Summary
Hailey is just got out of a bad relationship in Hollywood and is trading the life of the rich and famous to start her own salad shop in San Verde, CA. Wes is determined to avoid love and all feelings like it as he has just moved from NYC to CA to focus on his business ventures with his brothers. When these two accidentally meet in a blind-date confusion, they decide they can each benefit from a new friend, not knowing what deeper feelings lie just around the corner.

Why did I pick up this book?
This was my first Advanced Reader Copy granted to me by NetGalley. I thought the premise sounded cute, as I'm usually up for a good friends-to-lovers story.

What did I enjoy about it?
The relationship that the three brothers had was hilarious. I did not realize until I read the Acknowledgments that this was the third book in the series, and felt it read so well as a standalone novel! The pacing was pretty fast and of course, we all know I love a dual point-of-view so that we get to hear from both main characters. Last, I loved that Hailey and Wes both pushed each other to be successful and follow their hearts when it came to their aspirations and passions.

What did I not enjoy about it?
There were so many cliches and repetitive internal monologue that I was bored throughout. The choices in time jumps or scenes left out were really confusing. The ending was not believable enough for me. So often, one of the main characters screws up, the couple breaks up, a friend/family member stages an intervention, and they get back together. In this book, Wes suffered some real childhood trauma that he should have sought therapy for, not just a little brotherly pep talk. There was a lot that went unsaid and unresolved.

This story had all of the makings of something to enjoy, and it was a good read! I love oldest brothers and friends to lovers, so Wes was set up to be a great LI for me!
I think where I struggled with this story was the connection and the comps. I wanted more friendship and bickering and chaos between Hailey and Wes. A big draw for me was the comp to When Harry Met Sally, but I didn’t feel the love and connection I feel with that movie.
Overall this was a good story but I just felt like I needed more.

We finally get the third of the Jansen brothers, Wes! I have been so interested to read his book. He's the cybersecurity, computer nerd of the three. And he's always been so protective of his brothers. I loved seeing how that played out in his romance.

And Hailey was an excellent match for him. She's a new small business owner with a great salad shop, By the Cup. After a hilarious meet cute, the book quickly shifts to a friends-to-lovers tale, as both tried to insist they weren't into each other. It made for a super slow burn and great storytelling. I loved seeing both characters grow over the long time period of the book.

I always enjoy reading about the brothers work with the rec center and helping their community, and this book was no exception. I think this series works best read in order to understand Wes and his brothers' relationship with their father. And I wish there was more of a resolution to that aspect of the series. I'm hoping the lack means there will be a book four with their little sister.

I enjoyed this book so much and thought it was cute as hell!! I’m often not a fan of slow burn, simply because I’m impatient 😅 but I thought this was done so well. I loved the progression from friends to more. It felt really authentic. The slow burning tension mixed in with the flirty banter between Hailey and Wes was so good! Wes and Hailey were so lovable but there were times when I got frustrated with them both. I just wanted to shake them and tell them how good they’d be together!!! I thought Hailey was too proud at time, but I guess it’s understandable due to her past relationship. She wanted to do things on her own, but didn’t realize that it was okay to accept help along the way. I loved the friends in this book too! It was nice to see Hailey found her own little family in her new town.

Overall this was a quick, fun read. I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cute romcom or something fairly low angst.

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Sullivan for the sea ark! I really enjoyed it

This was your standard rom com. I giggled often and there were some definite swoon worthy moments. I wish there was something more to make this series stand out though. I was about 100 pages in before realizing that it was likely part of a series and then realizing I had already read books 1 and 2!

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan
Publication Day: Today!
Contemporary Romance

Hailey is content in life simply by getting her new business off the ground. Wes has had a series of lackluster first dates and has sworn off dating for the time being. He isn’t interested in love anyways. After his childhood, he wants companionship at best. After an awkward first encounter, Hailey and Wes strike up a friendship but eventually feelings get involved….

This one did absolutely nothing for me. It was both predictable in plot and text. It did not charm me nor did the romance woo me. I felt nothing while reading it. I did find the characters to be relatable and their outlooks to be realistic given their past experiences but there was nothing particularly exciting about either of them. Their friendship base was cute though and those characters appear in previous novels in the series. You do not have to have read the previous novels (I didn’t) to understand the characters and story.

