I adore seeing two strangers foster a friendship with one another before taking it to the next level.

While the banter is fun and I enjoyed most of this, this didn't grip me because there wasn't any tension. I was frustrated with both the main characters throughout the story and their spats felt unnecessary.

Overall, I thought this was cute and sweet but also lukewarm and kind of boring.

📝 Hailey moves to San Verde, CA in the hopes of starting over. She's living her dream by opening her very own salad shop. 🥗 Her biggest worry is paying her bills and growing her business UNTIL a man mistakes her for his date that stood him up. What begins as a disastrous 'Meet Cute' turns into a beautiful friendship. Or, can it be more?

What I 🤍:
💕 Best Friends to Lovers
😂 HILARIOUS Meet Cute
🥗 Salad Shop Setting
🍭 Kind, Warm FMC
🫶🏻 Beautiful Friendships

This book left me smiling! If you need your mood boosted, look no further! AGTBJF is such an CUTE romance. I adored their network of friends, and it felt so much like framily. Due to those people, I recommend you read this series in order. (This is the 3rd book in the series.) Sullivan does a great job of keeping all her characters within this world relevant in each story. ☺️

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Passion: 🔥🔥 (Closed Door)
Read If ➡️: You want a sweet, best friends to lovers, SLOW BURN romance.
Read 📅: Anytime of Year

I loved this book, and I will be rereading it in the future! I do wish some of the spicy scenes had been more open door. Additionally, in the end there was some drama I felt was unnecessary due to the pacing. Overall, such a feel good rom-com, and I can't wait to read more by this author.

🙏 Thank you so much to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this book.

(Review to come soon on my Instagram account (@lifewithprinceman).

I enjoyed reading A guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan. The characters in this story will warm your heart. Happy Reading!
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

When I say I hate slow burns I mean it. This book was the definition of slow burn. I got to 50% mark and wanted to DNF. But its from NetGalley so I have to review it. So I skim the rest. It was so boring and slow and it put me in a reading slump so thanks for that. It took forever to get to the actual romance and wasted so much time.

This review is so short because I don’t have much to say that I haven’t said already.

Here's another Netgalley review I waited way too long to write!

I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was part of the Jansen brothers series. I enjoyed How To Love Your Neighbor, but I haven't read Ten Rules for Faking It yet. These books work fine as standalones, although now I know how Chris's story ends.

I don't remember a ton about the romance--honestly, the biggest thing that stuck with me was the fact that the narrators changed the pronunciation of one character's name halfway through. She went from Ana to Anna--I'm not sure how it's spelled in the physical copy, but it definitely threw me off in the audiobook.

What I definitely remember are the salads. This book made me so hungry for healthy food! There's nothing like a big filling salad with tons of delicious toppings. Hailey is new to being a small-business owner, and I enjoyed reading about that aspect of her life.

For a series about a set of brothers, I felt more connected to Hailey. I wish there was more resolution between Wes and his father, and more focus on Wes in general. I felt the same way about the previous book in the series, that we got more depth from the FMC than the MMC.

I'm definitely going to go back and read the first book to see if there's more information about the brothers!

A cute concept. Main character opens shop and has a not so meet cute with the guy and after a bad misunderstanding, they become friends.
However they can’t deny the connection between them.
This book really wasn’t for me. The instant attraction seemed too instant. The friendship seemed forced. I think this book would have kept my attention better if it moved from misunderstanding to attraction to lovers.

I really don’t think I was the target audience for this book and that is why I DNFed it. This book would be perfect for anyone that likes cheesy romances.

I have a toothache from how sweet this was. It’s at once overflowing with positivity. It’s unusual to find a romance where each MC is incredibly self aware about their trauma and feelings. It was refreshing, though I will say that made this feel a bit boring. When both MCs know in a very self aware but clinical way why they act the way they do and are ready to clear up any tension and misunderstanding, the plot kind of stalls a bit?

