This was an epic friends to lovers, second chance romance told through flashbacks that has two best friends and vowed plus ones for weddings reunited for yet another wedding involving both their families. I loved the anxiety rep in this book, the narration by Patti Murin and the perfect People we meet on vacation vibes (one of my fav Emily Henry books)!! Fans of this trope won't want to miss this stellar debut. My only complaint was that miscommunication/deception was involved in the initial breakup/falling out and I am never a fan of that. Overall a solid debut and I look forward to seeing what Sally Blakely writes next! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

4⭐️ Ren and Joni 🫶🏻

Childhood best friends turned lovers and I loved it! Ren had some banger lines, like the way this man talks omg!!! Joni struggles with anxiety and I was slightly anxious about what was happening in certain parts of the book, because of what was happening but overall loved the character growth!

I also enjoyed the family and friend dynamic, it was so fun. It made me want to buy a beach house with my best friends. Let’s never forget “Fratty Chicken!”

The audiobook was good, there were a few hiccups where it would pause or skip but it could have been the app. The narrator was great!

If I had to recommend a book that just ~feels~ like summer, sitting on a beach with your toes buried in the sand and listening to the waves come in it and out, it would 100% be Friends to Lovers.

I was looking for a book that feels like summer, and gave me the same lovey, giddy feelings that Happy Place by Emily Henry did and this one fit the bill.

I absolutely loved seeing our two MC’s grow up with the flashbacks to what happened and also seeing who they are in present day. The family dynamic in the book was phenomenal, and make me wish I wasn’t an only child so I could have a sister like Stevie.

I was laughing out loud at point, cussing out characters at other moments, and genuinely just couldn’t put this book down. For a debut novel it was absolutely amazing, and I am adding Sally Blakey to my list of authors I need to read again!


Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I just finished this book and I can’t stop thinking about it. The story is a true best friends to lovers story. I absolutely loved the audio version and breezed through this book in two days. Highly recommend this author and book!

AHHHHHHH!!! yessss! my favorite part from friends to lovers is when the friends forget they are friends and become loversssssss!!!!
I have to admit I got a bit lost in between all the weddings and the drama but I LOOOOVED IT!!

it was very fun and I do recommend it, very cute, not spicy, just barely but not really.

Single POVs are not my cup of tea but this narrator did an outstanding job and I barely missed anyone else, her voice really suited Joni and was very engaging. I don't know how she did it but she really made me distinguish between each character when there was a conversation between several people, and there were several of those, she really did an AMAZING job!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Harlequin Audio for this ALC!

What a cute summer romance to read! This moving and emotionally rich summer romance was a great edition to the start of my summer. This is a slow-burning love story with a back-and-forth timeline that kept me engaged. this debut was just so well done, i could feel the angst and tension off the pages and kept wanting to listen to the story. There was a dash of miscommunication trope, but it was done in a way that I enjoyed it. Very well done- can't wait to read more from this author!

This audiobook was narrated by Patti Murin and she did and amazing job. She brought the emotion as well as the romance. She did such a good job keeping me engaged the entire time. WELL DONE!

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I’d rate this 3.5. Over all it was a cute, friends to lovers, slow burn romance featuring childhood best friends. I really enjoyed the setting at their families vacation house and everything involving getting families together for a wedding. My dislikes are that this was a slow slow slow burn that left me losing interest in the middle, especially because it took SO long to reveal why they quit talking for 2 years. When it was revealed it was a little underwhelming. I also never really connected with Joni, the female main character.

The audio was good however it was difficult to know when the story was switching from present day to the
Past.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this audiobook copy to read and review.

I just want to say that this book was super cute, even cuter than the description made it sound. I was certain that the book would be interesting, but it ended up being even cuter than I was expecting. For me, when it comes to romance novels, sometimes it can feel like they have too much drama and not enough actual details of what is happening with others and also emotionally in the main characters. However, I feel like the author had great use of proper angst and past and present details to make the book actual work out dramatically for the better.