The romance felt forced. There wasn’t any flirtation, passion or interesting dialogue. It was a slow burn romance which would have been tolerable for me if it hadn’t also been closed door.

This just didn’t work for me personally but I'm sure there are many who find that it does.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Guide to Being Just Friends
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

Two individuals who are very independent, closed off to love, don't trust easy and ready to fix others problems but never want help come together in A Guide to Being Friends by Sophie Sullivan.

I had the opportunity to read Noah and Grace's story last year and was delighted to read the last story in the Jansen brothers series. Lot of characters reappear so though this book can be read as a standalone, reading it as a series would be better. I love when the supporting characters play a part in the main characters story and this book definitely delivers on that score.

Wes and Hailey have their quirks, they are not perfect but the way they try to work out things between themselves with the help of their friends and family is wonderful to read. They both learn how to trust and let each other into their lives. I loved this book and I am sorry to see this series end. But hopefully I can get Fiona's story! A wonderful, light hearted, cute and friendly romance overall.

a guide to being just friends is a friends-to-lovers story AND a dual pov?! immediately sign me up.

the main characters, wes jensen and hailey sharp, have opinions that compliment each other. while the two seem like complete opposites, they compromise for the importance of having a friend. through their friendship, they ultimately realize their true emotions and long-term goals. “what could possibly go wrong?”

overall, AGTBJF was an amusing but longer than expected read. my first impression was that wes and hailey felt very insta-love, but at least their relationship expanded later on. as for the other characters, i did find them predictably one-dimensional. maybe this AGTBJF wasn’t for me! this could be a favorite read for others that are searching for more of the jensen brothers or a slowburn friends-to-lovers story.

thanks to st. martin’s press and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Happy Release Day to @authorsophiesullivan 👏✨️🎉

Book Review Time!
Courtesy to @netgalley for accepting me as an ARC reviewer for this novel.

A Guide To Just Being Friends by Sullivan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A Guide To Just Being Friends is Book 3 of the Jansen Brothers Series by Sophie Sullivan.

Although I have not read of the previous novels or any other books from this author, I think anyone can enjoy this as a standalone rom-com.

Leading female character, Hailey Sharpe, is a new salad shop business owner with less than great past with relationships, meets Wes Jansen at the Cafe next door, who doesn't believe in true love.

They eventually form a friendship with the mutual understanding that this could never turn into anything romantic.

I enjoyed experiencing their friendship slowly develop as their lives become more and more entangled through business and social networks.

The ending was super sweet and heart-warming. I would definitely read the other books in this series!

Synopsis:
A playful and emotional romantic comedy from the author of Ten Rules for Faking It

Hailey Sharp has a one-track mind. Get By the Cup salad shop off the ground. Do literally everything possible to make it a success. Repeat. With a head full of entrepreneurial ideas and a bad ex in her rearview, her one and only focus is living life the way she wants to. No distractions.

Wes Jansen never did understand the fuss about relationships. With a string of lackluster first dates and the pain from his parents’ angry divorce following him around, he’d much rather find someone who he likes, but won’t love. Companionship, not passion, is the name of the game.

When Hailey and Wes find each other in a disastrous meet cute that wasn’t even intended for them, they embarrassingly go their separate ways. But when Wes finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, they strike a friendship. Because that’s all this can be. Hailey doesn’t want any distractions. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love.

What could possibly go wrong?

Hailey Sharp is trying to rebuild her life in another city after a bad breakup with her ex. Hailey decides to open up a salad shop named By the Cup which creates fun a unique salads to go. Next door to Hailey's shop is a bakery store. One day when Hailey goes to the bakery for her needed chocolate fix, she is approached by a cute guy accusing her of standing him up. Hailey explains to him that it is a case of mistaken identity and leaves. Imagine Hailey's surprise when a week later she makes a delivery of salads and who is sitting there, but the guy who accused her of standing him up. Now that Hailey is officially introduced to Wes Jansen, he realizes that he was wrong about her and wants to make it up to her. Wes offers his technical services to help promote her company and the two of them start to spend more time together. They agree to "just be friends" and even go as far as creating a guide that will help them. Of course the more time they spend together, the more the sparks begin to fly until they finally cross that line. Everything is going wonderful until one of them takes things too far and emotions of the past come crashing back. It will take a lot of deep soul searching but then these two get back together in a beautiful way.

