This book was very cute and enjoyable but nothing special.

The main characters, Rosie & Mitch, were both adorable. Especially Mitch. Their miscommunication for so many years, while understandable, seemed so silly in the end. They're both adults, in professional jobs, yet they can't be honest with each other??

It all comes together in the end, of course, but I think so much more could've been done with the story and characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In Eleanor Goymer's delightful romantic comedy, "The Fallback," the lines between friendship and love blur for Rosie and Mitch as they navigate a unique pact to find their soulmates. This charming novel is a perfect read for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella, offering a whirlwind of emotions and plenty of laughs

This was a friends to lovers story. Although the book is well written and I liked the author’s style I and not sure I connected with the two leads enough to get invested in their love story. More interactions between them through the story would have probably sold me on it. 3 🌟

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were very complex and the setting was gorgeous. I loved the little details, to me they really make the story. I would definitely recommend!

dnf 39% in and then skimmed the ending.

Nothing happened. The 114 pages I read could easily have been cut down to 60. It might just be me being too impatient for this book, idk. 39% in and Rosie still have not gone on a date with someone. Everything just dragged, it was way too slow paced for me. I usually don’t have a problem with owd or omd but if one of the mc’s sleep with someone else? Immediately no. And I’m not sure about this since I didn’t keep reading but it seemed like the mmc had sex with someone else 40% in. If it get’s worse? No idea.

I did not like Mitch at all. He didn’t pay any attention to the fmc, what she wanted or what she said. How she reacted to things he said went completely unnoticed by him. He assumed she wanted a child even though she’d never said she does. He didn’t know things about her he should have known as her best friend of many years. His personality was that of an overeager puppy trying every trick in the book to get the piece of candy.

Rosie was a moron. Like the most insanely stupid and selfish person ever. You’re telling me a grown woman considers having a baby with her best friend just so they’ll always have some sort of relationship? My girl is not even sure she wants kids. EVER. Willingly having a baby you don’t even know whether you want or not is so absurd I don’t even know what to say.

I was not a fan of this. It was well written though.

I really enjoyed The Fallback! I love friends-to-lovers romances and this was a sweet one. Rosie and Mitch's story is heartwrenching and heartwarming in turns and I enjoyed the ride,

I was very excited for the idea of this book, of friends being a fallback for each other if they can’t find love. I loved the setting of academia and the unique things that come along with being a woman in STEM. The stories of the friendships and family dynamics were enjoyable and well written. Unfortunately I really struggled to get through this book. Maybe it’s because I’ve never wistfully pined over someone or maybe the main characters weren’t written in a way to make me invested in liking them, or wanting to root for them, but it fell flat. Good enough for a light read if you know going in it’s not going to be the best book you read this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins / UK for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for a "backup plan"...ever since My Best Friend's Wedding with Julia Roberts I've loved this idea and notion that people make these plans and some even follow through on them...at least in our beloved fictional realm!

This was so cute and well executed...I loved it from start to finish.

Cute book. Strangers to lovers to friends to fallback plan. It always takes the something other than the norm to change the situation.Mitch was an instalove kind of guy where Rosie was fine being single. They just needed that push to pull the wool from their eyes. Fun read! Thank you NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

‘The Fallback introduces readers to a friends-to-lovers romance set in London, marking the debut novel for author Eleanor Goymer. The story revolves around scientist Rosie, whose life takes an unexpected turn when her longtime best friend Mitch ‘suggests they become each other’s "fallback" plan, agreeing to have a baby together if they don't find serious relationships by Christmastime. Unbeknownst to Mitch, Rosie harbors secret feelings for him.

I always enjoy reading a story that showcases a woman in STEM, and virologist Rosie, is a good example of this. However, I found that Rosie's recurring self-involvement and lack of professional confidence became frustrating over time. Conversely, Mitch's role as the one longing for a child provides an interesting twist, although his increasingly pushy behaviour when it came to this raises questions about his character and overall I found him to be quite unlikable.

