This book physically angered me. Let me explain why:

- The main characters are just wow. Hailey just left her Hollywood boyfriend and decided with zero business experience to go and open a salad shop. What the hell. Also she has sworn off men. Wes is a tech millionaire and wants to fix all of Hailey’s problems and be friends but wants to have zero commitment or relationship long term, aka marriage.

- There was miscommunication or misunderstanding galore in this book and honestly if you’re gonna be in a relationship learn to communicate.

This wasn’t fake dating and it wasn’t friends to lovers because they met at the beginning of the book and the book spanned one year. So I honestly don’t know what to label it as.

Someone will like this but it’s not for me. Also stop calling the last chapter an epilogue. That is all.

As per usual, I started this book without realizing it was part of a series, but it totally worked as a standalone novel, which I thought was great, and has made me want to go back to visit the other couples which I am assuming the first two books were centered around!

This was an adorable story that had really great moments. I’m usually not a fan of the slow burn, but I thought it was successful here because you really got to see the progression of them becoming real friends first and how that transitioned into dating instead of becoming an instant couple in love with each other. The realistic aspect to this relationship really drew me in more than I was expecting. Each character had their flaws but they found a way to make it work together.

My 2023 goal was to start listening to more audiobooks, as I usually stick more to physical reads, so this was my first audiobook of 2023 and it did not disappoint. One of my biggest pet peeves for audiobooks is when the story told from different POVs and you have the same narrator, or even the same narrator who tries to do two different voices. I was so thankful for the 2 different narrators here and how their voices really suited each character.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review! The publish date for this book is January 17th, 2023, so make sure to look out for it!

I am a SUCKER for a grumpy/sunshine trope & this one did not disappoint. Wes is a investor who does not believe in love and marriage, he grew up seeing people fight and not teach him what love truly was so he believes it will not be worth his time and energy. Haley is a salad cup shop owner who is finally putting herself first!

I was given the digital ARC for this book and i couldn’t get into it, it started off super slow and it took until about 30% in for me to say i was truly enjoying the characters and the story. I was then given the audio ARC and restarted the book from the beginning via audio and i really enjoyed the entire story!

I read this as a stand alone, and will definitely be going back to read about the other couples mentioned! While i do feel that you can read these as standalones, I feel like there were aspects i was missing by not knowing more of the relationship of the brothers and their father!

It’s giving:
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Slow burn Romance

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for supplying digital and audiobook ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan is the third book in the Jansen Brothers series. While I did not read the first book, I did read the second. I was hoping that I liked this one more than the second but it was about the same. An easy palette cleanser in between the heavier books I read which I appreciate from rom-coms.

A Guide to Being Just Friends did have a lot of mentions of the backstory so I would suggest reading this one after the first two.

Dual narration which I usually enjoy. I was able to listen to Stephanie Willing at 2.0-2.5 speed but Timothy Andrés Pabon I had to listen to at a slower speed. I also felt like he was bored and I could not connect with Wes because of his narration.

There were some funny parts that actually bad me chuckle so I will give it a higher rating for that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fun YA RomCom from friends to lovers. While it is very PG13 it would be great Hallmark movie. Hailey and Wes love chemistry was missing a passion consodering they were a young adults. I wish there was a little mord of love chemistry.

"Being successful at something you love is its own reward."

This is book 3 in the Jensen Brothers series. A quick overview of my thoughts on the first two: I liked the first book - but I didn't love it. The second book had a fun storyline, but I hated the characters. However, I thought book 3 was really fun! I liked the characters a lot more than the previous book, which made me enjoy the book more. I loved the DMV and her small business storyline! I also really enjoyed seeing the previous characters from other POVs which helps see them in a different light. I liked Wes and his POV a lot, but I wish he had a little more character development in dealing with past trauma. Both of our main characters don't want a relationship... They decide to be friends but *gasp* they each realize they're secretly more than friends! They have to move through many hurdles - past baggage, family drama, money problems, bad exes, miscommunication - will they eventually be able to come to terms with how they feel?

I thought this audiobook was great! I loved the different narrators for the dual POVs. That really adds to the story and makes it interesting.

📖 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• dual POVs
• friends to lovers
• family drama
• slow burn
• closed door
• independent women
• small business
• new friendships
• found family

✍🏼 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧: Sophie Sullivan
📖 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨: Jensen Brothers 3
⏰𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝: 10h 51m
🗓️ 𝙋𝙪𝙗 𝘿𝙖𝙮: January 17, 2023
📚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Contemporary Romance
📖 𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧: Macmillan Audio
🎙️𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧s: Stephanie Willing, Timothy Pabon

Thank you @macmillan.audio for this gifted ALC!

