Member Reviews
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!
What a good book!! This book had me laughing so much! Such a good story and great writing style. This was my first by this author and will not be my last!
This audiobook was so well-narrated. I find myself walking around and muttering quotes from it (“fancy chair”, anyone?) randomly throughout the course of my day. The dual pov narration was lovely and helped bring a depth to the book that i thoroughly enjoyed.
Just don’t fall by Emily St. James
This time was revisiting this book and series for me. I must say, it was great to go back and cheer over these two.
I really liked the narrators too - great fit for this book!
This is still one of my favorite series as hockey romances, just my type of books I really enjoy 😊
4.5 stars
I've read this series a little out of order as I started with Felix and Gracie in Absolutely Not in Love (5 stars) and it was cute to see them before they fell in love in this book.
But on to Logan and Parker (Wolverine and Peter--the geek in me swoons over those nicknames). They are completely adorable and the only ick I had in this entire story is that Parker had never even KISSED a boy. I'm not a fan of the virgin trope and this took it to a whole new level.
However, it's an adorably sweet hockey romance
Fake Dating
Slow Burn
Brother's Best Friend
Childhood Crush
Never Been Kissed FMC
Banter
Let me get to the real heroes of this book. The narrators. Emily Ellet & Jay Myers were absolutely perfect! Emily had all the emotions in her voice. Even with just saying the chapter numbers when Parker is sad, she emoted all that. Jay has a wonderful voice that has a glimmer of smirk in it at all times encompassing Logan perfectly.
Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ALC.
I absolutely adored this story! The setting of this story was perfect for the Fall and hockey feel. With a past friendship, Logan and Parker have some great chemistry right off the bat and perfect set up for their fake dating! Each of them also had a wonderful support system. I especially need to read more about the Appies and to continue the Sweater Weather series! I got an advanced audio copy of this book and adored both narrators! I felt that they understood their characters and the story perfectly! Thank you to Emma St. Clair for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!
SO cute! It reminded me of a mix of Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey and Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter. A really good and refreshing fade to black / no-spice hockey romcom, which you normally don't get. I was kicking my feet and giggling the whole time, they have such cute nicknames for each other, cute banter, good humor, and funny side characters. Logan is so infatuated with Parker and everyone but Logan and Parker can tell. Without spoiling, I loved both the scenes where Logan planned the whole ordeal with the team and Parker out on the ice *wink wink*. I want my own Logan, am I really asking for too much? With it being a brothers ex best friend romance, you got the tension and drama throughout the book as well as the romance, it was a perfect balance. I feel like the pacing went a little fast for my liking, but that's my personal preference! I might have to make my mom read this book/series so she can understand the hockey romance kick!
First I would like to thank Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
This is the story of Logan, hockey star, who is sent to his hometown team as a punishment for some inappropriate off the ice interactions and runs into Parker, social media manager, his former best friend's little sister. As they start to get to know each other again, Parker lies to her parents/brother telling them that she is dating Logan and he is going to be her date for her father's birthday party. Logan agrees to be her fake date/boyfriend but after the event wants it to be more than just fake dating and starts truly courting her. Will Logan move back to his old team and leave Parker again or will he stick it out and find a way to stay together.
What I loved:
- Brother's best friend, I'm a sucker for this trope and its well done in this book since Logan "abandoned" Parker and her brother adding more strife
- Office Chair, Parker does not have the best office supplies at the team and Logan decides to buy her a pink chair that Parker falls in love with
- Hockey team, this team is kind of like the Savannah Bananas of hockey and I really like the concept/idea of a minor league team leaning into social media to make it more accessible
- Flowers, before Parker agrees to date Logan for the first game he had all of the guys bring her a single pink rose asking if they would go out with her and she only agreed to date Logan
-Audiobook, if you are an audiobook fan this one was a great listen with the dual narration to match the dual POV
Overall this was a really sweet sports romance with a lot of the tropes I enjoy including fake dating and brother best friend. If you are looking for a no spice romance with all of the fun hockey elements and shenanigans that comes with fake dating I would recommend you pick this book up.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Victory Editing for the ARC. I am now a fan of Emma St. Clair. This book was so good. The banter, the spiciness and young love. So Good.
