This book is a nostalgic journey of childhood friendship to unrequited love. The FMC Joni adores her best friend Ren; they are inseparable and know each other’s thoughts and feelings just by a look. As they get older and mature, things get confusing when life gets complicated. They make a pack to be each others wedding “plus ones” to always have a reason to come together again.

As the story goes on, you learn that something has happened that has driven a wedge into their relationship. Something that Joni has a hard time processing and dealing with. This causes her to not only push away Ren, but her family as well.

This is obviously a friends to lovers story, but it’s also one of self discovery and adulting. Overall, this book gave me some feels thinking of crushes and childhood friends that are no longer in my life. A fun summer read about friendship and love.

While listening to the audiobook, I did think the narrator spoke too slowly and bumped up the speed significantly to be able to listen. I did have a hard time between chapters understanding which timeline we were in u til there was context.

If you’re an Emily Henry fan, Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely absolutely belongs on your TBR. This book was lighthearted, fun, and had me smiling the whole way through. The chemistry between the characters was so natural and sweet, and the dual timeline added just the right amount of emotional depth. I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers stories, and this one nailed the slow-burn connection and heartwarming payoff. A perfect beach read with all the romantic vibes I was hoping for!

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely follows Joni and Ren, two best friends who have a pact to attend weddings only with each other until two years ago when their friendship went wrong and they haven’t seen each other since then. The book is a dual timeline that tells you about the weddings they’ve attended and the wedding they are attending now. And by the way, none of their family know that they had a falling out so they have to pretend everything is good in front of their family. They also are trying to sort their lives out while maybe trying to regain their friendship after the incident.

I liked this book but I didn’t know this would be a dual timeline and I famously don’t like dual timelines so I had to deduct a star for that. I have seen criticism that it is Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation reheated nachos and I mean, it’s true but I also love Emily Henry and this book was written really well so I’m giving it a pass for that. I loved the main characters, I love an oblivious FMC and a he-falls-first MMC and this book gives you exactly that.

Now let me talk about the audiobook because I got to do immersive reading for this one and I don’t think I’d be rating it as high if I didn’t have the audiobook. I freaking loved the audiobook. I thought the narrator did such a wonderful job. It isn’t a duet but I thought that Patti Murin did such a great job that it didn’t need it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who liked PWMOV or likes books with he falls first mmc. I do not recommend this book to people who get angry when the FMC is oblivious because this book will make you mad.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, Town Center Books, and Sally Blakely for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

oh my god, i am so well 😭

after seeing this book everywhere for a while a friend of mine posted about how much she loved this read and that it would be one of her favorite reads of the year i IMMEDIATELY went to go download this audiobook not knowing anything about it and i am BEYOND happy i did.

the friendship between the two MCs, the YEARNING!!! the found family!!!! the setting!!!

let me tell you first - this cover is deceiving as all get out 😂. tell me why i thought this would be a cutie friends to lovers beach read and next thing i know im in shambles within the first ten chapters 😂 (i loved every minute of it too). i have not felt this kind of physical pain reading a second chance book since happy place, which i adored and have been chasing that high since so while i know this is said to be PWMOV vibes, i get happy place with a sprinkle of PWMOV 🙂‍↕️

i am a friends to lovers STAN, it is one of my favorite tropes and paired with second chance??? CHEFS KISS. i have been hitting a really hard reading slump lately in the sense that while i’m able to read, i havent been enjoying literally anything, until this book 😭🩵

joni and ren to put it quite plainly were made for each other, their friendship is such a beautiful thing to watch especially as they are navigating being in each others life’s once again.

it is no secret that im not the biggest dual timeline fan, more often than not it throws me out of the story and all i care about is getting back to the present pov but this book made the flashbacks feel SO seamless (and necessary, it didnt just happen to happen) that i actually really enjoyed that aspect and found myself wanting to get a little more of the past joni & ren.

overall, i had the best time binge listening to this book all day and im already looking forward to rereading this in the future. the writing and story telling was so phenomenal for me. i physically felt all of joni & rens pain and joy the entire time almost like i was there in the story with everyone. this being a debut novel on top of everything is just insane to me in the best way and i can already say that sally has an auto buy fan for life, i cant wait to see what gets put out next!! 🩵

The friends-to-lovers trope is hard to execute in my opinion but wow this one took it to a new level. I did enjoy this book at the beginning, but the further into it I got, the more frustrated I became with Joni and Ren. Once you quickly realize that they've clearly always been in love, the dual timeline flashback chapters just started to feel boring. I also felt very sad for Joni about her job and I was hoping that part of the plot would be wrapped up at the end. But we didn't get that even though it was a big part of the story.

