Joni and Ren’s lifelong bond, built on trust and tradition, is tested when one unforgettable moment changes everything. Set against the backdrop of weddings and a nostalgic summer home, this story perfectly captures the ache of lost connection and the hope of rekindled love.

With heartfelt prose and tender moments, the novel explores whether some friendships are meant to evolve into something more-or if letting go is the truest form of love. A moving, slow-burn romance that’s as bittersweet as it is satisfying.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakey felt like a more grown-up version of The Summer I Turned Pretty—full of best friend chemistry, lingering glances, and that delicious pining we all love. I really enjoyed the emotional pull between the two main characters as they navigated different seasons of life, both literally and emotionally.
That said, the flashbacks didn’t quite work for me. Instead of adding depth, they often felt like interruptions, pulling me out of the moment rather than helping me understand it more fully. I also wish we had learned about the big falling out between the characters earlier in the story. That reveal came a bit too late for me to fully root for them the way I wanted to.
Still, this was a very cute, feel-good beach read—perfect for fans of second chances, childhood friends, and slow-burning romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for providing me an arc copy so I can give my honest review.

Now, I did enjoy a lot of the themes in this story. Especially since I personally am in a friends-to-lovers relationship in reality. Not only do you get this awkwardness between friends-to-lovers, you also get a taste of being the youngest in a large family, where our protagonist feels ignored by her family. There were things I didn't find realistic for a friends-to-lovers relationship, but that's my own personal preference, as everyone reacts differently.

I did get a bit confused with the back and forth with the timelines, as the format doesn't tell you when you get back to the present. It does this thing where it will tell you, for example, Three Years Later, then start the chapter in that timeline, but then the next chapter doesn't specify present day, so you assume it's still that timeline, but the context doesn't fit with what happened previously.

As for spice, it's mediocre, meaning it doesn't specify in detail all the things. In and out. Simply quick.

Oh and I really don't like a lot of the protagonists family members, which I guess is a normal thing in families and creates that drama. Also, is it just me or have romances lately always had the female character giving up a lot more than a male character? Seems off to me.

All in all, I would say that this is a pretty cutesy, summer read. Very tame to what I normally read. This story does combine a family vacation alongside a wedding.

I love a summer romance and I really love weddings, so no surprise that I loved this book -- it's just weddings on top of more weddings! Our narrator Joni is back at her family's vacation house for her sister's wedding, where she runs into her it's-complicated-former-best-friend Ren. Ren and Joni grew up together and used to do everything together, until Joni moved from the Pacific NW to NYC, leaving Ren behind. In order to ensure that they stay close, Ren and Joni make a pact to always be each other's plus-ones for every wedding they get invited to, no matter who they may be dating, or where they have to travel. But then something went wrong and now they haven't spoken in over a year.

The storyline jumps back and forth between the week of Joni's sister's wedding and a series of different weddings all over the country, so we see just how close Ren and Joni were before... whatever happened happened. Meanwhile, no one in their families know about their falling out so they must suffer through a series of wedding errands, games, and events, and maybe remembering just how well they get along.

If you liked People We Meet on Vacation or The Summer of Broken Rules, you'll love this one!

A fun summer read! This book is exactly what you should be reading on the beach this summer. The vibes are perfect and the story is cute. At times the pacing felt off so it’s not a five star for me- but a book I will absolutely recommend and pass to a friend.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is a touching and emotionally layered read that explores the delicate shift from friendship to romance. Joni and Ren’s story—reconnecting at a family wedding after years apart—immediately pulled me in with its nostalgic tension and unspoken longing. Their agreement to be each other’s plus-ones for every wedding season sets up a slow-burn romance that had me rooting for them from the start.

What I Loved:
• The emotional depth felt authentic and grounded. I appreciated how messy and imperfect the characters were, especially Joni. Her anxiety, insecurities, and reluctance to be vulnerable made her feel incredibly real.
• The writing style is warm and comforting, with some beautifully written passages that really captured the essence of complicated love and missed chances.
• I enjoyed the blend of past and present, and how their shared history gradually revealed itself to explain their current distance.

