Denise Williams has won my heart with The Fastest Way to Fall in this body positive romance between two people who are not supposed to be dating, much less fall in love. What is it about the forbidden? It is just a little, nothing too taboo....professional jobs prevent them from dating because of client/trainer relationship and she is working on assignment. There is something spicy about two people who are working together and both have their own professional goals in front of them.

What really got me though, was the depth of the connection between Britta and Wes. Diving into social media, fitness, and physical appearances was just the icing Britt and Wes totally had me hooked from the beginning!

Want more reasons to grab this book and start reading? Strong women! Body positivity and healthy discussions about working out and the numbers on the scale. Social media. Two points of view. Chemistry. Little bit of suspense keeps things interesting. Drama! Love!

If that is not enough, then just trust me that you will also fall for Britta - she is a fine, sassy and wonderful Black woman who is written so well that she just comes off as real right away. It is not that common for an author to write a character so well that you feel that you know her... this is where Williams really shines... the connections and the characters are just heart stealers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Books for providing a digital advance review copy of The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinion is mine and mine alone oh yeah, and my review is voluntary.

#bookstagram #thefastestwaytofall #denisewilliams #berkleypublishing #books #bodypositive #reading #faveauthor

The Fastest Way To Fall 🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽

Denise Williams has officially joined my list of auto-buy authors!
Thank you so much to @berkleyromance #berkleypartner #berkleyig for the gifted copy of Williams latest release The Fastest Way To Fall and a spot on their blog tour!

This body positive, finding your self, hunky romance was so perfect!
Britta is an absolute delight. She starts off so unsure of herself but absolutely witty as hell and by the end of the book she is an absolute force to be reckoned with and still one of the funniest characters I’ve read! I loved how relatable she was and how I could see myself in her.
She made her fitness journey about more than just loosing weight but about bettering herself on the inside and out.

And where do I even begin with Wes??
I loved watching him and Britta’s relationship develop both online and finally in person during their training sessions.
Wes was so understanding and such a friend to Britta from the start, working past his own past issues at the same time to better himself for Britta.
And their chemistry 🔥🔥🔥 this book was such a slow burn but it was 100% worth the wait!

TW were listed at the beginning of the book so make sure you check those before you start!

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥🔥

Thank you again @berkleyromance!!
Out now!

Denise Williams is one of my newer favorite authors. Britta is one of the funniest women I've read about lately and I loved her connection with Wes throughout the story.

I don’t think I could have loved this book any more. Vulnerable, smart characters, hilarious and snappy banter, and it made me feel ALL the feels.

Britta is trying to move her writing career in a positive direction, to write about subjects that are meaningful to her. She gets assigned to review a hot new fitness app (along with her workplace nemesis) and while she’s hesitant at first, she quickly starts to enjoy reviewing different aspects of the app, new program, and changes to her routines. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that her assigned personal trainer is funny and sweet and she looks forward to his messages all day.

Wes is the CEO of FitMe app. He doesn’t usually take on personal coaching clients himself anymore, but he’s struggling and wants to get back to what he loved about this whole venture to begin with. He certainly couldn’t have anticipated that the client he took on was reviewing his app for a major outlet. And he knows, he knows he’s crossed some lines getting so chatty and personal with Britta, but there is just something about her. She’s the bright spot in his days too.

They are drawn more together and start working out together in person, which is way beyond the scope of the app. But will it jeopardize both of their careers if anyone finds out?

Like I said, the characters were just amazing. They had such depth and vulnerability and you got to know them so well, to the point that it was hard to imagine they weren’t actually real life people. They both had obstacles to overcome, but especially Britta who showed so much growth, grace, and determination throughout the book. I’m planning a re-read because I’m missing Britta and Wes already!

It didn’t beat How to Fail at Flirting!
⁣
“Britta touched me like she’d been touching people her whole life, like she didn’t know how important it made me feel.”⁣
⁣
THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL was a bit slower paced, the opposite of insta-love. Lots of time for the relationship and affection to bloom between Britta and Wes. For me, it was a little too slow, but I still enjoyed the story and the romance. 3.5 stars ✨⁣
⁣
Read if you like…⁣
- A well developed relationship⁣
- Focused more on connection than steam⁣
- Body positivity and self love

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Fastest Way to Fall.

Britta works for a lifestyle magazine/website and is tasked to write about her experience using the new app FitMe. She went in with no expectations or desire to lose weight, but thought eating better and moving more might not be so bad. Besides, this was just an experiment for work and all she had to do what write about her experience using the app.

Wes is the owner and creator of the FitMe app, but was a fitness coach beforehand. He decides to take on a new client and happens upon Britta's profile as a new FitMe client. Wes accepts her as his client and starts sending her messages right away to welcome her aboard. However, he didn't expect his new client to be so witty, funny, and just plain fun to talk to and Wes finds himself slowly crossing FitMe's strict coach/client policy.

