It's more women's fiction than romance, but I adore those. I wish more authors would write books like this. A movie with a similar premise is Plus One. So, for anyone looking to scratch that itch after reading this book.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is an emotional, bittersweet romance that leans into the messiness of long-term friendships and unspoken desires. The premise—a lifelong friendship turned complicated by proximity, distance, and unresolved feelings—is rich with potential, and Blakely captures both the comfort and heartache of being so deeply entwined with someone that you don’t know where you end and they begin. However, while the story has some beautiful moments, it doesn’t fully escape the pitfalls of its tropes, resulting in a charming yet somewhat uneven read.

Joni and Ren’s dynamic is at the heart of the novel. Blakely excels at depicting the ease and shorthand of a friendship built over decades—the shared memories, the inside jokes, and the small gestures that convey more than words ever could. Their tradition of being each other’s wedding season "plus-ones" is sweet and quirky, a ritual that underlines how central they are to each other’s lives. But beneath their easy camaraderie, there’s a tangle of feelings they’ve never dared to name, and watching that unravel is where the story truly shines.

Joni is a relatable and flawed protagonist. Her determination to "fix" things and pretend everything is fine, even when her heart is breaking, feels painfully real. She’s caught between nostalgia for what they once had and fear of what their relationship has become. Ren, on the other hand, is a bit harder to pin down. His motivations and feelings, though hinted at, aren’t explored as deeply as Joni’s, which makes him feel somewhat distant at times. This imbalance means that while Joni’s emotional journey is compelling, Ren’s side of the story feels underdeveloped, which weakens some of the romantic tension.

The setting—their families’ shared summer home by the beach—is idyllic and adds a wistful, summery atmosphere that contrasts beautifully with the emotional storms brewing beneath the surface. The scenes of bonfires, late-night confessions, and quiet mornings on the dock evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia, making it easy to understand why Joni and Ren feel so tethered to this place—and each other.

The pacing, however, is where the novel stumbles. The first half builds slowly, focusing on the awkwardness of their reunion and Joni’s attempts to avoid addressing the elephant in the room. While this builds tension, it also drags at points, with some scenes feeling repetitive as the characters circle the same emotional ground. The payoff in the latter half, when the truth of their falling-out and their buried feelings finally surface, is satisfying but could have packed an even greater punch if Ren’s perspective had been given more weight.

Blakely’s prose is at its best when capturing small, intimate moments—the way Joni holds her breath when Ren walks into a room, or how a seemingly simple gesture carries the weight of a shared history. However, some of the dialogue, especially during pivotal emotional scenes, feels overly scripted, lacking the rawness that the situation calls for.

At 3.5 stars, Friends to Lovers is a heartfelt exploration of friendship, love, and the fear of losing the person who knows you best. Sally Blakely captures the complexities of platonic-to-romantic relationships with tenderness, but the novel’s uneven pacing and underdeveloped secondary perspective prevent it from fully realizing its emotional potential. Still, for readers who enjoy a slow-burn love story with a touch of melancholy and plenty of sun-soaked nostalgia, this is a worthy addition to the "friends-to-lovers" genre. It’s a reminder that sometimes the hardest part of love isn’t falling—it’s admitting you’ve already fallen.

Like People We Meet On Vacation with a little splash of Happy Place, but still its own beautiful, charming little story, Friends to Lovers is THE beach read I will be recommending this year!

This was a genuinely incredible debut novel, and I loved every second of reading it! As a friends-to-lovers connoisseur, I can state with confidence that Sally Blakely has mastered the art of my favorite trope. Ren and Joni have excellent on-page chemistry, and I loved getting a peek into how natural their progression from friendship to love is. So many lines had me absolutely SWOONING, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy to annotate!

If you are a lover of Emily Henry, lover of the friends-to-lovers trope, lover of good writing, or lover of love, you'll love Friends to Lovers. (Did I say "lover" enough?)

Thank you so, so much to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Sally Blakely for this delightful ARC!

When the book said it was perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I knew I had to read it!

Friends to Lovers isn't really my preferred trope bc I usually prefer something along the lines of enemies to lovers. However, there was just something different here when the characters go from friends to lovers.

