I was so happy to receive an ARC for the book friends to lovers. The characters were lovable and the story was very well written. I loved reading this story and watching the characters develope so to speak. I look forward to reading more by this author.

**Book Review: *Friends to Lovers* by \[Author Name]**

*“Friends to Lovers”* is a heart-tugging, slow-burn romance that beautifully captures the messy, emotional journey from platonic devotion to something deeper. Told in a dual narrative, the novel follows Joni and Ren—childhood best friends turned perennial plus-ones—through a summer that challenges the boundaries of their relationship and the truths they've both been avoiding.

The story is equal parts tender and bittersweet, weaving together nostalgia, longing, and unresolved feelings in the idyllic backdrop of a beachside wedding week. The chemistry between Joni and Ren feels authentic, built on shared history and quiet moments that linger long after the last page.

Fans of second chances, unspoken love, and emotionally rich storytelling will be swept away by this debut. It's a perfect pick for those who love character-driven romances and the ache of what-ifs finally given a chance. Prepare to laugh, cry, and root for a love that’s been years in the making.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely. All opinions are my own.

Friends to Lovers is a story about two childhood best friends that have been estranged from each other for over two years. The plot switches back and forth between present day and the different weddings the two have gone to over the years.

I am a big fan of friends to lovers in romance books, so I was excited to have the chance to read this book early. While I enjoyed certain parts of this story, I also had several issues with it.

The Oregon setting was picturesque and was easy to imagine with the way the author described it. I enjoyed the different scenes that the characters spent outdoors and would’ve loved to spend even more time in those places.

Ren was an interesting main male character, and I appreciated that he had a unique job that I haven’t seen in other stories I’ve read. He was such a kind friend to Joni, and I felt bad that he didn’t always have the confidence in himself when it came to his job. I also enjoyed the relationships he had with his siblings.

Joni was not as enjoyable for me as a main character. I had a hard time understanding why she kept her job loss a secret from everyone almost the entire story. It seemed immature, and honestly kind of shallow to think that her lack of a job would be such a big deal to people that loved her. Joni’s character was one of my biggest issues with this story because I found her so unlikable and honestly not worthy of Ren.

I did however enjoy the sister relationship between Joni and Stevie. I often see a lot of negative sibling relationships in books, but I liked the bond these two had even if their relationship wasn’t perfect. I thought they both did a good job looking out for one another and I thought they had a lot of sweet moments together throughout the story.

Another issue I had was the conflict. Most of the story was spent going back and forth between present day issues and a mystery of what happened in the past to break the friendship between Ren and Joni. When the big reveal happened, it was honestly such a stupid reason. These two characters were supposed to be best friends since early childhood yet they allowed themselves to stop communicating over one stupid conflict.

Overall, this book was a miss for me. I do think some people will enjoy it, especially if the issues I mentioned don’t bother them. If you like books such as People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, or Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, then I think you should give this book a chance.

Friends to Lovers is literally a Friends to Lovers novel and I really enjoyed it! It’s a timeline switch from past to present between the lives of two best friends, Jonie and Ren during Jonies sisters wedding — you have a friends to lovers to no longer friends to lovers again trope and a closed proximity trope.

When there were cute moments, they were sooooo cute, but there were so many moments where I was left wanting to hear more, and I felt like the whole premise and Jonie’s way of thinking annoyed me. Other than that, it was a fantastic romance read!

Thank you for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this title via NetGalley.

Just as the name suggests, this follows a pair of best friends - except, in the present, they haven’t spoken in a couple of years and we don’t quite know why.

Instead, we see their story painted through different weddings they attend together, as it’s their tradition to be each other’s plus one. But it’s a struggle because it goes back and forth between the past and the present. The present where Joni’s sister is getting married, and Joni is the maid of honor. Where Joni and Ren’s parents are best friends and own a beach house together, which is also where the wedding is being hosted. And since they haven’t told their family they’re not on talking terms, they get housed together and have to share a room.

So we kind of get forced proximity, friends to lovers, but also miscommunication a bit.

The pair try to act as normal as possible without informing their parents/family that they don’t get along any more, but it kind of brings them back together. It ends up being a full circle moment, but I do love that we get to see Joni grow and learn to not make decisions on Ren’s behalf any longer.

For everyone who loved Happy Place by Emily Henry this is the book for you!!! This is a childhood best friends to strangers to lovers. This has everything I love in second chance books: dual timelines, slow burn, and a lot of emotion. This follows best friends Joni and Ren who grew up together and became inseparable. They make a pact to be each others dates to the weddings they go to throughout the years. When Joni moved across the country, Ren only gets to see her for these quick weddings once a year.

