I usually enjoy a fake dating romance however this one didn't  seem to do it for me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it didn't suck me in the way I would have liked. I liked the main characters, Will and Lexi, however, everything between them just felt very rushed. I loved the meet and the random "this is my fiancé" introduction that sparked their relationship, but everything after that felt fake, and not because it was, but because it happened so fast. Will fell in love with Lexi in less than a month, within days he knew she was the one.. it was very, unreal. I also despised Lexi's mother. I understand grief can be difficult to deal with, but she just seemed immature and unwilling to progress and move on. Also, the cover is a bit misleading. I thought it would've been more seasonal and fall-like, but it wasn't. I did love the family dynamic - Will's sisters were wonderful, and I loved how open and accepting they were.
Overall, I'd say this is an alright read and will do great when presented to its targeted audience, but unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sophie Sullivan for this ARC.

🩷 Can’t Help Falling In Love ARC Review 🩷

Thank you so much to Sophie Sullivan and St Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book

Can’t Help Falling in Love is a standalone contemporary romance. Alexandria is trying to juggle everything - college classes, life, and a waitress job that she’s honestly not very good at. But when one of her customers is a charming man named Will, they both unexpectedly end up in a fake relationship

Overall this was a fun read. I enjoyed Will as a character and liked him a lot in this story. I felt like Lexi was kind of shallow and fixated too much on how others viewed her. She lacked confidence and only got herself together after meeting a man, which isn’t my personal favorite because I like characters to be strong on their own. But this is absolutely a “me” issue and not a book issue

Overall this was a three star read for me. I liked the general story but the female MC just wasn’t my favorite. This book did have a few potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. While this book did have a romantic plot, it was a bit of a slow burn and there wasn’t any on page spice so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance with fake dating and fun banter, then absolutely pick this one up!

In this book we meet Lexi who is trying to get to goals she puts on herself. We take a journey through her life as much of a hot mess express as it might be that winds up tail spin into a fake engagement with Seattle’s most eligible bachelor. We meet a variety pack of colorful characters and get our happily ever after in the end. I loved the fact that part of the focus was on how hard it is to give ourselves grace when it is so easy to be our own worst enemies. Read this book if you need a reminder to take a chance at loving ourselves and allowing others to love you as you actually deserve. Thank you Netgallery, St Martin’s Griffin, and Sophie Sullivan for picking me to be an arc reader for this book.

This is the perfect book for fall! It was cute and fun and I really enjoyed reading it. Lexi had been through a lot and was just looking for some fun. She had zero interest in making any commitments let alone being engaged! From their meet-cute on I couldn’t help but root for these two.

I really loved Will. He was so sweet and charming supportive and really encouraged Lexi. They had great chemistry great together and I loved their dates. The banter throughout the story was great!

✨What to Expect:
💖Romantic Comedy
💍Fake Engagement
🧡Opposites Attract
💙He Falls First
🔥Slow Burn
💚Anxiety Rep
🍁Fall Vibes
🍎Apple Picking

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Sophie Sullivan for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story is a light exploration of how our past makes us and it's up to us how we move forward- for better or worse.

For the season readers- this is a perfect choice to read in the fall.

Sophie did an amazing job delivering chemistry, tension and desire with a closed door. I'm fond of an open door but love a closed door done this way!

This was my first Sophie Sullivan read but will not be my last.

This was a sweet and quick read!

Will is an absolute dreamboat, who won't let Lexi utter a single negative thing about herself. The man asked her if she has allergies before feeding her candy okay!!!! Lexi is a little lost and a lot sad and I related to her a lot. It's a lot to have to look at ourselves and be okay with who we've become and who we still are changing into as we get older. Sophie Sullivan delivered a gut punch with that, let me tell you.

Overall I just had a good time reading it and that's what I'm here for you, you know?

Thank you, SMG and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lexi is a server at a popular restaurant in town, and she it bad at it. One day, serving tables a comedy of errors results in her leaving with a man she was serving to save face in front of old friends. How that leads to a fake engagement, she may never know, but now it seems like her and Will should give it a shot to date, while being fake engaged.

Lexi was likeable and relatable without being a too over the top “I’m not like the other girls” caricature I dislike in romcoms. Will was dreamy and swoon worthy. I enjoyed the complex family relationships on each side, giving h the characters and the story more depth.

Cute, exactly what was needed for a fun and simple rom com.