I really enjoyed this fun, entertaining love story. Wes was so afraid to love because of his parents that he was missing out on life. Hailey just wanted love but couldn't find anyone to make her happy. These two were each other's missing piece of the puzzle. Enjoyable characters and a fun story line.

A Guide to Being Just Friends - Sophie Sullivan
Synopsis:
"Hailey Sharp has a one-track mind. Get By the Cup salad shop off the ground. Do literally everything possible to make it a success. Repeat. With a head full of entrepreneurial ideas and a bad ex in her rearview, her one and only focus is living life the way she wants to. No distractions.
Wes Jansen never did understand the fuss about relationships. With a string of lackluster first dates and the pain from his parents' angry divorce following him around, he'd much rather find someone who he likes, but won't love. Companionship, not passion, is the name of the game.
When Hailey and Wes find each other in a disastrous meet cute that wasn't even intended for them, they embarrassingly go their separate ways. But when Wes finds Hailey to apologize for his behavior, they strike a friendship. Because that's all this can be. Hailey doesn't want any distractions. Wes doesn't want to fall in love.
What could possibly go wrong?"

Thoughts
This was a sweet friends to lovers story! I really enjoyed Hailey and Wes's relationship, although I didn't like their meet cute. I actually really loved the first 2/3 of the book.
I didn't vibe well with Hailey, she was very independent to a fault. I understand her characters backstory on why she didn't like to receive help, but it was just a bit
"much".
Wes was mostly adorable, except for the "big fight" moment.
Even though the ending felt a little thrown together, I did still like how it played out.
I received this #gifted via audiobook AND ebook. I did prefer the audiobook version, I liked the narrators a lot!
Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for these copies in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

If Friends To Lovers, circling around each other is Your type of fave romance , this book is for You!!! It was my first book by this author and I enjoyed every single moment of this adventure. Author created sweet, heartwarming story about evolution of friendship into something more in a totally amazing way. It wasn't too steamy, which I really liked this time. Wes and Hailey needed to grow up thru this relationship and I love that author showed them like that. Knowing the whole story line right now, I cannot imagine if their emotions could develop in any other way. Author had her plan for them , and made it happen since the first pages, until the end. They were perfect as friends, seeing how they slowly realized that they are much more was amazing and captivating. I loved also the side characters around them, they all made made this book complete.

How do you like your romance - slow burn or hot and heavy right away?

If you like a slow burn, then A Guide to Being Just Friends is for you. This is the third book in the Jansen brothers series - this one about Wes and his new “just a friend” Hailey. Obviously these two try to just be friends and you know how that will turn out. Hailey gets entangled in the Jansen world when she is just launching her new salad shop and it made me so hungry for her salads. I really liked seeing a woman succeed on her own, with hard work and dedication. And I liked being back with this family of supportive and caring brothers. It was a sweet romcom about having that base of friendship before falling in love.

A lovely final book in a delightful series featuring three brothers and their different ways to Happily-ever-after. If you loved 10 Rules For Faking it and How to Love Your Neighbour, you must have been waiting impatiently for this third and final book. If you are new to Sophie Sullivan's romcoms, don't worry, it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Hailey Sharp is a ray of sunshine- sweet and independent, Hailey never complains or relies on other people to solve her problems. Instead of wallowing in misery after her emotionally-abusive relationship came to an end, Hailey sold her apartment, moved to a new town and opened a business of her own. Now what she really needs is to focus on making her salad bar successful and ...finding friends, becoming a part of this lovely, vibrant community.

