This was a cute story, and I had a fun time with it even though I had a hard time staying involved within the story. But I kept with it because of the respect that I hold for this author here. I do love this trope and seeing this couple find their way through the struggles they are faced with. Definitely charming and balanced with enough laughter to balance it all out.

This book featured a heroine who was dealing with a difficult time and wasn't interested in being likeable and a hero with whom she got off to a bad start. Beharrie's dialog sparkles and the realness of her characters makes their romance all the more satisfying.

I really like Therese Beharrie, what I’ve read from her so far, and this slightly longer book was great. Quirky characters, great development of the relationship, it felt very modern.

Honestly, I was kind of bored. There was nothing wrong with the story and Beharrie writes great romance from what I can tell but I didn't connect with the female lead or her family. Parker and his mom, however, could have been the whole book for me. I will give her work another chance but this one wasn't my jam.

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

One Day to Fall is the second novel about the Roux sisters set in South Africa, though in the interest of full disclosure, I did not read the first novel. This is an oversight I hope to rectify, as this novel was a pleasure to read.

Beharrie's romance takes place in the course of an intense and emotional day. There aren't many circadian novels, and the ones that come to mind are not romances, such as Michael Cunningham's The Hours, Saturday by Ian McEwan and Christopher Irshwood's A Single Man, so I was particularly excited to see her take on this particular structure and execute it so well. The emotional intensity is heightened but it is punctuated with moments of humor that keep the narrative from being claustrophobic.

A further variation that I truly enjoyed in this novel is the Sophie, a heroine who is prickly, bad-tempered and not in a particularly good place, emotionally. Parker, the driver for the car service who picks her up and with whom she falls in love, is also suffering from his own personal complications. They essentially use each other to distract themselves from the distressing facts of their lives but in doing so, discover that they have stumbled on the one person who might understand them better than anyone else in their lives.

I also enjoyed the way the author used the premise to treat readers to a tour of Cape Town, the setting of the romance. I've never visited so my natural wanderlust was stimulated by the descriptions of the places they visit.

A well-written, thoroughly satisfying romance.

This was a super cute book and I liked the couple's connection. What I liked the most was the direct reference to not wanting children - I honestly just wanted more of it. They talked about it and I wanted that to be referred to again. That was just a breath of fresh air!

A review at SBTB: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/one-day-to-fall-by-therese-beharrie/

“I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this book. How Sophia’s snarky and sometimes mean (I say “mean” with the highest of compliments) humor made me bend over laughing. How delighted I was with the assurance of a child-free HEA (both Sophia and Parker are emphatic about their desire not to have children). But I want you to stop reading this and one-click this book, so I’ll stop rambling now. One Day to Fall is a delight and a marvel, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a romance novel to escape into.”

I absolutely loved A Wedding One Christmas, the first in this series about the Roux sisters, so I was excited to pick up One Day To Fall to review as well. It’s a different kind of book to the first; while Angie and Ezra’s first meeting and subsequent day together read like a delightful romantic comedy, Angie’s sister Sophia is a much more prickly customer, and her love interest Parker is in a very difficult headspace as well after just learning his mother has early-onset dementia. The timing is poor for both of them, and yet when you find that one person who understands you, the one person who’s both on your wavelength and with whom you share an intense attraction… well, maybe the universe is telling you that the timing doesn’t really matter.

Sophia and Parker spend an intense day together, using each other as distractions from the emotional situations neither are ready to deal with. Neither of them are the type to back down from speaking truths, no matter how harsh, though, and from each other they also gain a new perspective. It’s a very introspective read as both protagonists examine themselves and their situations and realize they need to make changes, and at times I found myself disliking both Sophia and Parker even while I understood the background and motivations which made them react so defensively, at times going on the attack just to avoid having to face unpalatable truths about themselves.

Here’s a truism about romance, though; everyone deserves it, and even though Sophia might be a hard person to like at times (her own sister, when accused of being passive aggressive, comments that Sophia is just ‘aggressive aggressive’) she still absolutely deserves to find love with someone who gets her, and she and Parker really are superbly well-suited.

