I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope, and I think we all knew despite the title that no one was staying "just friends." Welcome to a book where the two main characters just continually friendzone each other thinking that's what is best for their relationship and what the other genuinely wants. There were many points that I was ready to throw the book across the room because of the TENSION! A Guide to Being Just Friends brought out the ex-fangirl in me, because I can't remember the last romcom book where I shipped the main characters this hard right out of the gate. Just... this book is *chefs kiss* and you need to read it. Just drop everything now. Pinky promise you won't regret it!

Let me preface this review by first mentioning that I have wanted to read a Sophie Sullivan book for a while, and so when I saw this ARC come up, I dove for it. I didn’t realize, until part way through, that this is actually the third book in the Jansen Brothers series. And I still adored it.

This is the last book in the Jensen Brothers series, and features Wes, the older, somewhat broody and well-intentioned brother of the three. He remembers his parents’ messy divorce, and would like no part of that. Hence, when he meets (in a comical way) Hailey, they set forth on the path of friendship, going so far as to dream up a guide to being just friends. (I see what you did there, Ms. Sullivan)

Because this is a friends-first romance between strangers, the story does move a bit slowly. Like Mariana Zapata slow. The friendship is established first, and then comes THE KISS. Throughout the development of the friendship, there are so many beautiful and hilarious moments that offset the urge to yell ‘JUST KISS ALREADY!’

I also love that neither of these characters have things figured out. They both need to get out of their own way, and the family and friends in this series are there to help! If you are looking for more Noah, Chris, Grace and Everly, you are in luck! Plus you get the added delight of Fiona, Hailey’s friend, whose cheeky and sarcastic banter had me laughing out loud.

While this book is light on the spice, it is heavy on the SWOON.

This book is available on January 17, 2023. Thank you to Sophie Sullivan, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the last book in the Jansen Brothers series and I am so sad! This book was the PERFECT friends-to-lovers story with the Sophie Sullivan touch of charm and heart.

Hannah Sharp is looking for a fresh start with her salad shop. She is fresh off a bad breakup and moved to a new city. She is focused on bettering her business and avoiding distractions. Wes Jansen is the eldest Jansen brother and recently moved from New York to join her brothers. He is focused on expanding their business their way, and not their fathers.

So when Wes mistakes Hannah for his date that stood him up, it is an impressionable first impression, to say the least. As they get to know each other and develop a meaningful friendship, they realize that they oftentimes lean on themselves. That was until they found each other, and might have found the one person they can lean on.

Hannah and Wes have huge hearts and are focused on improving themselves and those around them. So once they start allowing themselves to see their deep connection, it is impossible for them to continue to deny it. This book has the perfect Sophie Sullivan charm that the previous two books had. Plus the way the other characters were weaved through the story was rewarding for readers who have enjoyed this series.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
- mistaken identity
- friends-to-lovers
- found family

this was all my favorite rom-com combined to make it the most awesome book ever. read it you must and will enjoy it from the start.

“It isn’t because you weren’t enough, Hailey. It’s because I’m terrified you could become everything.”

Wow, this book. Such a wonderful end to one of my new favorite romance trilogies!!

Things I loved:
- The Female MC is a reader!!!
- I lived for their banter!
- This book MAKES ME CRAVE SALAD and I never thought that possible.
- The scene where they cook her grandma’s marinara >>>>>

Things I didn’t:
I’m not the biggest fan of friends to lovers, hence my four star rating. But I loved it nonetheless!!

A Guide to Being Just Friends-

Synopsis- Hailey Sharp moves to San Verde from LA to get a fresh start after a hard break up. Through a quirky meet cute, she runs into Wes Jansen. Only problem? Wes and Hailey both are committed to being just friends. Their friendship continues to develop and until a problem arises. The problem? Their deep and growing attraction to each other.

