This book had me completely captivated from the very first page and I cannot recommend it enough!

After a breakup with her high school boyfriend, Lana Parker finds herself jumping from one long-term relationship to the next. Twelve years later, Lana finds herself single again at age thirty. Following this latest breakup, Lana returns to work only to find that Seth Carson, her high school ex, is her newest coworker at the LA lifestyle website she works for as a relationship journalist.

With the promise of a dream columnist position for the winner, Seth and Lana enter a competition for who will get the role. Lana has to write about her experience staying single and Seth has to write about his experience about preparing to settle down. As the competition continues, the two have to navigate the feelings and emotions that arise from being around each other again.

The tension and connection are palpable from the very first Seth and Lana interactions. As the book continues, I only became more and more invested in their story. I felt very connected with Lana and loved seeing her growth and development throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for providing the book in return for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley, Putnam, and Falon Ballard for the eARC. I loved Lease on Love so I’ve been so excited to read this one!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5) But, maybe a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Should I go 4 1/2 then? Just see my review, ugh.
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) The slow burn is worth it.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Instantly captivating—we jump right in on the not-proposal breakup (and need for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream).
🤩 Second-chance romance with enemies-to-lovers.
🤩 Workplace/office romance—one of my favorites.
🤩 Strong feels—immediate loathing of Seth with all the bitterness Lana has toward him. And, you really want to know more. Like, you can barely stand (and almost have to peek ahead) not knowing the history they have together.
🤩 Both MCs are writers in the print media industry.
🤩 The chapter headings are cute/clever snippets from Lana and Seth’s columns/articles/pieces of writing.
🤩 The competition to-do lists are such fun adventures to experience with them.
🤩 Cute friends and colleagues.
🤩 The slow burn is so worth it.
🤩 My absolute favorite part is Lana’s solo vacation.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Beware: miscommunication is a huge part of this romance.
💫 I might have hated Seth a little too much—I was really worried he wouldn’t be able to heal my bitterness toward him. (No cheating was involved at all—I know you guys get all worked up about that.)
💫 So, see—this could be a 5-star book for you. Read it! It’s only a four-star for me because of these personal annoyances. But maybe being annoyed at characters actually deserves a star—it is all the feels. I’m here for all the feels. How does anybody actually rate a book right? How am I so bad at this? And, it's a standalone, so it deserves a 6th star just for that . . .

This was such a cute second chance, workplace-enemies romance!

Just My Type follows Lana and Seth, who dated in high school and went through a messy breakup right before college. They are now both working in Los Angeles as writers, and are given a challenge to see who will win a new column at their company. Lana has to complete 10 tasks to help her find herself after being a serial monogamist, and Seth has to complete 10 tasks to prep him to be in a relationship. They are going to post this adventure online and whoever gets the most votes at the end, wins the column!

Just My Type is an adorable rom-com that gives off the vibes of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, You Deserve Each Other, and The Hating Game. The banter between the main characters was top notch and had me rooting for them the whole time! And the bit of spice we got? Wonderful 🫶🏻

Overall, a 4 ⭐️ read for me and absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a new rom-com to give you those happy feelings ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this eARC! Release date is February 7, 2023!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (very descriptive sex scenes)

Lana Parker is a serial monogramist but is now single once again. And the morning after her latest break-up, she learns that her first love, Seth Carson, is her newest co-worker. This leads her boss to challenge Lana and Seth to a competition that will earn one of them a coveted spot writing what they're passionate about. The rules? Lana must complete ten tasks focused on embracing being single, while Seth has ten tasks that will help him find a lasting relationship. But the lines get blurred as the competition heats up and soon these two realize that maybe they never really stopped loving each other.

After absolutely adoring Lease on Love, I was so excited to get an ARC of this book. While there were several things I liked, there were also a few parts that didn't really work for me. This book had quite a few similarities to Merry Ex-Mas by Courtney Walsh, so my opinion of this isn't very different. I liked the idea of the competition and loved the tight-knit work community. I also enjoyed all the texts and group chats that were included throughout the book. Lana's love of books and pop culture and her willingness to see a therapist were highlights for me as well. Unfortunately I felt like Lana was unnecessarily harsh towards Seth throughout the book, especially once I had the full story about their past. And I didn't like how Lana's boss crossed the line with some of the things she asked Lana to do near the end of the competition. I did like how things wrapped up, but I still had some conflicting feelings overall. Even though this wasn't quite a winner for me, I'm still eager to see what comes next from Falon Ballard.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, totally loved this! The tension and slow burn of this AGH so good. Loved the premise, anything about writers, and character development. Lana's love of pop culture was relatable. Her love of all things Marvel, Thor especially, was endearing but was mentioned a lot more than I felt necessary. I will say the pacing felt a little off at times. Some scenes felt not long enough or I felt like there were things missing if that make sense.