What Didn’t Quite Land for Me:
• The pacing felt off in places, especially with the timeline shifts. Some chapters moved slowly while others jumped too quickly, which disrupted the emotional rhythm of the story for me.
• The ending felt rushed. After investing so much in their journey, I was hoping for more time to sit with the resolution. It wrapped up too quickly for the emotional payoff to really settle in.
• A few side characters felt flat or just there to move the plot along. I would’ve loved to see more depth and personality from the supporting cast.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, Friends to Lovers is a solid debut that balances heartfelt vulnerability with a familiar yet beloved trope. While there are a few bumps along the way in terms of structure and pacing, the emotional payoff is still worth the read. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Blakely’s next book.

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could nor put the book down once I began reading it. I cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

So happy I was able to get this before release. It gave me all the summer vibes and I needed that in my life.

I absolute adored this book. The banter between the characters, the familiarity they all had, and the timeline of the story was all super well written. I love the way the author spaced out the past years and the future, and in doing so, there were times when I wanted to read more of the past and times I wanted to read more of the present. I have recommended this book to ,y family and friends

This is THE PERGECT summer read. And it includes one of my favorite tropes which is Friends' to Lovers! These two had my heart. I'm going to need to pick up a print copy of this one when it releases!

my favorite romance trope so of course I loved it 🤷 also a sucker for gentle softboys. joni's job was really unique - haven't seen stop motion animator show up in a book before.

this is a freshman novel, so obvious room for growing...I wish the author gave us more description - I have no clue what Joni or the beach house in Portland look like, as an example. It's mostly dialogue, internal and external, and action, with little descriptive language. Like most friends to lovers book, it bounces around between timelines, and sometimes it was hard to tell when we were back in present day. The climax kiss was anti-climatic, and the sex happened in flashbacks... I wished we got more pay off of the delicious present day tension.

This book will be released on July 22, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for this ARC.
This is a sweet, quick read where Ren and Joni are beasties who agree to be each other's plus one for life. It's a cute little friendsto lovers, second chance romance.
I did find it a bit slow and predictable. It wasn't my favorite. But, for a debut novel, I feel this author has potential!

#FriendsToLovers #netgalley

Thank you, NetGalley for the Arc.

This book is about two friends that over the course of their friendship develop love for each other. Though a couple of flashbacks and present time scenes. We see the mistakes, miscommunication, and rekindling of friendship and love.

Now to how I liked it: personally I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romances, however; this book had me hooked.

Friends to lovers, is the story of Ren and Joni’s lives through the years. They have known each other since early childhood and as time goes by so evolves their relationship. I loved both characters. REN was so sweet, and Joni just seems so real!

I really liked the writing style of Sally Blakely. Her book was easy to read and well written. The pacing of the story was well done and captivating throughout.

Bonus: I love when books have little extras in them that help set the vibe. In this book Ren is in the music industry and makes Joni playlists throughout the book for everything. If you play the songs when mentioned, it really helps give you the vibe for that scene. (The playlist is also included at the end of the book). I’m always trying to think of what music would be good for books, it was fun to have the actual playlist.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the book but think the title is going to do it a disservice. It’s so much more than the trope. There are wonderful characters and it’s a deeper story than one might think. I liked that back and forth in time. The secondary characters were real and important to the story as well.

This debut novel follows two childhood best friends - from annual vacations in their shared summer house, to being each other’s plus ones (never real dates) at weddings throughout their 20s. But that all starts to change. I loved this one - it’s like The Summer I Turned Pretty, but all grown up. Great for fans of Emily Henry. The dual timeline worked really well, lots of well-timed flashbacks and flash forwards. And I love a friends to lovers trope. This one comes out in July so you have to get your hands on it when it releases!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good debut novel, and I am sure the author can improve immensely, the potential is there. I generally don’t like stories where complex can be resolved by simple communication, but I’m willing to overlook it in this book because the romance is cute and I like the characters.

This is really my favorite trope when it comes to romance and it is so meta because of the title. A nice fast read and to be honest it kept me giddy.

This book was just the perfect warm weather read. From the emotional turns to the loving friendship to relationship progress. I didn't want to stop reading. It had me feeling so close to the characters, and rooting for their relationship.

A great summer beach read! Loved the setting and the build-up to the history of these characters. Delightful read!