LEASE ON LOVE is a thoroughly enjoyable, hopeful, heart-warming romance. This story features a great group of friends, a fun setting, a budding small business, and relatable main characters. I really loved Sadie and Jack and was completely immersed in their world. Ballard’s writing is lovely, timely, and funny. I would eagerly read anything she writes next! All together thrilled I picked up this book and would recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable romance/women’s fiction novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book!!! I was literally cracking up from the start. Jack and Sadie..UGH. Jack..what a sweet soul and Sadie's energy was great. The supporting characters were great and the slow burn was goooood. I love a forced proximity and this was such a fun read for me!!

I just finished Lease on Love last night and loved it!

Imagine confusing a roommate share app for a dating app? That’s how this book started and just went uphill from there. Turns out the roommate situation is perfect. Fantastic place, gorgeous guy who loves Bravo TV and a friends who are family.

I loved this slow burn romance, following your heart, facing your fears and all the sarcasm and pet names. The only thing I didn’t like was the “conflict” near the end.

This book was heavy on pet names. Do you have a pet name or nickname?

I found that I really enjoyed the middle of this book, however I had to talk myself in to picking this book up again after deciding to not read it and I spent the last part wishing I hadn't picked it back up. I found Sadie to be very irritating and I don't think it was intentional. Because of that it made the book so difficult to invest in and get lost in. I did really enjoy the supporting characters, and Jack was great - which saved the book for me.

Ok, this was the cutest! And I love that it’s Falon’s debut novel! I’ll for sure be reading anything she writes! This was a really good strangers to friends to lovers, forced proximity, and a bit of a slow burn. I have a soft spot for the underdog, nerdy type of guy and this fit the bill! Jack was THE sweetest MMC and I loved how he supported Sadie in making her dreams come true. And I completely adored that friend group - how awesome to have such supportive, honest, and caring friends who truly have your back. Just overall such a sweet story!

Where do I start with my absolutely pure love for LEASE ON LOVE by Falon Ballard?!

This story is an absolute slow burn but in a way that makes it incredibly endearing! Sadie and Jack were a pair of lovely human beings that I was obsessed with from the literal beginning. There were so many moments that had me swooning and genuinely laughing out loud!

But this book is so much more than the romance. It’s all about allowing yourself to find your passion and work towards it. It’s all about finding the strength and vulnerability to love and be loved fully, with flaws and all. I think that was my favorite part - the fact that these two were not perfect and were willing to do the work to get their HEA.

LEASE ON LOVE also demonstrated how the work in therapy doesn’t end once treatment is wrapped up. It’s important to continue to do the work in your day-to-day life but to also seek help when things get tough.

If you didn’t know, THE FLATSHARE by Beth O’Leary is one of my all-time favorite romances - and LEASE ON LOVE is very similar! So if you liked that one, I definitely recommend giving this one a chance!

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for the opportunity o read this e-ARC!

If that isn’t your thing, happy Monday! If Mondays aren’t your thing, happy Library Lovers’ Day! See…there’s always something to celebrate!

Today I’m celebrating the fact that there are debut authors like Falon Ballard, bringing me just the super sweet and adorable rom-com I needed.

Described as Beach Read meets The Flatshare, Lease on Love is adorable without being sappy. The characters are witty and funny, with the added bonus of there are flowers and plants. I mean, what more could you ask for?

Thanks so much for the opportunity to review!
Link to 2/14 Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ9-aINpbmm/

When Sadie drunkenly confuses a roommate app for a dating app she finds herself meeting curly-haired, glasses-wearing Jack for coffee. Jack is sooo not Sadie’s type, but his gorgeous brownstone at an incredibly low rent is! A friendship blossoms as the two navigate sharing a house with one another, and the pair finds that the other person is just what they needed.

Sadie and Jack are both complicated characters suffering from past trauma which makes them feel so real. The group text messages interspersed within the chapters really gave us a peek into the lives of Sadie, Harley, Gemma, Nick, and Jack.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Sadie is strong-willed and her friend group is everything I wish I had. I do wish we had gotten to see Jack’s point of view, but for plot reasons (no spoilers!) I completely understand why we did not.

