So apparently this was part of a series but could also be read as a stand-alone. I noticed a little at first but within a few chapters I felt caught up and understood the backstory. I loved Wes and Hailey as characters. They were very hallmark movie esque so it felt a little “I know exactly how this will end” but I didn’t mind it. I loved as Hailey built her business without any help from others and we saw her grow into a savvy businesswomen. The friends to lovers trope is one of my all time favorites and this one was very well done. Definitely a slow burn romance. What I didn’t expect was the double twist at the end. They had that small argument and I thought that was it but then they threw another breakup in there. All in all, they had a really cute story and I loved reading it! Definitely wanna go back and read about the other Jensen brothers!

Special thanks to Net Galley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 stars I'm rounding up for a cute cover.

This is the story of Wes. I probably liked him the best of all the brothers. Although this one lacked the snark and the banter from the first and second books, I still liked Hailey and Wes. But this one definitely slowed way down in the middle as Hailey expanded her business and Wes worked his business meetings. But the time we hit 90% and the big drama unfolded, I was rolling my eyes. This one is cute, don't get me wrong, and I love all the cute salad ideas (I'd totally eat that Santa Salad!) but I don't feel like this one added anything new to a genre or plot that I've read over and over again. I wish I'd loved it, but it was just okay.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Hailey Sharp is excited to get her “By the Cup” salad shop off the ground. While at the bake shop next door, Hailey is mistaken for Wes Jansen’s date and it doesn’t exactly go well. When Wes comes by her shop to apologize, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Wes doesn’t want to fall in love and Hailey doesn’t have time for distractions. 

What could possibly go wrong?

I loved being back with the Jansen brothers! If you like a good slow-burn, friends to lover romance, then this book is for you. I liked that the other brothers are tied into this story as well but this can still be read as a stand-alone. I did get slightly annoyed at Hailey when people were trying to help her but the build up to hers and Wes’s relationship was worth it.

Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martins Press for this eARC!

A slow burn friends to lovers romance told in multiple POV. This was a fun and entertaining read with a satisfying HEA. Checks all the boxes for me.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is the third book the author has given us about the Jansen brothers. This time we get Wes’s story. I like how the brothers from the previous book were part of the story. I have read both of the previous books, and feel it helped me keep all the characters and relationships straight.

This is a slow-burn, friends to lovers romance gold with a dual POV. Both Hailey and Wes do not want a relationship so being friends seems like a great way to spend time with the other. Of course we all know that staying friends won’t work and we see their feelings grow for each other.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Finally the last Jansen brother gets his book! And it did not disappoint, not only giving us the happy ending for Wes and Hailey, but also a satisfying way to wrap up the stories of all the brothers. Relationship-resistant Wes and Hailey try to be just friends… and as all of us romance readers know, this doesn’t ultimately work out. How Sophie crafted this is what stands out to me. The tension and slow-burn here was excellent, and I didn’t get frustrated waiting for romantic moments because of how well it was done. If you like a friends-to-lovers or want to read one even if this isn’t your typical genre, I would pick this up. It works so well, and I just can’t wait to read more of her writing!

This is a very fun romcom and turns the "just friends" trope on its head! I enjoyed it and great for fans of Tessa Halliday and Sally Thorne.

What could possibly go wrong?

For those who like a slow burn, friends-to-lovers, and clean romance, this is a good book for them.

Told in dual POVs, our MCs (Wes & Hailey) meet each other at an important moment in both their lives.

Despite an awkward first meeting, Wes and Hailey develop a friendship. They decide that they are just going to be friends. Hailey moves to San Verde, and coincidentally so does Wes and even though they don't know each other they have the opposite of a meet-cute. Wes mistakes her for his date at a cafe, and they become fast friends. Hailey is recovering from a bad breakup and Wes is taking a break from dating and so the two agree to be just friends and not cross that line from friends to something more. Well, you can imagine the rest, but a fun read.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the ARC! While not my normal steamy romcom - this one has all of the angst and tension you can imagine between a self made business owner and a determined to use his money to help rich man. We don’t always need men to rescue us and Hailey does her best to reinforce that against Wes. But in the end it is nice when those invested in your future help you make your way work! Def recommend when published on Jan 17, 2023. And given I hadn’t read the first 2 of the Jansen brothers stories - I will ABSOLUTELY be going back for them.

cute little romance i sorely needed. it was a slow burn done well ! the lowkey angst, the banter, the characters - i loved this so much

I thought this book was really good. Kind of a typical happy ending but I still enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of a Hallmark movie, but that's not a bad thing. Hailey and Wes both have their reasons for wanting to only be friends. He suffered through his parents messy divorce and she had a difficult relationship with her ex. So when they meet they agree to just be friends. It irks Hailey that uses his money and influence to help her business. She wants to do things on her own. So when his mother buys the building her salad shop is in , that's the last straw. It makes a stranger to help her realize that helping out a friend is just that , help. Wes as the oldest of four sees no reason not to help out someone if they need it, wether they want help or not. He is a lot over bearing at first and totally against love. It takes his brothers to realize he is already in love with Hailey. The only thing that I didn't like is the dialogue. It was a little hard to figure out who talking at a few points.

