Can’t Help Falling In Love- 4.5 Stars:
This is such a sweet and feel-good book. Lexi and Will’s meet cute is to die for and I like the mix of a fake engagement and a real relationship. It creates a different trajectory for the story than the other fake dating books I’ve read. Lexi and Will are perfect not only together but as characters. Lexi is funny, nice, helpful, and smart, which is everything I want to be, and Will is observant, kind, can hold a joke, and patient, which makes him the perfect boyfriend. It’s clear he is interested in Lexi from the get-go and it’s attractive that he knows how he feels for her. The plot is fun, but also has its fair share of serious real-life issues like both the main characters’ relationships with their parents. However, the pacing did feel a little slow. This book is a most read for any fluffy romance lovers.

This review is posted on my Instagram on September 8, 2024

I enjoyed Can't Help Falling in Love. Lexi is holding on by a thread. She's working two jobs and stinks at the second job, being a waitress. The job is only temporary while she works to pay for her last college class before getting her degree. Life has thrown her some curve balls and derailed the plans she set out for her life. She gets a glimpse of old friends from high school and is embarrassed to let them see how little she's accomplished. A fake engagement is the outcome of her embarrassment, and things quickly get out of hand from there.

I enjoyed the story, but the pacing was slower than necessary, imo. The pacing is the only thing that didn't work for me and is the only thing that kept it from being five stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This book is super cute. I love every minute of reading it. This is second chance academic kind of rivals. There are some plot conveniences that track well for the rom com style story, but I devoured this book.

I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a fun fall read that doesn't require much thinking.

I love that they were forced to work in the same space and that their close proximity relationship grew into love. They really make such an adorable couple. They navigated the mishaps and just the messiness of life and turned all that around into something really beautiful.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

I was provided the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel by the publisher, author and NetGalley.

This novel was such a cute and fun fall read. In this novel Lexi is a hard working determined woman who isn’t afraid to chase what she wants. Will is a handsome, sweet and very charming man whom most girls dream of meeting. This was a fun fake engagement/dating novel. Highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a light read.

This was my first Sophia Sullivan novel as well and it was very well written.

This was a lovely, light-hearted RomCom that’s perfect for the Fall season. I liked Lexi and Will as well as all the side characters. There is also a sub-plot that deals with grief so this can come off as heavy at times as well.

For the “resolution” at the end, I was hoping that the roles would have been reversed but it still came together well. I’ll be looking for other Sophie Sullivan books in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC.

This was a really cute fall read. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cozy romance closed door no spice book! Overall it was good but the FMC was not my favorite.

Stangers to Lovers? Check!
Fake Engagement? Check!
Personal growth? Checke!
HEA? Double Check!

Lexi, a struggling universtity student, is trying to make it with two jobs. At her second job, as a waitress, meets William Grant while she attends to him. While she is working, she sees some of her old high school friends, having their lives together. In a moment of panic, William comes to Lexi's rescue and pretends they are together. Only to have it escalate from there!

Shortly after, it is reported they are actually engaged and everyone believes it. Instead of breaking everyone's heart, they decide to go ahead with their fake engagement until they can figure out what to do with their 'relationship'. This book is their journey and how they overcome their struggles and their overbearing families.

10/10 recommend this book!

If you're in the mood for a sweet, low conflict romance this fall, Can't Help Falling in Love is absolutely for you.

When I say "low conflict," I'm referring to the relationship between the main characters, not the book in general. Lexi and will both have a lot going on around them. Lexi is finishing up her degree and trying to balance two jobs while also encouraging her mom to begin taking steps o move beyond her grief over her husband's passing. Will's family business is in a time of transition, which stirs up a lot of conflict for his family. But the two of them together are good to each other, support each other, and help each other navigate the challenges they face.

It is a bit of an "insta-love" story, especially for Will. He falls fast and hard, but it's sweet. This book has no explicit sexual content. Intimate scenes involve heavy making out then fade to black

5 stars for Can't Help Falling in Love! This was such a cute rom-com book that also had humor and emotional depth. I was captured by Will and Lexi's love early on and was very interested to see how Will's family dynamics would play out. The book is set in Seattle during the fall season so it is perfect to get you in your cozy fall feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Can't Help Falling in Love is available on September 17, 2024.

