Loved everything about this one!
✨ Second chance romance
✨ Workplace competition
✨ Childhood love
This was such a fun one. Loved the competition though at times as she noted it was a little inappropriate. Lana had to do tasks that would keep her single since she is always in a relationship and Seth has to do tasks that help him to be in a LT relationship. Then they write articles about each task and whoever gets the most clicks wins the job.
But the reasons why she stays in a relationship and he can't be in one start to reveal themselves and it's just 😍.
Need this one!

Thank you putnambooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Read if you like:
🥈 Second Chance Romance
✍🏻 Writers as Mc’s
🖥️ Workplace Romances
🥇 Competitions/challenges
💬 Group Chats
😡 Enemies (ish) to lovers


I absolutely adored this book! It had all the elements I love in a romance with some slight miscommunication but the way the miscommunications were done in this one made sense and were things we could relate to and didn’t feel outlandish or ridiculous.

I absolutely loved the found family and side characters as they truly added to the story in such a great way! I loved the writing and was truly hooked from the first paragraph, because who doesn’t love a little Elle Woods in their intro?!

The second chance romance combined with the workplace setting and slight enemies to lovers was so well done and I loved the slow burn this one gave the reader… it was so worth it!

If you are looking for your next romance I highly recommend this one! Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is my second Fallon Ballard read and I loved it! This reminded me a bit of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days which is a favorite go-to comfy movie for me. I loved Lana and Seth’s workplace rivalry and witty banter. Lana’s best friend reminded me so much of my own and the will they,won’t they slow burn romance really had me hooked until the very end. I also really loved how Ballard focused on Lana and her quest to really figure out who she is. I really enjoyed Lease on Love but I liked Just My Type even more! If you buy your furniture at IKEA, love hilarious speed dating sagas, and a nerdy main character, you are going to love this one.

4.25 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for the early copy!

Grab yours out tomorrow!

#JustMyType #putnambooks #FallonBallard #bookish #bookishlove #romance #ReadingIsMagic #ReadMyShelves #netgalley #NetgalleyArc #ArcReader #ArcReviewer #NetgalleyReviewer #instablog #booknerds #currentlyreading #bookreview #lovetoread #booksarelife #whatimreading #bookpost

Sometime last year I borrowed Falon Ballard's debut novel from the library on a whim and loved it, and when I was accepted to review Just My Type I was so hopeful that I'd love this one just as much, and I did (if not loved it even more)!

I absolutely loved Lana and Seth so much. Second chance romances can be hit or miss for me, and this one was such a hit. The growth between the two of them (separate and together) was so lovely to read, especially following Lana's growth. I wasn't sure how a book about a woman who jumps into relationships would convince me that someone who was working on being alone should end in a relationship, but this one was perfect. The acknowledgment of Lana's independence for so long and her value as a single woman was so beautiful.

I loved the friendships in Lana's life as well. Pushing her to be better yet always supporting her. It was a really nice addition to a romance story that doesn't always happen.

The one thing I was skeptical of was Natasha, and I was really satisfied with the way that storyline resolved. It made me uncomfortable how involved she was in her employees' personal lives, so I was glad that it was addressed and dealt with.

Overall, this book just made me so happy and I already can't wait for Ballard's next release.

Thank you to Penguin Putnam Group and NetGalley for a copy of an eARC in an exchange for an honest review!

I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and Falon Ballard delivers a great one with her latest novel, Just My Type, which follows two high school sweethearts who are reunited under contentious circumstances.

While they were dating in high school, Lana and Seth had big plans for the future, all of which revolved around them attending the same university and moving in together. When their plans fell through, Seth breaks up with Lana because he doesn’t want to hold her back from her dreams of becoming a journalist. When Seth then goes on to reject Lana at their high school reunion a few years later, Lana is embarrassed and hopes that she’ll never see Seth again. When Seth later takes a job as a journalist at the same media outlet Lana works for, Lana is in utter disbelief, especially when her boss, sensing the tension and still simmering chemistry between them and smelling a potential ratings explosion, puts forth a writing challenge for the two of them, a series of relationship advice articles. Whoever’s writings are the most popular with their audience will win a highly coveted spot as a columnist where they can write about whatever they want.

