The beginning of an interesting series, but it just didn't start with a bang.
Avery Spark runs Spark House with her sisters, an event-based hotel passed by to them by her family.
She also lives with her roommate, the boisterous Declan McCormick.

Avery is not having a great time going on different dates trying to find the one. Declan doesn't do commitment and is only after the next fling. That's until Avery is involved in a car accident and Declan commits to taking care of her until she is in tip-top shape again.

This is your typical best-friends-to-lovers. It's sweet but there's not much at stake, which makes the plot very predictable, Avery and Declan are very flat characters. There wasn't any longing or a deeper connection that made me cheer for them.

When Sparks Fly is cute but overall bland.
But, it does a good job in setting up the world around Spark House.
Hopefully, the next installments in this series will have that something extra.

This is the first book I have read by Helena Hunting. I think she is a gifted author. The plot was appealing and flowed very well. The characters were well developed and I cared about the outcome of their story. I “knew” that the couple would have a happily ever after since that always happens in a romance book, which is one of the reasons I like to read this genre.

What I did not like about the book is that excessive information is given in a sensual nature. I am sure there is a vast amount of readers that seek out books with this quality; I am not one of them. I enjoyed the story and after reading half the book, I skimmed through these sections. I am just not the target audience for this book. I imagine a person in their 20’s or early 30’s would be the target audience.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for giving me the opportunity to read the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

I loved this story! It has everything you expect from Helena Hunting. The story Of Avery and Declan is the perfect friends to lovers story. When Avery is in a bad car accident Deck blames himself, offers to help her as she recovers but sparks begin to fly. Can they deny their feelings for each other anymore? Or will they just give in to the sparks.

This story hit me in the feels ,your heart breaks as you read about the accident. It breaks for not only Avery and deck but her sisters too. I hope Harley and London get their own stories too.
If your looking for not only some serious heat, but some laughs and a gripping story. This is the perfect read for you.

Thank you Helena Hunting and netgalley for my ARC . I can’t wait to go read it again

Awwww! I loved this book so much! Friends to lovers theme about college friends who chose to be roommates with unresolved feelings to each other is such a delicious concept made me glue my precious ass to my couch to finish at one sit as I keep hyperventilating because of extremely high sexual chemistry.

Avery and Declan are sweet, sexy, meant to be from the beginning. But... yes that eerie but is coming right up...there are ugly facts pretend them to take the first step to come clean so they keep restraining years long feelings.

Avery dated with Dec’s college friend Sam instead of him because Dec is commitment phobic, prince of night one stands, carrying huge baggages from his parents’ dysfunctional relationship issues. But Sam cheated on Avery. Dec is the one who tells her and he’s the one cut his entire relationship with Sam to support Avery and now they’re closing to their thirties.
Avery is running Spark House: a hotel/ event center she’s inherited from her family she lost in traffic accident when she was teenager. She’s running the business with her sisters London and Harley. But she bought a combo with her best friend Dec and even though she’s harboring feelings she never crosses the lines with him because she’s caring him too much and afraid of losing him as if her feelings are unrequited.

But she doesn’t know Declan is feeling the same.

In the beginning I’m seriously pissed off Dec! He earned at least ten punching points from me! Before their alumni gathering trip he’s promised to take with his SUV accompanying Avery, he gets drunk and brings a random girl from the bar. ( I can understand his reasoning: he got jealous when he found out Avery goes a hot date in a hot dress so he ran to the bar for distraction! But it’s really douche move, dude! ) As Avery bangs on her room door in the morning, she realizes he’s still with the girl, suffering from hungover and he already left his car at downtown so he cannot pass the keys to Avery.

She has to travel all the way with her not so safe car when it’s raining. Did I mention she’s scared to drive at this weather condition because she lost her family at car accident! Yes, Declan you’re BIG DOUCHE!

Declan feels terrible as he should be. He calls Avery on the phone and throughout their conversation he witnesses she’s being harassed by a white van and BAM! Somebody hits her car! Declan stays on line, informing paramedics who find Avery about her health condition, calling her sisters from the other line as Landon blames on him about this disaster!

Thankfully Avery survives, breaks one of her leg, arm, several ribs which prevent her functioning properly. Declan never leaves her side, keeps groveling, telling he’s sorry million times and he turns into a designated nurse of her!

