If I'm totally honest, I DNFed this book at 70%. I liked the characters until communication stopped: Liza wanted one thing, and Matt wanted another. It actually became toxic, with ultimatums and manipulation. No one in this book trusts anyone, and I don't understand how Vinny can call Matt one of his best friends, SEE how he's changed since college, and not think he's good enough for his sister.

It has all of the fall vibes, but the characters ruin it for me, which is a shame because I think the narrators did an excellent job. Unfortunately, the story just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute fall romance with some fall vibes. I loved Liza and Matt as they were such a cute couple and the way they adored each other was so cute and sweet. The only annoying part of this book was when they kept their relationship a secret as I am not a fan of the secret romance trope. Overall this was was a fun read.

Oh man- the setting of this one was fabulous and chock full of Fall fun! It made me feel very festive. The audio of this was fantastic- the narrators did a fabulous job. The romance portion of things could use a little work. It felt very fast-track and not at all authentic. I needed more build up or relationship building to find it believable. Overall, a fun listen that definitely put me in the mood for all things Fall!

I have high expectations for books set in the fall season just like I have high expectations for the fall season activities I participate in. Honestly, I felt like this one could have used even more fall. Give me some flannels and boots! Some definite good stuff in here and I’d recommend it to anyone trying to get into the fall spirit. However, if you’re like me and you look forward to fall all year this one could be a little lackluster.

I DNF this book unfortunately I couldn't connect with it. It was okay just not a book for me. I will say the cover and is stunning and I liked the title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of Fall Into You!

Liza has been crushing on her older brother's college best friend Matt since the first time she saw him. He has no recollection of ever meeting her before but is now completely enamored with her. Matt has a playboy past so Liza's brother forbids him from dating her. But as they get to know each other better they decide to keep their relationship a secret until they know if it is going to work out. But will this end well?

This was a cute autumn story with a LOT of tropes. It does have instalove which I normally don't like but I'll allow it since Liza has been crushing on him for a long time. The descriptions of the food are amazing and I want Liza's mom to adopt me! Overall the story was fine but forgettable. A fun fall romance!

The narration was excellent.

Fall into you - Caroline Frank

Hold onto your hats…. This one couldn’t be cuter.

Liza has just been dumped by a man she really didn’t love and it seems like she has never been in love but all that changes when her brother's best friend Matt comes back to town and the sparks fly, trouble is, her brother is adamant it will never happen.

Who doesn’t love a brother's best friend rom com with a secret romance thrown in for good measure. I know I do. Liza is looking for the one and Matt has always been a bit of a player but all that changes when he sees Liza. Liza doesn’t want to upset her brother and the two of them hide their relationships and some of the situations they get themselves into… HILARIOUS!!

I thought it was funny but had some really heartfelt moments and I am so glad I got to enjoy this fabulous audio.

4 stars.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Cute, cozy fall-ish rom com!

Definitely recommend listening to this one. Ruby Allan and Jeremy Gardner were very good narrators for these characters.

What to expect when reading Fall Into You:
-brother's best friend
-insta love
-secret relationship
-fallish rom com
-surprise pregnancy
-dual POV

Thank you NetGalley and Caroline Frank for the ALC.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC of Fall Into You! This is my first time reading a “my brother’s best friend” and “instalove” trope, and I thought it was an ok story. While I understand why Liza wanted to not tell her brother, Vinny, that she was dating Matt, I did not understand why it took them so long to do so. I thought Liza had a slight communication issue with Matt and her brother. As for Matt, he seemed so sweet and caring - probably one of my favorite characters in the book. I loved the fall vibes - the pumpkin patches, the costume parties, Thanksgiving - it seemed so wholesome. It’s obvious that family is super important to Liza and Vinny, which was nice too.

When I read a book- I expect it to take me away from reality😃 they were so toxic and then they bring Covid up and masks and I’m like- this is supposed to take me away from all the bad things😭

Audience: Adult
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Characters: 3.5 out of 5
Spice: 🌶️ out of 5
Keywords: Contemporary romance, Best friend’s little sister, Fake dating, Italian Americans
Tea Pairing: Pumpkin Spice by The Republic of Tea

I received a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley from Dreamscape Media. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

Fall into You is a contemporary romance that is set during the crisp season of autumn, which is Liza’s favorite season. Liza has always had a crush on “Magnificent Matt,” her older brother Vinnie’s best friend and former college roommate. As chance would have it, Liza meets Matt again, and sparks fly. But Vinnie has told Matt that his little sister is off-limits. And so, let the fake dating commence! Hijinks ensue as the couple try to keep everything a secret from her family. Will they be able to keep their relationship a secret?

Told in dual-POVs with Liza and Matt, readers really got a chance to get to know each of them through their motivations, fears, and relationships. I thought this was a very sweet story, as Matt was so protective of Liza, no matter what else was going on in the scene.

With regard to the audiobook narration – the book was narrated by Ruby Allan and Jeremy Gardner. These narrators really brought the story to life — they both were engaging and read with expression. I thought the overall production was very well done.