The friends to lovers trope was cute but I did find myself needing a bit more tension. The nods to responsible business and community engagement was sweet too, but again, this needed a bit more tension.

Overall, just a very sweet and positive romance, however ultimately I think I need romances with a bit more grit and tension from reality. Or maybe just MC a that aren’t so well adjusted, lol.

Rating: 2.5/3, rounding up to 3.

Absolutely adorable romance book! Totally swoon-worthy! I also loved the witty banter. A winner for anyone who loves the tenderness of a slow-burn romance!

I will start by saying I think I would have liked this book if I had read the other two books in the series. There were way too many characters for me to keep track of for the first 70 pages, and it felt like the story wasn't going anywhere because the characters were all in the way. Eventually the story started to develop and it was cute but nothing spectacular. This was a cute rom com about two people who have lots of baggage and want to stay friends. That's about it. I will probably read the other two books in this series, the hints dropped about those story lines sound more interesting.

I had high expectations after reading the blurb comparing it to “When Harry met Sally”. I guess that’s my fault? Honestly, I didn’t even make it halfway. It just wasn’t for me. I was bored. There was so much unnecessary exposition that added absolutely nothing to the story. And when they finally did get some time together, there was zero chemistry. Sorry, couldn’t do it.

Such a great read. I read it all the way through and loved every single minute of it. Highly recommend and cannot wait to read more books from this author in the future. Definitely check this one out and add it to your Tbr list.

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan is the third installment of the Jansen Brothers series, of which I have read the second and now this one. I was swept up by both of these books and enjoyed every page of them. This one is the story of Hailey and Wes, two headstrong entrepreneurs with neither the time, nor desire for a relationship. The two of them meet in quite an embarrassing way and when Wes is able to make an apology, they decide that even though they don't want to date, they could be friends, pretty much best friends. They grocery shop, watch rom-coms (her choice), play video games (his choice), and attend functions together, all strictly platonic. Although, they seem perfect for each other and as time goes on feelings start to move in that direction, their original stand on being just friends gets in the way. The story is super cute and fun, also a fast read that I would definitely recommend.

This is the third book in the Jensen Brothers series from Sophie Sullivan. This romantic comedy / friends-to-lovers works as a standalone.

Hailey is trying to establish a new life for herself, after a bad breakup and not very nice ex who leaves her with trust issues but she has a good attitude and a positive attitude that intrigues Wes Jensen. They decide to be friends while having plenty of attraction for each other. Wes is looking for a woman who is compatible with his likes and realizes that she's right in front on him in Hailey. It takes him a bit to get there, but he does.

This is a slow burn romantic comedy that is light-hearted in the right places with a little angst thrown in there for a bit of seasoning. Plenty of warm fuzzy feelings here. I liked it and I am intrigued enough to go back and find time to read the first two books in this series.

Great quick and cute read. Definitely my type of book. Looking forward to reading more by Sophie! Thank you so much for the ARC

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the earc!

i said it for book 2, but i really thought i was going to like this more than the previous books. like the whole friends-to-lovers and having to make a guide of how to stay just friends and not include "feelings" into that??? sounds really good, but the execution was not good. i liked hailey and wes sometimes and other times i wanted to just shake some sense into them - hailey with her body negativity and wes with his inability to/fear of falling in love. there were many moments that i was giddy becuase they were really starting to fall for each other but that last 20% made me VERY angry. the back and forth almost made me DNF, but i had made it that far and just held on. honestly, this series is just okay. i have liked seeing chris and everly in each book MORE than the book's mcs for both books 2 and 3, so i think that says a lot. while book 1 i didn't really feel the chemistry between them, i have felt it in the following books. i don't really recommend this series but ehhh to each their own.

