ARC Review: When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting

“I easily got lost in the pages and found myself devouring this story in just two sittings.”
~ Under the Covers

When Sparks Fly, the newest from Helena Hunting, is a fantastic friends-to-lovers romance featuring an independent, business-minded leading lady and the relationship-phobic roommate who’s always meant more to her than either one truly knew.

Avery Spark has always been one of the guys; athletic and more at home around sports than the makeup counter, she’s also the face of her family’s hotel and event planning company. She spends her days running the business with her sisters, and her nights talking sports and hanging with her roommate, Declan. Declan, with his commitment issues and girls that never last more than a few weeks. They’ve been friends since freshman year of college, with a bond made even stronger by past drama, but they’ve never crossed the line into something more. But then Avery is in an accident, and Declan, out of grief and guilt, becomes her primary caretaker on her road to recovery. As Avery heals, her friendship with Declan moves into new territory and the lines begin to blur. As they both begin to see a new future ahead of them, their pasts come back and make them second-guess everything they thought felt right. Relationships aren’t easy, and both Declan and Avery realize that even love based on friendship will take work and patience if they want it to last.

I adored the characters in When Sparks Fly. I thought Avery was a relatable main character, even though she is athletic and I am the exact opposite. I loved that Avery was still very family-oriented, despite balancing work, sports, and hanging with the guys. Her sisters were just as important in her life as everything else, and too often it seems like the jock girls are unable to relate to their feminine sisters. So I loved that Avery made time for everyone, especially when her and her sisters weren’t exactly on the same page. Declan has many faults, and it made him a realistic, but broken, character. Declan went through a bigger transformation throughout the story, and I thought it was perfect. Usually, the sporty, promiscuous guys in romances are alpha types, but Declan was definitely more of a beta and I loved seeing that representation. I think what I enjoyed most about both Declan and Avery is that they both made mistakes, and they were able to see that and own up to it; there was no denying their issues or pretending they were faultless.

Hunting’s story was easy to read; I easily got lost in the pages and found myself devouring this story in just two sittings. There was family drama, friendship drama, romance drama – and Hunting wove it all together very well. When Sparks Fly had laughs and easy-going banter, and Avery and Declan were such a natural progression of friends-to-lovers with just the right amount of conflict. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I can’t wait to see what Hunting has planned next for the Spark sisters.