The competition was such a fun backdrop for Lana and Seth to work through their own personal relationship issues – Lana bounces from one relationship to another, while Seth apparently can’t commit to anyone, as well as to work through their issues with one another. I loved that one element of the competition involved them choosing relationship-related activities for each other to take part in, and that another caveat of the competition forced them to occasionally team up on these activities. It was such a great use of the forced proximity trope to get Lana and Seth talking again and to eventually work their way up to talking about their past, what happened after high school and especially what happened at that reunion. Some of the conversations were painful and emotional, but they were necessary and the more that was revealed about what happened, the more I became invested in the two of them finding their way back to each other, especially since it was clear the love was still there.

I enjoyed the balance of humor with the more emotional moments in this story. There’s a wonderful secondary cast of journalists and their often hilarious group chats are interspersed throughout, providing a bit of comic relief. I also loved that we actually got to read each of the articles Seth and Lana were writing. The author did a great job of incorporating all of these elements into Just My Type, creating an entertaining and moving read that I didn’t want to end.

This just completely sucked me in right from the start. I truly was not expecting that. I also just flew through this book because of that as well. I immediately connected to our main character. I don't think she's for everyone, because she is a massive pop culture nerd and I know pop culture refferences aren't for everyone but I love them. I also really liked the small discussions that came around being a pop culture nerd and the escapeism that comes from it. There were some quotes about that topic that really resonated with me there. I also really loved the personal journey she went on throughout this book, refindin her confidence in herself and not letting people walk over her anymore. I really liked how that was done throughout the book. I also really loved her friend group. They were so much fun and so supportive of our main character. I loved it! Of course, I also really loved the romance. It just really worked for me. I felt all the feels and even teared up at some points. With second chance romances I'm always scared that the feelings are just 100% "because we have past" and the author not actually putting in the effort to develop their relationship any further in the present. I'm glad to report that isn't the case in this book. We do get a lot of remenicing on their initial relationship but they actually also develop a relationship in the present time. So yay to that. So yeah, I adored this one.

I had such high hopes for this one after loving Falon Ballard's first novel. This one did not dissapoint. From the banter to the side characters - everything was chef's kiss. I love that this was a fun spin on "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with a side of workplace rivalry and second chance romance. Seth and Lana were both relatable, endearing characters and I love their scenes together. I loved Lana's coworkers and thought they brought so much fun to the story with their text chains.

I really enjoyed this! It was a super cute second chance romance. I loved getting to learn more about the past and also watch them rekindle. This also had a lot of self discovery which I LOVE because I was on my own self discovery journey for awhile and it's definitely difficult but with the right people in your life, it can be done so easily! I think this is a perfect read for celebrating Valentine's Day!!

I enjoyed this book so much!! this one came to me at the perfect time I think because I'd just finished a 700 page fantasy which was the last of the series and the world and I needed a good romance to make me feel better and extinguish the early embers of a reading slump! It also is based in LA and I've been missing LA way too much the last couple weeks so it was nice to revisit some of my favourite places through this book (and the MC went to USC too)! I had read the first chapter a while back when I first got the ARC, but I ended up staying up till 3am last night and reading this entire book in about 5 or 6 hours and even though I'm sleep deprived right now, I do not regret that decision!!

I first came to know about this author through their debut work Lease on Love, which a friend had recommended to me and I had LOVED it so much, I knew I was going to read everything else this author published. And after reading this one, I know for sure now that I will pick up every book Ballard writes.

I loved the tropes in this book and the way it was handled-- childhood friends to lovers to exes to lovers // second chance romance! I also really enjoy books with tasks or clear to do lists (might be the control freak in me who knows) so I loved seeing the challenge and how the two of them accomplished the tasks. I also loved seeing Lana's work life and was glad to see the problematic issues being dealt with instead of just ignoring it for the purpose of the plot which a lot of books and movies tend to do! I loved the friend group as well, and would love a spinoff for May, or Tessa and Rob!

This book made me feel similar feelings that I feel when reading an Emma Lord book except that Ballard's works are adult while Lord's are young adult, so I would recommend this to people who love Lord's work and would like to read some adult romance! I also would recommend this to people who like How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, since it has similar vibes!

rating: 4.5 stars
read if you like: second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, found family

Read if you like: exes, second chances, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, slow burn, slightly steamy 🔥

This was so cute, funny, and charming. The beginning was so freaking funny. Seth being Lana's ex and newest coworker was perfect. Their banter and chemistry were off the charts. I love Seth. I struggled with Lana. She could be really stupid and naive. She just would not admit her feelings to herself. The pace is what got me. The characters were all engaging but it took SO long in my opinion for them to work things out. The miscommunication lasted for far too long. I'm not a lover of a slow burn. I want to see the couple together. I love the quotes at the top of each chapter. Overall, I loved it. It reminds me of The Hating Game mixed with How to Lose A Guy in 10 days. I will read anything she writes. I highly recommend this book! It comes out tomorrow.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Penguin Group Putnam for the gifted e-book ❤️

