thank you to netgalley and st martin's griffin for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts :)

i was hooked from the title bc as a friends to lovers stan i just knew i needed this!! hailey and wes don't start out as friends but quickly become each others person. hailey is the kind of girl who still believes in love after awful relationships and wes absolutely does not feel the same - he refuses to fall in love. obviously, i ate this up!! these two characters just had so many feelings and so much to work through in regards to communication and expectations which made the romance that much more realistic to me. overall, i enjoyed my time while reading this and am looking forward to picking up the other to jansen brothers books!! <3

I love everything Sophie Sullivan writes. Her books are always so warm and funny, and the characters are lovely and easy to root for. I also reeeeeally want to visit Hailey's salad shop.

When Hailey and Wes meet, it isn't under the best of circumstances for either of them, but they decide that they like spending time together and that they make great friends. Hailey, for me, was a phenomenal character. She had depth, wit, sarcasm, and a drive to succeed (although this could be detrimental at times). Wes, for me, was also a good character. You could tell he had a good heart and wanted what was best for everyone. The friends to lovers trope isn't usually my favorite, but I feel like it worked so well here. You could see and feel the chemistry, the banter, and the struggle to deal with those feelings. This was a great ending to the Jansen brothers series and tied everything up really well!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC to review.

This is the final book in the Jensen brothers trilogy and sadly my least favorite. This book follows Wes and Hailey who decide to become friends after a failed meet cute. While this book does follow them I felt like the book focused too much on trying to bring in every character from the series so that everything could get wrapped up. I would have liked to see more of Hailey and Wes together rather than all the family dynamics. I also was not a fan of Hailey’s character. She had very little personality and I felt like every interaction she had with the other characters was very people pleasing. Because this is slow burn friends to lovers they don’t get together til 50% through the book and then when they do we of course have to have the 3rd act breakup which felt very rushed. So it was conflict after conflict at the very end and then kiss and makeup and happy ending super quickly. Thank you to netgalley and St. Martins Press for an e-arc, all thoughts are my own.

Yes, give me more of the Jansen brothers! Wes is the big brother of the three and he’s my favorite. He’s the guarded but caring brother who is trying to protect everyone. I loved his meet-cute with Hailey, the new shop owner of the Salad in a Cup. I wanted to try every salad she made! What I love about Sophie Sullivan’s books it they cover real topics with realistic romance. The characters are well-developed and I want them to be my friends in real life. Sophie, can you create a Jansen brother just for me to date but he will live in Minnesota with me?

This book was a friends to lovers, dual POV with fade to black spice. It is book 3 in a series, but is just fine as a stand-alone read.

The friends to lovers made the romance slow-burn… but not by much. I feel like the romance/relationship aspect still happened at the appropriate place in the book…. But the story covers almost a full year.

Over all, think that the group scenes were the glue making this book more interesting. It was always someone else pointing out the chemistry between the two main characters… The solo scenes were good, but the chemistry fell a little flat during the friendship phase.

This was a really nice fluffy romance read. Having read Chris and Noah Jenssen’s stories, Wes and Hailey’s story was cute. The found family aspect and seeing the brothers together was a nice way to round things out for this series.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for approving me for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#aguidetobeingjustfriends:⁣
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“… a little fear goes a long way. Toward what, I’m not sure. Best to be cautious but I’ll have your back.”⁣
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This was like a big hug. I’ve really enjoyed this series and it just felt like a great big hug to finish it off. Hailey and Wes were wonderful and I felt like they complimented each other well. I was so excited for his story, and I’m glad it played out the way it did!⁣
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I did listen on audio and I felt both readers did a great job. I did enjoy Stephanie Willing’s read a bit more, but overall a solid listen on audio.⁣
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I will say, it took like 70% for the will they/won’t they to happen, so it almost felt like they held out for too long. Of course we have the great misunderstanding and the makeup, and I wish we could have spent more time in those areas. However, I did really enjoy getting to know Hailey and Wes as individuals before a couple.⁣
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Overall, another solid Sophie Sullivan hit. Plus that epilogue 🥺🥺🥺 Thank you so much @smpromance and @macmillan.audio for the copies!! A Guide to Being Just Friends is out now. ❤️⁣
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QOTD: If you had to play a fun board game, what would you choose?

