3 stars

This wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. I overall felt this was a decent and easy audiobook to listen to while I worked. Very much insta-love and everything moves incredibly quickly throughout. I’m also not a huge fan of obnoxious brothers getting so angry about the sister dating his best friend, feels icky and possessive to me. While I appreciate there isn’t any miscommunication, it’s almost like too much and poor communication. Some of their arguments came off incredibly toxic. I don’t feel like the FMC being a psychology student was at all necessary since it didn’t help her with the relationship or communication at all. Also the age gap seemed pointless. Plus it ends with a fairly hated trope.

Regarding the audiobook, I liked the narrators both quite a bit. The re-recorded portions particularly with the female narrator were a bit jarring with how different and obvious it sounded but otherwise I liked both their voices and acting choices.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to request it. I love fall themed books and a fall romance give it to me. But this did not work. I did not know this was insta love and that I just can't do it is highly unbelievable. It does not work at all, I can't feel their love for one another everything just happens way too quickly. They were also so toxic for one another. Just a lot of things that made me have to DNF this one.

This was such a cute autumn, brother's best friend, forbidden romance read. I was really invested in these characters, Liza's disaster of a break up from her ex fiancé was absolutely hilarious.
But then we have Matt, Liza's brothers (Vinny) best friend. They have known each other since childhood, Liza has always had a thing for him but never acted on it.
But Vinny would never approve so Liza and Matt start sneaking around, and we all know that never ends well in a romance book.
This is quite a fast paced romance, I would have maybe liked a bit more of a slow burn between these two, just to deepen the attachment. I loved the Italian family dynamics, fall vibes, pumpkin patch adventures.
If your in the mood for a fall book then pick this one up.

3.5⭐️ rounded up

Originally released in 2021, this is a reissue of FALL INTO YOU by Caroline Frank. The audiobook is well done with excellent narration from Ruby Allan and Jeremy Gardner.

It’s a fast paced, fall themed romance with both hits and misses. Things I loved:
- The Italian American family representation; especially the food references
- The opening chapter. We are introduced to Liza as a strong, take no BS character.
- Matt is the ultimate cinnamon roll. Truly.
- Danielle is the sister-in-law every woman should have. I loved her.
- The twins were adorable and parenting references were accurate.
- The Fall setting was fun. Pumpkin farms, giant turkeys, crisp weather. Bring it on!

Things that didn’t work quite as well for me:
- I’m usually not a fan of instalove and this was instalove on steroids. The entire relationship felt way too fast to me.
- A big NO to the alpha male nonsense. Vinnie was a flat out jerk. That behavior is toxic under any circumstances.
- The strong, take no BS Liza I met in chapter one transformed into a major wimp under the dictates of her brother.

Overall, this was a quick listen. I was entertained and will add the other two books in this series to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fall Into You is the first book in the Seasons of Love series. The series is already available in print but is now coming to audio.

Liza is close to her family and it's the type of family everyone would be lucky to have. Her brother brings his friend Matt from college over who Liza not only remembers but had a crush on when she was younger. Matt was seen as a ladies man but wants to settle down. He and Liza then begin spending some time with each other which leads to them secretly dating.

I loved almost everything about this book. I only had one issue so I'll start there. Liza had interactions with Matt when Matt was in college. At least one was a one-on-one interaction where Matt was caring towards Liza. In the present time, Matt instantly falls for Liza but he also doesn’t remember her from college. Given their ages it couldn’t have been much more than 10 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I forget people and names all the time but if you instantly fall for someone and you had a close interaction with them, I think you would remember them.

Now for all the good. I loved Matt and Liza’s chemistry. They both were so afraid to love each other but they couldn’t help it. They were absolutely drawn together. All of the family situations were so thoughtful that it makes you want to put down the book and reach out to a parent or a sibling just to talk and catch up. Secret dating is usually not a trope I tend to like but the chemistry that Matt and Liza had sold me on this trope.

This is the perfect fall book. There are fall vibes everywhere. Be sure to check this one out this fall.

This book was a struggle for me to get through. There just wasn’t enough conflict and it just fell flat. They fell way too fast. The narrators did a good job and that was the only thing keeping me listening until the end.

