After loving Falon Ballard’s debut, I could not wait to get my hands on her latest. The entire premise of the book is pretty silly and unrealistic (I mean, where is HR to intervene?), but I was entertained enough to keep reading til the end. There was some good chemistry between the two main characters, but I wish we had flashback chapters to really be able to see how their relationship went wrong. It also felt like their feelings for each other went from zero to sixty, back to zero, then to sixty again constantly throughout the book. I did enjoy Lana’s growth throughout the story in setting personal and professional boundaries. Overall this was a pretty average romance for me, but I am certainly not writing off the author!

Also side note: They keep talking about how they’ve never had good sex with anyone else. I get that they are soul mates or whatever but no one is good at sex at age 17!

2.5 stars

Lana Parker, dating/relationship columnist and serial monogamist, gets dumped by her boyfriend when she thought he was going to propose to her (in true Elle Woods fashion). As she breaks the news to her coworkers the next day, her boss announces they have a new hire. Who could it be but Seth Carson, her high school boyfriend and someone she just never really got over? The two are pitted against each other in a journalistic competition: Seth is tasked with learning how to be a long-term partner, and Lana must learn how to be single and be okay being alone. Will Lana be able to handle being close to the boy who broke her heart all those years ago?

There are several things about this book that did not work for me. I found Lana to be generally unlikable, and reading from only her perspective really was a detriment. Lana is a self-prescribed "nerd", and this is shown throughout the book with a multitude of pop culture references that really grated on me by the end of the book (do people really say "Thank Thor" or "Thank Loki" instead of "Thank God"? I have literally never heard that).

Lana also acts incredibly immature throughout the book, a behavior I hoped would dissipate as her character grows, but it didn't really seem to. She slut shames Seth in the beginning of the novel (manwhore? really?), and constantly tries to pick a fight with him, her reasoning being an incident that happened at their high school reunion two years prior. When we finally find out what happened, it's very clear that Lana was actually in the wrong and Seth acted like a responsible adult. Probably due to my dislike of Lana, I couldn't really sense the chemistry between Seth & Lana, and honestly I just think Seth Carson deserves better.

A smaller point, but there was a LOT of alcohol abuse in this novel. I don't normally get bothered by that, but for some reason the excessive drinking in this book gave me the ick.

Now there were a couple of things I did like about this book. The dialogue could be funny, especially the Slack messages between the main characters and the other employees of the website. Lana's best friend May was a very good voice of reason, saying what the reader wanted to scream at Lana. This book also did a really good job at displaying what going to therapy was like, and how therapy can help you come to revelations about the patterns in your life and how to deal with toxic relationships.

I guess you could say that Just My Type was in fact just not MY type.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was just my type of book haha! On a serious note, I really enjoyed this romcom which includes the second chance, workplace rivals, and forced proximity tropes. I found Lana, the main character, to be relatable and endearing, and I especially enjoyed her love for all things pop culture! With that, I found the pop culture references to be poignant and fun.
As far as Lana and Seth go, I liked getting the backstory of their relationship sprinkled throughout the book. I went from not caring much for Seth to rooting for him by the end! Although, I would have enjoyed seeing more of Seth's story between college and getting to LA; I think that would have helped flesh his character out some.
Secondary to the romantic storyline, Lana's overall character development was a meaningful addition.
Just My Type is perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The American Roommate Experiment!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

In Ballard's sophomore novel, Just My Type follows two competing writers that have a very tangled past. Seth Carson was the one who got away. Lana was okay to firmly leaving him in the past, but Seth's reemergence in LA has the pair pitted against each other in a competition for a promotion. Will their love stay in the past? Or will they rekindle what once was?

Just My Type was such a blast to read. With pop culture references galore coupled with Lana's snarky and witty inner dialogue, it had me laughing from page one. I loved the addition of the multi-media slack channels, which helped build the friendship and competition all in one spot. This second chance romance is angsty and had incredible tension. Seth and Lana simultaneously broke my heart as they figured out their stuff while also wanting to shake them to wake up.

I loved Lana's character and felt like her emotional journey was deep and layered. Not only is she incapable of being along, lacking a sense of belonging or family, but she has has some deep rooted issues with her mother. Seth's kind heart and swoony gestures completely stole my heart and were the perfect match for Lana. I loved how personal growth, on both sides, was valued in order for the couple to continue together into the future.

