A cute story of Haileh and Wes. Hailey owns a salad shop and meets Wes. They become friends and decide to have a guide on how to just stay good friends. Feelings grow and they have to work out how to tell each other their feelings. Some other storylines follow on in the story relating to the main characters families and careers. Overall a cute read. It was just a little bit long and wanted a little bit more of the romance bug recommend for a fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins publishers for the advanced cop of this book.

I loved Wes! This was a cute, slow burn and I recommend it for a sweet romantic read. Thanks to the publisher for the copy. All opinions are my own

Such a fun cute story, loved it
Loved how Haileyand Wes met, how they had sooo much chemistry and how at the moment they just needed to be friends. thinking that's all that they needed or wanted, funny bc doesn't it always start that way.
great business idea (By The Cup) loved this also
So many details, lots of emotions, self growth, well written and great dual perspective
great characters, of course I mean the main characters but also the others (friends and family) made this story sooo much stronger.
friends to lovers (I am a sucker for this tehem)
So if you also enjoy the friend to lovers storyline, this is a must read for sure

I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for letting me get my hands on ARC of this book, so happy to have read it. The opinions and thoughts above are my own and voluntarily posted.

A Guide to Being Just Friends is the third book in a series on the Jansen Brothers. I haven't read the previous books before but this book could be read as a stand alone and still be understood. This book focuses on Wes Jansen the oldest of the 3 Jansen brothers. Growing up, Wes took on the brunt of the responsibility and tried to shield his younger brothers from the trauma experienced from his mom and dad fighting prior to their divorce. Based on what he observed he is scared of ever committing and falling in love. Although he fears love he still steps into the world of dating through apps and through an accidental meet cute comes in contact with Hailey. Hailey is a new store owner that runs By the Cup, a salad shop that's next door to the coffee shop where Wes and Hailey meet. After the awkward encounter and confusion the two find themselves face to face when a salad delivery is made to a business that he works with. When the two reunite he realizes that he should apologize for the weird encounter at the coffee shop and through that develops a friendship with Hailey. With Wes running from love and only looking for a good time and Hailey focused on her new business venture the two decide to just be friends.

This book has one of my favorite tropes of friends to lovers as the two attempt to fight the growing attraction toward one another. As they navigate where their relationship is taking them they have to ask themselves what it is they really want and what they're willing to give up to stay happy together. I would say this book started at 3/5 and by 75% increased to 3.5/5. It is a slower paced book with minimal spiciness but still allows the reader to follow along on their journey, This is a dual perspective book which gives insight to both Hailey and Wes's point of view as they figure out what they want.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I am absolutely and completely in love with this book, however I wish I had realized going into it that this was the third book in a series but it can be read as a standalone.
Moving on from that point this is such a cute story about slow-burn friends to lovers story, starting over, following your dreams, and just overall cute romance.

This book is for anyone who is a fan of Sarah Adams, Taylor Swift, tender romance, found family, romance movie references and great banter between all characters.

I will gush and recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

I had a bit of trouble getting into this one. Although it had a slow start, I came back to it and really enjoyed it! Hailey is new to town, and she makes friends with Wes. Both have had some abandonment in their past and are hesitant to start a relationship. So, they decide to be "Just Friends". As their relationship develops, you are cheering for them to get together, but it takes a bit for them to get there. Overall, I really enjoyed Wes & Hailey's story, and was satisfied by the ending!

Hailey and Wes (individually) move to San Verde for a fresh start. Hailey opens a cute salad shop, and Wes runs a company with his brothers. Neither Hailey nor Wes are looking for a romantic relationship because 1) they’re both so focused on their careers, and 2) they each have past negative experiences that make it hard for them to open up to love. After an awkward first meeting, they quickly form a close friendship.

The thing about me is I love the friends-to-lovers trope in romance, and I think that makes me a bit picky about which friends-to-lovers books actually wow me. I did enjoy parts of this book: The close relationship Wes had with his brothers; The changes the main characters made to get their own HEA; The organic and genuine friendships Hailey made in SV.

The writing was pleasant, and the story will likely give many readers all the warm and fuzzy feelings that sweet love stories do. However, the romance didn’t make me feel as much as I wanted to. That’s why I can’t honestly rate it higher based on my own reading experience, but I think it’ll work for anyone who wants a cute friends-to-lovers romcom.

Sophie Sullivan knocks it out of the park with the third book of the Jansen siblings series. This sweet and hilarious friends-to-lovers romcom keeps a smile on your face throughout the novel. Wes and Hailey’s relationship starts with the funniest of meet-cutes which leads to a beautiful and easy friendship that slowly blossoms into love. Wes Jansen is the oldest of the Jansen siblings and has joined his brothers in California to work on their company together, after leaving their father’s grip on them. Hailey Sharp is a new salad shop owner who is determined to find her footing in the food business. Throughout their journey, they learn how to accept help, share their dreams and feelings, shed the hard protective shell and let themselves depend on another person. It’s a beautifully written book that will make you not only happy with the romantic comedy, but also make you reflect on your own feelings.

