*ARC Review*

4.5 stars. Just My Type was AWESOME. This second chance romance not only had the sweet slow burning love you would expect, but so much depth. The story touched on the importance of therapy, being comfortable with being alone, and setting boundaries. There were a lot of moments where I related with what the characters were experiencing.

I really loved the main character Lana's growth throughout the story as she embarked on finding herself. She was kind, sassy and perfectly nerdy. It was fun to watch her grow and gain insight into what she needed to be happy. Seth, her high school sweetheart and rekindled flame was just as lovely. They had spectacular banter, which was only elevated by the outstanding secondary characters (I loved all of the slack conversations).

This was a sweet, easy read with the spice you need from the two characters with so much chemistry. Give it a read!!

This book was an excellent second chance romance but with a "how to lose a guy in 10 days" twist - Lana Parker is a serial monogamous. After yet another failed relationship, she thinks her day can't get any worse until she sees her ex, Seth in her office. A fellow journalist, he has been tasked with an assignment at Lana's site.

They enter a competition per Lana's boss, whoever gets the most votes win a prized column. Lana has to stay single and learn to be alone. Seth, who has spent years traveling on assignment, has to plant roots and settle down. Throughout the competition, they keep finding themselves in situations that make them question whether or not they are really over.

Falon Ballard writes absolutely lovable and messy characters, it's the best! Lana struggles with being alone and wants to be in love. Seth has never truly healed after getting his heart broken. Their struggles in love, are different but similar. Their connection is undeniable and the friendship that once existed between the two of them is still there and strong. This book was a great second chance romance because it acknowledged that while there may be a past, it doesn't mean that there will be a future. Sometimes, the past is the only thing holding back the future.

Tropes:
- second chance
- competition
- writer/bookish romance
- childhood friends to lovers to strangers
- forced proximity

Just My Type was definitely my type of book!

To win the job of her dreams, relationship-prone journalist Lana Parker needs to learn how to stay single. Her competition? None other than her high school ex boyfriend, Seth Carson.

There are so many things that this book does exceptionally well! This was my first time reading a second chance romance, and the balance of nostalgia, animosity, and newfound feeling was very well done. I was easily able to see the spark between Lana and Seth, and I could also see why they had spent so much time apart. Their shared history also made the ten week timeline perfectly reasonable! It gave Lana time to stop hating him, become friends again, and accept her feelings.

Speaking of feelings, the casual therapy sessions were such an excellent addition to this book! I also loved the acknowledgement that friends and kickboxing are helpful, but professional help is different. It’s so important to de-stigmatize mental health care, and I appreciate how Ballard included it in the book.

Lana’s friends and coworkers were an excellent addition to the cast of characters! Her relationships with May, Tessa, and Corey felt fully fleshed out, and her growth could be seen in how she interacted with them. Going from immediately calling May when she was dumped to requesting alone time was a really big step for Lana, and I loved seeing her get there.

My only two wishes are that Lana had gotten to spend more time on her own, and that there had been another ~10ish pages between the last chapter and the epilogue.

All in all, this book was excellent! I can’t wait to read more of Falon Ballard’s work! 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 Stars Second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes and Just My Type by Falcon Ballard was perfect! I truly loved everything about this one, especially Lana’s journey. Lana Parker has been a dating and relationship writer at a Buzzfeed-style website for 8 years, but when her ex-boyfriend (and high school sweetheart and first love), Seth, moves to LA, her boss sees an opportunity. Lana and Seth are pitted against each other in a writing competition; over ten weeks, they will each complete tasks toward the ultimate goal: for Lana to stay single and for Seth to settle down. The prize? A column at the LA Chronicle, which has recently bought the website Lana and Seth work for. Lana hates Seth for breaking her heart years ago (and more recently at their HS reunion), but those old feelings for him won’t quite go away.

The banter between Lana and Seth at the beginning was hilarious, and it naturally faded away as they grew close again. Like I said before, I really loved Lana’s journey towards learning to be okay being alone. Especially that realization she had after talking to her mom that just because she’s always been in a committed relationship and likes to do things with other people, doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to be alone or that she isn’t independent or strong as hell. Definitely recommend this one!