The other thing I really enjoy about Therese Beharrie’s writing is that her protagonists are ordinary people. They’re not billionaires or film stars; Sophia works in Human Resources and Parker is a freelance journalist who drives regular shifts for a car service. They’re normal people. Oh, and they’re Black South Africans living in Cape Town, a city which plays a large part in the story as Sophia and Parker ‘play tourist’ for the day.

I have to confess I didn’t like this one as much as A Wedding One Christmas. Lacking the romantic comedy aspects and featuring a great deal more soul-searching, the writing was still superb but it was Sophia’s aggressive nature that put me off a bit. I honestly think I’d avoid her as just a bit too much if I met her in real life. Still, it’s a great story and I’m going to give it four and a half stars.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I love a heroine who is confident and not afraid to say what she thinks, and ditto for a hero. I thought it was really admirable the way both the main characters in this book, Parker and Sophia, were not afraid to tell each other difficult truths. I also admired the way that the difficult family dynamics for both characters were part of the novel. I am tired of seeing perfect families or completely dysfunctional and cruel ones in romances. I also felt that both characters did a lot of soul searching and growing in the novel - also a tick.

Here’s the thing though, I couldn’t really get into the book, I felt that I plodded through it, picking it up and putting it down a lot. I didn’t feel the pacing worked for me until almost 2/3 of the way through the book.

Parker is a journalist and writer who also drives a taxi, to help make ends meet. His father walked out when Parker was young, and disappeared for a while when Parker was 9. He is back now, and friendly with Parker’s mum again. Parker is very conflicted about that. His mum has brought him up singlehandedly, making sure he felt loved and happy even though they had to scrape to make ends meet. She has just been diagnosed with a dementia related condition, he is devastated, and needs to get out. Sophia is also trying to escape the hospital, her older sister is having a baby and her mum and little sister are at the hospital too. She can’t cope, as although she stepped in to support her needy mum and younger sister though her father’s illness and death, when her older sister left, she feels judged and found wanting when compared to her big sister.

Parker and Sophia literally bump into each other in hospital and are instantly cross and snarky with each other. When they meet again in the car park, Parker drives Sophia to where she wants to go. They snark and snap at each other, but are also attracted. The story takes place over one day, and covers how they work through their commitment issues and personal reactions to their families. Will they succumb to their attraction or resist the connection between them.

I am completely ok with characters not wanting children, but I found the reactions to breastfeeding etc a bit weird.

I wish I’d enjoyed it more.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Also posted on goodreads.

With another fantastic new release from Therese Beharrie I have found another author to add to my favourites list. She deserved the place after this book had me feeling so many emotions, and it was a story which took place over the space of a day. It was unexpected but so wonderful to read. Yes, there were emotional points and it dealt with grief, acceptance of oneself, and some family drama. But it still had me smiling because who doesn't love two grumps falling in love over one day?

Sophia was a grumpy, sarcastic, blunt woman who had been dragged to the hospital as her eldest sister had gone into labour. She was not happy about it, especially there was a family resentment going on and a bunch of family issues which you know were dealt with within the book. I was loving Sophia and it only got better when she bumped into another grump when she was returning from a quest to get snacks for her mom and youngest sister. She was annoyed about the whole thing and returned to her family only to do a runner. You know she bumped into the grumpy guy again.

The grumpy guy? Well, that was Parker... except he was nowhere near as much of a grump as Sophia was. He was a soft marshmallow totally in touch with his emotions and who was annoyed some rude woman got the upper hand in a conversation. So when he was leaving the hospital after being handed some bad news about his mother’s health (and he was avoiding his dad) who should happen to climb into his car but Sophia (I will say she wasn’t randomly getting into cars with strangers,, he worked for a car company. But funny side story, my nan once got into a car with a stranger thinking it was someone she knew and they drove her all the way home from the shops. She had very poor eyesight but how nice that random stranger did that for her!). Anyway, in the book Parker was intending to drive Sophia wherever she wanted and then going home to crash… but instead they end up spending the whole day together and throughout the day the small spark that appeared when they were arguing in the hospital ignites and they ended up going on an adventure around Cape Town while they each avoided their family issues.