Just My Type (eARC) — 5 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: February 7th

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Lana Parker is a serious dater while Seth is quite the opposite, and to boost their company’s website stats, their boss creates a competition. Seth has to make progress towards a serious relationship while Lana needs to prove she’s okay being single. The catch? Seth recently moved to L.A., is competing for Lana’s dream job, … and is Lana’s high school sweetheart.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: GAH, MY HEART!!! There’s no doubt that I will be swooning over this rom-com for the foreseeable future. This adorable tale gave me How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes, and it did not disappoint in the chemistry, banter, or angst areas. If you’re looking for a lighthearted romance that will make you giggle and gush over a man’s adoring words, read.this.book.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
❤️‍🩹 The One Who Got Away
🎥 Based in L.A.
🔥 Slow Burn Romance
📺 Real-Life Pop Culture References
💗 Contemporary Romance
🥊 Rivals to Lovers
💼 Workplace Romance
👥 Well Developed Supporting Characters
🔓 Open Door Romance
💘 Childhood Friends to Lovers

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
🙈 You’ve never been on a blind date
🪴 You buy your furniture at IKEA
📖 You read dating and relationships columns
🦸‍♀️ You’re a huge Marvel fan
🐠 You have a pet fish

𝐓𝐖: sexual content, abandonment, profanity, emotional abuse

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! Filled with some of my favorite tropes including childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, workplace romance/competition, and second chance romance-all of which worked so well together in this one.

Lana and Seth are childhood turned high school sweethearts. Just as they embark on a long distance relationship in college, they break up, both with broken hearts and forced to go their separate ways. After years apart, Seth shows up at Lana’s workplace with a job offer. However they both are after the same dream job position and must accomplish a series of tasks in order to win the title.

The workplace competition was very on parr with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and while it did seem a little extreme at times especially given the rules set out by the main characters’ boss-who very much crossed many boundaries-I still thoroughly enjoyed! I think Lana and Seth’s past conflict and present tension worked well here and made sense. I was so happy that the big conflict wasn’t something that made me cringe but rather made me love Seth even more!

While lighthearted and fun on the surface, this book was filled with emotional depth! Some themes I appreciated centered around mental health, finding yourself, and falling in love when the timing is right versus settling and not being enough for yourself. I also really appreciated the fantastic cast of supporting characters! What a beautiful group of friends the main character surrounded herself with and I truly loved reading about each and every one of them! Overall, Lana and Seth’s love story was so beautifully written and really came full circle with both characters evolving wonderfully. I highly recommend this one and Ballard will absolutely be a future auto buy author for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for this gifted eARC!

After reading Lease on Love last year & loving it I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on this book! I was especially excited when I received the ARC of Just My Type from the publisher & NetGalley (thank you!!)

This book was a fun read. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance, especially between writers so there’s no surprise I ended up enjoying this so much.

The books starts off with a cute legally blonde moment (which was a fun intro) then dives into our second chance romance/workplace rivalry all in one. I really enjoyed both characters and the little tasks they had to do throughout the book. I also really enjoyed watching the characters grow and find themselves beyond just the relationship piece.

My only complaint would be that I wish we knew more about the original relationship, I think having some flashbacks/more focus on that could’ve made it even better.

This book was very reminiscent to beach read by Emily Henry which is one of my favorites so if it’s also one of yours I think you’ll love this!

Lana, a 30 year old priveledged, serial monogamist, and relationship columnist with major mommy (and daddy) issues must learn to be single for the sake of a work competition. This is a second-chance and workplace rivalry (with an ex from Lana's high school days) novel. The heroine was not my favorite, but the storyline was comparable to How to Lose a Guy in 10 days, and I enjoyed that aspect of it. It kept me intetested and engaged the whole time!

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Falon Ballard for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expected Publication Date: February 7, 2023

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4960219133

(Posting on Instagram @pairswellwithread on 2/7/2023, Paired with blackberry margaritas. https://www.instagram.com/pairswellwithread/)

Calling all fans of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, this is the romance for you and it’s out today!

JUST MY TYPE by Falon Ballard follows Lana Parker, a young journalist writing about dating/relationships and trying to develop her career in the news/media industry. She’s thrown a distracting curve ball, however, when her high school sweetheart and ex-boyfriend, Seth, gets a job in her office and is competing against her for the chance at their own news column. This kicks off an in-office challenge, the perfect setting for your favorite “enemies-to-lovers”, “second-chance-romance” plot line.

