Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was perfect. Meet cute, fake engagement, real feelings, and so many swoon worthy moments. Will is my newest book boyfriend.

Read this one.

Rating : 3.75/5
Lexi is not where she thought should be at this point in her life. While struggling with rebuilding her and her mother's life after her fathers passing, Lexi meets Will where he helps her out of a stressful situation. One thing leads to another when one of my favorite tropes comes in: fake engagement.

Can't help falling in love follows the classic rom com formula with love, heartache and lots of overthinking. I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone that wants a classic easy love story.

If you are one that despises insta love, I would caution you against this book. However, it doesn't bother me! I loved that this book showed grief through her mother and how long it can take to heal and come back.

Will is a corporate man who is up in the ranks of his family business. So we love some good business drama with mommy and daddy who are more focused on the business than the family.

However, I will warn that everything conflict wise, wraps up in a nice little bow very easy and there is not much depth to the characters. However with a short rom com, there's not much time for that.

Tropes: fake dating, insta-love, rich man/poor girl.

I am a huge Sophie Sullivan fan, and this book provided exactly what I needed. Fabulous meet cute, excellent supporting characters, and amazing chemistry. All the things I've come to love from this author.

This will be a perfect book for fall. I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

When Lexi sees her old friends while waitressing at a restaurant, she decides to tell them the guy she was serving is really her fiancé and he luckily goes along with it. The man at the restaurant is no other than Will Grand, one of Seattles most eligible bachelors, whom also agrees to go to said friend’s engagement party. While the two are there, word gets out of the engagement and it becomes a media frenzy — one which his parents will not like. However, the two decide they want to real date even if the engagement is fake … but afraid of feeling a loss like the one her mother had when her father died, Lexi is afraid to take a step past casual even if Will wants more.


If you need a feel good fall romcom — this is it. The characters are great. The angst is low (very much needed and appreciated) and the overall plot was just very much cute.

This is the second book I’ve read by Sophie and definitely isn’t my last.

I cant say enough good things about this book. It was so good and if you love a fake engagement this is your book. The family dynamics are great and I love that the guy just kinda went with the girl said he didn't even hesitate is was like at first sight for him and you get that from his pov and she was hesitant but went with it to look good in front of her friends she used to have. thanks so much for letting me read this book it was totally worth reading

I would love to support your authors, but unfortunately it seems as though St. Martin's Press and Wednesday books would prefer to stay quiet about the vile posts made by your employee. These statements were anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, Queerphobic, and made even more vile by the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Your influencers want to know that St. Martin’s Press is committed to the safety and well being of ALL of their influencers, employees, and authors.

This is not a reflection on the author or the story in any way, shape, or form. I love Sophie Sullivan and wish I could shout about this book.

That simple kiss reminded her it’d been a hell of a long time—too long—since she’d gotten lost in a man, felt the pressure of his mouth on hers, his body against hers, skin to skin. The gentle press of Will’s lips to Lexi’s skin felt like fireworks dancing in little bursts of light up and down her arms.

Cute, easy read romcom with fake dating! If you are looking for a simple and fun romcom this is it! Not spicy like I normally read but cute all the same!

Arc provided by the publisher and netgalley!

This has the making of a good story but unfortunately i had to DNF. If you want a cute hallmark story with fake dating, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC.

I love Sophie Sullivan books! Her writing is so enjoyable to read and I love her characters. It was a really fun read!

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Sullivan!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this!
I genuinely loved this. Lexi is so many women: not quite where she wants to be in life, jaded by the death of her father, and full of jealousy and shame when it comes to the people from her past who come off as having all these achievements. Will is a wealthy business man with a family that is far too involved in his love life. Their meet cute is adorable and this cooks up a very PG-13 fake dating / fake engagement trope in dual POV.
I just loved how adorable this entire story was. Will and Lexi's romance is just fun, his true adoration for her and belief in her is tangible, I loved all the B story lines with her friends, career, and mom, and while I thought the inciting incident to drive them apart was really silly, it was resolved quickly and cutely.
This is just a very fun read all around!

Oh my goodness, this book is highly recommended by myself for fans of contemporary romance! “Can't Help Falling in Love" by Sophie Sullivan is a delightful rom-com that sweeps readers off their feet with its charming blend of humour, heart, and unexpected love. At least it did with this reader!

Meet Lexi Danby. She’s a former college track star turned struggling waitress, seeking some no-strings fun. Meet Noah McAllister. He’s the heir to a major Seattle company and is navigating the complexities of his own love life. When circumstances throw them together in a high-profile fake engagement, sparks fly, and their hearts become entangled in a delightful dance of attraction and vulnerability.

