I love Sophie Sullivan's writing. I have read all three of the Jansen Brother's stories. This one did not disappoint. I was so excited to receive both the audiobook and e-arc from NetGalley. I love Wes and Haley's story so much and the way they meet was the best, who hasn't had a similar experience of mistaken identity at some point. the character development was excellent, and I love the friendship that they had developed. I loved that we got to see so much of the other bothers in this story it was nice to come full circle (so to speak). I can't wait to see what Sophie Sullivan comes out with next.

This was a sweet, quick romance read. It was the third in a series but totally works as a standalone.

We follow Sophie who is just coming out of a long term relationship and has decided to start up a salad shop. It’s a pretty basic story of a meet cute, friends to lovers and a sprinkle of family trauma.

My problem with this was the miscommunication trope that kept occurring, as well as the big “act three break up” which felt shoe-horned into the story for a little bit of drama. I wish we had spent that time with Sophie and Wes instead.

All in all, it was a fun read and I would recommend it to fans of sweet romance and rom-com style books.

This was a beautifully done slow burn romance with some kissing and a couple of fade to black scenes. I love a HEA where the main characters build a foundation of friendship and understanding before diving into a relationship. Our characters come from very different backgrounds and I thought the author did a great job navigating how that would affect their views on love and relationship. Both show significant growth through out the book making their relationship a perfect blend of trust and compromise.

I really enjoyed A Guide to Being Just Friends, a sweet Hallmark type romance. I would rate it a solid 4.5/5 with the only real downside being I hadn’t read the first two books in the series. It can be read as a standalone but I believe many of the characters were introduced in the previous books and knowing their backstory would have added another layer to their relationship with the main characters in this book. Though this is easily remedied and I’ve already added the books to my TBR. The other minor (tiny really) issue I had with the book was how many times the work “salad” was mentioned at the beginning of the book, I’m not sure why this irked me so much – such a silly thing. I really look forward to reading the other two books in the Jansen Brothers Series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Griffin for the chance to read A guide to being just friends by Sophie Sullivan. I didn't realize this was the 3rd book in a series, and while it can be read as a standalone, because the characters from the first two books make appearances I wished I had read them first. This was a cute love story that would be a good read for the cold winter nights, or beach read.

This was such a fun rom com! My only regret was reading this during winter because it has such STRONG summer vibes. This was an adorable little fake dating number, and I will definitely be putting this on my summer romance recommendation lists. What a cute and fun novel! It's perfect to take to the beach, or read on a balcony.

My thoughts: I didn’t realize at first this was the third book in the Jansen brothers series. Maybe readers who are already familiar with the characters will have more reason to like them, but I just found everyone to be so boring. There was zero chemistry between Hailey and Wes and everyone felt flat. This is a romcom, but I encountered neither rom nor com in what I read. The most interesting thing about the first third of the book was all of Hailey’s talk about her salad shop (and there is a lot!), and I’m not even a big salad gal so that should tell you a lot.

If you like salad, this might be the book of your dreams!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I actually picked this book before I realized it was book three in a series where I enjoyed the first two books and the world created. I was beyond excited when I realized that this would be a continuation of that world and I wasn’t disappointed (well until the very very end where the author said it’s bittersweet to be done with this series, that made me sad). This is a book if you like opposites attract/friends to loves/Harry Met Sally- ish romantic comedy than the this the book for you. You don’t need to read the prior books (each of three brothers stars in a book with their own romantic comedy) but you’ll appreciate some of the little things more if you’ve read them all. Wes is a bit out of sorts now that he’s moved to California and truly left his father’s clutches in New York. He loves his brothers but doesn’t seem to have the same passion for what their business is doing as they do. Hailey has fled LA after her jerk of a boyfriend dumped her after she’d supported him while he cheated on her. She has started up her own salad shop. She’s determined that she will be successful at building her business. Throw in a slightly embarrassing but super cute meet and Wes and Hailey’s fates are doomed. That being said neither of them are looking for love or even to date. So they decide to just be friends. Which of course is easier said than done. This is a light, fun romantic comedy. I’ll miss these characters and their lack of communication shenanigans.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4811069182

I'm leaving a three because I can see that people are enjoying it, I, however, didn't. I don't know if it's because this is the third in the series, so I have no connection to the books or characters as one would when reading from book one, or if it's just that these characters, for me, are unlikeable. Honestly, had I know this was #3 in the series, I wouldn't have requested it.