I thought this was a great love story. Joni and Ren have been best friends since childhood. When Joni moves cross country, the two make a pact to be each others plus one to every wedding they are invited to. But when lines become blurred and their friendship takes a hit, it will take a summer reunion for her sister’s wedding to finally force them to confront what went wrong. The narrative unfolds as Joni returns to their families' shared summer home for her sister's wedding, this is the first time she has seen Ren since their strained relationship and what happend a few years ago. As they manage being together again, Joni begins to question what her life would be like without Ren. The tension between them builds, bringing past heartaches to the surface and forcing Joni to decide if loving Ren means letting him go or fighting to keep him.
I thought this was a well written book that kept my attendion. Like I said, it was a great beautiful love story. I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy.

My overall rating is 4.5 starts.

Thankful to have received an ARC for this book! I finished this book in one day it was so good. If you love Happy Place and People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, this is the book for you!! I felt very invested in each of the characters.

I love a good friends-to-lovers trope, so the title definitely peaked my interest, and I was not disappointed. This was a sweet second-chance summer romance between two best friends. There are a lot of sweet and tender moments throughout, with many of the characters experiencing new chapters of their lives.

Certain areas of the dual timelines felt like they dragged on for longer than necessary and didn’t exactly build up on any tension, but it did add to the nostalgia of their friendship. I had a good time reading and enjoyed myself, but for sure was a little upset that the conflict was something that could have been resolved with communication instead of years of silence.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

<b>Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.</b>

Man, I hit a bad streak this week. I don't even know what to say is that I love friends to lovers romance books, but this was we are not together for the dumbest things known to man for years and I lost patience with everyone involved at 50 percent. Following the love interests to various weddings over a 5 year period was a cute idea, but it just started to drag and get repetitive. It didn't help that I got really tired of reading Ren's name. I kept singing Happy Happy Joy Joy to myself and now I hope you do too, enjoy.

"Friends to Lovers" follows long-time best friends Joni and Ren. Joni is back in her home state to witness her sister getting married. What no one knows is this, that Joni and Ren haven't been best friends for a long time. They both want to keep what happened between them and what led to their falling out behind them so that Joni's sister has a great wedding weekend. Of course, close quarters and all of that, yadda yadda yadda.

I think what kills me the most is that I didn't see the chemistry between Joni and Ren even a little. Blakely takes a long time to get you to "the moment" and I maybe went, really? And then the reason for the silence and end of friendship had me go, my God both of you get over yourselves. The wedding scenes we get start to feel repetitive too. I don't know. I think if I met Joni in real life I would get really sick and tired of her. What kills me is that she has a job making puppets or stop-motion puppets? I think? It was thrown out here and there and I really wanted to know more about that. What drew that into her. Have the talk about her job be part of the story more than it was. It's just a plot point that we don't get to dive into at all. As an aside, dolls of any kind are creepy, but I still wanted to read more about it.

What's weird to me too is that the sibling relationships were the tightest developed part of the book. Joni/Ren, nope. The parents were not developed at all. It's especially weird since the two families bought a house together that they come to every summer and the two moms are best friends. I don't know, they just were there to move the story when needed. Also, every time Joni mentioned her father I would get surprised. They were just there as background noise and that was it.

The flow was awful. It just jumps from the present and goes the whole way back to when Joni moved to New York and she and Ren promised to be plus ones with each other for weddings. And then the flashbacks are different weddings. I swear this book reminds me of a tv show or movie I saw and it's going to drive me bonkers until I remember it.

The book ends in a Happy Ever After (HEA) for you romance readers out there.

I absolutely adored this book and went searching for others by this author right away. Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read this book ahead of the July 22 publication date, and will be looking at it when it comes to bookstores lovingly. I am not a fan of the title (huge spoiler), but was thrilled to follow Ren and Joni’s relationship change throughout the novel. At times I was confused as to the time frame, but it was only momentarily. I love Blakely’s writing, it flowed, and the honesty and vulnerability of the characters shone through. I could relate to the characters, their messy communication styles, obsessions, and confusions and I rooted for all of them. I usually have 3 or 4 books going at the same time, but I started this and finished it solo, and in 2 days. I was in their love story and I enjoyed it fully. Just sad to see it end.

Perfect summer read! Definitely for fans of Emily Henry!

Friends to Lovers surprised me . It was very quick enjoyable read. I’m not a big fan of the miscommunication trope but this did it for me! I loved the banter and the pinning . The slow burn was giving 🔥🔥🔥

Will definitely be stocking in my store !