Neither one of them expected to fall in love, though.

This was an enjoyable story, however I have one major issue. At the beginning of the book before the story begins, the author has notes stating that the purpose of this book was not to encourage weight loss or to glorify weight loss in any way. That being said, there are multiple instances in this book where the main character Britta becomes happy or excited about weight loss she has experienced using the FitMe app; even though she specifically states that she does not intent to lose weight for this work experiment because she is happy in her current state. There is also a scene at the end of the book where Britta is able to perform a life-long goal because she has lost weight and only for that reason. I feel like this goes against the author's notes in the beginning of the book and I feel like these instances could have been handled a bit differently. That aside, this would have been a fantastic book otherwise. Wes and Britta's relationship was so cute and perfect. Wes accepted Britta as she is and was attracted to her regardless. If the weight loss issues had been addressed a bit differently, this would have been a five star for me.

I won't lie, I was a little worried going into this book because I never quite know how I feel about the whole personal trainer/client falling in love thing. I've read a few books that left me wondering if they would have fallen in love if the "client" handn't been actively losing weight, changing the way she looks, etc. I was so PLEASED to know that this wasn't the case for this book. I found it interesting that while the basis of Britta and Wes's relationship was their trainer/trainee relationship, I never felt like the focus of the story was Britta's weight. It was quite refreshing.

I do have to admit that I was a little thrown off by the idea that this book spanned over 6 months. There weren't blatent time jumps and I never really felt like too many things happened off the page but it certainly didn't feel as though Britta and Wes's story covered such a long time period.

My favorite part of this book was how real Britta was. She struggled with her weight and the insecruties, vulnerability that comes along withit but it also didn't seem to hinder her ability to live, what seemed like, a pretty fullfilling life. It's nice to read about a plus-sized heroine who isn't overly focused on her weight and unhappy because she isn't the "ideal" size.

My least favorite part of this book was definitely Wes's ex.

*I recieved an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

I loved this little romcom, the premise was so fun with contrasting fitness websites, competing journalist, and the forbidden romance. Of course it would be great if everything was out in the open from the get-go but it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun!

I enjoyed "How To Fail at Flirting" and was excited to read more from Denise Williams. I enjoyed Britta and Wes's Story because they were relatable and felt real, and made a for cute story.

Britta works for a magazine and is eager to take her career to the next level. She pitches the idea of reviewing popular fitness apps, and documenting her journey along the way. She is paired with one of the coaches, Wes, who happens to be one of the companies co-owners. Britta and Wes relationship starts out friendly, with supportive and encouraging messages through the app, but eventually they start meeting in person, and are talking about more than fitness.

I loved the relationship between Britta and her body. She was confident, happy and secure in herself.. She did not use the opportunity as a way to drastically change herself, but to get stronger. Wes had his own personal issues, dealing the affects of addiction in his own family. These two and their friends, made for a great story. Can't wait for more from Denise Williams.

While I read and loved Williams' debut novel, I was sad to find this one lacking. To be clear, from what I read there was nothing overtly wrong with the story. I loved the decision to center a personal trained romance around a fat main character (and one who isn't interested in losing weight), and I think that the discussion on disordered eating that was brought up (at least before the halfway mark) was handled gently and with tact. I simply found the romance to be...boring. I wish there were greater reasoning, but I think that the focus of the story being so heavily placed with Britta left Wes a bit one-dimensional. As a result, I wasn't ever fully interested in his character's POV, and even in the scenes with Britta it was rare that I found their chemistry to be believable.

As much as I wanted to love this story, DNF @ 53%

Denise Williams has my whole heart for the beautiful character development that she weaves through her books! Adored this one even more than How to Fail at Flirting, which I didn't even think was possible. She writes in such a perfectly balanced way, carrying a reader through real life dramas, ups and downs, but is able to make all your hopes and dreams as a reader come true!

I wasn’t the hugest fan of Denise Williams first book, How to Fail at Flirting, so I was a little apprehensive about going into this one. I loved the cover and the synopsis looked interesting enough so I gave it a try. OMG I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. This book was everything I needed. I think what I loved most were the characters. Britta and Wes were absolutely perfect. I loved watching their friendship grow through text message. It was so cute and sweet and I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. Wes was so perfect. I need a whole book of him just going through his day minute by minute. This book was perfect and I definitely can’t wait to re-read it.

4.5/5 Stars

I loved this book so much. Denise Williams is quickly making it on my list of favorite romance authors. I've love both books that she has published. I absolutely loved everything about this book, It gave me all the feels, it was relatable and funny. Every time I would pick up the book to read I didn't want to put it down It seemed to go by so fast. I really liked the chemistry between Wes and Britta, it was sizzle city. I'm always hesitant when books include an bigger main character and then add an element of weight loss, but this book did such a great job of representing it and I honestly applaud the author for this. Overall completely recommend this book and I will say it louder for those in the back if I need to!