The uncomfortable meet cute between Wes and Hailey is just that. Uncomfortable. The amount of salad references is.....just not great and really threw me out of the story and just made it hard to keep reading. I like salad just like the next person, but Hailey's personality was salad which doesn't allow much movement.

The writing was fine, and I can see why people would enjoy the series, and while it could in theory, be read as a standalone, I think for a book that you should be able to just jump into, it's hard to keep track of all the people and their place in the book.

Ah this book was so good! I was really not expecting to love this book so much. I kept putting it off, thinking the premise was a classic long time friends to lovers, but it was actually a lot more interesting than that.

Hailey and Wes have a not-so-meet-cute that ends up with them battling increasing interest and a wish to stay ‘just friends’. It felt a little slow after the initial meeting but settled into a good pace after the initial chapters. It includes glimpses of the characters lives from previous books but can definitely be a stand alone. I haven’t read the previous books but have added them to my TBR after enjoying the interaction with the main characters. The push and pull angst was just right even towards the end. A tad emotional but overall a very cute read. Definitely recommend for the lighthearted rom-com fans!

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

A fun and witty rom-com, A Guide to Being Just Friends was a lovely reprieve from every day life.

Hailey is an up-and-coming shop owner. She sells customizable, single serving salads at By The Cup. Her one and only goal? Getting it off the ground. She doesn’t have time for family, or friends, and especially no time for relationships.

Everyone around Wes seems to be married or getting married, but he just doesn’t get what it’s all about. Romance doesn’t interest him at all. His parent’s nasty divorce left a sour taste in his mouth. He’d rather have a companion than fall in love.

When they meet accidentally, Wes doesn’t make the greatest first impression. And it doesn’t matter anyway because Hailey’s unavailable, right?

This was a very cute, light-hearted read! I enjoyed the way the dialogue is written, and the storyline itself kept me enthralled the whole way through. The ending was everything I wanted it to be! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a break.

I was able to confidently read this book as a standalone. It was a case of friends-to-lovers but takes a while to get there. The friendship is formed during the novel and not some backstory we are made to believe. I liked that aspect. However I felt like the characters were very young acting with their behaviors and what made them happy/upset.

The audiobook was well made and played well. I felt like the narrators voice were very contrasting though. He was soft spoken and she was loud. I think some of that was to match the characters but also a little production.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a sweet and easy read. Hailey has recently moved to a new town to start over after a messy breakup and opened her dream store, a to-go salad shop. She has a chance to meet with Wes, and the two end up hitting it off and becoming friends. This book is a slow-burn, from friends to lovers.

It was a cute romance, but the story wasn't as memorable as I hoped it would be. I enjoyed seeing the genuine friendship blossom between the two main characters. I caught myself laughing out loud at a few parts.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will never stop loving friends to lover romances!!!

If you love friends to lovers, closed door romances, series following each brother typadeal, and “you’re an idiot you already love her” trope, this book is for you! I haven’t read any others in this series, and it was pretty easy to pick up on all the other characters, there relationships, and dynamics. This book was SO CUTE. but damn, if I’d known it was closed door I would’ve been more prepared for that let down 🤣 but that’s the only thing!

Hailey opened up her own salad shop in a smaller town near Los Angeles, and is really focused on her career/herself after a bad breakup. In comes MMC who is also not wanting any relationship, after being so scarred from his parents’ ugly divorce. After the best meet cute I’ve read in awhile, they decide to jsut be friends. Yes, they actually have a guide for their friendship and it is so adorable 🥹

Obvs feelings come into play and there is a HEA but what I appreciated the most was their maturity and their communication! It was on point. Yes, they’re sometimes lost with that they want and have their walls up so high, but at least they talk it out like adults!!

