Hailey Sharp moved to a new city in California to start fresh and reinvent herself. She opens up a new salad restaurant called By The Cup and starts to make new friends that includes the handsome and breeding Wes Jansen. Wes and his brothers come from a broken home with a harsh and unloving father but his brothers were able to find love. Wes, however, is steering clear thus Hailey and Wes are just friends.
This is a cute and predictable romantic comedy book. If you’re looking for a quick romance this is perfect for you. I didn’t realize it was a third book in a series but I would have never know if I didn’t look at some of the reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sophie Sullivan has crafted a witty, sweet, and oh so charming romance novel with “A Guide to Just Being Friends!”. A must-read for anyone sitting by a pool this summer.

Well, this was adorable! It had all of the elements - likable and relatable main character (Hailey moves to a new town and launches her own business--a salad shop called By the Cup--where she meets not-interested-in-love Wes and they strike up a friendship), and much more that made for an engaging and heart-warming romance. This was my favorite book in the series! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC! I loved it!

I really enjoyed this book, which is third in the series. Hailey and Wes are just friends, figuring out a new city and new jobs and what they want to get out of life.. turned couple who have to overcome rough pasts and trust issues. I enjoyed the characters and storyline. I have read book 2, but need to go back and read book 1, because I have enjoyed these brothers stories!

Swoony, warm, and entertaining. I loved A Guide to Being Just Friends. Hailey Sharp and Wes Jansen are the perfect characters for a really fun setting. I adored their dynamic, and thought this was such a warm, emotional romantic comedy.

Hailey is starting over. She moves to a new town and opens a business. Wes also being new to the city also looking for a fresh start. Despite a not-so-smooth first meeting, there is something between Hailey and Wes, and they click pretty quickly becoming best friends, but only friends because that's all they need right now an uncomplicated friendship.
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Sophie Sullivan is such an amazing author her characters are always so unique and grow so much throughout all of her books. so it was no surprise when I absolutely loved this cute book. Friends to lovers a top-tier best trope out there (if you ask me anyway) as well as dual pov in one book are you kidding me the perfect setup for a fantastic book. The slow-burn romance was perfectly done, it didn't feel so much like a slow burn because of how well developed the friendship aspect was written.
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I literally cannot recommend this book enough, please go pick it up and read it when it comes out January 17, 2022

This book was an enjoyable read. There are a few situations (and thoughts) between the main characters that really made me laugh. Sullivan develops a very close knit group of people that warms the heart. Of course, the storyline is very predictable and the feelings of the main characters happens so quickly that the thoughts and feelings become repetitive for the remainder of the book. Still, it is light, not too serious and a relaxing read.

I found this to be an enjoyable read overall. I read it while on vacation, and it was the perfect type of book. It had enough depth in the character development to make me feel like I was reading an adult book and not one of my 8 year old niece’s “beginning to read chapter books” type of books. At the same time, it was total brain candy and I loved it.

The stubbornness of the two main characters was annoying at times but I got over that pretty quickly and continued rooting for them to find their way.

I read this as a stand alone book (not realizing it was part of a series) and was still able to understand and like it without knowing the full backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of a Guid to Being Just Friends.

I thought the plot sounded really cute and I was interested in the comparisons to When Harry Met Sally.

I found the story to be cloyingly sweet and each chapter redundant with the MCs primary hang ups being reevaluated without fresh takes. There was a mundane air to the shop plot and I just didn’t feel invested.

It was a pretty fast read and the banter and dialogue were cute.

This book was such an enjoyable read. I loved the tension between these two characters. This was my first read from this author but I for sure would read another.

3.5 stars rounding it up to four! okay i really really enjoyed the first half of the book, watching hailey and wes come together was so magical! i love a good friends to lovers trope honestly! however i felt that some things in the second half fell a bit flat- the storyline with wes protecting his brothers from their dad, hailey’s run in with dorian seemed rushed, the progress of enhancing the community center and i didn’t particularly love how hailey kept harping on wes having money. now its a romance book i am fully in it for that but i just wished some of the side stories were flushed out and the romance was a part of it. but i did really like the author’s writing style and the characters stole my heart from the start. i loved watching wes and hailey learn each other’s love languages and find true happiness through each other. overall it was a very cute read and i plan on reading chris and noah’s books next!

A GUIDE TO BEING JUST FRIENDS is a perfect friends-to-lovers story. The romance is a sweet slow burn with a well-earned HEA.

Thank you, NetGalley for granting me this arc!

This was about a 2/2.5 for me. I did not realize this was the third in a series (but can be read and understood as a standalone) and I, too, felt like there were waaaaay too many side characters.

What I liked was that the friends-to-lovers trope totally made sense and fell in line with Wes and his personality. I did like that they were friends, but I did not feel a strong connection between them at times. I think I needed more of them bonding. More show and less tell.

My other critique is that I did feel like the plot moved too slow for my liking. There wasn’t a lot driving the plot or enough tension between the two leads.

Otherwise, this is a sweet book and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I read the first two in the series.

Every relationship should start off this way. As a friendship and getting to know each other better. Hailey and Wes do a great job of supporting each other-as friends. What they can't seem to see is how and when to move on from that. Each of them has a past to get beyond. They seem to talk about everything else, but can't seem to do that. I am glad they figure it out.

I didn’t not like it. Cute premise. Probably not a book that’ll stick with me, but it was a good book to pass time.

This book was a fun read, and the cover is darling! Our main character Hailey has recently moved to open a salad shop and she had me craving a salad the entire book! She and Wes are a great match and it was a pleasure to watch their story unfold. I appreciated how intentional Hailey in particular was throughout the story, and I found myself rooting for the characters all the way through. I would recommend this to a friend for sure!

A Guide to Being Just Friends was a sweet read. While I found myself wishing for a little more depth at times, I enjoyed myself. Reading this book was like watching a Hallmark movie - safe, cozy, feel-good. A cute book.
3 Stars.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 1/5
REVIEW:
Hailey is new to town running her salad shop when she meets Wes Jansen in an unexpected way. When they start to hang out for weekly grocery shopping trips and a movie, they decide to be just friends.

I admired Hailey's fierce independence but although it was a strength of hers, it was also a weakness. Same for Wes and his giving, protecting heart. It was a strength of his but could also be a weakness of his.

Falling in love with your best friend can be a beautiful and strong relationship. I love that this book showed how amazing it can be.

It wasn't until I reached the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS that I realized this is the final book in the series! 😂😂 Clearly it can be read as a stand alone book too.

I really enjoyed this book and will absolutely go back to read the other Jansen brother's stories.

This book was really cute, and I had a great time just reading and enjoying it. It was lighthearted and fun!

This was a really good read! If you like your romance novels filled with smut, this is not the book for you. BUT it has a really great story line and is one of the better romance novels I’ve read in awhile. The author did a fantastic job at developing the characters and the story line. Hailey and Wes have amazing chemistry the entire book, but are trying to navigate just being friends, until they don’t!! I’m not one for spoilers, so just give it a chance!!