This was cute! I enjoyed the story line and it's def one I think a lot of people will enjoy! Totally recommend.

Agh, I really wanted to love this book. I wasn’t drawn in by the characters, or by the dialogue. I wasn’t even rooting for anyone. It felt like it dragged, and I really wish it hadn’t. I had such high expectations! Now to get me out of a reading slump…

Lease on Love is a cute, fluffy romance, a genre I adore, but this time it was ultimately too insubstantial for me. It's a bit of a puff of warm air - not unpleasant, but forgettable in an instant.

Sadie, the main character, is a bit of a selfish asshole, which, honestly, is kind of refreshing in a genre that mostly stays away from genuinely unlikeable protagonists. (And I know she's got a lot of emotional trauma involving thinking of herself as selfish, but...no matter how much her friends reassure her on that count during the story, she does come across as pretty selfish and rude to me. Oh well?)

Unfortunately, love interest Jack has barely a fraction of the personality Sadie provides. He's like some kind of vague, standardized Perfect Boyfriend Material, with Generic Emotional Trauma standing in for any real character traits. Even that trauma seems to heal pretty quickly once Sadie comes into his life - it's their justification for a slow burn, but after some time he's just...fine and ready to hop into a deeply intense relationship? Okay, I guess therapy went really well for him that week.

So, the plot doesn't really work. The characterization is lacking (Sadie's tightknit group of friends are a little more developed than Jack, but feel pretty token-y, to be frank). The prose is fine, making for a breezy, light read. The tropes don't really succeed - it's slow burn, but not for any good or solidly earned reason, and it's opposites attract, but only if you think wearing a Lord of the Rings t-shirt makes you wildly nerdy and thus totally the opposite of someone who scoffs at superhero movies and "sportsball" games alike. More than the Generic Perfect Boyfriend, Lease on Love is the romance of a hustling millennial and cheap NYC rent plus the ability to quit her soul-sucking job and make a success of her plant-selling side hustle. Which is...fine? Pleasant? But ultimately, kind of uninteresting, for good or bad.

CWs: parental death, death in car accident, abusive parent, narcissistic parent, workplace sexism.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

In Sadie and Jack’s story everything is in a different order than usual.

Sadie and Jack move in together immediately after meeting. After some time, despite Sadie being absolutely adamant that Jack was not her type, they start to fall for each other. Given that they already live together, it’s a big step to date because if it goes wrong then Sadie loses her dream house, right?

Sadie had a stable job. She had a plan to get out of debt. Then she lost the job. She knew then that the responsible thing to do would be to rent somewhere less expensive. She hasn’t quite pulled the trigger on this plan yet but must have already downloaded the app to look for rentals.

She goes out with her super supportive friend group and gets very drunk and thinks she lined up a date on a dating app. When she shows up for the date she realizes that she had actually connected with someone looking for a roommate.

The guy seems sweet, dorky and harmless to her. So she goes to check out his place and it’s love at first sight: with a brownstone.

She decides to move in. The rent is shockingly cheap and the house is amazing. This even gives her a chance to pursue her actual dream which is being a florist.

Jack and Sadie’s friends help her at every chance. Despite everyone always being there for her, Sadie always feels like she’s selfishly taking advantage of them.
She also starts falling for Jack. He’s falling for her too.
But Jack and Sadie both have major baggage. It isn’t going to be easy. Both characters probably need therapy before they can be happy together.

Jack lost his parents and he’s felt all alone in the world since then.
Sadie has a narcissist father who verbally and emotionally abused her.

I’ll be honest, I found Sadie irritating sometimes. And then I felt bad for finding her irritating because a lot of her bad choices were connected to her childhood.
I liked Jack the whole time. He was a good guy and a likable character.

I also liked the best friend characters. Sadie’s best friends could easily fill a novel of their own. I could see them with spin-off stories.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I’d mention the verbal/emotional abuse as a content warning.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

Fallon is a smart, witty, and hilarious young woman who just got passed up for a well-deserved promotion. When that pass up quickly turns into losing her job, she needs to figure out how she is going to afford to live in NYC without any source of income. Thank god for her amazing friends who take her out one night to help her take her mind off things. In a drunken state, she swipes right on a dating app. The next day, she meets her date, only to realize it wasn’t a dating app she was on, it was a roommate finder app! A blessing in disguise, Sadie meetings Jack, an owner of a beautiful big brownstone in Brooklyn looking for a roommate and offering Sadie a new place to live for a very small rent amount.

Maybe everything that has happened to Sadie was meant to be. If she can move in with Jack, bartend as a source of income, maybe she can finally find the time and the funds to open up a flower shop like she always dreamed of. If quiet and shy Jack can handle Sadie’s high energy and not get too annoyed to the point of eviction, Sadie can finally follow a path she only dreamed about.