Just My Type is a second chance, open door romance in a single POV. Thanks to Putnam for the ARC!

Lana is in LA stuck writing a column about dating and relationships, when what she really wants to do is write about movies, books and pop culture. When her ex-boyfriend from High School shows up at her office as the newest employee her boss gets an idea to pit them against each other in a competition of sorts. The winner gets their own column where they can write about what they choose.

This was cute and I enjoyed it for the most part. The writing is great and I adored the banter in the
company Slack Chats. Lana definitely needed to take some time and figure herself out and get all her unresolved resentment toward her mother out in the open. I have a hard time with second chance romances, they frustrate me a bit. I get that people grow up and change, but I can't help think how all the time apart could have been avoided in the first place and I get a little hung up on that. If I had been May in this story I might have slapped Lana to try to knock some sense into her, because there were moments where she was just not even paying attention to the behavior of the people around her.

Overall, this was cute and I would probably read another book by this author, but maybe not another second chance romance.

I enjoyed this book. The story is a second chance romance about two late twenty somethings Lana and Seth. Lana writes a relationship column in LA and is a serial monogamist; Seth is a "serious" journalist and can't settle down. After Lana's most recent boyfriend dumps her on what she thought would be her engagement night, she's hit with a second insult when her boss brings Seth on as a temporary employee and pits the two of them against each other in a writing contest: Lana must take on tasks set by Seth to get comfortable being alone and write about them, and Seth must take on tasks set by Lana to settle down and do the same.

Things I liked: I liked the way Lana ends up learning about herself and learning to put up boundaries in unhealthy relationships. I also liked how she ends up defining herself, for herself.

Things I didn't like: I just didn't get any sense of chemistry between these two at all and it kinda made it difficult to enjoy the book. Maybe it's just me. I also felt like some of Lana's familial issues were resolved a litttttle quickly and tidily. I'd still recommend it to romance lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group, Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

Trope Round Up:
Second Chance Romance
Forced Proximity
Enemies to lovers
Miscommunication
Workplace Romance
Competition

I devoured this book. Reading it in one day, which happened to be a work day with many kid activities and serving as a taxi service and staying up to an irresponsible hour. The tension between Lana and Seth is A+.

Lana is a Relationship and Love writer for an indie website based in LA. On the day that she thought her long term boyfriend of 4 years is going to propose, he ends up dumping her. Lana is a serial dater, who hops from long term relationship to relationship. Once the breakup happens Lana gets an assignment from her boss to write a serial about how to be single.

In Rom Com Drama, in walks her high school Sweetheart, Seth Carson, who broke her heart freshman year of college to work as a starting a swing writer testing the water on lifestyle writing for his background in investigative journalism. Now Lana's assignment changes. Seth who is now a serial dater.

So, queue the competition. Lana is on the assignment the complete a checklist of "being single" and Seth has to complete a checklist to start a relationship.

Angst, unrealized feelings, and drama come together. ENJOY!

DNF at 25%

I wasn't the biggest fan of the actual romance in Falon Ballard's debut novel Lease on Lesson, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the writing style enough to take a chance on her second novel. The plot of Just My Type definitely sounded interesting and I hoped that some of the issues that I had with her first novel would be ironed out in this novel.

Unfortunately, for me, this book didn't grip me the way that I had hoped. There is little sense of the atmosphere and warmth that characterized Ballard's first book and the character of Lana, who is the only perspective that we are getting, is just too close to the overly quirky, flat rom-com heroines with the constant exclamations like "Oh Hela!" and "Thank Loki" to demonstrate that she's a Marvel fan. With the introduction of the love interest leaving me totally cold, I knew that this book would never crack above a 3 star for me. For me, there is little point in continuing a book if you know that it's going to be middling.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed this second-chance romance and couldn’t put it down. As a list maker myself, I thought the premise was cute (and incredibly relatable to specific people aka ME). While I repeatedly wanted to shake Lana repeatedly and scream “he’s talking about you!!!,” I deeply related to her in those moments, as well as the deeper moments of youth miscommunication and commentary on how the grass is always greener. I would watch this romcom movie on repeat. Let the dream casting begin…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just My Type by Falon Ballard is a fantastic romantic comedy - a second chance romance with a bit of lovers-to-enemies-to lovers again vibe - great for fans of The Hating Game, You Deserve Each Other, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The banter and downright snarkiness sometimes between Lana and Seth was a lot of fun to read. The story is told from Lana's perspective after she is dumped by her boyfriend of 4 years only to come face to face with her childhood sweetheart/love of her life the very next day. She is then forced to spend time with him while they are competing for the same writing job. Lana is really well developed and the book wasn't afraid to show her flaws, delve into her needed therapy sessions, and somewhat questionable decision making. You will probably want to shake both Lana and Seth at times to get them to wake up to the reality of their feelings for each other - but it is a super entertaining ride. Definitely recommend. Thank you to the Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this novel.

