*3.5 stars rounded up because I'm a softie

Just My Type is a second--or rather, third chance romance complete with palpable tension, a competition, and an amazing friend group to top it off!

Lana Parker-30-year-old serial monogamist ends up confronting her first love Seth Carson at their (now) mutual workplace--Always Take Fountain, where they are then pitted against each other in a fight to the death. Okay, not exactly a fight to the death, per se, but a fight for a spot as a columnist at the Los Angeles Chronicle. The catch? They each have a list of ten items to complete in order to succeed on their missions-Lana to become comfortable with being single after 4 failed long-term relationships, and for Seth, who has been traveling the past 12 or so years, to get himself ready for a serious relationship. But with unresolved issues between the two, there's a lot more at stake than just the news column.

I absolutely loved Lana's friend group from the get-go--can we please have a spin off with Rob and Tessa? Pretty please? And May is the sort of best friend every girl needs! The friend group is full of empowering women who are super supportive and loving, not only towards Lana, but each other as well.

Lana, on the other hand, I had to warm up to a little bit. She starts out a bit immature, but throughout the book (especially towards the end), we get to see her growth! She really learns about herself and her emotions--therapy is a godsend, y'all!

Seth also took a little bit for me to warm up to him, granted we only see him through Lana's eyes. Seth's motivations become a lot clearer throughout the book, and we have no choice but to stan a man that goes to therapy. Even if it was because it was an item on the list. I repeat, therapy is a godsend.

The vibes of this book are similar to You Deserve Each Other (one of my favorites!) and the general workplace romance. However, with the second chance romance aspect, I would argue this book sets itself apart from other workplace romances. One area I found this book lacking in; however, was the show-don't-tell aspect. There were moments where the banter between Seth and Lana was mentioned, but not described. This definitely got better throughout the book, but at the beginning, there was definitely a bit of banter to be desired. Some of the dialogue was cringy and the banter was cute at some points, but a lot of the romance aspects didn't really kick in until the end. I liked it, but I didn't love it, and I think that it was, in part, almost due to the lack of romance between the main characters until the halfway point and beyond.

Overall, Just My Type is a cute, fluffy romance with a bit of spice and steam and also has a deeper message about the importance of self-discovery and being comfortable with being single.

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I adored Lease On Love and Falon Ballard quickly became a favorite new author (especially for my AOTM book club) and I couldn't wait to get my hands on Just My Type. I was not disappointed.

Falon creates stellar groups of friends and then takes it up a notch with outstanding banter in group texts (or in this case, a slack channel). There are laugh-out-loud one liners and amazing MCU references.

She also writes the sweetest cinnamon roll heroes ever. You can't help but fall in love with them. I loved the premise of Lana and Seth trying new things but doing them together. I didn't love how Lana felt victimized, especially when we learned the truth of what happened at the fateful reunion. I wished Lana was a little more self-aware but so many things more than made up for it. I can't wait to see what Falon shares with us next!

I am realizing that the more that I dive into second chance romances, the more that I love them. This book is no exception.

For the past eight years, Lana has been a columnist for a small L.A. website giving dating and relationship advice. Relationship-prone and newly single, Lana finds herself in a work competition than her high school ex-boyfriend, Seth. Seth, who has spent years on the road as a freelance journalist, is ready to put down roots. In this competition, winner gets a column with a local paper, but they have to complete ten tasks that go against how they date. For Seth, he must learn to settle down. For Lana, she must learn to be single. Will they be able to do that?

Characters: Personally, I really loved Lana and her relationships with her friends. She truly took what they said to heart and she really developed as a character. Her phone call with her mother bugged me, but that is mainly because I feel like that type of phone call would be extremely rare in real life. However, it did give Lana clarity in who she is as a person.
While I wish this was a dual POV to get his perspective, Seth, too, was a fantastic character to balance Lana out.
He never went against his character that Lana describes and *he bought the yellow tie.*

Pacing: I have no complaints.

Honestly, This was enjoyable and I think even better than Lease on Love.

Read this if you love
second chance romances
workplace rivals
high school sweethearts
sunflowers

This is not a closed door romance for those looking.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

High school sweethearts, Lana Parker and Seth Carson, broke up twelve years ago.