First of all, a huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sophie Sullivan for this ARC!
Can’t Help Falling in Love comes out on September 17! 🧡

🍂

4.5 ⭐️

Can’t Help Falling in Love is the perfect fall romance read! It had everything I was looking for to kick off the season.

In this cozy read we’re going to meet Lexi and Will.

Lexi is a 25 year old that is juggling two jobs, college and all the responsibilities that were left behind after her dad died a few years ago, including her still grieving mom. She’s loyal to the people she loves but she has a crappy self esteem.

Will is 30, CFO of his grandpa’s company. He’s gorgeous, polite, funny, rich and he values family above all (Will is magic ✨). He appears to have everything he needs and wants.

But then they meet and the attraction is there but they weren’t expecting to find themselves inside a fake engagement story, but now that they are, they want to see where it will lead and how fake what they are feeling really is.

🍂

I enjoyed this book so much! It became my comfort book and I would read again and again just to have those moments between Will and Lexi. I connected so much to them because I truly think they kind of had an insta love, and I had the same in my life. When you know you know haha.

The side characters were amazing, I loved all of them and I want to see more of Ethan and Maisie 🤭
I also love the whole my friends/family are now your friends/family vibe.

Overall is an amazing book!
The only thing I personally don’t like is books narrated in third person.


Again, Can’t Help Falling in Love comes out on September 17th and you need to read it! 🧡

Overall I really enjoyed Can’t Help Falling in Love! It was a great start to my fall reads. Great for people who are looking for something with no spice / closed door romance! I wasn’t a huge fan of the self sabotage from our FMC, but I could empathize with her feelings. Will was an awesome MMC, he was so caring and patient.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

🍂 Fake Dating/Engagement
🍂 Opposites Attract
🍂 He Falls First
🍂 Family Drama
🍂 Meet Cute
🍂 Closed Door

First off I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC! This book officially releases on September 17, 2024!✨

This was such a cozy Fall romance, the perfect start to my Fall reading list. My first ever Sophie Sullivan novel, and I’m already a big fan!

Will is perfect and, your honor, I love him! I will say that I was a little bit irritated with Lexi for a lot of the book because she was so self-deprecating, but I guess that is part of the point... That is her biggest flaw that also drives Will crazy! It made me reflect on myself and realize that I can be a “Lexi” sometimes, putting myself down and doubting myself. I’m lucky that I have my own “Will” in my life to help me snap out of it when I’m in that kind of mood!

I absolutely loved Lexi’s mom’s story and her development and I loved all of the women in this story lifting eachother up and being such a beautiful support system. They were much more than just side-characters. I definitely hope we get some more stories about the other characters (mostly Ethan, Gwen, and Maisie!!🫶🏻)

You’ll definitely want to add this to your Fall tbr! 🥰🍂

Can’t Help Falling in Love will be out SOON! September 17, 2024, preorder now! 🫶🏻

This book was so good! I really loved the romance so much and how it all unfolded! Fake engagement and family drama! The discovery that you are enough and you’re the only one judging yourself! I really loved the journey of the main character! Also, Will is new book boyfriend to the max 🥰 A perfect Fall romance!!!!

What a cozy and cute book to get you in the mood for fall. This book is so reminiscent on how terrifying falling in love can be. The author really did a great job touching on grief and the ups and downs of life while making the romance a delight to read about. Life can throw you curveballs but you should always be proud of how far you’ve come. I had such a fun time reading this book and getting to know the main characters. I was even rooting for all the side characters in the end.

What an incredibly  cute and cozy fall romance. It read like a Hallmark romance movie in the best of ways. I could totally relate to Lexi and feeling like you aren't good enough.  Will was a great book boyfriend. And I just loved the whole story.

This new-adult Cinderella story is well-written with likable characters. I’m not a big fan of new adult stories, but I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

4.5 Stars Can't Help Falling in Love is the perfect autumn romance, especially if you like fake dating/engagement romances!