2.5 stars round up to 3! thank you so much to netgalley and putnam books for providing me with this arc!! the overall storyline of just my type is very similar to how to lose a guy in ten days, but i felt like the book was a melting pot of films with similarities to both clueless and legally blonde as well. i am not a big second chance romance gal but the plot sounded interesting that i wanted to give it a try and i do always love a bit of enemies to love and the guy falls first trope!

things i enjoyed about the book: seth overall wasn’t a bad mc, he openly expressed his feelings and did his best to communicate with lana even though they have some of the worst miscommunication on planet earth. i liked that he called her “parker” its odd but when people call their partners by their last name my brain goes wow okay hot. i liked the little work group chats that were featured in the book, and i liked that both he and lana had to go on these self journeys to find themselves. the repeated call back to their connection to sunflowers i thought was very sweet as well. and lana has amazing friends that i really wish we got to see more of. also really loved the positive representation of therapy in the book! dr lawson you rock!!

things i didn’t enjoy: lana has the great friends in the book that all felt slightly underdeveloped, i wish we got a bit more from all of them. also lana herself was not my favourite mc she felt very whiney privileged kid to me especially in the beginning of the book which didn’t leave a great impression on me. also the whole point for her in this competition is to do things alone and she only does two things on her own. i felt like because of this her journey felt very surface level at least for me. i definitely noticed the double standard that was apparent through the entire book for her and seth and i really did not like that at all. i also found the chemistry between her and seth to be lacking in certain areas, i felt like i consistently wanted more from them.

the whole book was an easy read for me, i just i wished for more. i did enjoy the author’s writing style and i do think many people will enjoy this book when it comes out!

This novel is “second chance romance” done right. I feel like this trope has surged in popularity recently (or maybe that’s just by chance the books I’ve been picking up), but I find that it’s one that is easy to be frustrated by. Many recent releases focus on a shared history and then switch timelines throughout the book, leading to a disappointing reveal of why the couple broke up in the past and the cause of their tension in the present. Not in Just My Type–we stay in the present throughout, have the past revealed in a sensical, conversational way between friends, and understand the characters' shared rivalry early on. In my opinion, this makes us more invested in their development together and understand why things could work the second time around.

There was a lot to enjoy about this story, but I mostly enjoyed the well-structured development the main character goes through. We see her flaws immediately and get to watch her grow the entire time. The competition presented to Lana and Seth gives the plot some structure, but also gives us a reason to not want them to rush into things. I think this was the first romance story ever where I wasn't wishing they'd "just hurry up and admit they love each other". In short, this book was fun, and I ended up reading it in under 24 hours–always a good sign.

Hmm. This one was not really my type if you catch my drift. There were some really sweet moments, but overall I just didn’t vibe with it, especially considering the way I DID vibe with the author’s first release. It’s definitely going to work for a lot of people, but since I am not a Marvel/Star Wars girlie, those constant references didn’t work for me. I liked the core of the story, but the execution just wasn’t exactly what I wanted it to be. (It also felt like a really slow burn, but that could be because it took me a month to read it).

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Goodreads review posted 8/25/22: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4935853134?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Romance is not my usual genre, but I did enjoy this! Childhood sweethearts who become rivals then lovers again was definitely cute and entertaining. I will not mention the steamy scenes and how the author made it play out perfectly in my mind. Looking forward to reading her previous work.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

Such an adorable second chance, late 20s (maybe 30?) romance! And it’s enemies to lovers, too. Loved it.

I was skeptical of Seth and Lana at the beginning but quickly fell in love with them. I loved the subplots with the minor characters, too. Yay for therapists and boss/employee boundaries!

Overall this was a 4.5/5 for me. Steam meter is pretty low, too—maybe 2/5. I’d let my mom read it. In fact, I insist she does.

I absolutely loved this book! It was fun and funny, the banter was great and the characters were witty. I loved the main characters, and the supporting characters were fun and present as well, which added further to the story. This book was so great I finished it in less than 12 hours.!
This book has it all- second chance romance, enemies to lovers, a scene reminiscent of the classic Elle Woods/Legally Blonde break up, and the main plot line a la How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days!
I also love books that work in personal growth and therapy to the plot without seeming too clearly "inserted"- and this book did that well!

Overall- I loved this book!

