4.5 rounded up

Warm, witty and filled with chemistry, this book had me swooning and I loved every second of it. The story is centered around two best friends whose bond feels natural and strong. They stumbled a bit along the way, found each other again years later and seemingly picked up right where they left off. It captured the magic of long-term friendship that blossomed into love with heart, humor and vulnerability. The characters are also some that will stick with you well after you’ve finished the last page. A must read for summer!!

Thank you Harper books for my copy!

I loved this book so much. As soon as I finished reading/listening to my eARC and audioARC I immediately looked up Sally Blakely to see if there were any other things of hers I could read (not yet!!)

Friends to Lovers is a beautiful rendition of the friends to lovers trope as you’d expect!! It also details excellent representation of anxiety and panic attacks (some of the stigma that comes with it), the desire to love and be loved, and navigating your own identity within and outside of relationships.

Joni and Ren are such a sweet combo and their friendship is iconic, tender, and fun. This book tackles very relatable experiences and somehow engages in good depth while being low angst. I was so deeply compelled to keep learning more about their story. I loved the dual timeline aspect and it had me hooked from the getgo.

The audio production of this book was phenomenal. I really love Patti Murin — she is one of my favorite narrators, and this book was no different. The production was phenomenal and added a beautiful depth to the story.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a really solid beach read—easy to get into, with beautiful West Coast scenery and a chill, steady pace. It felt like a “palette cleanser” kind of book, which I appreciated after some heavier reads.

The title didn’t do it for me, though. Using the main trope as the title felt a little flat—I think something more creative could’ve made it stand out more.

Character-wise, I really liked Ren. He felt grounded and charming, and honestly, I pictured him as super handsome the whole time. Jonie, on the other hand, didn’t quite click with me at first. She has her passions, but she came off a bit meek - like she’d be scared of her own shadow in the first half. I did end up liking her arc by the end, but she didn’t grab me the way Ren (or even her sister) did from the start.

The writing style reminded me a lot of Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation - easy, fun, and kind of familiar in tone.

Overall, this isn’t a book that blew me away, but I enjoyed it! A great pick if you’re looking for something light and comforting.

This book gives you all the SUMMER VIBES.

Beach house ✔️
Weddings ✔️
Music ✔️

Joni is in her late 20’s feeling unsure of where her life is going after being fired.
She decides to fly out early to the beach house where the families vacation .
Thinking she will have some alone time before everyone arrives for her sister’s wedding. Joni was not prepared to reunite with Ren her estranged best friend who she hasn’t spoken to in the past 2.5 years.. You’ll have to read it to find out where it goes from there 😆

📖1st person POV
📖Past and present timelines.
📖Second chance romance

If you’re a fan of Emily Henry and Carley Fortune then i think you would enjoy this book.

It’s The People We Meet On Vacation, but swap the vacations for weddings.
Plus a beach house like the one from The Summer I Turned Pretty would equal this summer read. ☀️

🎧📖: Narrator Patti Murin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC/ALC.

Joni and Ren were best friends growing up in Oregon, and when Joni moves to New York, they make sure they’ll still see each other by being each other’s plus-ones to all the weddings that come around in your 20s. Until the worst happens and they don’t even talk for more than two years. Until Joni’s sister is getting married back at the Oregon beach house their families have owned together for years. They’re forced to confront what happened and how much they mean to each other.

I started out loving this book and wanting to know everything that happened. The writing is clever and witty, Ren is an absolute dream, the side characters are fun, and so much is going on. But then it went a little downhill for me. I just had a really hard time with Joni. There was just so much whining, blaming her terrible decisions on being an anxious person (while that makes sense for some of them, it can't genuinely explain others), and making the same mistakes over and over again without any real character growth. I can’t tell you how many times I was yelling at her out loud to get her head out of her you-know-what. But the writing and banter definitely picked it back up, and there were some beautiful and truly heartfelt moments.

It still was a very cure book, so if you’re a big friends-to-lovers and second chances fan, this book is probably for you.

The narrator was excellent and I loved her tone and inflection.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 Thanks to NetGalley and harlequin audio for the advanced audio copy. I wouldn’t say this is anything super original or groundbreaking but it is a good summer read. Friends to lovers with some family drama. I enjoyed the narrator and the audiobook was very easy to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. Friends to lovers isn't necessarily my favorite romance trope but it was an enjoyable listen even if the main character was a little messy at times. I found myself questioning some of her motives and moves, but it was all wrapped up in a nice little package at the end of the day.

Thank you to Harlequin trade and audio for early review copies via NetGalley
This book was summery, nostalgic, and full of chemistry—I was rooting for Joni and Ren the whole way through. I loved the coastal wedding setting, the sibling dynamics, and the slow-burn romance that gave me major Emily Henry vibes (Happy Place, anyone?). My biggest hiccup? The miscommunication trope dragged a little, and the flashbacks sometimes felt too long—I wanted more present-day Joni and Ren! Still, it’s a gentle, easy-to-devour friends-to-lovers story with just a pinch of spice, perfect for summer reading or listening (the audiobook narrated by Patti Murin is fantastic).

Joni and Ren have been best friends since they were three. Their families are very close; they even co-own a beach house. Joni has to come home for her sister's wedding- the first time she's been home in over two years- since the day she and Ren stopped talking. Only Joni's sister even knows they aren't talking- Joni and Ren have kept it a secret that they aren't talking. Joni misses him, but she knows he has to hate her, too. What will happen when they reunite?

