I was/am obsessed with Lease on Love, so I was extremely excited to read this one. But man am I walking away insanely disappointed. I had so many issues with this book that I don’t even know where to start.

I absolutely love a second chance romance and the premise sounded so good and had so much potential.

I found myself not really caring much about Seth and Lana as a couple. They didn't have chemistry. Not to mention there really wasn't any angst between the two. I wish I felt more for them as a couple, but they would both say one thing and then go and do something else and it was so frustrating. I would have loved flashbacks of them together in the past but we got nothing in regards to their past as a couple.

My main reason for disliking this one was the MC, Lana. She was so immature and selfish that she was so unbearable. She’s supposed to be 30….yet acted like a 15 year old. She spent the entire book hating Seth, even though he did nothing wrong. He was nice to her the entire book and laid out his feelings, but she just repeatedly dismissed him and insisted on being rude. Lana clearly still had lingering feelings for Seth and instead of having a mature conversation with him, she just acted like a child.

The whole workplace competition situation just felt wrong. Lana and Seth’s assignment = definitely not ok. Over the weeks that the challenges were taking place, Lana kept saying that she’s grown so much and changed but I personally didn’t actually see any growth in her. She kept having the same selfish, immature thoughts and did nothing to change how she reacted to things.

Don’t even get me started on Lana saying “thank [insert Marvel character here]” instead of “thank god” throughout the book. And this is coming from a major Marvel fan. I think this was supposed to be cute and give Lana "nerd" vibes but it ended up just being super annoying.

The only reason I gave this two stars and not one is because of Falons note at the end on how hard it is to write book two. I'll never pretend to know how to write a book so I give her credit for even trying. This was just a huge miss for me.

While this wasn't a super unique story, it was still a lot of fun and a great escape. While I was frustrated with the miscommunication at first, these two really grew on me as their relationship bloomed.

Additionally, I really loved the journalism setting/plot. This isn't a setting we see as often in pop culture/media as we used to, so I appreciated it.

---4/5 stars

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

the cover: simple and cute
the FMC: Lana- a nerdy woman who loves writing, a good book, a hazelnut iced latte, and most of all- to be in a monogamous relationship. after getting her heart broken over and over by guys she's not sure she even really loved to begin with, we follow Lana as she is forced to confront her newly-single relationship status and her emotions toward what it means to be single
the MMC: Seth- Lana's high school sweetheart ex who broke her heart for the first time drops back into her life a decade later by working at the same paper. his new boss hears about his past with Lana and decides this is the perfect recipe for a dating competition- can Seth (a man who is seemingly anti-relationship) find his happily ever after? and can Lana (who is seemingly anti-single) learn to enjoy being alone?- and if it just so happens that this competition will give the paper tons of incoming revenue and the winner will get their dream job writing then who cares how they get to be the winner.... right?
POV: 1st person single perspective
HEA: yes!
spice: there are a couple open-door spicy scenes but this is a SLOW burn
TWs: parental drama, absent mother, mentally/emotionally manipulative workplace
standalone?: yes
final thoughts: friends-to-lovers-to-rivals-to-reluctant-coworkers-to-lovers second chance romance written from the FMC POV. this was cute and i loved a lot about it- including showing the subtle manipulations of Lana's work/boss, the pop culture/nerdy references, and her relationship with therapy- it's an easy, albeit a bit tense at some points, quick read with super cute moments throughout. this book relies quite heavily on the miscommunication trope which i don't usually love unless it's done right. i think this was done well enough (since we only get the 1 POV we get to push it pretty far) but i felt like the buildup of "why did they break up?" "what happened?" could've been pushed even more. that said- still cute even if it was a miscommunication book LOL

read this book if you love
🗣️ miscommunication
🔥 slow burn
2️⃣ second chance romances
👩 finding yourself / self love
🏢 workplace romance / workplace setting

Thank you to Net Galley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this ARC! I really enjoyed Talon Ballard's book Lease on Love and was excited to read Just My Type!

While I'm not a huge second chance romance person, I really enjoyed Lana and Seth's story. After their horrible high school break up and another bad experience at their reunion, Lana and Seth are forced back into each others' lives when the media outlet Lana works as a relationships columnist for gets acquired and Seth relocates to LA to work at the publication acquiring them. This leads to a contest between Lana and Seth to drive views and reader to teach both of them about their own relationship issues - forcing them to re-examine their own history and remaining chemistry.

Just My Type was funny and sweet, and I really enjoyed it, would definitely recommend checking it out!

This was an incredibly enjoyable read! While I live by a no second chance romance rule in my own personal life I do love the trope in books. The pining and underlying tension always have me squealing and kicking my feet and the progression between Lana and Seth are no exception. Lana’s inner monologue is sassy, fresh, and had me cracking up consistently throughout the story. The workplace dynamic was just the cherry on top! The group chats, the rivalry, and the overall chemistry of all of the characters kept me invested. I would definitely recommend this to a friend!

