A Guide to Being Just Friends is a friends to lovers story of the 3rd Jansen brother, Wes, and spunky salad shop owner, Hailey.

Even though they each feel attraction to the other they decide to start as friends and soon become inseparable. But soon their feelings deepen and Wes has to decide if he is open to a relationship after watching his parent's marriage fall apart as a kid.

The story was entertaining but it didn't hold me captive. I wasn't anxious to get back to it but I did want to see how the story ended up, especially having read the other books in the series. Overall, it was cute but not super memorable.

I loved watching how Hailey and Wes’s story developed through out this book, it was so cute. Not only did they have a cute/weird first meeting they grew together as friends. You could tell as they got to know each they just got closer until them being together was visible to everyone except themselves. I also loved how even before they were a couple they were talking about boundaries and also other limits. I am glad that they were able to work through their own issues and could acknowledge their faults and things they have to work on.

Review: 3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley & St Martin's Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is apparently part of a series and touches on the final Jansen Brother and can be read on its own.

Hailey and Wes had a disastrous first meeting with a funny case of mistaken identity. Their second meeting is no less humorous when Wes's two brothers found out and added to it. The story happens in a span of a year plus with Wes and Hailey starting out as complete strangers to close friends and eventually, lovers.

The interactions between them are cute and quirky and the wonderful side characters add to the story. The dual POV makes it an easy read as you get to see both characters' thoughts as they first deny their feelings with the others teasing them. I also love that we got to peek into the other Jansen brothers' relationships as they work towards their HEA. I love that the author tied up loose ends!

My downside to this story is I didn't feel any connection with any of the characters. The characters were very surface level and it lacked substance that made me fall in love with the characters. The time jump in between made it slightly confusing to read as I could not keep track of the duration of time it took the characters to finally admit their feelings (trust me, it was definitely a long slow burn) but I do admit that it gives time for more friendships to form.

If you are looking for a light, fluffy, fun rom-com to read, A Guide to Being Just Friends will check all your boxes!

This was a cute read! I love slow burn romance and this one I enjoyed. I hadn’t read the other 2 books of the series but still was able to enjoy this one.

I didn't realize this was the third book in the Jansen Brothers trilogy, but I loved book two so it was safe to say I would love this one too. And, I did. Wes and Hailey's story was a fun jaunt through friends trying to fight the feelings they develop for each other. The classic friends-to-lovers trope. I think I liked book 2 just a little bit more, and now I am determined to read book 1 since I haven't read that one yet. Thank you, NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the eARC. Sophie Sullivan is now becoming a go-to author for me

I am usually such a stickler for reading book series in order. I will sometimes relax this for romance books - mostly because I tend not to realize that certain books are part of series so I have been forced into relaxing my rule. I kid of course. Sort of.

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan was a real treat to get through. I loved getting to know each of our main characters, Wes and Hailey, and their past difficulties that have caused them to become who they are. Heartbreak has caused them both to change how they approach friendships and relationships…for better or worse. While Wes believes that it’s silly to place yourself in a situation where you can fall in love with someone, Hailey has become more vigilant of her feelings and others’ intentions.

I think A Guide to Being Just Friends did a fantastic job of weaving the story of two hurt people learning to fall into a friendship and then love. I honestly really appreciate how much we got to see Wes and Hailey in their friendship stage. It is definitely not something we get to read about often in a book - yes, their attraction is described, but over all of it we see a real amount of care for each other. That was lovely to read.

Now, I need to let my spicy romance readers know this - there are no spicy scenes in this book. I know, I know. We have been spoiled with the spicy-ness of all the romance novels out there. Trust me, I am one of those readers! I have never liked the “fade-to-black” scenes in books, even before spicy book-tok was a thing. However, I was able to forgive this when the rest of the book is such a treat on the reader’s feelings.

So, while I do not recommend this book for the hardcore spicy-romance readers of the world, I do recommend this beautiful read to those who love the act of falling in love in those romance novels. If you love rom-coms, you’re going to love ​A Guide to Being Just Friends.

LOVED this one! Such a fun read. It has everything from friendship, small business feels, "book club" vibes, and a slow-burn romance.

Thank you #netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!

I needed more chemistry, and I think I felt the same way about the other book in this series that I happened to read.

This book is like a warm hug. So sweet and tender hearted, I think a lot of people will love this book especially if they are a fan of the slow burn. Plus friends to lovers is always top tier

I love how sweet Sophie's books are. I love getting a peak at the other couples. While I liked this one, I think Chris and everly are still my fave. Wes really needed to learn how to communicate /accept feelings. I don't usually read closed doors but I really enjoyed all the build up and how hailey makes a home for herself. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed with all the main conflict being in the final 20%, but overall a good book! Big thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC. it was good!

