A mixed bag if I ever saw one. Some instances and dialogues were genuinely so moving; I was close to tears. That was mostly the first huge chunk of the story. A lot of the tension and storyline tugged at my heartstrings. I'm a lover of the friends to lovers trope when done right. There's something so beautiful and heartwarming about two people knowing each other for years (decades in this case) and cherishing each other so much. And aside from romantic love, losing a cherished friend stings like hell. It's not something that you can brush past, it leaves a huge void in your life, and I appreciate that the author did justice in encapsulating how empty that feeling is, though a lot of those conversations and descriptions came much later in the book.

You gotta be really patient with this book. It's very slow burn. It's also got a bunch of shortcomings. I don't know what was happening with the timeline. I could never tell whether the story was in the past or present, whether there was a cut. This would've been easier with the ebook maybe, but listening to it made it absolutely impossible. I'm not a fan of the resolution. All this drama for that to be the justification of everything that went down between the two of them? I'm not a hater of the miscommunication trope. It's a real thing that happens, but the way it was done in this story threw me for a toss. Didn't make all the reading worth it. So much of it felt rushed, unnecessary, and plain annoying. There was a very long lead up to the "grand reveal", which was pretty random and not satisfying. It was certainly baffling to me, because I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the writing midway.

Patti Murin did an excellent job of the narration, as always. I've loved listening to her perform Katherine Center's books, and she held up to my expectations on this one.

𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒊 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆. 🥹💛

This story is told in a dual timeline, which gave me the chance to really connect with the characters and understand their journey. I loved seeing how their bond shaped them through the years and how much emotion could live in quiet moments and unspoken memories.

It features some of my favorite tropes: friends-to-lovers, second chances, a hint of angst, and a whole lot of heart. It’s the kind of romance that sneaks up on you and stays in your thoughts long after you’re done reading.

The audiobook was such a great experience. 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊 𝑴𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏’𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 and gave so much warmth and depth to both Joni and Ren. 🎧✨

If you enjoy emotional, character-driven romances with strong connection and heartfelt storytelling, this one deserves a spot on your shelf.

You know those weddings where the food is great, the music is solid, but the couple in the corner looks like they’d rather be anywhere else? That’s how I felt about Friends to Lovers.

On paper, this book has all the makings of a rom-com hit: Joni and Ren, childhood best friends turned annual plus-ones, reunite at a family wedding after two years of silence and one giant unspoken secret. Sounds deliciously angsty, right? Instead of dishing out the drama early, the book made me sit through a long wait for the Big Reveal. By the time I finally found out what tore these two apart, I was more frustrated than intrigued.

Honestly, the real scene-stealers were the secondary characters. Between the wedding planning, the family chaos, and the pre-ceremony festivities, they brought the sparkle and fun I wanted more of. Every time the focus shifted back to Ren and Joni, though, the disconnect set in again. I wanted chemistry and sparks, but often it felt like background noise to the bigger “family wedding” storyline.

This is pitched as a friends-to-lovers romance, but if I’m being honest, it read more like a “family wedding with unresolved feelings on the side.” Joni and Ren’s moments had potential, those starry nights, those hints of longing, but they often got overshadowed by the weight of their past and the story’s pacing.

If you love wedding-season settings, family drama, and slow-burn tension that circles around before landing, this book is for you. For me, it was a decent read that sparkled in the wedding scenes but stumbled when it came to delivering on the actual romance.

Final Verdict: A charming setup, fun side characters, but a romance that took the backseat. 3 stars.

Sally Blakley’s Friends to Lovers is a charming debut that delivers all the cozy feels of a classic friends-to-lovers romance, wrapped in a heartfelt story of second chances and emotional growth. Centered around childhood best friends Joni and Ren, the novel follows their tradition of being each other’s plus-ones during wedding season—a sweet setup that gradually reveals deeper feelings and unresolved tension.

