FRIENDS TO LOVERS
SALLY BLAKELY
July 22/25

DREAM GIRL DRAMA
TESSA BAILEY
FEBRUARY 4/ 25

OK, so I read both these books this week ( one on Net Galley and one a physical book) because I was feeling a little like a good rom com, chick lit book, or two, were in order.

Both are similar in fact because of their situations ( one a couple who have been friends since age three and one a couple whose parents- his dad and her mom are getting married) so it would be very wrong to act on primal urges, right?

Both are set in fun locations, a super cool “cottage” on the Oregon coast leading up to a sibling’s wedding and the other in hockey rinks around Boston. I could see both of these being great romcom movies.

Both are perfect summer beach reads with a lot of romantic tension, forbidden love, and in the case of Tessa Bailey, according to ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, she is the “Michelangelo of dirty talk”…. Enjoy! Thanks HTP Books

Friends to Lovers is a easy breezy second chance and friends to lovers romance in the midst of a family vacation/wedding. There was a lot going on, and at times I wanted the story to move along a bit faster, but it was a great summer romance read. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

This was my second romance novel ever and I LOVED this.

I was shocked to find this was a debut author?!!
It was so good. The author really hooks you with wanting to know what happened between the two main characters that tore a rift in their relationship.

bouncing between the past, the events leading up to the problem and current events, after the problem occurs. The two main characters Joni and ren are in a forced proximity situation when they all go to the family house in Portland for Joni’s sisters wedding. They are forced to pretend nothing happened between them and that they’re still the best of childhood friends(almost) the entire family
Believes them to be.

I have come to realize I’m a big fan of second chance romances especially when they’re tied in. For a forced proximity.

This is such a good summer read!

If you’re a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope with a hefty dose of wedding season chaos, Friends to Lovers is your next must-read. Sally Blakely captures the magic and messiness of lifelong friendship turned something more in a way that feels both heartwarming and heartbreakingly real. Joni and Ren’s annual tradition of being each other’s wedding dates is the kind of setup romance readers dream of—and when that perfect little ritual starts to unravel, you’ll find yourself holding your breath right alongside them. The fake friendship, the emotional tension, the summer house full of nostalgia—it all adds up to a slow-burn romance that’s equal parts swoon-worthy and soul-searching.

Blakely’s writing is light and breezy, with just enough depth to make you feel every unspoken word between Joni and Ren. Whether you’re here for the second-chance love angle, the will-they-won’t-they tension, or the rich backdrop of sun-soaked weddings and seaside memories, this story delivers. It’s sweet, a little messy, and completely satisfying. So grab your beach towel, maybe a mimosa, and definitely a copy of Friends to Lovers—you’ll be smiling through every page.

Cute but it likely won't stick with me. I love the friends to lovers trope but this was a bit bland for me.

Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.

It’s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.

Now Joni is back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, and she’s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren—and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?

But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she’ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.

As an avid Emily Henry reader, I absolutely DEVOURED this!! Such a good read. And the premise was so fun too...It immediately made me want to read this! Hope I can read more by Sally Blakely soon.

3.5. I really liked the first half of this book. The flashbacks to important moments were so fun. The conflict of this book just didn't do it for me though. All this built-up angst and yearning just for there to be basic miscommunication. There were also so many side characters, I couldn't imagine naming all of them right now.

This book is like a mix of Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation but with the most aggravating conflict ever.

Also the ARC formatting was diabolical, but that's not the fault of the content.

This was the review I posted on my insta: Just finished the early release of Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely and I’m obsessed. The slow burn, the chemistry, the longing—I felt every page. Sally nails that delicate shift from friendship to something more, and I couldn’t stop smiling (or swooning). Add this to your TBR immediately!

I will echo what others have said: If "Happy Place" and "People We Meet on Vacation" had a baby- this would be it. Friends to Lovers is sheer perfection! It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. If you are a romance fan this is one you will not want to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This definitely felt reminiscent of People we meet on Vacation! I really enjoyed the past and present timelines and the summer house setting. The fun wedding activities reminded me of the summer of broken rules! I really enjoyed friends to lovers stories because I loved seeing the gradual little things that change it from platonic to romantic. This book definitely gives you the angst part of that!! I could relate to Joni’s anxious thoughts about all the what ifs in life and I enjoyed seeing her grow through that. There were so many sweet moments, but I did find myself wanting to see more of their friendship growing up together because we only got some glimpses of it. I feel like it would have made me more attached to their relationship and their characters! However, I did still enjoy this and think it’s a great summer read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc!!

I really wanted to love this book but I struggled to feel invested in the characters and their story.

The book focused A LOT on the family which took away from Joni and Ren’s story. The side characters didn’t really add to the story, so it felt very unnecessary to me. I wanted to read more about their friendship and connection that they’ve had for years.

The dual timeline made things very confusing at times. It would’ve been less confusing if it stated the year every time the timeline changed. The pacing was also a bit slow which made me lose interest at times.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t for me. I think it had alot of potential and there were a lot of cute moments between the characters which was fun to read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I DNF at 40% in. I couldn’t get into the characters or stories. I felt there were so many side characters and I didn’t know who was who. The format of the ARC was terrible too, not helping.

