Helena Hunting

Charming, hilarious, and emotional...When Sparks Fly is Helena Hunting at her very best!

When Sparks Fly

Bailey Johnson

Avery and Declan have been friends for years. When Avery gets into a really bad accident and Declan her plutonic roommate/best friend has to take care of her ✨every✨ need. She runs an event hotel with her sisters so I love that plot as well. Really enjoyed this book more fluff than smut 3/5 smut

Sara Uribe

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and options are my own.

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Helena Hunting and it didn't disappoint!

I found it extremely easy to read and loved learning about Avery and Declan. They have such a strong bond as friends but when that bubbles into more, you can feel the hesitation from the both of them. They don't want to ruin the great relationship that they do have. I did, however, not 100% care for Declan. He constantly jumped to conclusions and some of his reactions to things seemed outlandish to me. He often went from 0 to 100 really quick which put me off a bit. But overall, I really did enjoy this book. You could feel the underlying attraction between the both of them, the friendship that they have was strong, and I loved the back and forth between them. I laughed, smiled and it left me with the best heartwarming feels. I can’t wait to read more from Helena Hunting!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one was so cute! I loved the sisters and the childhood friend storyline. I’m super excited to keep reading the series because I loved these characters. 

Kerry Kalinoski

Jennifer mitchell

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book because I love Helena Hunting and enjoy most of the books she writes. This one however was just ok for me. Not awful, but definitely not my favorite book of hers and probably not something I would read again.

When Sparks Fly follows the story of Avery and Declan, two best friends from college who choose to room together for years after college. Declan takes care of Avery after she's in a bad car accident and along the way realizes he feels more for her than platonic friendship. 

My biggest issue with the book was that I didn't really feel any connection to the main characters, and didn't really feel their connection. It was one of those books where you were told how characters felt, rather than shown it. 

The good:
-I liked the idea of the plot (best friends/roommates to lovers), cute premise and trope
-Some funny scenes
-Easy, quick read. The way the book was written makes it a very fast read and easy to get through which I enjoyed.

The bad:
-Stilted dialogue. Dialogue is the most important part of any book for me, and this dialogue felt very unnatural at times. It was written in a way that was clearly only for writing because no one in real life would EVER talk that way, which was very distracting and took me out of the story completely.
-Too many things introduced and then never followed up on. I felt like there were a lot of things brought up in the plot (ie. Declan's parent issues) that were mentioned but then never really resolved. (Yes that one in particular was kind of brought up at the end to explain things but it felt very unnatural and not fleshed out fully). These extra plot details were really distracting for me because I kept trying to figure out how it fit in to the larger story, only to find out that it in fact didn't fit in at all. I think the story would have flowed a lot better without those random, additional details.
-The conflict was unbearable. You know how awful it is when conflict is based solely on miscommunication that could be solved by a simple conversation between the characters? This was somehow worse. If you want to save yourself the trouble here's what happened: (VERY SPOILERY SPOILERS AHEAD) (view spoiler)[ Avery gets an email from her ex-boyfriend (Declan's ex-bestfriend) about a business proposition. She travels out to his adventure camp to see him and discuss the business opportunity since her family business is struggling and this deal could really help them. She comes home and tells Declan she wants to tell him about her day after she showers, but while she's in the shower he sees a text message on her phone from the ex saying something about it was nice to see her today. Declan FLIPS OUT and accuses her of cheating on him and won't even give her a chance to explain. When she does explain he refuses to believe it and basically goes berserk. This basically ends their relationship FOR MONTHS over nothing!! However the WORST PART, was that Avery actually believes she did something wrong and apologizes for it and has this whole internal monologue about how wrong it was of her when literally all she did was go see someone (who happened to be her ex from YEARS AGO) about a BUSINESS opportunity. It was infuriating and literally the reason I won't read this book again. (hide spoiler)]

Final thoughts:
The book started out pretty strong for me but very quickly declined about mid way through and then became insufferable to me once I reached the conflict stage of the book. At that point I really had to force myself to finish it. This book had so much potential and fell really flat for me.

Overall, the plot was cute but I didn't really feel a spark between the characters and I personally hated the conflict of this story and the way it was handled afterward. Definitely wasn't my favorite Helena Hunting book (I'd probably go so far as to say this was actually my least favorite book of hers that I've read) but it won't stop me from reading her future books. This one just missed the mark for me.