This book was such a wonderful read, and a fantastic debut by author Fallon Ballard. I adored Sadie’s relationship with her friends, and how quickly they adopted Jack into their tight-knit group. I couldn’t help but think of my friends while reading through their group chats, and excellent touch by the way!

Sadie and Jack kept me smiling from start to finish. Both are defined by past family issues, which created such a slow-burn romance between the two, but the author's writing style and the witty dialogue make the story fly by!

For my roommate-to-lovers troupe fans, give this one a read, it will not disappoint!

One liner: Sadie loses her job after an epic meltdown and there is no amount of alcohol that can make it go away. In a drunken haze she mistakes a roommate finding app for a dating app and ends up renting a room, starting a business, finding herself, and love along the way.

Sadie has paid her dues in her financial job and is ready for the promotion she knows is coming. When the boss gives it to his daughter's unqualified boyfriend, she loses it and gets fired. Her friends rally around her as only true friends can. Looking for a way to further numb the pain she makes a date on a dating app. But when she shows up the next day, she finds out she was on a roommate finding app. Since that would solve one problem, she goes along to find out that she hit the roommate lottery. Soon she is livng in a beautiful brownstone, cultivating a garden, and swapping out her finance career to start her own floral business. With the help of social media, a few key influencers, and her friends and landlord she starts to build something she is proud of. Along the way she falls for her totally unavailable landlord who is grieving the loss of his parents.

This story is about building relationships with those who mean the most to you, celebrating the good, and helping them through the bad. I truly enjoyed this book. The group texts are hilarious!

I am thankful for the electronic copy of the book that I received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard is a rom-com with all to be expected. Predictable, yet easy to read and didn't make me cringe too much with the dumb pet names. The sex scenes were the real page-turning sections. This book is like a one night stand; read it quickly, savor the story, and forget about it in the days to come. Some books need to serve that purpose. Overall, a good read!

Gosh, I absolutely adored this debut novel from Falon Ballard. There were so many things that I loved!

What I loved:
💐 Sadie’s extroverted but slightly snarky personality was so fun to read!
💐 the peeks we get into what goes into being a florist and starting a business
💐 the text exchanges between Sadie and Jack and Sadie and her best friends. Perfection! 👌🏻
💐 it’s set in NYC-I love reading about one of my favorite cities
💐 the slow burn romance between Jack and Sadie. It was so satisfying once something finally happened between the two of them 🥰
💐 Jack 😍😍😍 if you’ve read this, you know. New book boyfriend alert!

This is definitely in my top books of the year so far! I honestly can’t believe this is a debut novel. Go read it now!

Thank you @netgalley, Falon, and @putnambooks for my free copy! Lease on Love is out now ❤️

#leaseonlove #falonballard #bookreview #debutnovel #romancereader #romancebooks #bookrecommendations #bookworm #bookish #bookstagram #romancereadersofinstagram #netgalley #newreleases #booksandflowers #unitedbyromcoms #readersofinstagram

You'll enjoy this if you like quirky, outspoken, and unfiltered heroines. It's a little insta-lovey but a cute read, nonetheless.

What a fun roommates to lovers romance! The MCs voice was refreshingly edgy, candid, and down-to-earth but the love interest was a little meh. The conflict twist at the end seemed a little out of character too but the friendships in this book saved it. I loved the group text chains! It was also steamier than I was anticipating so keep that in mind when you read it.

Sadie, who was expecting to get a promotion at her new job, suddenly gets fired and is looking for a place to live. She ends up in contact with a man named Jack, works towards moving in with him, and falls in love with him. There were so many things I loved about this book. The banter between Sadie and Jack (as well as Sadie and her friend group) throughout the story was great and really made the comedy part of this book a strength. The chemistry between Jack and Sadie is very clear, and I loved reading the romance between the two of them. The plot twist was unexpected and really caught my attention, and although it resulted in a third-act breakup, the resolution was quick and I like how it was resolved. Overall, Lease On Love is easily one of my favorite rom-coms of this year so far.

Let me count the reasons I loved this debut. Sadie has an amazingly supportive friend group and their text group and conversations are pure gold. The slow burn opposites attract/friends to lovers romance between Jack and Sadie is swoon-worthy. I had multiple deep sighs of satisfaction watching their relationship evolve 💕. And I loved that Jack and Sadie are both multi-dimensional; they have their own personal journeys alongside their relationship. The themes of resilience, growth, trust, believing in oneself and grief are well done. Along with that, the descriptions of NYC real estate and gardening/floristry are really engaging and interesting. I would love to hang out with Sadie, Jack and their friends.

