This is my first book by Falon Ballard and I definitely enjoyed it. It’s a second chance romance with ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ vibes.

Lana doesn’t know how to be single and Seth doesn’t know how to be in a relationship and now they’re pitted against each other to learn how to do just that.

It’s angsty workplace romance with great banter and some spicy scenes. And the workplace drama really adds a great layer to the story as well.

Overall I liked it and the characters were compelling and easy to relate to. There were a couple things about the writing that felt distracting to me and that I could have done without.

It’s an easy read and if you love the tropes I’ve mentioned I’d say give it a shot. It releases tomorrow, February 7th!

Lana is a relationship columnist who has always bounced from one relationship to the next. Her boss decides to challenge her to stay single and write about it. Unfortunately her ex boyfriend Seth has started working at the same website. He is a serial dater and is challenged into finding a last relationship. The most popular column will win their dream job.
I struggled to finish this book. I didn’t really connect with either character.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers/second chance romance book! I loved the beginning nod to Legally Blonde and all of the pop culture references scattered through the book. I also enjoyed that both characters needed to do some self discovery before eventually ending up together again. This was such a quick read, and I liked that as well! I will be recommending this book to friends!

Thanks @netgalley @putnambooks for the advanced reader copy of @falonballard new book, Just My Type. It’s out on February 7, 2023. If you loved her first book, Lease on Love, this one should be an auto-buy.

When her high school boyfriend moves to LA and gets a job at the same website, Lana competes with Seth to see who will get their own column. The rules are simple: complete ten tasks and whatever you do, don’t fall in love.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Tropes: first love, second chance romance, rivals-to-lovers, journalism

My review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5317460002

"Just My Type" follows Lana and Seth, high school sweethearts turned exes and now turned coworkers, in a work competition that pits their relationship and writing skills against each other. Think "How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days" but with Lana learning to be single and Seth learning to settle down, all wrapped up (not so) nicely with an overstepping boss.

Thank you to Putnum Books and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. "Just My Type" is available Feb. 7, 2023!

rating: 3.8

what i loved: Give me a book about a pop culture-obsessed writer who went to journalism school and I will eat it up every time (here's looking at all my professors who didn't think it was ~real journalism~ to not write about the news). Lana is an enjoyable character, though naive much of the time (I had to remind myself she is supposed to be thirty!) and I loved watching her journey of self-discovery. It is much easier to root for a main character when the majority of her issues don't revolve around men. Lana's tumultuous relationship with her mother is central to the plot and gives her character's actions much more depth. While I was actively rooting for Lana and Seth, the whole point of the competition for Lana was to learn how to be okay with being by herself and then...well, you'll see.

what didn't work: I'm not a big fan of second-chance romances, especially when the original relationship is not thoroughly explained or discussed. While we were told why it went wrong in the first place (many, many times), we never got to hear a lot of what went right. There would have been so much more chemistry in the present if we got to hear about the chemistry in the past. Also, just after halfway through the book, the pacing felt off and got much slower and harder to follow. My last issue with this book was how frequently the characters used *cry* Slack to discuss arguably very non-work-appropriate things. Cringe.

My fan cast for "Just My Type" is Zoey Deutch as Lana and Glen Powell as Seth (because it's literally their "Set It Up" characters in an alternate universe), Krysten Ritter as May and Constance Zimmer as Natasha.

I loved this book!
Lana's journey hit close to home. A lot of her struggle and inner monologue matched my own and I saw myself in her throughout the book. She was very relatable and lovable. My one critique is that the ending felt abrupt. I wanted a longer conclusion and epilogue. It felt rushed and not thought out.
Read if you like:
Workplace romance
Rivals to lovers
2nd chance romance
Childhood friends to lovers
Found family
Slow burn
Journalism
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

"... 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥."

The first thing I have to say is that reading this made me feel like maybe Falon Ballard has been hiding in the bushes following me around for most of my life. The number of similarities between me and the FMC is SUPER duper eerie at times.

That being said, if I didn't have to put this book down (because, you know, mom of an infant and running a household), I definitely wouldn't have!

This takes all of my favorite things - work place rivalries (a la 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦), not-so-friendly competition (a la 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘛𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘈 𝘎𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘯 10 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴), high school sweethearts, second chance romance, and the LA scenery!

There is just so much to love about this book, and just the perfect level of spice! 🌶🌶

Thank you Falon, @putnambooks, @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #justmytype #falonballard #penguingroupputnam #whatsnikkireading #book8of2023 #secondchanceromance #workplaceromance #workplacerivalry #highschoolsweethearts #losangeles #california

This book was stellar. At first, I didn't think that the high school exes storyline was going to be believable for me, because it really felt like these two had some unresolved feelings that just, were never going to be resolved, but I can safely say that this book was so beautifully written and well done. I loved Lana and Seth, the tension, the feelings that Seth emanated, and just the growth with Lana understanding the idea of self love. Another smash from Falon Ballard that I loved.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Putnam Group, and Falon Ballard for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lana Parker is getting married....or is she. What she thinks is an engagement dinner is really a break up dinner. Then Lana hears the hard truth that she is a serial dater going from one long term relationship to the next in a matter of weeks. On top of getting dumped, she learns her high school boyfriend just got hired at her journal.

