Enemies to lovers...
Second chance romance...
Slow burn...

Lana Parker is a relationship and dating advice columnist at a LA website. Her world is turned upside down when her ex-boyfriend Seth Carson joins her office. Suddenly, her boss puts them in a head to head competition for who can write the best column for her website.

I adored this book so much! I also finished it in one day!! I used to be a journalism major so everything that Lana was going through I could totally relate too! Even though I was getting to the end of the book and I was scared there was not going to be a good ending but there was!

This was such a twist on any other rom-com that i've read and I loved all of the pop culture references that surrounded the story!

I cannot wait to read Lease On Love - Falon's other novel!

My first read of 2023 and it did NOT disappoint!

Just My Type is a mix of enemies to lovers and second-chance romance. Lana and Seth are such a dynamic pair to read about. Their banter is beyond hilarious!! I found myself picking this up at every possible chance! I haven’t been this obsessed with a book in a long time. It honestly reminded me of when I first read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and was completely obsessed and in love with the characters. The writing is so good!! I’m crossing my fingers the author turns this into a series.

This was honestly a 5/5 star for me!

Pick this one up, you won't regret it!

2 stars for this lackluster second chance romance.

My main issue with this story was the lack of connection to the main characters, who had very blah personalities (Lana's defining character trait is her Marvel obsession, which grew old very quickly). Their chemistry was severely lacking too. I think it would have been helpful to have included flashbacks to when Lana and Seth dated in high school. Ultimately, I found myself bored and occasionally annoyed while reading, so I would not recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc of Just My Type by Falon Ballard (pub date 02/07/23).

I ADORED this story. Lana is a character I instantly clicked with. Her internal monologue was the perfect blend of humor and heart that I love. I liked that this was workplace/enemies to lovers (sort of)/second chance romance all blended together too. I really would've loved a Seth POV, to see their magazine articles that were posted as opposed to just talking about them but I think even without those two things, Lana's character arc really holds up the story on it's own. I think without a Seth POV it allowed me to love Lana more.

Rom-con lovers need to add this to their lists now if it isn't already on there!

This was a cute, engaging story by Falon Ballard, and I really enjoyed it. It is a light, easy read with likable characters, and I would recommend it to a friend! I look forward to what this author writes next!

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for my advanced copy!

Second chance, enemies to lovers, slow burn office romance.

Overall, this is a cute read and very bingeable. I liked the writing style and thought the pop culture references were fun, if a bit over the top at times. I enjoyed reading the book and didn't want to put it down.

The focus on self-care, therapy, and speaking up for oneself was excellent. I loved the strong, supportive friendships. And the chemistry between the two main characters was fantastic.

But there were a couple of things that weren't my favorite.

Certain plot points were quite unbelievable - especially surrounding the boss and the workplace competition. They added a fun element, but I just couldn't fully buy into them.

And, for most of the book, I didn't love the FMC. I didn't hate her, but I found it hard to root for her. She was quite immature, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but she was also infuriating to me. The way she held on to certain details, even after learning the truth, and used them to hurt the MMC was disappointing. And yes, she was working out her own issues, but at times it really felt like she was stringing along the MMC. And I really didn't like that part.

But I loved the ending. And I'll definitely check out another book by this author. 3.5, rounding up for NetGalley ratings because I stayed up late, not wanting to stop reading.

This was a fun take on the second-chance love/enemies-to-lovers trope! Second chance isn't something I read a lot of, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Although the romance is a big piece of this story, I think what I appreciated most was the time and attention given to the other relationships in this story. Lana has a complex relationship with her mother, resulting in an unhealthy projection of a mothering role on her boss. Her boss definitely has taken advantage of this dynamic to Lana's detriment, so I truly loved getting to see her establish new boundaries for herself.

Overall, I really enjoyed the complexity and dimension this rom-com brought to the table!

I received the ARC from the publisher, the review is my own.

After reading Lease on Love and instantly becoming obsessed, I was SO excited for Just My Type. It 1000% did not disappoint!!