This book had it all: enemies to lovers, workplace rivalry, second chance romance… it was amazing! it’s such a good romcom book, it’s giving netflix movie vibes and I’m personally here for all of it!!!

i just really really really love second chance romance. it speaks to my soul. this was such a fun and enjoyable read. a part of it that was unexpectedly enjoyable was just how much these two despised each other at the start. it was fun to read that. and the plot was quite engaging too.

Just My Type was an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance story between our two MCs: Lana and Seth. Lana and Seth are both writers with Lana being based in LA for the last decade writing for an online platform, while Seth has been traveling across the globe freelance writing. They are also ex-high school sweethearts and instantly bump heads after Seth's untimely arrival to LA.

Lana is a serial monogamist, Seth supposedly has a girl in every town he visits, but once upon a time they were each other's first loves. Now, Seth is in LA and he is working for the same magazine as Lana. Lana, recently dumped, and feeling sorry for herself, is double blind-sided when she discovers that 'the one who got away' is now 'the one to beat' after her boss pits them against one another in a relationship competition. Forced out of her comfort zone, Lana begins to better understand herself, her behaviors, and why the idea of being on her own is so terrifying to her. It also forces her to revisit her still-lingering feelings towards Seth and what that may mean for them now.

Overall, I'd say Just My Type was a pretty standard romance. It had some tropes, some funny moments, lots (sometimes too much) miscommunication, and a little bit of steam. Lana was incredibly frustrating at times with her incessant pushing away of Seth and her constant denial that she had no blame in regards to her relationship with Seth, Like, I'm all for some drama in a romance, but it got incredibly tiring after a while. The ending was cute, albeit a little predictable, but still, overall, an enjoyable read.

I was a fan of Falon’s debut, Lease on Love so I was really excited to read Just My Type. Second chance romance can be hard for me but Falon hit it out of the park with this one! It was sweet and touching and sexy and just amazing! Seth and Lana had the best chemistry and I didn’t want their story to end. I loved seeing them once again find that connection they had while competing in these challenges assigned to them as some kind of competition. They both started to realize what they wanted and were looking for in a partner/relationship. It was perfectly done and it just left me wanting more of this story and these characters. I seriously can’t wait to see what Ballard has in store for us next!

This book was just darling! Such a perfect rom com! ♥️

4/5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Lana Parker is 30 years old, works as a relationship columnist, and is chronically in long term relationships that just don’t seem to work. After a shocking breakup Lana heads into work only to find that her first love (and first heartbreak) has taken a new job at her company. To make matters worse her boss takes advantage of the situation and puts them into a competition with each other. Lana must learn to be on her own and Seth must learn to be in a relationship.

Second chance romances are my absolute favorite trope and this one was so good! The banter between Seth and Lana was amazing, and you totally felt their chemistry through the whole book. I also loved Lana’s relationship with her friends. It all felt very true to the story and to real life.

At times I did find Lana and her choices a little frustrating although her family circumstances make her choices a little more reasonable. I also got frustrated with the boss and the workplace situation. I constantly wondered how someone could get away with this at work.

Overall the growth from both main characters was great and I did love the message and lesson that Lana learned. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook.

I loved Lease on Love by @falonballard so much I had to get my hands on Just My Type. This second chance & enemies to lover’s romance did not disappoint. I wanted to shake Lana and pull her into a big bear hug…with Seth…to set all records straight. I could not help rooting for them!

All through high school Lana and Seth were it. They both got into the same college, but they both did not have the means to pay for it. After Lana left to move in, Seth told her he was not going. Shortly after that, they ended. Still hurt after all these years, it is going to take more than an apology for Lana to offer forgiveness…especially if Seth is after her promotion.

There is drama, there is forced proximity, there is memories, and there is love. You feel it all. Ballard does a fantastic job of writing stories that are realistic, which helps me to connect to the characters and their lives.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #putnambooks #prhaudio #ltbreaderteam #justmytype #falonballard

3.5 but will round up to 4.0 as the epilogue saved the book.

Many thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Falon's debut novel, Lease On Love, so I had very high expectations for her second book, Just My Type. I will start off by saying that the story is cute but it really didn't pick up for me until 70% in and most people would have given up way before that part in the story. Lana was a bit too immature for me and the miscommunication trope has been a hit or miss for me. But if we didn't have any miscommunication between Lana and Seth this would have been a very short book. I did enjoy both of them going through their tasks together. I still think Lana held back and didn't really find her voice with the issues she had with her boss, Natasha. I think the epilogue really saved the story. I'm looking forward to Falon's next book.

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub/Re Pub: 2/7/23

Book's cover: nice light purple w/ the H/h writers at their desks

Format: e-arc

Source: Arc provided by Netgalley and the publisher. I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Page Count:368

Setting: LA

Genre: CR

Tropes: 2nd chance romance, forced proximity, childhood sweethearts, office romance

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: HEA

Epilogue Included: yes, blog anniversary

Character(s)POV Spoken: h Lana

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Synopsis/Plot Summary: After a bad breakup with her high school boyfriend, Lana Parker has bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationship. She works as the dating and relationships columnist for one of Los Angeles's trendiest websites- Always Take Fountain (ATF).
Seth Carson is her high school ex who moves to LA for a chance to put down roots with a stable job, after travelling as a freelancer. The problem is Lana works there and wants the job too. Seth and Lana enter a task and writing competition, created by Lana's boss Natasha. But when the two square off, it's not only their careers on the line—it’s also their hearts.


