4.25⭐️!!!

This book gave me butterflies and had me giggling and kicking my little feet; the tension was absolutely scrumptious!!!

Sally Blakely’s writing is so beautiful and emotional, and I am extremely impressed that this is a debut novel!

I liked the dual timeline but wish there would’ve been something that indicated when we were back in the present day because I did get confused a couple times.

The audiobook narrator was great and kept me engaged the entire time, but I’m not sure that I ever got used to her voice for the MMC (just personal preference). I love a dual pov and I think this book could’ve definitely benefited from it!!

If you like these themes from the following books, I think you’ll really enjoy Friends to Lovers!!!!:
-Happy Place (friend group comes together for a wedding, 2 of the characters are estranged but it’s a secret👀)
-The Ex Vows (navigating changes to friendships as you enter different stages of life, wedding setting)
-PWMOV (childhood best friends that used to go on an annual trip of sorts, but something happened that led to their estrangement)

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the eARC and ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

This book was an okay read for me, I liked the banter and the characters but I felt like I needed more of literally everything - more banter, more push and pull, just more.

Although the relationship is touching and Joni and Ren are both basically good, likable people that you want to root for, this book is not completely satisfying. In fact, it is rather annoying. Its main premise revolves around the extremely frustrating trope wherein the characters are apart for no good reason other than that one character thinks they are doing what is best for another character without even consulting that character.

However, despite that, the book is full of great family vibes both within and between the families. The way these people are always there for one another is really touching. If you're in it for that, you can still enjoy this book, or at least aspects of it.

This was a little slow (sometimes VERY) at times and the reason for their falling out was underwhelming. I wanted more banter, tension,etc or rekindling of romance from the pair who have grown up together. I just for some reason could not get very invested in the romance or “conflict” in this book. The story is told in present time (preparing for her sisters wedding) but also has flashbacks to previous weddings attended together, and past moments in friendship. At times the timelines were confusing or hard to follow. Overall it's an easy and enjoyable summery read, but not super memorable to me. If you like friends to lovers or second chance romance tropes it may be great for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Really cute read - reminded me a bit too much of People We Meet on Vacation, but I loved that book. I liked the flashbacks, the only thing I wish was different was having the MMC POV.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: friends to lovers, second chance romance
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Ren and Joni have been friends for forever, and their families have been friends for a long time too, so when they developed feelings for each other that became more than friendship, it was complicated because they didn't want to ruin things for their families or their friendship!
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I loved this book! I loved the back and forth timeline and I loved Ren and Joni's friendship. Their relationship felt realistic and I liked how they had to figure out how evolve their relationship into something more! Overall, a great story!

Friends to Lovers - Sally Blakely
3.75 ⭐️

This was such a great slow-burn, friends to lovers, second chance romance. I found myself rooting for Joni and Ren from the very beginning. Their friendship just felt so special and you could tell that there was so much more under the surface for both of them. I loved the way they communicated and had entire conversations without saying a word to one another. The pacing was great and kept you on your toes about when they were finally going to wake up and realize they wanted to be together. This felt like People We Meet On Vacation adjacent and I absolutely loved it.

Tropes:
Childhood best friends to lovers
Second chance romance
Forced proximity

Thank you to Sally Blakely and Canary Saint Press for the advanced reader copy through NetGalley!

4.75 stars rounded up!! “I think I’m always going to be waiting for just five minutes of you loving me like I love” I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK. It was literal perfection, the love story was absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful. Ren and Joni’s characters were written so well and they fit together perfectly. Ren is quite literally the perfect person and I loved how we got to see their friendship evolve and we saw chapters of them when they were younger. Also, I loved the sister bond between Joni and Stevie. Everything about this book was adorable it’s a must read!!

~ pre read ~ so excited that I got the ark for this and cannot wait to start reading it!!

tropes include
~ childhood best friends to lovers
~ summer romance
~ forced proximity
~ weddings
~ second chance (sorta?)
~ it’s always been you
~ friends to lovers
~ slow burn

- Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an ark!

Friends to Lovers is a great summer read. It is embodies nostalgia and second chances. It does have some similarity to other books but I don't mind that. I loved Joni and Ren so much. I also loved the current day tensions paired with the glimpses into weddings past. The wedding setting both past and present was a great plot device.

A slow‑burn romance centered around two lifelong friends—Joni and Ren. I liked the dual-timeline format that highlights decades of shared history. I also enjoyed the nostalgic, summer beach house setting and likable side characters. It was clear that Joni and Ren had great chemistry and I enjoyed their journey and building tension from friendship to love. The reasoning behind their falling-out felt a bit too drawn-out but I appreciated their communication and resolution. Overall, this was a fun romance with heart!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Sally Blakely for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️

This was so fun! I love a big messy family all together and in each other’s business and this is two big families!

Joni and Ren have been best friends forever, their families are close - even co-owning a beach house together. Seven years ago Joni moves to NY for her dream job leaving Ren and her family in Oregon. Knowing she will miss him, they promise to always be each others plus ones to weddings as a way to regularly see each other. Two and a half years ago things change and they haven’t spoken or seen each other since.

The story is told in present time (preparing for Joni’s sister’s wedding at the beach house) and in flashbacks of the weddings they’ve attended together.

I was missing some of the angst and tension I normally love - there was some, I just wanted more!

I love friends to lovers, second chance romance and forced proximity but really dislike miscommunication/lack of communication - however, this was still a great book. I do feel like there was another conversation needed towards the end, some of the issues were glossed over but overall, loved my time with Joni and Ren and would totally join their crazy family!

