I loved this rom-com!!! The characters were so vivid and full of life-they literally made me laugh out loud at their banter! The book is filled with such positivity and fun that it just made for a perfect & snuggle up kind of feel good read on this bitterly cold weekend!

Amazing support group ✔
Strong Heroine ✔
Sweet Hero ✔
Angst-ish ✔
Slow Burn ✔
Funny Chat group ✔

What happens when you swipe right and match with a guy when you're drunk? You go to the date then realize in the middle of it that the date was a roomate interview and the app wasn't a dating app but finding a roommate one. Presented with an opportunity to a cheaper rent and a better appartement, Sadie agrees to become Jack's roomate.

Not going to lie, the start was a bit slow for me but I'm glad I gave this book a chance and continued reading. Lease on Love is a sweet story about Sadie and Jack. Sadie is a go getter, I loved her determination, how she worked her butt off to get her floral business going and I related to her when doubt crept up on her. Sadie had a toxic childhood and it shows in her actions and reactions.
Jack is a sweet human who needed companionship to feel less lonely.
I loved Sadie and Jack's interactions, how Sadie managed to break Jack's walls and include him in her small cercle of Friends. I also loved how Jack was so attentive and caring towards Sadie and her friends. Her friends are amazing and I hope we'll get Gemma's story.
The romance blossomed thru the book and I appreciate the fact that the writer took time to build a foundation for their love story. I appreciate the slow build up, the tension and the chemistry between them.

I also liked that you can see Sadie build her business from the ground.

I recommend this book, give it a chance.


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Women write some damn good men. I’m not sure a Jack exists in real life😂 I mean, watching Real Housewives and eating pizza is #goals.

I thought Sadie and Jack’s chemistry was great! And I thought their understanding of what each other needed was sweet.

My main problem was the conflict happened way too late. And honestly was rather stupid… not going into too much detail, but they were both wrong.

And some of the writing felt juvenile.. but overall, very cute!

*special thanks to GP Putnam for an ARC to review!

What a sweet and uplifting romance! Jack is truly the cinnamon roll hero we don’t deserve, and Sadie is a flawed but lovable woman who just needs a little help believing in herself. I loved reading the group text conversations, because it gave such great insight into this awesome group of friends, which, by the way, is total #friendgoals. I would absolutely love to read another novel about Gemma, Harley, and Nick. I wish there had been more backstory on Sadie’s upbringing to have more context for why she had so much self-doubt, but I still had no problem connecting with her and feeling for her. Romance readers, get ready for your new obsession!

This review is a little different from my usual because I don't want to give much away about the plot. I went into the story knowing basically nothing other than that I read a few great recommendations and there were flowers. I enjoyed the book all the more for being surprised.

I love the voice of Sadie's first person perspective, the humor and the sarcasm. Although I often prefer dual perspectives, I felt that just having Sadie's was perfect for this storyline (but I would love a bonus chapter or two from Jack's voice). Some of the story is also told through text conversations, and those were wonderful as well.

I'm pretty sure Sadie's friend group is my friend group, just in New York. This is such a lovely story of found family. And I kind of want to be Sadie. Wandering around Park Slope trying every coffee place and looking at flowers is my dream. Sadie's thoughts on gardening so perfectly capture my own:
"This is my meditation, the time when I can turn off all the negative thoughts in my brain and just be."

This was such an amazing read. It had quite serious and emotional aspects in addition to the lighter, fun moments. I was completely absorbed and didn't notice time passing.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: narcissistic, abusive parent; grief

After putting in grueling hours at work, Sadie Green is eager to get the promotion she so desperately deserves and quite frankly, needs. But when things don’t go as planned, Sadie doesn’t only find herself promotion-less, she finds herself jobless. In fact, if she doesn’t play her cards right, she might be adding homeless to the list as well.

Drowning her sorrows in alcohol, Sadie drunkenly swipes right on a dating site. The only drunken catch being is she wasn’t on a dating site at all. Instead, she actually agreed to meeting up with a potential roommate. The possible roomie in question is the quintessential, “nerd until you clean him up a bit”, Jack Thomas. Undeterred by Sadie’s initial confusion, Jack invites Sadie to check out the Brownstone space he owns, offering her to move in on the spot.

While a part of Sadie rightfully assumes the proposal must be too good to be true, she admittedly doesn’t have many options, so she accepts. Now that she has a super cheap spot to rent, it gives Sadie the opportunity to follow career goals she only dreamed about. But with her newly found floral career flourishing, the real question is can she keep the blooming feelings she has for her new roomie in check?

The beginning of Lease on Love had me literally laughing out loud. (Especially the promotion scene). Sadie said what a lot of us in similar scenarios have wanted to say before, and then some. But the way everything falls in place thereafter was a little **too** perfect for me. While this is a traditional love story on one level, it’s also a story of self love as Sadie’s plants aren’t the only growth that needed tending to. Her self depreciation did grown a little tiring after awhile though.