This book was the perfect kick off to my February romance marathon. The Los Angeles setting was so fun, but my favorite part was the inclusion of Lana’s funny office friend group, supporting her throughout the entire story (definitely see some potential sequels here!).

Throughout the challenge, Lana and Seth are forced to learn more about themselves in order to better understand their feelings for each other and repair past miscommunications, which requires a great deal of patience from everyone involved (including you as the reader!). So, if that’s not your favorite situation, perhaps try another romance this month.

Grab this when you see it in your local bookstore and let me know what you think!

Thank you Falon Ballard, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for kindly providing this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. Lease on Love was a favorite from last year but this one really missed the mark for me. I loved the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days but didn't love reading a book that felt like all it did was rewrite the movie.

I also didn't love the workplace treatment of Lana or the miscommunication trope throughout the book.

I will definitely give another book by this author a chance because I loved her first one so much, but this wasn't for me.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Just My Type by Falon Ballard -#bookreview
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Starting off love month with the perfect romance! There is nothing I didn’t love about this book! Lana and Seth were such great characters alone and together.and There was incredible character development and growth throughout this novel. I am an absolute sucker for childhood friends to lovers and this book roped me in❣️ Just My Type is a second chance romance story and just rugged at my heart strings. I loved all the fun shoutouts in this book from Marvel, to When Harry Met Sally all the way to The Ripped Bodice & Get A Life, Chloe Brown! I enjoyed every minute of this book & it will be a new go-to recommendation! Just My Type is out on 2/7 - run to the bookstore to pick it up!

Read this if you love:
💘 childhood friends to lovers
💘 enemies to lovers
💘 workplace romance
💘 How to Lose a Guy in 10 days
💘 a nerdy female MC
💘 second-chance romance

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @putnambooks and @falonballard for the advanced copy of this book!

“Just My Type” by Falon Ballard follows Lana Parker. Lana covers the love and relationship beat for her newspaper, but she dreams of writing literally any other column. When her newspaper gets picked up by a larger news group, Lana is given the opportunity to compete for a better beat- but she has to beat out her ex-boyfriend, the first boy to break her heart. With both competing for their ideal position, who will come out as the winner?

This book was such a fun read. It had big “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” vibes and I was definitely here for it! Lana and Seth have such great banter and connectivity, it makes you crave the ending where they *hopefully* get together (no spoilers from me!). Lana has a great character growth arc that’s a lot of fun to watch, especially near a romantic holiday where love is such a big theme- it was nice to see a character really work on herself first as a priority.

In the end, I gave this book 4 stars. It was a fun, entertaining romance read that I didn’t want to put down. If you’re looking for a sweet February read, be sure to pick this one up!

Thanks to Penguin Putnam Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book hits shelves February 7th!

This book is like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Legally Blonde had a beautiful romcom baby set to the song 'the 1' by Taylor Swift. Soooo yeah, I liked it A LOT. This book is on the shorter side so I was slightly worried it wouldn't feel whole, but Lana and Seth were both fully developed main characters and I was able to feel stabbed with a thousand tiny needles over their star-crossed past without having pages and pages of explanation. The plot-driver being a competition with forced proximity was fun and felt fresh despite being done before, and I sped through this book. The ONE THING I will say is some of the lines these two had were.. disturbing. They were so unfortunately millennial at times, calling each other "butthead" despite being THIRTY YEARS OLD, but alas we pretend that never happened and move past it to the ending that had me squealing and squawking.

First off, the book starts with a legally blonde reference. Shortly after Lana called in her BFF, May, who sweeps in to save the night getting drunk to put a band aid over a broken heart. Even if it is a short lived relief, we all love a good drunken night with our bestie when we’re feeling down, don’t we? The first scene ends with something that I’m pretty sure the author took straight from my lips “I want to watch a movie that going to make me cry”. Because, same girl. Sometimes you just need that all in cry session to get whatever emotions are bottled up, out!

Multiple times in this book I felt the actual pain of being around someone you loved but had a past with that was left unhealed. Although immediately the reader doesn’t know what the past entails, you can tell they’re both hurting.
I mean? It’s a romance story? We all know how it’s going to end and THATS OKAY! I actually love it. It makes my heart smile knowing all the heart ache that we read about is going to be worth it.
Ballard’s writing is one that I turned out to love! It comes out on February 7th, it’s the perfect lovey book to read in the month of Valentines!!!