I just love a good Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn book. Watching two people who already know and love each other in a platonic way slowly start realizing that what they feel is so much more. It’s such a satisfying emotional build. Their relationship is grounded in trust, shared memories, comfort, and real vulnerability, and the shift into romance felt so earned, never forced, never rushed. The book gives People We Meet on Vacation and Happy Place vibes.

I loved this book. From the writing to the pacing to the characters and how their dynamic evolved, it was a standout debut. The prose was clean, immersive, and easy to settle into, and the way flashbacks were handled was good. They added depth without ever derailing the present-day narrative. I often find flashbacks can feel abrupt or distracting, but here? Seamless. The dual POV also worked well, giving us an intimate look at both sides of their friendship and heartbreak, which made the emotional moments hit so much harder.

🎧 Audiobook thoughts: Patti Murin did a great job narrating this one, really tapping into the emotional tone of each character. My only critique is that during the audio, it wasn’t always easy to tell if we were in a flashback or a present-day chapter, especially since the format relies a bit on visual cues. Once I peeked at the physical book layout, it made more sense, but it’s something to note if you’re listening instead of reading.

Friends to Lovers was tender, genuine, and beautifully paced. Sally Blakely’s debut delivered. If you’re in the mood for something heartfelt with a summer vibe and slow-burn tension, this one’s worth a spot on your TBR

Thank you Netgalley and to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press as well as the author for providing me with this audio ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Friends-to-Lovers Trope 5 ⭐️ Audiobook read from NetGalley
Goodreads review posted on: 08/04/2025

Joni and Ren’s friends-to-lovers story’s pulled on all of my heartstrings and was wholesome in a way that I didn’t know I needed. This is one of my favorite tropes because I love to hear the backstories of the characters and what events led them to falling in love and finally realizing it. Joni and Ren are each other’s constant wedding dates when they move m across the country from each other as a way to be able to see each other and keep in contact. They are back together for a Stevie and Leo’s wedding in their old family vacation spot after not speaking or seeing each other for three years.

One of the things that I loved about this book in particular was the backstory being intertwined within the current day pov. This showed how the current day’s events were sparked from history and what the characters were attempting to do different from before. I was absolutely not expecting the bombshells that were dropped in the second half of the book so that was a pleasant surprise as well!

Overall, this audiobook was a 5/5 ⭐️ read and I will definitely be reading more from Sally Blakely!

Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood, always each other’s plus-ones but never more, until a misstep shatters their friendship. Now back at her family’s summer home for her sister’s wedding, Joni must fake a friendship with Ren to keep the peace. But as old feelings resurface and romantic tension builds, she’s faced with a choice: let go of the past, or fight for the love that’s been there all along. A swoony, emotional story of second chances, summer love, and the fine line between friendship and forever.

⸻

❤️ Tropes
👫 friends to lovers
💔 second chance romance
🎉 summer wedding
🏖️ forced proximity
🎭 fake friendship
🧒 childhood best friends
⏳ dual timelines
🔥 emotional slow burn
📝 single POV
🎆 reunion romance

⸻

🎧 I loved the narrator, she really brought the story to life and added so much to the experience.

That said, I struggled a bit with all the miscommunication and unnecessary worry. It felt like a lot of the drama could’ve been avoided if the characters just had one honest conversation! Still, I really enjoyed the way the author wove in the flashbacks.. they helped connect the past and present beautifully and gave depth to Joni and Ren’s bond.

The middle dragged a little for me, but overall it gave cute, quick summer read vibes. I liked the friendship between Joni and Ren, even if I kept wanting them to just get the stick out of their butt and talk things through like grown-ups. 😂

If you’re into emotional slow burns and friends-to-lovers angst, this might hit the spot!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ALC!

Joni and Ren have always been inseparable best friends. Their families own a beach house together! Something happened and they haven’t spoken in 2 years. They are back at the beach house and have to pretend to still be friends. They don’t want to disrupt the wedding so they pretend nothing has happened. Sparks start flying with forced proximity.

#netgalleyarc #netgalley #netgalleyreview #friendstolovers #sallyblakely #sallyblakelyauthor #romancereader #romancebooks

I had a great time reading this People We Meet on Vacation adjacent romcom. The familial relationships felt like the meet and potatoes of this story with so many expectations and complicated relationships but ultimately filled with love. I was rooting for Joni and Ren from the beginning and was kept intrigued by the mystery of what went down on NYE to stop this relationship before it started.

Friends to Lovers is Sally Blakely’s debut novel. Joni Miller and Ren Webster had been friends their entire lives. In fact, their families have been friends forever and have shared ownership of a beach house on the coast of Oregon. The families have always tried to overlap at the beach house part of each summer. Joni and Ren went to the prom together, to college together, and began their work lives in Portland. When Joni’s company closes their Portland location she is transferred to NYC. To be sure they will spend time together once Joni has moved Ren and Joni make a pact to be each other’s plus one for all weddings they are invited to no matter what.

