I really, really enjoyed this book!!! Friends to Lovers is a fast-paced, childhood friends to lovers romance set in an Oregon beach town! The setting of this book was gorgeous and I loved how the dual timeline showed Joni and Ren’s friendship throughout the years. I also LOVE weddings in books, and this book had lots of weddings!

Blakely did a wonderful job incorporating the character’s careers into the story. I loved hearing about Ren’s love for music throughout the whole book, and how important music was in Joni and Ren’s friendship/relationship! (p.s. there’s a playlist at the end of the book!!) Joni and Ren had such a sweet love story and I am obsessed with them! This was a sweet, fast-paced romance and a great summer read!

Thank you NetGalley, Sally Blakely, and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is an ARC review. I want to thank Sally Blakely and Harlequin Audio for allowing me the chance to listen to this book ahead of release day! I typically gravitate towards enemies to lovers so I thought I’d change it up and read about friends to lovers!

Joni and Ren’s friendship is definitely one for the ages but also epic as their families are also just as close. Which I can see how it would complicate these two for if/when they decided to take things a step further. The thought of the best way to stay close outside of talking/texting on the phone as often as possible to attend weddings together was genius! To truly believe that these two were so oblivious of their feelings for each other was horribly painful! Thy were so afraid they would ruin the friendship if they actually fell into the feelings, either way the same result occurred.

The audio narrators were amazing! I truly enjoyed this audiobook version. They got the inflections and the longing for each other in their voices. The book overall was mid to low spice but it gives the same tension as a high spice book. This was the perfect summer read and a great romance book for all. There was a minor moment I thought this book was about to not end in my happily ever after but I am so thankful they worked it out and actually TALKED through their feelings.

I loved it. I need to jump right in and say that. This was a truly all-consuming, thoroughly enjoyable read. Did I stay up way too late reading this book in less than 24 hours? Without a second thought. Did I sob uncontrollably multiple times (I’m looking at you, Cactus Tree scene)? Without a doubt. Did I feel connected with and represented by the FMC? An emphatic “YES.” Did I revel in every second of Joni and Ren’s journey? Oh boy, revel I did. I ate up every flashback, every tension-filled interaction, every glimpse at their repressed feelings— just, every second of their story.

This was such a perfect summer read. Highly emotional and reflective— filled with lovable characters, beautiful real and found family, and complicated feelings. The PNW setting was charmingly depicted and totally picturesque. I felt like I was there, with all the loved ones— in a place filled with love and nostalgia.

I don’t love comparing books with other books, but I have to say I get why this book is recommended for fans of Emily Henry. It kind of has People We Meet on Vacation meets Happy Place vibes, with its countdown-style dual timeline (which always stresses me out, but I utterly enjoy???). With that said, this book is totally its own— unique and captivating.

Patti Murin was a spectacular narrator. She really brought the characters to life and easily shaped the tone and message of the story with her emotive performance. I honestly picked up this book because I saw her name attached to the production, and I’m incredibly glad that I did— because I found a book that I fell in love with, and an author that I will follow dutifully.

This was an enjoyable listen for the summer. Since the story is told in single/1st person POV, there is only one narrator.

Joni and Ren have been friends since they can remember. Their families have always been close and have always vacationed together in the same summer home. When Joni decides to move across the country to pursue her dream job, she makes a deal with Ren to always be each other’s “plus one” whenever they’re invited to a wedding. This way they can be sure to see each other a couple times a year at least.

This story is told in two timelines. In the present day, Joni and Ren haven’t seen each other or communicated in years, yep almost no one in their families know they are now estranged. When Joni’s sister decides to get married near the summer home, Joni and Ren are forced to share a room and work together on wedding preparations. This story is interspersed with flashbacks to the various weddings Joni and Ren attended together, eventually leading up to the conflict that spurred the breakup of their friendship.

Personally, the execution of this structure didn’t quite work for me. I think I would have benefited from knowing the cause of the estrangement much earlier on in the book. There was so much build up to that reveal, and I ended up a little confused and disappointed. The characters’ response didn’t quite seem proportionate to what happened.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for giving me access to an advanced listening copy.

thank you to netgalley and harlequin audio for this ALC! 🫶🏻

this made me sob so obviously it’s 5 stars for me. if I’m that invested… 👌🏻

So, let’s set the story: Joni and Ren’s parents are besties and they share a house on a lake and our MCs grow up together. They’re besties. They do everything together. Through high school and college. Then Joni finds a wedding invite last minute and doesn’t have a plus one, but of course! Ren can be her plus one! Thus starts their tradition of always being each other’s wedding dates, even when they sometimes have their own partner they could take instead.