Format - E- ARC (Netgalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶 🌶

Series- N/A

Troupes- Second chance, workplace romance, lovers to enemies to lovers, rivalry

CW- Parental abandonment

This is Ballards sophomore novel, but you’d hardly know it considering the mastery with which she has woven this second chance romance about high school sweethearts turned rivals.

It’s not hard to love and also in the next breath want to strangle our Heroin Lana. As told from her POV, we find that is she’s a mix of sweet and sassy and can give as good as she gets in the banter department. She’s got some lingering abandonment issues that have kept her in longterm monogamous relationships with people solely so she won’t have to be alone. So when her most recent partner breaks it off, her very first ex, Seth shows up as her new coworker and rival and she is tasked with and assignment that has her learning how to be happy in her singlehood things get very, very complicated. And she is forced to finally look long and hard at her patterns and how they have affected not just her the the ones she loves as well.

Seth is my favorite kind of infuriating hero. He’s gives me Joshua from ‘The Hating Game” vibes and I was totally Here, For, It. And that’s all I’m gonna say about him cause Spoilers.

The story give us great mental health rep, normalizing therapy and the need for it. As well as self recognizing patterns of behavior that might not be so healthy.

Falon Delivers on the Spicy times this time around and after all the sexually charged banter between these two it is a much needed relief for everyone involved.

I thoroughly enjoy this book, its and nice easy read, with lots of swoony and awww moments mixed in with the wit and laugh out loud banter. Highly recommend!

Thank you Falon Ballard, Penguin Putnam and netgalley for this advanced readers E copy, all opinions are my own.

“Part of me is so mad at myself for all the years I wasted, but the other part of me is so fucking proud of you that I know it’s all been worth it.”

A second chance, work enemies romance that included therapy? Sign me up! Unfortunately there was so much miscommunication in this one I powered through some arguments. I did actually like what came out of the therapy sessions the MC had to do though! I also though the end/epilogue would be more about her career than it was (since the vast majority of the book is focused on their career goals) so I was disappointed there.

Overall a quick slow burn that would be perfect for the beach! Similarities to the books/movies below that I love, but didn’t quite hit as well for me.


📚Read this if you like:
⁃ How to lose a guy in 10 days
⁃ Workplace enemies to lovers
⁃ Second chance romance
⁃ The Hating Game
⁃ Slow burn

My rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

This one was pretty cute! I haven’t read Lease on Love (yet!), but plan to now as I enjoyed the writing style in this one. I debated between 3 & 4 stars for a bit because it was a pretty quick read, but eventually decided on 3 for a few reasons:
1. I think Just My Type fell slightly short for me because I didn’t really get a sense for the chemistry between Lana and Seth. The tension was building, it was getting interesting, and then boom! The animosity and angst that makes rivals to lovers so fun was gone.
2. I’ve recently read books where the second chance aspect was more believable. The couple in JMT didn’t really have a reason they couldn’t be together, besides the fact that Lana was too stubborn to let it happen.
3. It brushed over a pretty weird instance of workplace harassment?? Like I won’t lie, this seems like a super toxic work environment, but it was just glossed over as quirky and fun??

But overall, this one was cute and had good potential. I related to the FMC, Lana, in a lot of ways. She’s a people pleaser to a fault (same), stays in situations/friendships/relationships that no longer serve her for the sake of comfort and keeping the peace (same), and my girl DESPERATELY needed therapy. The therapy rep was a great addition to this book! The “competition” aspect of this was what made the story interesting - minus the workplace harassment stuff mentioned previously. All of the ATF coworkers were hilarious and their Slack channel looked like so much fun, but the boss and the workplace as a whole gave weird vibes.

