Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. I think I'm just not a fan of this authors style. This book didn't make me swoon.

This was an all around adorable read. The characters are lovable and I liked fake engagement vibes. It was a bit slow for me but kept me entertained. I will admit, I had my doubts when I started the book, thinking it was playing a bit too hard into the tropes. But, it surprised me in the best way possible. Lexi is a flawed but lovable character, one that I emphasized so strongly with. The book is poignant and while it remains in the romcom category for the most part, it doesn’t shy away from the messiness of life that includes family issues, grief, and insecurity. I truly loved this book and I think it’ll stick with me for a long time.

SMP Romance eARC
When it comes to Sophie Sullivan, I know I am going to get a book with lots of depth and heart, and this was no different. I liked the exploration of grief, class, familial expectations, and fighting for your future. It was so easy to root for Lexi. While her relationship with her mom was complicated, she always treated her with respect and maturity. I also adored Will. I love how he fell first and how hard he fought for Lexi. His family relationships were complicated and this added great depth to the story. This was so sweet and good, and I can’t wait for her next one!

I really enjoyed Can't Help Falling In Love. It did a great job of showing leads who just really 'click' from the start without feeling like insta-love. Both leads are great and I liked seeing Lexi find the self confidence she lost when her dad died and her mom withdrew from the world. I liked that Will is all in and super supportive of Lexi from the very start. It was great seeing Lexi reconnect with old friends and make new ones too.



ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Expected releae September 17, 2024. This is an unpaid review

This book is such a cute read! Set in the PNW in the fall. This charming story follows Lexi and Will, two unlikely lovers from opposite worlds. He is an heir to a major Seattle company and she is a waitress just trying to muddle her way through life. But when fake dating becomes the easiest way out of a sticky situation the two get more than they bargain for! An absolutely charming read if you like an opposites attract, he falls first, fake dating romance!

This is a super cute fake engagement romance. I loved the character development, especially the fmc and her mom. The main characters had a wonderful relationship, and I definitely have a crush on the mmc.

Thank you to the publisher for me e-copy.

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

I enjoyed the meet-cute of this book and loved the banter between the lead characters. The fake engagement trope was entertaining. I found the writing hard to follow at times, and the story line did not hook me as much as I thought it would. Overall, I think it was a cute story with interesting characters. I just did not love it and would not pick it up again.

El libro trata sobre las expectativas que nos pone la sociedad y nosotros mismos, de como se supone que se debe tener ciertos hitos a deterninada edad y si no es asi, entonces eres un perdedor. A lo largo de esta historia vemos como Lexi lucha por no estar en el lugar que pensó que estaría a los 25 años, en lugar haber terminado su carrera y tener un trabajo "importante" es una mesera y sigue estudiando. Cuando se compara con sus compañeras de la secundaria siente que es una fracasada y que debe fingir ser alguien exitosa para ser aceptada. A pesar de que el romance se dió de manera rápida, no sentí que fuera instalove porque tuvieron tiempo para conocerse y tener citas. "Te estoy hablando de todas las versiones de mí. No son perfectos. No soy perfecto. Sé que tú tampoco lo eres, pero eres perfecto para mí y no importa lo que pase entre nosotros, necesito que sepas que realmente te quiero. No me quedé atrapado en algo y corrí con ello. Te vi en ese patio y fue como si el sol hubiera salido después de años de esconderse". Gracias a NetGalley, el editor y el autor del ARC a cambio de una revisión honesta.

Sophie Sullivan always delivers with her cozy and charming romances. She creates such great characters that are as endearing and interesting as they are relatable. Sweet and easy read

I devoured this book! I’m usually a fan of open door romances but Sophie sullivan’s closed door romances still have a way of bringing the tension and creating major payoff! I loved the depth she brought to the FMC and made the side characters intriguing and endearing. I’m really hoping we see a maisie/ethan follow up book!!

Quick and easy read, just what I needed! Loved the character development and will definitely be checking out more from this author.

Sophie Sullivan is a staple in the romance department! This book started a bit slow for me but I really enjoyed it and LOVED seeing how the romance unfolded.

I don’t know if I’m exactly the target audience for this. It felt very insta lovey to me and don’t care for that trope. That being said, the spin on the fake dating trope was kinda nice.