Anyway, wonderful antics ensue from that meet-cute and I was there for all of them. Sophia was just so good. I didn't realise I wanted some grumpy heroines in my life until I was reading this. Women are not all sunshine and rainbows, why do men always get the corner of the grumpy market? She was a wonderful grump, she was sarcastic and she wasn’t there for people giving her shit for her blunt sarcastic tone either. And at no point in this romance was Parker looking for her to change who she was. She wasn’t expected to suddenly become sunshine and rainbows but instead, she was expected to look at her feelings and some of the resentment and anger which had built within her family

I admit, romances taking place over one day always have me wary. How can the couple possibly develop enough of a connection for us as readers to believe they will make it through? I don't know how Therese Beharrie did it but she pulled this romance off flawlessly. It never felt rushed and considering both of these characters were convinced they weren't ready for any relationship I was there convinced they were perfect for each other even when they weren't so certain of it. Their connection just was there and it worked and they helped one another reach some life realisations and they weren't always happy about it.

I was a little late to reading this one, I had an arc for a while but I was so glad I read it when I did. I got to fly through it in a single day and I think that helped me fall head over heels right along with these characters. I was invested in their lives and now I'm eager to go back and read the first in this series because how did I miss that one?!

The Good, The Bad, and Everything In Between

The Good
Blown away. That’s my first reaction.

Wasn’t sure what I expected, but with a title like One Day to Fall, I was totally picturing some whirlwind, escapist, whimsical kind of fantasy, maybe? I mean, it usually takes me more than a day to finish my laundry (don’t judge), much less fall in love. And the way the e-book opened to Chapter One, I completely missed the content warning. I was not prepared for the depth and dimension. There are serious issues that it tackles and does it brilliantly. The themes of parental caretaking, loss, grief, resentment, family? They’re all complicated but when it all comes together? It’s magic.

There are so many scenes, especially when Parker is facing the reality of his mother’s future, and when Sophia is relaying her own experience with her father’s illness that I was all "oh this is gonna hurt" And it did, not gonna lie. But it was cathartic in its own way. While everyone’s grief, and the way they process it, is different, Ms. Beharrie tapped into a universality of these emotions that doesn’t matter if you’re in Cape Town, South Africa, or a suburb in Western New York. It’s the feelings that pull you in and make you care in the best way possible.(Side note - I love how Cape Town came alive in this story, and it made me want to see this story on screen, either big or small, it's got that cinematic quality to it).

But back on point, she made me cry (twice!)

There’s not one cardboard cutout masquerading as a character in this. Each and every character has flaws that ring true and even when I didn’t agree with a character’s decisions, I never felt as if I didn’t understand the motivations behind those decisions.

Speaking of characters, Sophia and Parker, are just phenomenal. Sophia is smart, witty, blunt, and caring with no time for fools. Her confidence is sexy, and her wit is delicious. Parker is caring, smart, witty, at times blunt (especially with Sophia) and protective in all the ways I adore. His appreciation for her strength is sexy. This is a kisses/mild foreplay kind of book, but the emotional heatscore is off the charts between these two. Loved them. Alot.

The Bad(ish) and Everything in Between
Because I love this book, I see all of it, much like Parker sees Sophia - exactly as she is. This is a book with alot of introspection. It’s what the themes require. That introspection is revelatory, fascinating and emotionally resonant with me. However, when that introspection comes along during scenes between different characters, and it could be confusing. There were times when I completely forgot where they were, because I was caught up in the internal discussion Sophie or Parker were having with themselves. It interrupted the flow of dialogue, even if I appreciated the character development and the way it moved the story along. As a dialogue stan, I wanted more of it, because when the dialogue flowed it was fantastic. The time between the inevitable and completely believable dark moment, but before the ultimate resolution, had a slight bit of repetitiveness, as if it were simply biding its time for the story to really kick into gear. Other than that, I was captivated throughout their journeys, individual and romantic.

The Bottom Line

I fell in love today and it was with Therese Beharrie’s writing. I want more of it. The romance between Sophia and Parker was exactly what I needed. This is the second book in the series, and I didn’t know that when I started, but it’s not necessary to read that book in order to enjoy this one. But yes, I do want to read Angie and Ezra’s book.

