict was unbearable. You know how awful it is when conflict is based solely on miscommunication that could be solved by a simple conversation between the characters? This was somehow worse.

Final thoughts:
The book started out pretty strong for me but very quickly declined about mid way through and then became insufferable to me once I reached the conflict stage of the book. At that point I really had to force myself to finish it. This book had so much potential and fell really flat for me.

Overall, the plot was cute but I didn't really feel a spark between the characters and I personally hated the conflict of this story and the way it was handled afterward. Definitely wasn't my favorite Helena Hunting book (I'd probably go so far as to say this was actually my least favorite book of hers that I've read) but it won't stop me from reading her future books. This one just missed the mark for me.

This book is a 3 star read for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Some of the things I liked were the set up of friends first, and the whole Declan taking care of Avery. I also liked the supporting characters, London and Harley seem like great sisters, and the guy friends were great friends as well. I also liked the Spark House aspect - it added another layer to what could have just been a silly read. However, there were some things I didn't like though about the book. I didn't find either main character to be super likeable. Declan obviously had lots of issues to work through, and Avery came across as quite entitled and spoiled. I also didn't love the end scenario. I realize there has to be a problem in these types of books that the characters have to work through, but this one just seemed forced and stupid. A simple conversation could have easily solved the problem. I also found the chapter names quite cheesy and they honestly made me roll my eyes a few times.

Overall, I liked this one, but didn't love it. I have read a few Helena Hunting books, and will continue to read them, but this one just fell a little flat for me, especially towards the end. I appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy though. Thank you to Netgalley, Helena Hunting and St. Martin's Press for the copy.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This book is set in Colorado. This book has many different emotions happy ,sad, frustrated,guilt ans betrayal. The main characters are Declan whos parents have done a number on him. Will he be able to overcome those issues. Avery is loyal, stubborn can she see what is in front of her to help. Her sisters London and Harley are family that has each other's back and also you will meet the guys Jerome and Mark. This storyline reminds me of love, lost and can people actually know what they want in life. Have they had it all along or is it new. This book is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere.

Helena Hunting is one of my favorite go to authors & this book is just fabulous!! It has all the feels, it’s funny, emotional, heartbreaking, heartwarming. You will love Declan & Avery along with all the supporting characters. Avery & Declan are best friends who live together & have buried their attraction to each other. Deck gets jealous when Avery goes out on a date that ends leading to a terrible car accident Avery is in the next day when he was supposed to be with her. He takes care of her & it leads to more. You will be hooked once you start reading this book & won’t want to put it down!! What a journey they have to their HEA! You must read this book!! I received an arc from Netgalley & the publisher for an honest review.

Helena Hunting's books are hit or miss for me, and unfortunately, this was a miss. The whole beginning was not for me - making both Avery and Declan to seem unlikeable, while at the same time making them seem like they were still in college despite nearing/being in their thirties. This maybe would've worked if she aged them down to be a year or so out of college, but that's not what this is.

Too much drama at the beginning for me for a friends to lovers story. I want obvious sparks and cute supporting moments in a friends to lovers story, and this had none of that. This was overall a flat read.

This is the first Helena Hunting book that I didn't love. The book was good and the characters were charming but it was at times unbelievable and completely foreseeable. This is the type of book that you don't really have to read to the end to know what's going to happen. That being said it's still well-written and an easy, ruggedly cute read.

Loved it!
This was such a wonderful friends to lovers story. I couldn’t get enough of Avery & Declan. When Sparks Fly brought out a wealth of emotions & I loved everything about this book!

Thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for this arc. Helena Hunting has been a familiar staple for me, especially in terms of rom coms. I appreciate how she doesn’t always go for the conventional character (or humor). But this book didn’t work for me. Couldn’t connect to the characters. Didn’t root for their romance. The plot and jokes felt a little flat. I’ve really enjoyed some of this writer’s work and am looking forward to the other romances in this series, from side characters (all excellently rendered).