
Member Reviews

I enjoyed this book. The plot was well paced and the characters were well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

First, I requested and read this book not realizing it was a third book of a series. While the other two books are focused on the other brothers, this might have been a better read had I read the previous books. (Lots of side characters that I couldn't keep straight.) That said, I still enjoyed the story of Wes and Hailey and left really wanting to pick up the first two books.
Hailey and Wes have an awkward first meeting caused by a misidentification on Wes's part. They quickly become friends with lots of banter and great chemistry. Hailey is so strong and independent. I loved watching her let Wes in and eventually accepting help. Wes is a fix it man who grew up not believing in love and struggled with his father's expectations. I liked that Wes finally started pursuing what makes him happy verses what his father would approve of. Overall the character arc for both of them was great to read.
You'll love this book if you are a fan of slow burn/friends to lovers romance tropes. Also the found family vibe is just perfect!
I would like to extend a special thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sophie Sullivan, who provided me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good contemporary romance book. It wasn't great and it wasn't bad, it was average. I preferred the second book in this trilogy "How to Love Your Neighbour" but this was is a fine follow up. Nothing special to report, if you like contemporary romance, you will probably like this just fine.

I'm unfamiliar with this series so this was the first one I read but what I love so much about romance series is you usually don't need to be familiar with the series and you can pick up whatever you want in no particular order. I really enjoyed this romance as a stand alone and I'm sure if I had read the other books in the series first it would have been an excellent conclusion to the Jansen Brothers series.
The characters are written as you'd expect them to be. They don't have too much depth but there's enough there that they feel believable. There's a lot of side characters and they all exist on their own without falling into a massive blur of not being able to keep who's who straight. It's definitely a slow burn romance but the pacing was good. I found the build up of the relationship to make sense and when they finally do get together, it made it that much more satisfying. The conflict between the two was fine and they solve it pretty quickly which I enjoyed because they actually like .... communicated?? Unheard of. But then immediately after they make up there's a second conflict that I just couldn't quite get behind. Ultimately the HEA was cute, I teared up just a lil bit and felt all warm n fuzzy inside which is what I want from a romance book.
I can't speak for the rest of the series but this was a really solid romance and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love friends to lovers! Hailey and Wes spend a lot of time together, growing into best friends (and eventually more!). They were super cute.
The only thing was by the time they admitted their feelings, l wanted more. It felt like such a big build-up to be let down. It almost felt like they weren’t interested. I really loved the friendship they shared, but wished for more when they became more.
I do really want a salad in a cup now… they all sounded so good!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc! <3

When I chose this book, I did not realize this was the third book in a series. Maybe that information would have changed how I felt about the book, but I doubt it. A Guide to Being Just Friends is about Hailey and Wes and their mutual decision that love sucks and they want to remain just friends. Until they start developing romantic feelings for each other….
This wasn’t an awful book, but I truly did not care for it. I did not see any aspect of the characters or story that was unique to this novel. Every rom-com cliche was included and I could not get excited about reading it.

The mention of When Harry Met Sally caught my eye and had me compelled to read this title.
I was not disappointed.
Being friends and not seeking out romance is something I have seen IN life as well as in fiction. It is through a growth in a friendship that they soon discover they feel something more.
A Guide to Being Just Friends is a fun romp of a read. While it is the last of a short series, you do not need to have read the other books. Instead, I may seek those out in the future to learn more about how the other brothers met their significant others.

this romance novel was so sweet and Hailey and Wes were exactly the couple I needed to get me out of my funk from the move!
rating: 3 1/2 stars
pick up if you like:
👫friends to lovers
dual POV
💁♀️fierce, independent female protagonists
😍guy falls first and HARD
🚪closed-door romantic deats
🌴beachy small-town vibes
(I also didn’t know this was part of a series?? so I have to get the other stories in my hands SOON)
this book follows Hailey Sharp — a recently heart-broken chef who starts a takeout salad shop called By The Cup after moving to San Verde from Hollywood following a rough breakup from her actor boyfriend. all she wants is to focus on her one-of-a-kind salads, read her books, and hangout with her cousin and her family. she doesn’t have time for another heartache.
enter Wes Jansen. the guy who confused her for his dating app-date at the cafe next door. when he continues to show up at her store and well, everywhere else, they start to hit it off. but neither of them wants a relationship — hence, their private joke to create a “guide to being just friends”.
I’m not always the biggest fan of the friends to lovers trope, but this book was so sweet and gave me a cozy storyline with characters I LOVED to come back to every time i opened my kindle! it went on a little longer than i expected it to, with some extra conflicts that delayed the lovers’ relationship more and more, when i just wanted them to be together!! that knocked off a star for me just because of my personal stamina, but i highly recommend this for a good heartfelt read!

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a slow burn friends-to-lovers romance that is apparently part of a series. This book can technically stand alone, but the inclusion of a staggeringly long roster of characters from those previous books makes it more challenging to really get into this one -- I didn't understand who everyone was, what their relationships were, or why they were showing up in this story. The central romance was believable, and I appreciated that the two main characters each had some baggage to work through before they could be together.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book!

