THIS BOOK, YALL. OMG. I just loved it so much. There a few books where I truly connect with a heroine. But I feel like I could be Britta.

What I Loved!
👟Britta. Very few authors write about plus size heroines and are able to truly voice what it’s like in our world. But Denise Williams NAILED it. Britta was a smart and independent woman just looking for someone to love her despite her dude.
👟 Wes. NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND ALERT. Y’all, I loved him so darn much. And he was the perfect compliment to Britta.
👟 The relationship between Wes and Britta was a slow burn. But, the emails/messages between the two of them for the first part of the book were enough to tide me over.

I loved so much about this book but it’s hard to put into words. If you’ve ever struggled with your weight, I highly recommend this book. It’s not about losing weight but about finding strength in the body that you’ve been given.

Happy pub day to TFWTF!! 🥳 y’all I knew I wanted to read TFWTF so I was stoked when I got it from @netgalley & @berkleyromance 👏 I actually researched disordered eating for 5 years in undergrad/post-grad & was going to specialize in EDs before I changed from clinical to business psych. I LOVED the representation & the references to ED/health/body positivity were SO well done!
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LIKES:
📝 descriptive, emotional writing
📑 + fun emails & articles between chapters
👥 dual pov (Britta & Wes)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 explores family dynamics
💙 + moving on from past relationships
⚔️ challenge/competition vibes
🔥 a fantastic slow burn
❤️‍🩹 forbidden romance
👩‍❤️‍👨 friends-to-lovers
🛏 + only one bed!!!!!
🧍‍♀️body positivity + intuitive eating vibes
🌌 dark, heavy, serious themes
🌱 personal growth vibes
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DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ lots of trigger warnings (especially re: ED) - dm me!
⏰ time was passing quickly & I didn’t realize - not sure if I wasn’t paying attention or if it was kinda unclear?
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VERDICT: a funny + adorable yet intense + deep forbidden friends-to-lovers romance w/ themes of family, body positivity, & growth - loved

This is a fun, engaging romance with lots of tension and totally relatable characters. It will make traditional rom-com fans very happy, but it also has a lot of depth, thanks to its exploration of themes like body positivity and self esteem.

This was an honest, uplifting story of a woman struggling with loving herself! I love the way Williams told this important relationship we all have with our bodies, while also giving us a romantic happy ever after.
Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I loved 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 so when I saw Denise Williams had a new book out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

Britta is writing an article on a new body-positive fitness app. Wes owns the app but misses coaching so he decides to take on a new client and Britta's funny and honest application catches his eye. He doesn't know she's a journalist and she has no idea he's the company's CEO but what they do know is they click. And even though taking things beyond coach and client could hurt them both professionally, their personal feelings are hard to ignore.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 is an epistolary novel with text messages, chats and emails telling a lot of the story, and even through these kinds of exchanges, Wes and Britta have serious chemistry. As she did in her debut, Williams tackles some serious topics alongside the love story - disordered eating, addiction, self-esteem issues, and more. Both characters go on an emotional journey over the course of the book and you can't help but root for them not only to find happiness together but also with who they are on their own.

If you're looking for a fun, quick read with fantastic banter and a whole lot of body positivity, this is the book for you. And for those who read 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, Jake, Aaron and Felicia make appearances in this one - it was so fun to see their stories continue!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to review.

The Fastest Way to Fall was one of my most anticipated reads after reading How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams earlier this year, I was anxious to get back to her writing and world.

CW: disordered eating (brief), crash dieting (brief), a parent with an addiction, eating disorder (side character mentioned), read the author's note for more information!

As someone that has struggled with my weight and with disordered eating, I was nervous about what to expect. But Williams' author note made me more aware of what to expect and the intention of this book. I think it would be a disservice to skip it and just jump right in.

I loved that The Fastest Way to Fall wasn't about losing weight or dieting, it was about doing what makes you feel best in your own body. The body positivity had me all in my feels. I wish that I would have grown up following someone like Britta and how honest she was about the ups and downs of loving a fat body. I loved that Britta's journey was one that showed her finding her strength and believing in herself.