Overall, Lease On Love is the floral arrangement equivalent of a love story with some thorny bits, but one that manages to blossom nonetheless.

How do I love a Lease on Love? Let me count the ways. Jack. Jack O’Lantern. Jack in the Box. Jackpot. What. A. Hero. Slightly nerdy, super introverted, heart of pure gold--it's my absolute dream come true. I could rate the book five stars just on his character alone. But wait, there’s more!

Sadie is a hotshot in the Manhattan finance world. She's expecting a big promotion and is instead blindsided when the position goes to the boss’s future SIL who doesn’t even currently work at the company. After a hilarious and slightly rage-y outburst, she’s fired. She takes a few days of wallowing in pity and wine, only emerging to go on what she thinks is a coffee date. Turns out, she swiped right on a potential roommate. She gets a wild offer to rent a very affordable room in a Brooklyn brownstone, and after a quick tour from the homeowner, Jack, she decides to go for it. They’re total opposites, but each has a good feeling about the living situation, and they become fast, if awkward, friends.

Cue the slowest of slow burns, with Sadie and Jack shedding layer after layer over the next several months. The intimacy they build and the boundaries they set--it's fantastic. Sadie’s decided to ditch the finance world and go for what she's always really dreamed of–starting her own floral arranging business. She’s surrounded by her college roommates and best friends–Harley, Gemma, and Nick. Found family is one of my absolute favorite, favorite things to read about in books, and this found family takes the cake. The text exchanges are ridiculous and fantastic.

Each character is recovering from years of trauma–Jack from the death of his parents and Sadie from years of parental verbal/emotional abuse. This book handles each topic with care. We are able to see the characters sit with their grief but also figure out how to navigate it in a healthy way. At times I wished Sadie could just see herself the way others did and ditch the self-doubt, but that’s not how REAL LIFE works, is it? Instead, I think we got a much more authentic portrayal of what it’s like to constantly be in your own head. There’s not some magic switch you can turn off one day and be like, “Yeah, y’all are right, I AM f-ing awesome! I DO deserve this!”

As a writer, Falon managed to strike the exact balance that I’m aspiring to achieve in my own WIP–evoking deep feelings and emotions, exploring heavier themes, but also making us laugh out loud during the entire ride. I can’t stop thinking about everything that was perfect with this book–the writing, the characters, the connection, the setting, the nicknames, the steam level (moderately spicy, open door!), the growth. I just loved it all. Thanks times a million to Putnam Books, NetGalley, and LoveARCtually for arranging digital ARCs for Lease on Love. It’s out Tuesday!

Such a cute and fun read. I loved Jack so much and found him to be so sweet even when he was a little mysterious. I loved the whole florist aspect, I thought that was so fun. I loved all the side characters and their relationships. Who wouldn’t want a group of friends like that?? I just found this to be a really cute story. Personally, the twists at the ends seemed a little exaggerated for me, but I appreciated that the resolution wasn’t dragged out. Overall, highly recommend picking this up!

I loved this heroine! Sadie has her share of childhood trauma but she seems to have been pushing past it with help of a group of friends and a steady job. When that job implodes and she confuses her roommate search with a tinder date, it could all come screeching to a halt. Her new roommate jack seems too good to be true. She’s traded a shoebox for a brownstone and minimal rent. However jack is dealing with his drama and what ensues is actually a very fun , slow burn of a romance. I think this book illustrates how tough new beginnings are but how rewarding they can be. I think that the slow start to Sadie and Jack really fleshes out their chemistry and story. The minor conflict at the end was pretty stupid but The ending was worth it. I also really enjoyed the friends Sadie brings in that add levity to the story.

It took all of five minutes for me to realize that I was going to love this debut author's work, and love it I did. This was excellent - light, swoony, and slow-burning, with depth that sneaks up on you and a focus on mental health. I adored the roommates to lovers dynamic, and this hero is fantastic, the perfect book boyfriend. The funny thing is that I was worried this was going to be too women's fiction-y for me, but that concern was quickly put to rest when the f-bombs started flying in the first chapter, lol. It felt fresh, modern, and yeah, everything millennial dreams are made of... because I'll be the first to admit that the storyline is pure fantasy in some ways. The sense of found family and community was really heartwarming, and the book just felt so unique.

The story follows Sadie, a woman who has been working herself to the bone, assuming that her efforts will pay off somewhere down the line. But when she's passed over for a promotion, Sadie has an outburst that leaves her jobless and reeling. Drowning her sorrows in alcohol, Sadie matches with a guy on what she believes to be a dating app... but is actually a roommate-finder app. Jack is definitely not the type of guy that Sadie would date - he's nerdy, broody, and nice - but he's seeking a roommate to live in his luxurious brownstone for next to nothing, and he doesn't seem like a serial killer. As the two strangers become roommates, their new friendship blossoms into more.