I would recommend this audiobook (and by extension the book) to anyone who may be interested in a steamy, romantic comedy set during the fall.

Oh I wanted to love this book. The cover sucked me in. I thought that audiobook narrator was really good but it was the story itself I didn’t enjoy. The insta love happened way too fast and I didn’t particularly like either one of the main characters. I hated when Matt was like oh no I am feeling an emotion like a girl. What?!

What I loved - the fall vibes and the narrators


What didn't work for me - this had almost every trope that I feel has to be done the *right* way and unfortunately wasn't done that way.
It's brothers best friend but best friend isn't good enough for the sister. Why is that person your friend then? No one trusts ANYONE. Really the brother doesn't even trust or respect his sister. The brother also gets physical and is just flat out mean.
The FMC struggles to trust the MC when he proves time and time again he isn't the guy he was in highschool (who is?!).
Even though she still doesn't believe he isn't that same guy we get the I love you's just a few hours later? The insta love is strong.
Then we get the accidental pregnancy trope tossed in the last second before the epilogue. Which I can't stand. I LOVE accidental pregnancy when it's not done as a last act toss in. (Obviously epilogues are different)


Unfortunately this really wasnt the book for me.

Sometimes family and love just don't mix. Liza is living out all the New England Fall girl dreams. Even if she at times takes advantage of Matt's feelings for her at times, they both get swept up in love just like the fall leaves do.

⭐️ 3.75/5. This is a cute, fall romance with troupes like brother’s best friend, curvy FMC, reformed playboy MMC, funny family scenes, and a few others that are spoilers so I’m gonna list them down below the dotted line.
All in all, I enjoyed this story because it did have some unique takes on some of the troupes, I liked the fun family scenes a lot (the SIL is amazing), the romance was sweet and not too spicy (though it was a little insta-lovey), the sensory descriptions were really vivid, and it was a cozy fall-themed read. I did have a few things that took away from the experience for me, but they’re spoilers so be warned.

*******spoilers below*******

Okay the older brother of the FMC is a complete jerk. Honestly the family (and therefor it feels like the author) tries to brush his violence and anger under the rug, or credit it to him being passionate, but it honestly felt super unhealthy and not okay to me.
Second, the FMC doesn’t stand up to her older brother enough. During their big fight I kept thinking she was gonna stand up for herself, but she just didn’t. That was sooooo frustrating.
Third, there is the pregnancy troupe. I kind of saw it coming but hoped it wasn’t 😂 I’m just not usually a fan of this troupe and how it sort of stops character/romantic development because suddenly they’re going to be parents.

*********************
I’m still giving it a 3.75/5 stars in spite of these things, because I really did enjoy the audiobook. It kept me entertainers and I thought it was a cute and cozy fall read.

This was a cute story but there were a few things that didn't quite work for me.

1) Didn't feel a real romantic connection between Matt and Liza. Sure Liza had a schoolgirl crush on Matt but that just didn't translate into adult romantic interest. Matt didn't even remember meeting Liza years before and now he's all of a suddenly ready to through caution to the wind and possibly lose his best friend over her? It's just not believable.

2) Vinny's reaction to Matt showing interest in Liza was a bit ridiculous. Holding on to the "bro code" of don't date my sister as a near 30 year old is childish. Making that pact when they were in high school makes sense. It's something teenagers do. But now they are both grown men so it's time to let that go. Now him being the over protective big brother comes with the territory because no one would be good enough for his little sister. But holding on to that pact is just dumb.

3) Everyone walking on tiptoes around Vinny in order to keep Matt and Liza's relationship a secret was nerve racking. Seriously, are these people not adult enough to say this is what it is so get over it? Vinny would be in his feeling for a while but he would be just fine. Instead of the book focusing on Vinny's reaction, the writer should have explored the relationship between Matt and Liza more. Let us see the growth between and then the relationship might have seemed more believable.

Overall, it really isn't a bad book just some things could have been portrayed better. If you’re looking for an easy quick read this is a nice book to choose.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF- so instalove but also hate to love. It was not working for me even though I was very excited for the fall setting in a read this time of year.

Fall Into You is the first book in the Seasons of Love series by Caroline Frank. Liza Castelli has been very down since her father’s death last year. But when her brother’s former med school roommate, Matt Wilson, comes into their lives, Liza has a brand new outlook. On the day they met, the family took her twin niece and nephew to the pumpkin patch and sparks flew between Liza and Matt. However, her brother Vinnie has memories of a real partier and puts his foot down on any relationship between his sister and best friend.

What does a lady do when the only fellow that has made her feel this way has been banned by her big brother? And how will she ever be able to get the family to accept how she feels?

This is such a sweet story! It shows how people can change, how relationships of many kinds can flourish and evolve, and how people can find each other in the most unexpected ways. I did enjoy this story and I do recommend it!

As a whole, I really enjoyed this book.
There characters were funny and easy to relate to, I liked the writing style and apparently I’m a big fan of the “brothers best friend” troupe.
The ending did feel a tiny bit rushed however.