Loved this book!

The sarcastic humor kept me thoroughly entertained through the whole book! I smiled and laughed from ear to ear. I just really liked this book. I loved Sadies personality and humor the most. Though, I did not like Jack too much. I still liked the book! It was a definite slow burn, but still so adorable. The ending was cute and made every moment of uncertainty pass. I recommend it.

From the moment this story began, I was immediately invested. Sadie is your quintessential, rom-com millennial who takes no holds barred. After an unexpected bout with unemployment, Sadie kisses her NYC apartment goodbye and says hello to her new roommate Jack *cue swoony intro music*.

Jack is sweet, shy, and I absolutely adored him. And hello, we absolutely need to talk about the chemistry between Sadie and Jack because it was OFF. THE. CHARTS! There is something so special about our couple knowing there is mutual attraction and still choosing not to act on it until the time is right.

The author does a beautiful job of building up our couples relationship while also having the friendships shine just as bright. If anything, the friend group is the backbone of this story! The group text segments were absolutely A+ and left me laughing at loud.

The first 2/3’s of this story had great pacing, however, the ending felt rushed. The couples main conflict felt slightly out of place and could have been a bit more flushed out, but overall this story was a fun read. Are you looking for a fun read with a woman scorned, a start-up, found family and a hot roommate? If you answered yes to any of those then this one is for you!


*Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review*

5/5 - Ugh I LOVED THIS BOOK! It’s a perfect contemporary romance that’s incredibly sweet, and was perfect to read when I wanted a wholesome strangers to roommates to friends to lovers story!

Sadie just lost her job, and opens what she thinks is a dating app. But it was actually an app for finding roommates. When she meets Jack, they agree on an amazing roommate deal for Sadie. Now she just needs to get him to stop being so shy and open up!

This book was amazing. Sadie was amazingly relatable! Her struggles with self deprecating thoughts after suffering emotional abuse as a child was written so well. I loved all the side characters, and the added romance for two of them. And JACK! Ugh that man is literally goals. He was amazing, and while I was salty that there was a third act break up thrown in the last two chapters, it was written well that I wasn’t *that* bitter over it. Overall, a phenomenal book that I read in one sitting, and stayed up way to late cause I couldn’t not finish it!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC copy of Lease on love by Falon Ballard! I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

AHHHH!!!! a literal scream for this book, aka one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 and it did NOT disappoint!! a strangers to lovers, forced proximity, roommate, opposites… literally what more could i ask for? i could not put this book down and literally read it every open second i had. i absolutely LOOOOVED jack, just everything about him and all he did for sadie. and sadie… i loved her and her growth throughout the book. this book was a slow burn but also kinda insta-love which doesn’t make sense but also completely makes sense when you read it! i absolutely adored falon ballard’s writing and can’t wait to read more from her, amazing debut!

Wow! What an amazing debut novel. Falon Ballard is the next CoHo! Will be auto buying every book she writes from now on. This book made me laugh, cry, and it gave me hope. I couldn't put it down.

LEASE ON LOVE is a great Rom Com! It has the wit, is sweet and sexy, heartwarming story of roommates to lovers. The second chance troupe also takes place. I read this very fast and was a big fan. We follow Sadie and Jack and their chemistry is undeniable! When a genuine mishap happens to Sadie, I mean everyone mixes up dating apps and roommate apps right, chaos arrives.

I really enjoyed this book, and would compare it to Emily Henry and Beth O’Leary books. It got a solid 4 stars from me and if you want a solid rom com with great steam between MC, this is for you. please be aware there are CWs of Death, Grief, Emotional Abuse in the past.

I found myself laughing out loud a lot reading this book! I’m not usually a romance reader but I needed a fun break from some of the heavier novels I’ve been reading lately. This rom com was right on time!
Falon Ballard does a great job of writing a well paced and entertaining story about two people who accidentally find each other and fall in love, The book is full of funny banter, quirky moments, and feel good moments between friends. There also a sad story thrown in to tug in your heart strings just a bit. There was a moment towards the end that had some drama, I guess for the spicy factor, but I didn’t much think it was necessary. At one point I did say, “SERIOUSLY?” after it happened. But even with that, I still really enjoyed this book and would definitely like to read more from her.

