This was a cute, sweet and light fake dating read. It was a nice one to read in between the bigger heavier ones. They were really sweet together and when there were conflicts they were resolved fairly quickly. There's still some things that irked me and that could've been dealt with better. This was just an okay one for me, still worth the read.

Book Title: Can't Help Falling in Love
Author: Sophie Sullivan
Format Read: E-book

Sophie Sullivan crafts a cozy fall romance that’s equal parts charming and heartfelt, with just the right amount of depth to keep you hooked.

Lexi Danby’s life hasn't turned out as planned since her days as a track star were cut short by her father’s passing. Now juggling school, a waitressing job, a retail job, and caring for her grieving mother, Lexi doesn't have time for love. But when a mishap at a party lands her in a fake engagement with Will Grand, a handsome customer who witnessed just how bad of a waitress she can be, Lexi finds herself navigating the complications of pretending to be part of his glamorous world. As they try to keep up the ruse, Lexi and Will’s relationship starts to evolve in unexpected ways, leaving them both to wonder if their fake engagement might lead to something real.

Likes:
•Lexi is incredibly relatable—her clumsy, down-to-earth nature paired with her resilience and playful banter make her a character you can’t help but root for.
•The story cleverly flips the fake dating trope by turning it into a fake fiancée, real dating scenario, which feels fresh and engaging.
•The exploration of grief, particularly Lexi’s struggle with losing her father and helping her mother heal, adds a touching layer of emotional depth.
•The autumnal settings, from apple picking to outdoor breweries, perfectly capture the cozy, seasonal vibe of the story.
•The humor in Will’s last name, "Grand," adds a fun touch, especially given his wealthy background.

Dislikes:
•Will, while charming, comes off as a bit flat—he’s almost too perfect, lacking the depth and complexity that would have made his character more compelling.

Overall Impressions: Can't Help Falling in Love is a delightful, cozy romance that’s perfect for fall. Lexi’s relatable journey, coupled with the fresh twist on the fake dating trope and the rich emotional undertones, made this a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a highly recommendable read, especially for those looking for a heartwarming story with a bit of depth. I’m definitely looking forward to exploring more of Sophie Sullivan’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts with a fun meet cute between our two main characters, Lexi and Will. Lexi was a track star but after the unexpected death of her father she is forced to drop out of college to help with deep debt and her mothers mental health. She is just getting by trying to work multiple jobs and support her struggling mother. Will is the heir to a very successful company started by his grandfather and a successful businessman in his own right. Exhausted by his mothers efforts to match make him with a woman with the right background, spending time with Lexi is refreshing. While a misunderstanding leads to their fake engagement, the two really enjoy spending time with each other and are happy to really date. I enjoyed Will and Lexi as a couple. Will's family brought in the conflict for the story as their is drama surrounding the future and direction of the family business. I also liked the discussion of grief, and mental health in the story. Both Lexi and her mom's journey's were nice to read. This story has a nice fall season vibe as well which added to its charm.

Thank you St. Martin's Press Griffin and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest reivew.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I've read so many of Sophie Sullivan's books and I always find them delightful. Her characters are fun and flawed and full of feelings. Lexi was hard to get to know at the beginning of this book and Will walked around with his heart on his sleeve. They were such good opposites and partners throughout the story that I read it in one day! I wanted to hear more about their friends more and I wish we got more of those emotional moments where they shared their struggles rather than Will's family drama. Will is a cinnamon roll and I love him forever!

Lexi Danby is looking for some no-strings, fall fun. Once a college track star, she was forced to drop out when her father passed away. Now she’s trying to make ends meet while putting herself through school and caring for her grieving mother. When her comically bad waitressing lands her directly in the path of a handsome, charming stranger named Will, Lexi may just have found the distraction she’s been looking for. Their first date looks promising until a misunderstanding at a party thrusts Lexi and Will into a fake engagement they can’t talk themselves out of. And Will turns out to be a member of Seattle royalty.
Will Grand is heir to a major company, and Seattle’s most eligible bachelor. But he’s been placed in charge of an important merger with a company that values family above all else, and needs to show them that he’s settled down. While a fake engagement is advantageous from a business standpoint, it’s not so great for a budding relationship with a woman who’s wary of commitment. With a woman who Will is beginning to care about much more than he could have anticipated.
As Lexi gets a taste of Will’s glamorous world and the pair keeps up the pretense of their fake engagement for the press, they decide to see where a more casual relationship takes them out of the spotlight. And amid apple picking in comfy flannels, outdoor breweries in the crisp air, and fun Halloween preparations, Lexi starts to realize the scariest part of the season might just be taking a chance on love.