3.5 stars but rounding up to 4

Perpetual serial monogamous Lana thinks she is going to get proposed to when she winds up getting dumped ala Elle Woods style instead. If that couldn't be any worse the next day while very hungover an unwelcomed blast from Lana's past shows up to her and she is now in direct competition with her first love and still broken hearted over Seth for a chance to finally have her own column about subjects she wants to write about. Can these former best friends and high school sweethearts make amends not only in their friendship, but maybe in love as well? Possibly, if this writing competition didn't require Seth to find a long term relationship and require Lana to learn to love herself and stay single.

This is a great easy, heartwarming, and at many times frustrating dramatic rom com read with many nods to pop culture and classic rom com movie moments. This book is also sprinkled with many bookish nods avid romance readers will hopefully enjoy and find endearing. Though will warn the miscommunication troupe and just be honest about your feelings can reach a boiling point with this plot (may have yelled at and wanted to throw my kindle a few times).

We open with Lana getting dumped--for the fourth time. She drinks her comfort , then staggers to her wisecracking bestie May, and to her even funnier co-workers, who are part of a hip podcast/online site in LA. Lana wants to get into journalism rather than remain stuck doing a column on dating and relationships; her boss has been holding out a possible promotion for eight years. The carrot is dangled once again, as a competition with an incoming journalist from the bigger company buying them out.

Aaaand it's Lana's ex. THE ex, the one she kept trying to replace with other guys and failed, because she never got over him, though right now her top emotion is anger. And his is cold indifference. Except when it's hot.

Enemies to lovers is such a fun trope--if the enemies part isn't just bickering and bitterness. Some readers like the angsty part--I like the verbal and witty give-and-take of this trope, and Ballard just nails it. You know where a romance like this is going. The fun is in getting there, and for me, the balance between the funny scenes, the banter, the simmering rollercoaster of emotions, is absolutely chef's kiss.

Add to that some heft in Lana's relationship with her mother and with her boss (who, Lana finally saw, is totally over the line), and I thought this book a keeper. Looking forward to the author's next!

Oh my word. This book was SO much better than I could have imagined.

If you love How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!

I just finished it moments ago and I COULD NOT put it down. It was full of lots of little sweet moments, big romantic moments, and the drama!

Lana is learning to be okay with being alone, not NEEDING a relationship. Seth is learning how to settle down. They’re exes. And long lost lovers.

Once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down and you’ll probably binge read it like I did 🙈

I cannot wait for this one to come out in February! You better believe I’m preordering this one.

Holy smokes. Falon has done it again with ANOTHER 5 star review from me! This was THE PERFECT second chance romance/friends to lovers turns enemies to lovers/ workplace romance all in one! I DEVOURED this book in 1 day and can not wait for it to come out so everyone can enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and thank you Falon for such an amazing story that I got wonderfully lost in. 5/5⭐️ 2🌶

I have a confession y’all … I got approved for this half an hour after I clocked out for work and I had finished it by the time I went sleep.

I read Lease on Love as one of my first-ever ARCs back in my early months of Booksta and absolutely loved it. Falon writes love stories that are about so much more than just a romantic relationship. Her characters are vibrant and complex and believable, and her storytelling draws you in immediately.

Lana Parker is a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and absolutely terrible at being alone.

When yet another long-term relationship crashes and burns, Lana’s boss steps in and suggests she switch up her romance column to reflect her acceptance of her newfound singleness. Oh, and another thing - her first ex and love of her life is going to help her.

Horrified at the prospect of working with Seth after years of purposeful avoidance, Lana agrees for one reason: the prospect of a promotion she’s been working towards for nearly decade. If Seth wins the competition her boss lays out for them, he gets her dream job out from right in front of her.

But working together is more than just sharing office space. Seth and Lana have a lot of heartache from their shared past simmering below the surface; and there’s a lot more than a promotion at stake.

Hilarious and heartwarming Second Chance Enemies To Lovers Rom-Com!💕

OMG the first chapter is hilarious (I read it twice because it was awesome and I laughed out loud while I read it), and of course the rest of the book was a fun read, too. :)
I think this book is loosely based on the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” which I loved. Just like Falon Ballard's first book “Lease on Love” this novel has a wonderful cast of supportive characters and their conversations are funnnnnny. Falon has a great sense of humor, or at least humor that I absolutely love! I look forward to reading more books by Falon Ballard. 💕

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the digital ARC.