Sullivan does it again!
Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan was a beautifully written story.
So I’m a big time fan of her writing and she just proved again why that is!
A wholesome rom-com with a swoony romance full of heart and humor!
The author has a very smooth way of telling the story. I liked the way that the story was presented.
Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it.
An absolute delight to read!

This was such a cute, swoon-worthy rom-com! I loved the main characters (I am now a Will stan!), the fall setting, the plot, the everything! Lexi and Will’s chemistry was undeniable and the way it was Will’s mission to build her up just made me fall even more in love with him. Also, if you love some good banter like I do that makes you giggle, kick and blush? This is the book for you!

It does touch on dealing with spouse/parent grief so please keep that in mind, but I definitely recommend checking this out!

4.5 ⭐️

Can't Help Falling in Love was so much more than I was expecting! This fake dating, friends-to-lovers story was so heartwarming!

Lexi Danby's life has not gone the way she wanted. She had to drop out of college, leaving behind a track scholarship and her dreams, when her father passes away and a mountain of debt is left for his family. Lexi puts her life on hold to help keep money in the bank and food on the table for her grieving mother.

While working as a waitress, a job she isn't the best at, but it puts money in the bank, she meets a handsome stranger that takes her lack of waitressing skills in stride. He rolls with it when she messes up his order and spills a drink on him. Not only that, but he steps in and helps her save face with her high school friends when she's put in a tough position. Lexi identifies Will as her boyfriend during the exchange and this ends up leading to an invitation to an engagement party.

Unbeknownst to Lexi, Will is a sought after bachelor and a member of Seattle's elite. When a misunderstanding at the party ends up in a gossip column saying the two are engaged, things take a very different turn! Pretending to be engaged is a win-win for both of them; it gets Will's matchmaking mother off his back and for Lexi, it saves her reputation with her friends. Will these two end up feeling more than friendship as they spend time together? Will it end up being anything but fake?

I enjoyed this and how it played out. It showed that just because you are from different walks of life, love and chemistry know no bounds and it is possible to find your person when you least expect it. I'd highly recommend this one!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This was the perfect fall romance to start my Fall TBR with! I really enjoy her writing. This was my first time reading a book written by this author and I loved it. I already added more of her books to my TBR. I found Lexi and Will’s love story to be so endearing. They were both relatable characters. I love fake dating in my romance books but the way this was written was different from the other ones that I’ve read in the past, but in a good way. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I think if you love fall and fake dating that this is a MUST read. Sophie’s character was so independent, caring and genuine. One of my favorite female MC characters I’ve read in a while. The part of the story that dealt with grief (especially her mother) was written so well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I was looking forward to reading Can’t Help Falling in Love due to the promise of a cute plot that reminded me of another romance I really loved. And while it was a charming story, I was left feeling like I continued to read something in between a plot blurb and a book. While Lexi, our female main character, was both someone to admire for her strength and want to root for as she learns to trust her heart again, and Will, our male main character was charming and a good guy, it seemed all the things we would want to know about them were explored at a high level. This also extended to their quick fall into love relationship.

Please don’t mistake me, this is adorable. But it didn’t hit the chords I was looking for which is so disappointing because if it had spent just a bit more time going deeper in certain areas, this could easily have become a classic in the romantic comedy genre.

I wanted to love it!! It just felt rushed to me! 🤷🏼‍♀️ it was a cute premise, I just wanted more!

Thank you for allowing me to read and review!

A modern day Cinderella story featuring a struggling waitress who begins a fake engagement with Seattle's most eligible wealthy man all the while trying not to fall in love. Lexi Danby is not where she thought she'd be in life by now, her great athletic career is over and she never finished school, now she's just struggling to even be a good waitress. When her terrible waitressing lands her in the path of a charming and handsome stranger named Will the last thing she expects is that she'd have him fake being her boyfriend because her old highschool friends came to her cafe and she was too embarrassed to admit she's a waitress. Will is the heir to a large company and considered Seattle royalty. He's single and by far one of the most eligible bachelors. Will needs to land an important merger with a company that values family above all and to put on a good show of faith he needs the perfect fake engagement to convince his business partners he's the man for them. Yet the more time Will and Lexi spend together the more they begin a casual relationship... yet as fall is in season so is the fact that they are both falling for one another in real life. Unfortunately this book just didn't feel work for me, while it had a cute fake dating trope I just didn't feel the chemistry at all between the two characters. The romance just didn't feel allt hat much there for me and I didn't really connect with it. I really wanted to love it because it was fall themed and i adore fall, but I just felt like the characters were just so immature for their ages. Lexi was so concerned about high school people when she's in her late 20s and is a literal working woman, come on now. Maybe it's a case of "its me not you" but I just didn't really enjoy this and wanted to DNF it so much. I do think that maybe it'll be a great read for someone else who enjoys simple romances with a touch of fall!