So obviously huge sign that they’re in love and don’t know it yet or are fighting it and the whole time you’re just waiting for them to figure their shit out. when all of a sudden… they do? sort of? spoilery things happen and suddenly they don’t talk anymore. for 2.5 years. now, it’s Joni’s sister’s wedding. Everyone’s staying at the lake house. All the family still believe Joni and Ren are best friends. Whatever might happen here with this forced proximity? 😈

That’s probably a terrible and oversimplified set up for the premise, but the title does clearly state: friends to lovers. On that note, I will say I feel like that’s like the one main thing I didn’t like: the title. idk what it should be instead and maybe i’m in the minority here but it didn’t feel like a fun little cheeky nod to the trope because it’s not subtle? I digress 🙈

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved Stevie, the sister/bride. 🥹 I loved that our MCs had non-standard/run of the mill occupations. I loved how funny the writing was! I laughed! I cried!! I wanted to yell at our beautiful MCs to kiss already, damnit!!

I agree with the description of the love child of Happy Place and People We Meet On Vacation. has those definite vibes in a lot of ways, but stands on its own.

On the audio/production:
narrator was great! I wish it was dual but she was lovely. there were some weird pauses in the middle of sentences that maybe was my device, but seemed frequent so I’m not sure if it was production mishap or not. 🤷🏼‍♀️ the pauses weren’t long enough for me to be completely taken out of the story, but definitely awkward.

Thank you Netgalley and Harelquin audio for the audio Arc!

I did enjoy the beginning of this book I was hooked and just patiently waiting for the secret reveal from the past. The questions on everyone's minds while reading what stopped Joni and Wrens Friendship!?

I enjoyed the extensive slow burn and jumping from past to present it created angst in the book and wanting more and more with each chapter.


I did think the book got slow at the 55% mark. It dragged on and needed more romance. The chapters repeated itself which became a little much and dragged on so 3 stars for me!

Big thanks to Harlequin Audio for the advance audiobook!

I’m such a sucker for a friends-to-lovers and second chance romance combo, and this one totally delivered. Friends to Lovers is a cozy, emotional slow-burn with just the right amount of angst and chemistry to keep me invested from start to finish.

Joni and Ren were incredibly easy to root for. Their friendship had that real, lived-in feeling, full of history, quiet longing, and so many “will-they-won’t-they” moments. Joni is guarded but soft at her core, and Ren is the patient, emotionally available kind of guy who’s basically a dream. Their dynamic felt authentic and heartfelt, with a satisfying payoff that made the slow build worth it.

The audiobook narration added an extra layer of depth and really pulled me into their story. Some parts dragged a bit pacing-wise, but overall, this was such a sweet, emotionally grounded romance, perfect for a summer read that gives you all the warm fuzzies.

Highly recommend if you love character-driven love stories, emotional tension, and watching two people slowly realize they’ve been each other’s person all along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ARC!!!

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely completely took me by surprise—in the best way possible. I went into it expecting a sweet friends-to-lovers story, but what I got was so much more: layered family dynamics, emotional flashbacks, and a genuinely touching second-chance romance.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the use of flashbacks to build the history between Joni and Ren. It made their connection feel authentic and gave the story real emotional weight. I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance, and this one delivered.

That said, I did get a bit stressed by the secrecy and miscommunication at times. Joni’s family—especially at the rehearsal dinner—had me frustrated, and her relationship with her mom was definitely a rollercoaster. And don’t get me started on Ren’s mom constantly bringing up his ex as if she was the gold standard—especially when everyone else could clearly see where his heart really belonged.

The third-act breakup had me yelling “Don’t be silly, just be together!!” at my book. But even with those moments of frustration, I was so invested in the characters and loved the writing. Sally Blakely does a great job developing the story and characters in a way that feels grounded and emotional.

All in all, Friends to Lovers was a lovely surprise. It balanced romance, tension, and family drama in a way that kept me turning the pages. I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author in the future!

I really enjoyed this romantic comedy! Main characters Joni and Rem are joining their families at their shared lake house. Little do their families know that Joni and Rem haven’t seen each other in over two years. Told in dual time periods, we learn how their story unfolds. Joni and Rem were both kind and relatable. I also enjoyed the side characters. The narrator was outstanding- I loved all of her voices for the various characters. I recommend this great lighthearted summer read!