When it comes to romance novels I know it's a really good one when I'm reading it and I get these like skin tingles, it's hard to describe but anyway the point is I got that feeling a few times while reading this book. When it comes to a book like this, if you're not dying from wanting to grab the characters by their shoulders and shake them and tell them to stop being idiots and just talk to each other then are even reading a second-chance romance book.

I received an advance review copy through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This was a very entertaining and cute afternoon read for me. These characters were adorable. And their romance was sweet. It was a highly engaging read, and I simply loved it!!

February is the month of love and romance so Just My Type might be the type of book you’re looking to read.
I love in the first chapter Lana channels Elle Woods and the Housewives franchise. She gets snockered, but still manages to deliver some one line zingers to her jerky ex.
Only to discover her original ex is back in her life and they’re in competition with each other for the same job.
The interaction and tasks each have to complete are humorous and a bit predictable.
They’re both secretly so crazy for each other, but Lana has to work through some stuff before she’s ready.
Their final articles are worthy of deep contented sighs and the ending is sunnily perfect.

I gave Just My Type a 4.5 rating.

The day after Lana’s breakup, on a night she expected a proposal, she starts her workday finding out her first love is now her coworker. Lana HATES Seth, he broke her heart and then humiliated her at their high school reunion. Almost immediately, their boss puts them against each other for a promotion at the newspaper which bought their small company. During the eight week long competition, serial monogamist Lana has to remain single and Seth needs to settle down and find a woman to date. They share their experiences in a weekly column and receive votes from the readers.

I never know what to expect from a new-to-me author and I’m so happy I had the opportunity to read Just My Type! Yes, this is a romantic comedy, but it is so much more. The depth of the journey Lana experiences is meaningful. At the start, she believes a relationship is important above all else, it defines her. As she’s discovering who she truly is, she’s also making her way back to Seth. The more you discover about him as well as the miscommunication and words not shared between him and Lana, the more you appreciate his perspective. Seth is a dreamy man and all around good guy.

Even though there are serious moments, I laughed a lot. The banter between the main characters is too funny! Their coworkers are likable and the office messages cracked me up.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up on February 7th, I really think you’ll love it 💕

When Lana showed up to the restaurant where she and her boyfriend had their first date 4 years ago, she thought she was getting proposed to, not brutally dumped.
Later that night, while drunkenly basking in her sorrows, she unexpectedly heard from a high school ex-boyfriend. Seth had big news to share with her and the last thing Lana expected was that he would be showing up in her office the next morning for his job.
As writers, the two would be competing in a rather unusual contest to win their own column. Seth had to give Lana 10 tasks in order to stay single and appreciate herself more and Lana had to come up with 10 tasks in order to get Seth to settle down with one woman. Plot twist? Their boss wanted them to complete some of the tasks together…ex high school sweethearts that are no longer friends at all what-so-ever. Yikes.
As the competition continued, the two realized there might still be a spark between them. Without giving away too much, you’ll have to read the rest to find out how the competition and story ends.
Y’all, it’s early in the year to say this but this book might be a top 10 contender for my top books of the year. It was downright adorable, first of all. Second of all, the banter was freaking amazing. I want to be besties with Lana and/or author, Falon Ballard because the tone of this book was right up my alley. Just the right amount of swearing and a hint of pop culture references. Chefs kiss. Be sure to grab this book next week when it’s officially released on Feb 7!

Second chance romances are my complete weakness. I crave the history and nuances (and tension of a couple) when two people are forced to face their pasts. It’s easily one of my favorite tropes. Just My Type delivers with its easy 90s rom-com vibes, hilarious characters, and all around swoons. While I still love Lease on Love more, this sophomore novel brought out what I love most about Ballard’s writing style: the friend group and humor with complete cinnamon roll heroes.

Pick up Just My Type on Feb 7! Thank you Putnam for the gifted copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so excited for the release of “Just My Type” after reading Falon Ballard’s “Lease on Love” and it did not disappoint! If you love a romcom, this is so for you. Falon Ballard has a way of making you feel like you personally know every single character, and brings you along with every emotion they have. Absolutely loved it and feels like I need a film adaptation!

JUST MY TYPE by Fallon Ballard comes out on Tuesday, so I was delighted to have my last minute request on NetGalley approved.

I really loved LEASE ON LOVE, so I was slightly nervous about a new, non-sequel book, but I really liked it! Second chance romance is not my go-to trope, but I loved the set up. The one who broke her heart shows up at her job and now they have to compete for the same job?? Hijinks! Lots of quality longing, too. Zings and tingles and the whole nine yards.

Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I liked "Lease on Love" when I read it last year, but I absolutely *loved* this book. Second chance romance is always a hit or miss; it requires the perfect balance of chemistry between the characters in the present and a believable backstory that makes you want to root for the characters. I usually find that this is done best through chapters that alternate between the past and the present, but Falon Ballard managed to find that balance without resorting to that. I never once doubted the attraction between the characters, nor the depth of their feelings both present *and* past.

This book has everything:
— Pop culture references that your social media-loving bookworm will relate to (having book box subscriptions, loving Talia Hibbert, The fear of being up on dates with misogynist gym bros. You know, the usual.
— Quirky banter that only two people who know each other inside and out would share
— Well-written steamy scenes that seamlessly blend the physical and the emotional
— Conversations about workplace boundaries, emotionally neglectful parents, and the good a little therapy can do.

I also love a good workplace romance, and the cast of characters makes for the perfect set-up for a sequel. This book is definitely one of my recent favorites in the genre!

Lana is a serial monogamist who has bounced from one serious, long-term relationship to another ever since her high-school sweetheart broke her heart 12 years ago. She is a writer working for a cultural website in L.A., but she has been penning the same fluffy column for 8 years and is eager to move on to writing something she's actually passionate about. Following her most recent break-up, she is finally given a chance at her dream job. All she has to do is win a competition with another journalist who is after the same job. Oh...and her competition is her ex...the high-school sweetheart.

This book grabbed me from the start and it was almost impossible to put down. I was up until the wee hours of the morning finishing it because I had to know how it would conclude.

Likes:
- Delightful second-chance romance with some enemies-to-lovers and workplace romance thrown in to make it extra good.
- The speed dating scene! I straight-up melted!
- The use of mixed formatting to tell the story added some nice variety (group messaging, texts, and articles in addition to the chapters) and I loved the article quotes at the start of each chapter.
- Lana's growth throughout the book was a joy to watch; She ended up being a character I could truly root for.
- Lana's circle of friends --- between her ride-or-die bestie, May (loved her!), and her close workplace pals, she had a friend group I wished I could join.
- Seth had my heart from the beginning. The combination of his stoicism and his vulnerability was well written and I just wanted to give him a hug from the moment he entered the story.
- The tension between Lana and Seth was very well executed. You could really feel all the history, the friendship, the conflict, the questions, the anger, and the love.
- The pop culture references were spot-on (and fun to spot)
- positive therapy representation

My only complaint is that I would have enjoyed Dual POV to get more of Seth's side of the story. I appreciated how much of his POV the author gave us through group Slack messages, text messages, articles, and dialogue, but I still wanted more.

This was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it, especially to anyone who enjoys romance and women's fiction. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my bookshelf! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Available February 7, 2023.

Read if you enjoy:
* Second chance love, workplace romance, and enemies-to-lovers tropes
* Women’s fiction
* Slow-burn, open door romance with low steam level
* Swoon-worthy MMC
* How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes

#bookreview #falonballard #justmytype #netgalley #arc #Putnam #secondchanceromance #workplaceromance #enemiestolovers #romcom #romance #therapyisgood #LA #popculture

I read this book in one emotional sitting. I don't know why, but second chance romances always hit me right in the feels.

This sweet, funny story starts with romance columnist Lana being dumped by the man she thought would propose and rolling into work the next day with a devastating hangover. To make matters worse, she has a new colleague: her high school ex, Seth. The one who got away. The one she had a no good, very bad, super painful run in with two years ago.

When her boss pits the two against each other in a deeply inappropriate How-to-Lose-a-Guy-in-10-Days-esque dating competition, Lana is furious, but she agrees in the hopes that this feature will springboard her into a role where she can write about things she's actually passionate about.

Seth and Lana design ten weeks worth of challenges for each other, with the intent of writing and instagramming along the way. In that time, Lana needs to break her serial monogamist ways and learn to be comfortable on her own, while Seth needs to settle down and learn how to spend more than one night with a woman.

It's immediately obvious that the twelve years since high school have done nothing to soften the raw edges of their breakup, or the natural chemistry between them. Lana starts off furious, but as her boss keeps forcing the two of them together for the publicity, old feelings are rekindled in a big way.

This book has everything I like in an enemies to lovers romance, with cutting banter and a dose of competition, but underlying everything is the sweetness that only first loves can have.

It's a slow burn until the spice gets going, but the payoff is worth the wait.

I would absolutely recommend this book to any romance fans who like a little bite with their sweetness.