What makes this different than your typical friends to lovers/meet cute book? -
This book, in my opinion, really focuses on a healthy development- for both characters. In so many books I’ve read, I see so many dramatic ups and downs in the characters relationship that can often reflect toxicity or show negative relationship traits, but this slow burn really reflects a healthy growth. Through this entire book, we see what it looks like to have a healthy, natural growth to a relationship.

My review-
I really think that the overall plot and premise of this book is so cute. Hailey, one of the main characters, is endearing and you instantly grow attached to her and her personal development. You grow anxious wanting to see her succeed. I wish I felt the same for the other main character, Wes. I had a hard time growing attached to him. While I appreciated their relationship and their dynamics, I just felt disconnected from Wes and his personal development. I did overall enjoy this book and felt myself rooting for these two all the way through my reading.

OMG THIS BOOK! I didn't read the first two in the series but this one was so stinking cute! I can't believe I haven't read any Sophie Sullivan before but I'm definitely going to back list her other works!

When I started this book I didn’t realize it was the third in the series. That being said, it functioned well as a stand along romance. I probably would have felt more towards the secondary characters if I had read the first two books but it defiantly wasn’t necessary.

I enjoyed the friends to lovers troupe and the world the author created. I did feel like some of the drama was pretty forced. If they had been best friends for 6 months and then dating for 4 months you think they may know a little bit about each other that would have diffused the forced controversy.

ARC generously provided by NetGalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for fair and honest review.

This was cute and that’s about it. It was the slowest of slow burns and contained no spice. If that’s something you’re into, then you would enjoy this book. It reads like a cute romantic comedy movie from the 2000s and is a friends the lovers story. I enjoyed the book but I was missing something.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a cute romance surrounding Hailey and Wes - a salad small business owner and a rich cyber security x realtor x who knows what - who meet and make a pact to just stay friends while slowly falling for one another.
It’s the typical friends to lovers trope, which I love and thought their progression of emotions was really natural. I think it’s important to note I haven’t read the other books in the interconnected stand-alones, which I think would make me more attached to the side characters than I was. Ultimately, I just couldn’t connect to the main characters that well. While I appreciated Hailey’s drive, her stubbornness and pride was exhausting. I wish we learned more about Wes’s interests in art, I think that would have been helpful for to dive into more. The final conflict in the book really just made me not like Wes, and without saying too much about it, I just feel like it was rushed and resolved too quickly.
I do think this book did a great job at friends to lovers. I loved their friendship and it was great to watch them fall for one another and create this bond. I just wish there was more time to show them work through the issues within their relationship.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book read exactly like a movie. It was so cute and wholesome and made me smile. I loved how we got to see so much of their lives and journeys as the book went through different months and seasons. It was the slowest of slow burns but the connection between them was palpable. The simplest thing like them going to the grocery store had me smiling like an idiot. This book made me like the friends to lovers trope. I felt like I was watching a movie to whole time. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

This is a cute rom-com. I was very hung up on this slow burn and couldn't wait for these 2 to come to their senses.

Zero spice but still a nice story.

(I didn't realize it was the 3rd of a 'series' so I'll go back and read the other 2 now.)

This is the third book in a rom-com, friends to lovers series. I have not read the first two, but I do not think that you need the other ones to get the context of the book. It may have helped to get to know the other brothers and characters better - but I think it worked as a standalone.

Wes does not believe in love ever since watching his parents relationship fail. He is a computer savvy, real estate/business investor with his brothers living in California. Hailey has moved to this part of California to open up a salad shop after a failed relationship with a semi-famous actor. She is jaded after that relationship.

Wes mistakes Hailey for an online date he was supposed to meet up with and they end up meeting again at a dinner. They decide to be best friends, doing the mundane tasks of shopping together, etc. Wes’s family adores Hailey and the two grow closer together. Hailey is hesitant about how much money Wes is willing to spend on her and wants to make it on her own. Wes wants to help make Hailey’s life easier.

Their relationship is slow to build, but fireworks when they finally get together. Hailey’s character was very closed off to help and only making it on her own. Wes’s character was frustrating with how against love he was when it was obvious he was very into his best friend.