Started out kind of weak (I was seriously considering dropping it in the first ~50 pages), but thankfully it became somewhat better as the book progressed, especially in the last quarter or so. I didn't like the style of writing, but the plot was solid enough that I could look past it.

This could and should have been much longer. It felt sorta rushed, but maybe that's just because I'm used to reading slow burns.

Devansh Patil

Started out kind of weak (I was seriously considering dropping it in the first ~50 pages), but thankfully it became somewhat better as the book progressed, especially in the last quarter or so. I didn't like the style of writing, but the plot was solid enough that I could look past it.

This could and should have been much longer. It felt sorta rushed, but maybe that's just because I'm used to reading slow burns.

Amanda

This book was pretty enjoyable. I really, really love the relationships between the sisters and friend group. I wish there had been more of that.
I didn't really read the description before reading the book so the caregiver angle took me by surprise a bit. And honestly, I found it rather uncomfortable. The idea of her broken body being the turning point for romance did not work for me.
That said, the writing was good and the story was mostly a good read. The audio was excellent The door was more open than I generally go for, and I couldn't really relate to the timing for the sex starting up. It seemed weird to me, but maybe it will work better for others.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this audio ARC

Talia Dominguez 

where do i start? 
well first, im not sure if the friends to lovers/ friend with benefits thing is my kind of trope. i actually have not read these kind of books before so i didn’t really know what to expect. Maybe it’s because they already were friends but how can a friend fall in love with a friend if they’re already in the friend category? I don’t know.
Anyways, I liked reading this book but it wasn’t a page turner for me. It took me about a month to read it because It wasn’t too appealing to have me sit and nonstop read. We already knew they were going to end up together in the end so why bother lol . 

aside from that whole theme with the main characters romance, everything else was well rounded. The characters were well formed with flaws and attributes. I liked how they all had the space to grow and conquer their fears despite the tragedies.
I love how the sisters of Avery and Declan were there to help her when she had her accident! That’s some true love there.
I also loved the spicyness! Those sex scenes were steamy haha
And finally I am super glad Avery finally had closure with the first dude she fell in love with and also gave herself her place when Declan went psycho . 
This book is a cute story altogether. 
I liked it. I liked how the author included the topics of grief and loss in her book. She also showed us how relationships and circumstances can affect and set the life of the children as adults. In this case Declan and Avery with her three sisters. there was also talk about mental health, and that’s so great to hear it in the story, because mental health is important!
 All in all, I give this book 4 stars Because it was a tiny bit repetitive but a great story!

Sven Test

What a wonderful friends-to-lovers romance! I loved how Helena balanced the serious parts with the funny parts of the story. It all mixed very well. The characters were adorable! I loved how caring Declan was towards Avery. His consideration for all of her needs MELTED MY COLD HEART! I also loved the relationship between Avery and her sisters. I hope they get their own stories written!

Sara Hamm

When Sparks Fly is one of the best friends to lovers books that I’ve read recently. Avery and Declan have been best friends since college and both have their own hang ups in relationships but what makes this book so great is the actual relatable struggles. This book had just the right amount of angst and a perfect Helena ending. I loved every page and I am so thankful to have gotten an ARC for this one!! Definitely pick it up the next time you’re in the mood for a great friends to lovers!!

Shereen Evans

This is a friends to lover book. It was so cute and fun as well as hard to put down. The chemistry between Avery and Declan was done so well. There is some angsty at the beginning and a little towards the end but so worth it to get to the sexy parts. I found myself smiling through out it and at times being a little frustrated with how Declan was acting. At times I could relate to the relationship between the two of them.

Charming, hilarious, and emotional...When Sparks Fly is Helena Hunting at her very best! Avery Spark is living her best life. Between her friends, her sisters, and Spark House, the event hotel her family owns, she doesn’t have much time for anything else, especially relationships. She’d rather hang out with her best friend and roommate, Declan McCormick, than deal with the dating scene. But everything changes when she is in a car accident and needs someone to care for her as she heals. Declan avoids relationships, giving him a playboy reputation that he lives up to when he puts a one-night stand ahead of a promise he made to Avery. While he may not have been the one driving the car, he feels responsible for Avery’s injuries and is determined to make it up to her by stepping into the role of caretaker. Little did they know that the more time they spend in compromising positions, the attraction they’ve been refusing to acknowledge becomes impossible to ignore. When they finally give in to the spark between them, neither is prepared for the consequences. Their love is fragile and all it will take is a blow from the past to shatter it all.