While this goes well for awhile, eventually lines are crossed and their friendship collapses. Now the wedding of the summer is Joni’s sister Stevie and Ren’s client Leo. Not only can they not miss it, it will be held at the beach house with so many memories. To add to Joni’s angst, she has just lost the job she left home to keep and is totally at loose ends. But Joni is determined to not ruin the mood for the wedding week because of her personal issues.

This is a well written story and seems to be by a seasoned author rather than a debut novel. There is an interesting format blending events of the recent past with the events of the wedding week. The characters are richly drawn, the Pacific coast setting well described, and the plot throws in a twist or two. Ms. Blakely should be very proud of her debut offering. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

One thing about me is l'm going to eat up a friends to lovers book every time. Especially when they've been friends forever and one secretly loves the other one
So good every time. But this book was amazing. I loved the characters. I was.truly rooting for them the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced audio-copy.

Friends to lovers is my absolute favorite romance trope. I love that these characters have a family history, their lives always kind of intertwined by their parent's shared vacation home.

Joni and Ren have grown up together and they've always vowed to be each other's plus one at weddings. As they grow older and learn more about themselves, they obviously come to realize that they love each other, that they've been in love with each other for a long time. After a wedding that ends in disaster, they stop having contact with each other. Joni hits hard times with her job and she feels anxious and alone and like she has to keep up the pretenses as she goes home for her sister's wedding. They're staying in the same vacation place. Ren and his family are there. And things heat up from there!

I had a great time with this audiobook. I liked Joni. I felt for her as she grappled with her anxiety and her mother who means well but pries a bit too far sometimes. I loved how Joni and Ren came to know each other again after their separation.

3 peppers on the spicy scale (for me), and 3 candies on the sweet scale.

🎧 Format: Audiobook ARC via NetGalley – thank you to the author and publisher!

Friends to Lovers is a heartfelt debut full of nostalgia, summer charm, and a slow-burn connection that spans decades. Joni and Ren have been best friends since they were three, the kind of bond that feels more like chosen family than anything else. Even when life takes them to opposite sides of the country, they commit to one sweet tradition: being each other’s plus-one for wedding season every year. Until something happens that fractures their friendship.

When Joni returns home for her sister’s wedding, she hasn’t spoken to Ren in over two years—and pretending everything’s fine? Not so easy when your heart never really moved on.

💛 What I enjoyed:

The history between Joni and Ren was rich and believable. Their friendship felt lived-in, with the kind of emotional shorthand that only comes from growing up side by side.

The plus-one wedding tradition was such a cute premise, and the flashbacks gave a lot of insight into how deep their connection really runs.

This is absolutely a beachy read. The Oregon coast setting, the family lake house, the bonfire vibes—it felt like summer in book form.

💬 Why it landed at 3 stars for me:
While I loved the concept and really rooted for the main characters, there were a few things that held me back. I wanted more tension and spark in the flashback chapters—at times, their chemistry felt more friendly than romantic, and I kept waiting for that “I can’t take it anymore” moment. Also, the side characters (especially some of the family members) were a bit overwhelming for me personally and occasionally distracted from the emotional core of the story.

That said, I genuinely loved the writing style and the way the author captured the ache of missing someone who’s been part of your life forever. This debut has heart, and I think a lot of readers will really connect with the themes of chosen family, growing pains, and what it means to fight for a friendship that might be something more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ A gentle, emotional friends-to-lovers story perfect for fans of Happy Place and People We Meet on Vacation, with plenty of nostalgic summer feels.

If Every Summer After and The Summer I Turned Pretty had a baby, this would be it.
While I enjoyed the book, I felt like it didn't fully capture my attention. It didn't reel me in or make me want to continue reading. I didn't feel invested or connected to the characters

If Happy Place and The People We Meet On Vacation had a baby, it would be this book, albeit a slightly paler less vibrant baby, but it's very reminiscent of these two for me.

I adore the 'friends to lovers' storyline, so it was a must-read for me when I saw this debut novel. You can feel there is a rift between Joni and Ren right from the start. It's so obvious (and a little painful) that they love each other as shown through the peeks at their history in the past timeline.

The end gave me heart flutters, which made the book for me. I do wish there was a bit more depth, especially as related to their falling out. It's perfectly fun if you are looking for a light, beachy romance.

Perfectly narrated by Patti Murin for an enjoyable listen.

I really wanted to love this, especially as it takes place in the PNW. However, I had the hardest time connecting with our two main love interests. I listened on audio a couple of weeks ago, and sadly I do not remember much of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early audio copy.