The narrator does an excellent job on the audiobook. Is told in a dual timeline. It it goes between present day and working us toward present day. Joni and Ren grew up best friends and their families grew up best friends. In the present day, they are all gathering together at their shared lake house, because Joni's sister is getting married. Their family does not know this but Joni and Ren have not seen each other for the last 2 and 1/2 years. Joni was just fired from her dream job + is contemplating moving back home to Portland, Oregon. Ren never moved away and their friendship has suffered since she moved away.

This was a cute, summer listen. The audio narration was not terrible but not my favorite. The story was a little boring, but I love Sally Blakely so I think this was just a small miss.

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advance listener copy!

I really enjoyed this book! The female narrator was excellent—she did a great job with both male and female voices, which made the audiobook easy to follow and fun to listen to.

The story was well written and kept me interested the whole time. I liked how it switched between the past and present—it made me want to keep listening to find out what happened between Joni and Ren. Their friendship and how it changed over time was really sweet to watch.

There were a lot of characters, which was a little confusing at times, but I liked the group overall. Everyone seemed to care about each other, and it added warmth to the story.

This was my first book by Sally Blakely, and I’m excited to read more from her!

I loved this book—truly could not put it down. I can't believe this was a debut novel; the writing is so confident, the emotions so raw and real, and the characters completely unforgettable. The friendship-turned-something-more between Joni and Ren was beautifully messy and tender, and the tension between them kept me hooked from start to finish.

The story captures the ache of growing up, growing apart, and maybe finding your way back in such a poignant way. I felt every beat of their history, their heartbreak, and their hope. I already can’t wait to see what this author writes next—I'll be first in line!

4⭐️ SOLID book. It’s everything you want in a contemporary romance. I wish the title was different because it’s already giving too much away. You know exactly how it’s going to end up so you never really get that surprise element. I appreciated the characters being older because there is a lot of pressure in your late 20s to have it figured out and of course, during this time, it feels like everything starts falling apart. The tension between the two was so real. The desperation between the both of them when they finally realized their feelings for each other made so much sense. Of course they didn’t want to waste any time or take it slow because they’ve spent years holding in these emotions. I wish there was MORE though. It was really hitting the spot and then it just ended. I guess that’s how you know a book is good through- when you’re just wishing there was more!

Something that kept confusing me were Sasha and Stevie. Their names being so similar gave me such a hard time as an audiobook listener because I couldn’t go back and search their names to figure out who is who. Speaking of the audiobook, the narrator was great. It flowed so naturally. The sound quality was excellent. No critiques there.

Overall, a solid book. There’s not much to complain about. You know exactly what you’re getting into when you pick this up.

Thank you to Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio, NetGalley, and Sally Blakely for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Well written, but way more drama than was warranted. Every reveal was obvious and every confrontation was cliche. I liked the characters for the most part, but then something would happen that was way too over the top.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarlequinAudio for an advance listening copy of #FriendsToLovers. Lifelong friends find love at a family gathering. 4 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

I listened to this book in one go and loved it. Patti Murin was a fantastic narrator. The dual timelines were hard to keep track of at times but that’s my only negative.

Read this book if you like:
- Emily Henry novels
- slow burn relationships
- wedding plots

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Sally Blakely for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is what summer beach reading is all about. This has shades of People We Meet On Vacation but is ultimately its own thing. Friends to Lovers is my favorite trope in romance so this was right up my alley. I loved how this romance blossomed from just plus ones to more. I really liked these two leads. I felt the chemistry between them completely. This book also had a really nice supporting cast that I found myself caring about a lot.

I am still new to audiobooks but I love the narrator. I think she told the story well and her voice shifts were very good.

This hit all the right emotions for me. Friends to lovers always gets me if it’s done with care, and this one absolutely was. You could feel the history between them — not just shared memories, but little details in how they talked, how they held back, how much they still wanted to protect each other even after everything.

The second chance part gave it more weight. It wasn’t just romance, it felt like they were both trying to grow into people who could meet in the middle this time. That made the soft moments feel even more intense. I kept rooting for them, but also kind of holding my breath, hoping they wouldn’t mess it up again.

I felt everything — the closeness, the missed chances, the small moments where you can tell one of them is about to say something but doesn’t. It was warm and painful in the best way. They weren’t perfect, but they felt right.

This is an adorable friends to enemies to lovers and I find that to be rare. It’s a cute lighthearted story and I enjoyed it. The narrator was good and the only thing I didn’t like was the single POV but it was still a good listen!