Oh man, I loved this one! I was invested from the beginning. There were so many layers to this one, and each one added to another. I loved the authenticity of the characters and found their “flaws” to be relatable. This was delightful!

This book started our very good but then sort of slows down and I lost my initial interest. It was a little far fetched but I guess when you are in love you know it?

After her father passed away Sophie finds herself trying to finish school, be there for her mother and keep them from being financially destitute by working multiple jobs. While working as a waitress she gives Will less than stellar service but rather than being deterred he comes to her rescue and invites her to a night out.

Will’s lifestyle could not be more different from Sophie’s as he tries to prove himself worthy of his place in the family business. He is intrigued by Sophie, so he invites her to an event that he is attending however the evening did not unfold as expected when public perception is that they are a couple. It seems like a win-win for them both but what happens when their hearts get involved?

As Sophie tries to handle all of life’s challenges Will allows her to take a step back and see all that she has accomplished. The romance between them was heartfelt and the story brings both humor and heat.

The perfect and adorable fall read! Apple picking, crisp air, and dress up fun!

I’ve been a huge fan of Sophie Sullivans books, and this one was no exception! I really enjoyed the meet cute between the two main characters, and the hilarity that ensued with their fake engagement. The book also held a fun cast of side characters that I hope we get to see in future books.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

There were a lot of cute things about Can't Help Falling in Love in theory- and I'm always a sucker for a fake dating, or fake engagement plot line. However, the dialogue felt forced and unnatural at times (especially with the secondary characters).

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this lovely ARC!

Lexi is doing her best of finishing up school, working two jobs, and trying to get her mom back into the world after the loss of her husband. While Lexi is working her waitressing job, she sees a handsome man, Will, sitting at one of her tables. You can say there were some sparks of attraction from both. 🙂‍↕️ During this time, she happens to see some old friends from high school walk in and she has to help them. But she doesn’t want them to know she works at this establishment, so she sits with Will. Her friends happen to see her and they catch up and they end up being invited to an engagement party.

During this party, there may or may not have been a mix up and everyone thought they were engaged as well. They just kinda go with the flow, and the aftermath… she finds out he is basically Seattle’s royalty. And his parents do not approve. How will they get out of this mess? Do they even want this “mess” to end? 🤫

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the rom-commy feel, the fall vibes, and it was just a sweet read and perfect for this time of year. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who’s in the mood for a cute fall read. I was even thinking of getting the physical book because I enjoyed it so much. 🥰

Thank you again NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early read!

Lexi Danby’s story hooked me from the start. A struggling waitress juggling her dreams and caring for her grieving mother? I felt every bit of her determination and heart. Plus, her disastrous waitressing moments had me laughing out loud!

Then enters Will Grand, the charming heir to a Seattle dynasty. Their initial chemistry is electric, but when a misunderstanding at a party lands them in a fake engagement, things take a hilariously complicated turn. I loved how their relationship developed amid the chaos—watching them navigate the ups and downs of their charade was pure delight.

The backdrop of fall with cozy flannels, apple picking, and outdoor breweries made the story even more enchanting. Sullivan’s descriptions made me want to dive right into those autumn vibes! The way Lexi grapples with her fears of commitment while trying to keep up with Will’s glamorous world was relatable and heartfelt. Their evolving dynamic is a perfect blend of sweetness and tension.

If you’re looking for a rom-com that captures the magic of fall and the unpredictability of love, this one is a must-read! I finished it with a smile on my face and can’t wait to see what Sophie Sullivan has in store next!

I wanted to love this but it was just very meh. There were moments I was really bought in, and others I wasn't. The story and romance felt rushed and I absolutely hate the "he deserves a better woman" narrative from a FMC so that just did not work for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: N/A, closed door
Tropes: instalove, fake dating/engagement, recovering from grief

When the story begins, Lexi is down on her luck and dropped out of college after her father passed away. However, as a former college athlete she is persistent and works multiple jobs to accomplish her goals. Her job as a waitress at a popular restaurant in Seattle provides the perfect backdrop for her “meet cute” with Will when she repeatedly gets his meal wrong. Not only does he eat the wrong sandwich, but saves her reputation when Lexi runs into her very successful friends from high school by pretending to be her boyfriend. In another easily avoidable mishap, Lexi and Will are accidentally introduced to people as newly engaged. Turns out, this is the turning point for both Lexi and Will.

Will has been identified as “Seattle’s Most Eligible Bachelor” and he’s now able to avoid his mother’s matchmaking attempts. Additionally, Lexi’s life is turned around professionally when she’s introduced to Will’s best friend for a marketing role. Personally, she realizes the need for difficult discussions with her mother surrounding her grief.

Overall, it was a perfectly pleasant read, but not necessarily exciting or riveting. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once I got past the ridiculousness of our main character's waiteressing abilities - I realized that I actually really liked her!! In any sweet story like this with two genuinely nice characters - it's easy to cheer them on even when they don't know they need cheering on yet!!

I also highly like the nuances of a relationship where one person has their life together and the other is still figuring things out. That style of relationship has the potential to quickly become a power struggle, but I really felt like they loved each other in the end and respected each other for their respective strengths!!

**Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own. - SLR

4.5/5


This is literally if someone rewrote Cinderella for the modern day? Will was a sweetheart and def too good to be true. Though it was a closed door book, I really enjoyed it! Their relationship was cute. Hoping to see a book 2 for Ethan! 👀

This is a cute book with the vibes I was looking for. Lexi is making ends meet but not in exactly the way that she wants. She's been working at a local dress shop forever and has recently started waitressing. Lexi will be the first to admit that she's never been good at that job; however, her worst day might be the time she ends up providing terrible service to her cute customer, Will, only to have him rescue her for an embarrassing scene by pretending to be her boyfriend in front of some old school friends of Lexi's.

This fake-dating trope very quickly turns into fake engagement as Will is a beloved bachelor of a prominent family business. When news gets out about their supposed engagement, Will and Lexi decide to just go with it for now. The easy writing in this book makes the story flow. The romance was really sweet while each supported the other as they dealt with their families - Lexi with her grieving, widowed mother and Will with his overbearing parents. There are some found family aspects with Will's sisters and Lexi's newly reunited high school friends. There are discussions around making decisions for yourself instead of your family and what they need. The dual POV really works for this one. I enjoyed getting to know them both inside and out.

If you're looking for a fun, light-hearted romance this is a great one to pick up. I think any lover of the genre would enjoy this book.

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!