Synopsis: Joni and Ren are best friends who have been inseparable since childhood and each other’s plus ones for wedding seasons. It is a tradition that has worked until a line had been crossed . Their families share a beach house where they have converged for her sister’s wedding. Joni, wanting to make things perfect for her sister, is willing to fake a friendship with Ren. This week makes her think about what life would be like without him and if she can stand it.
This fit the description of a perfect laid back beach read! I loved the chaos of the family in the background which pushed Ren and Joni to the front. I kept wanting to learn what pushed them apart and kept asking- why aren’t you together? This had so many pluses for me- the banter, the sister who wanted everything perfect, the therapist mother! I loved hearing about Portland and the summer house.
Read this if you like second chance romance, forced proximity and a feel good romance! It made me feel so good and had nostalgic vibes! It made me ready for wedding and summer season!
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I decided to give up on this one at the 37% mark. It reads way too similar to two other books I've read, and I'm trying to get better about DNFing books that feel familiar.

Unfortunately I have read too many of these “childhood best friends, attached at the hip, at least one of them unaware that they’re destined to be together, until a mysterious falling out caused their estrangement, but the details of the falling out will not be revealed until the last third or so, and the falling out will have been stupid and avoidable, and as soon as they breathe a word about it it’s easily fixable, also the structure of the book is alternating “past” and “present” plotlines until they converge” books to be blown away by this. But this was a great addition to the genre! I really liked the characters; I found them honest. You guys know I’m all about a romance with a strong sense of setting—points for that. The Emily Henry fans, the Carley Fortune fans—Sally Blakely deserves your attention!

Perhaps the highest compliment I can bestow on this book—I couldn’t get The Night We Met out of my head while reading it.

Btw… minorest of spoilers but… him paying $100 for her to have what everyone agrees is the most stupid ass sticker is maybe the most romantic thing I’ve ever read.

I loved this book. Friends to Lovers had me rooting for Joni and Ren, right from their first interaction. Their history of knowing each other since childhood and being able to keep their close friendship going by being each other's wedding dates, until on day something happens and they don't speak for a very long time.

Now they are back at the beach house where both of their families spent summers together, for Ren's sister's wedding, and they have to pretend they are still friends. Between their complicated feelings for each other and their nosey family, it proves to be a crazy couple of weeks, filled with lots of sexual tension between Red and Joni.

Friends to Lovers was such a fun and easy read for me. It's the perfect vacation or light read for those looking for it and I highly recommend reading it!

If you are a fan of Emily Henry, then definitely check this out. Actually, check it out regardless. I really enjoyed this book.

okay wait … admittedly the title kind of sucks (sorry sally) but I got this for free and early from netgalley which is always fun and I genuinely loved it! very pleasantly surprised

this felt a lot like happy place, people we meet on vacation and summer of broken rules
aka a perfect read to add to the list for the summer

I always love a story that covers a lot of time and jumps around. it felt very deep and genuine to me because of that. also! love a pnw summer setting <3

definitely recommend when it comes out in july!! thanks netgalley!!

Friends to lovers felt a lot like people we meet on vacation but it was still a fun and enjoyable read which is all due to the writing style of Sally. I just wanted that even if they were friend there war more character development to their relationship, bond and conflict.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakey
Genre: romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this but the conflict dragged as the book went on. Miscommunication is unliked for a reason, but I think it can be done well. The way this book portrayed it wasn’t my fave. I’m a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope, so if that’s your jam, I’d still give this a shot.

💕Friends to lovers
🏠Forced proximity
⏰Past and present timelines
💒Weddings
☀️Family summer home

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC! Friends to Lovers is out 7/22.

Childhood friends make a pact when one of them moves across the country. They will be plus ones to every wedding they are invited to. while apart Throughout the years lines become blurred and their friendship takes a hit, It takes a summer reunion for her sister’s wedding to finally force them to confront what went wrong. Cute rom-com that tugs at your heartstrings. A will they or won't they get back together. A great debut and looking forward to what is next from this author.

I agree that this book combines elements from both People We Meet on Vacation and Happy Place, but I think the execution wasn't as strong here. Joni and Ren are childhood friends that decide to always be each other's plus ones for weddings. They have a falling out and stop talking for 2.5 years until Joni's sister's wedding forces them back together again.

The flashback storyline to previous wedding trips wasn't the worst, but I agree with other reviewers that the jump between past and present wasn't always executed smoothly. This book felt long (351 pages), especially once the reason for the falling out is revealed. The miscommunication trope is my least favorite, especially when it's used between two people with such a long history. Wouldn't friends fight a lot harder to resolve a conflict if they've known each other all their lives? I don't believe that their families would not have noticed the rift between the two of them, especially since their families are so close. I enjoyed most of the secondary characters, but I think the book could have been a bit shorter without losing any plot points.