Parker has never been kissed. She's had some unfortunate near kisses, but hadn't found anyone she deemed worthy of gifting her first kiss to. Working as the social media and marketing manager for an AHL team, the Appies, Parker finds herself presented with her first crush, Logan. Logan was her brother's best friend, and her childhood crush, until he left town at 18 without even saying goodbye.
Insert some fake-dating (we all know where that leads) and a rekindled friendship and you have the perfect recipe for a memorable first kiss.
I generally read highly spicy books, so to swing the complete other way was something different for me. And while this book was enjoyable enough, I just don't know if i'm a tightly closed door gal.
This book will be perfect for those who like a light, sweet romance, or even that upper YA wanting to read sports romance without the graphic scenes that many have these days.
NARRATION: I listened to this via audiobook (thanks to Netgalley) and the narrators did a good job. The female narrator was a little too excited or even juvenile at times so that is really my only gripe.
You ever have someone recommend a book and say “it’s my favourite, I wish I could read it again for the first time”?
Well I gave Just Don’t Fall by @kikimojo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ last fall when this book first came out and I’m here to say that listening to it on #audiobook was like hearing it again for the first time.
If you love:
🍁 small town living with fall references
🏒 hockey romance (it’s a sweet one and while the kisses may seem steamy that’s where it ends)
📱 social media references as Parker makes a name for herself in the hockey world
🍜 fancy ramen & making it on your own in the world
Bonus: witty banter, brother’s best friend romance, childhood friend reunited, fancy chairs & so much more.
10/10 recommend this as a read or a listen 🎧
Note: I was provided this Advanced Listener Copy via @netgalley - all thoughts and reviews are my own based on my listening experience. Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to review this book for the second time 🎉
This was a fun one!
It was sweet and romantic.
I loved both characters- they were relatable and their dialogue was natural.
I listened to this audiobook at 2x speed and thought the narrators were great. I always love when there have both a male and female narrator.
I’m not a huge fan of sports romances but I did enjoy this one.
Hockey Romance at it's finest! The Audio was great! Keep me interested I couldn't stop listen! the cozy coffee shop, the snow-covered streets, and the local hockey games. Anna’s witty banter and Jake’s protective nature create a delightful dynamic. Their slow-burn romance is sweet, with stolen glances, accidental touches, and heart-fluttering moments. Friendship, Family and Love! Low spice but that didn't stop it from leaving a smile, rooting for the underdogs and believing in happily-ever-afters! Highly recommended!
Love, love, loved! This author is one of the best in the closed door rom-com genre. She infuses so much humour into her books. I love it…and a hockey romance from her? A match made in heaven! This book was a joy to read from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down. Logan gets sent down from the NHL to the AHL team in his hometown, the Appies. Parker, the younger sister of his former best friend works as the social media manager for the team. Parker has never been kissed, which adds a lot of weight to several moments. They get tangled up in a fake dating arrangement and things, and especially feelings, get complicated. As they do. This story was so much fun. Such great and entertaining interactions between all the characters, but especially the teammates. The secondary characters added so much to the story. And great banter all-around. Parker and Logan were fantastic main characters. I really enjoyed them and all their funny, sweet, and swoony interactions. Given the extra importance to a kiss for Parker, the burn is slow and the wait is long, but it is totally worth it. That epilogue. THAT EPILOGUE. Seriously, one of my favourites ever. There are some lightly touched on themes of anxiety, parental neglect, and abandonment. This is a closed door story with very mild innuendo and no harsh language.
The narration was excellent. It is a dual POV with dual narration, male and female. Both narrators were pleasant to listen to with even tone and great expression. They also had good variation in voices for secondary characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a complimentary copy of the book. This review was written and shared voluntarily, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was the best story! I would love to see what color "Parker Pink" really is! It was nice to read a sweet hockey romance - that had just as much chemistry and tension as those other ones. The family aspect of the team was great and Lance was just the best. I loved it and look forward to the rest of the series!