Blakley’s storytelling is tender and emotionally intelligent, with a dual timeline that adds depth to the characters’ journey. The Oregon coast setting, shared family traditions, and nostalgic summer vibes create a warm backdrop for the unfolding romance. Joni’s artistic struggles and Ren’s quiet loyalty make them relatable and endearing, and their slow-burn connection is full of cute moments, longing glances, and genuine heart.

If you enjoy stories that balance emotional depth with playful charm, Friends to Lovers is a delightful read that feels like a warm hug. It’s perfect for fans of romantic comedies with a touch of wistful nostalgia.

Review will be posted on 8/27/25

Joni and Ren have always been best friends, and as they got older, they promised to be each other's plus ones at weddings. However, something changed between them, and they had a falling out. After some time, they are reunited at their family's summer homes on the Oregon Coast as Joni's sister is getting married. Joni wants things to go beautifully for her sister, so she pretends all is ok between her and Ren. Obviously, the more time Joni and Ren spend together, the more they realize their chemistry is still there. They will have to decide if their friendship (and something more!) is worth fighting for. Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is a satisfying debut, especially for readers who enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope.

Friends to Lovers is a cute debut - perfect for a day at the beach! If you are like me and you love a good friends-to-lovers summer story, this is a good one. I appreciated Blakeley's flashbacks to years prior, as that really developed their relationship, and their chemistry felt genuine. I haven't read many books set on the Oregon Coast, so this was a nice touch, and Blakely brought the beautiful nights and gorgeous scenery to life. I mean, who doesn't love a good summer reunion?

This was a sweet, emotional read that made me feel so much. It was fun to follow Jodi along in her messy journey. After being fired from the job she put her life into, she goes back home for her sister’s wedding. She is brought face to face with her former best friend, with whom she hasn’t spoken in over two years. The reader knows something happened between them, but we don’t know what. We are given the story in bread crumbs as they rekindle their friendship among family and friends. This was great summer read and a very hopeful portrayal of heartbreak. It was also overall, a very good second chance romance.
I recommend this to anyone that loves a second chance romance and enjoys reading friendships that turn into something more.
Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing (Canary Street Press) and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honest and my own.

DNF @ 17%

I heard this book would be a Happy Place meets People We Meet on Vacation which sounded like a dream come true. But sadly I could not care less about the characters. The characters seemed very 2D to me, there was already a miscommunication trope that had somehow ruined their relationship and to be quite honest everything seemed forced between them for no reason.

I didn't enjoy the family dynamic between her and her sister/her and her parents but that could be a 'me' thing.

Unfortunately I felt like I was forcing myself to pick up this book every time and just didn't care what happened. I couldn't easily jump into the writing and it was taking my brain too much power to process what I was reading, which is never what I want when reading a romance. I would try another Sally Blakely book again to see if I enjoy her writing in a different book, but sadly, this one was just not for me.

Hmm this one was tough. The formatting of the ARC was tricky to read but that’s no fault of the authors. The story was a little hard to get into. It reminded me a lot of People We Meet on Vacation and I had a hard time looking past that. I didn’t think there was enough info about the characters in the beginning so it was hard to care about what was happening to them.

Friends to Lovers is just as it states- a sweet friends to lovers story shared through dual timelines in a single point of view from the female main character. There were some really beautiful moments with great quotable text; however, as a whole I wasn’t very invested in the romance or characters. I enjoyed their friendship but their adaptation into lovers did not have a hold on me. I give this a solid 3 star rating- sweet, enjoyable, but not particularly memorable.

This is a cute premise and I think the idea of showing a dual timeline going back through all of the past weddings the MMC and FMC went to together was really cute. However, I struggled to get into the book because it was so slow, and the way the author moved between timelines was sometimes jarring and confusing. This would be a good fit for someone who likes their reads a little more dry and slow, but I had a hard time keeping going — especially because the only real problem was that these two wouldn’t just communicate with each other. Not for me, but someone much more into lit fic may like it.

2.5 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to Lovers has a lot of things that I love in a Summer Romance. One of my favorite books this past year was The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce and that's actually what prompted me to pick this book up. A lot of things I loved about that book are present here too.

