I loved this book, but I wish I could have spent a little longer with the characters. It was a quick read that I feel could have been extended into a 300-400 page read. Regardless, the characters were a dream. The plot was perfect. The ending was exactly what I needed.

All I Want is You by Falon Ballard is a sweet and delightful holiday read, perfect for the upcoming Christmas season. Ballad gives us a story of love and redemption, featuring an enemies to lovers trope (which is one of my favorites!)

The plot centers around Jess and Nick, both struggling romance writers with a complicated history. Five years ago, on her beloved holiday, Nick abruptly ended their relationship, propelling his career as an NY Times bestselling author while Jess found herself grappling with writer’s block and a coffee shop job. When Jess is forced to present an award to Nick at a prestigious event, she views it as a cruel twist of fate. Despite her reservations about reconnecting with the man who hurt her, she refuses to back down from the challenge. But fate intervenes!

Jess and Nick seem to be an opposites attract situation. He’s cynical; she’s optimistic. Together? Perfection! However, despite Jess’s cheerful demeanor, she carries the weight of past heartbreak (thanks, Nick!) that unfolded during Christmas five years before the start of the book.
This was an easy and enjoyable read overall. I’m a big fan of Ballard’s novels, so I am not surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! With lots of fun, witty banter and tender moments, this sweet holiday story is a delight.

Thank you, Putnam, NetGalley, and Falon Ballard for this early copy in exchange for my honest opinion


I will be posting a pub-day review on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professorrachelreads/

Nick and Jess are authors. And exes. She loves Christmas and happy endings, he hates both. And she’s being asked by their shared publisher to present him with the Author of the Year award at their holiday party five years after he dumped her on said holiday.

This book was so cute and sweet. It felt like a Hallmark movie. A super quick read that would be perfect leading up to the holidays.

A perfect cute little holiday book to ring in the fact that summer is over & the holidays are coming ✨ Nick and Jess (no, I promise this isn’t New Girl fanfic… I think) pulled my heart into so many different directions and continue to make me so frustrated by the miscommunication trope because they’re so perfect for each other. Their love really is the Christmas miracle.

I didn’t love this book. I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry between Nick and Jess, in the present day or in the flashbacks. Always love Falon Ballard, but I think that second chance romances are not for me.

Super cute and spicy holiday romance! I absolutely adored both Jess and Nate. Their chemistry was palpable from the beginning and made you believe in their relationship from the get go.

The spice was included in just the right amount. The banter was exemplary and always needed in a second chance romance. Another part I loved was the inclusion of the messages. The cowritten romance was just so good that it actually made me emotional reading how they were reading each other’s work.

I will absolutely be recommending this to anyone and everyone who listens. Definitely a Fallon Ballard fan and 3 for 3 of the ones I’ve read. I just need to read Just Not My Type but I know I’ll love it!

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio, and GP Putnams Sonsfor providing me with an advanced copy of this book and audiobook for free in exchange for my review! @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own.

Falon Ballard has done it again! This was a super cozy and romantic book that I can imagine will be very popular this holiday season. I loved the chemistry between Jess and Nick, and I thought this book was super swoonworthy
On the audiobook side I enjoyed both narrators Sarah Naughton and Marwan Salama. Marwan is not a voice I was familiar with.

Falon Ballard is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. I am excited for her next release in 2025!
Tropes
One bed, two people
Second chance at romance

Read if you like
Emily Henry
Abby Jimenez

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I enjoy a cute holiday Rom Com and this one was great! The characters were so cute together and I loved their chemistry. The book was well put together and had a cohesive plot while also keeping Christmas in mind the entire time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

This book reminds me of a Hallmark Christmas version of “Beach Read” with romance authors and some spice peppered throughout. Second chance romance. Close proximity. Enemies to lovers. Perfectly set during a snowstorm. Definitely cute. Emotional. Tense. A quick and sweet holiday read.

3.75 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP/Putnam books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5
Thank you NetGalley for the early access digital copy!

Very hallmark movie-esque of a story. I did enjoy the plot of two authors coming back together for a second chance, but I felt the added flashback sexy scenes were a tad unnecessary. They also kinda fell back into each other with ease, which isn’t necessarily bad, but made the whole read go by faster than expected.

Since their breakup, Jess and Nick have actively avoided each other. Now, five years later, Jess is asked to present Nick the romance writer of the year award from their shared publisher.

Falon Ballard is just so good at writing romcoms that I adore! Here's what I loved:

The tropes: This one has so many. Holiday. Snowed in. One bed. Second chance. Enemies to lovers. Work rivals. And they all work so well together too. It also goes back and forth to the past and present in order to show you what went wrong with Jess and Nick. There are also a few good spicy scenes!

The setting: This one was so cozy with the snowed in hotel. It gives a good holiday feel while also putting all of our characters in a forced proximity, letting the story build in tension and humor.

Jess and Nick: I adored these two. They both made mistakes in the past but are able to work past that. You can feel how much these two are meant for each other.

All in all, a good holiday romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Close proximity, second-chance romance, grumpy-sunshine, snowed-in, one bed, dual POV - this book has all the tropes!

