Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC. I really thought the cover was gorgeous and the description about a love story between the two journalist main characters got me super excited to read. Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me and I'm stuck at 35%.

High school exes Lana, the monogamist, and Seth, always dating new girls, are competing for one journalist spot for a well known LA newspaper. What's the competition? Lana has to stay single and write about it, Seth has to find a long term relationship, and write about it. Whoever gets the most engagement at the end of the wins.

I do not like the main character. She's annoying and I don't like how she handles herself around her high school ex/first love (was he her first love? i can't remember).

Lana and Seth are writers dueling for a spot in the LA Chronicles. Problem is, they’re also ex-lovers and bitter ones at that. One has to remain single, when they’ve only ever been in long-term relationships. The other has to achieve a long-term relationship when they’ve only ever known dating around.

I had to quit at 21%. Lana is so whiny, and childish. There are paragraphs dedicated to Lana being aware of her “privilege”. Many sections felt drawn out. I just didn’t care to hear more of Lana’s self-inflicted drama and her terrible treatment of others based on how she felt they should feel about her. The forced use of Marvel heroes in place of God’s name is cringe-worthy.

I finished this book in one night! I could not put it down! It was SO CUTE. Something about the banter between Seth and Lana kept me turning the page— you could feel the tension and magic seeping from Ballard’s words! This is my first novel by the author and I will definitely be back for more. I also appreciated the side characters: this is as much an ensemble book as it is about our two star crossed second chance lovers. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book a lot, i usually don't read second chance romances but this one was really good and well written. The banter was simply amazing and i loved both of them a lot. The story was really realistic and interesting. It was also such a quick read!

I really enjoyed Just My Type! I’m usually not one for a second-chance romance story, but I think it was very well done. The back and forth between Seth and Lana was great, and I loved that they didn’t immediately resolve every issue they’d ever have. The story seemed so much more realistic, and the characters were truly lovable. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for an entertaining, easy read!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely FUN story of second chance romance! I really REALLY liked this book. This was a new to me author and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I was completely hooked from the very beginning.
Lana is a romance and dating columnist who keeps ending up in serial long term relationships that don’t serve her well. Seth is a new hire at her company who can’t seem to stay in any kind of a relationship…and also happens to have been Lana’s first love.
They both get assigned to write a piece by her boss with some pretty sketchy and kinda inappropriate tasks, pitting each of them against the other in sort of relationship challenge, her to be okay with being alone and him to find a steady relationship.
This was such a cute story with a unique premise and I loved every bit of it. Her previous book, Lease on Love has quite risen up in my TBR now.

Please note, this was an ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Just My Type by @falonballard
4/5⭐️
3/5🌶

Setting: Los Angeles, CA
POV: single, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: exes/rivals to lovers, second chance romance, forced proximity

What I Liked: A serial monogamist is forced to stay single, while a serial dater needs to settle down. Oh, and they’re exes. I found this to be a really fun read! I loved both MCs and the overall premise of the story. I found the overbearing boss to be a very interesting source of conflict.

What I Disliked: Overall, this book was really enjoyable! However, I could have done with a few less fandom references - we get it, the FMC loves Marvel and Stars Wars.

Memorable Quote: “I’m the spinning needle of a compass and you’ve always been my true north, Parker.”

Thanks for letting me read this one it had fun banter and tension you could cut with a knife and the story was fun also

“Seth Carson is my past. And this assignment, this project, this competition, is all about looking toward the future.”

Lana, spends her days writing about love for a LA magazine using her personal life as a serial monogamist to help fuel her work. Still reeling from her horrific breakup with high school boyfriend Seth, Lana hasn’t stayed single for very long. But when Seth walks through the door trying to take her job, she has no choice but to accept a challenge to date and stay single to keep her job. Seth, who is trying to put down roots, after being a serial dater, joins in the challenge to find a woman to settle down with. Both of them are looking to win the coveted spot in the column. But what happens when these two come back together for the sake of their jobs? Will old feelings creep back in or will their past predict how they settle in the present.

Ever since I read this book I have been obsessed with the Chainsmokers song “Just My Type”. Can’t stop listening. I knew I’d love this book since I loved Lease on Love so much! I loved these two characters and I didn’t want this book to end. Definitely has a little Every Summer After vibe in the sense of high school relationships meeting back in the present day. I loved the banter with these two and I loved that in the end, no matter how much time passed, their feelings for each other really never went away. Such a good read and I’m so glad I got it early!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like workplace romance, competition, and second (third?) chance romance then this one is for you! The banter was pretty childish, but then again, the FMC and MMC have known each other since they were small children - but it wasn't enough to turn me off reading. The tension is so high between them the entire novel. The sunflowers 🌻.

(Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

Second chance romance and enemies to lovers!? YES.
I love when exes reconnect right after a major breakup.
Seth and Lana have such good chemistry, and the growth Lana has was heart warming to read.

Lease on Love was so sweet but Just My Type was amazing. Falon knows how to to make you fall in love. The setting the plot, it has it all. I really recommend this for a quick fun read.