The story unfolds in alternating past and present timelines but single POV (Joni's). We know that Joni and Ren have some history and are now "estranged best friends" right off the bat but we don't know the exact why. All we know is that they are keeping it secret from their families who are longtime friends and vacation together annually. There's tension on all ends from everyone while they are staying at the vacation home in preparation for a family wedding. The wedding festivities and group activities were fun and I just adore big chaotic family groups like these!

I really loved Ren and I thought he was just so precious and sweet and you could just feel the love pouring off of him in the past POV. Like Joni girl c'mon how did you not see it?! It was fun to see their romance blossom throughout the progression of their friendship and you could tell they had a close bond and chemistry. My heart ached for them at times and their progression to romance felt totally natural IMO. There were so many sweet moments and swoony moments that kept me reading. In the present POV the tension wrecked me at times!! The slow burn and all the build up of the small moments was chef's kiss. The Capture the Flag game had me like ahhhhh!!

I just couldn't quite bring myself to 5 star this because even though I enjoyed it there were a lot of moments where things seemed to rapidly build up, blow up, and then blow over so fast I didn't even have time to process it before we were moving on. There were just some moments that felt so pivotal to the story but didn't seem to get enough attention. The reason for their estrangement kinda just came out of left field and was over so fast it almost felt like not enough to cause a 2.5 year estrangement if their friendship was so important.

I was also super fortunate to get the ALC and I enjoyed it as well! I tandem listened/read the book and I enjoyed the narrator for Joni a lot. I did find myself leaning towards eyeball reading though bc I wanted to annotate even when I was listening. I'm super picky about narrators and this is one I would definitely recommend!

Overall this is a cute and fun Summer romance that's great for a beach or vacation read. I would pick this one up again! This felt reminiscent of some of my favorite Summer romance novels from Annabel Monaghan, Emily Henry, and Jessica Joyce. If you're a fan of any of these authors, I think you would enjoy this as well. If you don't like reading tropes skip below!

✧ Second Chance Romance
✧ Wedding Weekend
✧ Vacation Home x Family Friends
✧ Forced Proximity
✧ Tension & Yearning
✧ Past / Present Timelines
✧ It's always been you

Thank you so much to Harlequin Audio & The Hive for the ALC and ARC!

Joni and Ren have been best friends since they were young. When Joni moved the NYC for her dream job, they decided to be each other's plus one for every wedding. Things were going well until lines were crossed. Joni is back at her family's summer home for her sister's wedding, and things are awkward with Ren.

This wasn't the story that I expected. Joni and Ren had a beautiful friendship, but their romantic chemistry was not believable. With that said, I did enjoy the story, reading about their relationship throughout the years.

Very low stakes friends to lovers book.
The pacing was a little too slow for my liking. Miscommunication aka NO communication is probably my least favorite trope so this wasn't really the read for me.

I absolutely loved this book. 4⭐️ without a doubt!

This is a story that goes back and forth between timelines telling a story of two best friends who drifted apart to only become lovers in the end (as the title suggests). It starts off during a time where they are not friends and goes back to show why.

Such a sure read! I think this is my new comfort romance read!

This was a fun, low-stakes romance centered around - you guessed it - the friends to lovers trope. Joni and Ren grew up together and were the best of friends, until a mysterious falling-out occurred a couple years back. The theme of the book is centered around weddings - the central event is Joni’s sister Stevie’s wedding, and it flashes back to weddings over the past years that Joni and Ren attended as each other’s plus one.

I enjoyed the overall story, but ultimately it was pretty forgettable for me. I didn’t really connect with either character, and I think being only in Joni’s POV added to that. I struggled to keep the side characters straight because they were all pretty flat. I think where these cute romances usually stand out for me is the humor, and this one also lacked that.

What it is, though, is a great beach read - quick and sweet with a fun wedding theme is perfect for reading in the sunshine by a body of water! My favorite scenes were the events from the wedding weekend, it sounded like such a fun group.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this DRC for review consideration.

