This book was super cute! I liked both of the main characters and enjoyed having both of their POVs (even in 3rd person). They were super cute together and had a pretty healthy line of communication. The pacing was good until the end. The ending felt a bit rushed but it usually is in romance books.

This was a cozy fall read and your typical Sophie Sullivan book. I loved the romcom vibes and this author’s take on the fake dating trope. I almost gave it 4 stars but the ending moved too quick for me. It was certainly a whiplash style conclusion when I thought there was more to be explored.

Can't Help Falling in Love is a charming rom-com that blends sweet romance with heartfelt moments, perfect for fans of light, feel-good reads. Sophie Sullivan introduces readers to Declan and Yasmine, two opposites whose paths cross in delightful ways, sparking both chemistry and unexpected challenges.

Sullivan’s writing is warm and breezy, capturing the flutters and insecurities of new love with a relatable touch. The characters are endearing and well-developed, with backstories that add depth to the humor and romance. The book balances moments of laughter with more tender scenes, creating a story that feels genuine and uplifting.

A delightful escape, Can’t Help Falling in Love is a joy for anyone looking for a lighthearted, heartfelt love story with a touch of humor and a lot of heart.

Such a cute fall romance. I loved the connection between the two MCs in this novel. Their chemistry was just to die for. Looking forward to more reads from this author.

I really enjoyed this one. It was the second Sophie Sullivan book I’ve read and it was captivating and from page one. Really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to read more of her books!

This was such a good fall read! It was addicting and i couldn't stop reaching for it every chance I got! I can't wait to recommend this to all my book girlies!

This book was a quick, fun read, especially if you enjoy the fake engagement trope. While I wanted to love it, I felt it missed the mark in a few areas. Lexi had a lot of challenges: her mother, her father’s passing, school, finances—that were clearly outlined at the start, yet they kept resurfacing in ways that felt repetitive. It was also hard to connect with her continued fixation on how her old high school friends might perceive her. Halfway through the book I wanted to stop rooting for Lexi.

Will was an okay character, but he didn’t stand out. Their connection started off nicely, but it felt like their relationship escalated too quickly. It seemed unrealistic for both to be so comfortable with a fake engagement when they were practically strangers.

Overall, it was an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a light and easy romance read. I really liked Lexi and Will together, but Will ya gotta chill out. He was a little to excessive for me lol it did read slightly young adult, just because of the way the characters acted, but they were 25 and 30 so 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is sweet and funny and delightful. Lexi and Will are fun and sweet as they find their way to each other.

4 stars
I absolutely love Sophie Sullivan and have been so excited to read this one. She truly is incredible at capturing the vibes, and setting the scene for heartfelt romances. This one's takes on fake dating, and friends to lovers set in Seattle? Extremely well done. The characters, especially Will and Lexi were so much fun. The dialogue, the chemistry were so wonderfully well done. I truly loved this one.

Thank you to Sophie Sullivan and NetGalley for this Arc in exchange for my honest review!

Overall this was a super cute rom com! Will and Lexi had the definition of a healthy relationship and it was really refreshing to see so many green flags in a book.

I will say, I do love good banter and maybe a little drama when it comes to the fake dating/engagement tropes and that was lacking in this book. The beginning started off really strong and it kind of fell off.

The grief was very well done! Being able to see Lexi’s mom battle her own grief while Lexi tries to figure out how to live her life accordingly was such a nice touch. I loved it!

I don’t really see how this was proposed as a fall rom com. Overall, still really cute. Just lacking in some areas for me.

This is sweet and romantic. It’s closed door so don’t worry about spicy scenes. Have you ever thought that everyone you went to school with is doing so much better than you? What would you do if they walked into your less than ideal job and assumed you were a customer as well? That is how we meet Lexi and Will. Everything else is a work of magical storytelling.

# Can't Help Falling in Love
# 10/26/2024 ~ 10/28/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0

This story starts off strong with not just fake dating, but a fake engagement!

Lexi, a woman struggling to finish school and working two jobs, finds herself sitting at Will’s table to avoid an embarrassing interaction with some old friends. Immediate pining and chemistry suck you in and have you rooting for the couple from the beginning.

The loss of Lexi’s father, and her mother’s subsequent grief, have really held her back and made her feel as if love isn’t worth it. Why would we love if it inevitably ends in loss? Lexi’s life has been everything but easy for the last several years so why would she deserve love? This book explores intricate family dynamics and grief in a very intimate way. We delve deep into Lexi’s insecurities, the unrealistic expectations of Will’s family, and find ourselves hoping the best for our star couple.