Be prepared for the emotions, but the humor and heart that she writes with will keep you coming back for more. Ms. Beharrie has jumped way up my “authors to watch” list and I’m keeping an eye out for Sophia’s sister Zoey’s book.

Oh, I so wanted to like this book but DNFed at around 50%.
The storyline is intriguing, the setting stunning, the characters grumpy and with some good banter between them. But I just couldn’t connect - which is seldom.

I’ve been following the author for a while on Twitter and was looking forward to reading her new book. This particular one wasn’t for me but I’ll keep my eyes open for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this book before publication.

One Day to Fall is a cute, sweet contemporary romance that perfectly captures those first precious hours of meeting someone special.

Sophia Roux is already tense and fractious when the accident occurs. An early morning visit to the hospital waiting room to sit for hours as her older sister Angela goes through labor is not her idea of a good time. She had escaped under the pretext of getting snacks for her other sister Zoe and some water for her mom when a man barrels into her and knocks her flat, sending her much needed food fortifications flying.

Parker Jones is in something of a stupor as he walks across the hospital lobby. He hasn’t slept for twenty-four hours and has just been told his mom has alzheimers. What had seemed like a small car accident had in fact been the final conclusive piece of evidence the doctor needed to make the assessment. His mom hadn’t been hit by a car – she’d walked into one. Naturally, this is the cue for him to have a collision of his own. He isn’t sure how he misses seeing the beautiful woman with her arms full of treats but he is sure he doesn’t like her attitude after the two crash into each other. They snark as they get themselves sorted and then part ways, both thinking that it was a shame the beauty on the inside of their crash buddy hadn’t matched the attractive exterior.

Parker heads for the hospital parking lot, where he picks up his taxi to head home. He’s rolling out of the lot when he hears a hand slam on the bonnet and his back door open. He recognizes the imperious voice of the woman he ran into earlier demanding to be taken to The Company Garden.

Sophia delivered the food but when Zoe berated her rather thanked her, she’d fought back and stormed away. This early in the morning, the only thing she can think of to do is visit the Spring Ceremony at The Company Garden. She’s not thrilled that the nearest taxi she finds is being driven by the nasty man she’d bumped into that morning but she’s desperate enough to get away that when he tells her he’s off duty she talks him into driving her. She turns down Parker’s offer to accompany her once they get to the park but he tags along anyway and the two wind up sharing an emotionally intimate breakfast at a nearby restaurant afterwards. They don’t always get along but their conversation is both meaningful and plentiful. They quickly find themselves spending a full day together and wondering – should they end the relationship that evening or explore where it goes over the days ahead?

Sophia and Parker are both going through big moments in their lives. Sophia has spent the last few years taking care of her mother and youngest sister and is tired of having them abuse her for it. Her elder sister abandoned the family after their father’s death and Sophia is angry with her for leaving her to carry the burden. The Roux family has a lot of water under the bridge and that water has heated to a boil and looks to be about to overflow.

Parker and his mother have a fantastic relationship, but his dad wasn’t in his life until recently. Parker basically doesn’t want him there at all. Now he is having to face a future in which he will slowly lose the person he loves most and deal with the fact that the father he doesn’t care for will remain.

Sometimes it is easier to open up to complete strangers and that’s exactly what winds up happening here. Sophia and Parker’s conversations are painful, occasionally harsh and produce wounded feelings on more than one occasion but they are also intensely personal, letting our hero and heroine know each other better than many dating couples do even after months of being together. The fact that they started out with no desire to impress each other meant that they’re more their authentic selves during their encounters than is typical in relationships, which gives them rare insight both into themselves and into each other. That interaction gives this one day relationship a lot of depth.

The attraction/tension between them starts from that first volatile encounter and intensifies throughout the day, eventually leading to steamy kisses and some very heavy petting. At the end of the day, things have progressed far enough both physically and emotionally for the pair to start thinking about whether they really want to part ways or if they should stay together and see what comes next. It’s a romance novel, so of course they opt to pursue a relationship and we are given a lovely epilogue of them six months down the road.

