Could I love this book any more? Denise Williams is quickly becoming a favourite author, she's already an auto buy for me. Britta is the absolute best MC - she is fierce, bold, smart, sassy and a force all on her own! Wes was such a wonderful love interest, added to the book boyfriend list for sure!

This romance story was not just a cute romance, but has so much depth and SO many important messages throughout the novel. Denise Williams really knows how to write a beautiful story, while reminding us to love ourselves through and through. The relationships, the love, the banter, the self-love, the self-improvement and everything about this book was just beautiful.

I loved the snippets of the characters from How to Fail At Flirting too! If you haven't read that one, go read it now and immediately follow up with this one!

Britta finally gets a chance to write a series for the lifestyle site she's been working at for years. Reviewing a body-positive fitness app when you're fat is already complicated, but add in that she's falling for her coach, and Britta has a problem. Wes is smart, funny, and a great coach, but he has a secret: he's the CEO of the app that Britta is reviewing.

Neither Britta nor Wes know who and what the other person's job is, but dating your client or the subject of your writing is an ethical dilemma that may end their relationship before it even really begins.

How to Fail at Flirting is one of my favorite books, so I had high expectations for The Fastest Way to Fall. I am so impressed with this book and I could not put it down. I highly HIGHLY recommend you get your hands on a copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book!! Britta is an editorial assistant for a popular lifestyle magazine and she's given an opportunity to go after a features writing position. She signed up for the FitMi app with the intention of writing about her experience as a fat woman being coached on nutrition and exercise. Wes is the CEO of FitMi and is in a personal slump. He's dealing with a lot of family problems and the loss of his girlfriend and business partner. He decides to take on a client again to reconnect with what he originally loved about his company. And obviously Britta ends up being his client. I loved their email exchanges, which turned into hilarious and flirty chat exchanges which eventually led to text messages. For the majority of the book, neither one of them knows about the other's job which adds to the reader's suspense. Britta knows it would be problematic for her journalistic integrity to follow through with feelings with her coach and Wes knows it's inappropriate to have feelings for a client, but neither one of them wants to lose the other in their life. Something happens that leads to them meeting in real life, which only increases their attraction. I loved how real everything felt. There was so much discussion about body image and body positivity that felt natural and authentic - it never felt forced. The characters were all well-developed to where you felt like you were a part of their friend circle. I laughed and I cried and I couldn't put it down! If you enjoyed How to Fail at Flirting, I think you'll love this one even more!

Wow! Just wow! I loved this book so so so much. The chemistry was real. There was a perfect balance between sweet, sexy, and serious. The book was such a refreshing look at health and fitness. Wes and Britta were so well-rounded and an utter delight to read.

Wow, I think I have a new favorite author. Williams' writing is fun, witty, and warm. She has a way of making her characters flawed but relatable and tackling very serious social and cultural issues with a gentle hand. Here Britt is fat and struggles with body image issues but is also confident and can identify parts of her body she likes. Britt and Wes face a huge ethical issue and miscommunicate but the story does not lean into the typical arc of those tropes. Instead, each adjusts their behavior, they discuss the issues and work through them as a couple. I loved both characters and I loved them together. I could not have asked for a better romance!

After her debut, How to Fail at Flirting, I knew that Williams would not disappoint and I'm very happy to say she didn't. I loved all of the characters in this novel but especially Britta. I especially appreciated the way that William's highlighted Britta's relationship with her weight. As a Black woman whose been curvier for most of my life, I understood Britta's struggle between wanted to feel healthier and more comfortable without confirming to the ideal beauty/weight standards for women. The narrative that women have to be a certain weight in order for them to feel good is exhausting so I was happy that Britta didn't subscribe to that thought process, but still felt herself leaning into some of those unhealthy tendencies based on outside pressures. Without spoilers, I love how the situation with Wes and Britta culminated but I would have liked to see something different in her professional development situation.

What's the last book you read in one day?

For me it is The Fastest Way to Fall by Dense Williams a body-positive romance novel that is as much about the girl and guy as it is about self-love.

