“Life rarely followed a straight path but the curves and the unexpected detours had a way of leading to the exact right place.”
Wes and Hailey! I love both of them such sweethearts! Their friendship was beyond amazing but them as a couple was breathtaking.
This is the third book in a series but it can be read as a standalone. I will definitely read the other two books because I completely fell in love with this one!

Sophie Sullivan’s A Guide to Being Just Friends is book three in her Jansen Brothers series (following Ten Rules for Faking It and How to Love Your Neighbor). This one may just be my favorite of the three.

Book three centers on Wes Jansen, the oldest brother who set himself the goal, when he was very young, of protecting his younger brothers from the trauma of his parents’ vicious fights and eventual divorce. This has left him proud of the lives that they lead but convinced that loving someone will lead only to misery.

Hailey Sharp has moved to a small town and opened a new salad restaurant, By the Cup, in hopes of starting fresh after a toxic relationship and ugly breakup. Though her business is struggling, she’s determined to make her new life work.

Hailey and Wes’s meet cute is not so cute. Hailey, seeking to drown her sorrows about her new business in chocolate, has picked up a to go order at the neighboring bakery when Wes approaches her, convinced that she’s his date. When she protests—she’s Hailey, not Hayden—his reaction is less than kind.

But Wes is determined to admit and apologize for his mistakes (unlike his dad!), so when circumstances bring him together with Hailey again, their friendship begins.

While Wes’s determination to be friends-and-nothing-more meets with approval from Hailey, still fragile from her last relationship, it did eventually strain my credulity. Still, with a bit of suspension of disbelief, I was immersed in this romance and enjoyed the slow build of their relationship. I’m also a fan of romance series, allowing the reader to see the couples from previous books living out their happily ever afters, so this one was a joy.

I’m sad that Sophie Sullivan’s first series is over, but I look forward to what comes next!

Adorable! What a fun story. I like the characters, their support systems and their interactions. He never wants to fall in love. She wants happily ever after white picket fence. He is wealthy, she is just getting buy. They could never be more than friends...could they? I didn't like Ana. Did you? She had that whole evil woman thing that adds to the story so we have someone to dislike.
Thanks for such a fun book. Loved it!

I am a SUCKER for a grumpy/sunshine trope & this one did not disappoint. Wes is a investor who does not believe in love and marriage, he grew up seeing people fight and not teach him what love truly was so he believes it will not be worth his time and energy. Haley is a salad cup shop owner who is finally putting herself first!

I was given the digital ARC for this book and i couldn’t get into it, it started off super slow and it took until about 30% in for me to say i was truly enjoying the characters and the story. I was then given the audio ARC and restarted the book from the beginning via audio and i really enjoyed the entire story!

I read this as a stand alone, and will definitely be going back to read about the other couples mentioned! While i do feel that you can read these as standalones, I feel like there were aspects i was missing by not knowing more of the relationship of the brothers and their father!

It’s giving:
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Slow burn Romance

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for supplying digital and audiobook ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.

First of all I would like to say I have not read the first two books of this series and read this as a standalone. I was so happy to get to review this book but about halfway through I lost my interest. I pushed myself to finish this book and I honestly did not enjoy it as much as I wanted to. This is definitely a slow burn but without that burning passion at the end. The beginning was the best part. It was cute and funny but it quickly died out and became boring for me. The biggest part of the plot was solved within seconds... Unfortunately this didn't live up to my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and share this ARC.

I’ll preface this by saying that I haven’t read the other two books in the series and I’m basing this review on the book as a standalone. That being said, the beginning was cute. I was sold for the first quarter with the premise and the blossoming friendship but by the halfway mark, it completely lost me.

I appreciated the relationships that Wes and Hailey had outside of each other but there were so many characters — minor or otherwise — that I honestly began to lose track of who was who, especially their connections to one another. If you ask me now which woman was paired with which brother, I probably couldn’t tell you. It just felt unnecessary to introduce all these other small stories only for them to not pay off in the end or become a side note.

The slow burn, friends to lovers, was expected but it didn’t pay off. It didn’t have the passion behind it that I’ve come to want from this sort of trope. It was more of a tell than a show and I found myself frustrated with Wes and Hailey by the end of it. The very last fight tucked into the middle was resolved far too quickly and it should have been addressed earlier, considering how big of a character trait it is.

I wanted to love it because there’s a lot of potential but it was very average to me. I obviously can’t speak for the other books in the series and I’m willing to go back to them at some point since the writing wasn’t my issue. I’m sure plenty of people will find what they need in this story, unfortunately I didn’t.

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

Fun YA RomCom from friends to lovers. While it is very PG13 it would be great Hallmark movie. Hailey and Wes love chemistry was missing a passion consodering they were a young adults. I wish there was a little mord of love chemistry.

