i died. leased on love was one of my top reads of last year & this one hit the spot. nobody writes a coming to age in your mid twenties story like fallon.

I usually like rom-com books similar to this but this book was a real mess. The premise reminded me of the movie. "How to Lose a Guy in 1o Days" with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConnaughey. Lana and Seth were both very unlikeable main characters because they were immature, indecisive and moronic. I honestly skim read this book to hope it would improve. I powered through this book hoping that either of these characters would redeem themselves and start acting like adults after an epiphany, but this was not the case.

This book was a "HELL NO" for me. Cannot recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Falon Ballard and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

** spoiler alert **

The beginning was a bit hard to get into but I’m glad I stuck with it.
This book is a chaotic rollercoaster ride as it follows the path of Lana and Seth reconnecting after many years. It’s a delightful workplace romance that takes a lot of turns with miscommunication and angsty tension building on every page. It’s nice to watch Lana grow as a person and realize that sometimes it’s best to love and stand up for yourself, not to get lost in someone else. Seth is in the rafters still fully in love with Lana, which is sweet and heartbreaking to watch unfold. We’ve all got things we need to work on and this book demonstrates how quickly life can change once we take off the blinders.

Romcoms are the best to read on a cozy night and Falon Ballard does not disappoint!

At parts it was a bit cringe and second chance loves are not always my cup of tea but overall I enjoyed this book!

Oh I just loved this! I love how empowered it made me feel. This was such a sweet story about second chance romance & finding yourself.

The main character, Lana, is such a bad ass 💪🏼 & I felt myself cheering her on in more than one instance.

I also loved the friendships & all of the supporting characters.

This is a beautiful story about learning to be single & loving yourself.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
💗 HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS
💜 first love
🔥 chemistry & forced proximity
🫂 tough mother/daughter relationships
🌻 sunflowers 🥹
😠 sticking it to your jerk boss

This book was pretty cute. I liked the work competition environment even though that boss was definitely sus. It was fun to read parts of both Lana and Seth's articles throughout the competition. I think it was pretty clear early on both of them still loved each other, so it was more about unfolding how the relationship broke down the first time and working their way back to each other in the present. The coworkers added some fun humor and the slack channel chats were hilarious. I think Lease on Love is still my favorite by Fallon Ballard but this was a solid follow up. Looking forward to reading more by her.

Lease on Love was one of my favorite romances of last year, so my hopes were high for this one, especially since it was a high school loves to enemies story (my husband and I dated in high school, although thankfully we never became enemies.) This one wasn't as enjoyable for me as her first, but two things I want to note: I don't envy a writer who has a knockout first novel, and has to follow it up with an equally as beloved second, those are often nearly impossible expectations to meet. I also think I'm starting to realize that single POV romances don't always work as well for me as dual POVs. I will still read Ballards books, and am looking forward to giving her upcoming release, Right on Cue (Feb. 2024) a try.

Workplace banter (if I had those coworkers, it would be so fun!) and a competition with an ex for a new writing position is just the type of fun book this is!

Lana and Seth were high school sweethearts that had plans to both move to LA for college to focus on writing careers until all that changed.

Now Seth is in town and is thrust into a competition with Lana as the company she works for acquires the place he hopes to write for.

I thought this was unique in the fact that they didn't do their list of requirements all on their own... There are a lot of things they do together. This kept the banter high and had me cheering them on. I loved the coworkers text chain that had me laughing. I really liked the things these two got to discover about themselves and how they seemed always destined to love each other. The ending was super fabulous too.

Falon Ballard’s first book LEASE ON LOVE was a top favorite of last year and I was hoping JUST MY TYPE would hit and while it won’t make my top favorites I did really, really enjoy it. Thank you @putnambooks for the review copy!

Old loves come back into each other’s orbit when Seth accepts a job at an online magazine where Lana has worked the 8 years. When her boss finds out their history, she pits them against each other in a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vs How to Find a Committed Relationship type competition. I thought this was delightful. It was fun, the sparks of them competing was en fuego, and their long held animosity aka love toward one another kept me turning the pages just WAITING for one of them to finally falter and admit real feelings. Gah, I loved the tension.