I really like the writing style of Sally Blakely. It was easy to read and honestly can I say immaculate as well? I think that Sally Blakely did a really good job in terms of content with the tropes and the storyline as well as pacing!

Thank you to Sally Blakely, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and NetGalley for this arc! 💕

***I will post the review on Goodreads in the next few days and I will update this review when I do!

If you’re looking for a cute and light story I’d recommend! The title obviously foreshadows what the plot is about which is what drew me to this book in the first place. (It didn’t disappoint)

This book reminded me of People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry but I actually enjoyed Joni & Ren more. I enjoyed the flashbacks (I always love when authors do this) but found them a little difficult to follow with how it was put together.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc. This is my honest review!

4⭐️ - Ren and Joni’s love story takes place over the course of seven years, traveling around the country as each others wedding “plus ones,” against present day at Joni’s sister’s wedding at the vacation home their families co-own, after a falling out 2.5 years before. This was definitely a slow burn, as they were childhood best friends and navigating a major shift in their relationship. There were times I wanted to shake Joni 😂 but thought this was a great debut from Sally Blakely will read her again!

Friends to Lovers is the kind of book that makes you fall in love with love and its characters. You want to be friends with these characters. You want to celebrate with them and you want to cry with them. It’s a book written in a flash back/ present time sequence. It flows nicely and it’s exciting and fun. Highly recommend.

**A Heartfelt, Fun Romance – *Friends to Lovers* by Sally Blakely**

*Friends to Lovers* by Sally Blakely is a charming, feel-good rom-com that had me hooked from the start. Joni and Ren, childhood best friends turned wedding season plus-ones, share a bond that’s been tested by both time and a big, life-changing moment. When Joni returns for her sister’s wedding, things are awkward—and a little more than that—between them. The slow-burn romance and undeniable chemistry between them is so sweet, and watching them navigate old wounds and hidden feelings was pure magic.

The dual-narrative format lets you dive into both Joni and Ren’s emotions, and their journey from pretending to be “just friends” to realizing what they truly want is beautifully done. I loved the mix of humor, tenderness, and heartache—it made me root for them the whole way through.

If you love *The Summer I Turned Pretty* or *People We Meet on Vacation*, this book is for you. It’s the perfect blend of romance, friendship, and second chances, leaving you with a smile and a serious book hangover! Highly recommend!

What an addictive, heartwarming romance this was! Friends to Lovers was absolutely adorable. While it will be the perfect summer beach read when it comes out in July, I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc, so that I could enjoy it a little early!!

I thought this book was very well written. I loved the vivid descriptions of the various settings Joni and Ren traveled to, especially the Oregon beach house. It was also full of fun side characters who kept the story light and interesting. All the best romance tropes made an appearance - not just friends to lovers, but second chance romance, a bit of forced proximity, dual timeline, only one bed… all the good stuff. I just wish there had been an unmarried sibling or friend left over at the end so that we could look forward to returning to the beach house for the sequel!

I agree with the other reviews saying that Friends to Lovers is very reminiscent of People We Meet on Vacation (with essence of Every Summer After, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Happy Place, etc etc), but hey - I loved all those books and I loved this one too. Even though the formula felt a bit familiar, Sally Blakely still found a way to make this story feel fresh and unique. I couldn’t put it down!

I look forward to adding Friends to Lovers to my bookshelf and recommending it to all my friends this summer. Thanks again to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read the arc.

This story was so sweet! The friendship, family, and romance was so cute. One of the negatives was how choppy the story felt. I understand the past & present aspect but i got confused sometimes where we were. The ending was my favorite part!

I read this in winter but did I find myself transported to the beach??? YES. Loved this romance, and reading the reviews, saw someone say this was as if Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation had a baby with Happy Place, and I could NOT have described it better. It brings to mind Beach Read as well (yes, I'm a huge fan of Emily Henry) and also Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners in the sense that it's immersive and brings you to a completely different place entirely. Loved the main leads (all the emotions!!!) and happy to have this in our collection. I will now be on a lookout for all things Sally Blakely!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for allowing me the opportunity to read and review "Friends to Lovers" in exchange for my honest opinion. It is currently January and snowing, but this book transported me to the beach, elevating my mood immediately. I will admit that I am harsh romance reviewer, but I loved this book. Joni and Ren have been best friends and nearly inseparable since they were three years old. Joni ends up moving to NY, but continues to keep in touch with Ren with electronic communication and committing to be each other's plus ones to weddings. In your 20's there is always weddings lol. Joni eventually realizes she has more than friend feelings for Ren, but life and timing seem to be in the way. They end up having a falling out and don't speak for over 2 years. They reunite at her sister's wedding where they have to navigate this awkward reunion and their feelings for each other. I am excited to add this book to my bookshelf once it is released in July.

