I fell in love with the characters in this book immediately. They have a lot of depth and are well developed. Although part of a series, this book can be read as a standalone. I actually didn’t realize I had read the first book but missed the second until the end. Hailey has moved to San Verde for a new start. Her cousin lives there, so she does have some support in her new venture opening a salad store. Coming off a bad relationship, Hailey is determined to do everything on her own. She bumps into Wes, who also has recently moved to the area. He is quite wealthy but is trying to get away from his father’s way of doing business. He is working with his two brothers, who are seriously involved with the women they love. He has a big heart and is always trying to solve problems for others. He attempts to help Hailey, but she is insistent on doing everything on her own. While attracted to one another, they don’t want a serious relationship with anyone. The reader can easily see how their past affects them. I enjoyed this book very much and am going back to read the one I missed in the series.

Also reviewed on B&N under 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo under IrishEyes430

I love Sophie Sullivan’s books. Her characters have so much personality and they’re fun to be around. Plus, the banter that comes through the pages is fantastic.

This book took a slightly different approach than the others in the series (although it can be read as a standalone). Instead of enemies to lovers, this book is rooted in a strong friendship and a need to stay *just* friends. Granted, their first encounter leads into a bit of enemies… but for the most part, they vow to be friends. Until other feelings start to climb forward and everyone around them forces them to face what they’re truly feeling.

Honestly, I loved Hailey and Wes’ friendship. I loved how they bonded and set into a routine. I loved them together too, when that eventually happened, but I found their friendship incredibly refreshing. That said, maybe it’s just because I relate to their friendship!

Tropes
💫 Friends to Lovers
💫 Independent entrepreneur FMC
💫 Billionaire romance

Absolutely LOVED this!! Hailey and Wes are adorable! I have been falling harder and harder for friends to lovers. Their friendship is the sweetest thing I’ve read. I couldn’t read this story fast enough! So much growth! I want to read over and over! Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

I love Sophie Sullivan’s books. Her characters have so much personality and they’re fun to be around. Plus, the banter that comes through the pages is fantastic.

This book took a slightly different approach than the others in the series (although it can be read as a standalone). Instead of enemies to lovers, this book is rooted in a strong friendship and a need to stay *just* friends. Granted, their first encounter leads into a bit of enemies… but for the most part, they vow to be friends. Until other feelings start to climb forward and everyone around them forces them to face what they’re truly feeling.

Honestly, I loved Hailey and Wes’ friendship. I loved how they bonded and set into a routine. I loved them together too, when that eventually happened, but I found their friendship incredibly refreshing. That said, maybe it’s just because I relate to their friendship!

Tropes
💫 Friends to Lovers
💫 Independent entrepreneur FMC
💫 Billionaire romance

after a breakup that swears her off of dating, Hailey Sharp makes a big move to a new town in Cali where she opens up her own salad shop, By the Cup. while supporting a local bakery near her storefront, Hailey meets Wes when he mistakes her for a match he made on a dating app. while their encounter gives them a rocky start, they bond over their current distaste for dating, and agree that what they really need is a good friend.

from here, Hailey & Wes develop a friendship, attending events, grocery shopping together, watching rom-coms and playing video games. Hailey becomes immersed in Wes’s inner-circle that consists of his brothers & their girlfriends, and Hailey’s cousin and friends join the mix.

as Hailey & Wes grow closer, it becomes harder to find the line between love and companionship. this makes for some mixed feelings along the way, ultimately urging the two “just friends” to dive deeper into their feelings, or risk losing the person they care about most.

i liked the overall upbeat tone in this story. set in sunny California, the group always seemed to be making the most of their bustling town, enjoying local attractions & immersing themselves in events. I thought Hayley’s shop was cute, too, and it always had me craving a big salad.

the story itself was a little slow for me. the last 20% of the book had me rolling my eyes at Hailey & Wes (specifically Hailey). I thought she got a little whiny and overly nit-picky at some of the things Wes would do. i understand the author’s intention of trying to make her independent, but she seemed a little ungrateful at times. there seemed to be a lot of back-and-forth fighting & making up towards the end of the book, too, which made it really drag for me.

otherwise, it was a cute, super predictable plot with some lovable characters! (side note, this is book 3 in a series with Wes & his brothers, and I had no idea until I finished it—so if you’re planning to read this, you might want to start with book 1!)

thanks to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my #arc ! this book is out now!!

I always love a new author and Sophie Sullivan has made my favorite reads of 2023. When an unsociable computer geek prefers friendship over love, it takes lots of salad, a guide, romcoms, and his kind and funny friend to change his mind.

