This was such a fun read. I love the friends to lovers trope. I loved experiencing their friendship and history The playlist on top of it made me feel all the feels. Definitely will be tuning in for any other books by this author.

This is a very adorable and fun book! This will be such a fun summer read. I loved the characters and their storyline, I loved the tropes as well. I loved the back and forth and how the story progresses!

i could not get into the story i'm so sorry. the fmc was so annoying to me & the pacing just didn't feel right unfortunately. i do appreciate netgalley for the arc! just might have been not the right time for me. stilll check this one out if you enjoy friends to lovers :)

You give me this (happy place) and this (people we meet on vacation) and I give you a ✨PRINCESS (FRIENDS TO LOVERS BY SALLY BLAKELY)✨

I cannot even begin to explain how much this book means to me and Jodi and Ren are all I really want in a friends to lovers!!! I will scream about this book forever because everything was just PERFECTION!!! The wedding trips, forever plus ones, the WANT, the little moments, THE REASONS, everything about this just made me want to stay glued to Ren and Joni and I just can’t function after meeting them. They were perfect. Miss Sally Blakely. You are an icon and I’m in love with this book. Who knew words on paper could make me feel this way🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

Very very cute and fun book! I had a good time reading it and devoured it pretty quickly. It had a good balance of sweet rom-com, while also having some lines that felt so real and emotional. POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD: I would say that my only issue with it is just that it felt like there were some plot lines that never got fully developed- for example there was so much foreshadowing about Leo's family that seemed to just go nowhere. Overall super fun read that I'd definitely recommend

I loved this book so much more than I thought it would. This second chance romance/friends to lovers story was so amazing and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the different timelines and watching Ren and Joni’s relationship evolve. Beautifully written, thank you for the ARC.

All the tropes, all the feels, so much tension and history you couldn't help but route for them. If I had to find a complaint, I would say I wanted to hear more about Joni and Ren's lives together. But for a debut author, this was so good. I look forward to whatever she writes next.

Friends to Lovers had me hooked from the beginning. I loved getting to know Ren and Joni and slowly learning about their friendship and what caused a wedge between them. It was hard to out this book down because I just kept wanting more!

Friends to Lovers is such a heartfelt, beautifully written debut. From the very beginning, I was pulled into Joni and Ren’s story—and I didn’t want to put it down. Sally Blakely does a fantastic job of weaving together a dual timeline and a full cast of characters without ever making it feel overwhelming. Everything just flows so naturally.

This is one of those books that quietly breaks your heart and puts it back together again. I loved that it wasn’t about perfection—it was about showing up, even when things are messy. That theme came through so clearly, not just in their relationship but in Joni’s personal growth as well.

And then there’s Ren—his love for Joni felt so steady and honest. One line from him just stayed with me:
“I think I’m always going to be waiting for just five minutes of you loving me like I love you.”
That one hit hard—and it says everything about this story.

I feel so grateful to have received an early copy through NetGalley. This is a debut I’ll absolutely be recommending and rereading. I’m really excited to see what this author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, I really appreciate it!

Okay, so this book’s trope is obviously in the title— so I already knew what I was in for! Although, as I disclosed when I hit 50% in my reading…I just…did not feel anything very strongly for either of them. I really wanted to like both of the characters a lot more and I couldn’t! I feel horrible, especially due to other reviews really loving them.

I do think the plot/storyline was fun and different. Oh man, I love a good unraveling of everything during a family member’s wedding. Kind of live for that sort of drama..I will not lie to anyone! I actually think that was my favorite part of the book. I do think the mom was a bit overwhelming and did not need to repeat something like that out loud TWICE, but I digress. All the drama of everyone spilling their secrets was fun! I love fun.

Lastly, I do love the use of playlist and music throughout this book, but wish it was a little more enhanced? I’m not too sure, like I loved reading about it in the beginning with the playlist and everything, but maybe a little more would have helped. Maybe, I’m just being slightly picky.

Oh and— “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” by Del Water Gap might be an excellent addition to them (for some reason it’s the song that popped into my head).

Thanks again for the opportunity to read this romance beforehand.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If The People We Meet on Vacation and Happy Place had a baby, it’s would be this book. It has always boggled my mind when people don’t like the friends to lovers trope. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Ren is so cool and charming and just casually sexy. Joni is like so many women and I related to her in so many ways, namely in her issues with anxiety, being in her own head, and wasting time on her one true love. This book made me laugh, made me cry, and made me see something of myself. Well done.

This book was just so wonderful - heartwarming, hopeful, romantic. I am usually not a fan of “friends to lovers” or “flashback to before” or “second chance” tropes and yet…. I am so happy. Friends to Lovers will be receiving a coveted spot on my “lovely love stories” Goodreads shelf. I would definitely recommend this to romance fans looking for a summer read.

5 stars. ARC provided by Canary Street Press via NetGalley.

Ok, I ended up giving this a second chance after initially giving up on this and I am glad that I did. I ended up loving it!

Such a cute read! This will def be a great summer read! I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers—probably because I wish that was my life, haha. It gave People We Meet on Vacation vibes but with its own twist - which I absolutely loved! Ren’s love for Joni was so sweet—he was such a sweetheart. I’m not always a fan of past/present timelines, but Sally executed it beautifully. For this to be her debut novel, I think it was incredibly well-written and such a compelling story. I can’t wait to read more from her!

This is far from your typical friends to lovers store. It is really captivating and engaging. It is a really fun read. I could not put this book down once I started to read it and was sad when the book ended. It is definitely worth the reading and leads you to a happy ending but it is not just any old read.

Oh, the yearning and the angst found within the pages of this book! This is such a nostalgia-packed story, with Ren and Joni growing up together and having a rock-solid best friendship. With their families closely intertwined for decades, is it inevitable or impossible for Ren and Joni to ever become more than friends?

These two friends make a pact to be each other’s plus-ones for the inevitable plethora of weddings in their twenties, and it’s fun to see their relationship evolve over the years (and at times, maddening because I grew impatient wanting them to get their happily ever after). If you loved People We Meet on Vacation, this is one you’ll want to check out!

Thanks to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance reader copy!

What a lovely little love story. It's not your typical 'friends to lovers' story, but it's so worth the happy ending. I think we should all try to find a man like Ren and never let him go! A well-written book with dual timelines that keeps you engaged throughout. If you are a fan of Emily Henry, you should definitely read it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book.

"I think I'm always going to be waiting for just five minutes of you loving me like I love you"

This was absolutely amazing—definitely a 5-star read for me! If you’re a fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I think you’ll really enjoy this adult contemporary romance. It’s full of beachy vibes, dual timelines, and plenty of messy, emotional moments. The love in this book is so palpable, and Ren & Joni’s journey from friends to ex-friends to lovers? Chef’s kiss. I was completely hooked.

The slow burn was perfectly done, with the dual timelines really adding depth and tension to the story. It kept me engaged the whole time—I wasn’t just waiting for the NYE chapter; I was invested in every part of their journey. And when I finally got to that chapter? Let’s just say it didn’t go how I expected... but in the best way possible. So good!

We also can't forget to mention the amazing playlists Ren created for Joni in the book, especially the "For When Joni Doesn't Want to Put Away Her Laundry but Already Has More Laundry to Do"... I love this man.

A sweet second chance romance. The characters were endearing and relatable. I loved the growth of them from children to adulthood.

This book sucked me in! Like I stayed up until 2am on a work night because I just had to figure out what happened between the main characters. The pacing is so well done. Would recommend