I’m really getting into these cute and cozy romances lately. This was my first Sophie Sullivan book and it did not disappoint. I really liked this book for exactly what it is!

Lexi and Will are both written with depth, and I just adore Will, especially when things start to get messy with the engagement. With Lexi, I’m sort of in her shoes and had an easy time relating to her.

There’s more to this book than just meet-cute and fake dating tropes. It’s a story that tackles the healing process with grace and realism.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

i loved the way that will and lexi connected and they were great for each other. this book was so sweet and i loved will and lexi's relationship.
the fake dating trope was amazing and i loved the way they pulled it off.
this was the perfect fall read and sophie sullivan is a great author!

thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read this magical story!
*all thoughts and opinions are my own

This book was a great fall romance read! It was heartfelt, delightful, and fun.

Tropes: Fake dating, meet-cute, friends-to-lovers

I love the way this book made the romance feel so real and cozy, and yet gracefully tackling the tough topics of grief and healing. It was a great way to add depth to the story while also doing so beautifully. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs.

Overall I felt like this one was done well and is the prefect cozy romance for the colder weather that's been approaching!

This cute and sweet romance was exactly what I needed to start my ‘cozy’ fall reading ☺️The characters were very loveable and their story simply heartwarming.

Lexi is a college student whose father passed away recently, which made her “pause” her life to take care of her grieving mom and try to make ends meet. During her waitressing part-time job, and with her “clumsy skills”, she meets a handsome man in the funniest of ways 🤭

Will happens to be the heir to a huge company and Seattle’s most eligible bachelor… but she doesn’t know it yet!

Until … they are seen together and one thing leads to another and they find themselves in a “fake” relationship.

I appreciated that there was no extra drama in this story, and that Will and Lexi genuinely wanted to get to know each other: they had cute swoony moments and were always there for each other.

I loved that other topics were involved, like grief and healing from losing a loved one. Also Will’s relationship with his sisters and how they welcomed Lexi into the family.

This was my first book by Sophie Sullivan and I want to read more by her ☺️

🤎𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
-meet cute
-fake engagement
-grief & healing
-found family
-funny moments
-cozy vibes

Lexi Danby had been on a track scholarship in college when her father passed away. She left the track and her dreams of an education behind to take care of her mother and get rid of some of their debt. Fast forward a few years and Lexi is still taking care of her mother, but she’s taking college courses again to finish up the last few credits she needs to earn her degree, while working a second job as a waitress to help make ends meet.

She admits that her waitressing skills could use some fine tuning. She’s waiting on Will who is dining by himself whilst reading a book when her high school best friends seat themselves in her zone. The idea of them realizing she’s waitressing while they appear to have their lives together is more than Lexi can handle. Before she realizes what’s happening, she and Will have been invited to a party.

Will convinces Lexi it will be fun to attend the party, but the charade gets out of hand before they have a chance to correct it. Suddenly people assume they’re “engaged”. Lexi doesn’t realize that Will is heir to a major company until news of their “engagement” lands in the gossip column stating that Will is no longer single. Will’s tight knit family are upset that they heard about it in the press before they heard it from him.

Lexi and Will decide not to correct the error and to see where dating may take them. Will Lexi fall for Will for real?


I’ve loved every Sophie Sullivan book that I’ve read to date, and this was no exception. It was a great fall rom com!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #CantHelpFallinginLove

2.5 ✨ If you truly love Hallmark movies and those cheesy Christmas movies that come out on Netflix every year, this may be for you. Switch out Christmas for Fall and Can’t Help Falling in Love is right on brand. Truth be told, if I wasn’t super committed to my book reviews, I would’ve DNF’d this. 80% into the book, someone finally says the obvious “You worry too much about what other people think.” That is Lexie’s POV the entire time in a nutshell. Plus “maybe there is life after high school.” 8 years later discovering this while also trying to fall in love . . . what a time. Nothing to say about the MMC, he’s just there lol.

Also #JusticeForGwen, I understood her way more than Lexie if we’re being honest.

*Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Such a cute, quick romcom read! Fake dating is always such a fun trope and I loved how Sophie approached it with Lexi and Will's relationship. I'll definitely be picking up more of her books in the future!

This book is a cute love story from the start. Lexi is relatable and funny from the start - a waitress with no experience just trying to do what she can for a few extra bucks to take care of her mother ends up in a bit of a pickle when her high school friends show up at her job. Will, a knight who happens to be there to help Lexi in any way, saves the day with his smooth talking and general goodness. He fell for her right from the jump, and it was cute to watch him grow into these feelings. They were exactly what the other person needed. Between the funny and endearing moments, it was as if a few walls were broken down in this book. I enjoyed watching these characters grow through their fake engagement and develop into true love.