4/5⭐️

Honestly I don’t really care for second chance romances but I figured I’d give this book a shot because why not? I’m so glad that I did! Seth & Lana had all the chemistry, tension, & passion for one another that I could ask for. The trope lovers to enemies to friends to lovers really sums up this book. I thought this was such a unique way to write this including the competition for a writing column & just the newspaper/journaling addition in general. I love this authors writing style & how she made Lana a girlboss. She made the man fight for what he wanted & she always stood for what she felt was right. The mother - daughter dynamic also resonates with many people sadly but I loved how that was included because it really added to the story. I laughed, I giggled, I cried, I burst with anger, & felt absolutely every emotion while reading this. I really did love this & I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you net galley for allowing me to read this arc for a honest review! Go buy this on Feb 7, 2023!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book. This does not influence my honest review of this book.

Rating: 4/5

Non-spoiler synopsis:
The story follows a journalist named Lana who’s prone to getting herself into relationship after relationship. Her first love/high school sweetheart, Seth, who can’t seem to commit himself to a long term relationship. When Lana comes into work for a meeting, she’s stunned to see Seth there. Seth’s also a journalist and he winds up in this meeting because Lana and Seth are asked to compete against one another in order to earn a columnist position.

Review:
This was a fun read! It reminds me of both the Hating Game because it’s a workplace enemies to lovers where they’re fighting for a promotion. It also reminds me of Beach Read because they kind of have to swap shoes for the time being in the same way that the main characters in Beach Read had to step out of their comfort genres. Seth and Lana go on joint tasks together and eventually fall for each other. It’s yet another romcom that I can’t help but enjoy! I loved the character development from both Seth and Lana and would definitely recommend this as a quick, feel-good read.

You’ll love this book if you like:
Enemies to lovers
Second chance romance
Forced proximity
Workplace romance
Romcoms

Read this book as an eARC through NetGalley and Penguin Random House (thank you.)

This review will contain spoilers:

Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a second-chance romance girlie. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. I started this book feeling frustrated flash forward to end this book with being overwhelmed and crying. CRYING. There was so much unresolved issues and pining and you eventually just wanted to learn where it all went wrong. Not just with the FMC and MMC relationship, but the FMC relationship with her mother.

Do I feel like there was some pandering of the "look at me, i'm the pop culture girl and fandoms who loves con life etc" with all the MCU and Lucasfilm references between Loki, Captain America, Star Wars, the IYKYK subtle clothing. Sure. I am this person being described, but it felt a little over-the-top the way we got it. Including all the bookish subscription boxes.

It immediately reminded me of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and is self-aware enough to even make that reference. And just like the movie, the boss is the ick and regarding how Lana should "pay her dues," but Lana sticks up for herself

2 edits ( I think): end of Chapter 7, there is a line that says "the ride his house" I believe is supposed to be "the ride *to* his house.". Chapter 16 there's a line "...i'm not going to moon about anymore" and thought it might be "i'm not going to moon about *it* anymore." I could be wrong in how I read it. I recognize this is an uncorrected proof so edits will still be made, so this does not impact the my review.


Things I appreciated:
- I appreciate the the slack conversation where when someone wrote "let's get down to business," the (appropriate and necessary) immediate response was "to defeat, the Huns!"
- the female friendship. They were there for her and also held her accountable while communicating. In a "which answer do you want today."
- "I was going to say pussy, but pussies are strong and beautiful. Ballsacks are weak and fragile." Yes to this!
- Nice that there was a focus on self-care and therapy, for both parties.

Ultimately, if you love a second-chance romance and romance in general, this will probably be right up your alley!

I dropped everything the second I knew this book was on Netgalley! I loved the first book and was stoked to read another one by Falon Ballard!

I genuinely loved this book more than her first book.

The characters were more flushed out; the character growth was wonderful. I loved how therapy positive it was! The How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days vibes were wonderful & hilarious! While a tiny bit predictable, I still loved all of it. I found myself cackling at multiple parts, and cheering for both Lana & Seth to figure their crap out!

I'm excited to see what Falon Ballard comes up with next!