A cute meet-cute easy read and my first Sophie Sullivan book!
Lexi, dealing with the grief of a loss of a parent and a parent going through depression, meet Will, a local business heir, over Lexi's inability to waitress and her desire to hide her occupation from her highschool friends. But, that kicks off the wild fall extravaganza that is the local news announcing Lexi and Will's engagement, much to their surprise! The rest of the book follows both navigating their own lives, and their new lives together.
Overall, I thought the pace was decent, and the smaller inconsistencies (as this was an eARC) didn't take away from the book!

Thank you to Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Tropes:
Meet cute, opposites attract, closed door romance, open communication.

Can’t Help Falling in Love was a cute book, but it was one of those where I was so frustrated by the characters’ inability to communicate with one another. Just say what you are thinking every once in a while! Also, Lexi’s friends (who were the impetus for her creating a fake fiancée) seemed totally awful. I kept waiting for someone to call her attention to the fact that they were pretty shallow and vapid, and yet no one did. I do think the storyline with her mother’s anxiety and depression is one that is important- it is hard to watch suffer like that. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Content Warning:
Mental Health
Grief
Family Conflict

First and foremost, this book resonated with me emotionally. This is a surprisingly heartfelt story that delves into themes of family, trauma, and grief. The relationship between the characters is truly endearing, while the central conflict arises from the heroine's fears of replicating her mother’s struggles with grief, imposter syndrome, and life’s disappointments.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy!

ARC provided by St. Martins Press

Fake dating / fake engagement meets grief and loss.

Will and Lexi are complete opposites, but at the end of the day they work really well together.

Lexi is a struggling woman who is just trying to deal with the loss of her father and the financial fallout from his death. She works two jobs and just trying to make ends meet. I felt she was really relatable in her struggles and the choices she had to make.

While Will is rich, and facing the struggles of running his families company. He’s dealing with his own problems and drama.

I enjoyed the duel POV as well as the side characters.

I couldn’t help falling in love with Lexi and Will and their heartfelt story!! The couple has instant chemistry, an instant emotional connection— the start of something that could be real and true—if only they can knock down any walls that keep them apart. Will was dreamy—so sweet and charming. Lexi was funny and smart and adorable. But life had not been easy for Lexi, leaving her insecure and timid, and she had many doubts about living up to the expectations of her friends, of Will’s family, and especially Will himself. I loved being with Lexi and Will as they traveled down this circuitous road to find their happily ever after.

I really enjoyed this one! The beginning felt like a cozy romcom that you can't help, but giggle and swoon over! I loved the connection that Will and Lexie had right away. The fake engagement was also really fun in this one because it almost never felt fake to them or the reader and that just showed the kind of easy connection they had with one another. I really appreciated how the author handled the grief storyline in this one as well. I think this would be a great book to curl up with a blanket with to kick off the start of the Fall season.

I did not realize I was in for such a treat when I picked up this book!
Full disclosure: I read three romances prior to reading this book and was feeling a bit romanced-out. I was worried this book would tip me into a slump or just feel like I was reading something similar to those three prior books… Fortunately, neither of those concerns came true.
This romance is so refreshingly good. The plot, the character development, the romantic development, the pacing: It was all absolutely fantastic!
I genuinely love our female and male main characters. They are both relatable in their own ways, allowing the reader to connect with their struggles, which makes this story hit in such a great way.
The circumstances that lead to our romantic pairing can initially come off as insta-lovey, but the book is saved from that fate by the wonderful writing of Sophie Sullivan. She manages make the initial attraction between our characters feel authentic and real. She acknowledges their physical attraction to each other and allows her character’s to recognize this aspect of their relationship and separate it from the deep feelings they are developing for each other. It’s absolutely lovely and a breath of fresh romance air.
Did I love the third act conflict? No. It definitely makes sense for our characters and as a reader you can tell it’s coming, but 99% of the time I still feel like there’s likely a better third act conflict out there. Even though the conflict isn’t in line with my personal preferences for a romance, it was done well. You truly feel for our characters as they’re going through it. It did feel a bit rushed, but I can forgive that given how great the rest of this book is.
I can’t recommend this book enough! Pick this up for a wonderful and highly enjoyable romance read!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I will not be giving a public review for this for respect to the author, but this was a DNF for me pretty early on. I couldn’t get past this novel being written in third person.

A lot of the time a fake engagement story just doesn’t hit. The characters spend far too long denying what is right in front of them and not communicating. This book is happily not one of those stories! Our fake engaged couple actually likes each other and are for real trying to date! I loved that they were actually having a relationship and we got to see them grow together through the span of the book. The setting was enjoyable and the characters were all wonderful. This was a quick, light, hopeful read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

This was a very cute read! A sweet romance with a fake engagement (a trope I, personally, love!). Fun cast of characters and a very charming setting.