The ending was cute… but unfortunately this book never clicked with me. It felt like I was reading a play-by-play of everything that happened, but there was no emotional investment. I didn’t like the opening of the book at all and I didn’t love Lana. From the start, she would say she felt one way and then a page later she would feel the opposite way. She and Seth and were so wishy washy about what they wanted that it was exhausting. We never got to see them as a couple- in the past or present- so the ending didn’t feel realistic or earned. They hadn’t spoken for 12 years, but they finally figured out they were still madly in love? I didn’t buy it. I’ve loved other 2nd chance romances where that much time has passed, but they worked because they fell in love again on the page. Lana and Seth needed to show more feelings, more inner thoughts, more actual interaction with the other person. This book felt very sparse. There wasn’t much there to love other than small details like the sunflowers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC. I loved Falon Ballard’s other book, Lease on Love, so check out that one if you haven’t yet.

I’ve been sitting on this book for awhile even though I was really excited to read it cause I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it cause Lease on Love was one of my favorite reads last year. I finally sucked it up and read Just My Type and really enjoyed it. It took me a bit to get into it (there’s a lot to unpack there) but I ended up really liking Lana and Seth’s journey.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and I particularly enjoy it more when it comes with witty banter and soul searching moments and Just My Type had that in spades. Lana and Seth both needed to go on deep self soul searching journeys to not only understand themselves but also each other. The love between them never went away but through the competition they learned to better appreciate each other and what the other needed.

I loved all the pop culture references and the group of friends that Lana has. I wasn’t a fan of her boss or how she manipulated the competition to her advantage even though the overall outcome benefited Lana and Seth.



Thank you @putnambooks @falonballard and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

<b>”Parker. Come on. I’d been in love with you since I was six. It took me eight years to work up the courage to hold your hand.”</b>

Lana (Parker) & Seth. She’s a serial monogamist. He’s a serial dater. And he’s the one who got away. Twice. A friendly competition between these two. #lanavsseth! A SOLID sophomore novel from Fallon Ballard! I adore her stories!

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-childhood love: high school sweethearts
-second (third?) chance romance
-intense love of all things nerdy
-sunflowers
-backwards hat (🫠)
-work place romance
-dating challenge extravaganza a la how to lose a guy in 10 days
-living and writing in LA
-cabo cantina (socal girlies know!!!)
-therapy is awesome and everyone should do it if they can
-Harry & Sally the cutest fish on the planet
-grand gestures
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. “He kisses the palm of my hand before setting it gently back on my side of the table.”

Thank you Putnam Books for an advanced copy!

Song: Here Comes the Sun by SYML

The first 3 paragraphs of this book had me rolling on the couch with laughter at the apt comparison between Lana (our main character) and Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. This story did end up taking more of a "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" route, but I thought that this worked very well in our current social media driven society.

Lana and Seth ended up having the perfect amount of growth that was needed to keep me as a reader and give me hope that their relationship could survive what their editor did to them. Side note: Natasha is absolutely awful and manipulative to Lana. I'm glad that Lana's therapist asked good questions about her and allowed Lana to slowly come to the conclusion herself that what Natasha was doing wasn't okay in an employee/boss dynamic. I was at so many points ready to stop reading because of how inappropriate Natasha was, but I'm glad that I powered through because it allowed me to know that Lana did end up making great choices for herself.

I'm also really glad that Seth had his growth too, because I was worried that a lot of the personal growth and realizations was slowly going to be left to Lana, but Seth also made decisions that led to them being estranged for so long.

Thank you so much Falon Ballard and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this book, all opinions of this book are my own.

4.5/5 ⭐️

So I jumped from one book about a serial monogamous taking a break to find herself because of her writing job, to another one with essentially the same plot. However, the first book didn’t do it for me. Now this, this did. Just My Type was exactly what you want to literally RELISH if you love second chances at love.

Lana has been working as a romance and dating writer for 8 years, always hoping to breakout into pop culture writing. She finally gets the opportunity, but it comes at a cost. All of a sudden her high school sweetheart who broke her heart has moved to LA, and her boss is making them compete against each other for Lana’s dream job. Lana has to partake in challenges to be single and learn to love herself, Seth has to partake in challenges that result in him finding the one.

I really saw myself in Lana. The things she’s been through and who she turned into as a result is something I really resonated with, but sometimes she was so damn frustrating! Seth on the other hand. My god, if he’s not your dream fictional man! I literally held my breath throughout this whole book just hoping and rooting for these two. This was a fantastic story about growth, love, friendship, forgiveness, and so much more. Not to mention all the awesome references such as Schitts Creek, Ted Lasso, When Harry Met Sally, and Talia Hibbert. Run don’t walk to read this one when it comes out on 2/7! Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)