Now, Lana lives in LA and is a dating and relationship columnist who happens to be a serial monogamist. While Seth is a nomadic journalist who has plenty of time for extracurricular activities. Their paths cross unexpectedly when Seth becomes Lana’s newest coworker. The two soon find themselves in a workplace competition to win their dream writing column.

Lana’s mission is to stay single and Seth’s is to find someone to settle down with. The more time they spend together, the harder the competition becomes.

A sweet enemies to lovers romance. I related to Lana’s character so much - iced lattes, tbr stacks, and Ted Lasso. I think we’d be best friends in real life. Her journey of self-discovery was honest and heartwarming. I loved that Falon focused on the importance of mental health and therapy throughout the book.

Seth gave Lana the time and space she needed to work through things on her own. The pacing of their relationship was perfect and their chemistry had me swooning.

This book is filled with pop culture references, banter, and humor. A must read for romcom fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced E-book copy. Just My Type hits shelves on February 7, 2023 and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

Everything a rom com should be! I was laughing out loud from the first pages and didn’t stop smiling through the end. This was How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days + Never Been Kissed + Say Anything + The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

Our heroine is quirky but not toooo quirky. Our hero is just mysterious enough. Their chemistry is palpable. Even more importantly, the supporting plot lines and characters here are excellent and add depth. I particularly appreciated the therapy sessions not just being mentioned, but fully realized on the page.

Only critiques: 1) I wish we got more of the friend group. They all seem hilarious and fun and deserving of more page time. 2) An extremely cringe use of the word “entrance” shows up more than once 😬

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Putnum for access to the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

A second chance at love with your high school sweetheart with workplace rivalry. This is a great story on personal growth and truly finding what makes you happy in life. I really enjoyed the pop culture references. Lana is truly someone I could picture being friends with! I absolutely loved Just My Type! This is the first book I've read by Falon Ballard and I cannot wait to see what she writes in the future!

I really liked this book. I mean I stayed up way too late to finish it, so that tells you something.
This was a really good romance. It’s a light, easy reading romance that just sucks you in with the great writing by the author.
It’s a 4.5⭐️ for me only cause I REALLY wanted to have Seth’s POV, I’m just a sucker for the guys POV, and would have loved to hear his thoughts throughout the story.
This is a second chance, enemies to lovers, slow burn romance.
I truly enjoyed the writing style of this author and will read more from her.

In JUST MY TYPE, Lana Parker has been stuck on the Dating and Romance column for eight years-- which is eight years too long in her opinion. However, it's obvious to even her that her romance life has been great source material. After pulling a Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (thinking her boyfriend was going to propose and then being dumped instead) for the fourth time, Lana is suddenly thrust into a work competition with her ex-boyfriend. THE ex-boyfriend. Thus follows a modern How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Devil Wears Prada mash-up.

This book. While I had some minor problems with the main character herself (mostly the "Oh my Loki's" and the classic trope of hot-girl-into-nerdy-stuff) this book was overall delightful. It's classic, cute, and is a true rom-com read!

Lana has not stayed single very long. She goes from one long term relationship to another. She writes columns on dating advice. At 30 she finds herself single again and she wants to stay that way. In walks Seth, her ex who broke her heart, they were high school sweethearts. They are both going for the same column. In order for one of them to land it the column that they are writing has to be the most popular. In comes the How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, themes of witty banter and competition. As they are squaring off against one another, Lana writing how to stay single and Seth writing how to stay in a long term relationship. While it is their jobs on the line it is also their hearts. Can Lana learn to trust Seth, can Seth be the man she needs?

Quick read and loved the banter between the main characters.

The opening was so good that I thought for sure I was going to love it, but unfortunately it did not hold up.
The chemistry is okay. It's not unbelievable at least, but both characters had pretty valid reasons for why they should not be together and they just threw all that out the window to rekindle their high school romance.

Also, HR would have a field day with this kind of thing. The premise of this book would likely result in an immediate firing of their supervisor and sexual harassment lawsuit against the company that's allowing this to happen. A friendly competition to see who gets to have their own column? Sure, that's fine. The things Lana has to do for the competition? Not okay. Even before Lana edits the list to be noticeable worse, it's not okay for a workplace to knowingly allow that kind of thing.

Thank you to NetGaelly, Falon Ballard, & Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC of this novel.