Now Lana and Seth are going against each other for a position that could change both their careers. Can Lana be single and can Seth become ready for a long term relationship all while sharing their adventures with LA?

I loved this book. Lana and Seth have great chemistry throughout and I love Lana's support system as well! This second chance romance is one you do not want to miss.

This is just perfect for readers who enjoy enemies to lovers, workplace romance and second chance romance tropes. Lana and Seth have amazingly crackling chemistry and as a fan of witty/sassy banter, this was spot on in that area. I enjoyed the professional competition between them especially as they are tasked with writing opposite kinds of articles with respect to relationships.

I totally recommend this one to all romcom readers!

Rating: 4.5⭐️

LOVED THIS BOOK SO, SO MUCH!

Falon Ballard is definitely giving us How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days vibes with two writers going head-to-head in a not-so-friendly competition for their dream jobs. I could totally relate to Lana, who finds herself brokenhearted at the beginning of the book after expecting a marriage proposal, but instead gets dumped. My heart hurt for her since I have totally been the relationship-prone friend determined to fall in love and get married😬😅 Then enter in Seth Carson, Lana’s high school sweetheart and the first to break her heart, with all his charisma and perfectness. Then ensues a hilarious battle to win a job of them have worked so hard for. I honestly loved this book because of how much both Lana and Seth grow individually as they complete every item on their lists.

Their coworkers group messaging, witty banter between Lana and Seth, and that dang epilogue…this book was so very good👌🏽 The only thing that could have made this book perfect is to have Seth’s POV.

Read if you enjoy:
*workplace romance
*second chance/enemies-to-lovers trope
*single POV

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Just My Type will be available tomorrow, February 7th!

P.S. @FalonBallard I WANT MAY’S STORY NEXT, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Just my type of book. Definitely.
Everything was top-notch.

Things go awry for serial monogamist Lana Parker when she gets dumped by her boyfriend of four years the night she expects to get engaged. To make matters worse, the next day she finds out that her high school ex, Seth Carson, is about to become her coworker at the lifestyle website where she is a dating and relationship columnist. And the cherry on top is that they now have to compete for Lana's dream job.

This book was so cute and a lot of fun. How could it not be with second chance romance and rivals to lovers combined?

Not only are there cute moments and a lot of bantering to enjoy, but Lana goes on something of a journey of self-discovery and healing as she goes through the tasks of the competition. I wish there were slightly more emphasis on this part of the book, but nevertheless, I was glad to see Lana recognize the pattern she was in and not jump right into things without trying to get out of it.

I will also say that this book has a lot of pop culture references. In a broader sense, that makes sense as that is something very important to Lana. I quite enjoyed the little nod to Talia Hibbert's Get a Life, Chloe Brown. However, there were at least one or two instances there were pop culture references where it should've just been described in plain English so that even readers who wouldn't understand that particular reference get what the author is trying to convey. So if pop culture references in books aren't your thing, you might not like this book.

Overall, this book was a lot of fun to read. 4 stars.

Lana Parker is a serial girlfriend who bounces from one long term relationship to another and even writes a dating and relationship column for a trendy LA website.  But, when her latest boyfriend of 4 years dumps her instead of taking her out to propose like she thought, she is ready for a break - personally and professionally.

That is, until her high school ex, Seth Carson, takes an assignment at her work.  Where Lana is ready for a break, Seth is ready to settle down and put down roots.  Their boss quickly picks up on their chemistry which leads to a competition that could impact both of their careers.  Lana is to write about being single & staying single, while Seth must learn to settle down and become boyfriend material.  Whoever's series is most popular wins their highly coveted dream job.  Their careers are on the line, but so are their hearts...

I simply adored this enemies to lovers/second chance rom-com by Falon Ballard.  Lana and Seth's banter back and forth was fun, witty and there was no denying their chemistry.  The journey back to each other felt subtle enough to make it believable and realistic.  I will never be able to look at a sunflower the same...IYKYK!!  Loved the spin on the workplace romance and how they were pitted against each other.  It brought an element of competitiveness and the tasks they had to do together were cute! 

Read If You Love:

Sunflowers
Enemies to Lovers
Second Chance Romance
Work Place Shenanigans
Self Love/Therapy/Healing
Rivalry/Competitions


Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for the Early ARC.

PUBLICATION DATE: February 7, 2023

This one was really fun! I loved the premise of this book - a really solid second chance/rivals-to-lovers story with a fun romcom set up. Lease on Love was a 5 star read for me, but this one fell a bit short. I just didn't feel like the characters were super fleshed out and the chemistry was lacking a bit at first. Both MCs felt a little generic (especially Seth) Overall I still really enjoyed it and Falon Ballard is certainly a must-read author for me going forward!

