Thank you Sophie Sullivan, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this wonderful story.
Looking for a slow burn friends-to-lovers romance that emphasizes the (platonic stage) friends part? This is the story for you!
Personally, I love slow burn romances, and I especially love a slow character development that specifically shows how the characters grow as individuals and as a pair. Hailey and Wes did both of those things beautifully and I so enjoyed going along their journey with them.
All in all, this book was a funny, cozy roller coaster of a good time to read. I’m so grateful I got the chance.

This was fun and sweet but I felt a little bit more invested in Hailey's salad business than her relationship with Noah. I liked buildup to their relationship and the epilogue. I did grow tired of Noah feeling like he had to do the "right" thing and not pursue his dreams, etc.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adored this book- 4 stars because it was a little hard to get into but once I fell into a good stride it was super hard to put down. I love the continuity of the stories from her other 2 books and it felt like it wrapped up perfectly which was just what I needed/wanted for the boys.

4.50 stars
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I love the Jansen brothers! The books keep on getting better and better, in book three, we follow Wes and Hailey. Hailey is new to a town where she knows no one other than her cousin after a bad breakup and wants to start fresh. She opens up a salad shop in town and with the right connections, gets introduced to the Jansen brothers. Wes and her form an immediate bond as he's new to town as well and just gets it. Wes' motivation for moving? He's following in the footsteps of his younger brothers who over the course of their journey have fallen in love. Wes is baffled that they could let people into their lives after what happened with their father and mother, it is clear that love is a tough concept for Wes.

This book is your typical friends-to-lovers, I loved watching the bond between Hailey and Wes form - they had a great connection, and was glad that they spent so long diving into a strong friendship. I'm a huge sucker for romance, so at moments I was just wanting something to happen between the two of them; the only thing that I felt was missing was some sort of hurdle. It was clear from the start that these two would be ending up together.

Overall, this was a cute read and a great way to end a series, as always I loved seeing the characters from prior books all coming together, it added great banter and is always nice to see some familiar faces!
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much! It’s a sweet, slow burn, closed door, friends first romance, and the characters are just adorable.

When Hailey and Wes meet, they’ve both been through the romance wringer, so they decide a strictly platonic relationship will serve them best. Famous last words. What follows is a wholesome story of friendship, personal and professional growth, and finding your person.

I recommend this book if you like feel good stories, friends to lovers, romcom moments, video games, salad, and/or small town vibes.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sharing an advance reader copy!

"I feel like I've found a secret code that unlocks a different world that only I'm allowed to be part of, that only I know how to navigate. Even the hurdles feel more manageable with her there. It feels like everything fits perfectly into place even when it doesn't all make sense... I feel happy."

After a less than pleasant meeting, Hailey Sharp and Wes Jensen really don't expect to run into each other again. When life keeps throwing them into each others paths, they realize they actually click really well and easily become close friends. These two are determined to only stay friends. Hailey is busy building up her new salad shop, and Wes has enough trauma to deter him from ever wanting to love. The closer they get, the harder it is to follow the guide they've made up for themselves, and can't deny the feelings that are there.

SOPHIE SULLIVAN DID IT AGAIN!! She captured everything I love in a friends to lovers book. The slow burn was done so well, and you barely felt it because the friendship developed was perfection. Sullivan also brought back our favorite characters from the first two books as big parts of Hailey and Wes' story. I highly recommend reading Sullivan's other two books first to get a full feel for how important these characters and their stories come together.

When it came to romance, Wes and Hailey had so much healing to do within themselves. My sweet sweet, protective, and scared Wes had to really go through it in this book. His heart is so big, and I fell in love with him right away. I loved Hailey and her headstrong attitude. Watching her not only thrive with her business, but find a family in a new city had me crying happy tears for her.