I wish I loved this book more. This is a generous 3 stars, because this book is definitely for someone. But it’s not for me. I loved TEN RULES FOR FAKING IT, but none of Sophie Sullivan’s books have given me that same spark. I’m not one to pick apart authors for using tropes or for writing in a style I don’t like, but there is one writing sin I just can’t forgive and it’s not making me care about the characters.
This book just didn’t make me care.

This audio book made me want to laugh. It made me want to cry. The characters took me along with them on their emotional rides. I loved it.

Hailey Sharp is a hard worker focused on her new business. Wes is busy navigating his business with his two brothers and his recent move to California. Neither of them want to jump into a relationship when their lives are already so hectic, so they settle on being friends.
Book 3 in the Jansen Brothers series was just as good as the other two books. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Wes and Hailey's story. Filled with all my favorite things, a meet cute, friends to lovers, and a lotttt of sexual tension. not only do I recommend this book but I especially recommend this series. These types of series are my favorite. Getting to see the characters from the past two stories continue to grow and add to the current story/situation fills me with so much joy and giddiness.

I was so excited for this book, it was definitely one of my most anticipated 2023 releases, and it was unfortunate that it didn’t live up to my expectations as much as I had hoped it would. I found the plot to be just a little too dry for me.

I found Hailey to be a little too much of an “independent woman” who doesn’t need any help from anyone, even though she’s actually really struggling and should accept the help. Hi, I have been Hailey and it led to burn out, so girl it's really not worth it, be willing to accept the help!

Wes could have been a really great male counterpart of his story, but he just had daddy issues and refused to acknowledge anything about them. My friend, therapy will make your life so much better, maybe give it a try.

I found the romance between Hailey and Wes to be a little bit too strained for my liking. He was a strong, rich helpful type who “didn’t want love” whereas she was the independent woman who didn’t want help from anyone and was also down to earth, so extravagant gifts freaked her out type. I can honestly say that in real life, this couple wouldn’t make it. Like, girl let him give you the extravagant gifts! He’s trying to show you he loves you in the only way he knows how to!!!

Overall, it was still cute but it wasn’t super for me.

⚠️TW: body shaming, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, cursing

Thank you @macmillan.audio , @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own

What a beautifully dually-narrated story! Perfect for a light romance mood.

Hayley and Wes meet under hilarious circumstances and decide that friendship is something they could broach. Both have backstories that make them wary of relationships and so they chart a course for friendship….

As they learn to trust each other then barriers fall down and their plans go to ruin. They develop feelings for each other but will they get out of their own way to believe in each other and the L word?

This book was perfect after the heavy one I just finished. I listened to it while putting away my Christmas decor in one sitting. ❤️

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to read and share this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook version of this book. Everything I write is of my own thoughts feeling and opinions. I am in no way affiliated with or compensated for my review.
Hailey is young and ambitious- she moves to a up and coming neighborhood to open a healthy option eating establishment called Buy the Cup -a salad shop.
Wes is a typical guy that doesn't understand what relationships are all about. He has had bad luck on dates and has decided to just not try. ( as always in life when you're least expecting to find love it has a way of finding you) Wes is a businessman from New York and finds himself in business with his brothers.
Hailey and Wes get off on the wrong foot so its sort of like enemies to lovers trope.. After the first disastrous first meet up they hit it off. They agree to be just friends- then accidently let it slip that she has feelings for Wes. The rest is history.

adventurous, emotional, funny, hopeful, inspiring, lighthearted, reflective, sad, medium-paced

This story bothered me for many reasons. One, I didn't know it was a book three. Had I known, I would not have picked it up without reading the others first. Now let's add in all the body shaming! No, just no. You don't do that!

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cursing

Huge praise for one of my favourite Canadian authors!! Another 5-star read!

Sophie Sullivan, a true gem from the great white north (ok, BC doesn’t get that white), is an incredible author and such a great person, too. When I first read Ten Rules for Faking It, it happened to be my birthday - main character Everly just happened to start the book on her birthday, too. I messaged Sophie to laugh at the coincidence, and she ended up sending me some swag - such a sweetheart! I’ve read Ten Rules a few times now, about to read How to Love Your Neighbour, and pretty sure that A Guide to Being Just Friends is going to be another that will be re-read (OK, honestly, re-listened because I’m an audio girl) over and over again!

This story is everything - I love this family of the Jansen brothers and how hard and fast they fall for their girls! I love how much the previous characters are in these books and how important of a role they all play and continue to play (are we getting a book 4, for sister Ari!?!), and so many cross-over friendships.