This was a cute rom com book. My favorite characters were not the main ones - I liked Hailey’s cousin and friend Fiona as well as Wes’s brothers and their girlfriends more than I liked the main characters… Although I do love an independent woman that wants to make it on her own.. I think it was a little too overplayed.

I knew I’d love this book as soon as I read the title! It is funny, sweet, quick (in a good way) and delightful!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want an easy, brainless, clean romance read about a salad shop owner and a rich tech investor? Can you tolerate cliche rom-com cheesiness? Can you handle a book that ends with a moral conflict that should lead to incompatibility but ignores it?

Pre-reading:
Still don’t particularly want to read this because the other two books in this series are not good, but I was sent it. The last book improved so hopefully this one will too. It's the shortest of the bunch, thank god.

Thick of it:
That opening line is a new one.

Does that mean chocolate on lettuce because huge pass.

I don’t think he was being jerky at all. Also, you could’ve shown him your ID, bestie.

Really didn’t expect to read whale penis this early in the morning, but here we are.

I too am a fixer, Wes.

Remember women are only allowed to be pretty if they don’t realize that they are.

Does this author think making salads is hard or something?

So all 3 heroines in this series are onlys. I mean write what you know, but c’mon.

It might be easy to do, but it’s messy and takes time that most people don’t have.

Red dead ponies.

Listen, wear what you want, but maybe don’t wear brat on your ass at 30.

No, I completely feel that though. Please give me an unbreakable cup. Do not make me drink from something expensive; I will accidentally break it.

The favor is his penis. No? I’ll see myself out.

Oh fuck, I say that to people, haha. The relax. I am relaxed. Not your shoulders.

Personality quizzes v important.

This book is better.

The correct response is let’s experiment and find out. God, I love Cosmo.

How do you go from New York Christmas to California Christmas without commenting on the fact that it doesn’t feel like Christmas because it’s palm trees instead of snow?

Why did we just skip over his birthday?

Punch him, punch him. (No punching. Sad.)

I’m sure I’m reading too much into it, but I’m also like Cinderella and Dorian? Is someone maybe, perhaps a Sara J. Maas fan?

Goddamnit, I don’t like clean romances. This is the spiciest of the three books, and the best of the three books. I like how this author improves every time she writes. I respect that. It’s still not good. She’s basically writing about a Panera shop owner and a billionaire, and it’s fucking stupid, but also I don’t hate this one.

Isn’t that line from Twilight?

Call me toxic, but I love a fixer. I’m a fixer. People who don’t like fixers are lazy and want to complain and be a victim.

I think I mentioned in the first book that the author has a foot fetish, and I still believe that from this book.

That is so heavy for Valentine’s Day. How are you gonna fuck with lasagna in your system?

Will we get a fourth book with the sister because, lord, I hope she’s gay.

Wild, that this book (about salad!) has the most mature and reasonable conflicts in it.

Oh yeah, you've got to break up. You can’t be together. Please don’t let him change his mind on the kids. Like, just let people who don’t want kids be okay not having kids.

Goddamnit book I was so on board.

Sorry, if someone calls me naïve like an insult, we’re done.

Can’t they just not want kids?

Yeah, so cool, they’re like back together, but they have not addressed the elephant in the room of one wants kids and one does not. That’s not compatible.

Isn’t Leo a minor? I don’t think he can have a food truck by himself.

Oh that’s so nasty. You cannot get engaged on your brother’s wedding day. What the fuck? Don’t upstage them. What’s wrong with you?

A reverse V-neck? So a halter?

Oh cool, so they just never address the kids thing. Way to sour the book and the couple.

The author‘s note says the series is over, so no gay sister. The sister exists only in the abstract in this series.