Thank you to Sophie Sullivan, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This cute fall romance was perfect for fall! This was a cute fake dating closed door romance. I’d recommend!

The way that a little mistake turns into night of pretend only to become a huge lie that our two characters play out is so fun! Lexi comes from basically nothing working her butt off for her mother while Will is CFO of a company his family owns. Their worlds couldn't be different and yet they find each other in a restaurant where Lexi is waitering. Cute, cozy story for a cozy season.

Personally I thought this was going to be a cozy romance to get me excited for those pumpkin spice lattes. However, I tried to pick up the book again after about 20% and could not get into it. There’s nothing about this book that’s up to the part from any other romance book and I feel like I’ve read this plot over and over and over again. I wish there was something that made the main characters special. Also did not give heavy ball vibes like advertised.

Good character development but the author concentrated too much on the heroines insecurities. The chemistry was there but this book was too vanilla. Reading this you expect some love scenes but there are just glossed over moments. This is a good one for those that want a cozy romance with very little spice. I was a bigger fan of the authors previous book "Love, Naturally."

The quintessential fall read. loved the writing, characters, and story. Can't wait to read more by Sophie.

I’ve loved every book I’ve read from Sophie Sullivan and this is no different! The way she’s able to give each character an emotional depth within the story is amazing!!

Sophie Sullivan has delivered another heartwarming romance with Can't Help Falling in Love!! The story follows Juliet, a hardworking woman focused on running her family business, and Noah, a charming firefighter with a heart of gold. Their paths cross unexpectedly, sparking a romance filled with both sweet and tender moments as they navigate the obstacles of balancing love and their personal responsibilities.

As a longtime fan of Sophie Sullivan, I was excited to dive into this book. The chemistry between Juliet and Noah is genuine and heartwarming, and their journey to love felt refreshingly real. That being said, the only drawback for me was the writing style. At times, it felt a bit stilted, which made the dialogue less natural than I would have liked. While the plot and characters were engaging, the style occasionally pulled me out of the story. However, this is a minor issue in an otherwise delightful read.

The book was very feel-good, though I don't know if it stands out to me. I would definitely pick it up for a re-read sometime, though. Overall, Can't Help Falling in Love is another charming book from Sophie Sullivan, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

What starts as Lexi and Will pretending to date to avoid Lexi's former friends finding out she hasn't lived up to everyone's expectations, quickly turns into a fake engagement as the situation gets out of their control.

I had a lot of trouble getting into this story. I felt like the story was too slow and the romance was too fast, and it just didn't work for me.

I thought I was diving into a cozy fall romance with this one, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. The story didn’t have the cozy fall vibes I was expecting at all, and as I kept reading, I began to wonder if maybe I’m just not the type who enjoys a straightforward romance without much else going on. I need more than just romance to hold my attention, and this book fell short.

The main character’s immaturity was frustrating, and there was little to no chemistry between her and the male lead. Their entire fake dating setup was shaky from the beginning—there was no strong reason to keep up the ruse, yet somehow, the plot insisted on dragging it out.

One thing I couldn’t overlook was how often the book harped on her being “just a waitress.” It felt unnecessarily repetitive and almost insulting, as if her job was a huge source of shame. And her obsession with her high school years? It made no sense for someone in her mid-20s to still be so hung up on being popular and athletic back then. Not to mention her attitude towards her mom felt overly dramatic, considering her mom was grieving the loss of her husband.

There were also several plot threads that seemed to go nowhere. Her best friend’s relationship with Ethan? Barely touched on. Her running hobby, which she started again and then… crickets. And the situation with her father’s debt felt like it was going to be significant but never really came together. It all made the story feel disjointed, with too many loose ends left dangling.

And then there’s the lack of chemistry. The romance felt flat, dry, and unconvincing, which made it hard to care about their relationship at all. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the cozy fall romance I had hoped for—it was a slog to finish, and if it weren’t for my Bookstagram bingo boards, I might not have.

I thought this book was real cute! Continuously making me smile. A bit too instalovey and unbelievable but kinda had to suspend my beliefs. I enjoyed the heartfelt moments between Lexi and her mom the most. I wrote a review post on my Bookstagram which I have linked down below.

I received a complimentary e-galley on NetGalley from St Martins Press.

This was a sweet little fall romance with enough autumn vibes to be perfect for October. Will and Lexi were fun together, and<spoiler>I really wanted more of the romance subplot with Gwen.</spoiler> The overall flow seemed a little muddled though, with some weird continuity errors and pacing issues in certain scenes, more so than even expected for an advance copy.

This book had be from the beginning! I loved the way the story started and how it fully had me locked in from the start to the ending. I truly dont know how I lived my life before reading this book. If you love a good story, you will love this book!