I'm also a sucker when two characters help each other find their inner strengths, which is how Britta and Wes fell for each other. Their relationship progression made sense to me and I appreciated how they got to vulnerable moments on their own time and in their own ways.

I loved the mixed media, from email and text exchanges to captions on social media posts, they created an immersive experience for me. I loved seeing more of Jake and Naya and can't wait for what Williams puts out next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since Denise Williams debut, How to Fail at Flirting, she has become an auto-buy author for me. There is something about her writing that just charms me. She understands her characters and her audience in a way that hits just right. So when I heard about The Fastest Way to Fall I needed it on my TBR. And after reading it I can confirm that Denise has maintained her status as auto-buy and I don’t see that changing.

The Fastest Way to Fall is about Britta Colby, an employee at a lifestyle website that has been tasked with writing about a new body positive fitness app. Britta is supposed to sign up for their personal coach and write about her experience. She needs this to work because she needs to prove she should become a full time writer for the site. What Britta doesn’t see coming is the CEO of FitMe, Wes, who also ends up being her personal trainer. As the two of them spend more time talking and chatting Britta finds herself enjoying her tome with Wes more than she should. And when they decide to work out in person what started as something harmless becomes something that can undo them both.

There was so much I loved about The Fastest Way to Fall. I loved Britta and her energy and her spirit. I loved how relatable she was and how human she felt. She was smart and sarcastic and creative and charming. She knew who she was and she was okay with it. And I loved Wes and how encouraging and sweet and selfless and caring he was. The two of them were pure perfection as a match. They both stumble and fall and make bad decisions but they learn from mistakes and grow and change. They break the rules and put it all on the line professionally but it was worth it to them because they felt something between them.

In the end this book was a body positive look at fitness and nutrition. It was a book about falling for someone after really getting to know them. It was a book about what rules you are willing to overlook in order to find that true connection. It was not about weight loss and dieting (although there is a CW for some of the subject mater so be sure to read the author’s note first). It was another gem by Denise Williams and it’s a book you need in your life!

I just finished this book today and holy did I ever love it! I could barely put this one down (and I stayed up way too late to finish it). This was definitely a 5 star read for me! 
 
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥: 
✨ The body positivity and the messaging that health isn't a number on a scale 
✨ How freaking cute Wes was - having dual POV showed just how infatuated he was with Britta 
✨ The slow burn, will they / won't they dynamic - the tension was amazing and the payoff was better 
✨ The cameos from the characters in How To Fail At Flirting  
✨ Relatable reactions to running and working out (I'd say I hate you to anyone who told me to keep running too) 
✨ Excellent banter / dialog  
✨ Britta was inspiring and made me want to better my relationship with my body and my body image 
✨ The book had serious You've Got Mail vibes

I loved Denise’s first book, How to Fail at Flirting, so I was so excited to dive into this one! The best thing about her books is that she takes tough topics and is able to eloquently write them into the story perfectly. This one has an authors note in the beginning to let you know about the triggers in the book which I appreciated.

This is a contemporary romance that has some good spice and heat to it! This book has 2 MCs and dual POVs. I think that is my absolute favorite when books are written in 1st person and duel POVs. I loved how this book was all about BODY POSITIVITY, and I I liked the banter/chemistry between the characters.

I love the ‘forbidden romance’ tropes, and I enjoyed the friends-to-lovers aspect even though I’m more of a enemies-to-lovers reader. I wasn’t a fan of the lying-by-omission from both MCs, and I felt like a lot of the drama that unfolded could have been less had they communicated better.

Overall, I thought it was a wonderful book that talked a lot about body issues that I have had with myself since I was 13. Remember… YOU ARE STRONG. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. YOU ARE LOVED.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the digital ARC!

