I have a lot of random thoughts about this one, so bullet points it is!
-I love salads so Hailey’s store sounds amazing 🤤🤤
-I wish we got to see more of Hailey and Piper’s relationship
-I’ve read all the Jansen brothers books, & I’ve enjoyed following them throughout their stories. I love that all the books piggy back off of one another and continue on. It makes me feel included in the story
-Sometimes it’s nice to read a happy book where everything just works out & this was the perfect book for that
-I did find it kinda annoying how Hailey was so against taking help from anyone. I totally get wanting to make it on her own, but sometimes you should swallow your pride and accept that those who love you WANT to help you, and aren’t just taking pity on you
-I did like the ending though. It wasn’t anything great but it was a good ending for the Jansen brothers

I enjoyed this book! I liked the characters a lot, despite being a bit confused by the large supporting case (I did unintentionally start with the third book in a trilogy, after all!). I enjoyed Hailey's (the female protagonist's) own story, and its themes around self-reliance, asking for help, and recovering from painful past relationships. It was presented in a way I think will be relatable for a lot of readers. I also enjoyed the male protagonist's character development. Even the inevitable conflict made sense within their characterizations, despite making me whisper, "oh no, come on now," while reading on the shuttle to work.

One drawback was that some of the dialogue felt a bit unnatural or spotty. There were times I had to re-read dialogue (as well as inner dialogue) because I genuinely wasn't sure what it meant until the second or third read past, which can be really distracting when you're getting into a book.

That said, the story was perfectly enjoyable, and while it doesn't make my "must read" list of recommendations, I think I'd go back and read the other books in the trilogy, because it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours!

A great way to start over in a new city, opening up your dream business and to make a friend that would not only expand your "new family", but help you rebuild your faith in others and yourself. Having only her cousin and her dream when it all starts to soo much more by the end of the story. Great read

A Guide to Being Just Friends is so sweet and wholesome! It's perfect if you're in the mood for something light, and that will give you the warm and fuzzies. Overall an enjoyable read!

I have not read the other books in this series, but after reading this one, I will definitely be picking them up. A Guide to Being Just Friends was a warm and enjoyable friends to lovers romance.

I loved watching Hailey and Wes grow closer -- from their awkward meet-cute to blossoming friendship to inevitably intensified feelings. Side characters are filled with unique personalities and quirky dialogue/quick wit. With romance books I don't typically find myself missing characters or the world, but with this one I definitely felt that. The friendships Hailey cultivates are meaningful and girls supporting girls, which I love to see!

This will definitely be a book I recommend to friends.
A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Guide to Being Just friends is the third installment of the trilogy, but could be read as a standalone. A sort of enemies to friends to lovers. With a dual-POV

Wes and Hailey first meet when Wes confuses her for a girl he was supposed to meet up with that he met on a dating app. Later when they see each other again they create a friendship. That will lead them to something more.

I honestly don't know what to say. I loved the book it's everything you want from a rom com. Recommend for those who love a romance .

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗/5

Guys and girls can’t just be friends. Right? The When Harry Met Sally theory in book form. Such a cute, fun, and sweet read. I loved the growth between Wes and Hailey and the way the two interacted. Throw in some chocolate cake, and I’m sold! I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this book in January.

Love the premise, but it just didn't work for me. It felt unpolished, like a first draft, and lacked subtlety. "This thing happened, which made her feel this way because of this other thing that had happened in her childhood." Okay. What are we doing here? It doesn't seem like I'm necessary to this process, seems like you guys have got it handled. The pacing was off for me too, throwing off the tension and creating a slightly baffling reading experience. But like I said, it is cute, so if these things don't bother you, it may be worth checking out.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I’ve been on a friends to lovers roll lately! This one was a sweet FTL trope that had a super slow burn. If you don’t mind waiting the majority of the book for that “finally!” moment between the couple, then this could be a good read for you. I prefer the relationships in books to progress a bit faster but that’s personal preference. I haven’t read the other books in the series so I’m glad that this read well for me jumping right in the middle of the series.