Lana and Seth dated for four years in high school and broke up when Lana moved across the country for school. They’ve seen each other exactly once since their breakup - at their ten year high school reunion - and suffice it to say that did not go well. Two years later, Seth shows up at Lana’s place of work, and the two are instantly pitted against each other in a very public competition.

The book kept my interest the entire time. I loved the banter between Lana and Seth as well as Lana’s standalone character arc. Also I loved the little detail of showing the correct pronunciation of Lana’s name at the very beginning. As someone who “hears” books in my brain as I read, this was super helpful.

Some of the language choices felt a little cheesy millennial, but maybe that was the point. That was literally my only “complaint” if you could call it that, but clearly it had no bearing on my rating. I absolutely adored this book and can’t wait to get my paperback on February 7!

4 stars for this second chance, forced proximity, workplace rivals rom-com!

"Just My Type" by Falon Ballard is a cute, breezy read with solid characters, witty banter, steeeeamy sexy-time, and Ted Lasso references. What could go wrong?! It's super predictable, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. It's definitely a page-turner: I finished it in a few hours because I couldn't put it down! I laughed out loud on multiple occasions at the back-and-forth between the main characters, Lana and Seth. I did think that their romantic connection could have been a bit more strong and pine-y. Lana's attitude and immaturity made me roll my eyes a little, but I appreciate that Falon Ballard has always stuck by the "flawed but relatable" model for her main female characters. It makes them deeper than they appear on the surface. The plot's a little outrageous where Lana and Seth's work is concerned, but I won't hold that against the book because I enjoyed reading it so much. It's a great contemporary workplace rivals romance, one I can already envision making people's best-of lists next year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Falon Ballard, and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

Super “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” vibes with this romcom! Lana is a serial monogamist and dating/relationship advice column writer with dreams of writing about books, movies, and TV. Seth is a traveling journalist, “man-whore”, and also happens to be Lana’s ex high school sweetheart. When Seth decides to put down roots in LA, Lana’s boss comes up with a viral marketing plan of putting the two of them against each other challenging Lana to learn to be single and Seth to prepare to be in a committed relationship. I think we all see where this is going!

I absolutely loved this book! I would’ve devoured it in one day if I didn’t have adulting to do. And honestly, ANY book that makes Ted Lasso references automatically gets five stars from me! The dialogue and characters literally had me laughing out loud! The chemistry between Lana and Seth was addicting, and the spicy scenes felt very natural and not at all cringey. I also loved how we got to delve deeper into Lana’s relationship with her mother and her boss, and it wasn’t just about Lana and Seth. I haven’t read Falcon’s debut novel, Lease on Love, but that will be changing ASAP!

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest review!

This book was EVERYTHING!! Oh my goodness from the first page I was captured. Ballard's first book really drew me in but this one was even better somehow.

Our main character goes through a very disturbing break up as she thought her BF was going to propose when it turns out he was breaking up with her because she had "mom issues", i.e., being too close to HIS mom. Talk about a winner.

After she gets plastered, she goes to work the next day looking as one would anticipate only to find that her boss and coworkers have thrown her a surprise engagement party.

The only thing that could possibly make all of this worse is her very first ex-boyfriend, aka first love of her life, showing up as a new co-worker that day and being assigned to work on the same assignment as her with the caveat of them being pitted against each other in a competition.

Not only does she have to learn to work with him and process any lingering feelings, she also has to discover why she can't be single ever.

This book was very funny and bookish, and relatable and just the best. It also managed to talk about very deep things like going to therapy, parent/child relationships, and finding yourself.

This book should be on everyone's list this year! Highly recommend!

I really liked Lease on Love, but I LOVED Just My Type. Second chance romance is my favorite trope, especially when it's first love...there's a purity to first love - and Ballard did such a fantastic job with Lana and Seth, estranged high school sweethearts forced to compete for a column in a How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days sort of way. I'm a sucker for pop culture references, quirky main characters, cinnamon roll love interests, group texts (or in this case, Slack messages), fierce platonic relationships, side familial stories, and last but not least a riveting romance. This book had it all. Highly recommend!

I loved this book. It was cute, easy to read, romantic, and there’s a good amount of drama. Also, as someone whose friends would also probably describe as a serial monogamist and is also afraid to go after what they want, I really empathized with Lana.