Britta is a journalist who agrees to try out a fitness app for a magazine. The app pairs the client up with a coach and the health journey begins. The thing is that Britta is proud of her body. Sure, she is curvy and get in better shape but she doesn’t hate her appearance. Britta does have her issues and she strikes up a deeper conversation with her new coach, Wes. Pretty soon, the two are exchanging hot emails and building a friendship that feels like something more.

This is a slow burn romance which I didn’t mind. The author manages to keep the chemistry burning the entire story while tackling some heavy issues that the main characters were going through. There is addiction, eating disorders, insecurities and heartbreak laced tightly into this romance. With so much of the emotional baggage they had, the romance at times was placed on the back burner.

The two characters are loners and they connect through their email exchange and when they finally meet it just clicks. I did wonder would they have such a strong connection if they weren’t loners dealing with a lot of issues, especially Wes. His family’s problems were so heavy. Please note that the author does provide a disclaimer about the subject matter which helps.

This could have easily been a 5 star book but Britta and Wes constantly went in circles with their miscommunication. They were smart adults who could have had the conversation to clear up a lot of misconceptions but nope. They kept going on and on. I also felt as though Wes flipped back and forth with his emotions. He finally got it together once Britta called him out but it took too long.

Overall, Ms. Williams has made a fan of me. I look forward to more from her.

~ Samantha

This is a romantic, sexy, fun read that brings awareness to more serious topics such as eating & exercise disorders. The characters are very relatable & I loved the chemistry and banter between them. I also loved how the writing is very raw, which really helped me feel connected to Britta & Wes. I have struggled with weight and body image my entire life, and I am still learning how to love myself, as well as my body. The Fastest Way To Fall taught me to love myself again, & Britta’s character gave me the strength and encouragement I needed to begin my fitness journey in a healthy way. I felt as if I embarked on the journey she took of self discovery & self love. This novel will hold a special place in my heart & I absolutely recommend it! It was an emotional read for me so just be aware of trigger & content warnings. 

You can expect

* Friends to lovers
* Dual POV 
* Body positivity 
* Slow burn
* Strong female lead 
* Forbidden love

I am overweight. Not anything I get too bent out of shape about. I enjoy body positivity, and have been dipping my toes into the water of body positive books, and appreciate the recent publication of these titles.

However, this, like every other body "positive" book I have read (with the exception of Spoiler Alert) just isn't for me. I just cannot relate to these characters, and I feel like I should be able to. What I read was fine, but this was a DNF at about 50% for me.

"Fat people can be interested in exercise and fitness without it meaning they don’t like themselves."

Oh man this book just hit all my sore spots in a good way! All my insecurities and I know better than to let people's past comments that won't stop cycling in my head when I'm weak or feeling low (fing hormones). I've toggled between feeling good and bad about the way I look but I will tell you having two girls makes you very aware of how you talk about yourself. I have to be a good example and be careful about the words I chose.

Wes is the coach we all need! The listening to your body and being realistic about goals and what to expect is refreshing and the approach that should be taken.

Britta is an assistant to a lifestyle webpage and she is writing a series about a workout app this assignment could get her the promotion she wants. Her coworker has chosen the competing app to but the difference is her coworker is svelte and in shape and Britta is thick. Wes happens to be the coach that she gets matched with and he clicked on her cause the witty way she filled out her questionaire. Then they just chatted constantly in the app. Have you ever just clicked with a person, friend or dating?

I loved the whole fitness journey, the self discovery, the finding strength, being comfortable in your own skin and of course the love stories.

Kelsey was a bit of a bitch though, Jesus. Some people just crave the drama.

Tw: eating disorders, drug abuse, fat shaming

I just loved this line "Thinking about how into him I'd been was like unearthing a relic, something worn with time and dust covered." This is so poignant I feel like certain books have had me recalling and dusting off long gone dating memories that I wish I could forget lately lol.

Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently read the Fastest Way to Fall and I truly loved it. I listened to the audiobook of How to Fail at Flirting and I loved that too! Denise Williams has such a way with storytelling and has quickly become one of my favorite and must read authors!