Wes Jansen has decided to follow his brothers to California and continue building their cybersecurity/investment business as far as possible from their father. Unlike Chris and Noah he doesn't want love and family, as they are too difficult to predict and control. He doesn't even want to date casually. What he needs is a friend, and luckily he already has a perfect candidate for that- Hailey, after their embarrassing meet-cute. All they have to do is set their boundaries and not let their feelings grow in (un)predictably romantic ways....

If friends-to-lovers happens to be your favourite trope, you know how often it is about old childhood friends or schoolmates or a best friend's brother/sister. Sophie Sullivan explores something else her - two people may be perfect for each other, but aren't ready to date seriously not this specific person, but anyone. Hailey's just started her business and needs time to forget her ex's lies, Wes is ...very rigid and uptight. They both have parents issues (very different, but with the same outcome)-the author writes about something realistic and relatable, but in a light-hearted, entertaining way. Relationships of all kinds, romantic and otherwise, take time, work, effort, and heart.

Recommended to anyone who likes slow-burn romance, sweet, likeable characters (both main and secondary), and happily-ever-afters. Can't wait to read Sophie Sullivan's next book!

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a sweet, romantic tale of two people who have been burned in the past and are reluctant to put their hearts out on the line. So why not just be friends? If it were just that simple...

Hailey has left Hollywood and her food truck scene to open a custom salad shop in a trendy square. Wes is a nerdy businessman who is pretty quiet, but he's decided to give up on the dating apps and just be friends with this new intriguing salad lady that he first mistook as a date that stood him up. Their friendship starts off a little shaky but builds throughout, and definitely blooms into more.

This is the 3rd installment of the Jansen Brothers series, however, it is a perfect stand alone read. All the characters are easy to fall into love with, as if you are part of their group. You feel their plights and victories as if they are your own. There is plenty of humor and romantic moments to keep you reading to the end.

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Y'all this book was super cute! I loved Wes and Hailey as individuals, then as friends and then as a couple. I loved how they went grocery shopping on Saturday nights. My husband and I did that when we first started dating and it was so much fun. The writing was smooth and easy to read. It was the perfect book to cuddle up with your favorite drink under a fuzzy blanket or at the beach or okay really anywhere and enjoy a wholesome cute romcom. This book made me laugh. Hailey had some awesome witty comebacks. I do NOT have that talent so I was totally jealous. 🤣 She is such a strong woman who wouldn't take help from anyone.  She was going to make her shop a success on her own. You go girl! Did I show my age with that saying? Probably. Oh Well. 🤷🏻‍♀️


Also, this is apparently the third book in the series. However, you can 100% read this as a standalone which gets points from me. I didn't know it was part of a series until the acknowledgments page 🤣


On The Scale of Buy, Bargain, Borrow, Bud or Bust I'm putting this one in the Buy/Bargain category. If you like romcoms and/or friends to lovers definitely buy this one. I know Christmas just ended but Valentine's Day is in ONE month. This would be a great book to add to your Valentine's Day TBR pile.

Read this Book If:

*you like friesnds to lovers

*you like a book with a happy ending

*you want a slow burn wholesome clean romcom

LOVED It! Such a great romantic comedy. Perfect for fans of When Harry Met Sally. In depth characters- you will laugh and think with this book!

I’ve been reading a lot of dark and twisty lately, which will always be my go-to, but, when I had the chance to read and listen early to Sophie Sullivan’s @authorsophiesullivan A Guide to Being Just Friends, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to make sure I still had feelings.

If you haven’t met the Jansen brothers yet in either Ten Rules for Faking It or How to Love Your Neighbor, this is the perfect time to grab all three books and laugh a little, cry a little, maybe even do some swooning and remind yourself that someone doesn’t always have to end up murdered to absolutely love a book.

The latest in Sophie Sullivan’s Jansen Brothers trilogy is another awesome read. I have read the other books in this series but must admit each can be read alone. Hailey and Wes were a pair. Both wanted only friendship and not romance. Hailey because she had her heart broken by a former lover and Wes because watching his parents’ marriage implode basically messed up his idea of love. The book moves very slowly to be more than friends and that was fun to read. Glad they both got their HEA and thought this was a great slow burn romance.

This was a cute, fun read. The characters were likable and it works as a stand along as well as part of a series. This would make a great summer read.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.