REVIEW: Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely

In Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely, Joni Miller has been living in New York City for several years now but if she’s honest, her heart is still back in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Something that might turn out to be a good thing. Because unfortunately, she just lost her job. The one she moved completely across the country for. Her dream job. And now Joni has to figure out what to do next while also navigating a week with her family for her younger sister Stevie’s wedding. While she’ll be happy to see the rest of the Miller clan, it also means seeing her former childhood best friend, Ren Webster. It’s been two-and-a-half years of near radio silence between them. But seeing as neither of them have explained to their families that their friendship went off the rails, Joni knows she’s in for an awkward, anxiety-inducing week pretending to still be besties with Ren.

‘I had built a life of my own in New York, knew that I could be okay without Ren by my side, and yet, I didn’t want that. Life was better with him in it.’

Right out of the gate, being in the same beach house let alone both of them being part of the wedding festivities means Joni and Ren are right back to that weird space where they left off a couple of years ago. And a few members of their group have taken notice. Try as she might, Joni can’t seem to find that easy rapport she’s always had with Ren. She knows part of it is what sent them in different directions that fateful New Year’s Eve. But an even bigger issue is that her feelings for Ren aren’t entirely platonic. Okay, *really* not platonic. Joni’s not sure that exploring their attraction is the best of ideas, especially when her life is already in flux back in NYC. But then again, maybe this could be a new start for her…and for Ren. Because she can’t imagine a world where he isn’t in her life. Now she needs to figure out if they should become friends again or if there will be a more romantic slant to it.

‘Losing Ren had been like a hole punched clean through me, one I stuffed with work and distance and more work, because if I let myself feel the pain of it, I couldn’t breathe.’

A sentimental second chance romance between childhood best friends, FRIENDS TO LOVERS was a thoughtful, almost atmospheric debut novel that will have you longing for the beach and an in-depth chat with a close friend.

‘I feel like everything might have led us to this moment. Like it was always supposed to happen. Like our friendship was one long precursor to this. Like ours is a love story.’

CW: View Spoiler »Panic attacks, anxiety « Hide Spoiler

Sally Blakely’s debut had a whole lot going for it. Reminiscent of Emily Henry, Carley Fortune, and Annabel Monaghan, FRIENDS TO LOVERS was a picturesque romance that explored two former best friends’ relationship after a little over a two-year hiatus from each other. Pieced together with flashback passages that explained what happened between them over time, Joni and Ren were forced together for a week with both of their families in one beachside house to celebrate Joni’s sister Stevie’s wedding. And what a dynamic group of people. We got to spend a fair amount of time with the wedding party, and I very much enjoyed all of their shenanigans. I do wish we would have gotten to know Ren’s parents and Joni and Stevie’s parents better, but they did make appearances during important scenes.

As for Joni and Ren, I truly thought they made a nice couple. Ren was a sweetheart of a guy. Very thoughtful, incredibly kind, had a good sense of humor, but was still sexy in a beta way. He knew Joni was perpetually wrapped up in her emotions, fears, and anxieties and he was the calm she needed to find her balance. I think probably a few readers will get a little frustrated with some of the ways Joni stayed quiet regarding her real feelings about things as well as how she couldn’t express herself easily. But as we learned more about her relationship with her mom, who was a therapist, with Ren and others in her life, I got it. And I found myself giving her grace just as Ren did.

I also wanted to mention that for a debut, Sally Blakely did a nice job of digging deep into the angst, issues, complications, and all the ways things went wrong–and eventually went right–between Joni and Ren. So, if you like your romances from the heroine’s narrative POV and aren’t afraid to dive into the middle of the chaos that can be long-time friendships, FRIENDS TO LOVERS will do nicely.

QOTD: Have you ever been someone’s platonic plus-one at a wedding? If so, how did it turn out?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: July 22nd, 2025 | by Canary Street Press |

Always each other’s plus-ones, but never each other’s real dates, two childhood best friends have one last summer wedding to fall in love in this dual-narrative debut. Available while supplies last, this stunning edition features designed sprayed edges!

One of The Washington Post’s ‘8 Romance Novels to Read this Summer’!

“Left me feeling desperately romantic. Prepare for a book hangover—I loved it.” —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Romance

Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in touch: they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.

It’s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.

Now Joni is back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, and she’s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren—and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?

But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she’ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.

“Your heart will explode when you read this book. I defy you not to fall in love with Joni and Ren.” —Tessa Bickers, USA Today bestselling author of The Book Swap

Perfect for fans The Summer I Turned Pretty and People We Meet on Vacation Reunion romances Forced Proximity Dual narratives & Single POV