Former college track star Lexi Danby is trying to keep it all together while simultaneously working two jobs and trying to finish her degree while caring for her grieving mother. The last thing she needs is her former high school friends to see her comically bad waitressing, so she sits down with one of her patrons and lies to her friends. Despite being one of the most eligible bachelors in Seattle, Will Grand is amused by Lexi and goes along when she sits down at his tables and pretends they are dating. There's an immediate spark between Will and Lexi, so they agree to continue this fake dating ruse to keep her friends and his mother off their backs. Except a mix-up leads the world to believe the two are engaged. While Lexi is wary of commitment, Will sees a real future with Lexi. Now he just needs to get her to give their fake relationship a real chance.

This was such a charming read! I know instalove isn't for everyone, but I do love the trope when it's done well. Lexi and Will are an endearing couple and it's so easy to root for the two of them, both together and individually. Lexi has a bit of a Cinderella-story here, but she doesn't need to be saved by the prince. She's ambitious, determined, and often puts others before herself. Will is similarly perfectly imperfect; he's always willing to help, especially his family and friends. This is such a sweet and swoon-worthy romance!

Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Sullivan, and SMP for the ARC!

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Sophie Sullivan for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

WOW, I absolutely LOVED this one! With fall weather quickly approaching, reading this was such a great way to kick off the season. Any book by Sophie Sullivan is sure to feature a heartwarming, sweet romance with relatable, likable MCs, and this one proves just that. I’d say this is Sullivan’s best work yet. This is a closed door, he falls first, fake dating/engagement romcom based in Seattle with immaculate autumnal vibes!

Lexi and Will have awesome chemistry and their meet-cute is the absolute best! I appreciated how this book covers more serious topics like grief and healing while still remaining positive and hopeful. The supporting characters (including Will’s sisters and Lexi’s best friend) made this book even better and truly show the importance of surrounding yourself with those who uplift you. Also, I loved the emphasis on knowing your own worth and learning to embrace the present.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and I enjoyed this one. It has a unique twist to it in that they accidentally fall into it. What started off as Will doing Lexi a solid to “save face” in front of her old friends by acting like they were together, turned into fake dating when those friends assume they are not only dating, but engaged.

But Will is in a position where he feels he could actually benefit from this fake engagement, so they come up with a deal to go along with it. Commitment-wary Lexi agrees, because you can’t get too badly hurt if it’s all fake, right?

I’ve read a lot of Sophie Sullivan’s books (maybe even all of them so far?!) and I can always expect a sweet, cozy, feel-good read. Happy to say this one falls on that list as well.

Thank you for the ARC!


CW: death of a parent (past), grief

When Romance Turns R-Rated: 😳💋 A Not-So-Clean Read

If you’re picking up Can’t Help Falling in Love hoping for a charming, clean romance, you might be in for a surprise—though not the kind you’d hope for. While Sophie Sullivan’s novel delivers on wit and emotional depth, the explicit content might overshadow the sweet romance for some readers.

The book features several romantic scenes with detailed descriptions that can be quite explicit. For those who prefer a more subtle approach to intimacy or are sensitive to mature content, these scenes may come off as jarring rather than enjoyable. The focus on steamy details often overshadows the narrative, which might be disappointing if you’re looking for a heartfelt connection without the graphic elements.

Additionally, the mature language used throughout the book, including frequent profanity and sexual innuendos, might not align with readers seeking a cleaner romance experience. While the character dynamics and humor can be engaging, the explicit content can make the story feel less accessible to those who prefer their romances on the more wholesome side.

In summary, while Can’t Help Falling in Love offers plenty of charm and emotional moments, its explicit content and mature language may detract from its appeal for readers who prefer a cleaner, more nuanced portrayal of romance.

✨Star Rating: 2.5/5 stars. Based on the focus on explicit content and its impact on the reading experience.

⚠️ CW: this isn’t considered a completely clean read. It contains mild to moderate expletives, some steamy romantic scenes, and themes that might not align with all readers’ preferences for a clean romance.