In this friends to lover romance, you will find a lot of cute moments involving a salad shop and grocery shopping. This is a continuation in a series so you also will get to check in with some familiar characters. It is a closed door romance with a lot of swoon worthy-just kiss already- moments..

A Guide to Being Just Friends was the witty, delicious, swoon-worthy friends to lovers romance that I didn’t know I needed.

From the start, I fell in love with EVERY character. Unbenounced to me, this is actually the third book in a series! Needless to say, I’ll be reading the first 2 immediately. It’s fabulous as a stand-alone anyway, though.

The banter was well written, the characters fully fledged, the plot was full of both romance and disasters, and I couldn’t get it out of my head the entire time I was reading this.

Run, don’t walk, to grab your copy now!

Hailey Sharp is an independent woman who is determined to make a success of her recently opened salad shop. She's not interested in dating or romance and for good reason. However, friendships she can handle. Wes Jansen is certain he will never fall in love, but he too is open to friendship. After a messy first meeting and fateful second chance, the two really do become friends. Good friends. Over time the relationship takes on new meaning for one of them. Is it possible that they can find themselves on equal footing again?

This is a delightful story that is told with wit and heart. The protagonists and the secondary characters are three dimensional and likeable. The narrative is packed with emotion and themes of friendship and family.

Well written and engrossing, this book was a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Guide to Being Just Friends was a great conclusion to the Jansen brothers’ journeys!

I LOVE when a strong friendship is formed before the romance. Sophie Sullivan wrote such a sweet story that made me laugh out loud multiple times. Noah, Chris, and Wes are hilarious brothers! I love when they give each right a hard time.

Hailey was SO stubborn and stuck in her way. It was a little frustrating that she was not willing to let Wes help her - even though I understood her need to be independent and rely on herself.

I was not ready for the 3rd act break up but the 4th act break up was even more heartbreaking. Each time they hurt each other, I loved how they both came back apologizing. They each saw that they could have done something a little different. They didn’t change themselves but they compromised.

I wish there was another Jansen brother!! They’re so sweet! I would definitely read life about them! I cannot wait for what Sophie Sullivan writes next!!

Let’s take a moment for book series where each book follows a different friend/family member’s journey👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

When I requested the ARC of A Guide to Being Just Friends, I had no idea that it was a part of a series. I went to start it when I found out it was, I knew I wanted to read the books in order (although not completely necessary). I devoured these books of the Jansen brothers on their own journey to find love.

A Guide to Being Just Friends was such a sweet, quick read of Wes and Hailey’s undeniable connection. A closed door slow-burn romance with fun banter and a strong badass FMC? Say no more. Plus the ending tied up the whole series with all 3 brothers (so note that in case you happen to read them out of order. Thanks so much net galley & Sophie Sullivan for the ARC copy 😊
PUB DATE: January 17,2023

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a slow burn rom-com by Sophie Sullivan. It is the last in a series about the Janson brothers but can be read as a standalone. We follow Hailey, who just got out of a bad relationship and is in the middle of opening up a salad shop and Wes the oldest of the three Janson brothers, who has moved to California to get away from being under his fathers controlling manner. Neither Hailey nor Wes are interested in being in a relationship so they agree to just being friends until one drunken night changes things.
Such an enjoyable light and quick read. Would definitely recommend this book to others. Can't wait to read more from the author!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Sophie Sullivan and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an adorable book. I enjoyed How to Love Your Neighbor and this one solidified my love for Sophie Sullivan's books. I still need to read Ten Rules for Faking It but I can tell you it's definitely on my list!

Hailey's been navigating her life by herself since she as a teenager and after splitting from her boyfriend of a few years she's finally opening her own business. As Hailey navigates small business ownership she finds herself surrounded by the most supportive friends. I loved reading about the friendships between Hailey and her cousin Piper's friend Fiona who is such a firecracker. It showed how important a found family can be when you're own family isn't around to support you.