I absolutely adored this one! Beach Read meets the Flatshare was a perfect description for this book.

I loved Sadie! She was such a delightful character. I absolutely loved her relationship with Jack. I loved how they went from strangers to roommates to much more. Lease on Love was a slow burn, but I loved it! I loved all of Sadie's friends and how Jack became a part of her circle so seamlessly.

I loved all of the elements of Sadie's budding floral business.

This book was so good that I couldn't put it down! I can't wait to see what Falon Ballard writes next. I ordered myself a physical copy because I needed to have it on my shelf.

I will update when I share on my bookstagram page.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The only reason this book took me three days to read is because I’m working two jobs. I was raving about it so much 14% of the way in a friend of mine dropped everything to pick this one so we could buddy read. Thank goodness she loved it too! We pretty much had the exact same take to the whole story.

The conflict was not what I thought it was going to be and although I didn’t love that part, I do appreciate where the author was coming from and why she chose what she did.

Sadie and Jack are just totally cute!! The pet names. Omg! #adorbs The level of maturity coming from Jack in every situation was absolutely a breath of fresh air. He is definitely the dream book boyfriend! The friendships between all of the characters were absolutely, lovingly hilarious. The group texts had me lol-ing. The other couples better get books next, cause I’m not done with them yet … I’m just saying! Haha!

And don’t get me started on the steam level. I thought this one was going to be closed door, but it definitely packs some heat. 🥵

This story would be great to read anytime of the year, but if you’re looking for another SwoonWorthy couple during this month of love, definitely pick this one up!

Overall this is a solid four star read in content and spice!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶

I loved the premise of this book and was drawn in at the start. Unfortunately the execution isn’t working for me - DNF at 60%. I’m annoyed by Sadie and Jack feels really underdeveloped/flat. I’m not feeling it. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Thank you so much to the publisher & @NetGalley for giving me this physical ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 01 February 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Sadie unexpectedly loses her finance job & decides to celebrate her funemployment with drunkenly swiping right on what she thinks is a dating app. It is actually a roommate-finding app where she finds Jack & a ludicrously cheap rent that she can't really afford to pass up.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the fact the romance was both insta-lovey & a slow burn. Who doesn't want a strangers-to-roomates-to-friends-to-lovers vibe?!
- the found family trope was beautifully executed & I basically want to be in their friendship group please and thank you
- the sarcasm was exactly my kind of humour
- my floral loving heart fully supported her dream of becoming a florist!
- all in all a fantastic debut & I'm very excited to see what else this author releases

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- could have done without the late stage drama
- the constant nicknames were a tad too cringe for me (I'm more of a classic "babe" kinda girl when it comes to nicknames)

I loved this one! Sadie’s perfectly orderly life was going to plan until she got passed over for the much deserved promotion at work.
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She throws all caution to the wind and quits her job, goes out drinking with friends and swipes right on a dating app…
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The only thing is it wasn’t a dating app. It was a roommate app. When she meets up with Jack for her “date” and sees him in a Lord of the Rings shirt her first impression is a no. Then she realizes it’s a roommate app and a cheap rental in his Brownstone falls in her lap she’s all in. With the incredibly low rent she can step out of her comfort zone and work on creating a floral business and Jack seems like a nice guy.
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Jack is still reeling from his parents death and he’s quiet, shy and reclusive. This partnership is as much for him as it is for Sadie. I loved their group of friends and how they truly made their own family. It’s so nice to read about a group that truly love each other and are supportive without the angst. I love a close proximity story and of course Jack and Sadie end up together. I was rooting for them the entire time and oh dear Lord their Christmas presents to each other are the most thoughtful, sweetest presents. If you are looking for a sweet story with sarcasm and quick wit this Valentine’s Day this is it.

Thank you #gpputnamsons for an advanced copy.
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