3 stars

I liked this book, I like how Sullivan writes her characters. The love interest was SO sweet, and I really liked Hailey as well. Their not so meet cute had me giggling for at least 10 minutes.
The only thing that really had me rate this 3 stars was that I felt this book had a lot of talk of their work lives, and I felt it took away from the romance and relationships.
Was this a bad book? Absolutely not. I enjoyed it, I just would’ve loved to see more plot depth.
If you like friends to lovers, slow burn, and family relationships, you will enjoy this one!
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for an ARC of this book :)

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was not aware this book was apart of a series but it was easy to read as a stand alone. I found this book to be pretty slow throughout. I was also annoyed with Wes’ take on love and relationships. And I found Hailey’s level of independence to be too much and annoying. I did like the brothers’ relationship and the homey, close knit group feelings. This story had zero spice, which I prefer for romance reads! Overall, not a bad story and interesting enough to make me finish!

a guide to being just friends delivered the exact, cheesy in a good way, friends to lovers i was hoping for. hailey just moved to san verde after a devastating break up to start her own salad restaurant. within days, she runs into wes who accuses her of bailing on their first date when in reality he’s looking for someone else. wes’ apology stems into the friendship both hailey and wes need. the challenge is keeping it from becoming their everything and more. this book was sweet and fun to read, but i found myself frustrated with the main characters a little more than i like!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I thought it was really cute and it drew me to the characters right away. However, I did not like the amount of characters she focused on as there were too many to remember. I also thought the book might get spicy but it never really did. That being said, it was still a great story and quick writing.

I really enjoyed this book. It didn’t go zero to one hundred like so many books in this trope do. They both had feelings but didn’t just throw caution to the wind within two weeks. This is an easy read for some happily ever after joy!

Cute ending, but a verrrrrry slow burning romance. I didn’t realize this was part of a series, but you don’t have to read the other books for this one to make sense. Loved the brother’s personalities especially towards the end when they were helping Wes!

- Acquaintances to loves
- Small town romance
- So many saladsss!

I really liked Hailey! Her getting out of a toxic relationship and starting over somewhere new, following her passion! Plus her and Wes developing their friendship was also adorable. However, I felt like many of the characters weren’t adding to the story. Maybe I should have read the other two books prior to this one. Overall, story left a little more to be desired.

3.5/5 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I did not know that this was the third book in a series until I came to write this review. It can absolutely be read as a stand alone, but it might have been more enjoyably if I had read the first two books in the series.

That being said, I did enjoy this book! The tension and chemistry between Wes and Hailey was perfect. But once they finally give into the tension (75% in give or take, holy slowburn) I feel like their chemistry tapers off. I didn’t like the reasons they had issues in their relationship, though I am glad it was resolved quickly.

This was also a clean romance, which I wasn’t expecting but I can absolutely appreciate it anyway.

I like this authors writing style, and I will definitely look into reading the other books in this series and more of her work!

With amazing banter, excellent chemistry, and a coffee shop meet-cute which gets off on the wrong foot, this slow-burn friends-to-lovers story has everything you need in a romance. I loved how it didn’t shy away from forcing the two leads to confront their individual weaknesses, realize their mistakes, and ultimately heal their relationship, which made for wonderfully-written character growth.
Although I haven’t read the first two books in this series, this book worked very well as a standalone (even though I’m sure I would have been more attached to the characters had I read them beforehand).
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!!

First i want to say how much i liked the characters in this book. I loved Hailey and her determination and how independent she was. Wes was the perfect person for her. Unfortunately this book did not captivate me or keep me on the edge of my seat. It took me a lot longer than normal to finish this book. Normally im finished within a day or 2 tops. This one i had to force myself to read. Not to say other people wont absolutely love it but the writing style to me was kind of blah and everything was too predictable for my liking.

Enemies to friends to friends who can’t be more to lovers, the perfect scenario!

Wes and Hailey meet in an unfortunate instance and somehow manage to establish the perfect friendship full of rules to keep them strictly friends.

I really enjoyed this plot line and was hooked at the beginning. I got a little lost in the middle but I still was enjoying it.

One of my major let downs was that I just didn’t feel the chemistry between Wes and Hailey. it felt like they were just friends and you never saw their desire for each other. Even once they got together anything romantic was glossed over it didn’t seem sincere.
I was also a bit frustrated with the reasoning for the third act breakup as it seemed throughout that Wes was looking for a girlfriend and love. honestly his admission really surprised me.

I didn’t know this was a series! but it was just as good as a stand-alone, I liked the authors storytelling overall but wish I liked the main characters together more!

Thank you netgalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC w

A Guide to Being Just Friends is a slow-burn romance that really dives into seeing a friendship develop over time so that the romantic feelings actually feel organic as opposed to rushed. Hailey Sharp is a new business owner who is quite proud and determined to go about this business adventure on her own. Wes Jansen is a kindhearted wealthy business man who often oversteps when trying to help others. Hailey and Wes have an awkward meet-cute that shapes how they immediately friend-zone each other. I really enjoyed seeing their friendship develop because you could feel the undercurrent of attraction in each of their interactions. Hailey can be frustrating at time, she's often proud and refuses to gracefully accept assistance even if there is no ulterior motive. Wes constantly oversteps in his effort to help others without realizing that he should be using words to communicate instead of actions. Their fights were merited, they both needed to work on actually listening to each other, their makeups seemed a bit too easy and rushed but it did allow for character growth. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys a quick, clean read.