“Friends to Lovers” by Sally Blakely was a fun, atmospheric summer read!

I’m a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope (so obviously the title drew me in 👀) and this didn’t disappoint. The strongest draw of this book was how it immediately made me feel the “beach/lake house in the summer” nostalgia. In that sense, it reminded me a lot of Emily Henry’s “Happy Place/People We Meet on Vacation” and Jenny Han’s “We’ll Always Have Summer” (mostly due to the vibe).

As for the romance aspect— the friendship between Joni and Ren felt authentic. Unfortunately, I think where this book didn’t quite draw me in is that I actually preferred their dynamic as friends. I didn’t really feel their romantic tension; the main attribute of their relationship was the tension following their “falling out.” I just wish we could have seen some more longing, especially in the flashbacks, because they seemed like friend soulmates rather than romantic ones.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect book to end the summer season romance. I didn't love the main female character as much as i did the male which made the rating drop for me.

This surprised me! I wasn’t expecting to be half as invested as I was. I loved the setting of wedding and a family gathering on the coast of PNW. And I loved the dual timeline with the childhood friends to lovers, even with the miscommunication.

I thought this was a cute fun summer romance read! I would recommend!

I was so in the mood for a love story like Friends to Lovers. It even happened to me in real life so I was keen to experience a fictionalized relationship that had its roots in that mutually satisfying respect, admiration, and trust that turns to the “can’t live without you” enduring love.

I wanted to embrace the justified slow arc of commonality and history that forges a bond that time cannot erase or melt; only experiencing it becoming stronger and more resilient.

I thank Net Galley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the advanced digital copy.

The promised slow-burn tension was there, for sure. But it was too much for me. The author, Sally Blakely, does a masterful job of showing the reader the delicate, smoldering romance between the two “lovers” Joni and Ren. But soulmates?? It didn’t seem logical to me that they could be such good friends who shared so much yet couldn’t share nor articulate what was keeping them from being a couple. I wanted Joni to get over herself and value and respect what she and Ren had together and indeed become the Lovers.

As an avid reader (and writer) I also recognize that a good story needs good tension; obstacles to overcome. Yet I just didn’t feel that the demands of her career or moving to New York City posed a big enough hurdle to their relationship ~ especially when Ren moved across the country to be with her!

I loved Ren ~ and at times felt like telling him that I wouldn’t treat him the way Joni did. Ha. He is thoughtful, loyal, sexy, and kind… His emotional support appeared to me much more than she deserved.

There was a kind of missing connection. And that helped fuel interest to keep reading and learn why Joni couldn’t embrace his devotion.

That said, Blakely does a wonderful job of describing her characters and the settings.

While I know Gotham like the back of my hand, she captured the Joni-as-transplant hunger to succeed and become a New Yorker to live out her dream. And while I’ve never been to a Portland beach, I could feel the sand and hear the porch’s screen door slam…

I also enjoyed the couple’s ritual of always reuniting for friends’ and family weddings. Their reconnections gave the love story renewed sparks and kept me interested to see if this was gonna’ be the time that it all clicked.

It feels like an onerous, rocky road that Joni and Ren traverse before realization and acceptance gives way to manifest their love ~ That she doesn’t have to “fight” for Ren so much as honoring his love for her… That is the most noble element of love..

I did appreciate Blakely’s love descriptions ~ her words are touching in an almost Hallmark card or their movie channel kind of way.

If you can navigate the Friends to Lovers slow burn, you’ll enjoy this love story. It’s a cozy “blanket” read ~ whether it’s a beach blanket or curling up with a warm autum blanket.

Love is in the air…

Friends to lovers is one of my absolute favorite romance tropes and Sally Blakely did not disappoint! This was so cute and also super relatable/realistic. I was engaged from the first chapter and read it in two sittings. The story was such a good reminder for how important communication and honesty is. Overall, a super cute easy read for me!!

The biggest THANK YOU to Sally Blakely and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.