OBSESSED!

It has been so long since I have read a book that I loved as much as The Unhoneymooners - so now this will be my go to recommendation. I want to be Ren and Joni. Not only is there friendship is just the best, but their romance is just as swoon worthy. This truly combines all my favorite things in a romance book, and I think it will become a repeat read for me. I cant wait for it to be released so I can purchase a hardcopy to have on my shelf, because it is one I want to go back to forever.

The book although predictable was still entertaining to read and I went through the entire book on my day off

Not me excited for summer as we’re suppose to get our first winter storm of the season in TN this week. Thanks to @netgalley, I just finished Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely and loveddddddddddd ittttt. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. It’s a charming summer romance between two childhood best friends whose families are all best friends. I loved being made to feel apart of this family. It’s told in a dual timeline, now and former weddings they’ve attended together as each others plus one. If you’re in the mood to beat this freezing weather with a taste of summer ahead of us, you’ll definitely want to give this one a read.❤️‍🔥 Also, I’d like to mention this is my first NetGalley read and review, and this is very exciting to me.

This was too cute!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for this arc!
I’ve been feeling myself slip into a reading slump and this book just pulled me out of it! This reminded me of everything I love about romcoms, and it lived up to the high standards of the trope it’s named after. Loved getting to know Joni and Ren, and all I’m saying is that I want a Ren of my own ( is that too much to ask?)

Giggling and kicking my feet the whole time, very much made me wish I was on a beach reading this! Gonna be the perfect read to pick up in July when it comes out!

Friends to Lovers is a classic romance trope for a reason. So often we miss what has been right in front of us all along. Sally Blakely weaves a captivating story, combining present day events with glimpses of the past to show us the hows and whys of Ren and Joni. This story feels like coming home, and I’m here for it.

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

#SallyBlakely
#FriendstoLovers
#NetGalley

How beautiful!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Joni and Ren evolving from best friends to lovers. Their plan to always be each other's plus one to a wedding was a creative way to keep them intertwined. All of the surprise points in the story landed well and were perfectly timed. Some of them sucker punched me in the chest like the family’s moment of honesty. I like that everything in the book felt realistic, like even Ren’s charger dying at the end. I will say that I felt like I waited too long for something climactic, but every part of me enjoyed waiting and reading. The writing took me through every second of Joni’s headspace and it didn’t disappoint. Lovely, lovely story. Well done Sally Blakely!

Joni y Ren han sido amigos desde los tres años. Sus familias son cercanas, siempre han estado en la vida del otro, pero todo cambia cuando ambos deben comenzar a trabajar y, pronto, se encuentran en diferentes estados. Durante ese tiempo de separación, Joni se da cuenta de que sus sentimientos por él no son solo amistosos, lo que la lleva a hacer algo de lo que se arrepentirá durante los siguientes dos años y medio, evitando a Ren. Sin embargo, cuando la hermana de Joni se va a casar, deberá enfrentarse a las consecuencias de sus actos.

Estuvo entretenido, pero siento que faltó más. Tal vez incluir puntos de vista de Ren habría permitido mostrar mejor su supuesto amor, ya que todo se presenta desde la perspectiva de Joni, lo que deja algunas dudas sobre las acciones de él o su falta de ellas.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a friends to lovers trope, as said by the title. It was fine, ok, average.

It follows the typical story of friends who do something together and then end up regretting it and then not being friends anymore. Then there is the reunion where they meet and hash things out. I've read this same story type many a time and it wasn't exciting for me. I knew exactly where the story was going at all times and exactly what was going to happen. Nothing was new or fresh. Just the same old story with different characters.

This last thing might be a me thing but the breaking out of the chapters or better yet the timelines could have been done better. The first time it switched over I was confused because I didn't know they had changed. Hopefully all that gets sorted out in the final copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.