Book Summary: 

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.

My Review:

The greatest gift of reviewing contemporary romance novels in advance of their release is standing at the very start of an author’s journey. Reading their debut – the very first words they offer to the world – is both an honor and a privilege. This is exactly what I experienced with the riptide of emotions in Sally Blakely’s first novel, Friends to Lovers. Forget passive waves – Sally crashes onto the scene like a tsunami. Within the initial chapters, you’re drawn in, desperate to know what happens next. You tear through each page, witnessing a remarkable friendship as it blossoms, shifts, transforms, and finally implodes – waiting with bated breath, hoping to see it resurrected before your very eyes.

Once upon a time, Joni and Ren were inseparable. Best friends since they could walk, there was never a moment they imagined being apart. But when Joni lands a new job across the country, everything changes. Inspired by an invitation to be Joni’s plus-one at a friend’s wedding, Ren devises a plan to keep them connected: no matter what, they’ll always be each other’s plus-one. It’s the perfect excuse to make time for one another – until the unimaginable happens, shattering their friendship. Fast forward two and a half years, and Joni is finally out of excuses. Her sister Stevie is getting married, and she has to return home. On top of the anxiety about seeing Ren again, she’s also coping with a recent job loss. It wouldn’t be so bad if her family knew the truth, but they have no idea the friendship is over – or that she’s just been fired. Two families. One house. Far too many secrets. Joni is determined to keep it together for her sister’s sake – until she learns she’ll also be sharing a room with Ren. As the family keeps forcing the “besties” to spend time together, Joni begins to wonder: what if? The damage has been done and too much time has passed, right?

With a dual timeline structure, we jump between the present-day reunion of Joni and Ren and the countdown to their friendship’s demise, as we move from one wedding to the next in the past. It’s an effective approach – one we’ve also seen in People We Meet on Vacation and Happy Place. What really makes this story so compelling is the way those overlapping timelines lean into character development. I find that the more relatable the protagonists, the easier it is for readers to lose themselves in the story. It’s easy to step into their shoes, sympathize, and maybe even empathize with what they’re experiencing. We’ve been them – or we know someone just like them. We understand the rollercoaster of feelings and the endless obstacles life throws our way. That’s exactly how I felt about Joni and Ren.

From the very first flashback, you know you’re entering a story of unrequited love. Like their friends and family in the present, you can feel the connection between Joni and Ren and see what Joni herself can’t: the longing in Ren’s actions, the hidden messages in his words. Their chemistry leaps off the page like fireworks. And yet, you also understand the blinders a long-term friendship can create. This isn’t a story of casual strangers, instant attraction, or enemies with hidden desires. This is about two friends who’ve known each other since they were three. As they move from childhood into adulthood, they face problems we all recognize – staying close to friends and family or moving away to chase your dreams; wanting everything to change while desperately wishing some things could stay the same. 

Joni feels like a compilation of so many trying to find their place in this world and perfectly contrasts Sally’s portrayal of Ren – that friend who stays in your hometown, works the same job with the same company, but steadily moves up the ranks, inching closer to their goals. While Joni is chaos, Ren is calm – her lifeline, her anchor, her support, and her protector. This dynamic paves the way for one of the most heartfelt love stories I’ve read in a while.

What I loved most about this book was the introspection and self-reflection Joni experiences. Here’s a woman known for high anxiety and panic attacks. She’s so determined to prove she has her life together that she’ll do anything and everything to hide the cracks from those who love her most. She reminded me of that line from Frozen: “Don’t let them in, don’t let them see… Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.” That’s essentially Joni’s mantra. If she can make everyone believe she’s succeeding – that she made the right choices and is moving in the right direction – then she’ll be okay. Any doubts? Just work harder. Any worries? Put in more hours. It isn’t until Ren returns – almost like a lighthouse warning of a rocky shore, or a buoy guiding her to safer waters – that she starts to see things differently. Watching how she navigates life – alongside Ren, then partially separated from him while he’s dating Amanda, then with him again after his breakup, and eventually completely on her own when they cut ties – gave me so much perspective, not only on her relationship with Ren, but also with her sister, her family, and her own mental health.

Of course, every story needs its obstacles, and while I understand the need to build tension, I did find the number of times Joni and Ren are interrupted in the present-day timeline increasingly frustrating. I get that keeping them from truly connecting – or even having a much-needed conversation – is vital to the story, but if one more secondary character walked in or called out, I was going to scream. I suspect the author anticipated this, because just as I reached my breaking point, we finally got the moment we’d been waiting for – not only in the present, but also the elusive answer to that “what happened between them?!” question that’s haunted us for the first 60% of the story.

On that note, one of the biggest challenges with a second-chance slow burn is whether to include the traditional third-act breakup. Readers have waited hundreds of pages for the almost moments, missed opportunities, and high tension to finally pay off. That sweet moment – a kiss, a confession, anything – that shows their feelings are mutual, with the details left to work out in the remaining pages. With Sally, we get there at 60%, when Ren and Joni not only reconnect in the present, but also cross the line for the first time in the past. From there, it’s a whirlwind of firsts before we’re dropped back into the present, moving to the next day, post-reunion. At 68%, I was nervous. The dreaded third-act break usually hits around 75%. My hope was that the past breakup would satisfy the formula, and the present-day connection would hold strong to the end. Apparently, Sally had a secret option B in her back pocket. While I was a little on edge with the direction she took, I was pleasantly surprised that it paid off and gave an even better ending and wrap-up than I could have imagined.

If you love the flashback approach of Heated Rivalry and This Time Next Year, you’ll absolutely adore Friends to Lovers. Sally Blakely has swan-dived into the contemporary romance scene, and I, for one, can’t wait to see which trope she brings to life next.