Sullivan's writing is, as always, as warm and comforting as a chai latte on a crisp fall day. The banter is witty, the chemistry palpable, and the journey is utterly endearing. The Seattle backdrop adds an extra layer of charm, making the city feel like a character in its own right. Seattle’s Pike Place Market is also where Starbucks was born!

What sets this rom-com apart is its balance of humour and emotional depth. While the fake engagement trope provides plenty of laughs, Sullivan also delves into themes of grief, family, and personal growth. Lexi and Noah's vulnerabilities make them relatable, and readers will root for their happily-ever-after.

"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a heartwarming and fun read, perfect for cozying up with a cup of tea and a pair of sherpa socks. Sullivan has crafted a delightful escape into love, laughter, and the magic of unexpected connections.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. Can’t Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan is such a wonderful book! Lexi and Will have an adorable meet cute and fall into a fake dating/engagement scenario right away. Will loves having his family off his back about dating and settling down (although his mother is quite perturbed that his fiancée isn’t someone she chose for him). Lexi gets a date/relationship to show up those high school girls that she runs into and feels inadequate with her post high school life. The chemistry is off the charts between them. You can just feel them falling in love with their banter and dates. If you love sweet romcoms and uplifting stories, you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sophie Sullivan for sharing an ARC. This review is completely voluntary and joyfully shared.

I love this author and was excited for this story, but for some reason struggle to really connect with this story. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very cutesy, hallmark-esk, rom-com! I’ve read other books by this author and that seems to be her vibe. Nothing wrong with that just not so much my vibe anymore.

There is very little conflict in this book, and when there is, it’s resolved quickly!

Will and Lexi are funny and charming and their banter and sarcasm is top tier!

Marriage of convenience is always a fav trope of mine, so this book had me hooked from the start.

An interesting, fake fiance HEA where Lexi and Will engage in a fake relationship to reap the benefits of being together while simultaneously realizing they were meant to be. Lexi is a down on her luck waitress who takes care of her mom, while Will is from a rich family. A misunderstanding has them engaged and as they continue to see each other, they realize that they are falling for one another. A sweet, fake dating romance that has you rooting for their relationship.

I absolutely adore this author and with each book of hers I read I just fall more in love with her characters and her writing!

This story starts off with the most hilariously awkward meet cute! Lexi and Will have an instant connection but a brush with her past has Lexi creating a fake story that leads to the greatest romance either has ever experienced, if only it wasn’t fake.

Will comes from a world that Lexi can’t even begin to grasp especially when hers is barely being held together but the chemistry they have will not be denied and the more time they spend together the more the walls around Lexi’s heart start to crumble.

I absolutely love the storyline and how everything worked out in the end! A very cute, heartwarming and uplifting book!

Lexi is working two jobs while finishing her business degree. At her waitressing gig, she’s recognized by some friends from her past. Shocked by their presence and embarrassed by her lowered circumstances, she sits at a table occupied by the cute guy whose order she’d been getting spectacularly wrong. Shortly thereafter her old friends have made assumptions about the man being Lexi’s fiancé.
Going along with the ruse is none other than heir to a retail dynasty and one of Seattle’s most eligible bachelors, Will. A photo captured at an event that Will accompanied Lexi to later that evening is splashed about on several society pages and websites decreeing the pair engaged, and cruelly, referring to Lexi as a “nobody”.
Eager to curtail his mother’s matchmaking machinations, Will asks Lexi to keep up the fake engagement pretense while dating him in actuality. Lexi is reluctant to do so because the death of her father devastated her mother to the point she’s withdrawn and depressed, almost never leaving the house.
Will is just lovely and really tries to build up Lexi’s self esteem, and one can’t help but root for Lexi to catch a break after all her struggles to help her mother navigate the years since her father’s death while also scrambling to pay off his massive debt.
As they spend time together they find themselves falling deeply for each other. Will their societal differences crush their budding relationship before it becomes love? Or will they withstand the pressures and choose each other?
This was a lovely, funny, and touching book that could’ve been dreadfully cliched, instead the author delivered a great little love story/romcom that’s an enjoyable and satisfying read.
I was fortunate to receive an advance reader copy from the author and NetGalley and I’m pleased to leave my honest review.

Set in Seattle in the fall, this delightful closed door romance has the most adorable meet-cute! Will and Lexi go from meeting to fake engaged. As they date and handle family and career, real feelings follow. Great secondary characters!

I've read several others by Sophie Sullivan and look forward to more!

Closed Door / Fade to Black

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

Such a cute fake dating closed door romance! The characters are super lovable and relatable. A wonderful fall romance!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!