I will read anything Sophie writes! I love her writing style, and this one did not disappoint. In fact, it might be my favorite so far. Lexi is juggling work, school, and family. Will appears to have his life together, but he’s missing one thing. A committed relationship. They fall into a fake engagement, and then decide to see where it goes. These two opposites discover feelings they never expected, and have to decide if a life together is worth it. With real-life dilemmas, supportive friends, and family drama, this love story is one I’ll not soon forget. I can’t wait for more from Sophie Sullivan!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This is a cute, closed door romance story that was the perfect weekend read for me. I loved the slow burn romance as well as the slow reawakening of the female MC's confidence. This 2 POV story left me smiling. Sullivan has now become one of my must-read romance authors.

What a cute read!

Lexi Danby's life is a juggling act. After dropping out of college to take care of her mom, she's trying to make ends meet and finish school.

She meets Will Grand, a handsome stranger who just might be the distraction she needs. But their first date turns into a fake engagement.

This book was a super cute and easy read! I loved the fake dating trope and the slow-burn romance between Lexi and Will.

Their relationship was sweet and fun to watch unfold!

If you love fake dating and slow-burn romance, this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author Sophie Sullivan for letting me read along with reviewing this advanced readers copy. This was a three star heartfelt romance read that releases Tuesday September 17th 2024. This was the first book I have read by the author Sophie Sullivan and really enjoyed this novel Can't Help Falling In Love. The chemistry between Lexi and Will was great, with these two coming from growing up opposite then the other it's interesting how different they are; along with how it's shaped the two main characters.

📖 3.5 ⭐️ All-around this book is really sweet and easy to get wrapped up in. I really enjoyed Will and Lexi’s story. I enjoyed the depth of the characters and their backstories and felt the author did a great job seamlessly intertwining their stories together.

I took a half star off for the overuse of the word “bestie.” Had Sullivan used it with such vigor for the entirety of the book like she did in the first 20% I truly would not have finished it. We get it, they are best friends! After the first 7 times it is said, it just becomes cringy.

My only other critique is the sped in which they fixed their issues. I feel like the drama was a little unnecessary, but I understand why it was written the way it was.

Despite my issues with the writing, it really would make for a fun, cozy Fall read!

Thank you to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story felt so wholesome! I loved the fall PNW vibes and the main character Lexi was a track and field athlete! I was surprised by how quick and into the story I became, although fake dating is always a favorite trope of mine! I really enjoyed the friendships and family relationships in the story as well. But the best part is how fantastic Will is. Definitely looking into other Sophie Sullivan books now!

Pros: The characters, the trope, the banter, the plot.
Cons: Lack of tension, flimsy ending, horribly placed F-bombs.
Bottom line: This could have been SO much better! But it wasn't.

You can’t help falling in love with this book! There’s nothing that makes me smile more than a love story with engaging writing, amazing characters, and a beautiful plot.

Lexi is trying to make ends meet while working two jobs and going to college, and Will is dealing with the pressures of the family business. When Lexi and Will make a deal to concoct a fake relationship to help each other out, in no time their attraction becomes much more than they bargained for.

Will and Lexi are an unlikely couple who are easy to like and root for. From the start, they have a comfortable companionship making each other laugh and championing their strengths through life’s ups and downs. Will is kind, charming, and intoxicating with his amazing compliments and breathless intimate moments that made my knees weak. Lexi’s imperfections and struggles add depth to her character, making her journey all the more compelling. Overall, their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, creating a balance that is a joy to witness.

Ms. Sullivan’s writing is superb from the adorable meet-cute to the slow-burn fake relationship where they actually take the time to get to know each other. Sullivan is also a master at creating engaging supporting characters who complemented the protagonists and connected with this reader.

I highly recommend this memorable heartwarming romantic story with an adorable couple, a beautiful setting in Seattle, and a delightful happy ever after.

Thank you to Ms. Sullivan for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

i really liked wills characters he was rally a sweet heart.the story it's self was just heart warming.the chemistry between them is so good .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

3.5 stars
The meet cute was perfect! Great way to begin the story. I loved Will immediately and could picture him like I was watching him on film. There was a lot of humor and I loved Maisie and the sisters. I wish Lexi's mom, Gwen, hadn't been such a big part of the story. Her character really brought things down, and I get why she was the way she was, but it went on for too long. Also, and this is a pet peeve in any book, a child is not responsible for a parent's debts when the parent dies. Yet this is such a big part of Lexi's back story, and sure, it's fiction, but again, that dragged down the emotions and took me right out of the story. I wish that time had been spent on Lexi and Will. And for two people who are such hard workers (which is mentioned numerous times), they sure don't seem to work all that much. The part about Lexi taking classes could be removed from the story altogether - she talks about having to interview someone and having a paper due, but we don't see any of that. The two of them seem to manage a lot of time together, which is great for the story, but opposite of how they're described. I would recommend this but I was a little disappointed.

Can't Help Falling in Love is the story of Lexi and Will and has a fake dating trope. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy. Lexi and Will meet by chance when she is waiting tables at a Seattle restaurants, and he ends up at her table. They hit it off and end up in a fake dating then fake engagement situation. Their feelings grow and they end up wanting to be in an actual relationship. I liked this book due to the character's chemistry. Sullivan develops both characters well, and the story is really touching. There are some serious themes in the book, such as family conflict, grief and mental health issues. I really loved Lexi's character and her independence. The book took me a while to get through, but I enjoyed it overall.