One Day to Fall excelled in many ways. I typically don’t like relationships filled with tension and snark but the author showed me how this was the perfect type of communication for Parker and Sophia. Ms. Beharrie captured all the feelings that we experience when we first meet someone special so perfectly I was left in awe. The creation of a one day relationship that built an incredibly strong foundation for an HEA was amazing. This isn’t a perfect book but it sure seemed a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon to me. I think other fans of contemporary romance will agree.

I can't explain how much this book has impacted my life. It's surprising that it takes place in one day because these characters experience so many emotions and situations, character development, important moments in their lives, falling in love, fights and so much more and it all happens in this one day. Everything felt incredibly natural, intrinsic and believable. Our couple meets when Sophia needs to leave the hospital where her sister is about to give birth, she hails a taxi and when she goes in she meets Parker. He was in the hospital too because his mother suffered an accident and he leave because he knows everything is about to change. From there, they go on multiple adventures around the town, they get to know each other, they have meaningful and deep conversations and they eventually have to deal with their lives outside of their interactions with each other. They go from having a really bad and complicated day to, at least, having a more interesting day.

One Day To Fall was written so beautifully, the way everything was constructed made me root for the characters and their lives outside of the romance from the beginning but their attraction and growing love might have been my favorite thing about this story. I don't see a lot of books where an author puts this much care in carefully building interactions between the two main characters and in how they communicate between the bubble that they're in during this day and the outside world. The complexity of their personalities and relationship that varied between hate to love and looking for distractions throughout this awful day managed to catch my attention and to kept me interested in knowing how everything was going to end up. I could honestly keep reading about their lives for ages. I want to know about their future and how they are going to grow. If this book would have a thousand more pages I would be really happy to read them. I would even anticipate them.

I don't think this is a book for everyone, but if it's for you, it has the capacity to grab you and hold you close and probably never let you go. I know one day romances is not something that everyone likes. It's also a slow book to get into. I would highly encourage everyone to give it a chance, because it's definitely a story that took me on a journey, that made me cry, laugh and believe in these character's narrative. It made me think about life and the change of relationships as you live, how complicated those changes are and how even though they are hard and they hurt in the process of healing or breaking, that process and those endings are worth it. The writing is absolute poetry and the intimate moments between them were full of chemistry and closeness. I really think their interactions and the way they were written made the entire book. I honestly think this is a piece of art that everyone should read.

CW: parent with dementia, mentions of death of a parent, side character giving birth.

One Day to Fall was another incredible and emotionally-satisfying love story from one of my favorite authors. I always seem to say this about Therese Beharrie's books, but damn can this woman get me attached to the characters and their one-day romances so fast. You can't even tell that One Day to Fall takes place in one day because there is so much going on in terms of events and character growths. Truly, this was an exceptional book and I'm going to want all of you to pick it up.

I've never made any attempt at hiding my love for grumpy heroines. Sophia, the heroine of One Day to Fall, was grumpy x10,000. Boy, did I love this woman beyond comprehension. She was angry at her family, sad at her circumstances, and fairly lonely. As her sister, Angie (from A Wedding One Christmas), goes into labor, she is dragged to the hospital where she is confronted with the resentment she has towards Angie, her youngest sister, and her mother. Angie left home a few years back after the death of their father, leaving Sophia behind to take care of the family. For most of the book, Sophia is grappling with the grudge she has towards them as well as the obvious love and loyalty she has for them. She has never openly expressed her feelings about the situation, but she does eventually, and let me tell you, that scene just about punched me in the heart. It was beautifully written and absolutely heart-wrenching, which is really no surprise because if you've read Therese Beharrie then you know that she is the queen of emotional scenes. My heart 100% belonged to Sophia in this book. I sympathized with her and watching her go through this journey of emotional growth to come to terms with her feels was gratifying in every way. Of course, this doesn't happen on the first page. She tries to run away which is when she bumps into and clashes with a fellow grump outside the hospital.