I LOVED this story. Second chance romance without a huge miscommunication trope *chefs kiss*. And while the romance bloomed in its own time, I also really resonated with the storyline surround Lana and her boss Natasha. It was so well done. This book also held a strong "self discovery" storyline and I was a sucker for it.

All around, fantastic. Highly recommend.

This was a really fun and quick read! I became invested in the story and characters immediately, and, to piggyback on what other reviewers have stated, I loved how this book was an updated and refreshed version of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (one of my favorite movies). The tasks for Seth and Lana's office competition were interesting, and though some seemed mundane at first glance––like go join a class, buy furniture, get a pet––it became apparent how integral they were in the progression of their rekindling relationship, but also Lana's journey of finding out who she is, what she likes, without a partner. Setting aside the obvious feelings for Seth and that being half of why she even signed onto the competition, the tasks really cemented how committed she was to finding herself and going after the job of her dreams. She realized why she stuck it out with ATF for so long and how that connects to her serial monogamy, and I greatly appreciated her growth throughout the book. The same goes for Seth. I loved his character and how he developed over the course of the book. I do wish we could've gotten more of his perspective (especially with the tasks), and it was painfully obvious why he came to LA in the first place, but I always like seeing his character type––uncommitted, unable to put down roots––actually want to put down roots. Even if it is originally under the guise of a "friendly" competition.

The only character I wasn't a fan of was their boss, Natasha. I understand her role in the story overall, but she just seemed to meddle too much for the sake of views and attention, and used her advantage as their boss to only get what she wanted.

But I enjoyed this book and I'm so glad I got the chance to read this advanced copy! I'm a sucker for slow burns, second chance romances, and enemies-to-lovers plots, and this book delivered on all. Another thing I appreciated were the blurbs that start off each chapter; they were funny, super fitting, and sold the whole writer/columnist vibe. I think I read this in about a day so I'd say that it is a fast read, easy to get into, and something that'll keep you hooked from start to finish. This is my first read from Falon Ballard and now I'm excited to check out Lease on Love! (:

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this eARC!!

Just My Type
Author: Falon Ballard

Book & eARC Review
Release Date: February 7, 2023

Just My Type follows Lana Parker, a 30-year-old journalist, who, after breaking up with her high school sweetheart years ago, has been in serious after serious relationship. A serial monogamist, she is fully avoiding being alone.

Now, fresh off another break up, Lana is in for another rude awakening when she arrives to work the next day. Seth, her ex-high school sweetheart, is at her office. Also a writer, he has just arrived in LA and has taken a job at Lana’s workplace.

When Lana’s boss learns that Lana and Seth have a history, she puts the two against each other, hoping to create a friendly, workplace competition.
— The Prize: The winner will land a columnist position at The Chronicle.
— The Catch: Lana has to break her dating ways and remain single for the entire challenge with the goal of finding herself. Seth, on the other hand, has to break his f-boy ways and work on settling into a steady relationship.

Each equipped with a list of challenges they have made for the other, Lana and Seth have to write about their experiences for the viewers to vote on each week.

As the weeks and challenges progress, Lana and Seth learn not only about themselves, but about each other again.

—

First off, I absolutely love Falon Ballard’s writing! Her books are fun, lighthearted, and romantic — and this one was just that!

I loved getting to see Lana and Seth’s relationship progress over the course of the book. At first, I was a little iffy on Lana’s character and her almost obsession with serious relationships. By the end, when you come to realize why she is the way she is, you appreciate her more.

A few callouts for this book that I really liked:
— It was very reminiscent of “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and I loved it! I love that movie and how this book gives off similar vibes.
— The Marvel references!! I’m a Marvel geek and always appreciate a good reference.
— Seth’s Fittonia plant!! This had me cracking up! If you know me, you know I’m a house plant person. The clips about his gifted plant were too funny.
— The blurbs at the beginning of each chapter! These were a nice touch and I liked how it gave a clue into what Seth was feeling and thinking.

There were a couple (small) things that were meh to me. I do wish this was a dual POV book! I would have loved to seen Seth’s side of things and his emotions throughout the competition with Lana. The other thing, and this is small, but the “oh my Thor” and “oh my Loki” sayings got kind of old. They were cute the first 1-2 times, but got to being a little repetitive after. Again, it was just 2 small things!