Release Date: September 17,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I couldn't help falling in love with Lexi and Will

A big thanks to NetGalley for giving me the experience, because that's what it was an opportunity to AR this book.

This was such a fun fall read and fake engagement story. I seriously recommend you add for when it comes out September 17th!

Lexi down on her luck working multiple jobs to finally finish her business degree meets Will why serving him at one of her many jobs (she is self proclaimed worst waitress ever)

Will always doing what is expected of him by his family is hard working and focused on his family's super successful business (Dubbed the Price and Most Eligible bachelor of Seattle), when he's not pushing back on his mother to stop trying to set him up. He is instantly interested in a beautiful but clumsy and forgetful waitress at his favorite lunch spot. Who knew that it would turn out to help both of them when something funny happens and Lexi is his fake fiancee later that day.

I loved Will and Lexi's ups and downs and how the relationship developed. How they helped each other deal with the struggles they had emotionally and with family members. Experiencing many firsts. It was a flip where the MMC is all in and fall first and MFC is anti commitment and afraid to fall in love.

3.5

I must say I really liked this story. Will is a walking green flag and I really liked his character ! I also liked Lexi and related to her on some points. The themes underneath the romance are great and really added depth to the story.

This is a close door romance and I didn’t mind it.

I know I was reading an uncorrected copy so I hope it will be changed but 2 things really bothered me and took me out of the story.

1. A the beginning of the book Lexi says that her favorite colo is amaranth. She even specifies that it’s a reddish pink. Later on, while talking to Will she tells him that it’s blue. But those two colors aren’t even close !

2. At an other moment, the author wrote “ Danielle had e-transferred her this morning after picking up her father’s tools. She said they’d make a great gift for her husband and had even given Lexi a bit extra as neither of them had change and she said it was such a great deal.” But if you e-transfer money, you can send the exact amount you want, you don’t need change ?!

Thank you to the author, the publishing House and Net Galley for this ARC.

This is honestly just such a sweet book about falling in love and learning to love oneself, whatever life’s journey looks like.

THOUGHTS 💭
🍁 The meet cute was… well, cute! A terrible waitress and the cute customer who saves her.
🍁 Lexi is charmingly persistent. She keeps pushing forward, even though life hasn’t been easy for her the last few years.
🍁 Will starts out as a methodical and seemingly unromantic character, but Lexi changes him; he turns into the sweetest MMC. 🥹
🍁 The characters are quick-witted and funny! They had so many good one-liners that I found myself giggling throughout the book.
🍁 What starts as a fake engagement between strangers turns into a real relationship. I love a good fake dating/engagement/marriage scheme!

Thanks so much to Sophie Sullivan and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5.

I really enjoyed reading this story and the pace of the story felt fast. While it wasn't rushed, I think I definitely would have enjoyed more of a slow-burn. I didn't pick up that vibe as the main characters had an instant attraction to each other and fell right into the romance - which was a nice change from all the books I typically read. This book brings a lot of tropes into play, the biggest obviously being fake-dating but it has many others such as the rich guy/poor girl (Pretty Woman) trope.

Ultimately, what brings me to the rating I gave this book, was just my selfish want for more drama or even bringing in little more of the longing for each other/angsty vibes. I think that would have seasoned this story and would have made it more of a four or five star rating. This is just a personal opinion, of course, and other readers might not want that and find it perfect the way it is!

Definitely a nice beach read kinda book and would recommend it to others!

I wanted so badly to like this book because it sounded so cute. But I wanted to dnf so many times. It felt very rushed, the writing and story were all over the place. The main characters didn’t have good chemistry. Also it was weird how obsessed with high school the MFC was. I’m giving it 2 stars because I didn’t dnf and I liked the mom and daughter relationship.

Yes! Fake engagement turns real. Grief turns to amazing strength. Picking yourself up after life hits you again and again, that resilience makes finding yourself and true love worth it.

This was a great read, there was a small hiccup in the love story but it was well done! Closed door (fade to black) too. Sophie knows how to hook someone in. Couldn't put it down and definitely would recommend to romance readers. I loved how she dropped some titles and authors in there, put new books in my TBR!