This fellow grump is Parker, who is quite possibly my favorite hero from the author. He may have been a grump, but what a wonderfully soft-hearted and sweet man he was. I loved that he was so open with his feelings. Parker had his own issues that he was dealing with. His mother is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and his father decides to make a re-appearance in their lives. The poor guy had a lot on his plate and dealing with a grumpy, rude woman is not what he needs ... or so he thinks! When these two begin to bond over the course of them running away from their problems - my goodness, the energy between them! It is hard to nail romances that develop over a day. They can easily come across as unrealistic, but Therese Beharrie is a master of words, and she took utmost care at making Sophia and Parker's relationship a real one. Along with them, the reader goes on a rewarding emotional journey. By the end, you will have laughed, wept, and swooned with them. Sophia and Parker's chemistry was nothing short of combustible. They could not have complemented each other better. What I've always loved about this author's books is how much the characters communicate with each other about everything and anything. I think that's the primary reason why it's so easy to entertain the idea that falling in love in a single day is not implausible. Besides the many moments of Sophia and Parker being open with each other, I loved all of the super cute and romantic moments peppered throughout the story. I thought they brought about humor and lightness to One Day to Fall.

I've said everything that I wanted to say about this stunning book. It's so good, you all. Please do yourself a favor and pick up One Day to Fall or anything by Therese Beharrie really! You won't regret it!

One Day to Fall is a cute, sweet contemporary romance that perfectly captures those first precious hours of meeting someone special.

Sophia Roux is already tense and fractious when the accident occurs. An early morning visit to the hospital waiting room to sit for hours as her older sister Angela goes through labor is not her idea of a good time. She had escaped under the pretext of getting snacks for her other sister Zoe and some water for her mom when a man barrels into her and knocks her flat, sending her much needed food fortifications flying.

Parker Jones is in something of a stupor as he walks across the hospital lobby. He hasn’t slept for twenty-four hours and has just been told his mom has alzheimers. What had seemed like a small car accident had in fact been the final conclusive piece of evidence the doctor needed to make the assessment. His mom hadn’t been hit by a car - she’d walked into one. Naturally, this is the cue for him to have a collision of his own. He isn’t sure how he misses seeing the beautiful woman with her arms full of treats but he is sure he doesn’t like her attitude after the two crash into each other. They snark as they get themselves sorted and then part ways, both thinking that it was a shame the beauty on the inside of their crash buddy hadn’t matched the attractive exterior.

Parker heads for the hospital parking lot, where he picks up his taxi to head home. He’s rolling out of the lot when he hears a hand slam on the bonnet and his back door open. He recognizes the imperious voice of the woman he ran into earlier demanding to be taken to The Company Garden.

Sophia delivered the food but when Zoe berated her rather thanked her, she’d fought back and stormed away. This early in the morning, the only thing she can think of to do is visit the Spring Ceremony at The Company Garden. She’s not thrilled that the nearest taxi she finds is being driven by the nasty man she’d bumped into that morning but she’s desperate enough to get away that when he tells her he’s off duty she talks him into driving her. She turns down Parker’s offer to accompany her once they get to the park but he tags along anyway and the two wind up sharing an emotionally intimate breakfast at a nearby restaurant afterwards. They don’t always get along but their conversation is both meaningful and plentiful. They quickly find themselves spending a full day together and wondering - should they end the relationship that evening or explore where it goes over the days ahead?

Sophia and Parker are both going through big moments in their lives. Sophia has spent the last few years taking care of her mother and youngest sister and is tired of having them abuse her for it. Her elder sister abandoned the family after their father’s death and Sophia is angry with her for leaving her to carry the burden. The Roux family has a lot of water under the bridge and that water has heated to a boil and looks to be about to overflow.

Parker and his mother have a fantastic relationship, but his dad wasn’t in his life until recently. Parker basically doesn’t want him there at all. Now he is having to face a future in which he will slowly lose the person he loves most and deal with the fact that the father he doesn’t care for will remain.

Sometimes it is easier to open up to complete strangers and that’s exactly what winds up happening here. Sophia and Parker’s conversations are painful, occasionally harsh and produce wounded feelings on more than one occasion but they are also intensely personal, letting our hero and heroine know each other better than many dating couples do even after months of being together. The fact that they started out with no desire to impress each other meant that they’re more their authentic selves during their encounters  than is typical in relationships, which gives them rare insight both into themselves and into each other. That interaction gives this one day relationship a lot of depth.

