Falon Ballard wrote a holiday romance! So I read it!

All I Want Is You is a romance novel following Jess and Nick (yes, they do acknowledge New Girl in the book and nod to the main character names being identical) and their second-chance romance love story. Nick and Jess are both romance authors with a romantic history themselves, and years after their dramatic breakup (which both are still reeling from), they are thrown back together when Jess is asked to present an award to Nick at an event for their shared publisher. Forced proximity and a somewhat rivals-to-lovers (?) plot ensues.

Here comes my biggest qualm with this book: While the story takes place around the holidays, and we see flashbacks to the main couple spending past Christmases together, I'm reluctant to label this as a Holiday Romance Book. Truly, nothing about this book made it Christmas-y besides the time it happened to take place. Without the offhanded mentions of snow and Christmas decorations, the plot and character arcs barely revolved around Christmas-- which, to me, feels like a pretty central piece of "holiday romances." If the plot or ANYTHING centered around Christmas, maybe I would change my mind. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading Nick and Jess's story, I would still recommend reading this (although it doesn't *have* to be around the holidays), and I'm ALWAYS a sucker for second-chance romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This book was such a cute holiday romance. I'm always a sucker for second chance romances, and this one delivers. It's definitely a slow burn, but has a nice payoff in the end. This was just an all-around sweet and heartwarming romance. I thought the banter between the two MC's was fun and clever. The reveal about why the MMC broke things off the first time around is a little anti-climactic, but it didn't take away from the charm of this title. There are lots of great tropes here, such as forced proximity, only one bed, rivals to lovers, and second chance romance. If you're looking for a quick read to get you in the holiday spirit, this is a good one!

This is a sweet holiday romance. Nick and Jessica (ex's) are forced back together for a work event. Of course, a winter storm forces them together and makes them face the pain of their breakup.

I would consider this, what I like to call, "Hallmark Christmas movie after dark." It is a very sweet, fast paced romance, a few spicy scenes, and all the warm fuzzy holiday feelings. I really enjoyed it.

Rounded up to 4 stars (probably like a 3.5-3.75)
Thank you for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I definitely went in with low expectations of this book because a lot of romance books tend to be the same things over and over but I actually had so much fun with this!

This book had a unique twist to the rivals to lovers which had authors writing the same genre under the same publishing company. On top of all that this included a second chance romance that I could actually get behind. I tend to not like second chance romances but this one felt believable and understandable from the readers POV and I found myself rooting for them.

I round up to a 4 starts mainly for it having a semi different premise than most of the romance that I’ve read recently plus for the yearning from the MMC that kept me wanting to keep reading to see how it ended. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Falon Ballard is easily my favorite romance author. Everything she writes is pure gold and All I Want Is You is no different. I LOVE Christmas romances and she delivered this one perfectly. Nick and Jess are the perfect couple and I love seeing them make their way back to each other. Second chance romance is my favorite trope so I was very happy when I saw this book coming! I will be purchasing a physical copy when it releases and re-reading it again for the holiday season!


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

5/5 stars

I just devoured this book and I couldn't love it more. Falon Ballard is one of my favorite authors and I go into her books knowing I'm going to love the banter, humor, amazing settings, steam and character growth. This book was no different and I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas time romance book.

I loved that the main characters are named Nick and Jess (still watching New Girl for the first time but love it), they are both romance authors and they are snowed in at a gorgeous Christmas time hotel with one bed (all the best troupes). I am one of the few that LOVE second chance romances and how people come back together so this one hit close to home and made me to happy to see the growth of the characters.

The steam is so well written and I loved the ending!

Read this book if you love:
-just one bed
-Christmas time romances
-second chance romance
-lots of author/romance author references
-pop culture refences
-amazing side characters (Jess' best friends)

A second chance, enemies to lovers holiday romance about writers by Falon Ballard, count me in! All I Want is You focuses on exes Jess and Nick who get trapped in a hotel, in the same room after a booking issue leaves Jess stranded, after an author awards dinner. Think forced proximity, banter, holiday vibes and lots of angst. It is on the shorter side so a lot happens very quickly, but I liked the development and genuineness of the relationship. Nick is trapped in his feelings for Jess and his regrets about losing her and Jess is so understandably guarded as she navigates this new dynamic with her ex. I love Jess—she is brave and strong and kind. I loved her gentleness. And Nick, I loved his broodiness and protectiveness and his gentleness too. These are great characters and a sweet, sexy romance perfect to get into the holiday spirit.

