I was really excited to be approved for the ARC for Can’t Help Falling In Love on NetGalley. The blurb sounded right up my alley and I was excited to see that the book is set in the Seattle area, which are my stomping grounds. I will start with the things I enjoyed about this book, before getting into the things I was disappointed with.

Things I Enjoyed:
- Will & Lexie’ meet-cute <3
- I appreciated Lexie’s struggle with feeling like her life hasn’t gone the way she planned. Very relatable.
- Will’s sisters and Lexie’s best friend were wonderful
- Lexie learning to stand up for herself and voice her concerns/opinions with her mom more freely. I enjoyed the development of their relationship throughout the book.
- A lot of the banter was really fun

Things I Was Disappointed With:
- The sheer number of f-words used throughout the book was a major disappointment. I understand that some course language can be used in a book to express certain emotions and I’m fine with a certain amount of swearing in my books. But when the f-word is used so frequently, and unnecessarily, it comes across as lazy writing. And it affected my ability to enjoy the story when I was cringing so often at the language being used.
- I also read many reviews of Sophie Sullivan’s other book, “How to Love Your Neighbor,” before applying for this ARC because I only read closed door books and didn’t want to apply for a book that would end up being open door and I’d have to DNF. I couldn’t find any reviews saying whether she wrote closed door, but also didn’t find any mentioning spicy scenes, so I felt fairly safe requesting this arc. And while I wouldn’t necessarily call this book open door, I also wouldn’t consider it closed door either. It definitely has some fade to black, which I can handle, but when clothing’s being removed and you’re wondering when the fade to black is going to happen because it still hasn’t, or a couple are in a bath together post sex, that falls outside of my “closed door” definition, as I know it would for other closed-door readers. Something to consider at least from a marketing stance when stating what kind of content can be found inside a book. Many readers, myself included, want to know if a book they are going to pick up is something within their personal reading parameters so we don’t waste time having to DNF a book at 60%.

Overall, the story itself was cute. But the language and sexual content pushed the limits of what I can handle in books I read, and I wouldn’t be able to recommend this book to friends or followers because of those issues. I gave this book 3 stars for those reasons. I’m fully willing to read another book by Sophie Sullivan in the future if I know there’s less language and the door is fully closed, so to speak.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for this ARC book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Lexi and Will were a cute couple in this fun read. Lexi was struggling to keep her mom and life afloat after the loss of her dad. By chance she meets Will and they end up being fake engaged to impress her high school friends. This was an easy read with some tough subjects about mental health and moving on after loss covered.

I really love Sophie Sullivan but this wasn’t my favorite book by her. I loved the premise and the setting but I felt like it was a little repetitive in comparison to her other books. I loved Will and I really liked Lexi!
Thank you to netgalley and the published for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s so convenient when the title of the book is exactly what you can expect to do while reading it. It’s like it writes the review itself.

Lexi finds herself “behind” in where she expected to be at her age. She’s still not done obtaining her business degree, living with her grieving and depressed mom, and working two jobs to make ends meet. One of those jobs is a waitress and while serving a ridiculously handsome gentleman his lunch, her high school friends walk in. She panics and pretends that she’s on a date with the man. He goes along with it and decides to ask her on a real date. Turns out he is the heir to his family’s corporation and one of the city’s most eligible bachelors.

You can’t help being charmed by Lexi and Will’s relationship. Despite the obstacles in each of their lives, they make being in a relationship look easy. They come from different economic and family backgrounds and all they need is a little of what each other has to offer to make it work. This one is for the opposites attract but wholesome love conquers all romance readers.

This is one is without a doubt, Sullivan’s best work yet.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A super cute story. I love these tropes and the cover is fantastic - I was so excited to dig into this book!

Super cute, easy read. This was a great fake relationship trope and I thought everything flowed well.

This book was so cute! It focuses on our two main characters, Lexi and Will. While both characters had their fair share of differences, their differences balanced them out and really allowed them to fit nicely as a couple. If you're into the following tropes: fake dating and friends-to-lovers, you will enjoy this book. While I found it to be a bit slow at some points, overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone looking for a cute, light-hearted read!

this was such a sweet romance! the way lexi and will just clicked in the beginning of the book was just pure MAGIC. i absolutely loved reading about their relationship blossom throughout the book.

if i had this as a physical book, i feel like it would have been a higher rating. this was my first book by sophie sullivan, and i absolutely loved it.

lexi is THE definition of a hardworking woman, who fights for what she wants. they way she carries herself, and works hard had me in awe whilst reading.

will, was such a charming, sweet, and charismatic mmc that we all dream of having. he was such a sweetheart.

this was such an amazing, sweet, romance that i strongly recommend you read!

i want to give a HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Sophie Sullivan for allowing me to receive the arc in exchange for my honest review.