Loved everything about this one!
✨ Second chance romance
✨ Workplace competition
✨ Childhood love
This was such a fun one. Loved the competition though at times as she noted it was a little inappropriate. Lana had to do tasks that would keep her single since she is always in a relationship and Seth has to do tasks that help him to be in a LT relationship. Then they write articles about each task and whoever gets the most clicks wins the job.
But the reasons why she stays in a relationship and he can't be in one start to reveal themselves and it's just 😍.
Need this one!

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

Read if you like:
🥈 Second Chance Romance
✍🏻 Writers as Mc’s
🖥️ Workplace Romances
🥇 Competitions/challenges
💬 Group Chats
😡 Enemies (ish) to lovers


I absolutely adored this book! It had all the elements I love in a romance with some slight miscommunication but the way the miscommunications were done in this one made sense and were things we could relate to and didn’t feel outlandish or ridiculous.

I absolutely loved the found family and side characters as they truly added to the story in such a great way! I loved the writing and was truly hooked from the first paragraph, because who doesn’t love a little Elle Woods in their intro?!

The second chance romance combined with the workplace setting and slight enemies to lovers was so well done and I loved the slow burn this one gave the reader… it was so worth it!

If you are looking for your next romance I highly recommend this one! Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is my second Fallon Ballard read and I loved it! This reminded me a bit of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days which is a favorite go-to comfy movie for me. I loved Lana and Seth’s workplace rivalry and witty banter. Lana’s best friend reminded me so much of my own and the will they,won’t they slow burn romance really had me hooked until the very end. I also really loved how Ballard focused on Lana and her quest to really figure out who she is. I really enjoyed Lease on Love but I liked Just My Type even more! If you buy your furniture at IKEA, love hilarious speed dating sagas, and a nerdy main character, you are going to love this one.

4.25 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for the early copy!

Grab yours out tomorrow!

#JustMyType #putnambooks #FallonBallard #bookish #bookishlove #romance #ReadingIsMagic #ReadMyShelves #netgalley #NetgalleyArc #ArcReader #ArcReviewer #NetgalleyReviewer #instablog #booknerds #currentlyreading #bookreview #lovetoread #booksarelife #whatimreading #bookpost

Sometime last year I borrowed Falon Ballard's debut novel from the library on a whim and loved it, and when I was accepted to review Just My Type I was so hopeful that I'd love this one just as much, and I did (if not loved it even more)!

I absolutely loved Lana and Seth so much. Second chance romances can be hit or miss for me, and this one was such a hit. The growth between the two of them (separate and together) was so lovely to read, especially following Lana's growth. I wasn't sure how a book about a woman who jumps into relationships would convince me that someone who was working on being alone should end in a relationship, but this one was perfect. The acknowledgment of Lana's independence for so long and her value as a single woman was so beautiful.

I loved the friendships in Lana's life as well. Pushing her to be better yet always supporting her. It was a really nice addition to a romance story that doesn't always happen.

The one thing I was skeptical of was Natasha, and I was really satisfied with the way that storyline resolved. It made me uncomfortable how involved she was in her employees' personal lives, so I was glad that it was addressed and dealt with.

Overall, this book just made me so happy and I already can't wait for Ballard's next release.

Thank you to Penguin Putnam Group and NetGalley for a copy of an eARC in an exchange for an honest review!

I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and Falon Ballard delivers a great one with her latest novel, Just My Type, which follows two high school sweethearts who are reunited under contentious circumstances.

While they were dating in high school, Lana and Seth had big plans for the future, all of which revolved around them attending the same university and moving in together. When their plans fell through, Seth breaks up with Lana because he doesn’t want to hold her back from her dreams of becoming a journalist. When Seth then goes on to reject Lana at their high school reunion a few years later, Lana is embarrassed and hopes that she’ll never see Seth again. When Seth later takes a job as a journalist at the same media outlet Lana works for, Lana is in utter disbelief, especially when her boss, sensing the tension and still simmering chemistry between them and smelling a potential ratings explosion, puts forth a writing challenge for the two of them, a series of relationship advice articles. Whoever’s writings are the most popular with their audience will win a highly coveted spot as a columnist where they can write about whatever they want.

The competition was such a fun backdrop for Lana and Seth to work through their own personal relationship issues – Lana bounces from one relationship to another, while Seth apparently can’t commit to anyone, as well as to work through their issues with one another. I loved that one element of the competition involved them choosing relationship-related activities for each other to take part in, and that another caveat of the competition forced them to occasionally team up on these activities. It was such a great use of the forced proximity trope to get Lana and Seth talking again and to eventually work their way up to talking about their past, what happened after high school and especially what happened at that reunion. Some of the conversations were painful and emotional, but they were necessary and the more that was revealed about what happened, the more I became invested in the two of them finding their way back to each other, especially since it was clear the love was still there.

I enjoyed the balance of humor with the more emotional moments in this story. There’s a wonderful secondary cast of journalists and their often hilarious group chats are interspersed throughout, providing a bit of comic relief. I also loved that we actually got to read each of the articles Seth and Lana were writing. The author did a great job of incorporating all of these elements into Just My Type, creating an entertaining and moving read that I didn’t want to end.