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for a honest review!

*Review 3.5/5, rounded up to 4 for GR*

I will start off by saying, I'm typically the grinch when it comes to Christmas but I love Falon Ballard's writing style so I was excited to pick this one up (even if it's before November). I loved the second chance romance troupe between the two authors and them getting to see each other after 5 long years! The fact they decided to write the same book and then asked to merge their manuscripts together made me giddy. I loved them having to work together and overcome their personal feelings at the same time.

This gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars due to the large miscommunication between the characters on why they broke up which ended up being forgiven a little too easily in my opinion. I was also hoping to see more into the book they wrote together be more of their "true love story" becoming published as I think that was the direction the story was leaning towards but skirting around. This book about halfway felt like a troupe checklist making sure to include everything so certain scenes felt a bit too forced, but as this is an ARC form I am reading, the published version may steer more clear.

If you love Christmas stories with forced proximity and second chances you may enjoy this read!

Fantastic plot! 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!

All I Want Is You is a sweet, swoony, holiday read. It reads as kind of a cross between a novella and a novel since it’s on the shorter side, but is definitely longer than a novella. Its length combined with its addictiveness make it a very fast read. For fans of second-chance, forced proximity (including only one bed), and workplace rivals, this book is a must read.

Two romance novelists who used to date are thrown back together when Jess is forced to present Nick with an award at their mutual publisher’s annual holiday party. After sucking it up and saying nice things about Nick at the awards show, Jess learns the inn at which they are staying has lost her reservation and has no available rooms. Naturally, Nick comes to the rescue and offers for her to stay with him. When the two get snowed in, they are forced to reconcile with their past, why they ended, and whether they have a path forward.

Nick and Jess (yes, the New Girl connection is acknowledged) have excellent tension throughout the book, and they have great banter. I wish some of the side characters had been a bit more fleshed out, but there were several friends, other authors, editors, etc., and there wasn’t much space in this shorter book to add more detail. Other than that, I loved the story arc, the characters, the development. It was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

This is the first book I read written by Falon Ballard and I am loving it! All I want is you is fun, cute, and sweet second chance romance comedy filled with Christmas holiday festivities. Definitely add this to your holiday reading list! This book is dual POV and dual timeline with flashbacks and from the past Christmases. Jessica and Nick are both romance authors who used to date and broken up five years ago and now are stuck in an inn due to a snowstorm. Jess wants to avoid Nick at all costs but she is forced to share a room with Nick! With their desires and feelings they still have for each other, it’s hard to resist each other and makes you think what went wrong from the first place that made them break up. As I continue reading, I fell in love with both characters and rooting for their happy ending. My favorite scene was the couples massage 😆 I love their witty banter and I just ate it all up. I definitely did not see the grand gesture coming at the end. It was so sweet and thoughtful. I would give this book a 4 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I felt like I was watching a hallmark Christmas movie while reading this book in the summer. I live in NYC and I normally stay at home during the holidays. But after reading this book, I’ll be sure to pick up a peppermint mocha and travel to the places that Jess went to in the book to enjoy the festivities that NYC offers.

I will be sure to pick up another book by Falon! Thank you for the ARC and I am excited to see Falon at the ripped bodice in NYC in September !

A short and sweet holiday second chance romance! This romance will be a perfect read this holiday season or the perfect gift to give a romance lover this Christmas! I loved seeing their story unfold through flashbacks and present day scenes. I also LOVED that both main characters were romance authors! Their reasons for breaking up in the past felt a little far fetched to me, but I loved how everything came together in the end!

Strong 4.5 stars. Will definitely read more from Falon Ballard in the future.