I think part of this was the fact that there were cute romance scenes (some from the past) mixed into the normal parts of the plot making it all work together to feel less like drama for no reason and more like actual story with real rounded characters. Part of it, I think was the narrator. I feel like the narrator not only did good at pacing as the story was read but also of doing the voices of the characters. To the point that I sometimes forgot it was one person reading the story. I was just all in and totally invested. The spicy rating was also a level 2.

Overall, I would rate this story a 5 out of 5 star rating. I actually enjoyed it and thought it was super cute and wouldn’t mind reading another one by this author.

I will start this review with the fact that the friends to lovers trope is my favorite trope. So when i saw this book I knew i needed to read it. Sally Blakely, if this is your debut novel, you knocked it out of the park!!!! Joni and Ren are two close friends that grew up together. They have an amazing arrangement that they are each other's wedding date. So they would get together once or twice a year and have a blast. What they did not realize was they were both having romantic feelings for each other. When a misunderstanding puts a few years of distance between them, how will things go when Joni and Ren have to come back together for Joni's sister's wedding? Can they find their way back to each other or will their friendship remain strong enough to be enough?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

I’m such a sucker for a friends-to-lovers story, and this one totally delivered. The slow-burn romance had me hooked, and I found myself rooting for the characters from the very beginning. Their connection felt genuine—sweet, messy, and relatable in all the best ways. I especially loved how the emotional layers were handled without feeling overdone. It struck the perfect balance of heart and humor, and celebrates the magic of knowing someone deeply and falling for them anyway.

The narrator brought the characters to life beautifully, adding warmth and personality to each voice and making the emotional moments hit even harder. It really enhanced the whole experience! She made it very easy to distinguish between the characters without losing parts of the story.

Huge thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the ARC—I had so much fun reading this one!

What a compelling story!

I sometimes find dual timelines to be frustrating as it can delay the progression of the story in some senses when swapping from one timeline to another. However in this story that was far from the truth, I was eager to see what would unfold next and what piece of their woven historical tapestry would unravel next. It was intriguing to see how Ren and Joanie’s childhood friendship evolved as they matured through school, college life into adulthood as the two take jobs on opposite coasts of the country. The only time they spend time together in person for the next several years is at family weddings as each other’s plus ones. Each flashback to a different wedding links another part of why each of them are the way they are and how it has led to the dynamic their relationship has in the present as they meet once again, this time for her sister’s wedding.

I enjoyed this forced proximity, childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance story! The audiobook narrator did a great job. Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

this was honestly not enjoyable for me whatsoever :( it reminded me heavily of people we meet on vacation by emily henry and i think in that case what worked well was not accomplished here. the mc’s don’t get together or have a real conversation about their two year break until the 70% mark, so how was i supposed to root for them until then? AND the reason felt so villainous i was genuinely upset with joni and her actions after!! i wanted to love this so bad as i read it in the summertime but i do think if you’re a fan of emily, maybe you’d have better luck with this book!

the narrator contrarily was excellent and i enjoyed listening to her narration!!

3.5 read.

The over all story is really good. Very much gives Emily Henry.

However, some of the timelines gets choppy. All of a sudden you will be in a flash back in Joni's head and you're wondering where you are in the story.

Loved Ren and you could see in everything he did that he loved Joni. But Joni was a bit annoying in her soft possessiveness without understanding what she really felt.

I really enjoyed this second-chance romance. between two best friends who had a falling out years ago after finally exploring the feelings between them. The story is told partially in the present, as they prepare for the FMC's sister's wedding, and partially in flashbacks that focus on joint family vacations and weddings the two MCs have attended together as each other's plus-ones. I thought the structure really helped to build tension, and I loved the whole cast of characters—having both of their families so involved was great, and all their personalities were so fun. I did get a little confused about who was who a few times but nothing too major. I liked the narration, too—there were some weird editing glitches, but I assume that's something that'll be fixed before the book is out, so it didn't affect my rating at all.