I think this is my first book by this author and I think I don’t vibe with her vibe. Overall, it was too cutesy and lacked conflict for my taste. But I could see people who enjoy low-steam, low-angst romance loving it!

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review.

this is an adorable, sweet romcom! Sophie Sullivan writes such lovely characters who are so deeply kind, adorable, and so loving. this story is a modern twist on royal romance with Lexi as the commoner and Will as the royal heir (so to speak). I love the instant attraction Will and Lexi have, and the way they grow so much closer during their fake-engagement. Will shows nothing but chivalrous kindness to Lexi who tries so hard to find her place in life. the love, acceptance, protectiveness, and deep affection between Will and Lexi crosses many outward barriers that try to take them down, but they rise above all of it to have their perfect happily ever after.

this truly is the sweetest, loveliest story. thank you so much for the arc :)

I absolutely loved this book! I could picture Side Tap, the beautiful PNW. I loved that Lexi was stuck & trying to find herself. That her friends and family backed her up & helped her get through it. Can’t wait to recommend to my friends!

Can’t Help Falling in Love promises all the ingredients for a perfect fall rom-com: a charming meet-cute, a fake engagement, and a whirlwind romance set against the backdrop of pumpkin patches and cozy flannels. It’s the kind of book you want to curl up with on a crisp autumn day, maybe with a pumpkin spice latte in hand—if you can overlook a few quirks.

Let’s talk about Lexi and Will, our leads. Lexi is juggling way too much for any one person—grieving mom, college, and a job that sounds like it’s straight out of a slapstick comedy. Enter Will, who’s not just any guy but Seattle’s most eligible bachelor with a family business to run. Their first date? A rom-com disaster waiting to happen, and of course, it does. One party later, and suddenly they’re in a fake engagement that’s somehow more believable than most of the real ones on reality TV.

Now, while the plot hits all the right rom-com notes, the writing sometimes hits...well, a few wrong ones. The pronoun shifts can be jarring. One minute we’re getting a third-person view of Lexi’s thoughts, and the next, it’s like the narrator is talking directly to her. It’s the literary equivalent of a record scratch—just when you’re getting into the flow, you’re pulled out by a sudden “you” where a “she” should be. It’s the kind of thing that makes you do a double-take, and not in a good way. Hopefully, someone with a red pen will come along and smooth out those transitions.

Despite the occasional narrative whiplash, there’s a lot to like here. The chemistry between Lexi and Will is believable, and the fake engagement trope is used in a way that’s both fun and full of tension. Watching Lexi navigate Will’s glamorous world while trying to keep her feet on the ground adds a nice layer of conflict. And let’s not forget the fall vibes—the setting is like a Pinterest board come to life, with just the right amount of seasonal charm.

Can’t Help Falling in Love is a fun, flirty read, despite the awkward pronoun shifts. It’s the literary equivalent of stepping on a rake in the middle of a charming pumpkin patch—distracting, but not enough to ruin the whole experience. If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted romance with a side of autumnal aesthetic, this one’s worth a read—just be prepared for a few bumps along the way.

Can’t Help Falling in Love is a dual POV fake engagement romance. Lexi and Will meet at her waitressing job and a series of small miscommunications snowballs until people believe they’re engaged. Rather than correct the story Will convinces Lexi to play along, and go out with him for real. But Lexi is determined to guard her heart and avoid falling in love at all costs!

What a fun fall-themed book! This was a closed-door romance so no real spice but a lot of heart. I really enjoyed Lexi and Will’s story.


Read dates: 08/08/2024 - 08/10/2024
Goodreads review: 08/10/2024
Instagram review: 08/10/2024
Blog review: 09/17/2024

3.5 ⭐️
One fade to black/non explicit scene, a little bit of swearing
Pub date: September 17th

The last 25-30% of this really sold for me. Everything comes together in a really nice way and I enjoyed the themes and lessons that are explored. Some of it was really relatable to me. It did feel a tad rushed but honestly the deeper/emotional parts were still probably the best part(s) of the book. It touches on grief, loss, moving on/letting go, coping with change, and what happens when life doesn’t turn out how you expect it too.

Everything else was just kind of okay. The characters and general vibes feel very similar to Sophie Sullivan’s other books. Some scenes felt kind of dragged out and I wish we had gotten more of an explanation about what happened with her dad. It feels like she isn’t grieving for him at all, though she feels the weight of his choices while he was alive and the impact of his death on her mom. The romance was okay. Writing was okay.

An ARC copy of this book was provided to me by St.Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own