At those parts he takes care of Avery, he absolutely fixed his shitty image and cleared his punching points. I actually started feeling sorry for him but just a little bit.

But when his nursing service includes giving pleasure...whoa...well things get way too much hot! I was thankful that I was holding a reader because of I held paperback, those extreme hot chapters put fire on my entire book!

I gave too much away! But I loved sport addict MCs reminded me of author’s Pucked series! Their friendship circle reminded me of New Girl series as well. As supporting character: London was my favorite, loyal, genuine, badass sister. I’d like to read her own book.

Overall: emotional depth of the story was great! Chemistry is inflammable! Both MCs are so much likable ( yes I forgave Dec! He groveled a lot! ) And I liked the sweet conclusion which was also smart. So I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 finally I found a good, sexy romance I missed a lot stars!

This is the best work of Ms. Hunting I’ve read lately.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Please feel free to send me more romance novels! I’m truly craving them!

This is a sweet friends to lovers story. Declan and Avery have been friends since college. Each with their own past haunting their future. I loved watching them grow and face their past. This book is light hearted with loads of feelings.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book; I very much enjoyed getting an early peek at this book from one of my new favorite authors.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters, while each had their flaws, were very relatable. I found their dialog and interactions realistic and I was rooting for their relationship. Their groups of friends were awesome and supportive. All in all, I enjoyed the world that Helena Hunting created here, and I was sad when the book ended and I had to say goodbye to them.

Another excellent book by Helena Hunting. I’m never disappointed when I read her books. Great characters and such an easy read.
Friends turned lovers story which are always great storylines.
Can’t wait to get my hands on her next book.
Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a great best friends to lovers story. I thought that this story had great writing and characters. You could feel the genuine connection and chemistry between Avery and Declan. After Avery is in a serious accident Declan becomes her caretaker and their relationship shifts. Their road to being a couple had its ups and downs but it was an easy and enjoyable read. I also liked the relationship between Avery and her sisters and her friend group. Hope to see more with these characters.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Look, I'm a huge fan of Helena Hunting and I'll probably read all her books so don't let this review deter you from picking it up. It was a fine friends to lovers, forced proximity romance. However, I thought the transition from friends to more happened too quickly and the ultimate conflict was a little over the top which made Declan seem psycho. One thing I really appreciated in the story is the highlight on therapy and mental health. It was nice to see Declan prioritize that before the grand gesture.

Overall, not as good as her All In series but I do look forward to her next book!

Declan and Avery have known each other and have been best friends since college. They grew a friendship that was made to last. When Avery is hurt in an accident, their friendship grows and changes into more. As Declan takes care of Avery while she recovers, they both realize that they've always been in love with each other for a long time, but had never crossed that line. Everything is great between them until Avery makes a business decision that Declan reacts badly to, Coming from a messed up family, Declan's baggage sabotages what they have. Are they destined to find their way back to each other, or are Declan's skeletons too much to overcome.

I Loved When Sparks Fly! Declan and Avery's story is a wonderful Friends to Lovers read.

Everything in Avery's life comes to a screeching halt when she is in a car accident, leaving her immobile for weeks. After nearly losing his best friend, Declan insists that he will be the one to take care of her while she recovers. However, as Declan becomes Avery’s caretaker, lines begin to blur. Once things start to get serious, their past threatens to destroy everything they have recently built.

The first about 30% of this book, I could not put down! I was so invested in Avery and Declan and watching their relationship build over the weeks while Avery is healing. It was amazing and full of that delicious sexual tension. But, things started to slow down for me after that and especially once Avery starts to regains her independence.

It definitely filled that friends-to-lovers trope, however it fault lackluster. It didn't have anything keeping me enthralled after the beginning of the novel and unfortunately, it started to feel repetitive. And that sexual tension I mentioned? Gone. There was practically zero heat after the initial encounter.

I really wanted to love this book because Helena Hunting is up there as one of my favorite authors and I was very excited to receive a free copy in exchange for my review from NetGalley, but I just couldn't rate it more than a 3/5 stars.

After a weak start about hobbyhorses of all things, the story seemed to get bogged down with Avery’s accident, her frustrations, and Declan’s guilt trip. The lack of chemistry between the two didn’t help matters either.