My favorite part of this book is that Lexi’s inner monologue is an exact copy of my own. She’s a little insecure, self-deprecating, but wants to be loved so desperately. I was immediately pulled in and couldn’t stop reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for access to the eARC of this book!

This was a perfect romcom! It’s a good feel good book. I do feel like it was a predictable book but it was still a cute book. Easy to read too. Will and Lexi’s story is one I enjoyed.

I loved this book! I always look forward to Sophie Sullivan’s newest releases, and this one did not disappoint. It features the fake dating trope—one of my absolute favorites—and it’s done so well here! The story is a closed-door romance, which adds a sweet, refreshing touch. With alternating POVs, you get to dive deep into both characters’ perspectives, which makes the story even more engaging.

The characters are wonderful and easy to root for, and the storyline is as charming as it is captivating. It hooks you from the very first page and leaves you wanting more. If you’re in the mood for a heartfelt romance, I highly recommend picking this one up!

I really love Sophie Sullivan and I think she knocks it out of the park every time. Can't Help Falling in Love is heartfelt and I adored Lexi and Will. Lexi especially is tough, and never lets all of her tragedy break her. Will could not be more charming and endearing if he tried. Their chemistry was amazing and I was rooting for them since Lexi's graceful spill.

Can’t Help Falling in Love is the perfect romance novel to get you in the feelings of fall. Down on her luck, Lexi is a comically bad waitress whose clumsiness lands her in the path of the handsome Will Grand. He is just the distraction she is looking for until a misunderstanding on their first date turns into a fake engagement. This novel encapsulates a delightful, heartfelt romance that begins with a perfect meet cute that leads to a fake engagement. This cozy story will warm your heart and make you yearn for autumn in Seattle.

Can’t Help Falling in Love‘s plot felt original even though it encompasses common tropes. Told through dual points-of-view, it is a refreshing and sweet story that portrays romance along with overcoming loss, without being weighed down too much by grief. I loved that the protagonists had fun together, laughed a lot, and were easy to cheer for. I also enjoyed the relationships depicted between friends and siblings. Will, the male protagonist, is an absolute dreamboat.

I adore Sophie Sullivan’s writing. She does one of the best jobs I have read discussing feelings. Sullivan’s books are full of succinct descriptions of both actions and emotions. As a result, the romance in Can’t Help Falling in Love naturally builds between her protagonists. It makes for a much more believable and emotionally-engaging read. I just wish Sullivan wrote open door sex scenes rather than fading to black, but that is a personal preference that I will not hold against an author or a book.

The reason I could not rate Can’t Help Falling in Love five stars is the third act breakup. It is no secret that I am not a big fan of the third act breakup and find it often poorly executed. In this novel, the third act breakup did not quite work because the actions felt nearly out of character for the protagonists. Both protagonists experienced so much growth over the book’s course, and their actions that led to the break up just seemed odd.

Overall, Can’t Help Falling in Love is the perfect swoony fall romance. If you feel like fall is passing too quick, I definitely recommend elongating it by basking in this story.

Alexandria (Lexi) Danby is a struggling waitress; trying to make ends meet while going to school and caring for her widowed mother. When I say struggling, I mean to say that she is terrible as a waitress. Not wanting to be seen working by her high school best friends, Lexi pretend to be with her boyfriend… a random patron at the restaurant.

Will Grand is heir to one of the most successful company’s in Seattle, and one of the most eligible bachelors. His family has been on him to get married. Tired of his mom setting him up on dates, he plays along with Lexi but now he has more long term ideas. Fake engagement that would be mutually beneficial. Lexi doesn’t do long-term and Will is looking to keep his family off his back. While being in fake engaged, they decide to date for real.

I absolutely adored this story and all the secondary characters. So can they turn what started as fake into something real? You’ll have to one-click to find out.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a fun romcom with interesting characters. Lexi and Will have great chemistry and the fake engagement trope was well done. The secondary characters were a great component of the plot and really added more depth to the story. Lexi has had some hardships in life and is definitely resilient and it was great that Will was so supportive. This was such a compelling and entertaining book that I finished it in one day!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Sullivan, and her publisher for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐️

What first attracted me to this book was the cute cartoon cover. However, that was it. Unfortunately this was a painfully slow read for me and ultimately DNF it. I found the characters to be one dimensional and dull. I didn’t think the main characters had any chemistry …. Like at all. I found Lexi’s character to be juvenile and not relatable even though we are in the same age range. I wanted to like this book and tried really hard to finish but with the third person narrative and boring characters I just couldn’t.