Wes is determined to never fall in love so that he can avoid ending up like his father. Let's just say he wasn't the best example to his three sons and we've been able to see that in glimpses from the other books in this series. I liked Wes and enjoyed seeing how his character evolved from this a man struggling with what his expectations of love were and what the reality of it is.

The spice was low but I was ok with that. I liked the banter between Wes and Hailey and am glad I got the opportunity to read this one. I hope we get more of these fun rom-coms. They definitely bring some light into my reading life!

I will say, that all though I didn't realize this was a part of a series, I don't think it took away from my enjoyment of the book. I love Hailey and Wes. I can't say that the slow burn trope is my favorite, however, this was a very cozy read for me.

I'm definitely going to check out the first 2 books in the series!

I did not realize this was part of a series until someone told me. Will have to come back to another time after reading the others.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a cute closed door romance that finishes off a series. While you don’t need to read the other 2 books, those characters do have a presence in this book.

Hailey just moved to San Verde, California to live near her cousin after a bad breakup to open up her own salad shop. Wes moved to San Verde to be near his brothers and build more investments. They have a weird meet-cute that ends up embarrassing them both. A second chance introduction paves the way for friendship.

As the two MC get along and help each other with seemingly platonic situations, they both start to have feelings. Wes however lives in a black and white world and sees no room for love. Hailey wants an all encompassing love.

Read this if you love:
🥗 Slow burn romance
🥗 Closed door romance
🥗 Friends to Lovers

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. A Guide to Being Just Friends is out now.

This was such a cute slow burn, friends to lovers romance!! I felt like there was a hint of grumpy-sunshine as well but I also wouldn’t consider Wes to be a fully grumpy character so I’m not 100% sure about that just yet! But anyways, I think this was absolutely adorable! There were some timeline holes that confused me a bit but they were minor so it wasn’t a huge concern. Also, dual POV??? LOVE IT!! I’m a sucker for dual POV especially in romance books so I’m so very happy that that was included in this! Overall, this was adorable and I really enjoyed it!

P.s., I’m craving salad and brownies now after reading this

For me this was probably a solid 3.5.

I wanted this book to be over pretty bad. I wanted to enjoy it but I didn’t really. I wouldn’t even consider it a slow burn. It was just slow. I didn’t really particularly like either Wes or Hailey.

I didn’t realize this was a third book either, but I actually liked Chris and Noah and would possibly consider going back and reading their books.

There was no particular connection I felt towards Hailey or Wes. They had a cute friendship but it wasn’t a stand out rom com to me. The build up didn’t have me pining for their relationship to start.

I understood but didn’t understand haileys insecurity with money. I don’t think I’d turn down a Tiffany’s bracelet thank you.

Also I hate hate third act break ups. And the way this played out was okay, I was fine with it. It worked. But at 90% I almost just stopped reading cause it made me hate it. The only thing keeping me reading it was that I knew I was like 20 min from being done.

It wasn’t a particularly bad book. The writing was good. It just wasn’t something that really hit home for me.

This was a cute romcom! I didn’t realize that it was the third/final book in this series - so it’s safe to say that this can be read as a standalone without being insanely confused.

This follows Hailey and Wes. Hailey moved to another region outside of LA and opens up a salad shop on her own. She’s a BOSS and we’re here for that power. Wes is an investor and he and his brothers help small businesses and low-key, they’re loaded. Hailey, not liking to ask for help or even the idea of handouts, butts heads with Wes but they become really good friends and he genuinely helps her up her business practices. BUT, they both realize that they like their friendship too much and refuse to let it be anything more - enter their joke of “their guide to being just friends”.

I wanted to shake both Hailey and Wes at different moments because they needed some sense knocked into them. However, I feel like the side characters were everything! LIKE LEO. Making her a little fruit sundae bc she’s sad. 🥺 Or even the friends she makes in Fiona and Dolly. I just wanted to squeeze them all so equally and give everyone a giant hug. I definitely want to go back and read the other 2, because I have a feeling that they follow Wes’ two brother and their relationship. Regardless, I’m curious.