I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters. It felt more like telling vs showing.

I found it hard to relate to the FMC (I also don’t understand how you can be THAT bad at waitressing). But I liked some of the side characters.

Lexi and Will are an unlikely match to begin with, and a misunderstanding leads to a fake engagement that’s announced in the newspaper. Despite their different backgrounds and circumstances, the two decide to date while maintaining their public engagement.

Sophie Sullivan writes joyful, sweet, closed door romances that focus on building the relationship between characters. This book has the most adorable meet cute! I loved it. Will is down to earth and falls fast, and Lexi is independent. I enjoyed the fall vibes and their sweet seasonal dates. This book would make the perfect rainy day companion to snuggle up with!

Thank you to Sophie Sullivan and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced digital copy of this book.

Can't Help Falling in Love was an easy, quick read from Sophie Sullivan and I couldn't recommend it enough! I loved reading about Lexi and Will as they went through the rigamarole of a fake engagement and seeing how their characters grew (and grew together!). This is the perfect fall read to have on your radar! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Adorable book! Slow moving at times, but I still really enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. Publication date September 17, 2024.

Can't Help Falling in Love is another heartfelt and adorable romance from Sophie Sullivan. Fake dating tends to be one of my favorite tropes and Sophie brought it to another level with plenty of humor, vulnerability, and banter. Lexi and Will's meet-cute moment is precious. Will saves Lexi from embarrassment in front of her former high school classmates since she doesn't want to show them that she hasn't reached the high expectations so many had for her considering her track-star status in high school. And Will, despite being CFO of his family's company, just sees Lexi as sunlight breaking through another cloudy day. Her high school friends jump to conclusions and it is leaked to the press that they are engaged. Will wants to date Lexi for real so he is more than interested in playing along with the ruse, which also helps to get his mother to stop setting him up with women that she approves of. And Lexi is willing to see where their attraction takes them. Will is such a sweetheart. He is aware of his privilege in growing up rich and does everything he can to make Lexi feel comfortable. Will definitely falls first and harder - he quickly realizes that nothing about his feelings are fake. But he knows that Lexi will run if she is pushed too soon.

The book deals with with the loss of a parent as Lexi's goals had to change to help her mother to cope after her dad's death. Lexi has had to bear the burden of dealing with her father's debts, deal with selling his company, and pull together income to help her and her mother pay the mortgage on their family home. Lexi is flawed but relatable - she realizes that she needs to stop enabling her mother and little pushes and sometime moments of brutal honesty eventually start to help. And, partially with Will's extra encouragement, Lexi gains confidence in herself to be proud of where she has gotten and to be proud of her future as she finishes of her business and operations degree. Overall this novel was cute, charming, with endearing characters - possibly my favorite so far that I've read from Sophie Sullivan! Would love to see more with Ethan, Maisie, or Kyra!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the chance to read this novel.

what a delightful blend of fake dating, meet cute, and friends to lovers set in seattle. i enjoyed the characters and loved how sweet this story was.

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc. Can’t help falling in love was a fun, cute read — good for the summer! Will and Lexi have a fake engagement, but I enjoyed the variation from the usual fake dating tropes in that they were genuinely dating the whole time.

While it was nice to get away from the same story with that trope, I do think it lacked the tension and build up that it could’ve had if they had started out not as interested in each other. But still, this was a cute romance with a little twist, and I enjoyed reading it!

3 ⭐️ spoiler free ARC review

This was my first Sophie Sullivan novel and I was as cute as I thought it would be. The story follows wealthy businessman, Will, and struggling-to-bear-the-load-of-family-trauma, Lexi. Lexi uses a stranger (Will) as scapegoat to avoid letting old friends see how far she’d fallen. Miscommunication leads to everyone thinking the pair are engaged.

Overall this book was cute but lacked a lot of back story and depth I prefer in a story. If you’re a Hallmark fan this is for you. Nothing wrong with enjoying that type of romance story, it’s just not necessarily something I would pick up normally! However, it was a fun light read. I wish we got a little more insight into what Will and Lexi were thinking during their initial meeting, but the story was easy to digest.

I would recommend to anyone looking for something light and easy to read with a sweet storyline. Tropes include: fake engagement, fake dating, friends to lovers, closed door