So I will admit that I started this book and after the very cute first scene, was a little worried that I wouldn't like it given the depth of grief involved. But I have liked other Sophie Sullivan books so I soldiered on, and it was worth the wait! Very much enjoyed the new take on a contemporary version of a fake/forced engagement trope, and liked all these characters.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi and Will find themselves in a fake engagement that causes some tension with Will’s upper class family. As the weeks pass they both start realizing their fake relationship might be more real than they thought.

The beginning of the book was sweet and I through the way Lexi and Will met was fun! I liked how each character overcame their fears and pursued what fulfilled them, especially Gwen. The story flowed well and I enjoyed how easy this book was to read. I did get bored halfway thought the book and I thought it became very predictable. The dialogue in the last half of the book seemed cheesy to me and I thought it was all over the place. I did really enjoy the epilogue and I thought it tied the book up nicely.

This was such a great book! I really loved the story. And the main couple were perfect for each other. I couldn’t recommend this book enough!

Adorable read, with lots of loveable characters! Easy to root for them!

Usually not a fan of the insta-love kind of trope but it’s easier to digest the way this author writes them (second book of hers I’ve read like this that I enjoyed still!)

Closed door romance with lots of wholesome cozy feelings to root for!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy of Can't Help Falling in Love.

Lexi, while trying to avoid former high school friends who show up at the restaurant where she waitresses, takes help from another customer, Will, who helps her make a quick exit. Lexi does not find out until later that Will is a Grand, a known name and family in Seattle. Their meet cute leads to misunderstandings and a fake engagement, all while Lexi and Will explore their very real feelings.

I thought this was a fresh take on fake dating/fake engagement by the fact that Lexi and Will have a spark from the beginning. So while they're families believe they're engaged, they're dating each other while keeping up the misunderstanding. I found the approach moved quicker from a friends or enemies to lovers progression that you usually see with the fake dating trope.

I would say this is the book I've enjoyed most from Sophie Sullivan!

This book was wonderfully written! The characters are so realistic and relatable, and the plot is one you can get lost in. I would definitely recommend!

2.5 rounded up to 3

This book just wasn’t it for me. It was very slow and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

The story itself was sweet but I prefer some build up or tension where this couple was already kissing on their first date (same day they met) as though they had been pining for one another for awhile or it was love at first sight.

I think it’s important to not that it was nice to see the characters overcome some difficulties (loss of parent/spouse and family drama) but again, I couldn’t really connect.

Not a bad story or books by any means, just didn’t love it!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Fun & easy read, I thought this book flowed well and I really enjoyed the characters. I don't always like the fake engagement trope but I felt like it was really well done here and it didn't feel super forced.

Thank you to St.Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really tried to like this one but I just couldn’t.. I was really trying to see if the storyline would pick up and peak my interest but it just didn’t.. the characters were bland and there was little to no spice.. it’s a cozy read if you’re looking for that with little to almost no spice basically.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

I went into this book knowing nothing about Sophie Sullivan and I was happily surprised!
This book was incredibly written. I was in love with all the characters from the start (especially Will and Maisie) and I loved everyone's development throughout the novel. It felt like they were real people walking down the street that I could bump into and I loved that. Usually, I also find it hard sometimes with characters who are in the grieving process but in this book, I thought it was beautifully written and I enjoyed how something as complex as grief was interwoven throughout the story.
The romance was amazing, I loved the chemistry between Lexi and Will, it felt natural and as a minimal spice girlie, I appreciated that the story focused more on their relationship.
I did have a couple quibbles; some scenes I found were dragged out way too long, it was hard for me to stay engaged. My second critique is that the ending seemed too perfect, like everyone got a happy ever after. That took the real life feeling I loved away.
I really really enjoyed this book and will be looking to read more work by this author soon!

This is short autumnal fake engagement romance between a waitress and an heir to a large company.

I really wanted to like this book and I was trying to see if it would pick up and I would start to get invested but this book felt incredibly slow. Perhaps this author’s writing just isn’t my style but I just could not get into it. This book is very reflective with a lot of inner thoughts from both characters’ point of views. Lexi is a hardworking character who is struggling with concepts such as insecurity and grief and Will is very sweet and caring but struggling with the expectations of his family. I like the little shoutouts to different well known romance novels. This might be a great fit if you are looking for a cozy slower paced read with some fun banter and little to no spice.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Sullivan and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC!

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan warms the heart and gives hope to any of us who are struggling with the detours that life throws us.

We get into the fake engagement trope early on. Lexi is working as a waitress as a second job because she is struggling to pay for finishing her degree. Her life got derailed after her father died and left huge debts. Her mother is still grieving, and it seems as if the responsibilities in Lexi’s life give her no time for fun. When old high school friends enter the bistro, and she attempts to save face by corralling Will, a male customer, to act as her boyfriend, the fake dating begins. The plot proceeds with the two main characters dealing with their own individual challenges while acknowledging that there is chemistry between them.

We immediately see that Will and Lexi are right for each other. The book was enjoyable and not stressful with the characters being likeable and clearly doing the best they can with the cards they were dealt. The book is a reminder that we never know people’s whole stories and not to be judgmental.