Just Don’t Fall is the first book in the Sweater Weather romance series and the first book in the Appies series. When Logan Barnes is sent down to the AHL the last thing he expects is to have to film TikTok videos as part of his job. He also didn’t except his high school best friend’s little sister to be the social media manager. Parker has her work cut out with her when it comes to Logan, first, he isn’t ready to cooperate with the social media angle and, second, her childhood crush on him clearly hasn’t gone away. When Parker needs a date for her father’s birthday party, Logan is the first person she thinks of. Let the fake dating begin. Will this fake relationship end with heartbreak or turn into something more?
This book was just what I needed right now. I really enjoyed the characters together and the chemistry between the two. Parker and Logan are great together in my opinion and are a couple I couldn’t help but root for. There was just the right amount of comedy scattered throughout this book to help keep it lighthearted and fun. The burn in this book is super slow, but that was perfect for what I needed right now. If you are looking for a spicy hockey romance, this book is not for you, but if you want a sweet hockey romance this is a good one. I’m glad I read this book, it left me with a happy heart and a smile on my face.
3.5
Described as a sweet Hockey Romance and that is exactly what you get!
The narrators did a good job and fit the characters really well.
This was definitely a slow burn with it taking the characters a while to admit their feelings for each other and I did feel like we got to the end and it was a smidge rushed (kinda 0-100) but still cute
This book is perfect for you if you’re a fan of Rom Coms, are looking for a quick easy read/listen, or if you’re looking for a sports romance thats sweet and wholesome without the spice.
Liked the mix of personalities from the side characters on the team and they would be good characters for future books in the series
Just Don’t Fall
Emma St. Claire
Thank you NetGalley for this audio copy of Just Don’t Fall.
Just Don’t Fall is about Parker, a social media genius, and Logan, a recovering NHL hockey player. Logan just also happens to be Parker’s brother’s ex-best friend. Mainly because he ghosted everyone when he made it to the NHL.
This is a cute story of reconnection that includes fake dating, brother’s best friend, and some miscommunication. I enjoyed listening to the story but it felt a little long for the plot. Hockey romances tend to be some of the spiciest books, so this series truly has a niche of being great hockey romances with no spice.
I’ve read one other Appie book (Appie’s are the fictional hockey team in this series) and enjoyed it. I absolutely love the setting in the North Carolina mountains and wish this team existed!
Another fantastic Appies story! I love this hockey team so much and wish they were real haha! This was my first book but this author and it definitely won’t be my last. I loved Parker and Logan’s story. There was a touch of fake dating and brothers best friend which I loved. The pacing and plot were well done and I loved that there was no third act break up! All the side characters are great and I already can’t wait to read another Appies story.
I didn’t love the narrators but thought they did a good job. I do appreciate the dual narrators for the dual POVs. I just felt like they were so slow. I had to speed it up to 2.5x which I never do and I feel like at that speed you lose some of the emotion and feelings. I’d still recommend this to any sports romance lovers!
Okay, I was hooked from page one...but chapter 4 and Parker's sneaky "little thief" hand
- (IYKYK) had me laughing and
swooning so much, that I knew I would be obsessed.
And I was right.
I am in love with these Appie Hockey players big time- and am just 2 books into the series.
Logan's hot and has an eight pack-so I don't think you need any other reason to read this one, but I'll give you a couple more anyway.
Logan and Parker have a history, not a romantic one, but their past makes them the cutest of friends and I'm here for it. So add fake dating into the mix of a childhood crush, and never been kissed, and I'm done for.
I love Emma St. Clair. She is humorous and romantic and can definitely write a scene with both things simultaneously. I definitely needed a reason to smile and this did the trick!
This audiobook was so much fun to listen to! Emily Ellet and Jay Myers did such a wonderful job bringing Parker and Logan's characters to life.
I read the book earlier this year and loved it so much, so I was very excited to see that an audiobook was available. This was my first ever audiobook, and I'm very happy to say that I enjoyed every second of it! The narrators made me fall in love with this book all over again. They were able to express the characters' personalities so well. I was 100% immersed because it was so easy to follow along.
I absolutely adored getting to know Parker and Logan again. This was the cutest hockey romance I have read to date. It has the perfect amount of tension that keeps you wanting to read more. This was a very addicting read! I can definitely see myself rereading this when I’m in the mood for a short and cute romance!