I was so excited to read A Guide to Being Just Friends, as I have been over-consuming rom-coms this year. While the book was cute and heart warming, I found myself getting lost in the jumping around of characters and timelines. It felt like pieces of the story were missing at different points throughout the book.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Parts of the book had me confused. There were a lot of details at times, which seemed to have little follow up later on, and then other parts were sped through that could’ve used more details.

Overall, it’s a cute story. It’s an easy read. I really couldn’t put it down at times. Both main characters are so stubborn that it’ll have you screaming internally. I definitely recommend this book to anyone!

I had mixed feelings throughout certain parts of the book. At times the book was very slow for me and felt hard to get through. Then at other moments I loved the chemistry and was really into the book. The part that threw me off the most was when everything seemed to be going perfect but then it went to the bottom of the hill. Also I loved Wes throughout the book but then towards the end he seemed like a jerk to me which made me very confused.

This book was so much fun. It was predictable, but cute and quirky. Even though I didn't love the inevitable last act conflict, it redeemed itself with the ending. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I've never craved a salad more than I do now when finishing this book.

This book was a light and fun read with a cute story. There were a few things about it that I didn't love, one of the main characters wasn't a favorite, and some of the back and forth was a little much. That being said, the side characters were enjoyable and kept the story light and fun. I didn't know it was part of a series before I started, but I don't think it affected the story for me. It was a decent read, not a favorite, but didn't hate it either. The characters and story was fun enough, just not one I would hurry to grab another book in the series yet. This was between a 3 star and 3.5 star for me and I rounded down.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I felt this book had allot of potential
But ultimately it kind of fell flat for me. It took me a while to get into it. I loved Haileys character but i felt like everything was TOO detailed. It was definitely a slow burn rom com once they figured things out it was all warm and fuzzy but i felt like it was too slow.
I definitely liked all of the friends and other characters
They added a lot of life to the book.
Overall i felt it was just ok.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Closed door

✔️ strangers to friends to lovers
✔️ sloooooow burn

👉🏻 swipe for synopsis

This book just didn’t do much for me. It was fine but nothing spectacular. When I requested this on NetGalley, I didn’t realize it was third in a series so that didn’t help. It was hard for me to keep up with all the different characters.

Hailey and Wes are sweet together with their ‘friend dates’ but the conflict just kept making me roll my eyes. On the other hand I did like although they had some conflict, they did eventually talk it out and there wasn’t much miscommunication.

The burn is very slow on this one. I wish we could’ve seen more of the main couple as an actual couple but a decent read.

The Jansen brothers have been an absolute delight to fall in love with. I have loved this series so much, and Wes and Hailey were a lovely way to round it off.

A Guide to Being Just Friends was a sweet, slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance. I adored Wes and Hailey. Wes maybe edging out Hailey just a smidge - what can I say? I'm a sucker for a nerdy, quirky grump who is hiding that sublime soft underbelly. Hailey was perfect for him - I only quibble with how closed off she was and how long it took her to soften to Wes's blundering shows of love. Basically, here we have two clueless people cluelessly falling in love with each other - and honestly, it's just a recipe for adorableness.

The secondary characters added so much fun to this storyline - the brothers themselves being my favorites by a mile. The banter, the roasting, and the heartfelt love that these characters all had for each other was such a rewarding thing to read.

This was a light-hearted, sweet romance - perfect for a day at the beach (or, as was the case for me, curled up in a snowstorm). I enjoyed my time spent between these pages and definitely recommend!

This was a sweet, sloooow burn romance that had bits of humour, a nice setting but is pretty tame when it comes to spice.

I requested this book in the Amazon First Reads program but unbeknownst to me, it was the third book in the Jansen Brothers romance series which follows three brothers who, one by one, find their romantic partners. Readers don't have to have read the previous two books in the series but knowing the background of the other two brothers' relationships would add an extra layer.

