I liked the premise of childhood friends who had broken up for some mysterious reasons and now are gathered back together for a wedding. However, I found this a bit tedious. The story jumps back and forth between the couple’s history while growing up and as adults and then back to the present. It just went on too long without much plot. I would have liked for 50-100 pages to be cut. It was easy to have a good idea basically about what had broken them up so I didn’t even have the urge to read to find that out. I just found the FMC rather tiresome. I liked her sister better. And I couldn’t really see why Ren, the MMC was so deeply in love with her except that they had been best friends most of their lives.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

3.5 Stars ! This cover screams summertime romance reading ! I enjoyed the friends to lover trope in this book. I felt like I was able to connect to the characters. Parts of the book were a little slower than I would have preferred and I felt a little bit bored at times. But it did pickup and I enjoyed the ending and liked the book overall. I would giving it a read if you enjoy friends to lovers and romance books.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ren and Joni, life long friends, are not talking at the beginning of this story. Of course, they have a mutual wedding to attend at their childhood shared family house, so they'll be face to face for the first time in over two years. Why did they lose touch and will they be okay when they see each other? This friends to lovers story is engaging with a lot of well developed characters and endearing interactions. I enjoyed this story and thank Harper Collins Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC.

4.5 rounded up

Warm, witty and filled with chemistry, this book had me swooning and I loved every second of it. The story is centered around two best friends whose bond feels natural and strong. They stumbled a bit along the way, found each other again years later and seemingly picked up right where they left off. It captured the magic of long-term friendship that blossomed into love with heart, humor and vulnerability. The characters are also some that will stick with you well after you’ve finished the last page. A must read for summer!!

Thank you Harper books for my copy!

Sally Blakely’s debut is a heartfelt, slow-burning summer romance that captures the tender ache of unspoken love and second chances. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, the story follows childhood best friends Joni and Ren as they reunite for a family wedding after years of silence. Through a beautifully woven dual timeline, Blakely builds a rich emotional tapestry filled with nostalgia, longing, and the quiet heartbreak of timing gone wrong. The friends-to-lovers, second-chance dynamic is explored with raw vulnerability, and the characters’ chemistry crackles with every charged glance and hesitant conversation.

Blakely’s prose is lyrical yet grounded, her pacing deliberate, allowing the emotional depth of Joni’s journey and Ren’s steadfast love to unfold with authenticity. The story carries echoes of Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation while carving its own path with a unique voice and nuanced exploration of identity, fear, and the courage it takes to confront the past. Despite a minor reliance on miscommunication, the novel shines with its bittersweet honesty and swoon-worthy moments. A stellar debut, perfect for fans of emotionally resonant, character-driven romances.

4.5/5 ⭐️I absolutely loved this one! The chemistry between our two main characters was so clear, and I absolutely loved their friendship that we got to see throughout the years. The back-and-forth timeline was done really well and gave us a really good lead up to the conflict of the story. Usually, I get annoyed by miscommunication, but I feel like it was done well here. It almost felt like it was less about communication issues, and more along the lines of our FMC‘s anxiety getting in her own way, which led to a lot of growth for her down the road I also really enjoyed all of the side characters in this book, they added a lot to the story.

I loved this book so much. As soon as I finished reading/listening to my eARC I immediately looked up Sally Blakely to see if there were any other things of hers I could read (not yet!!)

Friends to Lovers is a beautiful rendition of the friends to lovers trope as you’d expect!! It also details excellent representation of anxiety and panic attacks (some of the stigma that comes with it), the desire to love and be loved, and navigating your own identity within and outside of relationships.

Joni and Ren are such a sweet combo and their friendship is iconic, tender, and fun. This book tackles very relatable experiences and somehow engages in good depth while being low angst. I was so deeply compelled to keep learning more about their story. I loved the dual timeline aspect and it had me hooked from the getgo.

I love a good friends to lover story! Especially one that includes childhood friends. Getting to know Joni and Ren was a lot of fun and I truly enjoyed reading their story and getting to know them!

I’m quite surprised I liked it!
I heard some say it’s similar to PWMOV and I had to pick it up!
It’s a best friends to lovers which is my favorite trope of all time and honestly it wasn’t disappointing, everything about it was great, I liked the variety of characters, and the vibes really did hit the spot, perfect beach/summer read if you ask me.
I found myself a bit lost and unsure of what’s happening at times, and I don’t like having dual timelines, but I understand that it’s important for explaining the main characters’ friendship through the years.
I didn’t feel anything special about the book but wouldn’t hate it either, I feel like I would reread if I felt like I need some light, short and witty romance.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of a honest review.

This book gives you all the SUMMER VIBES.

Beach house ✔️
Weddings ✔️
Music ✔️

Joni is in her late 20’s feeling unsure of where her life is going after being fired.
She decides to fly out early to the beach house where the families vacation .
Thinking she will have some alone time before everyone arrives for her sister’s wedding. Joni was not prepared to reunite with Ren her estranged best friend who she hasn’t spoken to in the past 2.5 years.. You’ll have to read it to find out where it goes from there 😆

📖1st person POV
📖Past and present timelines.
📖Second chance romance

If you’re a fan of Emily Henry and Carley Fortune then i think you would enjoy this book.

It’s The People We Meet On Vacation, but swap the vacations for weddings.
Plus a beach house like the one from The Summer I Turned Pretty would equal this summer read. ☀️


*Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC/ALC.

