I absolutely loved Lease on Love, but this just did not do it for me. For me, second chance romances have to be done really well, and I really did not want to root for the couple in this one

While I did not love this one as much as I did with Lease on Love, I still did enjoy reading this and look forward to more of Falon Ballards work. If you are a fan of second chance romances or great friend groups, I think you will like this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is truly one of the best romances I have ever read. Slow burn, banter is great, it's sexy! I loved it even more than Lease on Love

I really liked Lease on Love but I absolutely adored Just my Type.

Lana and Seth are high school sweethearts who broke up not long after Lana moved to LA for college - while Seth didn’t.
But he is now in LA and they are both competing for a columnist job.

Slow burn, second chance romance, miscommunication, work rivalry… and a story that brings out ALL the feels. It was exactly what I would expect a romcom to be - make me laugh, make me love the characters & root for them, make me want to punch the boss in the face - and the ending made me so so so incredibly happy that I legit cried tears.

Also - huge plus for the positive mental representation.

Thank you for Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

omg loved it with my whole heart. not surprised at all because i loved lease on love just as much. I’m a forever fan, you’ve got me falon! keep ‘em coming I’ll be waiting

Oh how I absolutely adore this book - I will definitely be adding this book to my shelf as soon as possible!

Everything about this romance felt real and relatable because of the two main characters - Seth and Lana! I went in blind so I wasn't sure what to expect and dang it had me hooked! It's a second chance, enemies to lovers dream that sizzles right off the page - I had no idea it was going to be steamy and I'm sooo glad it was! This book felt very "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and it made it so fun.

I loved the ride of the watching them complete their tasks, both together and separate, while they BOTH grew as humans. And the fact that they did it together felt like a giant hug - even when they were being difficult with each other. I felt very swoony as I read this and can't wait for Falon Ballard's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of Just My Type! All thoughts are my own.

Last year, I simply LOVED Lease on Love by Fallon Ballard. It is a book that has stuck with me to this day and I think about it often. It had everything: a main character journey that was relatable, a friend group that made my heart swell, a tension filled romance, and epic payoff. So, I was extremely excited to read Ballard’s sophomore novel, Just My Type.

Sadly, this book didn’t live up the expectations that I had. I felt like a bit of the magic from Jack and Sadie’s story was missing. I still love Ballard’s writing style, but I really didn’t enjoy this story. Overall, it felt forced to me and fell into “second book syndrome.” Reading Ballard’s acknowledgements, I completely understand how difficult it is (especially as a writer myself) so I look forward for where her career goes as she grows as a writer!

I did really like Seth, but ultimately everything in this book just felt forced. The Marvel references, name dropping other romance novels and writers, the Slack chats. I just didn’t work for me.

Synopsis:

“Lana Parker is an expert girlfriend. After a disastrous breakup with her high school boyfriend, she's bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationship and even works as the dating and relationships columnist for one of Los Angeles's trendiest websites. But when Lana suddenly finds herself single, she's ready to take a break, both personally and professionally. That is, until her high school ex, Seth Carson, takes an assignment at Lana's site. Having spent years traveling the world as a freelance journalist, Seth's finally ready to put down roots. Seth and Lana's chemistry is just as combative—and undeniable—as ever and quickly leads to a competition that could shape both of their careers. Pitted against each other by Lana's boss, they are each tasked with writing an article series that goes against their usual dating type: Lana needs to write about being single and staying single, while Seth must learn to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever's series is most popular wins a highly coveted dream job. But when the two square off, it's not only their careers on the line—it’s also their hearts.” —Amazon

What I Liked:

The Competition Aspect—I love the Fake Dating trope because the stakes are so high between characters. While this book wasn’t Fake Dating, I thought the competition aspect added the same kind of tension.

Second Chance Romance Trope—I’m a sucker for this trope! I really liked Seth too, but I wish we got to know a bit more about him.

What Didn’t Work:

Lacked Tension—There was so much potential for these two characters, high school sweethearts, to have stolen looks and moments. But their history was pretty volatile so it had more of an enemies to lovers vibe? I don’t know, something just seemed OFF.

Aspects Felt Forced—I didn’t feel the tension needed to understand why Lana and Seth broke up. I guess I found it hard to buy into the “paying for college” aspect. I wanted more swooniness from the “if you love something set it free” aspect. This is very cryptic without spoilers but IYKYK.

Lost Connection—I was really into the first 25-30% of this book and then it just felt meh. It didn’t have the same kind of magic her debut did.

Character Authenticity: 2.5/5

Spice Rating: 0.5/5

Overall Rating: 2.75/5

Just My Type is an exciting and cozy romance that is easy to dive into and read in one sitting. The characters felt real and relatable and there was enough at risk for the characters that it felt like an exciting read.