Review posted to goodreads, bookbub and Amazon!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the chance to read this ARC. I am familiar with the Jansen Brothers and this book did not disappoint. I listened to it as an audiobook and loved the narrators voices! This book hooked me from the first page and I couldn't finish it soon enough. If you've read the other two books in the series, you definitely want to read this one too! If you haven't, you could read this as a standalone, but the entire series is worth the time.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book really fell flat for me. It was a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance. I had to put it down about 40% through. The only reason I finished it was that the audiobook was finally released. The characters had very little chemistry. I found that their development was little to none. Haley was whiny and too presumptuous. I don't understand why she wouldn't take any of the help that Wes was offering her. Wes's outlook on marriage/relationships made no sense.

The only saving grace that made this 2 stars was the side characters in the salad shop. Overall, I would not highly recommend it, but as always suggest readers form their own opinions.

I appreciate receiving early access to review this book!

This was an amazing conclusion to the stories of the lovely Jansen Brothers!

Sophie Sullivan did a wonderful job building this universe. Leaving Wes's story for less was definitely the move because the other supporting characters that were already part of the "crew" were great for getting the main characters to acknowledge their feelings. Also, I really enjoyed Hayley's character! She was lovely and I really felt her struggles were well balanced with Wes's flaws, so when they came to blows it made sense how things came to that boiling point, but the resolution also wasn't unreasonable to the point of being unbelievable. Their struggles as a couple was deeply grounded in their character flaws, and that made the story that much more real. Overall, I'm so happy with this book and definitely recommend this trilogy if you are looking for a feel-good couple of reads with funny and entertaining characters that take you through realistic struggles of what it's like being a human that has friendships and romantic relationships.

Looking forward to reading more from Sophie Sullivan! :D

This was cute! I did enjoy this story and really enjoyed the audiobook/narrators.

I had a tough time relating to their meet cute/friendship turned relationship because it did seem rushed but also somehow it dragged? I can't quite describe it.

Hailey and Wes meet at a coffee shop where Wes mistakes her to be his blind date. They had a weird interaction and then shortly after that mishap, they meet again when Hailey's business deliver's food to Wes.
There was a lot that could have been *great* between Hailey & Wes but they both acted so immature the majority of the book and that third act break up!!!! Come on. I wanted to punch Wes in the nose for that.

-friends to lovers
-small town
-foodies
-closed door romance

This was overall cute. I enjoyed it.

What a truly adorable journey to love. Wes and Hailey wanted to remain friends, scared that turning it into more would complicate things and they'd lose their precious friendship that they both needed in each other. But, when they addressed their pasts and fully let themselves feel, the HEA was incredible to witness. They journey to getting there wasn't at all easy, but made it feel more realistic and genuine. I also now want to open a salad shop! ;)

We love a good rom com!! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review in exchange for a review! I think my older students will wnjoy

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read the first two books in the series but I feel like it was easy enough to catch on without it, though reading the first two books would have given insight into the other recurring characters.

I would describe this story as romantic and cute with some minor angst and funny bits thrown in for some extra flavor. The heat level fits the tone and while there are mentions of intimacy they fade to black and seem appropriate to the story.

I liked the dual POV’s so we got to see both Wes and Hailey’s thought processes and feelings.

It did feel like Wes got too caught up in his doomsday feelings about love and how his father had behaved in the past. Again, this may have been clear by reading the first couple books of the series.

Hailey, who is adorable and fiercely independent wants to start her own business on her own terms, which is admirable but also annoying when she balks at accepting help from anyone.

Their meet cute was a bit obnoxious in that Wes adamantly believed that Hailey was his no-show blind date and was a jerk about it.

I agree with some other reviewers who felt that the burn was so slow it was hard to see the romantic attraction buried beneath what on the surface could have been a really sweet platonic friendship. Which doesn’t qualify as a romance without a traditional HEA or happily for now of course.

I think this may be the first read by this author and while I appreciate the storytelling, parts seemed super formulaic while reading as if you could almost see the beat sheet followed which said “plug a kiss here” or “insert conflict here.” I am a lover of romance but this seemed like it was trying to check off too many boxes for what a “current contemporary romance that will sell” instead of an engrossing story that makes you feel swept away.

Overall: an entertaining sweet with light angst romance.

This was just okay for me. I read it as a standalone and maybe that contributes to my not feeling quite so invested in the characters, but I do think it can be read on its own.

i had such high hopes for this, but i honestly was just bored. the plot itself was pretty fun and i found myself entertained by the characters, but not enough that i truly wanted to keep reading/felt like i needed to see the entire plot through. its one of those books that i feel like if you read, you'll enjoy, but its not memorable enough for me to need to rave about.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

This was a cute read, but just okay for me. It's a slow burn, friends to lovers romance that follows Hailey and Wes from their first meeting onward.

I loved the friendship between Hailey and Wes even though everyone could tell it was going to develop into something more. Hailey moved there to start over after a bad relationship, and she really starts from scratch. Her salad shop sounds amazing. She meets a wonderful group of friends, too.

Wes got on my nerves a bit, because he was just so sure he didn't want love and marriage and kids, which I think is BS. He surely wasn't acting like that with Hailey, and to just spring it on her really annoyed me.

Oh, and it's fade to black (which y'all know isn't my favorite) but it's definitely preferred by some people.

A cute story, although predictable which might be good.