I recall thinking How to Love Your Neighbor was a cute book, if not a bit cheesy, so I accepted this one. But I'm sorry I just cannot with the writing in this one. This feels more like a rough draft in need of some editor notes than a published book. I made it 30% and am screaming over the number of times someone's life has been changed by eating Hailey's salads or that she makes her own dressing.

Not to mention the number of "ha ha I will never fit into my clothes by having this slice of cake" or "maybe I should join your gym since I like chocolate" is giving me such icky body-negativity vibes. Honestly, this alone is enough for me to want to steer people away from this one.

I like the idea. Friends-to-lovers is a good trope and I think the *concept* of this one would have been interesting. Although... they are so instantly attracted to each other and keep talking about the "electricity between them" (I swear to god, they both felt a zap the first time their eyes met).

It's a no from me.

I loved that Hailey was a strong female lead. I really enjoyed seeing her grow her salad shop; the author did a great job of investing the reader in By the Cup. It didn’t feel like an afterthought but a very important part of the plot.

I haven’t read the other books in this series so was worried that I would feel as though I was missing something but I didn’t. We get to know Wes’s brothers and their girlfriends but I don’t feel as though their books were ruined for me.

Friends-to-lovers is not my favorite trope. It seems like such a natural thing to happen that I find a lot of the road blocks to feel contrived. I get that Wes and Hailey wanted to start things off as friends but they started to mutually develop feelings (all written very well —-the trajectory of their friendship was so sweet) and the drama just seemed kind of silly. I think readers who enjoy friends-to-lovers will really like this book.

***3.5 STARS***

Full disclosure, I received this ARC not knowing it is part of a series about the Jansen brothers. This is Wes Jansen’s book, the eldest of the the brothers. It read very well as a stand alone.

Wes is a protector. He spent his childhood trying to shield his younger brothers from their Dad whose only goal in life was to get rich. Wes does not believe in love and marriage and refuses to open his heart fully. Hailey’s heart has been broken by her “wanna be” actor boyfriend who treated her terribly and made her feel that she was not enough.

A meet cute between Wes and Hailey begins a very special friendship. Of course feelings grow deeper but both are convinced their relationship should stay platonic. However, a shared kiss has them foregoing the friendship and becoming a couple. Wes still has a guard up and Hailey refuses to settle for someone who claims he can never fall in love.

This is a very slow burn romance. Almost too slow for my liking. It got kind of repetitive and at times a bit boring. I enjoyed all the characters and the storyline but it lacked the spark and connection I usually feel towards the main characters. The last 25% of the book did pick up for me and overall I did enjoy this story. It was sweet and endearing, the Jansen brothers are quite charming.

“Sometimes we don’t know who we are until we find the right person. The one that helps us see ourselves in a way we never did before.”

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Review:
As with the other books in this series, they are adorable and lighthearted without totally dimishing the worries of regular people. The only problem with these brothers is how much they want to throw money at a problem to resolve it, and how much none of these women want them to.
I really like Wes and Hailey. They are both ambitious and become friends because they think they want the same things, and once they realize they are wrong they gracefully pivot until evertyhing falls apart (momentairly).
Once thing I relaly wish we'd had more of was Hailey's backstory. Her previous relationship impacted her so much and while I don't like making characters, especaily women relive their trauma, it would've helped us to understand her so much more.
Wes was a little bit more of an open book, especially if you'd read the other two books; which you absolutely son't have to do to fully understand or appreciate Wes or Hailey's story in this book.

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.

This book is part of a series but can be read stand alone. I didn't read the rest of the series (yet) so it was a bit difficult to remember side characters. Other than that, this was such a great read! It was easy to get into the story, I love the grumpy/sunshine trope and friends to more trope, and it was relatable. It felt like this is how my platonic friendships are! So many scenes and parts stay with you, and you can't put it down! I finished in 2 days. I can't wait to read more from this author!

