Thank you to NetGalley and Kasey Stockton for this copy of Falling in Line in exchange for an honest review.

Falling in Line is a second chance romance about June and Tucker, former high school sweethearts who broke up after June moved away to California.

To be honest, this book was 100% not for me. I didn’t like the “oh everyone here loves you June, not just gossiping about you” southern feel. I found June’s reason for leaving immature and selfish. And I didn’t feel any romance between the two characters besides nostalgia and jealousy. It read not healthy to me. It might be a disconnect between my own views and the writers, but it was definitely not the book for me. The writing wasn’t bad, just not my style.
The narrators were fine, easy to understand even at 3x speed.
Overall, a 2/5 stars for me.

3 75 ⭐️

This is a second chance romance, set in a small town where everyone knows each other's business, but it's like one big family.

I really liked Tucker and found myself smiling at many moments between him and June. I thought the tension between them was well done. I enjoyed their scenes together a lot.

However, I couldn't quite connect with June. I felt like it took her too long to really communicate with Tucker.

I loved the narration; this was the first audiobook I've listened to, and I'll definitely listen to more.

Big thanks to Dreamscape Media for sending me this ALC.

Title: Falling In Line
Format: Audiobook
Narrators: Cara Swingline & Evan Sibley (I really enjoyed Evan Sibley as the MMC! I would listen to more of his narrations!)

Before even starting this book reeled me right in. I love the small-town romance and second-chance trope. And the cover is ADORABLE! Unfortunately, the book was just okay to me. I wasn't blown away but it wasn't bad. I didn't mind the characters; they weren't the most relatable or likable but I didn't hate them either? I was hoping for more flashbacks and more tension.

This was my first book by Kasey Stockson, I didn't read the first book before this so maybe I try that one!

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Kasey Stockton for providing me with an ALC of this title for an honest review.

Kasey Stockton's Falling in Line is a sweet, clean romance perfect for anyone who loves small towns and second chances!

June and Tucker were high school sweethearts.

2 years into college Tucker had a ring but June had other plans. One day June was just gone,. She'd transfered to a school in California, leaving Tucker and her recently divorced father behind.

When she returns home five years later to take care of her dad after knee surgery (without asking first, because she knew he'd refuse her help), it's not her dad that greets June at the door, it's Tucker. So much for her plans to avoid him. June's father's stubborn refusal to talk about Tucker to June means she is more than surprised to learn Tucker bought a house only a few hundred yards away from her childhood home.

Now that June is back (temporarily, of course), it's very clear that many of the residents of Arcadia Creek are holding onto their grudge against June for leaving just as hard as Tucker is.

Tucker won't accept her apology, but he agrees to at least pretend that they are getting along. Though he might still be mad, he doesn't want the rest of the town treating her poorly because of something that happened five years ago.

Stockton uses the dual point of view structure of the book to slowly reveal June's motivations for leaving and unravel Tucker's anger towards her.. It was a great way to ensure a natural progression towards the HEA and keep the listener wanting more. Cara Swingline and Evan Sibley were great fits the dual POV narration. I really enjoyed this listen. It was fun and charming and would absolutely recommend it.

Thanks Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for. ALC of this audiobook.

What a sweet second chance romance! That is one of my favorite tropes. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The narration was good, though my personal preference to style was for the female narrator. The male wasn't a bad narrator or anything, I just preferred the female a bit better. I don't often get dual narrators so that was kind of fun.
I liked the characters and found the renewed relationship fully believable. It was an enjoyable listen.

No sex, language or violence
*I received a complimentary audiobook through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

Falling in Line by Kasey Stockton and narrated by Cara Swingline & Evan Sibley is a lovely dual POV, second chance/ small town contemporary romance and I listened as an audiobook

June ran away from her hometown of Arcadia, from her highschool sweetheart of five years who she was due to marry. Tucker stayed in town, continuing his life in the very, very small community and with more of his extended family members than he can count.

When June's father is due to go in for Knee surgery, she plans to make a surprise return to help him out, but is surprised herself to see Tucker answer the door and that her fathers surgery has been brought forward and he is already laid up..

The only blip that got me was when the narrator changed for the first time from Cara Swingline to Evan Sibley, that there was a sharp change in EQ and the voice of Tucker was different to the previous chapter. However, this balanced out over a few paragraphs and settled into a fantastic collab narration by two incredibly skilled narrators

Kasey Stckton writes an immersive tale and the world of Arcadia is illustrated beautifully, I almost felt as if I could feel the heat! This was a fantastic story of chasing dreams and reconnecting with home. A really enjoyable listen

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media the author Kasey Stockton and the narrators Cara Swingline and Evan Sibley for this lovely ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

June and Tucker's journey in "Falling in Line" unexpectedly tugged at my emotions, tapping into my soft spot for stories centered around healing fractured family dynamics. The story goes beyond the typical family drama, delving into the complexities of June's return to her small hometown. After Dear John-ing her high school sweetheart and grappling with her father's battle with depression after his wife's departure, June's homecoming is met with uncertainty.