Joni and Ren have been best friends, and each other’s dates to weddings, for years. But when will they find someone to wed? Have they simply been missing each other?

Yes. Of course they have.

Man, I did not like this book.

I understand that a romance novel is predictable. I love a good romance novel. That can be overlooked by an interesting dynamic. This did not have that. The characters, all of them, were completely flat and there was absolutely no romantic tension. It was so, so boring.

And the weddings. Oy. What a plot device to try to add interest that simply did nothing for me.

Thank you to Canary Street Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes because I love being in agonizing pain as two people, who clearly need to be together, keep convincing themselves that they shouldn’t be together. LOL. Seriously though, I did enjoy this book. Yes, there’s miscommunication between the FMC, MMC, and the family, which is why this is rated lower, but overall it’s a nice read. Fans of Happy Place, Love & Other Words, and People We Meet on Vacation may enjoy this story. Also a great summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

Of all the tropes in the world, my most favorite of them all is the friends to lovers. It’s a tricky thing to get this one right because one of friends tends to realize the other one is perfect for them before the other friend comes to that realization. Navigating the friend zone/transition to lover tends to get initiated through longer looks between the couple and lingering touches. This slow-burn creates delicious tension. My favorite thing!

Josie and Ren have been friends since childhood when their parents as best friends gather at a shared beach house year after year. They have a best friend bond that is fully explored within this book. You can sense that Josie never lets it sink in how important her relationship is to Ren until she moves away after college across the country for work. They make a pact to be their plus ones for all weddings. There are present day and flashback scenes that fully formed the series of events that leads to a falling out between these best friends.

I wished the author had given us more of the backstory on Josie’s anxiety and her mother (the therapist) pressuring her daughter to address every stress and feeling. It’s sprinkled in there and I think it has a deeper root into why the couple spends several years not talking. Once the story is revealed, her need to make everyone else more important than herself is clearly the source of the poor decisions but I feel like we don’t talk enough about that.


So my favorite example of friends to lovers is Emily Henry’s People We Meet On Vacation and this book feels very similar to that vibe and reminds me why that slow burn passion is my favorite. My only complaint is that when the story jumps around I lose some of the desire that was being built when they connect. Strong 4 stars and I would definitely recommend it!

Started off with an incredible premise - childhood friends to lovers, unresolved conflict, and summer/wedding vibes. However, it quickly turned out to be dragging and frustrating to read about. The "argument" between the two was predictable and all the characters and internal conflict felt akin to a Netflix original movie (derogatory). I didn't see much evidence of the two being best friends, though it was obvious that the guy was in love with the female protagonist since the beginning. I find it frustrating when a book is marketed and quite literally titled "friends to lovers" when they were not really friends in the first place. The flashbacks were supposed to show their previous friendship but just made the book drag even more. All the supporting characters felt one-dimensional and annoying. Overall, I felt like I could have skimmed half the book and felt/retained exactly the same amount.

4.5 rounded up because I truly couldn't out it down. Joni and Ren's world is so detailed that I was fully lost inside. The transitions between timelines were seamless and never made me feel lost or disoriented in either. I loved the entire cast of characters, and was so impressed with how well-rounded even the minor players were. I can't wait for more from Sally Blakey! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read! loved the couples and as much as I dont care for the friends to lovers trope this was a good one! thanks for the Arc.

I happened to really like this one. Love the 2 best friends and how their friendship is just so easy. This is one of my favorite tropes so I am a sucker for going from friends to falling in love.

If you’re a fan of slow burns, second chances, and summer nostalgia, Friends to Lovers delivers on all fronts. Joni and Ren have been best friends for most of their lives, growing up side-by-side thanks to their moms' lifelong friendship and a shared family beach house. Over the years, they’ve built a tradition—always be each other’s plus-one for wedding season, no matter what. But when one night changes everything, and neither of them handles it well, the silence stretches into years.
Now Joni is back for her sister’s wedding, and so is Ren. Cue the forced proximity, unspoken feelings, and an ocean of unresolved tension. The dual timeline gives us glimpses into their friendship from the start, and Sally Blakely nails the heartbreak of missed chances and bad timing. Watching these two slowly find their way back to each other—while pretending everything’s fine—had me hooked.
You can feel how much they care about each other, even when they're pretending not to. Their banter is familiar and layered with history, their chemistry is undeniable, and their moments of vulnerability hit hard. It’s not a clean road to a happy ending, and that’s what makes it so satisfying when it finally clicks into place.
This is one of those books that makes you ache in the best way. Packed with emotional tension, soft beachy vibes, and a love that’s been building for years, this debut left me rooting hard for Joni and Ren. I'm seriously impressed this is Blakely’s first novel—I'll be first in line for whatever she writes next.

᪥ Friends To Lovers
᪥ Second Chance
᪥ Fake Dating
᪥ One Bed
᪥ People We Meet On Vacation x Happy Place