Something about the blurb and cover had me thinking this was going to have a more serious feel, but that assumption went out the window within the first chapter. Our heroine is bold and bright, the splash of color that livened up this NYC romance. Paired with a quiet, loving, and genuine hero, the combination had me glued to the pages. The slow burn love story built in such a fulfilling way, with a growth in intimacy that kept me swooning. And it's sexy! Slow burn lovers will appreciate the quiet moments, but there's plenty of steam later on. It's not an overly long book, but the story felt rich and deep in a way that I don't always find in romance. The tone remains light for much of the story, but there are some emotional moments that give this weight. I loved the focus on mental health and how these two "broken" people come back to life as they grow and heal together. The transformation from start to finish was fantastic, and the heavier moments just gave this more depth. If this is the author's debut, then I am absolutely looking forward to more. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this roommates to lovers romance.

Oh my word. This book. I adored every single word of it - there is not a thing I would change. I loved it so much.

The set up for this story is awesome. Overconfident in the odds of getting a promotion, Sadie is shocked when she’s passed over for her boss’ son in law and she totally loses her mind - cursing out everyone in the conference room and promptly being fired. That night she drowns her sorrows and mistakenly swipes right on what she thinks is a dating app. When she meets her match the next day, she realizes that Jack is not her intended date but the roommate she apparently agreed to meet when she started swiping on the wrong app. The mysterious Jack has an amazing house and is offering her the deal of the century, so she overlooks some potential red flags and moves on in.

As Jack and Sadie get to know each other, they slowly start to open up. Both of them have traumatic pasts they aren’t quite willing to share yet. Their relationship is so so tender as they both realize the magnitude of their attraction. The forced proximity only adds to off-the-charts sexual tension that was super satisfying to see pay off. I loved the group of friends in this book and so enjoyed the found family aspect of the book. This debut novel checked every single one of my boxes. I cannot wait to read what else this author publishes.

Content warnings: death of parent, parental verbal abuse and gaslighting, anxiety

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is amazing if you want something fluffy and sweet--a great book hangover cure and quick read. ⁠
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It's a hallmark movie in book form, with great lovable characters, and an unrealistic-but-you-want-it-to-be-true plot. I was constantly laughing at the characters' banter and Sadie's sarcasm was ELITE. The conversations between the friends, in both text and person, were what you would authentically find in real life. ⁠
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Jack and Sadie's relationship is a slow burn and low-key angsty, but it just makes them getting together all that sweeter. They're the cutest couple ever and I appreciated the realistic concerns a roommates to friends to lovers relationship could bring up.⁠
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Although my only reference for a brownstone was that of Sherlock and Watson's in Elementary this house sounds even more amazing. And I would also give it no thought to moving in with a stranger after meeting them for coffee once. ⁠
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Triggers: mental health, particularly PTSD from growing up with a narcissistic parent; degrading internal conversation, alcohol consumption, mentions of parental death⁠
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Tropes: slow burn, roommates to friends to lovers, millennial career change, found family⁠
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⁠⁠Thanks to NetGalley and Penguing Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the opportunity to read this work of art.⁠⁠
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⁠
🌈🌈⁠
🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the advance review copy; all opinions are my own!

LEASE ON LOVE was delightful, steamy romance that did such a lovely job portraying character growth in both its love interests as a vital part of their romantic journey. I loved seeing how together and on their own Jack and Sadie had to self-reflect, take risks, be vulnerable, and how richly they were rewarded in what they discovered for their own lives as well as found in each other. I thought the rich cast of secondary characters was incredibly well developed, lovable, and nuanced, and appreciated how Sadie's friends not only unconditionally loved, supported, and accepted her but also held her accountable when she reverted to a self-loathing and fatalistic mentality. Finally, any time a story honors the vital importance of therapy in healing through trauma, I'm here for it!

Lease on Love hooked me right from the very first chapter. When Sadie loses her job and needs to regroup on her budget, she ends up matched with Jack as a roommate. His spacious brownstone and low rent are the perfect combination for Sadie to start working towards her dreams. Jack's "stuff" and Sadie's enthusiasm are the perfect combination to great tension and a slow burn romance that kept me reading and hooked through the entire book. It's sweet, but steamy. It's fun but with depth. I can't wait to see where this debut author goes next.

I want to start with the things that I disliked first, because even though there’s a few of them, I didn’t dislike the book as a whole.