Lana a relationship-prone journalist finds herself getting dumped at the moment she was expecting a marriage proposal, but that is not all after drinking all night she gets a message from her high school ex-boyfriend Seth telling her that they need to talk. Seth is a popular journalist who spends his time traveling the world to avoid long-term commitments.
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This enemies-to-lovers/ second chance romance was so freaking cute. I loved Lana so much. She was such an entertaining character and handled everything that she was going through absolutely beautifully. This book was so much fun and there were certain scenes that had me laughing and others that had me swooning so hard. (the speed dating scene). Seth and Lana had such amazing chemistry and the tension and passion between them was just perfection.
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overall this was such a fun read and I would totally recommend it to any romance and rom com lovers.

This is a story about second/third chances.

Lana and Seth are pit against each other in a very public competition for the same job position. They have a past and share history between them, which definitely adds a layer to everything they do.

Language and sex, both completely dispensable.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

True rating 4.5 but rounding up!
Trope: 2nd Chance Romance
Open Door romance
I was all in on watching this magazine article competition take place! I was sucked in from the beginning and really enjoyed the entire book! The pop culture references and super hero loving female MC were all fun, but the slack thread with Lana’s coworkers were the best! They were too funny! Lana and Seth had great chemistry. I really hope to see this turned into a series.

*I tried to share this review on Book Bub but it was not listed as an option yet

everything about this one was so darn adorable - including the cover! highly recommend for all romance lovers

This was such a great read! I enjoyed how Falon took a story that could have easily only focused on a romantic relationship and included a large self-improvement component. Giving Lana space to figure out who she was on her own - and carrying that as a consistent focus throughout the novel - shows that sometimes jumping right into a romantic relationship isn't the best thing; we have to make sure that we are in the right frame of mind to be emotionally ready for a relationship. Journeying with Lana and Seth was definitely entertaining, and their banter was well written. Great second novel from Falon Ballard!

I freakin loved this book. Thank you netgalley

Lana Parker is a serial monogamist, jumping from one relationship to another. Seth Carson, her high school ex is the opposite, not ready to settle down and commit. Fresh off a breakup, and extremely hungover, Lana is shocked when Seth walks thru the door at her beloved work place. Things get even stickier when Lanas boss instructs them to complete a list of tasks and write about it.

This book had a lot of the tropes I love. Second chance romance/workplace romance/enemies to lovers. It also gave me "how to lose a guy in 10 days".

I really enjoyed this and will recommend it to all of my bookish friends.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: Parker is a serial monogamist. So when she’s challenged to stay single, something she hasn’t really been since age 14, she doesn’t quite know what to do with herself. What makes matters worse? Her first love, the very one she has been avoiding for two years, is suddenly more present in her life than ever.

Tropes:
-Ex to lovers
-Childhood Sweethearts
-He Falls First
-Office setting
-Workplace Rivals

The Good: Tons of snippy banter, which I love. I also thought that Lana’s character was developed really well. You could really tell who she was and why she made the decisions she did. It also helped me reflect some, which is always nice. I felt like I sort of learned something. This book was overall very enjoyable to read.

The Not-So-Good: Not necessarily bad, but I felt the climax didn’t hit very hard. Like I didn’t really panic too much. In a way this was good, because I stayed happy throughout the book.

Overall: I think this book is going to be really big. I think it’s going to be a best seller. It’s so cute, has a ton of marketable quotes that would work well on TikTok, and the cover is what is going well right now. The book is such a cute and easy read. I thought it was a nice break from the real heavy ones I’ve been reading lately. My heart feels really light and I have been giggling all evening. I think this is one book I would definitely re-read.

Pace: Slow/Medium

Hero Rating: Seth Carson is a <b>3.5 star</b> hero. He is such sweetheart and I adore him. Seth seems like a real jerk in the beginning, but the more you take notice of the little things he does, the more you fall in love with his character. I wouldn’t really say he developed a lot in the store, I mean we did find out the causes to some of his actions, but he stayed the same lovable man. I think he will be well adored.

Heroine Rating: Lana Parker is a <b> 3 star</b> heroine. She is kind of naive for a 30 year old woman, but she has her reasons. Lana definitely develops throughout the story. She is kind of a mess in the beginning. We learn a lot about her in the book and I felt like everything about her character and her past was really well represented.

Triggers: Not really. Slight neglect/abandonment issues. Light manipulation (not from Hero or Heroine0

Diversity: Yes. Multiple POC.

Spice Level: 1/5

SO. DAMN. CUTE. I read Falon Ballard's debut Lease on Love last year when it came out and adored it. I knew that Ballard was going to be a must read author for me. Thrilled to get this ARC to say the least. I loved this story so much. I absolutely ate up Lana, Seth, and their story. I think both characters had really good growth and the tropes littered throughout this novel were really well placed. I wasn't ever bored and I was constantly looking forward to see how they did at completing their list items for each other. The story itself with the romance was really special. I look forward to more of Ballard's writing in the future.