The story started off strong and I loved the setting (a wee salad shop), but I never bought into the connection between Hailey and Wes and thought a few of the secondary characters had more personality, confidence, and funny banter than the main couple. Truth be told, there wasn't a lot going on - no big issue they had to face except for their overly contrived hang ups. For Hailey it was her obstinate refusal to ask for or accept help and Wes was overly concerned about losing Hailey's friendship.

The back and forth, 'will they, won't they' felt a bit tedious and the business aspect of the brothers' jobs was boring and took page time away from what could have been a sweet and more poignant read about strangers becoming friends becoming lovers. This is a cute idea for a romance, but it's not a story that will stay with me for long, although it did have me hankering for a salad.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Griffin for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Friends to lovers! Hailey has decided to focus all her energy on her new business- a salad shop- and on the friends she's made thanks to her cousin's book club. So when Wes turns up, she's determined that he'll be another part of her crew and not a romantic interest. Wes, for his part, is fine with that because he's got some things to deal with as one of the three Jansen brothers (I admit it- it helps to have read the first two books). Of course their resolve slowly falls away as they get to know one another better, Yes it's trope-y but there's a good heart here and some fun scenes. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a rainy day.

This book was super interesting, and I loved the characters and their conflicts. While it is a great character driven book, I felt it fall short in many places. The story didn't start very strong, and the diverse cast was a little difficult to grasp. The second act seemed to drag at multiple instances, but I loved the ending so much.

I can't begin to tell you how brilliant these characters were, and I must say, kudos to the author for such beautifully fleshing them out. The plot wasn't so impactful, so I feel in different external situations, this could have been much better. Nevertheless, reading and listening to this was a joyful experience as I rooted for Wes and Hailey's relatable, slow paced romance. The chemistry between all the characters was great to read, specifically Wes's brothers- Noah and Chris. The backstories for Wes and Hailey were bang on and I loved how it shaped their personalities and fears.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Marin's Press for the complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is the close to Sophie Sullivan's Jansen brothers trilogy. Readers get an insight into Wes, the uptight brother who handled most of his dads verbal put downs and recently moved to live with his brothers. We also meet Hailey, a salad shop owner who wants to do things her own way. Both quickly become friends navigating the new city and going grocery shopping. But will they be able to stay just friends?

While I loved the friends to lovers relationship between Hailey and Wes, the would they/ won't dragged on. This story could have been cut shorter to make the flow better. I enjoyed listening to Timothy Andres Pabon narrate Wes's point of view.

Thank you Macmillan audio and St. Martin's Press Romance for my alc and arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved how this romance was more than a romance. There was so much more going on which I prefer. I loved Hailey and her salad shop and all the characters involved. Wes was such a likeable character even with his relationship issues. It was a slow burn and I caught myself being annoyed that they weren’t admitting to eachother that they liked one another. I also didn’t love how often Hailey brought up money issues but I understand why and it was explained later. I especially loved the conversation she has with the food truck guy. The thing I disliked about the format was that each chapter bounced between POV but it didn’t list the name. I would have liked if the chapter said “Hailey” or “Wes”. It was sometimes initially confusing on whose POV it was. That is my only major complaint. 3.5 stars

Will post a review on my book Instagram.

This book was enjoyable, a friends to lovers slow burn is something that I enjoy. I felt the dialogue could’ve used a little bit more, like it felt like it was missing something for me. But overall, I really enjoyed this book. Some parts didn’t seem quite realistic but it all rounded out at the end nicely.