The attraction/tension  between them starts from that first volatile encounter and intensifies throughout the day, eventually leading to steamy kisses and some very heavy petting.  At the end of the day, things have progressed far enough both physically and emotionally for the pair to start thinking about whether they really want to part ways or if they should stay together and see what comes next. It’s a romance novel, so of course they opt to pursue a relationship and we are given a lovely epilogue of them six months down the road.

One Day to Fall excelled in many ways. I typically don’t like relationships filled with tension and snark but the author showed me how this was the perfect type of communication for Parker and Sophia. Ms. Beharrie captured all the feelings that we experience when we first meet someone special so perfectly I was left in awe. The creation of a one day relationship that built an incredibly strong foundation for an HEA was amazing. This isn’t a perfect book but it sure seemed a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon to me. I think other fans of contemporary romance will agree.

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Category romances have long prided themselves on transporting readers to glamorous, vivid, and memorable locales—Greek-set romances are their own subgenre at this point (I really should look into who’s been studying those academically!)—and I’m hoping this tradition makes it ever easier to expand English-language romance settings beyond the US and UK. Certainly certified Rising Star Therese Beharrie is making a strong showing of doing just that, writing South African characters with local expertise and sensitivity. It’s not a tourist’s perspective, even when her lovers are dodging difficult family moments by visiting tourist sites. The reader gets the sense not just of having visited Cape Town, but of what it feels like to live there.

One Day to Fall does precisely what it promises: two strangers escaping from families in crisis resolve emotional issues and fall in love during the course of a single day. Beharrie’s books are dialogue-rich and in-depth about her characters’ baggage. The humor sucks you in and then oh no, there are so many feelings! We learn so much about how Angie and Parker think and feel, and how they’ve come to think and feel that way, that it never feels forced or rushed when they decide at the end of that single day that they’d like to try being a couple. Sure, it’s only been twenty-four hours, but we have more than enough information to know how they’ll cope with a shared future. Building that kind of depth in the swift, sleek category form is just—woof, I have no idea how Beharrie does it, but let’s let her keep doing it as often as she wants.

CW: parent diagnosed with dementia. Mention of death of a parent

How to express my absolute love for Sophia the snarky, blunt,, heroine???? I loved her and the not quite meet cute when she literally ran into the hero Parker had my loling.

She was so pissed when they bumped into each other so i call it not a meet cute cuz they were both like what the hell watch where you're going this is your fault. I cackled all the way through that and the taxi ride where they meet again.

Sophia runs away from dealing with her fam at the hospital where her sis Angie is in labour. Angie is the heroine of book one which i also loved. While this one can standalone I'd suggest reading because it's good!

To me where Therese shines is the emotions she writes. Her characters are always communicating and sharing and Therese builds so much emotion between Sophia and Parker in this one day they met. The intimacy that builds between then gradually is so powerful. They both annoy each other but also force each other to examine their issues with their families:Sophia's strained relationship with her sisters and Parker's with his dad and his feelings about his mom,'s illness

And Therese upped the heat level here because when Sophia and Parker get intimate whew! There's kissing and teasing and it was so well done. That ferris wheel moment and the car moment had me going ok alright get iiiit lol. The characters never have penetrative sex but lemme just say it was fireeee and funny and intimate. Therese is a boss at scenes packed with feelings and i dont know how she does it but this entire book was feels city.

From Sophia interacting with Parker then her sisters, Parker interacting with his dad. The black moment between Soph and Parker!!!

Also let me not forget this: neither Soph or Parker wants kids. That's mentioned early a d i truly related to Sophia here so much.

So i loved it and Zoey's book will be out in 2020 yayyy!!

I really enjoyed this story. I have not read the previous story, but it was easy to follow along and the characters were well described early on, so it was not hard to catch on. The plot was tight and every step and choices the characters took made sense. I love a prickly heroine and more authors need to write them, because people can be prickly and still deserve their HEA. I cannot wait to order this book in print for the store!