Perfect and quick summer read, gives off this should be a Netflix movie vibes.

Joni, is back at her family's vacation house after 2 years away. She came a day early to try and get herself some time. She just lost her job and she's trying to hide it until after the wedding. Wren, newly single after ending a serious relationship, is Joni's childhood friend... but so much more. However, they had a falling out years ago and now they have to pretend they are still best friends for their family. Now that they are forced to share a room again, they are slowly starting to talk again and working on their complex emotions.

Childhood Friends
Slow Burn
Friends to Lovers

I received an advance review copy audio version. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio, for the opportunity to listen to this book. Patti Murin did an amazing job narrating this audiobook.

This book made me cry, and I loved it so much!

Joni and Wren...someone should have smacked them both upside their heads sooner. I'm glad they finally figured it out!

Thank you to netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC!

This is a friends to lovers trope that hits the spot! It is very Emily Henry like and I am here for that! It is the perfect summer beach read.

The narrator (Patti Murin) was perfect for this story.

Not groundbreaking but a goodie! Joni and Ren's story reminded me of a blend of People You Meet on Vacation meets the movie Plus One. I liked all the characters and the plot and the dual timeline was well done. I don't think the subplot of Joni's anxiety really added anything to her character or the plot and it felt a bit... like it lacked commitment. I also liked the side characters and how they wove into the story, I thought that was well done. There wasn't any cringe and the chemistry and romance as well as the family dynamics all felt very natural and plausible. Overall, I would say it's a bit cookie cutter but a really pleasant listen! I liked the narrator - I thought it suited the Joni character and her voicing of other characters was well done - each distinct without being too weird or cringe or extending.

I liked this one. A really good debut novel! The narrator was great with putting out the emotions on this one!
It was a slow burn summer romance, def gave beachy read vibes. I found the dual timelines a bit confusing & maybe it was because of the formatting of the eARC or if this was how it was written. It would go from five years ago to present day with no notice, so that kinda took away from the flow of the story.
Joni & Ren's love story was a stereotypical "we realized we loved each other and it took a long while to figure it out" & I like stories like that.
There was some initial tension with the FMC that i kinda was confused on why it was so secretive, & it was kind of all spewed out toward the end- which in turn- made me think some of the earlier mundane scenes could've been cut out because to me it gave rushed toward the end.. But I really liked the epilogue
Overall. Liked this a lot! Perfect for fans of Annabel Monaghan, Joyce & BK Borison

Friends to Lovers sets up a lighthearted romance with childhood friends promising to be each other’s plus-ones to any weddings they’ll attend as adults. After Joni and Ren have a falling out, they begin to reconnect at her sister’s wedding where their past will finally unravel.

I loved the setup of this book, friends to lovers / second chance romance are my favorite tropes and there were certain elements I enjoyed in this novel - the summery setting, laid back atmosphere, and realistic emotional range.

However, it failed to really grab me. I wanted this to be *more* but it was just middle of the road. Especially with People We Meet on Vacation comparisons… it didn’t quite get there. I never really connected with the characters. It felt very one sided, I don’t think Joni and Ren had any meaningful conversations to support this great years-long love story, I was slightly underwhelmed. The lack of communication was so frustrating, not only between them, but also between them and their family members. Joni was locked up tighter than Fort Knox! I just wished I connected with her more and overall to the story. I’m sure others may enjoy more.

Audiobook narration by Patti Murin was very good, she has a great voice for romances and adds fun personality to each character. Some of the pre-wedding shenanigans were very fun to follow. However, the production was a little clunky where I noticed long pauses between chapters and words. I thought my phone glitched but it happened numerous times as well as phrases repeating (this is an early copy, so it may be fixed in the final).

Thank you to HTP Hive and the publisher for the review copy.