If only all relationships could start out this way. I think there is something so healthy in just being friends before you start diving into anything romantic. It allows both parties to view the other in a light that sometimes is missed when dealing with a romance. Hailey is just such a strong independent character. I loved watching her try and overcome each challenge that she is faced with. I also loved watching her find her people. So many times, characters just fall into friendships easily and here Hailey was allowed to build up her friends not just within her interactions with Wes, but also through her cousin’s friends and their “book group”. I also enjoyed how Wes is the anti-romantic male, who secretly still wants romance, but he doesn’t know and would never admit it. I feel like allowing Wes and Hailey to be friends allowed Wes to truly invest in Hailey as a person. He did stumble at times but who doesn’t. This book just made me happy to read and I was so happy with the outcome.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

🌿 REVIEW 🌿

A Guide to Being Just Friends
By Sophie Sullivan

This was a very cute closed door, friends-to-lovers, slow burn rom com! I really liked Sullivan's writing and the whole concept of the book was fun and fresh! And making one of the MCs a salad shop owner!? I didn't even know salad shops were a thing!!! And their oopsies meet cute was so fun!☺️

Full disclosure... I read along with the audiobook -- which was SO well-narrated by the talented Stephanie Willing and Timothy Andrés Pabon -- that I think it REALLY impacted my experience.

I have read countless reviews for this and many of the criticisms are a matter of preference, while others are actually solid critiques of the book itself. Like the "guide" not being full fleshed out (even though it's the ehhhhmmm TITLE of the book), for example. But I don't often change my rating / review based on others' opinions, so I'm going with my initial reaction here!❤️ I thought this was cute as all get out, and my experience listening along with the audiobook was so enjoyable that I completely glossed over some of the "issues" that prevented this from being a winner for some other readers. Had I read this myself without the audiobook, my rating may have been lower. But as it stands, my experience was a good one! I was smiling all throughout reading/ listening to this! ☺️

I loved both Hailey and Wes! I thought they were well-crafted characters and the overall book was very well written. It was one that pulled me in from the first page and made me want to keep reading/listening to see what happened next! I was fully invested and cared about their outcome, and as a fan of slow burns, I really enjoyed the build up.

This gave me major Sarah Adams vibes and I think her fans would enjoy this one! I do wish I'd read the first two books in the series for more background on Wes and some of the other characters, but it read fine as a standalone. ☺️

Thank you NetGalley, SMP, and Macmillan Audio for my gifted eARC and ALCs in exchange for my honest review ❤️

P.S. the cover designer KILLED IT. This is one of the cutest rom com covers ever! 🙌🏼

This was another great installment in the series but could definitely be read as a standalone as well. The storyline was sweet but a bit slow moving at times. I loved the side character Leo and would love a spinoff in the future for him! The back and forth of trust issues is definitely something many people can relate to.

Sometimes I truly enjoy a good slow burn romance but this one was just not it. I genuinely tried to get into this book and it was just not my cup of tea.

The initial “meet cute” was incredibly short lived for something that eventually would turn into a romance. 2 pages! That’s it! After meeting Wes and Hailey simply just did not have enough chemistry to become romantic. I’m not entirely sure how they even had enough chemistry to be friends. Their conversations were dry, but Piper and Hailey’s conversations were even dryer. I think what turned me off of this book immediately was a text conversation between Piper and Hailey early on where the Urban Dictionary definition of “Dork” was shared. I like a good, well placed penis joke but that simply was not a good or well placed penis joke.

Overall, the pacing of the book was a little erratic, the characters had no chemistry, and the writing style simply wasn’t for me. I can’t say that I’ll never try to read this again, but for now, it’s simply a no.

This is the 3rd book in the series and I hope that Sophie Sullivan figures out more characters to keep it going! This book is another sweet romance. I like the fact that the female leads in Sullivan's books have careers that aren't put aside for love. It's more common in this genre than it used to be, but still great to see.

I read this as an ARC from NetGalley. This is a slow burn strangers to friends to lovers. And when I say slow burn I mean SLOW. For me personally I didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between the two main characters. They both suffered from their own anxiety and it got in their way a lot. Hailey for me was a little to stubborn. It kind of ruined the magic of a romance novel for me. I also think that the title is a little misleading. While they mention the "guide" they are writing a few times I really think they could have done more with that in the story to make it a little more romcom. Overall the book was enjoyable but I won't be reading the others in the series.