Jess is a mildly successful romance writer who is still nursing a broken heart from her ex, Nick, now an extremely successful author, who dumped her with absolutely no warning at Christmas five years ago. Her agent persuades her to present him with the Romance Writer of the Year Award at the annual banquet for the publisher they share, never mind that he doesn’t even write romance - none of his books have a happy ending. She only agrees to make the trip upstate to present him with the award for the sake of her career, especially given the fact that she’s experiencing a huge case of writer’s block and can’t progress on the book she’s working on. When a snowstorm traps them together at the inn, their rivalry ignites, and so does their attraction. Plus, it’s got both of them churning out pages with inspiration neither of them have felt for some time.

This was such a fun and delightful holiday romance. I love books about writers, and this one delivered. It was a quick read with tons of witty banter and plenty of spice. This is my first book by the author, but certainly won’t be my last.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Putnam for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Not a fan of this book. I've read some of this author's other books which I really enjoyed but I was disappointed in the writing of this one. I could instantly tell it was very off and I wasn't very engaged. The characters weren't exactly flat or boring but the way it was written didn't bring out the best in them in my opinion. The book also heavily relies on second chance as a trope, and we don't know why the MCs first broke up for a substantial part of the story. With that suspense being dragged out forever, I was expecting something much better than the reasoning we got and that adds on to why I didn't love this novel.

I don't recall the spice being such a big part of other books I've read by the author, either because there were fewer such scenes or because they weren't highlighted as much. I'm not big on steamy scenes but don't usually mind them, BUT the sheer number and intensity in this novel actually made me uncomfortable at times. My favorite aspects of the book are definitely the grand gesture in the end (which I think is so adorable and that happening to me is such a dream), and the amazing insights we got into the world of publishing and how it functions.

A Delightful Holiday Romance That Will Have You Falling in Love

Falon Ballard’s latest novel, All I Want is You, releasing on October 8, 2024, from Penguin Group and Putnam, is everything a Christmas romance should be: cozy, charming, and utterly irresistible. I devoured this book in just 24 hours, completely obsessed with every page. Jess and Nick (yes, like New Girl) find themselves hilariously and unexpectedly living out one of the very tropes they might write into their own romance novels: trapped at an inn with—you guessed it—only one bed. What unfolds is a story that’s delightfully predictable in all the best ways, delivering exactly what you crave from a holiday romance.

The chemistry between Jess and Nick is palpable, with just the right amount of spice to keep things exciting. The characters are engaging, witty, and feel like old friends, making it easy to root for their happily-ever-after. Ballard perfectly captures the magic of New York City during the holiday season; it made me crave a peppermint mocha and dream of wandering the festive streets of the city in December.

While the plot may follow familiar beats, that's precisely what makes it so comforting—like a beloved Christmas movie you watch year after year. All I Want is You is an absolute must-read this holiday season. I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops: if you’re looking for a feel-good romance that wraps you in warmth and festive cheer, this is the book to pick up.

This was a really cute holiday read! It was exactly what I was hoping to read right now. Haven't checked out this author's previous books, but I definitely will now, and will look forward to reading more from her in the future!

FALON BALLARD STRIKES AGAIN!!! I absolutely LOVED this book! In my opinion, Falon writes the BEST banter. Her characters always have such great, funny chemistry, and this book is no exception. This book, along with Just My Type, secures her spot as the queen of second chance romance imo. I loved the dual POV - we truly get to feel the heartbreak from both perspectives. Overall, this book was a total winner to me, and I can’t wait for my preorder copy to come in!

This book was cute, but did feel a bit stale at times. This could’ve been set at any time of year, the holidays didn’t really stick out to me. Maybe second chance romances just don’t work for me as I didn’t buy the resolution. I like this author and it was well written.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love me a second chance romance! Add in some Christmas spirit and this one did not disappoint.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jess and Nick are romance writers who just also happened to meet and fall in love at a writers workshop while writing their first books. Except things don’t work out like books when just as they are each getting their author deals (Nicks much bigger) Nick breaks things off. Five years later at Christmas time Jess is asked to present Nick with an award. She agrees but a huge storm rolls in and they get stuck together at the hotel. Yes, there’s only one bed.

Second chance romance is my favorite trope and I loved this one! Don’t mind me tearing up at the epilogue. This book was spicey and real and honest. I loved how the characters had to work to communicate. The breakup to me could have been discussed a bit deeper and further. While I think they got over it well I do think it was legitimate and could have been worked out more.

Overall, though this was a great holiday romance! Short, sweet, and to the point. Loved it!

Hands down an all time favorite. I truly devoured this book and wish it never ended. Romance writers, second chance, forced proximity, one bed, snowed in, christmas setting, and the swooniest hero of all heroes… how can you not fall in love?!


Dual POV
Second Chance
Snowed in
Christmas setting
Forced proximity
One bed
He falls first

Romance writer Jessica is still nursing a broken heart from her ex, Nick, who’s now a successful author of bittersweet romance. When a snowstorm traps them together at a remote inn, their rivalry reignites, but so does their attraction. As they struggle to overcome writer’s block, they find inspiration in each other, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Can Jess resist falling for Nick again, or will this Christmas bring a second chance at love?

I enjoyed this novel overall, but I found it difficult to sympathize with Nick and Jess’s reasons for splitting up the first time. Still, the plot is good, and I mostly liked the characters.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.