I want to be BFFs with Britta! She’s fun, hilarious, a great friend and employee. She works for an online magazine and pitches a story about using a new fitness app as a plus size woman. The app uses virtual coaches to help motivate and assist users on the journey towards health and fitness. I loved that they didn’t focus on weight loss; but more on feeling better in your own body! Through the app, Britta meets Wes, and things are flirty from the start. They quickly move off the app and begin a friendship without even knowing each other. Wes does continue to coach Britta and she begins a love of exercising and feeling better about herself.

I could relate to so many of the issues that Britta faced. Not know if there is a spark with someone or if they were just being nice. Not being comfortable in her own skin or going shopping for new clothes. I saw so much of myself in Britta. As a plus size woman myself, I haven’t always felt like I’ve fit in. Britta is an inspiration to me!

Wes and Britta has such a magical chemistry from the beginning and I love that they fell for each other without ever seeing each other. They got to really know each other. I also have to say how I loved that the author gave Wes such a disjointed home life. I think a lot of people think that because someone has it all from the outside, doesn’t mean they don’t have problems. His mom and sister played such an important role in his life despite what people could see.

This novel is an epistolary story; it’s told with a lot of texts, chat app messages, and emails. I happen to love that style, but for the same reason I don’t always this it works as well on audiobooks. I found this to be an incredibly quick read!

Thank you so much to @berkleypub for the advanced copy and including me on this book tour. This book is out today!

Britta is a journalist trying to get a promotion at work in a lifestyle company, so she suggests a story where she signs up to journal her experience doing a new fitness app which pairs her with a personal trainer. Her focus is on fitness, not losing weight, because she's comfortable in her own, plus-sized skin. Through the app, she gets paired with Wes, the CEO of the fitness app and a very fit personal trainer.

Their romance might be classified as a slow burn, but it is WORTH THE WAIT! Without giving too much away, I loved their banter, how supportive Britta and Wes are of each other, and how they work through the obstacles them falling for each other while working together in order to reach their HEA.

I especially appreciate the content warnings put by the author in the preface, as she does cover some tough subjects such as fat-shaming, unhealthy eating habits, among others - these subjects are treated with care and concern which only made me love the book that much more!

Thank you Berkley, Denise Williams and Netgalley for the [gifted] eARC!

It’s official. Denise Williams is now an official autobuy author for me. I loved How to Fail at Flirting and The Fastest Way to Fall absolutely stole my heart! I think this *might* be my favorite romance that I’ve read this year. Wes is now a member of my beloved book boyfriends club.

Denise’s couples feel like real people that I’d be friends with. They’re flawed and struggle with real issues that don’t feel like they were just thrown in as a plot device.

I think that the way that Denise wrote about Britta’s fitness journey being about a journey to find inner strength instead of weight loss is something that everyone needs to read. Our society has such an f*cked up way of treating food and exercise and body image. It’s incredibly damaging and I know that I have spent my entire adult life working to undo lessons taught to me by society as a kid and teen about my body.

In some ways I really needed this book right now as I come to terms with my body post-baby. It did this incredible thing of growing a human but it’s never going to look or feel the same as it did before, and that’s okay. Britta’s character encouraged me to love moving my body and eating simply for the joy of doing so, not for some arbitrary end goal of a number on a scale.

We need more books and more characters like Britta. And more heroes like Wes who champions Britta on her journey.

cw: Intentional changes in exercise and nutrition habits by a main character (that do not include dieting) including on-page reflections on exercise and eating habits; Off-page Alcohol and drug abuse of a side character; The heroine participates in brief and off-page over-exercise; Reference to the eating disorder of a side character.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4309053650?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVx4BvhP20y/

Actual 3.5

I feel so hot and cold with this one. On one hand, Britta was a character that stumbled along her journey a lot, but as a reader I found myself always rooting for her. Wes as a hero tried, but fell kind of flat for me.