I want a relationship like Joni and Ren. One where it is impossible to figure out where one ends and one begins. Well, maybe not the last few years. But otherwise, yes.

I loved watching them sort it out in the present. The book does go back in time to tell their story somewhat- so you work up to when it all fell apart. I felt like the flashbacks were too long sometimes. I wanted the book to move on. The lengthy detours kept me from loving this. I liked it- I just wanted more present day Joni and Ren and less past Joni and Ren.

Patti Murin narrates. It is great, as always.

I received an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love love love this book. It was so incredibly sweet and believable. The narration is fabulous. I'll be recommending this one on my Instagram account in the coming week: @stressiereads

📖🎧✨ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ✨🎧📖
𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 by 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 is a debut novel that hits all the right notes for fans of slow-burn romance. You will find warmth, wit, and relationships evolving over time.
It gives very similar vibes to People We Meet on Vacation by EH. If you are a fan of Emily Henry, Carley Fortune, or Abby Jimenez, you will enjoy this book.
I listened to the audio, and Patti Muren, as always, did a fabulous job. Listening to her warm voice makes the story come alive. She captured both the heartache and the hope in each chapter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an advanced audio copy. I loved this story it was sweet and cute, a friends to lover and 2nd chance romance. It makes such a perfect summer read for a beach day. It was well written and I had a fun time listening to it. Thank you once again 😊

I always love a good friends to lovers story and add a wedding, count me in. Ren and Joni are childhood best friends and things changed when Joni moved to NYC for a job. They agreed to be each other's plus 1 for any weddings.

The story is told in Joni's POV and the timeline of the week of Joni's sister's wedding and everyone is staying at the family's beach house. It is looks back at weddings that they attended.

I enjoyed the focus on Joni's journey with her questioning her life and how to move forward and the complexity of how close Ren and Joni's family was.

The story is bit of slow burn and parts of the story dragged. I did struggle with the timeline and at parts wasn't sure if it was current or past. I did enjoy Patti Murin's narration but do wished it was a dual POV.

Thank you @canarystpress, Harlequin Audio for a copy of the debut novel.

Friends to Lovers is such a fun summer read!! I loved the entire premise of the story from the plot and setting to the characters and their dialogue. The FMC was definitely relatable to me as she is an over analyzer and I loved hearing her thoughts and reasoning. The MMC was just perfect in every way. My takeaway from this book is timing really is everything and boy are some things (and people) worth the wait. Also, this book is a good reminder that you can be any version of yourself you want to be. Maybe around certain people you let them in a little more and others are a little more guarded, and that’s perfectly okay. Hopefully you find the person you can be your whole true self with. Friends to Lovers is pure perfection. This is my first book by Sally Blakey and I look forward to reading more from her. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. 🩵💛

I would like to thank Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for giving me an ARC (which did not sway my opinions or review).

If you like Emily Henry reads like Happy Place or People We Meet on Vacation, then you'd likely enjoy this one as well. Release date: 07/22/2025
As the title explains, this is a classic story about friends to lovers - we meet childhood friends Ren and Joni - when Joni moves across the country for a job, they agree to be each other's plus ones for any weddings no matter what... enter feelings and everything changes.
Though this felt like the story has been done before, it still was enjoyable as a whole. It was gentle and easy to read/listen to. A little bit of spice, but not too much... just a pinch.
As an audiobook, the narrator was easy to follow along with and felt authentic as the voice of the character. (Single narration/POV).
I'd give this a 3.5⭐(rounding up)
2🌶️
Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Audio, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press in exchange for my honest review!

This was my very first ALC, yay! Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for this opportunity. I truly appreciated the narrator, Patti Murin! Although sometimes there were unexplained pauses during the narration. Maybe it was an editing glitch?

Anyway, I'm a total softie for friends to lovers, so I didn't hesitate to request this book (even though I don't really appreciate when a book is called like a trope – but that's on me). I found the premise of the story genuinely interesting: Joni and Ren make a pact to be each other's plus one at every wedding they'll attend, ensuring to stay connected despite the distance between them.

While I adore stories featuring childhood best friends and a dual timeline (past-present), I have to be totally honest and say that *this* story didn't completely captivate me. Despite that, I think it's a good debut, perfect for friends to lovers devotees and anyone looking for a summer read that combines the vibes of PWMOV and Happy place!

Friends to lovers is not my favorite trope but the reviews for this one were so good that I wanted to give it a shot. Unfortunately, for me it did not work. The pacing was too slow, There was a lot of added fluff that didn't add anything to the plot. The big secret reveal was anticlimactic. So for me in the end it just fell flat for me.

Overall this was a good book. And I enjoyed the story. I listened to this one, and I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it myself. While the narrator did a good job, I just couldn’t connect as well with her.

This sounded like such a cute, sweet story and I love Patti Murin as a narrator! I had a hard time with the alternating time lines- I felt like I couldn't keep track of the past vs oresent- were they speaking or not? Whose wedding were they at in this chapter? Are they or aren't they? It really just made me want the book to get to the point and not really care too deeply about the characters. I also had just recently read The Ex-Vows which seemed extremely similar. Maybe I'll enjoy it more if I read it again later but for now it just didn't do it for me. Thank you for the eALC!

I love a good Friends to Lovers trope so this title caught my attention right away. I felt the push and pull between these two main characters and all the pressures brought on by their very close families. The story flips back and forth between the past and present until everything collides and the reader has a full understanding of their friendship, the moment everything took a turn and their struggle to find their way back to each other. It was a great listen, I enjoyed it and would recommend.