Britta works for a popular lifestyle website, Best Life, and she is looking for her big break and the promotion to staff writer. At her staff meeting, she pitches an idea to document her journey with the fitness app, FitMi, which is less about numbers and weight, and more about living a healthy life and feeling good. Britta gets matched with a FitMi coach, Wes, who also happens to be the attractive CEO of the company. Despite the rules, Britta and Wes begin meeting in person as trainer and client and eventually as friends. Over time their relationship becomes something more, but are they willing to put their careers at risk for love?

What I love about this book is the frankness and realness of Britta's journey with loving her body. So many of us have been conditioned to believe in an unrealistic ideal of what our body should look like and there is often not enough representation of real bodies in books, TV and movies. If you read this book I recommend reading Denise Williams' author note as well.

Hot damn! Denise Williams has done it again with this body-positive slow burn romance that heats up...to a boil. I loved spending time with Britta and Wes and I love the heart/humor/true-to-life situations Williams put into this story with their character/relationship development. Five shiny stars!

4 stars!! I really enjoyed this one. I did enjoy the first 2/3 more than the last bit and the ending conflict/drama/wrap up wasn't that interesting to me and I was disappointed how a few plot lines ended up going.

But, I loved Britta so much!! I loved seeing her work so hard and learn more about herself.

I loved the workout goals/plots/commentary and The whole concept of the app.

Denise Williams is a fab writer and I can't wait to see what she does next.

It took me a minute to get invested in this book but then I was in. I found Britta and her adventure in being comfortable with herself so refreshing. She walked into her assignment knowing it wasn’t about weight loss but feeling confident in her own body. Along the way she was able to find that and also realize that she deserves a partner who feels that way too. The romance in this and slow burn was so well written and I love that there were consequences for some of the actions (which doesn’t always happen in these books) but this book was more than that. I can tell that Britta will speak to so many women through her journey in fitness and that it is hard and not about numbers but instead about confidence. This book will allow conversations to happen about health and body image that our society needs.

Well, this book was super special!

I really liked our two main characters, Britta and Wes. Britta was relatable, funny and empowering. Wes was kind, sexy and intelligent. While the plot of Britta using a fitness app to feel better about herself for an article was the main focus, there were so many other discussions, too.

Family, addiction, body shaming, food discussion and dependence are all themes that were present in the book. I think topics like that are SO IMPORTANT to discuss in a book!

I also really enjoyed the text messages / emails our main characters exchanged! The banter was on point!

I went through a wave of emotions with this book. I laughed. I teared up. I was angry. I was happy. It was so beautifully written and hit all the aspects of a great romance read; steam, feelings, heart break then putting the pieces back together again.

I’d absolutely recommend this book to others and it was a solid 5 star read for me!! Thank you for the advance copy!!

This book gutted me in many ways. I saw myself in these written words. Too many tears reading this but very eye-opening.
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I love the plot of the story. It is so refreshing to have characters connect on a emotional and friendship based level first and not just on a physical one. Getting to know someone emotionally is huge and so many relationships really miss that connection. By having the app be an “anonymous” platform allowed for those deeper levels and to build that friendship.

Were things all sunshine and roses? No way. As you can expect things hit the fan but by then the connection is worth fighting for. Cheering for a fabulous resolution and ending just made the whole story worthwhile. Watching the characters grow and connect on that deeper level is inspiring.

Williams really gets it with her story and digs inside herself to share her emotional journey with us. Looking for inspiration? It finds us when and where we least expect it.

I love Denise Williams, and she's quickly turned into an auto-buy author for me. I ADORED her book How to Fail at Flirting, and this novel was even better.

Britta is the most inspirational character I've met in a long time. She made me feel a whole host of emotions from the first page to the last. She made me laugh. I cheered right along with her as she met milestones and fell in love (and also did some literal falling).

Britta and the rest of the characters are original and realistic. I couldn't put their story down. You'll laugh and love right along with them. This steamy (and sweaty!) romance is a must-read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my arc.