Thanks to @putnambooks #partner for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

OMG OMG OMG!! I LOVED this book so much. It had everything-- romance, chemistry, humor, and touched on some important topics as well. I loved Sadie and how strong willed and determine she was. She had such a great group of friends and they truly were just so supportive it warmed my heart. OMG I could go on forever but basically this is going to be a top read for me this month if not this year. So glad I was provided a copy or I may have missed out on this opportunity.

I really enjoyed the story of Sadie and Jack. You get a front row seat of watching the two of them fall on love and also deal with parts that have left impacts on their lives. The friend group is truly amazing and I would've wanted to see more about the rest of them. I want their stories too! I felt that the book did a great job of showing a person dealing with anxiety and also like the healthy plug for therapy. That ending made me jump to all sorts of conclusions and I think I'd rather have things spelled out for me, but that's a personal preference. It was a really cute!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZVO0-Du0Fg/?utm_medium=copy_link

thoroughly enjoyed this, fun light read, definitely no perfect but for a casual read, super enjoyable

thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you just know you are going to love a book! And I was exactly right with Lease On Love.

I was definitely drawn the the beautiful cover, but I really loved the story for its excellent portrayal of life in NYC. We move apartments constantly and it’s just a way of life. I personally would have also moved into Jack’s incredible brownstone! And one with outdoor space?! This is my absolute dream house.

I really identified with Sadie, especially when she’s passed over for a promotion at the firm she’s worked tirelessly for over 6 years. While I didn’t love that she was fired, I did appreciate she decided to do something she loved rather than just find another desk job she was unhappy with. Sadie’s friends were a highlight of the book and I adored their text conversations. I love when books include different modes of communication.

Lastly, I really loved Sadie and Jack together. They both had a lot of emotional baggage, but they learned so much from each other. But I have to say that I really think Sadie overreacted a lot at the end of the book. I’m Team Jack on that issue!

Thank you so much to @putnambooks and @falonballard for my beautiful gifted copy. Lease on Love is on sale now!

What do you do when you have the worst day ever? You meet with your friends for drinks, get drunk, and set up up a date on a dating app. When Sadie Green loses her job, she decides it's time to finally make a change and do what makes her happy, including chasing her dreams. What she doesn't realize is that her life is about to change more than she ever expected. This was such a cute, feel good, entertaining rom com! I fell in love with all the characters and almost wished I could be a part of their amazing tight knit group. The book was well written and the storyline was perfect for this book. If you love cute fun rom coms, this book is for you! Thank you to Netgalley, Falon Ballard, and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book. I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This was the absolute SWEETEST love story! I flew through this one and loved every minute of it. 💚

Lease on Love was so much more than a rom-com. Yes, it was romantic. Yes, it was witty. However, the depth and character development was outstanding! This had so many layers and each one adds to the story in a delightful way. The main character is trying to find her way and this was just as much a story of overcoming trauma as it was a love story. The supporting characters were a hoot! I loved their friendships and the group texts were a nice touch. This was warm, dynamic, and so incredibly lovely. 4⭐️ Thank you @putnambooks for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

#bookreview Lease on Love by Falon Ballard

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

☺️ the good ☺️
- Jack is lovable and sweet.
- Sadie standing up to her boss for the blatant nepotism that prevented her from getting that promotion at the beginning of the book.
- All the artsy stuff in the book. From the floral arrangements to the paintings.


🤨 the bad 😒
- Jack’s story didn’t feel fully fleshed out for me. I appreciated the aspects of his grief, but it was just hard to wrap my head around some parts of his story.
- Sadie has nothing go wrong in the leading up to her new business. 🤨 Felt unrealistic. Lovely, but unrealistic.
- Harley being a black woman was only mentioned like once? And it was like blink and you’ll miss this piece of her character.
- Sadie getting mad about Jack lying towards the end of the book felt like the book was trying too hard to make them fight. It didn’t feel necessary at all. He’s been evasive about his past for the ENTIRE book and now you’re mad he didn’t tell you this one thing? WTF 🙄


😍 the beautiful 😍
- The supportive friends as family group. They all love and support each other and it’s beautiful.
- Jack as a boyfriend. Just 🥰


rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
steam: 🔥🔥
my face while reading: 🙂🤭😮🤨😧🤔🤭😂😮🤔🙂😃🥺😃🥰🙄☺️

#bookstagram

LEASE ON LOVE is a thoroughly enjoyable, hopeful, heart-warming romance. This story features a great group of friends, a fun setting, a budding small business, and relatable main characters. I really loved Sadie and Jack and was completely immersed in their world. Ballard’s writing is lovely, timely, and funny. I would eagerly read anything she writes next! All together thrilled I picked up this book and would recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable romance/women’s fiction novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.