Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

On January 4 I finished my first “it was so great” book of 2022 & it was Falon Ballard’s Lease on Love.

An imperfect & awesome MC named Sadie Green who says the “f word” a lot, gets fired for losing her temper while standing up for herself at work, is unapologetic and driven about her ambitions & not ashamed of the one night stands she’s had before meeting the other MC…I mean sign me right the heck up.

& Jack Thomas, the other MC, so mysterious & nerdy & awkward & “lean” with a great smile & freaking glasses. He has generous man of mystery written all over him.

They’re brought together when Sadie inadvertently applies to be his roommate & what ensues is a slow burn, a relationship they both want to be deliberate & considerate about.

Other things that stand out to me are stellar friendship rep w/ secondary characters who feel unique from each other & are delightful together, so many funny lines, & two leads who really try to figure out how to deal with their pasts so they can be happy in their futures.

There are some heavy topics included in this one, including what I would call moments of very low self esteem (including repeated self-criticism at moments of perceived failure), a narcissistic, emotionally abusive parent (who is not present on page), & the previous death of parents—& my only quibble is that, from a romance reader perspective, I wanted to see more of their relationship after Sadie had started therapy again.

But this is a fantastic read & it gives me the warm & fuzzies of many varieties.

5 ⭐️. Release date: 02/01.

CWs: see review. Also a sexist boss at the beginning of the book.

4 stars.

I read the first chapter of this book and almost decided to read something else, but I'm very glad I stuck with it, because I did end up really enjoying it. The characters were a great mix of charming and driven, the atmosphere of the Brooklyn setting was on point, and the relationship between Jack and Sadie kept me engrossed from start to finish. I think it was a fairly unique novel for this genre and had some deeper aspects that will be able to make it more serious read for those who enjoy that. Contemporary readers who enjoy roommate romances, powerful female main characters, and strong friendships will definitely appreciate what Ballard has created here, just as I did.

I ultimately took a star off this review because I didn't like how easy everything felt? It's like Sadie would have an issue and deem it impossible and then the next chapter it would magically no longer be an issue. I think this was really present with the flower business she was running. I think the growth it had was simply unrealistic at times. I had no huge issues with the writing, although there were a few moments where I had to physically cringe.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. If you're interested, Lease on Love releases in less than a month on February 1st! This review will be posted to my Goodreads and BookBub, and most likely to Barnes and Noble upon publication.

3.5 I enjoyed this story. I really liked the plot, the friends and the love interest. I struggled a little with the conflict/ fight they end up having. It seemed so unnecessary to the story and felt like a big overreaction. However I loved the way it was handled after! I was really impressed.
Overall this was a fun but steamy read.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was super cute and the cover is absolutely adorable. I loved Sadie and Jack. There was a special sense of humor in this story that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Their dynamics were one of my favorite parts, along with the slow burn and tension. So so good!! I wasn't a huge fan of the end, I wanted more out of their big reconciliation. I also thought it would've been great to get Jack's POV as well. But it was steamy and heart aching, a great first read of 2022.

A delightful, super sweet roommates-to-lovers romcom set in Brooklyn, NY.

Sadie Green is a hardworking, charming and self-deprecating woman who loses her crappy finance job—go nepotism and patriarchy, am I right?! She aptly celebrates funemployment by getting drunk, and then drunk right-swiping on what she thinks is a dating app. Instead of a first date, she turns up unprepared for a roommate interview with Jack Thomas, the withdrawn and mysterious landlord of a swanky Park Slope brownstone.

With the temptation of ridiculously cheap rent and second chance at pursuing her dream job as a florist, Sadie moves into Jack’s. They gradually form a friendship and over time, a mutual attraction inevitably grows between them. This was a slow burn but I definitely felt the flames of desire being fanned at appropriate times throughout the book.

Jack is an orphan after a tragic car accident killed both his parents and Sadie left her abusive family behind in California. Jack boosts Sadie’s self-confidence and helps her realize her ambitions. Sadie’s presence and sunny disposition eases Jack’s years of grief and loneliness. Together they become each other’s found family.

I also enjoyed all of the side characters—Nick, Harley and Gemma. Their witty back and forth with Sadie made me laugh out loud. They are so supportive of each other and easily accept Jack into their friend group.

Overall, a really heartwarming read and a great way to kick off 2022. Can I also talk about this book cover for a moment? It’s just beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have very mixed feeling about the end of the book. I felt a huge build up to a big reveal/conflict and it fell short. It just doesn’t make sense knowing Jacks backstory. Overall it was a decent Romcom. Overall it was an ok rom-com It was fun and energetic and a great appealing cast of characters.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book is such a sweet little swoony hug of a book. After missing out on a promotion, Sadie goes out with her BFFs, who are absolutely adorable and I love them so, and inadvertently swipes right on a roommate app not a dating app. Enter, Jack Thomas, nerdy gamer loner yet somehow swoony hero who has a beautiful brownstone that Sadie falls in love with and decides, why the heck not? Let’s move in together!

This book is a slow burn and tbh, slow burns do not usually do it for me. It’s so frustrating when two characters can be together but choose not to and the sexual tension makes me want to hurl my book into the sea, but that was not the case for this book. The pacing was quick, the plot moved along, the separation wasn’t so tense that I wanted to die, and the pining wasn’t horrifically painful over the top, and the wait was perfect. It was a PERFECT slow burn. Idk how the author managed to make it so fast paced without any action?! But she did it and it was amazing.