Lynn Braden

Avery Spark and Declan McCormick have been best friends and roommates for years, but when Avery is in a serious car accident, Declan becomes her caregiver and more.  As Avery begins to heal, she and Declan become closer until their friendship turns into something deeper, but both of them have things in their pasts that could permanently destroy their relationship.

When Sparks Fly is a fairly simple story about two friends who try to take their relationship to another level and fail.  Frankly, it seems to me that the problems in being together are probably more than any relationship could tolerate.  Avery and Declan are likable characters, but they both make so many quick decisions without thinking that I'm not sure that they deserve to forgive each other.  The build up to the bedroom episodes is very good, but, in the end, the execution leaves something to be desired.  However, there are some very tender scenes in the book that make it worth the read.  Overall, When Sparks Fly is a disappointing effort from Helena Hunting, who is one of my favorite authors.

Linda Quintanilla

I'm sorry, but what did I just read? I am kinda confused. I do not understand how anyone can stand Declan. I would never be objective to Declan behavior whatsoever, so I am kinda confused on why Avery would stand by that behavior. No one should bully at all. Everyone is different. It does not mean they are weird or strange. Just different personalities to understand.

Alexis 

3.5/5 stars 

I was honestly surprised by this book. It went a little darker than I thought I would be. It was also very emotional. I feel like some of the representations of PTSD and the anger following the accident were accurate. I will also say I really adored this relationship. Watching these two acknowledge their feelings after being at an all-time low was fantastic. They truly liked the worst and the best of each other. There was just something missing when it came to this book. Overall it was a quick and emotional read. I would recommend it.

Deborah Kerr

What an unimaginative, boring heterosexual mess.

I’m usually all about best friends to lovers but this was the lowest shelf version where the heroine is “just one of the boys but super hot and I didn’t realize it” and the hero is the hot as fuck roommate who has never had a stable relationship with a woman who isn’t the heroine BFF.

Near the end all of Avery and Declan’s interactions became fatiguing in their repetitiveness. Like, truly, how many times do I need to read the same dialogue between these two characters?

Kayla Britz

It was really cute in the beginning but towards the end it became a bit dragged out with a predictable end

Heather Harrington

*3.5

Avery Spark is living her best life. She runs a successful hotel/event space with her two sisters, she has an amazing group of friends, and she owns a condo with her best friend, Declan. But her perfect world turns upside down after a car accident leaves her immobile for weeks. Wracked with guilt, Declan, who blames himself for Avery's accident, takes it upon himself to care for her as she recovers. Avery and Declan have been best friends for years, but being forced into such intimate conditions causes feelings to stir and lines to blur. Neither can deny the attraction between them or the years they've spent stamping down their feelings. The pair have been through so much together, but will their shared past hinder them from having a future together?

I'd never read anything by Hunting before, but I found her writing so easy to fall into and had such a fun time reading this. Friends-to-lovers is always a trope that I love, and this one was adorable. I liked Avery and Declan right from the start and thought they had such a playful friendship, but I did have a few issues with the plot. I would've liked to have seen a little more build-up for the transition from friends to something more because it did feel like it went from 0 to 100 very quickly. Also, there were times when Declan was too overbearing and protective over Avery, and I wasn't a fan of that behavior. However, I did appreciate how he acknowledged the fact and sought to work on himself and his mental health by the end. Despite a few things, I did still really enjoy this and it would be great to pick up if you're looking for a quick, sweet read.

Tiffany Engler

I simply adored this book. Declan was just the sweetest and did everything he could to take care of Avery. I literally read this book in less than 24 hours. I was completely addicted to it and never wanted to put it down. Helena Hunting is magnificent!

becca

This was a really nice friends to lovers story !! It has cute and likable characters and I love the relationship between Avery and her sisters! The ending made me cry tears of happiness at how sweet it was, and there were so many moments in this book where I did not want to put it down! I could have read it in one sitting if not for the fact I had to go to work. Would definitely recommend for anyone who loves a good friends to lovers trope! 

Chantale

I just couldn’t put this one down. I love the story and the characters. Ofcourse I laughed quite a bit while reading this one. 

I do recommend

When Sparks Fly

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