⚠️: body shaming, toxic relationship (fmc's ex) (mmc and his father), emotional abuse, body negativity, divorce

Sophie Sullivan's "A Guide to Being Just Friends" is a contemporary romance about Jansen brother #3, Wes, and his newly found bestie, Hailey. After becoming friends after what could have been an amazing meet-cute, Hailey and Wes list their guide to being the greatest friends without the complications of romance and falling in love. During their friendship, Wes continues his business endeavours with his two wealthy brothers, including working at a recreation center that builds up young people in the community. His world slowly intertwines with that of Hailey as she works hard to grow her start up salad business. Thanks to Wes' know-how and connections, Hailey's small business not only skyrockets, but her social circle deeply widens.

I enjoyed the beautiful process of what makes a sweet friendship grow between two people. As Hailey and Wes overcome personal challenges, insecurities, and career changes, they are there for each other. Watching them slowly become intimate was lovely.

If there was one thing I’d change, however, it’s a little more editing. I feel like a chunk or two could have been cut. I also would have changed the expected conflict. I didn’t understand Hailey’s reaction and perhaps I knew where Wes was coming from. No spoilers but it would be an interesting convo if you’ve read it.

I recommend this book if you like a slow burn fade-to-black contemporary romance with themes like friends to lovers and found family.

A slice of life kind of book featuring an independent girlie in a new town making a name for herself and a reserved but quirky male lead with deep pockets and a big heart.

Hailey & Wes’ relationship kicks off with a simple misunderstanding but soon blooms into friendship. Most of the narrative centers on them building their friendship and going through life together, strictly as friends. It felt a little unnatural for them to so decisively say so, but alas, the guide to being just friends was born and they really tried their darnedest to keep it that way.

You have to rock hard with the friends to lovers trope to endure this one. There was a long lead up to their inevitable reveal of more-than-friends feelings; the necessary tension was lacking for me to feel completely invested. When they finally got together, though their dialogue and handling of issues could be considered mature, it felt heavy handed and I found myself rolling my eyes *several* times. Their dialogue and characterization was very stiff.

I enjoyed the merry world of characters and understand the brothers & their significant others have their own books. This worked as a standalone novel but would be probably be more satisfying if the other books in the series were read first, as the precious characters make many appearances throughout the novel.

2.5⭐️ rounding up. Recommended to those who enjoy fade to black romances, slice of life contemporary reads, and friends to lovers tropes

**thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙚𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 500 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝘼 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙚𝙣 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙁𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙩.

📍 Read if you like:
• Friends-to-Lovers
• When Harry Met Sally
• Closed Door Romances
• Slow Burns

This is my first read by this author… I know I probably should’ve read the first two books in the series to get the full story on these brothers, but I didn’t mind reading this one first. I loved that I didn’t find it confusing how often the other characters appeared in this one.

I was so hesitant to read this when I saw the mixed reviews on Goodreads, but I’m glad I didn’t pay too much attention to them as I enjoyed this.

While I did get through this just fine without reading the other two books first, it may be best to read them before so it won’t be too confusing. I wasn’t confused, but I know some readers may be.

I loved Wes so much, he was so wholesome and sweet to Hailey. I also loved how they met - it was a sunny scene… and the times after when they met coincidentally.

As the title states, this book starts with our characters being just friends - “not wanting to be in a relationship” - but then they realize they may have feelings for each other and may be more than just friends.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of friends-to-lovers, but it worked so well in this one. It may have been because they met as strangers before becoming friends, while other books in this trope start with them being friends right away.

Also, the dual POVs worked so well for me. It was a slow-burn romance, but it was worth it! Found family and friendships also play a part… which I loved!

I also want to mention how much I loved and respected Hailey for being an independent woman and believing in her small business: a salad restaurant.

I loved this book so much and now I want to go back and read the first two! Both of these characters were so enjoyable to read about and I loved seeing them become more than just friends! Such a great romance read!

This book was super cheesy and kind of dull. I kinda enjoyed it for a light romance, but it’s one of those books when I’m done I will never think about it again

This was a solidly average smalltown romance for me. I really loved that the relationship started out as a friendship that grows to more, but I didn't quite come around to the chemistry between Wes and Hailey and that was my biggest disappointment, But I still enjoyed this and thought it brought the Jensen's brother series to a nice conclusion.