Frankly, this one was just a really heavy read and one I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters. Eventually, I gave up around 50% and skimmed. Even the epilogue couldn’t save the story for me.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley/St. Martin’s press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5-4 Stars! This was a cute book. The main characters, Avery & Declan, are lovable and perfect together. I felt pulled in and invested in their happiness. I would’ve liked to slap Declan a few times but he made up for the wrongs he did in the end. This can be read as a standalone, though I’m hoping the other Spark sisters’ books are upcoming. It has a HEA ending - which I loved! All around cute read - perfect beach read!
*I received this book at no charge from NetGalley & I voluntarily left this review.*

When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting is a friends-to-lovers story, Avery Spark runs her family's hotel-event space along with her two younger sisters London and Harley. She lives with her best friend Declan since graduating from college in a high-rise condo in Colorado Springs and hangs out with the guys for sports night, and she is just one of the guys, loving life. An accident changes all that, and her relationship with Declan changes from best friend to caretaker to something more.

Apparently, hobbyhorse riding is a thing I needed to see for myself, and yes, I did YouTube, and some things can never be unseen. Things you learn when you read!

When Sparks Fly is a fun and sexy friends-to-lovers contemporary romance. Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and live together. I absolutely adored their friendship and it was fun to see these two grow even closer together when Declan insists he will take care of her when she survives a car accident. Declan has trust issues rooted from observing his parents' toxic relationship. He has never been in a serious relationship and prefers it that way. However, when he and Avery are spending even more time together his feelings for her grow even stronger. Avery feels the same way and after a frustrated incident they decide to take the next step. It is all fun and games before Declan's insecurities start to show.

I normally don't like when the hero jumps to conclusions but I thought the author handled it well in this book. It didn't bother me at all, and I even found it to be believable. I could see where Declan was coming from, and I also liked how Avery handled the situation further down the road. The author really took the time for the characters to grow as individuals and as a couple. Personal growth was a very important part of the story, and I was happy that things weren't resolved overnight. I enjoyed this book and I would love for Avery's two sisters to get their own books. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light and fun friends-to-lovers contemporary romance.

I received this book in exchange of a honest review. ONE OF MY FAVORITE READS OF 2021! When Sparks Fly is Hunting’s latest contemporary romance that hits all the best aspects of a friends-to-lovers romance.

The positive parts Declan was there for her after her accident the negative after a while it began t drag out. The book took its time and I began to skim towards the last half of the book. It's lacking. I was disappointed after such a strong start that it would slow down and just .... 2.75 stars

Always a pleasure to read something from Helena Hunting. When Sparks Fly is a sweet friends to lovers romance. Avery and Declan have been best friends for years, even roommates. Both have more intense feelings and have for years but never acted on it or told the other not wanting to ruin a great friendship. But when Avery is injured and Declan feels responsible, he takes on the responsibility of caring for her as she recovers. They get closer and more intimate and, well, “sparks fly” Very enjoyable for a quick and easy read!

Avery has been one of the boys for as long as she can remember. She's in a car accident and left unable to take care of herself. Her best friend Declan steps up to take care of her. They have been best friends since college, what could go wrong? As they spend more time together its apparently that there's a mutual attraction. This also brings up a lot of what ifs? When Sparks Fly is a great read especially if you love the friends to lover troupe. I really enjoyed this story. It's full of likable characters and witty writing. It's a bit predictable but it's still a lot of fun to read.

In short:

This is a cute and emotional BFFs to lovers story with all the good, bad and ugly that can come with it.

Avery and Declan have been best friends since college, i.e., for almost a decade. They live together, have similar interests and have a close knit group of friends.
Avery gets into an accident and Declan chooses to become her primary care giver (since he blames himself for it). As close they already are, the close proximity and newer levels of intimacy are hot enough for sparks to fly.

Would they finally pull their heads out of the sand and confront the feelings they have for each other? And can they overcome their hangups and sort out baggages to be their best selves with each other?

Review:

4/5

I loved Avery and Declan's characters and their extended friend circle. Through the description I could gauge a little of their personalities and like them as individual selves. The writing is fluid. Though I felt it could have been a little tighter in some places. I found some portions repetitive, but then, this is an unedited galley, so allowances must be made. I am sure the final version would have sorted out all of these.

I also loved Avery and her sister's boss lady sass, Declan and the boys camraderie, banters witty, and also how they handled their hiccups in the end.

Read it for: friendship/sisterhood/boss lady vibes/love and romance/emotions/sports

Trigger warnings: traffic accidents, jealousy