Potentially the first miscommunication trope I’ve ever enjoyed. This book is sweet and complex and multifaceted in a way that keeps you engaged throughout the story. I loved Ren and Joni and also really loved some of the underlying messages that the author expertly weaved in. A great summer read that I enjoyed at the beach.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to receive and ARC of this book.

I have to agree with a lot of the reviews that came before mine, this book is great if you like Emily Henry's Happy Place and People We Meet On Vacation. Unfortunately for me, those are two of my least favorite Emily Henry books. Luckily for me, this book was more enjoyable than both.

The conflict between the two main characters was more understandable and reasonable than more second-chance/friends-to-lovers romance stories I've read. They both felt like real actual people and the way they behaved felt more realistic. The choices they made before and after their estrangement felt like choices that a normal person may make when faced with a similar situation, which made me like this book a lot more than I expected from the premise.

I'm glad I gave this story a chance, despite not being a big fan of the romance tropes included.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is it for those who are looking for a sweet romance. The title is a giveaway like a version of the movie, “When Harry Met Sally,” that many of us have watched over and over again.

Joni and Ren from Portland, OR have been friends for years and decide to be each other’s plus one at weddings over a seven-year span. The story begins in a vacation home with stunning seaside views as they gear up for her sister’s big day. It alters between the present and past wedding of others.

The attraction is obvious and couple projects all kinds of electrifying energy even though they are both dating others at times. It picks up family dramas, the fear of commitments and job security. What could go wrong?

There just wasn’t enough happening for me to be glued to the pages as the end was too easy to predict. Perhaps a POV from Ren would have added interest to the story. It had a good flow and could make a quick and fun beach read.

My thanks to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of July 22, 2025.

Such a perfect summer read! You can’t help but root for the two main characters. It definitely is a slow burn, but oh so great! Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book! The character development was strong and the pacing was good. Overall, cute rom com!

This book has all the The Summer I Turned Pretty vibes, and I was immediately drawn in. The childhood best friends-to-lovers storyline, the dreamy summer setting, the emotional twists - it all comes together beautifully.

Joni and Ren’s tradition of being each other’s plus-one makes their connection feel so special, but when things fall apart, the tension is real. Their reunion at Joni’s sister’s wedding is full of complicated feelings, old wounds, and moments that make you root for them. As they spend time together, you can feel the shift, the memories they can’t ignore, the love they’ve been avoiding, and the huge decision Joni has to make.

It’s a book that makes you feel everything, love, nostalgia, heartbreak, and hope. If you love emotional slow-burn romance set against a perfect summer backdrop, this one is definitely worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this eARC!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Heart-achingly romantic and beautifully tender—Friends to Lovers is the kind of debut that leaves you wrecked in the best way.

Sally Blakely’s Friends to Lovers isn’t just a romance—it’s an ode to history, heartbreak, and the terrifying beauty of finally saying what’s been unsaid for years. With beachside weddings, emotional flashbacks, and stolen glances that say everything, this book absolutely owns the friends-to-lovers trope and delivers it with stunning vulnerability.

💍 What makes it unforgettable:
Joni and Ren’s connection is magnetic. Their shared traditions, banter, and aching silences pull you in instantly. You feel their history in every interaction—and when things fracture, it hurts in the best possible way.

The emotional tension? Off the charts. The line between “we can’t risk our friendship” and “we’re already in love” is walked masterfully—and every wedding event, every sunlit memory, inches them closer to something irreversible.

Told in a single POV with dual timelines. Joni’s voice is so raw and real, and the flashbacks are perfectly placed to twist the knife just as you start to hope again.

Beach house + wedding week = perfect forced proximity. This book practically begs to be read with your toes in the sand and your heart on the line.

That cover? Those sprayed edges? STUNNING. A physical and emotional knockout.

💫 Final thoughts:
If People We Meet on Vacation met Love and Other Words and spent a weekend rewatching The Summer I Turned Pretty, it might feel a little like Friends to Lovers. This is for anyone who’s ever loved the person they couldn’t bear to lose—and wondered if maybe, just maybe, the risk is worth it.

Five stars. One very full heart. And a book hangover that’s going to last a while.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is a great beach read.
I saw this cover and I knew I had to read this book. Tropes are friends to frenemies to friends/lovers. I really enjoyed this book. It gave Emily Henry vibes.
My favorite part was the scene where they played capture the flag.
Thank you @netgalley, @harlequinbooks, and @sally.blakely for the arc.
The publish date is July 21, 2025