I love love love this book. I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you were a fan of the first two books. I cried like a baby at the end, because I was not ready to say goodbye to the stupid, big hearted Jensen brothers and the three women they fell in love with. All three books felt like a big found family trope.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sophie Sullivan for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

↠5 stars!!!

DNF @ 40%

I was really excited about this book, but I just couldn’t get into it and I didn’t realize it was the third in a series. My biggest issue was that the writing felt very young and very repetitive; a lot of telling versus showing, and overall just kind of predictably boring. I’ve read some really great romances this year and unfortunately this one just didn’t land for me.

I like Sophie Sullivan, I like the Jansen brothers, and I like the friends to lovers trope. So I really wanted to like this book. And there were parts I really did like—the descriptions of Hailey’s job, the Saturday night grocery store dates, the group of friends. But the big “resolution” involved something that the characters kept referring to as a grand gesture, when 1) it wasn’t a grand gesture, and 2) dear god, the ML, Wes, needed therapy, not to be making gestures of any size. Therapy, Wes! Try it!

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Each books gets better and better! I loved the other two books but this one felt a little different. It was quieter than the first two (maybe not as quiet as Everly herself though). Wes and Hailey were more focused on being friends. The romance took a back seat for a long time and it worked out so beautifully.

Hailey just recently moved to town, started her salad shop, and she cannot afford any distractions. Her last boyfriend wasn’t on the same page as her and she won’t let herself get lost again. Wes is also new to town, he just followed his brothers from New York so they can continue to grow their business. He’s tired of going on dates and nothing working out. But when the two of meet they quickly realize they both are in need of a friend, and that’s what they are, friends. For now.

All of the work they did to become friends really laid a wonderful foundation for their eventual relationship. Not only did Hailey gain Wes as a friend, she also gained his brothers, their girlfriends, and all of their friends. She didn’t really have anyone other than her cousin and her family, which was fine she was used to being on her own, but seeing her have a huge support system was really wonderful.

Wes and Hailey were so protective of their friendship and I loved it so much. Even when they started catching a little more feelings they knew that their friendship was most important.

They’re both so focused on not getting lost in a relationship but it’s in two different ways. Hailey had actually lost herself in a relationship, felt like she not good enough, and felt invisible not only in the relationship but while growing up too. But Wes doesn’t want to let his emotions get the best of him, he doesn’t want to get his heart broken. He’s seen it happen first hand with his parents and he refuses to let it happen to himself. They’ve communicated about it and they know this about each other but still they were just missing a piece of truly understanding each other.

I LOVE this group. I love seeing Everly and Chris and Grace and Noah. The epilogue was absolutely perfect, it was the perfect ending for all of the Jansen brothers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press did this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I was so happy to get this, I loved being reading all of these books and I cannot wait for this one to be out in the world for everyone to enjoy!

I just adore Sophie Sullivan and this world of stories. After falling in love with the first two of the Jansen brother's stories, I was more than ready for Wes. He meets Hailey at a coffee shop and mistakes her for his date. When their rocky meet cute leads them to a friend group and continued connections, they work to become "just friends". Hijinks and tension abound. Honesty and clear communication is a central key. Family dynamic and friendship is so important. When the HEA finally falls into place, the slow burn of friends to lovers pays off.

Sophie has done such an amazing job of maintaining our relationship with the previous two couples in this series. If you love books with connected characters in the same world (like Lauren Layne's Central Park Pact series) this is definitely for you.

I also want a salad cup.

Slow burn romance was fun to read. Enjoyed this book and while it is part of a series, you do not need to read the others first.

Give me Anthony Bridgerton, but make him nerdy. And I LOVE Anthony Bridgerton so this book was a pleasant surprise! I love a best friends to lovers story and this delivered. The slow burn tension was chef's kiss and their friendship was adorable. It was so clear they had great chemistry and you were rooting for the characters to figure it out. I recommend this quick, fun read!