I also liked how this book explored not only romantic relationships but really reflected on other types of relationships, such as friendships, mother daughter relationships, and employee boss relationships. And most of this was explored during therapy sessions. Which I have to give another kudos to this book for helping to normalize therapy.

Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. I knocked off half a star for both because unfortunately this book does fall into the trap of having miscommunication/lack of communication be a central driving wedge between the love interests and that always bothers me. Like I would understand it if it was slight and nuanced, because let’s be honest, feelings and emotions are hard to interpret and communicate. But when you’re not communicating the big things, or an entire situation is misinterpreted and a character responds to that by taking drastic actions that creates unnecessary drama, that just frustrates me. And the lack of communication wasn’t that bad in this book, but there were a few moments.

Highly recommend this book for anyone who loves witty characters, cute workplace banter, and second chance romance.

Thank you for providing an egalley in exchange for an honest review! For me personally I voyais not get into this book. I really wanted to because I have read a book from this author before and loved it! I also really liked the description and was excited to read. But unfortunately I could not make it past chapter 7😭.

I will still promote the release of the book on my Instagram account on pup day!

I was so enthralled by this book and the chemistry was so good. I loved seeing her grow as a person and learn more about who she is. I think that the love confession from both of them was so good.

I received an arc through netgalley.

was ECSTATIC when I found out I was able to get an early copy of Just My Type. I absolutely loved Lease on Love and have been highly anticipating Falon Ballard’s second release for ages (swipe for synopsis).

Although I didn’t love Just My Type quite as much (nothing will ever top Jack and Sadie), it was still a really fun and enjoyable read! I flew through this book it was so addicting. The online competition aspect made it a very unique read and for once I actually really enjoyed the second chance romance trope! Ballard’s books also always include strong female friend groups that make me love her stories even more.

If you like
✨ workplace romance
✨ second chance romance
✨ forced proximity
Then you’ll love this book! Check it out February 7th! Thanks to @netgalley @falonballard and @putnambooks for the advanced copy! 💜

Thank you NetGalley!

Imagine being sad that a book is over because it was just that good. That’s exactly how I feel right now. Once I finished, I immediately went back to the last few pages just to read them again. Enemies to lovers & high school sweethearts. I absolutely loved every single character in this book. Lana and Seth were just chefs kiss! This book was so well played out and it’s all I could think about until I finished it. I went ahead and preordered this book because I HAVE to have a copy of it so I can read it any time I want. Amazing sophomore book, Falon! If this is the vibes for 2023’s rom-com’s… I AM HERE FOR IT!

I absolutely adored this book! A beautiful second chance romance that had me needing to know what would happen next! Would highly recommend for romance lovers.

This was a much better book than Ballard's first one! It did take me a while to get into the book, but the characters were very likeable and the story was entertaining.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4

It’s no secret that Lease on Love was my favorite romance of 2022, so I was super excited for Falon Ballard’s follow up! 😊 We follow serial monogamist Lana Parker, who spends her days writing about dating and relationships, even though she’s been through a string of bad breakups throughout her life. Imagine her surprise when her high school boyfriend, Seth Carson, moves to Los Angeles and starts writing for a sister publication to her company! 🗞️ Lana’s boss, wanting to bring in lots more clicks and money, discovers their past connection and puts them in a competition against each other. Lana had to prove that she can be happy single, while Seth has to prove that he can be content with long-term commitment. The two get pushed together for tasks that they each write about, and Lana begins to question if the one has been right in front of her this whole time.

I didn’t love this book as much as Lease on Love, mainly because Lana’s character bothered me at parts 😬 She was sometimes immature and a pushover. I also felt like she was stringing Seth along, and it made me feel terrible for him for most of the story! However, Lana did make growth throughout the story, so that made me happy.

This gave me lots of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes, even down to the hard-to-care for plant that Lana bought Seth! The text messages and Slack conversations added great humor to the story, too. Overall, it was an enjoyable, fast-paced romance, and I can’t wait to see what Falon Ballard cooks up next! 💛