Post-reading:
Listen, it’s still not a good book. It’s a bucket rom-com. They’re all so similar. This is easily the best of the three though. It’s a dumb premise. She’s essentially a Panera shop owner and he’s a billionaire tech guy. That’s dumb. It’s fine for smooth brain reading material. I personally get bored with clean romances. I want the tension to lead to something spicy. This book will not do that. None of the books in the series will do that, but you probably know that going in when they’re described as clean romances. Some of us don’t read the book jackets or descriptions; we just blindly read. I think this book has the most realistic and relevant fights to young adults, so good on it for that. Dialogue still isn’t what I would like it to be. It’s better. It’s just not good. This book cut down on a lot of the filler that the other books have suffered from. It still has filler. Maybe it’s satisfying if you’re super invested in the other two books that you keep getting cameos, but as someone who was not invested in the others and didn’t give a shit and thought the series was just bad and way too long to begin with, it was exhausting to have cameo after cameo. I don’t know, it’s not a book I hate which is impressive because I fully expected to just hate it. I’m still not going to genuinely recommend it to anyone. You can read better.

Who should read this:
People into cheesy, clean from-coms

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee-cliche, cooking adjacent romance where his career impacts hers
* Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec-cliche foodie rom-com
* For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa-easy read cooking show romance

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Hailey meets Wes when he mistakes her for the date he's waiting for. They soon discover overlapping areas of interest and decide to be just friends. In the slowest of slow burns, they realize their feelings for each other and live HEA.

This was a sweet, closed door romance. I have read many of these types of books without reading the preceding books and still loved the story. This one was harder to follow all the side characters without having read the previous books. The side characters were more present in this story than they typically are in these types are series. I'd recommend reading these in publication order for maximum enjoyment.

I actually enjoyed this way more than How to Love Your Neighbor. With the exception of the jump from strangers to friends, the pacing felt smooth, and for the most part, the characters felt fleshed out.

I wasn't a huge fan of the 3rd act conflict I do think there could have been a bit more development to Wes's backstory. His reluctance to date was a bit confusing (especially considering his brother's books), and his ability to get over his past hurt happened a bit too quickly.

Overall, would recommend for a quick, light-hearted read.

Content: language, fade-to-black

3.5

Totally adorable conclusion to the Jansen brothers trilogy. Loved the addition of stubbornly independent Hailey and the friendship she developed with awkward and protective Wes. Toss in the rest of the cast of characters and it was a delightful romcom.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy slow-burn and find themself fond of the strangers to friends to lovers trope (heavy on the FRIENDS). Unlike most book who skim past the friend part this one was dedicated to building and showing their friendship. this was a fast and enjoyable read. i am only giving it three stars though because towards the end I did get a bit bored and found myself skimming.

Review will be posted on Instagram & goodreads
The review will be posted january 10 2023 a week before publication

⭐⭐⭐.75/5 Rounded up to 4. (3.5 was too low, but 4 was too generous IMO) BUT SEE BELOW.

Let me preface this by saying I requested this ARC without knowing it was #3 of a series (boo). BUT, can definitely be read as a standalone. I do think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous ones to better understand character development? But can't be positive...because...you guessed it, I didn't read them first 😂.

Not the typical type of romcom I read - slow burner for sure, but 🔥. I honestly really loved the attraction here, was different for me from the normal romance.

Hailey moved to San Verde from LA to start fresh. She opens a salad shop, as opposed to a food truck (salad on wheels..I mean, good choice girl). Wes, the oldest of the Jansen brothers, mistakes her for his *no show* date, Hayden at the coffee shop nearby. After profusely apologizing and helping her with her website, he is forgiven. Hailey, not wanting to get involved with *friends* or a relationship for that matter, and wanting to focus on her new business, hesitates when she gets invited to a party with the other Jansen brothers, their girlfriends, and Wes 😉. I mean...you can guess how this story goes. Don't want to say more due to spoilers.

My opinions - super cute and fun friends to lovers book. I love the character development, the emphasis on sibling closeness, the fact that the main character started off as a successful, new to town, single, female entrepreneur. I mean come on. What more can you want?!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an ARC of this book. It has been a pleasure! This was my first ARC and I am so grateful! All thoughts and opinions are my own.