M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Contains Cheating: no

Contains Children: no

Flashbacks: yes both Lana and Seth talk about their 4-year relationship from age 14-18. They also remember past family issues.

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : yes, Lana is jealous of Seth -seeing him and Jessica on multiple dates. Seth is jealous at the bar when Lana kisses a stranger.

Amount of Sex In The Book: 2 good scenes, not until the end though.

Overall Smex Rating: 3

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Hero: Seth Carson

Hero Description: 30, freelancer travelled the world writing about politics and people. In high school he broke up w/ Lana, and 10 years later rejects her at their high school reunion. He has moved to LA for his own column job. Never wants to settle down in serious relationship.

Hero Likability Rating: 4

Hero loves books/writing: yes

Heroine: Lana Parker

Heroine Description: 30, writes @ Always Take Fountain (ATF) about dating and relationships. Has blog for book, movies, etc. with reviews and discussions, though doesn't share w/ public. Has bad taste in men, always in a relationship.

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Heroine loves books/writing: yes, even mentions Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Secondary characters:
Natasha-Lana's boss/mentor
May-Lana's BFF
Corey, Tessa, James and Rob-coworkers/friends

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO
Endearments: Parker-Seth calls Lana

OW/OM/Exes: Lana's ex Evan. He broke up w/ her when she thought he was going to propose. She has a Blind date with Seth's friend Brian. Jessica-Seth's 3 dates w/ same person

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: child abandonment/neglect

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Falon Ballard

New or read before & any favorites: new author for me

PERSONAL OVERVIEW
Overall Rating: 5

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: Lana's really torn up about Seth, but he plays it very cool. I loved all the tasks they picked for each other. Good themes of self-care, therapy, and independence. Both have a passion for what they do-shown great at the teen writer's workshop. I loathed Natasha, and glad the therapist made Lana more aware of her motives. How can you not root for them to forgive and get back together.

New Vocabulary/beautiful words: milquetoast-a person who is timid or submissive. May describing Lana's ex Evan.
listicle-in journalism and blogging-article structured as a list.

I am so glad I discovered Falon Ballard! I just love her writing style. I knew after reading Lease on Love I was immediately interested in reading this book. Falon just has such a great writing style that is interesting, captivating, and humorous. This book did not disappoint and I can't read to read more of her work in the future!

This book was amazing!! I loved getting to see them reconnect and to from being former lovers to enemies and back to lovers. I read lease on love when it first came out and this book was just as good if not better. I can’t wait to see what’s going to be next!!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I wish I could say I enjoyed this one as much as her other book "Lease on Love" but it wasn't nearly as good.
I like the trope Enemies-to-Lovers but when the story builds on a tiny miscommunication there's not much of a story. Also, Lana is a protagonist I'm tired of...the kind of woman who has no self reflection at all and knows deep down that she doesn't wants to get married to her boyfriend of four years but still wants him to propose so she could have a giant rock on her finger? Oh man... She exhausted me.

I am not always a fan of second chance romance, but I really enjoyed this one. Not only were there some laugh out loud moments, there were some serious ones too. I really connected with Lana because when I was much younger I jumped from relationship to relationship as well, so those feelings of loneliness or belonging resonated with me. I loved the attention to therapy and not just the mention of therapy, we get to be a part of the session. And chapter 25..... ummm yes I am here for that all the way. The ending felt very Never Been Kissed which I swooned over. The epilogue.. 😍

This was a book that I found hard to get through. Something about it made me stop and come back to it multiple times. The characters were not my favorite; some were just annoying, including the main one. The pacing in this book however was quite pleasant. I found that it was steady throughout and mostly kept my attention. The plot was a little predictable but it was entertaining. This book wasn't bad it was just something I didn't enjoy very much. I recommend this book to people who like cute romances with witty banter between love interests. This book did that quite well.

What a fun sophomore novel from Falon Ballard!! This second chance romance about how every story has two sides, and I absolutely loved reading about Lana's adventure and growth. Love some good banter, attempting to ignore the past, and good old fashioned workplace competitions.

📚Just My Type by Falon Ballard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you know anything about me let it be known that I love love love second chance romance books. I received an ARC for this book on NetGalley but it took me way too long to actually get around to reading it. I requested it because I thought the cover was cute. To be honest, I didn’t know a single thing about it and didn’t even read the description. Little did I know that it pretty much would include all of my favorite things. The good news is that it’s OUT NOW so that you can read it immediately because it was that good!! It’s funny, full of heartache and so much yearning (in all the best ways), relatable, easy to read, and the characters are extremely lovable!

Things I liked:
•Second chance romance
•Workplace rivals to lovers
•How to lose a guy in 10 days vibes!!!
•Lots of pop culture references
•An extremely relatable main character, who dare I say…is another mirrorball girlie 🪩
•Great character development
•It’s just one of those books that you can completely picture in your head, feel all the feelings, and fully immerse yourself into the story.

“All relationships, whether they be good or bad, leave a mark on our souls.”