Who doesn’t love a friends to lovers, second chance romance story? This book delivers all the feels—sweet, emotional, and full of that slow-burn tension I love. It’s a familiar trope, but Blakely brings enough heart and charm to keep it fresh and fun. The chemistry between the characters is real, the pacing is just right, and their journey feels both relatable and satisfying. Perfect for fans of People We Meet on Vacation and The Summer of Broken Rules. A great comfort read that reminds you why this trope works so well. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for the ARC.

Thank you to #netgalley for letting me read and review this book before the publication date.
This book is a real good Summer read if you like to read -easier- books over the summer. A good hearted romance.
I shouldn't read 2 contemporary romances at the same time, I got a bit confused with the characters as the stories as a little similar.
Nonetheless I loved this book and I recommend to all you romance readers out there.
#netgalley #romancebooks #bookloversofinstagram #bookreviewer #summerbookreads #romancebook #newauthors #salleyblakely #bookfriends

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for the ARC. I had a bit of higher hopes for this book. I think the concept was great but I think the writing fell a little short. In my opinion there could have been a deeper dive into the two main characters especially with them having been “best friends” for years. I expected more to their characters.

This book was summery, nostalgic, and full of chemistry—I was rooting for Joni and Ren the whole way through. I loved the coastal wedding setting, the sibling dynamics, and the slow-burn romance that gave me major Emily Henry vibes (Happy Place, anyone?). My biggest hiccup? The miscommunication trope dragged a little, and the flashbacks sometimes felt too long—I wanted more present-day Joni and Ren! Still, it’s a gentle, easy-to-devour friends-to-lovers story with just a pinch of spice, perfect for summer reading or listening (the audiobook narrated by Patti Murin is fantastic).

This book first caught my eye because of the title. As a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, I didn't think twice and immediately signed up for the advanced copy. It was summer-y and delivered on the trope of the title.

The two main characters are childhood friends and the emotions that come with that translated very well into the writing. I think what this was missing for me was identity (like what makes Ren and Joni special vs. other book couples) and that could be just based on the fact that I read a lot of these tropes (because I gravitate towards these books often). A lot of books use the childhood friends trope to help build the story, but this one felt like it was the entire story and it just wanted to constantly remind me of that fact vs. how the characters progressed. The writing style was great and the author did an amazing job with the set up (so scenic and fun!), but I didn't feel like I got anything new from this title and everything felt a little predictable.

Also, I wanted to add that no one owns book tropes just like how I think it is justified that people read this feeling the vibes of People We Meet on Vacation and Happy Place by Emily Henry, but it is unfair to discount a title just because it was similar. Some of these reviews are pretty skewed and I just wanted to add that this book will stand on it's own for most readers because they aren't blasting rom com like me on a weekly basis.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a complimentary advance copy in exchange for my review!

I was really excited to receive an arc of Friends to Lovers. The premise is something that sounded really appealing to me, and I tend to be a very big fan of friends to lovers. Plus, I saw that it was compared to People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. A book that I really loved. However, I’m not entirely sure that this book is for me. I ended up ending it at about 30%. While the formatting of the story and the writing was quite good, I just didn’t feel very connected to the characters. There were times I was having fun and enjoying the romance, I just didn’t feel compelled to pick it back up. I could see other people absolutely loving this one, it just wasn’t doing it for me personally.

This is a fun book that is dual perspective and focuses on friends to lovers, and a slow burn trope. I really liked the summer setting and the characters within this book. I highly recommend one go into this fairly blind as I did, and also know that if you enjoy The Summer I Turned Pretty you should really like this one!

I always love a good friends to lovers story and add a wedding, count me in. Ren and Joni are childhood best friends and things changed when Joni moved to NYC for a job. They agreed to be each other's plus 1 for any weddings.

The story is told in Joni's POV and the timeline of the week of Joni's sister's wedding and everyone is staying at the family's beach house. It is looks back at weddings that they attended.

I enjoyed the focus on Joni's journey with her questioning her life and how to move forward and the complexity of how close Ren and Joni's family was.

The story is bit of slow burn and parts of the story dragged. I did struggle with the timeline and at parts wasn't sure if it was current or past. I did enjoy Patti Murin's narration but do wished it was a dual POV.

Thank you @canarystpress, Harlequin Audio for a copy of the debut novel.

I love debuts and love the romance trope “friends to lovers” so it was a no brainer I requested this one.
I was craving a good romance after a couple thrillers but never really got vested in REN & Joni. I struggle with miscommunication or lack there of and maybe that was the issue.

I did however thing some parts were funny. Loved the flashbacks and the “plus one” for weddings. It was clear that there was love always there, just felt a little stalled at times.

That said, it was still cute. Not one I’ll remember in a year but a good beach book or book cleanser 💕 and we will know we need books like this

If you like Emily Henry reads like Happy Place or People We Meet on Vacation, then you'd likely enjoy this one as well. Release date: 07/22/2025
As the title explains, this is a classic story about friends to lovers - we meet childhood friends Ren and Joni - when Joni moves across the country for a job, they agree to be each other's plus ones for any weddings no matter what... enter feelings and everything changes.
Though this felt like the story has been done before, it still was enjoyable as a whole. It was gentle and easy to read/listen to. A little bit of spice, but not too much... just a pinch. Single narration/POV
I'd give this a 3.5⭐ - rounded up
2🌶️
Thanks to Netgalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press in exchange for my honest review!