4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Joni and Ren are childhood best friends. Or they were. When they reunite at their families' shared vacation home on the Oregon coast for Joni's sister's wedding, it's the first time they've seen each other in 2.5 years, and their families don't know they've had a falling out. Amidst the feelings that resurface upon seeing each other again, Joni and Ren must keep up appearances so no one knows things are amiss.

While the title is not creative, this book is THE quintessential friends to lovers story. The chemistry, intimacy and friendship between Joni and Ren are so immediately apparent and palpable throughout the entire story, which is told in dual timelines. When Joni moves to the East Coast for a job, the pair vow to always be each other's wedding plus-ones. The story alternates between present day during Joni's sister's wedding week and each of the weddings that Joni and Ren attended together as friends in the past. All the while, the romantic tension builds between the two, and the author builds tension around what actually happened between Joni and Ren to cause them to fall out despite being so important to one another.

I loved everything about this book. The main characters and how their feelings developed felt very real. I loved the dynamic of the two families, with the parents and sisters who are also close friends, and the way the closeness of the families played into Joni's and Ren's relationship.

A fabulous debut and a perfect summer read, I couldn't put it down!

✨Friends to Lovers✨
By Sally Blakely
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: July 22nd

This book was SO good. One of my favorite books is Happy Place by Emily Henry and this felt like if that book and The Summer of Broken Rules by KL Walther had a baby.

Joni and Ren are childhood best friends. They do everything together that they can but they have an agreement. No matter what they are always each others plus ones to any wedding. So when they have to move away from each other they meet back up for weddings and catch up. Their families take a vacation to their beach house every summer and they love it.

They are both in their 30s now and they haven’t spoken or seen each other in years. So when they go up to the beach house for a summer wedding in the family will they be able to fake it and pretend they are still friends? What happened to drive them apart? Some secrets just can’t be kept and some feelings just can’t be ignored.

This book is the absolute best summer read and you definitely need to add it to your tbr!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc.

If I am being honest, I am a bit conflicted on how to rate this book. I did not love it, but I also didn't hate it. I think I may have gone into this book with a bit too high expectations. I was expecting something more like Emily Henry or Christina Lauren (which is usually an automatic 5-star read for me), but in reality, I am not sure that the book reached that caliber or not. This is one I may have to shelve and try again later, I am feeling like. It is quite possible that I was just not in the right mood when reading and listening to this book. I just couldn't find myself getting invested in the romance for some reason, and the "conflict" in the story seemed a bit lackluster to me.

With that being said, Patti Murin continues to be one of my favorite audiobook narrators.

overall enjoyable quick fun read. I like the cottage as a character, enjoyed the family members and the background of the agreement to be each others dates. I forgot to review right away and don't remember the exact reason they stopped talking but feel like it might have been a bit silly/overblown. Otherwise, enjoyable!

This is one of my favourite Friends to Lovers tropes I have read yet. Would recommend to any Emily Henry fans. A great summer read.
I was lucky enough to receive both an ARC and an ALC from Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing/Audio.
This is an incredibly strong debut from Sally Blakely. Ren and Joni's chemistry is palpable both through the page, and through Patti Murin's narrating.
The character's are real and well-crafted, with the perfect amount of quirks and romanticism and growth for a romance novel. The flashbacks between present day and past are well timed and well executed to seamlessly move the story forward while also adding important and detailed context from the FMC and MMC's long history.
The yearning, and chemistry between these two is so well written considering the actual sex scenes are limited and very modest/demure.
The initial point of conflict from the past, does feel a bit frustratingly illogical and dramatic from the FMC. And while a bit over the top, upon reflection is honestly not entirely unusual for someone in their young 20s handling complex emotions, relationships and major life milestones. As the story goes on there are also additional details that add more context to the extreme reaction, and in the present day FMC doesn't do mental gymnastics to justify her actions and acknowledges she mishandled the situation and takes accountability.
I also always enjoy a romance where the character's family dynamic is well developed - particularly important in a friends to lovers format. Which Blakely executes well. Despite unique jobs, the career challenges both main characters face throughout the story, and how they impact other aspects of their life, feel very real and relatable.

Thoroughly enjoyed, and look forward to reading more from Blakely in the future.

This was a cute friends-to-lovers second chance romance. When Joni moves across the country for a job, she and Ren agree to be each other's plus one's for weddings to stay in touch. When something breaks their friendship, they haven't spoken in years, but are forced to reunite at one last wedding.

This was a little slow at times and the reason for their falling out was underwhelming. I wanted more tension or rekindling of romance from the pair who have such a history together. Overall it's an easy and enjoyable summery read, but not super memorable.

This one was so beautifully heartbreaking. It wasn't necessarily heartbreaking in a bawl your eyes out way but in the sense that you knew something happened but not what and you just want these characters to be happy together. I was hooked on this story from the first couple chapters. The author did a great job of keeping me engaged with the flashbacks. I really felt for Joni. As someone who can get caught up in the anxious thoughts, I really connected with her. Ren was such a great guy. I loved getting to see their friendship together and knew early on that he loved her and just didn't know how to say it. It was torture but also so sweet. I listen to some of this on audio and the narrator did a great job depicting these characters. This was my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC/ALC copy.

Perfect summer beach read! Fans of Emily Henry and Annabel Monaghan will eat this up. Soooo good. The title kinda told us what would happen but not the how. Unfolding their history and the family dynamics made it a layered story and super interesting. I loved the backdrop of being back at the house and wedding prep.

Highly recommend! I hope everyone loves it :)

If you enjoy books from dual POV's where friends reunite, this is definitely a book that you'll want to check out. Also, if you love the Friends to Lovers trope, this yet another reason to check this one out!