🥗This book begins with Hailey who is a young entrepreneur starting her own salad restaurant in Cali🥗
🕴️She then meets wealthy businessman Wes and the two of them become basically besties🕴️
😉And since this story is about just being friends, that's where the book ends 😉
❤️ You all know I am SO PICKY on romances and love stories and I'm happy to say that A GUIDE TO BEING JUST FRIENDS BY @authorsophiesullivan passed my test ❤️
🎯It was cute, it was fun, it had some depth I appreciated and overall, I really thought the male love interest was actually a sweet guy (I know, so rare). It was also a 🧼 clean 🧼 romance 🎯
📚This is actually book 3 in the Jansen Brothers series and while I read book 2 (HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR) I still haven't read book 1 (10 RULES FOR FAKING IT).📚
📖Each book follows the story of another one of the three brothers, so while they DEFINITELY READ WELL AS STANDALONES, it is fun to know the siblings a little bit from the other book(s). 📖
🧣Also, Swifties will appreciate all the Taylor references in this one🧣
🙏Thank you so much to @stmartinspress for sending me an ARC! This book is available on January 17th!

A super cute friends to romance novel that is sure to win your affection if you love that trope! Hailey and Wes are super likable characters and I found myself rooting for them!

*3.5
This was a cute read. I feel like the Hailey and Wes were real people with real fears. While I didn’t always appreciate how unintelligently those fears impacted some of their decisions, I can accept that it was a realistic way for them to respond in the moment.
The start of the book was a little bit challenging for me to process. The amount of characters introduced to the reader in a really short span of pages is overwhelming. However, I think that it parallels how Hailey would have felt being introduced to all of those people just as quickly. Over time, the personalities differentiate better, and it makes sense, but the beginning can be off putting. With that being said, the side characters were a great touch. I like it when the main characters have a support system outside of the significant other. Hailey was able to achieve that through her new friends, and Wes had her brothers (which I find adorable).
All in all a good read. I found it a little long and wordy at times, but the storyline was very cute!
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful romantic comedy. Hailey and Wes are each characters growing and learning as they navigate their relationship. I have always adored the concept of best friends turned lovers, and this story hits this idea out of the park. Their friendship allows them to both grow into themselves before they start a romantic relationship. With themes of friendship, supporting others, family, and love all wrapped into one fun read you won't be disappointed.

Another great addition from Sullivan! I enjoy her humor and the way she builds relationships. This is the third story in this particular universe and she brings in the other characters with just enough refresh that the story still functions as a stand alone book. Would totally recommend and can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

This is a friends to lovers slow burn romance. And I was so so excited to read this and while there were lots of aspects that I enjoyed this one was a bit if a let down for me. I found it difficult to stay engaged and connect with the characters or even root for them at some points. Their meet cute is adorable and awkward and I really enjoyed the authors writing style but this just didn’t have some of the essential romcom elements I was hoping for

This 3rd book in the series about the Jansen brothers features the oldest brother Wes, and I am here for his story with Hailey! First, their meet cute is adorably awkward. Then they decide to be “just friends” even though there is undeniable attraction. Neither wants a relationship but obviously life has other plans for them. I love their sweet interactions and how they figure out how to fit into each other’s lives and families/friend groups. The glimpses of the other brothers were perfect. Now we need a story for sis! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own!

I'm a simple woman. Head empty, no thoughts. Contemporary slowburn friends to lovers where they are actually friends til the 70% mark. They grocery shop and play Dead Red Redemption together. She knew his phone password and they both called each other out on their crap. They fought and then talked it out after. "Some people are worth adjusting for" was said platonically. A sweet romance that felt like it cleared my emotional sinuses, and my first foray into the series, which made me interested in the other brothers' books!
Thanks so much for the ARC!

The characters are the biggest let down of this story. At first, I found Hailey and Wes to be typical romcom protagonists. Perfectly serviceable, but bland. As the story progressed, my opinion changed. Their inability to acknowledge their own very obvious emotions made them seem obtuse and childish. Not realistic for business owners in their 30s. There are times where I found Hailey's thought process to be baffling. I couldn't connect with her. I usually don't enjoy the hero's POV in romance novels and this book did nothing to change that. The dialouge between Wes and his brother's was straight up cringe.
My problems with the main characters translated into problems with their romance. I felt like they lacked chemistry. The misunderstanding about their initial meeting is quickly squashed and they become friends almost immediately. It didn't feel organic. The frequent time jumps of the book did not help at all. I would have liked to see the basis of their friendship developed more to help with the believability. The slow burn element of the romance also made this a slow moving book. When they did get together I was more relieved that something big happened plot wise then that they finally confessed their feelings. The ending was rushed and unsatisfying.
Side elements of the story such as other characters and the setting were underdeveloped.
A frustrating but ultimately forgettable romance.

This was so exciting! This book is the first ARC (advanced readers copy) that I have received since starting my account and it was so lovely to read! I haven’t read the first two books of The Jansen Brothers series but I am tempted to now with the way this one turned out!
I fell in love with Wes and Hailey’s story. It was a wonderful slow burn, friends-to-lovers journey. My favorite part of the book was the dialogue and banter between the couple and all of their friends. It was very realistic and is ultimately what made me fall in love with this book. It had a good balance when it came to speed/pace and some good lessons that I found relatable.
I don’t really have any criticisms. The beginning felt a little bit slow but that happens to me every time I start a new book so that’s a me thing not a critic! Thank you for letting me read this. I absolutely loved it and I know others will too!!

🌟🌟🌟💫/5
When Hailey moves away to get a fresh start and prove to herself that she can accomplish her dreams, her plan gets derailed after an unintentional meet-cute sparks a friendship with successful businessman Wes Jansen. But a friendship is all it can be, because Hailey doesn’t want distractions from her business, and Wes isn’t looking for a serious relationship.
Read if you like:
Friends to Lovers
Sweet gestures
Open communication
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this advance copy!