Denise Williams once again tackles some dark subjects while still keeping the overall read optimistic and uplifting, but never saccharine or overly-earnest. This is a great book to recommend to people who like contemporary romance with a little banter (and good use of text messaging), characters with realistic issues, and someone other than a snow white, rail thin protagonist.

Denise Williams does contemporary romance so well. I loved every page of this book, Britta and Wes’ story is so complex and feels incredibly realistic. There was a point in the story when I was thinking it was taking them too long to meet and as soon as that happened, they met, it was timed perfectly. I love the themes of health at every size, and the way institutionalized fat phobia is handled so well, I loved every minute of this book and look forward to any and everything Williams writes in the future.

The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams is a solid, sexy, and heart-warming slow-burn contemporary romance! I fell in love with Britta's resilience and panache, and Wes's genuine kindness. The only thing I didn't love was the miscommunication that just kept happening, much of which could have been resolved many times over.

There were plenty of serious topics that were handled really well in this book: parental neglect, disordered eating, alcoholism/substance abuse, and body shaming. I love the content warnings at the beginning of the book, as well as resources at the end. Go give this one a read!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this book! I am always a fan of chapters that change perspectives between the two main characters - and Wes and Britta were a delight! It was fun to watch their relationship grow into a friendship and then something more. I also loved how supportive and empowering he was of her on her running journey, and it was never about looking "better" or losing weight. The topics of eating disorders, addiction and body positivity were included in the story in ways that felt genuine and not forced. Such a good book!

PLEASE give me more body positive books like this! I'm so tired of hearing about unrealistic body standards in books! THIS book understands the hardships and pressures of how social media can twist a persons perspective of their body. Plus, the main character is a normal human. THAT is why I adore Denise Williams books! Thank you for giving me the chance to read this!

Britta is an editor for an online magazine, but she wants to be a writer. She pitches a fitness journey using an app that promises a healthier life through an approach that is not focused on looks or numbers on a scale. Wes is the CEO of said app, but he feels stifled by his CEO responsibilities. He misses being a fitness coach, so he decides to take on a client. Of course we all know who that client is going to be. It is the makings of a wonderful rom com.
I will say this book caused anxiety for me. As a fat person, my relationship with diet culture and the fitness industry is not a happy one. There is an entire industry built upon shaming people for looking the way I do, and it is a problem that can seem insurmountable , but this book addresses it. Britta for the most part, is a character who has some confidence; at one point she even refers to herself as hot, but our heroine is not without her insecurities. While she doesn’t like to admit it, even to herself, her main goal is to look better naked. This story is more than someone who wants to be “better looking;” it is a journey of achieving a sense of accomplishment through exercise with goals rooted in attaining an active lifestyle and a body that is able to support that lifestyle. That is a story I can get behind and support. But this book has many characters who see dieting and fitness as ways to be “hotter” and people who say terrible things about Britta. So between mean characters and the fact that the book is centered in an industry that has caused so much harm to fat people, I felt like I was navigating a minefield for the entire book.
The author does preface the book with an acknowledgment that we as fat people now have to navigate both the diet and fitness industry and the body positivity movement which feed us two opposing messages: one that says you must change everything about yourself and one that affirms that you are perfect as you are. Most fat people don’t live in the black and white of these two camps. We live in the shades of gray, both loving and hating our bodies to varying and constantly shifting degrees. The journey to self love is rarely ever a straight line. This story aims to be one of pushing yourself and finding your confidence in accomplishment not in changing who you are and how you look.

I really enjoyed Denise Williams' first book, HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING. THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL is really good as well, but there is a lot of social media/texting communication, which is fine, but it pulled me away often. I feel very crotchety saying this but I'd like to leave social media online and not in the books I read, at least not to that extent. That being said, this book gave me a different way of thinking about exercise and fitness, and overall I enjoyed the book. I especially loved the epilogue. Don't let my annoyance with social media right now keep you from reading this. It's really good.