This was a really sweet friends to lovers book! I love the grumpy and sunshine dynamic and enjoyed the balance of fluff and angst. Lovely book!!

Hailey is starting a new business - a salad shop in LA and doesn't have time for romance. When she's getting coffee one day, she's mistaken for a guy in the cafe's coffee date. When Wes sees Hailey again, she's delivering salads to a business meeting he is having with his brothers. Hailey and Wes have an instant connection but neither are looking for love. I enjoyed this book.

I was so excited for this book, it was definitely one of my most anticipated 2023 releases, and it was unfortunate that it didn’t live up to my expectations as much as I had hoped it would. I found the plot to be just a little too dry for me.

I found Hailey to be a little too much of an “independent woman” who doesn’t need any help from anyone, even though she’s actually really struggling and should accept the help. Hi, I have been Hailey and it led to burn out, so girl it's really not worth it, be willing to accept the help!

Wes could have been a really great male counterpart of his story, but he just had daddy issues and refused to acknowledge anything about them. My friend, therapy will make your life so much better, maybe give it a try.

I found the romance between Hailey and Wes to be a little bit too strained for my liking. He was a strong, rich helpful type who “didn’t want love” whereas she was the independent woman who didn’t want help from anyone and was also down to earth, so extravagant gifts freaked her out type. I can honestly say that in real life, this couple wouldn’t make it. Like, girl let him give you the extravagant gifts! He’s trying to show you he loves you in the only way he knows how to!!!

Overall, it was still cute but it wasn’t super for me.

⚠️TW: body shaming, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, cursing

Thank you @macmillan.audio , @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own

Hayley and Wes meet under hilarious circumstances and decide that friendship is something they could broach. Both have backstories that make them wary of relationships and so they chart a course for friendship….

As they learn to trust each other then barriers fall down and their plans go to ruin. They develop feelings for each other but will they get out of their own way to believe in each other and the L word?

This book was perfect after the heavy one I just finished. I listened to it while putting away my Christmas decor in one sitting. ❤️

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and share this ARC.

“A Guide to Being Just Friends” is the 3rd and final book in the Jansen Brothers series by Sophie Sullivan. I have not read the preview 2 books but this book recaps enough that you don’t really need to have read them to enjoy it.

This book was cute and can easily be read in a day. I liked that none of the villains in this story were truly too bad and they all disappeared into the background rather quickly allowing more focus on the main characters relationship development.

My only real issue with this book was the rent storyline. It was so built up and seemed like it was going to be something nefarious and then all of a sudden the problem was resolved.

Solid 3 stars. The book didn’t “wow” me and it felt a little camisole but it wasn’t a bad read. Good for a lazy day spent on the couch.

I loved this conclusion to the Jansen brothers' story! This was definitely a SLOW BURN but super sweet and wonderful. I loved that the main character has curves and appreciated her boss lady drive. Her struggles with a new small business really hit close to home for me and I was rooting for her and celebrating with her during all her achievements in the local shop world.

The communication issues with the couple could be a bit agonizing at times but I was glad when things finally came together. I do feel like the video game subplot was wrapped up a little hastily, but perhaps that's because it was just a subplot so they quickly summed it up and moved onto Hailey and Wes? Or perhaps there were too many irons in the fire between Hailey's small business and Wes's video games and apps? I'm also pretty sure they only mentioned updating their "guide" a couple times and we never really revisited it even though the book is named for it. I mostly feel like we focused a lot on Hailey and her business and very little on Wes and his video games and apps but that could just be a me thing or maybe that's because Hailey is the one with an actual store.

Wes and Hailey were completely adorable either way and that's the most important thing.

<blockquote><i>You're mine. And I want to be yours.</i></blockquote>

Overall it was an enjoyable book and made me feel satisfied with where the Jansen brothers as a whole ended up, I do however wish we had some more Wes wrap up as I feel like we could've had a little more about how he was moving away from cyber security and more into video games or something like that since this is <u>HIS</u> book.

But in the end...

<blockquote>There's no guarantees, man. Not in real estate, investments, or love.</blockquote>

... Or in books getting to share every part of the story.

If it weren't for Hailey this probably would've been a 3.5/5 but I'm giving this a 4/5 because honestly Hailey was the best ♥️

Thank you NetGalley and [author:Sophie Sullivan] for the ARC, is was lovely.

Wes and his brothers really made this book. Without their banter it would have been fairly boring. The MC Hailey was boring and really forced conflict. There was far too much talk about salad. I get that was her business but it brought up wayyyyyy too much.