Hailey Sharp is a struggling business owner of a new salad shop in California. Sounds like an ideal spot, but the customers are scarce. Until one day at the bakery next door she is mistaken for a blind date by a grumpy guy who didn’t believe she was just there for some chocolate. As fate has it, she meets the guy again after delivering a lunch order and he happens to be New York royalty and has a penchant to fix things, but Hailey does not take charity. She’s not a project or investment. So favors are given and a friendship is formed. But things don’t always go according to plan.

As the technology side of his family’s successful investment business, Wes Jansen thrives on consistency and routine. This applied to his personal life as well. Love was not an option for him, though he really likes his new friend, Hailey. He can be himself with her and he can tell her things he’s never revealed to anyone else. When their relationship becomes friends with benefits, life is good until her confession. It wasn’t part of the plan. He has to back away. So why does his heart hurt so much?

Friendship to love is one of my favorite tropes and Ms. Sullivan nailed it. Hailey and Wes are made for each other. I love watching Wes slowly soften his shell around Hailey as she charms him with her wit and love for life. Hailey is a powerhouse of new beginnings as she picked herself up from a toxic relationship and gained back her self-confidence to become a successful businesswoman on her own. She’s not only made friends with Wes and his family but with women, she’s met in her shop and through her cousin Piper. Hailey’s honesty and outspokenness are what I admire most about her. She’s true to herself and puts herself out there. Wes, on the other hand, is an uptight, nerdy, analytical big brother who is used to being alone. He has no time for love because he saw the heartbreak and downfall love brought to his parents. Though he doesn’t believe he can love, his actions show otherwise. He creates a video game just for Hailey. He helps a young boy at the local rec center find a job as a delivery boy for Hailey. And he protects his brothers from his despicable father. When Wes realizes his mistake with Hailey, his grand gesture is memorable as he finally gives her what she deserves.

The family and friends in this book are phenomenal. The love is so strong and everyone has each other’s backs. I especially like Wes’s brothers Chris and Noah. Their playful rapport as brothers is endearing. When Wes messes up, they don’t hold back and when Wes needs them most, they are there for him.

If you are looking for a feel-good read filled with romance, angst, laughter, family, and friends, pick up this book. I couldn’t put it down. Though I started the series at the end, I can’t wait to go back and read about Chris and Noah.

I LOVED this book! I loved reading about the third Jansen brother and I would recommend this book to others!!

Hailey Sharp is doing her best to get her salad shop, By the Cup, up and running. This is her only focus in life when she runs into Wes, in a disastrous meet cute that wasn't even theirs. They go their own ways but Wes returns to apologize to Hailey, and they end up becoming friends.
This was a great and entertaining romance story, and I definitely recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Luckily this bad boy can be read as a stand alone because again I've made the fatal flaw of not checking before I started reading that its a stand alone or first in a series lol... While I do prefer to read series this one still worked.
Will I be reading the first 2 books in this series.. absolutely, I think I'm gonna like the Jansen brothers.
This was a very slowwwww burn is that my cup of tea? meh.. Did I love the friendship that Hailey and Wes developed YES! Did I love their interactions as an item.... no so much I felt it just got way to corny and very rushed towards the end. And I mean if they're gonna go from 0 to 100 with their feelings I would have liked some smut to follow up with that, but sadly the steam was more like a warm breeze.
Aside from the romance of the book, I loved the dynamic of the found family this group of friends Hailey has met and the Jansens Brothers bond. You could tell all the side characters were genuine with their friendships.
Big shout out to Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC for an honest review. I'm excited to check out the other books in this series!

Wes and Hailey are absolutely adorable! Friends to lovers stories are always a favorite of mine and after reading this I wish there was a By the Cup salad shop that I could go to. Realistic and relatable for me as well. Their friendship is something I would cherish in my own life as well. Of course I love reading updates and Wes' brothers!

I love this author's writing style and appreciate the slow-burn trope. Wes and Hailey wanting to be "just friends" made me laugh from the start ... we all know where that will go, right? But the story didn't feel as predictable as I ... predicted. I really enjoyed the main characters and the journey they took, both together and separate!

I did not finish this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. The story felt too simple and just did not do enough to keep me interested in the characters.

This is the story of Wes the third Jansen brother. Noah is the oldest and has taken on the brunt of their father's expectations. Wanting to get out from under his thumb they started their own company and can do some good in their community. A part of that community is Haley a local shop owner with a salad in a cup business. She is trying to start over after a toxic ex, and build her business.

⁣Haley doesn't want help from anyone wanting to prove she can do it on her own. She doesn't trust her instincts when it comes to men, so when she meets Wes she can only agree to be friends. I really enjoyed their friendship and how they brought out the best parts of each other. Wes is just so endearing and I loved how he just really wanted to help and lighten the load for those he cares about the most.