Overall, this is a cute rom-com and would make for an enjoyable beach read, but it's probably a story that you'll forget soon after your vacation.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP Books for an advanced copy of this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

2.5 stars
This would have benefited from dual POV and not so much a dual time line. It was very confusing trying to figure out "when" the story was taking place. Sometimes it jumped from years ago to now, other times it didn't. I liked Ren a lot. Joni was very immature and obviously a poor communicator. When you finally find out what her issue was - why she and Ren didn't speak for 2 1/2 years - it almost to the end of the story, and such a ridiculous reason. One question asked of Ren would have alleviated the whole problem. Joni's sister Stevie's big mouth at Stevie and Leo's engagement party was completely out of place, not to mention their mother - who is supposedly a therapist??? - who does that to their child? The book started off strong but quickly collapsed. I kept reading hoping it would get better but it never did.

Friends to Lovers was such a sweet and emotional read. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth timeline between the past and present it added so much depth to Ren and Joni’s story. Through these shifts, we get a clear view of how their once close friendship slowly fractured over time, turning them from inseparable best friends into near-strangers after years of no contact.

Now, with both of them back in town for Joni’s sister’s wedding, they’re unexpectedly reunited. The tension is palpable not just from unresolved feelings, but from everything left unsaid. To complicate things even more, their families have no idea what happened between them or why they drifted apart.

The emotional weight, the nostalgia, and the undeniable chemistry between Ren and Joni made this a compelling second-chance romance since the love they have for each other is so crystal clear. If you love stories about healing, reconnecting, and rediscovering love, Friends to Lovers is a perfect pick.

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing & NetGalley for the opportunity to be an ARC reader!

I HATE HATE HAAAATE the miscommunication trope, and it really bothered me here. However, the rest of Joni and Ren's story was super cute.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt like it was a bit too slow. I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope in these kinds of books because it really just makes the story drag on. It also felt a little YA.

It was a cute storyline though and I liked the dual timeline. It was giving The Summer I Turned Pretty vibes. Also, the characters were all very likeable!

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4 ⭐️
ARC Review!!
Thank you Netgalley and Sally Blakely for giving me the opportunity to receive this eARC! Friends to lovers and second chance romances are some of my favorite tropes so I knew I would love this!! Right from the start this had me hooked. The first couple chapters had me routing for this couple and seeing how they fell out because of miscommunications and not wanting to feel anything made my heart hurt. The idea of them coming together for one event and it snowballing into the mend of their relationship just really did it for me! I was obsessed!
It became a little predictable with the bouncing back between the present day and the past to see where the relationship would go wrong, but overall it was really enjoyable.
Also the aspect of family in this one was a key part of this message. The family dynamic made it hard for this relationship to blossom, which made the rehearsal dinner scene so impactful for this plot.

A quick, heartwarming friends-to-lovers read I flew through in one sitting. The pacing was easy and addictive — one of those “just one more chapter” books that somehow turns into finishing the whole thing. The characters felt real and relatable, and their chemistry had just the right amount of slow burn and sweetness.

This book was entertaining, but missing a bit of the “wow” factor for me. It took me a long time to get through, but admittedly part of that may be because of all the typos and formatting issues. (No page breaks for new chapters, random page numbers and author name in the middle of sentences in the middle of pages on kindle, and weirdly enough, extra spaces after the letter “f”. Lol. It was distracting enough for me to keep track of it.) The story itself was fine, but the pacing was slow. I did love the MMC, though. Thanks for letting me read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sally Blakely for the eARC of Friends to Lovers.
This book was everything I hoped it would be. Definitely has a summer beach read vibe that was bingeworthy!
I will be recommending this one.

I enjoyed this book, but it did take me some time to get pulled in to the story. I don't think I was in the right frame of mind for a romance when I started this, so I didn't pick it up a lot, but by the end my heart was singing, tearing up, and oh so happy!

After I finished reading, I immediately turned back to the beginning pages of the story and was thrilled to see how the ending tied it all together! I had forgotten how the story had begun. I believe that had I been in the mood for a romance when I had started this, it would have earned 5 stars from me! I am so tempted to go back and read it again. right away!

The characters were engaging and the story was entertaining. The ending few chapters had "all the feels". If this is Sally Blakely's first book, I am definitely interested in what she comes up with next.

I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys:
Second chance romance
Best friends to lovers
Childhood friends discovering their feelings have shifted
Summer/Beach reads
Forced proximity
Wedding planning moments

**Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trading Company/Canary Street Press and the author for this advanced DRC in exchange for my honest review**

This book gave me people we meet on vacation vibes which I really enjoyed! The main character tension, WHEW!!! Give me more of it!