Friends to lovers
Slow burn

I will admit, when I received this ARC from NetGalley I didn't realize that it was a part of a series but this book was really easy to follow as a stand alone.

This one follows Hailey who has moved outside of LA to restart after a bad relationship, and is working hard to get her salad by the cup shop off the ground. In doing so, she meets Wes the analytical Jansen brother. Wes doesn't see the point in relationships, to him love has never made sense but he finds himself drawn to Hailey in a way that just doesn't make sense to him.

These two were a well written couple but there were some parts about this read I struggled with. The book was kind of over detailed in a way that made it a struggle for me to follow, and even as a slow burn the build up fell a little short for me. To be totally fair though, I love spicy reads. I would say if you love slow burn reads then this one is for you. Throughout the book you see multiple times that both want more but neither will instigate the first move and when they do finally get there there is a fight that seemed unnecessary because Wes refuses to admit he loves her or that he is even capable of love.

Overall, it was a good read definitely 3/5.

I wanted to love this story and there were parts of it that I did LOVE. However, it took me 50% to feel like I was really interested in the story line. Then it fell apart for me at the end when I felt like the character took a step back in his character development. All in, it wasn't my favorite and would probably recommend other friends to lovers book instead.

This is book 3 in a series. I had no problem reading this as a standalone.

Fun premise and continuation of the series. The description of playful and emotional is a good fit. Original and unique meet cute that leads to quite the story.

One blurb said this book was like When Harry met Sally...I was thinking oh my...

Well I am so glad that I read this book. I love how their relationship as friends stated, you know hanging out with friends, helping them with things that they need to get done. Just building a solid friendship.

You knew it was coming...THE KISS...that always messes things up when you are friends. Geez

I am so happy for Wes and Hailey, that they were able to set things aside and move 9n to the next steps

Bonus written by a Canadian Author. Love this

I will start with that I did not know this was part of a series and I wish I had read the others first. I will definitely go back and read the others. The friendship that was show is so important and often overlooked in today's time when dating so I loved seeing that blossom into something more. Wes' feelings of families using love as a playing piece is often correct as well. Overall, I loved the story and seeing how Wes' brothers and their girlfriends loved and accepted Hailey too. That is such a special bond.

Hailey has just got her business, By the Cup, started and is focused on that. She recently had a bad breakup and is looking for a fresh start. Wes is tired of using apps to date and when he mistakingly thinks Hailey is a girl, Hayden, that he is supposed to meet who ended up standing him up, he realized he doesn't like dating. He wants to find someone to be friends with but, he does not want to fall in love. He has seen that it has been used as a pawn in his family. We tracks Hailey down to apologize for accusing her of being the girl who was standing him up, he realizes that he really likes her as a friends. They both know they don't want distractions or to fall in love, but they enjoy each others times.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a great finale to the Jansen brothers stories! Each brother is unique and I love that their stories were so different from one another. One thing they all have in common is how hard they fall when they fall in love.

Wes and Hailey start off protecting themselves from love by choosing to be friends, even though they both could see potential for more. I love how organically their friendship builds as the story progresses. They have a sweet push and pull as they learn to communicate with one another and to trust each other. There were a few times in the story that felt like a little too much internal monologue for me, but overall it was a great read! The end leaves you with warm fuzzies for all three brothers love stories. Which is a definite bonus!

2.5 I didn't realized that this was part of a series when I requested it. It was confusing at times with all the other characters, but I guess that's because I haven't read the other books. I think I would read the other two books in this series if it wasn't for the writing. I didn't really enjoyed this one, I wasn't connecting with the main character's relationship and there wasn't anything special about it.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Sophie Sullivan, and NetGalley for this book in exchange for my honest review!


Friends to lovers??? Yall know this is my favorite trope!
The blurb references both When Harry Met Sally & 500 Days of Summer??? so obviously I was excited as hell,

I liked the side characters that worked at the shop so much, they felt like I knew them and that they were my friends. I also loved the relationship between wes and his brothers.

Hailey moves to San Verde, and coincidentally so does Wes and even though they dont know each other they have the opposite of a meet cute. Wes mistakes her for his date at a cafe, and they become fast friends. Hailey is recovering from a bad breakup and Wes is taking a break from dating and so the two agree to be just friends and not cross that line from friends to something more.

Though I felt there was a great friendship, I didnt feel like that translated into their romantic relationship. The amount of fighting felt a little forced, and there is no steamy scenes.

But this was enjoyable, This is the third is a series and even though it can be read as a standalone I think I wouldve enjoyed it more if I read the first two.

This is also a slow burn, so if that is not your thing I would skip this one because when i say slow burn. I mean it.

I think what threw me off for a few minutes was that this is a series and I had yet to read the other books. That being said I think I’ll read the others first and re read this after to see if I'm feeling the same however, I do feel like their relationship was a bit fake.