Synopsis: Nick and Jess — yes, like New Girl — are both romance writers. They’re also exes who are snowed in at a remote inn after their publisher’s awards ceremony and are writing their own second-chance romance.

What I liked: Cute romance (some spicy parts) without being cheesy or predictable. Good dialogue/banter. Short but the perfect length; the story never dragged. Meta! Romance book writers mention common romance book tropes, including how readers dislike the miscommunication trope — true!

What I disliked: Nothing to note. (I will say I think the book cover could’ve highlighted being snowed in at an inn. The current design looks like an office holiday party.)

This book is for you if… you’re looking for a forced-proximity second-chance holiday romance.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reader copy of #AllIWantIsYou.

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam, and Fallon Ballard for the ARC of All I Want Is You. I absolutely adored everything about this book – it has fantastic holiday vibes, I loved Nick and Jess (yes, like New Girl), and the second-chance romance was done perfectly. It’s also the perfect balance of wit and spice – the banter is perfection, and the spiciness is off the charts. This will be a great read all year long but even more magical during the holiday season. Definitely add this to your holiday TBR for this winter!

Another case of "I meant to read only a couple of chapters, but ended up reading the whole book".
Short and sweet, this light-hearted second-chance holiday romance packs just the right amount of punch to keep things interesting. All I Want Is You reads like a Hallmark movie, and is the perfect holiday read. Like any other Falon Ballard books that I've read, this one kept me thoroughly entertained for a few hours.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a charmingly cute holiday romance that made my heart happy. It delivered all the same feels as a Christmas Hallmark movie and I loved it! Jess and Nick’s second at love, tied in with all the little holiday moments, got me excited and ready for the holidays. This is a book that I could reread every Christmas and never get bored!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was in desperate need of a holiday fix in the middle of the July heat, and then All I Want is You fell into my lap to come and save the day! I loved the tension between the characters and the backstory between them. It was also a little spicy for a Christmas book! I am a big fan of Falon Ballard and this book just reinforced my love for their work!

Thank you again for the ARC!

This book was sweet, sexy, and a little bit meta. If you’re looking for a holiday romance that’s not saccharine, this may be for you.

Tropes? There are plenty! Enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, one bed, second chance romance, miscommunication, and holiday romance. With so much going on, set against the background of a charming inn at Christmas, this could very well veer into sugary sweet territory - something I’m not a fan of. However, Ballard manages to keep it feeling fresh with her characters, who are anything but sugary sweet to each other, at least in the beginning. I also loved Jess’s wry observations about the fact that she was basically living one of her books.

The chemistry on all fronts is palpable, the banter is great, and the few flashbacks we get help to round the story out.

The thing holding me back from giving this five stars is the source of their original break-up. Without revealing too much, let me say this: I have zero issues with the miscommunication trope. I get it, it’s realistic. I’ve been through that breakup. What I do have an issue with how this one played out. It’s not that the idea behind it was flimsy, but that it felt poorly realized and lacking in depth. I wish I could say more, but I’d like to keep this spoiler-free. And, honestly, it doesn’t keep this book from being enjoyable. In some ways, it makes it all the more obvious why this couple still needs to be together, even if it does make you want to smack the past versions of Nick and Jess for not simply talking about what they were feeling.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced reader copy of this book, provided in exchange for honest and unbiased opinion.

Will they, won't they? But there's just 1 bed trope. The setting is a magical inn against the backdrop of a Christmas wonderland. It's a super cute, fast, Christmas read I would definitely recommend. The best surprise is that it's a book about writers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

This is somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 star book, so I rounded up.

I have been really enjoying everything that Falon Ballard has written. I'm not typically one to read a Christmas themed book, but it was not over done. I did, however, crave a peppermint mocha while reading. The story was a slow-burn with a second chance romance trope. You learn early on that Jessica and Nick had a bad break up 5 years earlier, right after Christmas, which of course is her absolute favorite holiday. You don't find out what broke them up until about 75% through the story, but you do see flashbacks of their 3 Christmas seasons together. Sometimes overly sweet, it was still a warm hearted story that hits the right notes of a romance novel.