Oh my heart! I loved Lexi and Will’s story.

Fake dating engagement is a favorite trope and this was very well done. Lexi and her mom’s grief journey added a layer of complexity, helped by Will’s empathy and care for both women.

In addition to the swoony and sweet romance, there were several excellent side characters - Will’s sisters, grandparents and best friend, and Lexi’s best friend and rediscovered childhood friends. Really hoping there will be interconnected books to come!

This book reminded me of the stories that got me hooked on books, with a simple but enjoyable plot with a female protagonist with whom many of us can identify and a dreamy male protagonist, I recommend to those looking for a quick and sweet romance read.

3.5 rounded up

Lexi is not where she thought she'd be in life, struggling and waitressing. When her perfect friends from high school walk into her work, she panics and tells them shes seeing the random guy at a table. The random guy, Will, goes along with it, and they get invited to a party. At the party, they are introduced as fiancés and the press gets wind of it, for Will is the Batchelor of a big family business. The news is published the next day. Instead of retracting the fake news, Will and Lexi decide to date in disguise. The engagement might be fake, but Wills' feelings are fast and real. Can these feelings Lexi feel real, or is she too afraid to fall.

Very cute and cozy fall romance. I can't help but fall in love with Will, too. He was just so kind and genuine. It was very romantic and I enjoyed it. There were some parts of the book that skipped full events and went to the next day, or even a few days later, which I didn't like.

Kissing only, closed door
Meet Cute
Fake dating
He falls first

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this and honestly review it.

DNF. Ugh, I wanted to like this one (that cover😍)! Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. I think the instalove ruined this book for me. I wanted more of a build-up between Lexi and Will. I also thought it was strange that Lexi and Will didn't correct everyone when they assumed they were engaged. Overall, I just couldn't get past the slow pace and instalove. Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unfortunately this is a DNF at 30%. I'm unable to relate or find myself wanting to continue to read about the characters. I will try and pick it up another time perhaps.

This is my first time reading one of Sophie Sullivan's books and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice twist on the fake dating trope. I find a lot of times when that normally happens in a book the FMC is shown as too quirky for others to get her and that's why she's single. This story didn't play into that direction and instead created a very likeable and relatable character in Lexi.

This is very much a closed door romance but with moments that made me laugh out loud as well as cry. I'm curious to check out Sophie's other works to see if I enjoy them as much as I did this one.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Sophie Sullivan for allowing me to read a Net Galley ARC of her upcoming book, Can’t Help Falling in Love, which will be available on September 17th, 2024.

Lexi Danby is struggling with jobs (including figuring out how to be a good waitress), finishing school, paying bills, and taking care of her mother who mourns the loss of Lexi’s father at home. During one of her shifts at a diner, she meets a handsome and charismatic stranger named Will, but after their first date, rumor spreads that they are engaged. It doesn’t help that Will is a Grand, a part of one of Seattle’s richest families that owns and works at a successful company. Lexi and Will agree to fake their engagement, but soon Will’s feelings for her are real. Can Will learn to openly defy his family’s expectations? Will Lexi decide falling in love is worth the risk of heartbreak?

This book was fantastic. You have Lexi, who is an ambitious, intelligent, stressed, wonderful young woman that cares about her loved ones. You have Will, who is charming, funny, and determined to stay true to his grandfather’s legacy. I loved the banter between Will and Lexi, not to mention the interactions between the main characters, Will’s siblings, and Maisie. I did appreciate the topics that were woven throughout the book, whether falling in love was worth the potential of loss, expanding financial profit over maintaining moral values, people’s views of themselves versus theirs of other people’s etc. None of the characters were perfect, but none of them were evil either. I loved watching the characters’ development throughout the story. Overall, if you like humor, great sibling and friend dynamics, wonderful discussions about vulnerability, healthy communication, sweet romance with a bit of spice, then I would highly recommend this book. Here’s the link for more information: Can't Help Falling in Love: A Novel - Kindle edition by Sullivan, Sophie. Contemporary Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

Imagine dreamland billionaires by Lauren Asher and Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez had a baby…but make it a very lucrative small family business and the characters lack depth to some degree. I don’t know what it was about this book for me but I just couldn’t connect to the MMC. A lot of effort was put into the impact of Lexi’s dad’s death on her and her mom, but that same effort wasn’t put into Will’s story. We get glimpses of his parents being complete buttholes but not a lot of insight into how Will’s upbringing impacted his life or shaped him into the man he is. Idk. It was missing something and everything wrapped up too neatly at the end for me. Will’s parents were jerks and magically his mother goes from the devil wears Prada to a completely understanding/doting angel of a mother in the span of 5 seconds. Lexi’s mom is suddenly done grieving her late husband and ready to start flirting with someone else after living as a hermit for the last few years and rotting away from her grief. This was not a bad read but overall I just wanted Will to feel like a real person and not some storybook Prince Charming with no real depth.

3.75⭐️

this was such a fun & adorable read!! it was a perfect light read for me to dive into before bed. i loved the relationship between lexi and will.

if you love fake dating/engagement then you will definitely love reading this story. will also gives of he fell first and harder vibes

big thanks to netgalley for sending me the arc!