Huge thanks to Dreamscape and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book.

🍂🎃🍂
📖Review
4🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 46/100
📚Fall Into You
💫Genre:
Fiction/Romance
✍️Author:
Caroline Frank

📝Synopsis 📝
Liza gets dumped by her fiancé and is totally fine since she wasn’t in love with him. Matt, her brother’s best friend makes her feel all smitten. However, her brother has laid down the rules and has forbidden Matt to even look at his sister.

My thoughts 💭
This was such a cute rom-com and a great fall themed book. I loved the Dual POV and rooted for Matt all the way🙌🏻 I loved that the author threw in the Italian Tradition element. I adored all the main characters, but sometimes felt like yelling at Liza...like girl seriously put them big girl pants on. I did feel the ending fell a bit rushed and short. I ate this one up and read it in one sitting because I’m a sucker for fall. Pumpkin Patches, Fall Fair, Halloween Parties, and Thanksgiving it’s all there!

The audiobook was perfection though, and I’d like to thank @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for letting me preview the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook release date: 09/03/24
Physical Book is available already!

I’m sorry but not into it.
Insta love
Alphahole brother who needed therapy and communication lessons
Brothers best friend
Extreme golden retriever behavior
Insta love (like weeks from reconnecting to engaged)
Surprise pregnancy
Toxic masculinity
Covid mentions

Also listened to this as an ALC and there were several places where it was obvious some of the female narrators clips had to be re-recorded and stitched in, the background sound was different and the voice sounded out of place. It threw me out of the story each time it happened.
Unfortunately, it’s a no from me dawg.

Fall Into You was a fun cozy romance set in the best season of all… fall! I was drawn to this audiobook because of the cover and was quickly invested in Matt and Liza’s developing relationship. The secret/forbidden romance between the two of them was super 🔥🔥 and I loved how their story unfolded. At times I wanted to shake some sense into Liza and tell her to grow up as she sometimes gave really immature vibes, but she got it together eventually! I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version, the narrators did a great job portraying the characters and the intensity between them!

Liza and Matt fell in love at first sight, or really first sight as adults. Matt is Liza's brother's (Vinny) best friend from Medical school. Liza had a crush on him, but Matt was a playboy and had no recollection of her from that time. Matt and Liza decide to keep their relationship a secret from Vinny to not break bro-code until they know the relationship is real. I loved this story and would have given it 4 stars until Covid was brought into the story. It was unnecessary as it added no value, but brought up a stressful time in so many people's lives. I feel they could have easily edited it out Spice level 2/5.

I received this audiobook via NetGalley but opinions are my own. This book started out pretty funny, and I got a kick out of Liza the whole first chapter. Danielle was also a favorite character of mine. The narrators did a good job, and I always love a dual perspective. I will say, the story between Matt and Liza moved very, very quickly. I think it would have been beneficial for the storyline for there to be some type of challenge or conflict between them at some point. Thanks for the opportunity to listen and review!

ARC Review
I think this was one of those rare incidents where I wish there were just 50 more pages, particularly in the buildup. It was very insta-lovey which is not my favorite trope, and their bickering kind of annoyed me because it was the same thing every time instead of flirty banter. Overall, I liked the author's voice/writing style, it was pretty darn funny at some points, and the narrators were good, but the storyline lacked a little depth.

I can see this brother's best friend romance appealing to fans of the writing and plot lines of Hallmark films who are also okay with open door romance scenes and mentions of cheating included in their books.

There are strong fall vibes with a visit to a pumpkin patch and a Halloween party.

This ended up not being the book for me, and I DNF'd it around 50% when the FMC pressures the MMC to have intercourse without a condom when he clearly has reservations.

The audiobook has dual narration. Ruby Allan and Jeremy Gardner's narration is pleasant but didn't have any standout moments for me.

2.75⭐️

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Dreamscape Media. All review opinions are my own.

As the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall, I was eager to dive into a book that promised a perfect seasonal read. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me, falling into a few too many pitfalls that left me cringing rather than enchanted.