This was a cute, friends to lovers romance, I enjoyed the banter and jokes between characters, I liked some of the side stories about the community center (although I wanted even more of that), and I liked the slow burn aspect as well.

But overall, it did fall a little flat for me. I wasn’t as invested in the two main characters, Wes and Hailey, as I wanted to be. I loved their friendship but for me, their individual quirks/reservations just made them less likable. I understood their points of view but felt it just went too far and caused unnecessary conflict between them; this ultimately made it hard for me to want to fight for them.

Still a solid and sweet rom-com style read!

I didn’t realize that when I requested an ARC, that this was the third install,ent in the series. This definitely was okay as stand-alone and was cute. I love a friends to lover book.

We meet Hailey. Starting fresh after a bad breakup and trying the start her own business. Wes comes to town from NYC, joining his brothers in business leaving the family business and their toxic dad.

The not so meet cute has the character meeting under false pretenses. Mainly on Wes, as he has mistaken Hailey as his online date. They eventually sort it out and eventually become friends because that’s all each want. She doesn’t want to date again and he doesn’t want to be in love. It was lovely to watch their relationship slowly turn into something more and experience the characters confusion as it happens. I felt tingles in my heart and shooting down my hands reading to progression of their relationship. Could she overcome her insecurities and can he move past his family’s history? Is it worth crossing that line and point of no return?

I really enjoyed this book however there was one thing bothering me. The book mentions the character birthdays but totally skips past those dates like it was nothing of note. That really confused me. Wes’ birthday was mentioned twice it was strange that since the book went month to month it bypassed those dates.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. I am now going to go back and read the other books as I really liked hearing about them in this book. It will be good for those who have read the other 2 to revisit those characters

This was a sweet, slow burn, friends to lovers. Both the main characters, Hailey & Wes have an authentic friendship, and actually communicate like adults. In fact, all the characters in this books act like adults, and not teens with adult ages. Loved that! I loved that the conflicts were handled in a way that felt real.

Even tho Wes is a millionaire (because of course he is), Hailey has a real job (yay!). I’m so sick of women in romance novels being like “I paint flowers for greeting cards yet I still have my own apartment & designer clothes.” Like yes, romances are somewhat of a fantasy, but I’m not looking for fairy tales.

Overall, this book kept me reading & made me happy. And isn’t that the point? Never felt like I had to put it down & roll my eyes.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: Just kisses

A huge thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
.
This is the third book in the Jansen brothers series, though it could absolutely be read as a standalone. I never actually read the first book, and this one really made me want to go back and give it a shot more than the second one did. Wes and Hailey are both new in town and quickly find themselves as the best of friends. If you looked up “slow-burn romance” in the dictionary it would probably have a picture of this cover. It takes forever for them to decide to try to be more than friends, and I was beginning to wonder if the spark was really there, but eventually it is clear how much they are meant to be together.
.
I wanted to hit each of them over the head a few times, as they continued to get in their own way to finding happiness. Neither is willing to compromise who they are at their core, and I really enjoyed them figuring out how to find a balance between who they are and how to be a good partner. The side characters were a ton of fun, and absolutely have inspired me to find the first book in the trilogy to get the full backstory on Everly and Chris.

I LOVED THIS BOOK
In “A Guide to Being Just Friends”, the lead couples starts with a friend relationship that leads to a lovers relationship ( one of my favorite tropes). It was great to see both partners fall for each other organically as friends and then later as lovers. It kept me on my toes waiting for them to confess, but all in all a great read! 4.5/5

This was a great book for those who love a friends to lovers slowburn. Wes and Hailey were great characters who showed realistic aspects of a relationship. It was a cute, fun, and easy read. As this is the third instalment of the series, there are characters and some plot details that are in the previous books but, it can be easily read as a standalone without any confusion as to what is happening!