This was such a cute and easy read! I didn’t realize it was the third in a series, but it was still good as a stand alone. I loved the banter between Wes and Hailey. They had a such a charming relationship. I also liked watching Hailey’s friendships grow. I couldn’t put this book down! An adorable and enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this arc!

I enjoyed this book- just as I have enjoyed Sophie Sullivan’s other books in this series. Wes and Hailey were great characters who had the best meet cute. I really loved how their friendship evolved. It was a little slow but overall a light cute romance.

A special thank you to Net Galley and St Martins Press/Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The third in a romance series. There is some overlap in stories here, but there is enough recapping, etc. that it's not necessary to read the first two (FYI, I read one but not the other previous books with no problems). Cozy romance with a slow burn relationship. Light, feel-good series.

So let me start by saying that i never give 1 star reviews. This is just the second book i've read by this author and maybe its the writing style but i find it very hard to connect to the characters. The main characters lacked chemistry in my opinion so made it hard for me to invest in their story.

I was so excited to be able to read an ARC of this book, the third and final novel of the Jensen Brothers series by Sophie Sullivan.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
Dual POV

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
✨️ Wes and Hailey's friendship
✨️ That text thread 🥲
✨️ The brothers' relationship
✨️ The salad shop, By the Cup. 🥗
✨️ We got to see a lot of the couples and side characters from the first 2 books.
✨️ I loved that these characters were fully fleshed out, with actual relatable qualities AND flaws.

Compared to the first 2 books of the series, I'll admit that this has less excitement going on. But I will say that this has a lot more introspection happening, and as a type 5 myself, well, that's right down my alley.

This is a standalone book, but I highly recommend reading the first 2 books. While I feel it will not diminish your reading experience if you don't, I do feel like it will enhance it if you do.

𝘈 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘛𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 follows Hailey and Wes as they fight their growing attraction to not mess up the comfort of their friendship.

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Pretty average?

First off, I didn't know that this was a companion novel of sorts so maybe if I'd read the happy endings for the other couples I'd be more invested in Hailey and Wes's story but unfortunately that's not the case here.

I'll give credit where it's due; the first half of the book was going swimmingly well, a solid four stars. Hailey and Wes and their genuine friendship created a cozy atmosphere. They made the most mundane things - grocery shopping and video game nights - seem like an oasis.

But then comes the last third of the story... where the execution failed and the plot seemed rushed.
Also Wes's way of being didn't really correspond with how he'd behaved for the rest of the story.
For instance, he's someone who plays it safe and thinks ten steps ahead so for that said guy to act completely unhinged didn't seem natural?

But I guess love is often portrayed to make you go crazy so it was justified? I'm not sure.

🎶 Don't blame me, love made me crazy
If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right 🎶


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3.74 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I didn’t realize A Guide toBbeing Just Friends was part of a series, but I was fine and not lost or confused reading it as a stand-alone book. I liked it! I thought it was a touching and sweet romance. I would have preferred a little more spice, but I wouldn’t take anything away from the rating for the lack of it!

Hailey and Wes’s banter is great! I love that Hailey is independent and driven and that Wes is just a little surly—I dig a grouchy love interest. I enjoyed the way their connection developed and the conflict that Hailey and Wes went through.

All in all, it’s a good romance and I give it a 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4/5). Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC and the opportunity to review A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hailey is a strong, independent small businesswoman who has just opened up her own small salad shop. After a funny case of mistaken identity, she meets and befriends Wes, a wealthy businessman and investor. They become fast friends with no desire whatsoever to date… until they can’t seem to think of anything else! Both are fearful of ruining their friendship and mixing business interests, but soon it’s clear that it may be too late for that.

This was such a cute, easy read! I didn’t realize that it was part of a series, although I was fine to read it as a standalone. I’d give this three and half stars because I really enjoyed it until the last quarter of the book. There just was too much forced conflict for my liking, and not enough sweetness from the romance. If you enjoy friends to lovers, brothers in a series, and independent female MCs, you should definitely give this a read!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.