⁣⁣I loved how Haley was really trying to establish herself but also trying to give chances to those who might not have otherwise been given opportunities. Making her own sense of community and family.

Low angst, sweet friendships and just such an endearing story of starting over, finding your people and proving to yourself that you can be successful by forging your own path.

I received an arc for review via NetGalley all opinions are my own and given freely.

Hailey is new in town and looking for a fresh start in the form of a small salad shop. Wes has sworn off love and has worked with his brothers for months trying to establish himself without his father's money or influence. After a terrible first encounter at a coffee shop, Hailey and Wes become fast friends. It isn't long before they're spending all of their time together and they have to decide if it's worth it to risk their friendship. This book is the third in the series and the side characters all have their own backstories that bring them to life.

"But there was more to loving someone than just “fixing” things."

Tropes-
3rd person dual POV,slow burn, friends to lovers

I had absolutely no idea this was the 3rd book of the series when I requested it. I love a good friends to lovers and this book definitely falls in the category.

I absolutely loved Hailey & Wes❤️

"Life rarely followed a straight path but the curves and unexpected detours had a way of leading to the exact right place."

The epilogue was cute & lovely.

"𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮."

Overall, I really liked this book! It was very relatable to me on a lot of different, especially in my early to mid twenties, and before I met Matt. I was pretty much the president of the friendzone.

The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me was because sometimes the characters stubbornness was a little TOO much. Like, we get it, you're JUST friends (definitely not). And also, like, let people do nice things for you every so often! It doesn't always mean they don't think you're capable.

Advice I need to remember at times.

Full blog post coming soon! ❤
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #aguidetobeingjustfriends #sophiesullivan #arcebook #advancedreadercopy #kindle #slowburn #friendstolovers #closeddoor #book5of2023 #whatsnikkireading

A little case of mistaken identity.. all the miscommunication at first.. in between and til the end.. the inevitable becoming friends, wondering if they’ve landed in the friend zone, maybe more?
All of the feels, the confusion, the realization.. oh and the humor, the cringe moments.. the swoon worthy moments.. and everything in between.
A slow burn that will get your heart racing, and your ‘awwww’s in action. 🥺
100% recommend to all my romance readers, friends to lovers, well lovers, and to anyone that loves a feel good overall romance.

I found this book such a slog to get through. The characters were irritating, the stakes and disagreements so trivial. It just was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of the book.

First of all, I read this book as a stand-alone which worked but, I definitely recommend reading it as a series as Wes’s brothers are featured in the first two books.

This book was quite good. This would have been 5 stars for me but, as others had said the burn is soooo very slow. Some parts in the book jump a month or more and nothing happens with them. This book did give me big When Harry Met Sally vibes as in that movie the burn was slow and over years. I loved that hailey stayed true to herself and did not fall for wealth, and did not take any handouts (or many). I love that she was written as a strong business woman. I definitely recommend this book if you love friends to lovers trope!

Will also be posting this review to Instagram in the morning

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley and the publisher for review. All thoughts are my own*

This was such a cute book! I enjoyed reading How to Love Your Neighbor last year, and I’m so glad that I got to read and review another Sophie Sullivan book. I now have to go back and read book one for sure! These can be read as standalones, but each book is about one of three brothers. I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy contemporary romance, friends to lovers, and a slow burn!

Hailey Sharp has been on her own for a while. Her parents are never around for her, and she and her boyfriend broke up a while ago. She moved to be closer to her cousin Piper, her husband Nick, and their kids who are her closest family. She has opened her own business called “By the Cup” where her specialty is salads, and she’s doing everything she can to get it off the ground and make it a success. With her head full of ideas about her business, and her ex now in her rearview mirror, she is living life the way she wants to. She wants no distractions.

Wes Jansen never understood all the hubbub with relationships. He’s had a string of first dates that never went anywhere, and he still deals with the pain of his parent’s angry divorce. He’d like to find someone that he likes and gets along with, but not anymore than that. He’d just like some companionship really.

Hailey and Wes find themselves in a disastrous meet cute that wasn’t even intended for them, and embarrassed they go their separate ways. Wes later finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, and they wind up striking up a friendship. Of course, that’s all that it can be, as neither of them wants a relationship beyond platonic. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved how Hailey was such a determined, hardworking character. She was so invested in her restaurant. It was fun to see her relationship with Piper and her family. She also makes some other friends along the way, including not only Wes, but the funny Fiona. It was nice to see her find her family, her people.

I liked watching Hailey and Wes’ relationship develop. They both enter the friendship with some of their own baggage, and I liked that they are flawed characters. The banter between them was great!

This book was just the kind of lighthearted story that I needed! Excited to read more from this author.