I don’t know why miscommunications are used so much in books, but just like others, it didn’t work here either. It did nothing but add unnecessary drama to the plot and frustrate me, as a reader.

All in all this was a fun read that highlights the highs and lows of personal growth.

Britta Colby works for a lifestyle website and her newest assignment is writing about her experience with a fitness app and her personal coach. Wes Lawson is CEO of said app and also Britta’s coach. When they end up meeting in person and falling for each other, it’s breaking a lot of rules and they both have a lot to lose.

Britta is the exactly the type of heroine we need to see much more of in books. She’s learning to love herself in her own body while building strength instead of focusing on weight loss. I thought her fitness journey was so well done.

The romance in this book is also fabulous of course. It’s a forbidden romance starting with emails and texts. All things I won’t say no to. They’re also hiding big secrets about their true identities. The chemistry between them is undeniable though and Wes is everything you want in a book boyfriend.

If you loved Denise Williams’s first book (why wouldn’t you?), obviously pick this one up too. It’s swoony, it’s fun, but it also tackles issues like body image and self worth that I’m sure we can all relate to.

CW: reference to disordered eating

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for my eARC in exchange for an honest review. It’s on shelves today!

Happy Pub Day to THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL by Denise Williams! I really enjoyed this body-positive romance!

Britta Colby works as an assistant at a lifestyle website called BestLife. She has been in this role for several years and is itching to become a full-time writer at BestLife. She gets a major opportunity to do so when she's tasked to write about her experience with a new body-positive fitness app that included personal coaching called FitMi. Her coworker Claire is gunning for the full-time writing position as well and is tasked to write about her experience with another fitness app called HottrYou.

Britta gets matched up with a personal coach named Wes Lawson. What she doesn't know that is Wes is actually the CEO of FitMi. Lately he's been feeling unsatisfied with his life and decides to get back to what he loves - which is coaching. Britta is his first new client and they click immediately. He finds that he enjoys talking to her every day and soon after, he takes his coaching to another level by moving their conversations off the app. They both convince themselves that their attraction is harmless but when they start working out in person, their chemistry is undeniable.

Wes has crossed major ethics lines as personal training and meeting with clients is not part of the program. But want can you do when you're falling for your client? On the other hand, Britta stands to lose major credibility (and her chance at being promoted to a full-time writer) if people find out she's practically dating the fitness coach she's reviewing! Will they both end up disgracing their companies (and themselves) by doing what they're doing? And will they end up at the finish line?

I love that Williams writes romances that aren't all light and fluffy - while elements of her books are fun, they're emotional and usually take on a more serious tone as she delves into serious issues and topics. In THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL, she touches upon body / fat shaming, eating disorders, and addiction.

I thought the story was great and while the miscommunication trope isn't my favorite it worked for this book. I loved Britta as she was confident and fun but did feel that she was a bit one-dimensional - her character wasn't as developed as I would've liked. Wes was adorable and even though him crossing ethics line was cringeworthy, I did find him swoony and I loved how supportive he was of Britta. The side story of his mom and sister wasn't particularly necessary in this book, but it does give you insight into his past and backstory.

I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a good slow burn, body-positive, forbidden lovers romance!

Thank you, NetGalley, Berkley Pub and Denise Williams for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun read and I absolutely adored these characters. Britta was so funny and loved her wit, she was the kind of heroine that I could see as my best friend and it made reading her story so captivating. I also really enjoyed that she wasn't afraid to be herself even at moments that she had doubts and showed her vulnerability. Those moments didn't take over but did show the strength Britta had and made her character more real ad relatable.

This book was obviously centered around Britta and her journey but there was still a good amount of romance that had me swooning. The connection she and Wes shared was so cute and I loved their witty banter over messages. I will say that as a character Wes did sometimes get pushed into the background, and while that was mostly okay, by the end I did wish we saw a little more of his life, especially more closure on his family drama.

Overall, this was a great read and even though it was my first book from this author I already count myself a fan and can't wait to read more from her.