Loved this sweet friends to lovers debut by Sarah Blakely! Joni and Ren are such likable characters, and their slow-burn, second-chance romance was full of heart. A perfect summer read—I’m excited to see what Blakely writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin trade publishers for an advance audio copy

“Loving you … it's like my heart exists outside my body”

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audio copy. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Always each other’s plus-ones, but never each other’s read dates, two childhood best friends have one last summer wedding to fall in love in the dual-narrative debut.

What I enjoyed the most about this book is the emotional maturity of the characters. The slow-burn had you wanting more, and wasn’t over played. It fell into the “beach reads” vibe for me. Definitely had an Emily Henry feel to it, which makes sense with the cover art. I gave it a solid 3.5 stars.

🌟 3.5/5

Such a beautiful story of Ren and Joni. I love how their friendships evolved and when they both realized that their feelings have changed for each others. I liked that even through the chaos, Ren was calm and when he needed to step up he did in the end. This was such a beautiful read and I enjoyed every minute.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
Friends to Lovers is a heartfelt, slow-burn romance about childhood best friends navigating second chances and unspoken feelings. I loved the Oregon coast setting and the emotional intimacy between Joni and Ren, but overall it just didn’t completely pull me in. Sweet story, just not a new favorite.
I like the friends-to-lovers trope but the miscommunication with this story drove me crazy. (It’s a me thing.) I got a little bored with the story to be honest.
Ren was such a sweet MMC. 💞

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend if you like:
🩵 Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
💙 Forced Proximity
🩵 Second Chance
💙 Slow Burn

I would absolutely read more work by this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to this on audio and followed along the ebook. The narrator does a fantastic job!

Well this was filled with all of the sweetness! What a great book. I just loved the characters in this one and just ate it up.

This is for the Emily Henry fans out there! It had some predictability to it but Joni and Ren outweighed that by tons!

I also loved the narrator in this. Patti has narrated a bunch of books I’ve listened to like Katherine Center and few Christina Lauren books!

A cute read! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the gifted copy to review.

Thank you to @netgalley and Harlequin Trade for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Also thank you to Harlequin Audio for a free audio copy.

★★★★☆

Friends to Lovers is a heartfelt, sun-soaked debut that delivers all the emotional payoff you want from a best-friends-to-lovers romance—and the audiobook version, narrated by the always-excellent Patti Murin, makes it even more special.

Joni and Ren’s relationship is the heart of this story. Their tradition of being each other’s plus-ones for wedding season is sweet and nostalgic, but when old feelings resurface during one final summer together, the emotional tension is palpable. Blakely does a beautiful job capturing the ache of missed chances and the vulnerability of finally confronting what’s been unspoken for years.

Patti Murin’s narration brings so much warmth and nuance to both characters. She captures Joni’s inner conflict and Ren’s quiet longing with such authenticity that you feel every beat of their journey. The dual narrative structure works well, and the setting—beach days, family weddings, and late-night confessions—adds a dreamy, romantic backdrop.

If you love slow-burn romance with emotional depth and a touch of summer nostalgia, this audiobook is a must-listen. Sally Blakely is definitely an author to watch, and Patti Murin once again proves why she’s one of my favorite narrators.

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #harlequintrade #harlequinaudio #friendstolovers #sallyblakely #pattimurin

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!

Friends To Lovers by Sally Blakely was just so so well done. Joni and Ren’s love story was multi-timeline perfection. Childhood best friends who come from families who are best friends and always vacation together?? Sign me up. Plus friends to lovers is one of my very favorite tropes so I was already ready to eat this one up. What I wasn’t expecting was a book with such lovely substance and a cast of characters that I’ll be thinking about for a long time to come.

I loved getting to know these characters and I adored the way the book was written. We worked backward from the conflict and saw their relationship building back up from the breakup through current events and events of the past. This was a surprisingly emotional read and I really, really enjoyed it. I wanted more of this book as soon as I finished it!!

4.5⭐️

RECAP:Joni and Ren have been best friends since childhood, keeping their bond strong by being each other’s wedding season plus-ones every year—even after Joni moves across the country. But when a line is crossed, their once-unbreakable friendship falls apart. Now, back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, Joni is determined to make the week perfect, even if it means pretending things with Ren are fine. As old memories resurface and quiet moments turn tender, Joni begins to wonder what her life means without him—and whether their story is truly over, or just waiting for a second chance.

REVIEW: This is like a combo of People We Meet on Vacation and Happy Place - although I didn't enjoy it as much as I do EmHen's books, I still think this would be a nice read for a beach day. As the name suggests, it's (surprise, surprise) the friends to lovers trope, with a dash of second chance romance. It did move along pretty steadily, but overall, I think it could have been a little bit of a shorter book.