Friends to Lovers is one of my absolute favorite tropes, and Joni and Ren's best friends to lovers journey was so well written. Joni and Ren grew up together, and they have always been each other's best friend. When Joni moves across the country for work, they make a deal to stay in each other's lives. They will be each other's plus one for weddings. The story is told through flashbacks over the past few years to show the weddings that they attended and ultimately what went wrong in their friendship.

After being inseparable for most of their lives, they haven't spoken in two and a half years. They reunite at the wedding of Joni's sister, and Joni and Ren have to face their feelings and past hurts to decide if they want to be in each other's lives again.

Having flashbacks allowed for the reader to get such deep insight into how things have changed for Joni over the past few years. I enjoyed seeing how much they cared for each other, and their story resolved in such a meaningful way.

Patti Murin narrated this book, and she brought such an emotional depth to the story. I felt like I was right there with Joni, and I was experiencing what she was going through.

absolutely love the friends to lovers trope, especially childhood friends to lovers, so I immediately knew I had to pick this one up. It also has a bit of a second chance romance happening as well which makes didn’t expect. The pacing and dual timeline really worked for me in this book. Joni and Ren are clearly meant for each other. I started off reading a physical copy of the book but when I saw Patti Murin was the narrator I switched to audio. As expected, the narration was great. Definitely recommend!

After their last encounter ended in heartbreak, former best friends, Ren and Joni come face to face again after 2.5 years spent apart for a wedding. As Joni reflects back on their time spent as each others plus ones to past weddings, she begins to question if the decision she made to walk away from Ren was the right one after all.

I typically love second chance romances but ones that occur due to miscommunication like this one are just not my favorite. I also am not keen on when the FMC leads the MMC on for what feels like on eternity. It just felt like a case of "she can live without him until he is unavailable and then, all of a sudden she can’t live without him.”

The narrator was easy to listen to and did a great job juggling all the characters. There were times though when there was a long pause within the same sentence that I imagine was more due to editing than the actual narrator.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Harlequin Audio for the ARC and ALC.

Ren and Joni are so sweet, both then and now, and it was a joy to watch their relationship evolve over the years (except not so joyful for the past couple fraught years). I really enjoyed the dual timeline of weddings leading up to now, and this current wedding weekend of Joni’s sister.

I love the heartfelt moments, the families of each of our main characters, and the nostalgia and flashbacks interlaced throughout.

☀️Childhood best friends
☀️ Friends to lovers
☀️ Dual timelines
☀️ Forced proximity
☀️ Second chance
☀️ Slow burn
☀️ Some spice

Such an AMAZING debut from Sally Blakely, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you HTP The Hive, HTP Books, and Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio & Sally Blakely for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Second chance, forced proximity, families are besties (co-own a summer home together), so. many. weddings. (in the best possible way.) I really enjoyed this book- if you've loved Christina Lauren's Love and Other Words and Carley Fortune's Every Summer After this novel captures the years of love and friendship that those stories do. Their agreement to always being each other's plus ones to weddings is such a cool plot tool to go back to each wedding in the dual timeline to show how the friendship evolved and stayed together.. until it didn't.

Regarding narration- Since I didn't know of this author- I will be honest that my driving force to this book (besides a cute cover and good description) was that it is narrated by Patti Murin. Per absolute usual- she knocked this out of the park!

What a wonderfully written debut. I both listened to this on audio and read the e-book. Theyboth were incredible. I enjoyed the narrator and just getting lost in the book. The emotions were felt from page 1, not just between the FMC and MMC, but their families and friends. The love and support were apparent throughout the book and I truly enjoyed how real the relationships felt. I loved the chemistry, the banter and the growth. This story clearly portrayed the love felt between friends, a love that slowly becomes more. The fear of ruining a relationship, the impact felt from family and close friends. This book alternates between past and present and it was done flawlessly. I really enjoyed getting lost in the emotions of this book - just really well done and wonderful.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

This book is everything I want in a summer read: heartfelt, fun, and just the right amount of messy.

I loved this story! Joni and Ren’s relationship had me totally hooked from the first chapter. Their plus-one wedding pact is such a sweet and clever setup, and watching their friendship teeter into something more, while they try desperately (and hilariously) to keep it together, made for the perfect mix of tension, laughs, and emotion. I was cheering for these two the whole way through.

This was my first Sally Blakely book, but definitely not my last. I’ll be keeping an eye out for whatever she writes next.

A fabulous beach read. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance audio copy. As this is an audiobook, I 'd like to include that the narrator was fantastic. As someone who listens to a lot of audiobooks, I think it is important to note when the narrator is fantastic, or not a great fit. Patti Murin is always fabulous.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ // Fun, flirty, and full of summer charm!

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely is exactly what I wanted in a feel-good, sunshine-soaked romcom. I’m a total sucker for the best friends to lovers trope, and this one delivered with swoony moments, playful banter, and the kind of chemistry that makes you cheer every time they’re in the same room.