I loved it so much I do want to read the first two in the series to see how their relationships formed, but it was nice seeing their appearances in this book & how the brothers supported this MMC (I cannot for the life of me remember his name rn 🙈).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot. Recommend it.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC!*

I read the second book in this series when it came out last year, and it was super cute. I was very excited to dive back into this world with these lovable brothers!

I really liked the main couple in this book. Hailey was a fun character, tackling a new venture and starting her life over after a bad breakup. That takes courage and drive, both of which she had in spades. Wes was a lovable control freak with some trust issues. But, he was also willing to do whatever it takes to make sure those he cares about are well taken care of.

The side characters, as always in this series, were fantastic. I loved Hailey’s cousin, Piper, and her new friend, Fiona. Getting to see Wes’ brothers, Noah and Chris, again in this book was a delight, as well as their ladies, Grace and Everly. I love a good found family, which was exactly what Hailey gained in this story.

The romantic hurdles in this friends to lovers romance were all mental, which I enjoyed. I thought the trust issues, control issues, and pride issues were all very well handled. I could see where everyone was coming from, which made for delicious tension.

All in all, this was a lovely little romance with some hard-hitting mental health themes. It also made me incredibly hungry!

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave A Guide to Being Just Friends 4 Stars!

I have not read the other two books in this series, but I didn't feel like that made a huge difference with understanding the plot. This book is cute, not the most original plot but it was still enjoyable.

If your favorite romances are friends to lovers and slow burns, then this might be a book for you! However, I am not a big fan of slow burns so it made me cringe a lot along the way.

The book was cute, but I feel like literally nothing happened at all the entire time. It felt like I was reading the episode of SpongeBob where squidward gets up drinks coffee, goes to work, and comes home to bed over and over and over 😂

When I requested this ARC I had no clue it was apart or a series (this is the third one). But this can definitely be read as a stand-alone because I wasn’t confused at all.

Hailey annoyed me for some reason?! I feel like she wanted to be independent so bad but is super annoying and whiny about it. Wes is a nice guy but he also came off very whiny to me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Read if you enjoy:
🥗 Salads
🔥 Slow burn romances
👩‍❤️‍👨 Friends to lovers
💌 Hallmark movies

I love friends to lovers. I also love slowburns and this gave both but unfortunately it felt lacking. I didnt feel much of the chemistry, I loved the friendships in the book but it just did not hit as hard as I wanted it to. I didnt know it was a series, maybe that wouldve helped me understand things better. thank you st. martins press & netgalley.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I haven't read the other books in this series, but it felt like it worked well as a stand alone. Maybe I would have known more about Wes and his family (I think it's his side that is the series) if I'd read the others, but it worked out ok. I'm not a big romance reader, so don't really have opinions for different couple styles like many reviewers seem to comment on. I did enjoy the friends first aspect of the characters, but it seemed like that portion of their relationship was just too rigid. Maybe that's more real life for current days, and I'm out of touch, but it seems like though they started out as 'just friends', as time went on, one or the other would bring up the topic of maybe dating or being a couple. Or I'm out of touch, I don't know. Someone commented this book was "too clean to be adult romance but not clean enough to be clean YA" and that's how I felt too. The "rules" felt really regulated.

It was a cute story, overall. Not believable to me, but an enjoyable read. I'm going to go with a 2 star rating for "it was ok." I'm not in a rush to go find the other books in the series to get more of the characters. And I can't think of any of my reading friends that I think would really go for this one, so I doubt I'll be recommending it. (To be fair to the book, I'm a mystery reader and a lot of my book friends are sci fi/fantasy or thriller readers.)

A happily ever after for the three Jansen brothers concludes with this story.

Running away from recent breakup that shattered her self esteem, Hailey moves to start a salad shop. Wes has recently moved from New York to be near his brothers and had been trying dating apps with no success. The two have a not so meet cute that turns into a sweet friendship. Even though both are fighting love for different reasons, the more they are together the less they can fight their feelings. But can Hailey and Wes learn to let people in and trust in their future?