- I think this book could have benefitted from being dual POV. It was exhausting being in Sadie’s head the entire time. I felt she tried too hard to be quirky and called herself a “selfish asshole” far too many times, without ever displaying asshole behavior. I know this stemmed from her childhood but we didn’t see her relationship with her father to understand where it came from.
- Jack kept saying he wanted to be with Sadie but he needed to work on himself first. There was no mention of what he did to work on himself, but suddenly he was ready and was actually the perfect boyfriend once they got together, so it felt like a disconnect. I think a dual POV would have helped with this as well.
- The conflict was thrown in at the last minute and resolved just as quickly. It felt like such an overreaction from Sadie. Honestly the last 10% of the book seemed like it was an afterthought.

However, these are the things I did like:

- Roommates to lovers is always a win. How Sadie became Jack’s roommate was the perfect meet cute. I enjoyed the slow burn and the tension of their mutual attraction.
- Sadie’s friends were the best part of the book. The “found family” trope is one of my favorites, and Sadie surrounded herself with some of the best people. I think this spoke to her actual character and not how she viewed herself.
- The group chat excerpts did a really great job of showcasing everyone’s personality. If Ballard turns this into a series focusing on Gemma or Harley and Nick, I would absolutely read them.
- The epilogue redeemed the ending for me,

Two words: Jack Thomas. *Swoon*. Sadie Green leaves the world of people pleasing and finance and finds herself with a new, mysterious roommate after a drunken night out with friends. Jack Thomas is full of mystery, but a warm, kind soul hiding behind secrets. As things seem to sizzle between the pair, Sadie begins to follow her heart and dive into an all new career. Her close knit group of friends welcome Jack to the mix creating an atmosphere that allows Jack to untangle his scars and let people back into his life.

This is such a feel good book packed with friendship, romance, and genuine love.

After a spontaneous outburst leads to her firing, Sadie Green is forced to find not only a new job, but a new apartment as well. When she swipes right on what she thinks is a dating app, she is very surprised when her “date”, Jack Thomas, begins to interview her as a potential roommate. Soon, Sadie is getting a new lease on life and love when she decides to follow her long held dreams, even if the face of self-doubt.

Described as Beach Read meets The Flatshare, this was a very heart-warming book about making life out of lemonade, and allowing people to believe in us, even when we do not always believe in ourselves. Both main characters are struggling with underlying issues which they are able to work through, showing richness in their overall depth and emotional growth throughout the story.

The dialogue is spot on, the friendships in this book are wonderful and the supporting characters definitely steal the show at times. And my favorite element of this book is the adorable naming tangents the characters go on trying to develop names for each other such as Jack-in-the-box and Dandelion 😂🤣.

My only criticism of the book, is that Sadie is plagued with her own insecurities brought on by past trauma, and although I feel this in my soul, it became a bit repetitive at times and I felt so frustrated with her as a character in a few scenes. However, I would definitely recommend this as a soul warming, very romantic story that I think most would enjoy. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Favorite quote:
“I think you’re going to be good for me, Sadie Green.”

“Oh I definitely won’t be. Like literally no one has ever come away from knowing me thinking that, promise.”

Ballard really wanted a book about developing a healthy relationship. The mental health representation in the book was amazing. From not wanting to start a relationship you know you really want to have but know you are not in the mental headspace to start, to knowing when you have to work through things you thought you had already worked through.
I think one of the most interesting and my favorite part is how Ballard really was unapologetic about cutting people off in your life who do not help you be the best person you are and building relationships that you can count on.
The romance between the hero and the heroine also felt so genuine in the development of the first conversation to the last page. The situation where they come in contact with each other was a little out of the norm but it was fun and different.
I just really enjoyed this book and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC! The description of this book sounded promising but it most definitely was not what I was expecting. The book contained so many cringy phrases and pop culture references. I literally wanted to gouge my eyes out reading some of this book. Not to mention, the word “millennial” used to describe things multiple times, which I do not like personally. The relationship felt extremely underdeveloped. To me, it felt like Jack and Sadie went from strangers who are roommates to friends with romantic feelings overnight. Also, it seems the author tried to add more dimension to Sadie with her background story but it just was not written in well. The background story of Sadie was rushed and brief. The story overall was underwhelming.

This is my first book by Falon Ballard and I'm so glad I read it. I felt Sadie in my bones. She is stuck in a stifling career, curses like it's her first language, and took a massive leap of faith on her total life revamp. I want to be Sadie when I grow up! Jack for his part was this quiet mystery for Sadie to solve and while she did that they built up a lovely slow burn that pretty much exploded when they finally got going.

I felt instantly bonded with Sadie for so many reasons and truly enjoyed reading her character arc. This book was funny and adorable and it showcased some frustrating situations as well as addressed some very heavy emotional topics. The book actively advocated for therapy and gave the characters space to address their wounds.

I loved the amazing support system in Sadie’s friend group and also how the author worked to normalize therapy. I straight up cried when these two hit a rough patch so bring tissues when to sit down for this one.