The audiobook? Chef’s kiss. The narration brought these characters to life in such a fun way—I found myself smiling like an idiot anytime I was listening.

That said, the third-act conflict leaned a little too far into the miscommunication trope for me and felt a bit forced, which kept it from being a full five stars. But honestly? It didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the ride.

If you enjoy Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, or the cozy chaos of a summer romance, this book will have you giggling, kicking your feet, and rooting hard for two besties finally figuring it out.

4 stars⭐️

This is such a sweet childhood friends to lovers story. I am a SUCKER for friends to lovers so this was right up my alley.

Jonie and Ren are childhood friends who grew up together. After an event that resulted in no contact between them for a couple of years, they are forced back together at their childhood vacation home for a family wedding.

It’s a journey of vulnerability for Jonie and discusses her relationship with not only Ren, but her work, her family, and herself.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. It is a single POV book, but the female narrator did a great job with narrating male voices as well as the female characters.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Harlequin Audio for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for early copy for review*

I listened to the audiobook for this. I liked the narrator for this, but it would have been so much better with a narrator for the male main character. Of course the author would have also written some chapters in his pov as well. There was times I was confused at what time the audiobook was in past vs present.

This has some tropes I really love and while I understand the reasons the main female character did what she did in the past, I hate bad communication. Also even by the end I was afraid she wasn't taking her anxiety seriously enough and putting a bandaid on the problem. This one was hard to rate, because for everything I liked I had other problem as well. I do think the audiobook brought it down for me to a 3 in the end.

A great happy-ever-after beach read. This is one you’ll want to pick up!

I love a romance that develops from friendship, and it’s even sweeter when it starts as kids! I do struggle a bit with a mis-communication trope though. And can we talk about interfering moms?!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Friends to Lovers is a sweet romance book about two childhood best friends who are trying to avoid their desire to take their friendship to the next level. What happens when you are in love with your best friend but scared to admit. Their love for one another. So scared that after an event that draws them near leads to them not speaking for years. After a number of relationships and distance the friends meet up in Portland for Joni’s sisters wedding
Joni at times drove me crazy with her indecisiveness, but I was glad the way the story ended. I highly recommend this book for lovers of friends to lovers romances and loves of happily ever afters. Did I mention I am a lover of happily ever afters and boy oh boy did I love this one.
Thank you Net-galley and Harlequin audio for the chance to review this arc.

Joni and Ren have been best friends since childhood. After Joni moved to New York, they made a pact to always be each other's plus one, until they crossed a line and their friendship was ruined. But being back in the same place for Joni’s sister’s wedding forces them to confront their true feelings and decide whether their bond is just friendship or something more.

I loved it! It gave me serious Happy Place vibes.
I’ve been really into the friends to lovers trope lately, and this one absolutely delivered!
I started with both the ebook and audiobook, but ended up mostly listening. Patti Murin did an amazing job narrating! She made the story so fun and easy to listen to.
I loved the friendship, the setting - honestly, everything about it. It’s hard to believe this is a debut, it was so good!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Harlequin Audio for the advanced copies!!

The absolute perfect summer read for any friends to lovers fan. I needed this ooey gooey love that starts as two best friends that turned sour…. For whatever reason? We were left wondering what the heckkkk happened to these two for the longest time. I was dyinngggg to figure out what happened the 2 1/2 years prior to Stevie and Leo’s wedding. It kept me hooked til the very end. The flashbacks to their previous weddings as “plus ones” was SO much fun to see them grow up as they graduated and came into themselves as adults.

If you love an EmHen, this is the read for you. It’s so deep, it covers so much emotion and growth and focuses so highly on how Joni is feeling. The way Joni and Ren had the entire book together was so special, even if we flipped back n forth from past to present.


I think so many can relate to a person who’s throws themselves into their job, bc they have nothing else. I also think so many can relate to pretending all is fine so their parents don’t worry about them. Overall, it hit me in all my feels about friends, about family, sisters, close family friends and about personal experience in the workplace and how one feels their self worth is reliant on their career.

If you love Emily Henry, especially People We Meet on Vacation, you don’t want to miss Sally Blakely’s debut! 💕

Joni and Ren have been best friends since childhood, in a relationship so close they have matching tattoos. As life takes them on separate paths, they promise at least to be each other’s plus-ones for weddings. We join them at Joni’s sister’s wedding, with flashbacks to several other years. Through this format, we see drama and sadness including unspoken feelings, other relationships, and timing that just doesn’t line up. Fortunately it’s clear to just about everyone that they are barreling down a path to happily ever after 💗💗💗

Patti Murin is a perfect narrator for characters like Joni with messy over-thinker inner monologues, sounding believable along the spectrum from anxious to swooning.