This is the book I didn't even realize I needed to read! I have been in a romcom rut recently. Plots have been redundant and predictable and worse, they've been too long. However, Falon Ballard, my hat's off to you, because this book is pure enjoyment!

I am a sucker for second chance romance and workplace second chance romance is even better!

Lana considers herself an excellent girlfriend, but when her boyfriend invites her to dinner at the place they had her first date, Lana assumes it's to propose. Unfortunately, he has brought her there to dump her and to list the reasons why it's not happening. OUCH!

Thankfully, Lana has delightfully supportive friends who rally to cheer her up while also encouraging her to take some time to herself. Hungover, from drinking way too many after being publicly dumped, Lana shows up to work and as if her circumstances couldn't get worse, her high school ex, Seth strolls in. Much to her dismay, her boss has decided to make a competition between Lana and Seth which forces them to challenge one another. For Lana, Seth is providing her tasks to help her be comfortable with being on her own, while Lana is challenging him to settle down- all for a job promotion.

What I loved was there is genuine character development in this book. There's also a lot of analysis on Lana's relationships past and present and work versus personal. The toxicity of relationships is highlighted quite a lot in a way that is empowering to both MCs. I also valued the play between friendly ribbing/banter and support. This book has some true laugh out loud moments and moments where you feel yourself cheering "hell yea!" when they break bad habits or put an end to toxic dynamics.

I highly recommend this book! Right after finishing this book, I started The Reunion by Kayla Olson. I think Falon Ballard reminded me why I love quality romcoms and for that, I am extremely grateful!

LOVE SECOND CHANCE ROMANCES! YES YES YES!
I admired the character development in this story and just the unraveling amongst the two main characters and why they departed ways in the first place. It was so intriguing and the tension— phew I love me some good angst. I was angsty throughout because of the countless inevitables between them and enjoyed every single moment! And the humor and SLOWBURN was AMAZING!??!! Wow! A must-read if you love a good second chance romance!
(thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review)

4⭐
R rated spice

If you are a rom com lover, this is your book. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Sex and the City combine in this book with hints of Legally Blonde, When Harry Met Sally and more classics to create a romance that feels home and familiar though sometimes verges a little too close to chaotic and cliche.

Lana is a writer stuck writing about dating and relationships when her high school ex-boyfriend Seth starts working at her magazine. A dating challenge competition ensues and of course, Seth and Lana fall in love along the way. My favorite thing about this book was watching Lana grow as she went to therapy and learned how to better stand up for herself. This was such a joy to read!

The format of this book with hiding stuff from the past to have bigger reveals felt a little bit all over the place, but Falon proves that she continues to deliver with her sophomore novel as a writer who definitely delivers on the warm fuzzy romance I love. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book! This was a childhood/highschool romance, friends to lovers, second chance all in one. and then it had a "how to lose a guy in 10 days" vibe that made it very fun! I really loved both characters in this book and I loved how not only did this author make this a romance book, but also made it about growing individually. Both characters were working through many feelings and working on themselves so they could be their best selves for each other. But they needed to realize that first and work through things to get there, and the author did a beautiful job of showing all of that. Falon does a great job of making you swoon in her books, but also adding a lot of fun and laughter. Whenever a romance book does that for me, i know i am going to enjoy it. I have already pre-ordered this book and am looking forward to recommending it to my friends.

This is a forced proximity second chance romance and I was really looking forward to it! Lana and Seth are writers for an online magazine and are suddenly thrust into a weekly article competition ala How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. But wait, there’s more! They were also high school sweethearts and both are still hung up on their past relationship over a decade later. I was definitely jealous of the amazing friendships Lana has with basically everyone she encounters. This book was funny and an enjoyable quick read!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I don’t know if I can put into words how much I loved reading this book. Seth and Lana were in a relationship that ended in high school, and now 12 years later he shows up at her job and they end up in a competition! She has to work on herself and do tasks about being alone, and he has to do tasks to get him ready for a serious relationship. I loved both characters and their personalities. This book made me really laugh and get a bit teary-eyed.

I loved the author’s first book and knew I’d probably love this one as well. Would definitely recommend!!

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun and quirky and it brought me lots of joy!

I loved the writing and how fast paced the story followed.