I loved all the side characters and the friendship. I also appreciated the vagueness about the mcs Instagram 🤣 It’s a major frustration to me when characters are like, “I started my IG two days ago and thanks to hashtags, I’m up to 4k followers.” …really? That’s the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever read. Her account was “blowing up,” but there were never numbers mentioned and I appreciated this so much! Accounts can still be successful and not have hundreds of thousands of followers.

…I know this is a random thing to comment on, but it’s a serious pet peeve of mine!

Such a great book!

This book was gifted to me by the publisher, review is my own

4.5/5 stars. I loved this book.
I will say the only thing I did not like were the nicknames sadie gave out.
Otherwise this was such a fun read. I read it so quickly and was sad when it was over. I also really enjoyed sadie as a main character. She is energetic, quick witted and has a temper. I also loved Jack who is shy, sweet and sensitive.
The group texts in this book were amazing.

An interesting Rom com, I pretty sure that not only have I not read this premise before I don’t think I even seen this premise as a movie. So it was nice to see something different. My main take away was alcohol and dating apps don’t mix but make for a great story.

This was a delight. I really liked Falon Ballard's style of writing in this novel and will definitely check out more. There was a lot of playful breaking of the fourth wall via the main character's inner monologue being laid out on the page. This is a roommates to friends to lovers romance featuring Sadie Green, who loses her job in the finance world after blowing up at her boss when he passes her over for a promotion in order to give the job to his future son-in-law. Sadie is a planner, with spreadsheets galore and a budget that has been banking on that promotion, so when she loses her job, she isn't sure what to do. Through a funny set of circumstances, she meets Jack, who is looking for a roommate to share the Park Slope brownstone that he owns for a laughably low rent. Sadie decides to take the leap and rent the room, while also taking a business leap and starting her own business as a florist. Sadie and Jack are the main characters, but there's a lot to be said for Sadie's friend group - Nick, Harley, and Gemma - all of whom are supporting each other through some major transitions. The resolution was a bit rushed, but that's a pretty common complaint from me about contemporary romance novels.

This was SO CUTE! And add a little bit of spice 🤌🏻

Sadie and Jack are everything. They literally are perfection. Sadie is an outspoken, fierce woman who mistakenly finds a new roommate named Jack. Jack is a quiet, nerdy guy who is the total opposite of Sadie. It is totally a slow-burn romance that pays off in the end and makes you super happy and giddy inside.

Sadie’s friends are also amazing. They complete this story with their own personalities and make you laugh out loud. This was my first romance book of 2022 and it did not disappoint at all!!! Absolutely in love.

I loved this book! Definitely un-put-downable! I liked the main character Sadie's personality and her friend group was so amazing. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Jack grow. This was a great book that I could relate to as a young professional trying to figure things out and having supportive friends to help.

This book was brilliant. It touched on so many spots that make falling in love a scary leap - grief, emotional abuse, feeling of inadequacy - and came out the other side with a heartfelt happy ending. The cast of characters was so well meshed. The backdrop of starting over as a florist in Brooklyn made me want to stroll the coffeehouse-laden street with our main characters. And the sweet banter throughout the bool was just effortless. This was the perfect story to begin my 2022 reading journey!

I really enjoyed this ARC read. The beginning was a little slow for me, but it was a good book to end the year 2021 on.

It’s about Sadie and Jack who become roommates, both dealing with their own struggles. Falling for each other while living together. I love that Jack joined Sadie’s group of friends like one big family.

It was so sweet to see them flirt and fall for each other and I enjoyed the build up. I enjoyed reading about their journey and their struggles and navigating their way through them.

So I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought the writing was great which made it easy to read. The character development was spot on. I loved getting to know each character’s personality. Their text chat groups were my favorite. The love between friends was so endearing. I also loved Jack and Sadie. They were a fun couple to root far. They both had past heartbreak and grief to overcome and it only made them better. They were sweet, witty and fun. Sadie was a tad much at times and I feel like we could have learned more about Jack. He was a bit mysterious. The slow burn between them was good. Forced proximity is a great trope. Honestly my biggest issue with this book was the foul language. There was just so much. Seemed unnecessary. It’s also an open door romance which is also not my favorite but that is easier to avoid than language.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC.

Ohhh man I loved this book! I related to Sadie in so many ways - currently also busting my butt in a dead-end finance job and also constantly being way too hard on myself in the same way she is. I loved her getting the crazy chance to follow her dreams and that Jack didn't turn out to be insane haha. Sadie's group of friends and the way they developed throughout this story are so endearing and I truly enjoyed the inclusion of texts in the book as especially the sass in the group texts had me laughing out loud more than once. I love this group's relationship and the easy way Jack gets taken into the fold and wish this book had been ten times longer to give details on everyone else's lives even more than it did.

This book blew me away! The sweet ache of the slow burn was perfect. What a giddy, joyous adventure.

Read this if you:
*have a solid group of bffs
*have ever had a roommate
*like spreadsheets
*swoon over rich, attractive men (I mean, #goals amirite?)
*like a little spice

The description calls this Beach Read meets The Flatshare…. Enough said 😂 but really, I loved everything about this book. It was just what I needed to read!

Thank you NetGalley & GP Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Feb 1

Lease on Love is a feel good story. Sadie loses it during a meeting and changes her life that day. She is effusive and very enterprising. I liked her ambition. I loved her group,of friends. I think she would not be my ideal roommate, but her and Jack blended well together. I did tire of her deprecating thoughts and waiting for her friends to boost her self confidence. I also,think,she overreacted toward the end. All in all, it’s a great story about living the life you want and taking chances.