The Fastest Way to Fall is NOT like the books and movies about fat characters that we see a lot of. First and foremost, our heroine, Britta, loves herself and her body. Her fatness is not the book’s big obstacle! Britta’s not undergoing a weight loss journey because she hates herself. Rather, it’s because she wants to be stronger. This is so important, because society has always made many fat women feel that the end goal is to be skinny, no matter how you end up getting there, and not strong.

Through the fitness app that Britta is reviewing and sharing her experiences on, she’s partnered with Wes as her coach. Wes is a great coach - he has the education to back his methods up, and most importantly, he’s aligned with Britta’s goals. Wes doesn’t tell her to not eat; he shares what kind of food Britta should eat more of to gain more energy. Wes also crafts an exercise routine where Britta can gradually gain more endurance. We rarely see these kinds of fitness coaches in the media, and I love that Britta has a coach who has her total well-being in mind.

Britta and Wes start off as coach and coachee, and they eventually graduate to friends. Their relationship began with Wes sharing his knowledge and expertise, and I loved seeing both Wes and Britta open up about their lives with each other. Their romance is slow burn and very well-developed, and I enjoyed seeing them realize that they liked each other beyond all the workouts and the conversations about healthy eating. Britta and Wes are so good for each other - they both willed each other to step out of their comfort zones, and they both relied on each other when the times got tough.

I devoured The Fastest Way to Fall from start to finish, and I’m in awe at how Williams wrote with care about so many serious topics. We saw how Britta struggled with disordered eating, and through Wes’ mother, also saw how drug abuse tears apart families.

All in all, The Fastest Way to Fall is easily one of my top books of 2021, and I can’t recommend it enough!

I think it's safe to say Denise Williams is becoming a comfort author for me! I really enjoyed this book so much. It has:

♡ Dual POV
♡ a body positive, plus sized main character
♡ A little bit of a forbidden relationship

Wes and Britta's relationship was super adorable! Seeing them go from a trainer/client relationship to friends, into lovers was EVERYTHING!

TW: Mention of an eating disorder, Drug abuse/addiction, brief mention of extreme dieting

I really enjoyed Denise Williams' previous release, HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING, so I was very excited to read THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL! Truly, I enjoyed this one even more than the previous book. I loved Britta and Wes' romance -- it was so heartwarming and had so much depth to it! Another great romance from Denise Williams.

Denise Williams is quickly becoming a go-to romance author for me. I love her wit and emotion expressed through a positively swoon-worthy read. THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL literally has it all. There are fun times, romantic moments, and well-crafted characters that are diverse.

A really wonderful read reminiscent of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"! I loved Britta and how this book approached the discussion of body image, fitness, and diet culture with humor and vulnerability. Britta and Wes also help each other grow in great ways.

I loved Williams last book, How to Fail at Flirting and liked this one just as much. This is a strong friends to lovers romance that is about real people with real life issues.
The setting was fun as it is the fitness industry. Britta is a reporter trying out a fitness app for a story when her life becomes intertwined with Wes the CEO,
What I loved is the positive body imaging as Britta is plus size and is happy with her body.
A friendship develops through their text messages and workouts. They have great chemistry and things begin to heat up.
I loved their banter and playfulness and how they began to trust and support each other.

Y’all. This book. THIS BOOK. I gotta talk about this book. While I am not averse to books with fitness plots I didn’t have this one at the top of my list, but some trusted friends were shouting about it and it showed up on my doorstep (thanks, Berkley!) and I wanted to read a newer fat positive romance for a group challenge at work (our RA team is doing a few of the Read Harder tasks) so I figured hey, why not.

Y’all.

Denise Williams killed it.

As someone who has had interesting relationships with her body and exercise and food, I went into this book well aware of the fact that it might affect me the wrong way, and Denise prepares you as a reader with such care before we even start, I knew I would be able to read it. And then I fell head over heels in fucking love with Britta. She is a magnificent, funny, lovable fat Black woman, and even when I wanted to give her a stern talking to she had my whole heart. (And I guess Wes is cool too lol.) Their journeys are joyous and heartbreaking and whole, and I love them to pieces.

Story: Britta, a longtime editorial assistant, pitches a story that might get her a coveted permanent writing position at the lifestyle magazine where she works. She’ll use a new fitness app that posits itself as super body positive and write about the experience. Wes, one of the company’s CEOs, decides to take a client for the first time in a while, and the pair become easy friends. But what do you do when that friendship could lead to either something great, or catastrophic results for your career?

CN: exercise; discussion of food choices; reference to off page disordered eating; over exercising; checked and unchecked anti-fatness; journalistic ethics questions; emergency hospital visit; toxic/complicated family relationship; effects of drug use (side character); reference to overdose (side character); hateful social media comments; brief fake dating; only one bed; sexual activity on the page; epistolary elements; pining; wedding (side characters)

Thanks again to Berkley for the review copy! (Note: Berkley is my publisher)