The love story between Rosie and Mitch kicks off with a charming meet-cute in a London pub. Despite this promising start, the chemistry between them is lacking, leading to a slow-burn romance that feels rushed in its conclusion. Additionally, the abundance of miscommunication and withheld information between the best friends was a consistent theme throughout – this is not a favourite trope for me.

Overall ‘The Fallback’ had a solid premise with the potential to be a compelling story, however the execution falls short of expectations. Despite this, the novel offers a cute and easy read for those seeking a light-hearted romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for this eARC.

The Fallback is an entertaining read that I really enjoyed and would recommend to others who enjoy friends to lovers romances. The two main characters Rosie and Mitch have such a great dynamic that has you wishing they would stop dating other people and just be together already!

The fallback by Eleanor Goymer is about Rosie and Mitch, two best friends that make a pact to have a baby together if they are not in a happy relationship by Christmas. It was interesting that they had reversed roles, he was the one who wanted to settle down and have a family and she was the one unsure about what she wanted.
Every story about unreciprocated love is devastating and this one was no different. What was more heartbraking was the fact that they actually loved each other and that they lost all that time not knowing. Their story hit different after watching One Day.
They were a little bit immature for thirty something years old adults. The miscommunication trope is something I don’t really enjoy and they had been doing that for 10 years witch is very saddening. And also their use of the silent treatment shows that they aren‘t good at expressing their feelings and emphasizes the fact that they are immature.
But overall it was a fun read.
Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early!

I really enjoyed this story. The main characters had great chemistry and you could tell from the beginning they were meant for each other.

The journey they went on with Mitch having numerous girlfriends and Rosie focusing on her career was enjoyable.

The idea that Mitch came up with of them being each others fallback was a bit far fetched with the way he described it but when a female character described it it didn't seem so crazy!

It reminded me of one day which I love and I enjoyed the ending.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as i love reading friends to lovers books usually but I could not help but get put off by Rosies character she was annoying. I was skimming parts because I just could not stay focused on reading. I liked mitchs character and the story was OK. I did think at one point it would be a DNF for me but I'm glad I continued and finished.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a promising debut, but I didn't find myself rooting for the MMC and FMC, and I really don't connect with a "will they or won't they" friends to lovers (maybe it hits too close to home for me?). I did love that the FMC was strong and smart, but found the MMC sometimes played mind games and wasn't authentic or genuine.

I was fascinated by the book description and the concept of having a 'fallback' person. However, I struggled to keep my interest in the story and couldn't find myself liking Rosie nor Mitch. Idea is great, execution fell short.

Mitch and Rosie had a strong friendship and sometimes friends make the best partners. I just felt like Rosie was immature and didnt want to do things for herself. There was lots of miscommunication and I just did not really connect with any of the characters. I did not think the characters were in their 30's with how they were acting.

This is a really cute, swoonworthy debut from Eleanor Goymer. Mitch and Rosie's strong friendship really helped the chemistry between them seem even more real, I loved the push and pull between them and was left feeling really satisfied at the end of the book.
The book itself is really well written and I loved the flashback scenes, I really looked forward to them. Overall, a really great debut! Many thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

At the beginning of this book, I had every feeling that this could give me such a meet cute vibe, of two best friends finding their way to each other. Over time, it began to become a little desperate, the author made Rosie seem so out of reach with society and the fact due to her being in her mid-30s she was too late to start anything including marriage and a family. She has been studying for her PhD in London. who can afford to start a family? not in this climate. How even her best friend continued to pursue the fact she needed to settle down and didn't let up when she expressed her distaste for the idea. I hated Mitch, there was zero romance and didn't begin until the final few chapters. The whole I needed to be with other women to get over you didn't fill the margin for me, it felt distasteful. He was so rude throughout and thought he was it. plus the whole you can have my baby whilst I'm with other people? no thank you.

A thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for an aesthetic cover.

That was about the most this book kept my attention, unfortunately. I did find the concept of this book to be intriguing, but poorly executed in my opinion. It felt childish that the FMC was almost upset with her family for not trying to pry in her personal life, as a 30 something? Felt very strange and immature to me.

This book is fine, just fine. If you need some sort of palate cleanser that you don't mind not feeling invested in, go for it.