If you love friends to lovers, a good slow burn, and big happy chosen family vibes, A Guide to Being Just Friends is for you. This was sweet, enjoyable read I recommended to romance fans.
Wes and Hailey are amazing friends. They both learn from each other and develop a strong friendship. Haley hast to learn it's OK to lean on other people and Wes needs to learn how to have faith in other people.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Huge praise for one of my favourite Canadian authors!! Another 5-star read!

Sophie Sullivan, a true gem from the great white north (ok, BC doesn’t get that white), is an incredible author and such a great person, too. When I first read Ten Rules for Faking It, it happened to be my birthday - main character Everly just happened to start the book on her birthday, too. I messaged Sophie to laugh at the coincidence, and she ended up sending me some swag - such a sweetheart! I’ve read Ten Rules a few times now, about to read How to Love Your Neighbour, and pretty sure that A Guide to Being Just Friends is going to be another that will be re-read over and over again!

This story is everything - I love this family of the Jansen brothers and how hard and fast they fall for their girls! I love how much the previous characters are in these books and how important of a role they all play and continue to play (are we getting a book 4, for sister Ari!?!), and so many cross-over friendships.

Even though Wes fights it every minute because he doesn’t believe in love and relationships, and fully believes that he and Hailey should just keep to their excellent friendship (why ruin a good thing)…. Especially with the rough start after the awful not-so-meet-cute at the beginning of their story. This is a very slow-burn, friends to lovers, closed door (my only complaint with all of the books is that they’re closed door!), follow the guide and rules they created for each other to ensure friendship is the ultimate goal - we all know how this one is going to turn out and someone will get hurt when feelings change if they end up trying to change the rules.

A definite recommendation from me to everyone, especially if you’ve read either or both of the previous books (can be standalone but better with some background from the series). Closed door so great for all ages and audiences. No real triggers I noticed.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and this is my honest feedback.

𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 🥗

Author: @authorsophiesullivan
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Release date: January 17, 2023
👈🏽 for description

You all know I love myself a good slow burn and a good friends to lovers trope and boy was this book both of those things. It was sloooooow, friends, but in a way that’s agonizingly sweet so that when the romance does happen you’re like fin-freaking-ally. That was me when Wes and Hailey were finally ready to stop pretending they were ‘just friends.’

That being said, this book is the third in a series, but can be read as a standalone. Just be warned if you pick it up without reading the other two books.

Let’s talk characters now. I love Hailey. She’s a ray of sunshine and she must be protected at all costs. I will say, though that at times I felt like her anger was unjustified. Listen, I get being self-reliant (hello, I’m the queen of it) but she was a little over the top sometimes. Wes, sweet boy Wes, who was overprotective and full-on must provide and a delight to read about. I do wish, though, that we’d discussed his dimples more. They were mentioned once and then sort of disappeared. WHERE IS THE DIMPLE JUSTICE??? I might be alone in this, but y’all know how I feel about dimples.

Last, I enjoyed the writing. It was fun and quirky and sentimental when it needed to be.

This book, though, is perfect if you’re looking for something sweet and if you love slow burns with a great best friends to lovers trope.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange of an honest review.

Dual POV
Friends to lovers
Sloooooow Burn

Hailey is searching for that makes her happy. After a failed relationship she is forging her own path and doesn’t want to rely on anyone. She moves from LA to the quiet beach town her cousin lives in to open up her salad shop. Wes the oldest of the Jensen brothers has finally broken away from their father and moved closer to his brother to help with squishy Cat Industries. When their paths cross with a case of mistaken identity a friendship is born. Wes wants companionship with out the emotions. Hailey is also ok being just friends. But will their hearts keep inline with what they want or think they want?

First, I didn't realize this was the third book in a series when I started reading. This book can definitely be read as a stand alone, but I'm sure it would have been even better if I had read the other two books.

I really liked the characters in this book. The story is good, maybe a little long in parts, but overall I enjoyed the book. I will say I didn't enjoy the book enough to go back and read the other two.

Overall, this is a really quick read, with a cute story and likable characters.

So it looks like this book is pretty popular and a lot of people like it, but it just wasn’t it for me. The meet cute was awkward but didn’t seem all that terrible. The way Wes responded to it was so extra it didn’t seem real. Like dude really had to go HOME and think about how to apologize? And then when he did it was a normal apology. Ummm. Okay. Nothing about the book really stood out. Except for all the salad talk. We got a lot of info about salad. I’m all for descriptions and everything but I wasn’t understanding the innovation or creativity of salad in a cup. That sounds like less food for the same price. But maybe I got it wrong. There was quite a few info dumps and I just couldn’t make myself feel for either Hailey or Wes. Normally I love finding out a book is part of a series so I can check it out but I’m not really too into these characters so I’m gonna pass on this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.