From the synopsis, I expected a cozy fall romance with a bit of drama, but what I got was a story overloaded with toxic masculinity and an overwhelming dose of instalove. Normally, I'm a fan of the brother's best friend trope, and I can even enjoy an "alphahole" character now and then. However, this book took those elements and turned them up to a level that I found hard to stomach. I thought about DNFing this book so many times.

The portrayal of the brother and his behavior was a major sticking point. The toxic masculinity was so pervasive that it felt like it was being hammered into the narrative, and the fact that the family was seemingly okay with it made the situation even harder to digest.

While it wasn't my taste, it wasn't necessarily a bad book—it just didn't work for me.

Book 1 in the Seasons of Love series.

When Liza goes to her childhood home on Long Island for a family weekend, she did not expect to find her brother's college roommate, Matt. The guy she had a huge crush on. Matt doesn't remember her. But there is an instant attraction. However, Liza's brother, Vinnie, shuts it down. He tells Matt that it would be against the bro code to date his sister. They start "bumping" into each other and soon are in a full fledged relationship. A secret relationship. Of course, it is only a matter of time before Vinnie finds out.

It was WAY too insta-love for me. Like meeting, flirting, to basically living together in like 2 weeks. Vinnie finding out was really the only conflict and most of the plot. I wish it had been more about Liza and Matt.

Ruby Allan and Jeremy Gardner narrate the audiobook. I always appreciate two narrators for dual POVs. I had no problem with tone or pacing. However, a lot of Ruby Allan's narration was rerecorded and dubbed in. It was extremely noticeable.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ALC for this novel.

With fall on its way this one sounded like it would be perfect for the season. This is what I thought from the synopsis. I wish I’d had a trope list because it included a couple of my least favorite. However, I’m not rating the book based on my dislike of the tropes. I just think the relationship was rushed and there was a severe lack of character depth and development. The audio recording itself was not great. You could tell a ton of parts were re-recorded and spliced in. It was kind of jarring to listen to.

A cute read that gives fall vibes! I found myself giggling at times. I just felt like it was missing something. Definitely worth a listen/read though!

Fall Into You
Seasons of Love book One
by Caroline Frank
narrated by Ruby Allan and Jeremy Gardner

Five *Brother's Best Friend* Stars!

Brother's best friend? Sold immediately! A secret relationship. I'm Freaking In, every single time.

Liza and Matt are SO STINKING ADORABLE! Of course she's had a crush on him since he was her brother's roommate in college. He doesn't seem to remember her though so, ouch. Coming back into her life at just the moment her niece covers her in vomit is not ideal but it leads to the cutest and sweetest day. I really hope that in future books from the series we get some updates on these two and their life together. I have so many questions about how it all turns out! HEA, obviously, but...well my questions would be spoilers.

If you like a well written Brother's Best Friend / Secret Dating trope then this one's for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this story in exchange for an honest review.

#FallIntoYou #SeasonsOfLoveBookOne
#CarolineFrank #RubyAllanNarrator
#JeremyGardnerNarrator #ALCReview
#NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia #Audiobook
#BrothersBestFriend #SecretDating
#SurprisePregnancy #DoctorsDoctorsEverywhere

Coming to the end of summer, I wanted a cute and fun fall read to set the mood for the season. I definitely feel like this one fit the bill. Liza and Matt were adorable and I really enjoyed the backstory with Lizas family dynamic and the situation with her ex. I felt that the author did an incredible job of setting a scene that was both believable and relatable, while simultaneously creating tension and brewing conflict. I did feel like the relationship in Fall Into You moved much too quickly at the beginning however, giving it an insta-love feel that had my eyes rolling. Other than the epically early declarations of love, I did really enjoy each of the other aspects of the plot as they played out and found myself giggling and kicking up my heels as Liza and Matt attempted to hide their growing feelings from those around them. I was truly excited to see their happily ever after. I also felt that the narrators complemented the characters very well and made them even more relatable and endearing.

What the toxic masculinity did I just read?! I had a hard time stomaching the brother’s behavior and the way the whole family was just okay with it. Plus the insta love was a bit too strong — when I got to “I love them” statements before I was even halfway through the book, it just felt too aggressive for me.

Overall it wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t my taste.

3 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.