While some or most might say their miscommunication and inability to just say what they’re really feeling was annoying, I weirdly loved their back and forth because it made sense based on where they were coming from and what the other was giving them. I thought that the tension was fantastic and moving slowly through each of their lists built just enough jealousy that really had me invested in their story.

I thought the pacing was great, the drama realistic, and thought the list competition—albeit an HR lawsuit waiting to happen—engaging and super fun to read! If you want fun and tension-filled, you’ll want to check this book out!

This book is so cute! This is the first book I’ve read from Falon Ballard. This book follows Lana Parker and her ex-boyfriend, Seth Carson, through a battle for a spot for columnist. The rivalry dynamic is great.

You get second chance romance, workplace romance, enemies to lovers, and alll the banter I loved learning about their past relationship and how it impacts their current dynamic. Lana needed to learn how to be alone while Seth needed to grow up.

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

If anyone can get me out of a romcom rut, it’s Falon Ballard!!

I really love a slow burn and a second chance romance, so this was perfect for me!

Seth did grind my gears for some of the book… he just seemed like a total jerk and never said what he was feeling and I needed him to!

But that slow burn though…

I did really love this, even as a girl who’s been single the past few years😂

This was such a fun story about learning who you are and what you want in life. It deals with messy families, relationships, friendships and work places, while having so much heart and relatability. The characters were engaging and multi-dimensional and the romance felt sweet and authentic.

This was an adorable second chance romance and rival book! Lana is the relationship/dating columnist for an LA website. Lana is newly single and suddenly her high school ex boyfriend (Seth) becomes her colleague and competitor. They each have to write articles that go against their dating type - staying single vs settling down and chemistry ensues along the way. I loved this book and finding out what would happen with Lana and Seth

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a fan of romance. The plots and characters often feel cheap and easy and I just like a little more substance if I'm going to be spending time with the book. This one, however, captured me from the very beginning! This one especially featured one of my favorite tropes, exes to lovers, and I found the characters relatable and genuine, very well-developed.

I also found myself really identifying with Lana, someone who really wants to become confident in herself and independent of those around me. She's strong-willed, high-powered, and stubborn as HECK which makes it hard to go it alone but I loved the way she came to develop and accept herself throughout the book. I'll be recommending this one to everyone I know - couldn't put it down and read it in one setting!

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before release.

Unfortunately this was not it for me.

This was a great book! I had a hard time getting into it, but once I did I really enjoyed it! I love the competition and slow burn.

When Lana’s high school ex Seth shows up at her work, their boss pits them against each other. Lana (a serial dater) is challenged to stay single, and Seth is challenged to get into a serious relationship. Whoever has the more popular column will win a dream job. The problem? They still have a lot of unresolved feelings that will get in the way.

This was my second Falon Ballard book, and I hope it won’t be my last. This had all the tropes - second chance, workplace, enemies to lovers - and all the feels. It was super cute, super quick read! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this second book from Falon Ballard. She is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This childhood friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers romance was hilarious and heartwarming. Seth and Lana being work rivals who banter well and got their second chance, made me so happy. They learned a lot about themselves and had some fun adventures in the process. Four stars.

🌻This was such a fun read, thank you for the eARC @putnambooks! I actually ended up buying myself a copy because I was really enjoying the story and knew that I’d want this on my shelves. Lana and Seth have a past (childhood sweethearts) and come across each other in LA at work (!!) where their boss pits them against each other for a coveted position at their publication. I won’t spoil the book but there a groans, lols, and swoons for everyone 🤗 I absolutely LOVED the ending, that is basically my ideal scenario (when you read it come back and ping me so we can discuss). I have a copy of @falonballard’s previous book (Lease on Love) so I might pick that up sooner rather than later, I love her writing style!

A really fun childhood sweetheart/enemies to lovers romantic comedy! The setting in an LA buzzfeed-esque news office and the challenge presented to the leads was intriguing and fun!

This was such a fun romance. Falon Ballard is so good at writing unique stories and I can't wait to read what she comes out with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.