Really enjoyed the story and plot line of this book. There were a lot of modern references that I personally didn’t like, but otherwise it was a good read. A cute second chance romance and about finding yourself.

OMG SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE PERFECTION!! I am completely and utterly obsessed with this book. To be totally honest, I didn’t know too much about this book when I picked it up other than the fact that it looked adorable and might be a fun read.

I fell completely in love with Lana & Seth’s story—both separately and together, and it was so beautiful to see them coming back together in the best way possible.

As a writer and a book-lover and a fangirl at heart, I really related to Lana in a way that I never expected to. It had me rooting for her to cheer for herself and be confident in who she is.

And Seth—my newest book boyfriend—is the sweetest, kindest, dreamiest, sexiest lead I could have picked for Lana’s other half in her story.

I am obsessed with these characters and this story, and you can catch me reading this over and over again!! 🤎🤎

Just my type was a fun, second chance romance with a side of enemies to lovers. Two former sweethearts are competing for a promotion, and find themselves spending more time together in the competition. While a good story, I struggled to connect with the MC Lana. She came across as immature to me, and it frustrated me how she treated Seth. Also wish they didn’t have so much miscommunication.

I knew immediately that I wanted to read Just My Type, because I read Ballard’s debut novel, Lease on Love, last year and it was incredible! And overall, I really enjoyed Just My Type, but I think I kept comparing it to Lease on Love (my own fault).

I’m a sucker for the “second chance” romance trope, especially between high school sweethearts (my husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been together 12 years). I also loved the publishing setting, and Ballard’s emphasis on friendships throughout the novel.

While I really liked this one, I was just looking for something more. I’m not even sure what, exactly. I just felt no connection to the book or characters most of the time. I also wished there was most background on Lana’s and Seth’s relationship throughout the book - most of it was squeezed into the last quarter.

However, I think this is a good rom com and lots of folks will fall in love with it. Ballard’s writing is incredible, and I’m excited to see what she writes next!

Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for the #gifted copy!

Really cute rom-com! I love a good enemies to lovers story, and this one was perfect. The chemistry between Lana and Seth was off the charts, and I had some serious laugh out loud moments. Great romance!

I liked the first half but the second half got messy and as soon as there is cheating of any sort, even emotional, I’m out.

Just My Type is an exciting and cozy romance that is easy to dive into and read in one sitting. The characters felt real and relatable and there was enough at risk for the characters that it felt like an exciting read.

Let it be known that one of my favorite tropes is absolutely second chance romance. Add in a heavy dose of best friends to lovers (best friends to lovers to enemies to lovers...) and I do fear this was the perfect book for me. I remember noting pretty early on that [redacted] was going to do something @*&$#! up, and I was right! Something that I specifically really loved about this book was the strong and supportive female friendships. Truly the whole "if Lana says we hate him, we hate him" vibes were the most realistic and amazing parts of the book. I'm such a big fan of characters really diving in to figure out Their Issues so the fact that both the MC and the love interest went to therapy... very good for me. Lana's relationship with her mother and that being the root of a lot of her issues also felt very personal. This book has a single POV (Lana's!) and contains some spice, if you're into that ;)
My only con was the hate for IKEA! What did IKEA do to you! I love her and I will not be swayed.

This book was adorable!! I was hooked from the first scene. I feel like we’ve all been there. Lana’s and May’s friendship is the best! Enemies to lovers, friendly competition, slow burn and second chance romance….all the best tropes!

You will love this if you loved the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Highly recommend!

I gave this book a rating of 4.75.
This book hooked me in right from the beginning! It was the perfect combination of second chance romance and
enemies to lovers with plenty of sassy and sarcastic banter between Lana and Seth. I enjoyed the competition aspect of the storyline (even though Lana's manager seriously irked me) and how Lana was able to grow and learn more about herself throughout.

The only reason I didn't give this book a perfect 5~ rating is because I was frustrated how Lana and Seth weren't
able to communicate honestly with one another, which is one of my big pet peeves in romance stories. However, if you're looking for a lighthearted, unique love story full of playful banter, you've found the right book!

I read most of this book before it was released and I was loving it!!! Working on finishing now but even without finishing can highly recommend it to all especially those that love second chance romances!!!

Just My Type pits two former lovers against each other for a top job at the paper. This second-chance, workplace romance finds them both completing a list of activities and blogging about it for votes by readers. What didn't work for me were the lists and all sexual stuff each was challenged to complete. WHAT?!?!? Then they were expected to write about their exploits in a major paper?!?!?!

The second half of the book is better than the first half, especially when these two adults stop acting like total jackasses to each other. I appreciated both characters more after said feelings were revealed, and they starting acting like mature humans.

Unfortunately this romance was just meh. Rating 2.5 stars.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary copy in e-book