Even though Wes fights it every minute because he doesn’t believe in love and relationships, and fully believes that he and Hailey should just keep to their excellent friendship (why ruin a good thing)…. Especially with the rough start after the awful not-so-meet-cute at the beginning of their story. This is a very slow-burn, friends to lovers, closed door (my only complaint with all of the books is that they’re closed door!), follow the guide and rules they created for each other to ensure friendship is the ultimate goal - we all know how this one is going to turn out and someone will get hurt when feelings change if they end up trying to change the rules.

Audio- I have listened to them all and of course, to me, audio is pretty much always best. Sophie picks great narrators, and this time had a male and female so it was even better!! Both were unfamiliar names and voices to me, but both did a really great job and made the listening and reading experience (I had ARC and ALC so I listened and read the whole book together) a whole lot more enjoyable.

A definite recommendation from me to everyone, especially if you’ve read either or both of the previous books (can be standalone but better with some background from the series). Closed door so great for all ages and audiences. No real triggers I noticed.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and advance listen copy from Macmillan Audio, and this is my honest feedback.

This book was narrated by Stephanie Willing and Timothy Andres Pabon. I love that it was a dual narration. I find that having the two characters voices helps with the story flow and really brings the characters to life in a romance book. I listened to this at a 2x speed. It was easy to follow a long and understand at this speed. (I tend to read at this speed and most the time I like to have the physical book in front of me when listening to audiobooks.).
I love Sophie Sullivan's writing. I have read all three of the Jansen Brother's stories. This one did not disappoint. I was so excited to receive both the audiobook and e-arc from NetGalley. I love Wes and Haley's story so much and the way they meet was the best, who hasn't had a similar experience of mistaken identity at some point. the character development was excellent, and I love the friendship that they had developed. I loved that we got to see so much of the other bothers in this story it was nice to come full circle (so to speak). I can't wait to see what Sophie Sullivan comes out with next.

Wes and Hailey agree to be friends and nothing more, especially because neither one wants a romantic relationship at this point in their lives. Their friendship grows and they each become a big part of the other's life. Whether it's grocery shopping, family parties, or helping build websites, they are spending time together. Eventually, they realize how deeply the other person understands them and the desire for "more than friends" hangs over them. I really enjoyed this book, and I appreciated that the plot was both predictable and unpredictable at the same time. The characters (mostly Wes) grew throughout the relationship, and I'm a sucker for good character growth. For the first half of the book, I wasn't really feeling the chemistry between Wes and Hailey, but it eventually got there. A solid 4 out of 5 stars from me!

This isn't necessarily a book problem, but one thing that did bother me in the audiobook was that the narrators each pronounced 'Anna' differently. It wasn't the worst thing ever, but it did distract me a little when she came up.

Thanks for NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My thoughts: I didn’t realize at first this was the third book in the Jansen brothers series. Maybe readers who are already familiar with the characters will have more reason to like them, but I just found everyone to be so boring. There was zero chemistry between Hailey and Wes and everyone felt flat. This is a romcom, but I encountered neither rom nor com in what I read. The most interesting thing about the first third of the book was all of Hailey’s talk about her salad shop (and there is a lot!), and I’m not even a big salad gal so that should tell you a lot.

If you like salad, this might be the book of your dreams!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, Macmillan Audio, and for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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! I love the sandwich shop business and how that was a huge part of the story and showed us who Hailey was!

Hailey is a strong-willed go-getting woman coming off a horrible breakup from a controlling ex. Wes is a trying to date…but it isn’t going well. His first encounter with Hailey, he excuses her of pretending to be someone else! When they run into each other again they start to become friends. As their friendship grows, they start to start to fall for each other but are either of them willing to let go of their own ways to find love?

The dual narrators for this one was great. The different perspectives were done nicely and were easy to listen to.

While the narration was great, the story fell flat in several areas. There was so much miss communication in this book that I found myself wanting to slap Hailey and Wes across the face for being so blind. I was also frustrated for their tight-knit family members to admit to seeing what was going on between them, but never speaking up! Because of all the miscommunication this one was a slower book where I prefer a faster ride. I didn’t hate this one, but it wasn’t my favorite either. Solid middle of the road book.

If you are looking for a friends to lovers book that is steeped with miscommunication, then check this one out January 17th! Thank you to MacMillan Audio, @macmillian.audio, the author, and @netgalley for a copy of this ALC in exchange for this honest review

I loved Wes and Hailey!! From their first diastorous meeting to them being friends to lovers, uggghh my heart! I would recommend this one.