All in all, this book was so good and I will be recommending it when it comes out! Congratulations Fallon on another lovely novel ❤️

Thank you NetGalley, Falon Ballard, and Putnam/Penguin Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion/review.

Just My Type started with a Legally Blonde reference and continued with How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days and The Devil Wears Prada vibes, so the nostalgia factor was strong.

Lana is frustrated with her career trajectory, so when the opportunity to write a column of her choosing arises, she is all in... Even though it means engaging in a dating challenge against her (surprise!) first love and high school sweetheart, Seth.

For a romance, the main characters didn't spend all that much time together, but it was refreshing to see the focus more on Lana as she learns to be single for the first time in her adult life. HR nightmare aside, the challenges moved the self-exploration plot forward. There were a few too many fandom (Marvel? Star Wars? Huh?) references for someone with no knowledge of that world. If that's your thing, it will add an extra layer of enjoyment to an already delightful read.

Big thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy to review!

Really enjoyed this read! Similar to Lease on Love by this author, the female main character was different from what we often see in romance: loud, passionate, and not willing to back down from a fight. Falon Ballard has mastered the found family trope, and I have loved the communities she has built around her female main characters. She manages to flesh out the personalities of the secondary characters without distracting from the main love story! Loved this one just as much as her first release and can proudly call Ballard one of my auto-buy authors now!

Wow. This was such a great book! It’s my first book by Falon Ballard and it did not disappoint. When it comes to tropes, second chance romances aren’t at the top of my list. But I loved the idea of a “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” vibe mixed with a dash of soul searching, and this was truly a great read.

Seth and Lana were both well rounded characters. Typically in a second chance romance, I usually side with one person over the other. But Seth and Lana both had their faults in their demise, but they grew into amazing adults. Was this a slow burn? Yes. But it was realistic and it was worth it.

And I’m always a fan of highlighting how therapy can really help a person heal. This was done so very well, and I will definitely be reading more from Falon in the future.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#JustMyType #NetGalley

This book was everything I was hoping for and more. I’ve been craving another work from Falon Ballard since i read Lease on Love earlier in the year. Second chance romance’s aren’t always my cup of tea, but the way this book was written made me fall so in love with Seth and Lana’s story. I loved the writing, Lana and Seth’s development and I loved the strong friendships they surrounded themselves with. I loved that there was a huge spotlight on how therapy can help, and the importance of self improvement and how taking time for yourself is important. I am a sucker for texts in books, so I loved that she included this in this book as well. Overall I enjoyed everything about this book, and am so glad I got the chance to read this ARC.

A fun premise. Lana was much less likable than Seth, and I would have liked to see more honesty and vulnerability from her earlier on, but the whole process of going through tasks helped both characters progress. It wasn't until the end that Lana really seemed to be honest with herself and be truly courageous. After all of her self-sabotage, the ending was really sweet.

Thank you, #Putnam Books #NetGalley for the arc!

This book feels like an updated version of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and i am absolutely here for it. From the pop culture references to the slow burn relationship, i couldn’t put this book down. Lana is relatable, Seth is likeable and all the side characters are supportive and fun.

This book was Just My Type, and I know it’ll be yours too.

Seth and Lana stole my heart right from their insta live, and while I didn’t like how their boss kept pushing them together (grr evil boss 😡) I loved their banter and the whole ‘we’re not flirting we’re expressing our anger in the form of sexual attraction’ vibe. They were adorable together, and I was so happy to see their relationship grow throughout the book.

I really enjoyed seeing Lana’s transformation as she learned new things about herself and figured out how to be happy alone. There wasn’t a miraculous ‘oh I’m all good now’ and she still wasn’t 100% there in the end, and Falon wrote it in the perfect way to relate to the readers and make us want to devote our entire lives to Lana (and Seth. But mostly Lana because I’d like to be her friend). And this was relatable, because so many people are struggling with either finding a serious relationship or being single, and I appreciated how she managed to cover both in one book.

And if anyone accidentally picked this up thinking it was a relationship self-help book, well, turn to the lists and try a couple of things (not the one-night stand. That one is not advised). Seriously, Falon doled out some excellent advice, and while no one’s suggesting you punch your anger out and yell at your trainer-slash-stand-in-ex (or do so. your call), definitely go find something new for yourself. Self-care is important!!

And that ending 😍😍😍. No spoilers, but it was the perfect way to end Just My Type.