The town is a tight-knit community of friends and family. They face the challenge of safeguarding their hearts as they grapple with the fear of June leaving once again. Witnessing the collective effort to protect both Tucker and their own hearts from losing June again was almost heartbreaking.

The connection between June and Tucker was undeniable, despite the time and distance apart. They were both obvious experiencing lingering pain and genuine care for one another.

While small-town romances often paint the locals as intrusive, this narrative distinguishes itself by presenting them as a close-knit family. The characters, whether blood-related or not, portray a strong found family vibe.

I adored the character growth within June. Her initial departure stemmed from fear, but with the support of her loved ones, she undergoes significant personal growth. I loved that despite Tucker's ongoing hurt, he continued to repeatedly stand up for June while others did not welcome her.

Cara Swingline, a new-to-me narrator, impressively brings the story to life. Evan Sibley, provides an enjoyable performance, but could slightly smooth out his cadence. I appreciate when narrators go beyond merely reading the story, creating an engaging experience that feels like a personal recounting rather than a mechanical recitation.

Who hasn’t wondered what could have been when thinking about the past? This sweet story took me back home with June while she navigates her complicated past and figures out what is next. I enjoyed how this story stayed approachable while not shying away tackling more complex issues, reminding us all of us that things might not always be how they appear. You can’t help but cheer on June as she mends old wounds and grows into the person she wants to be.

I was lucky to receive an advance audiobook of this book, which was narrated by Cara Swingline and Evan Sibly. I thought that the narrators both done a great job of bringing their characters alive and oh my goodness Evan has such a gorgeous deep voice, I was definitely there for it.

🩵 Small Town
🩵 Second Chance
🩵 Sweet

I absolutely loved this book, it was second chance which isn’t my favourite but I felt that it came with a side of friends to lovers which I love so I just really enjoyed it.

Tucker was such a lovely person, he looked out for everyone and was just the perfect book boyfriend. I really enjoyed June too, she was torn between her past, present and future which was hard for her. I’m so glad she worked out her thoughts and what she wanted in life.

Loved that there was a bookstore of course.

Such an easy quick read, filled with wonderful characters and one that could no doubt be finished in one sitting.

I liked this one a lot more than the first one. A second chance small town romance that had me feeling all the feels! June and Tucker were so cute & I really enjoyed how much June made it her mission to win him back & apologize to everyone for leaving.

If you like a sweet, small town, second chance romance books then Falling in Line by Kasey Stockton is the book for you. I really enjoyed this book. It gave me all of the feels. I loved Arcadia Creek and all of the lovely characters. This book felt so realistic and I wanted to move there and be a part of this loving community. Falling in Line is book two in the Arcadia Creek series. I didn’t read the first one, but this one can be read as a stand alone. I didn’t feel like I missed anything by not reading book one but I will be going back and reading the first book in the series.

Writing/plot:
This was a quick listen that held my attention. The story line was unique and executed well.

Characters:
June and Tucker were high school sweethearts and about to get married, when June decides to leave Arcadia Creek. She hasn’t been back or kept in touch with her friends or Tucker while being away. Now five years later she is back to help her dad after surgery. I really related to June and enjoyed listening to her inner dialogue. As the story unfolds you start to understand why she left Arcadia Creek.

Tucker is a great MMC and I liked the way he communicated with the other characters in the book including June and Maddie. He is sweet and charming and gives of it’s always been you vibes. He has tried to move on but his thoughts and heart always comes back to June.

This story is told in dual POV which I loved. I loved hearing the inner dialogue and hearing about the thoughts and feelings of each of the main characters.

The side characters are fantastic as well and I look forward to reading their stories in the future.

Narrators:
Cara Swingline and Evan Sibley do a great job bring these characters to life. I really enjoyed them as narrators. 5/5 for narration.

I am usually a spicy romance reader, but I didn’t even miss it in this clean second chance romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listener copy. I voluntarily read it and gave an honest review.

I have attached links to my Goodreads review and my Instagram post.

A cute fast rom com. It’s a fast moving second chance romance. It had me laughing and smiling. Just what was needed after a hard day.

I'm a sucker for a small town romance add in a bookstore, and I definitely fell in love with this sweet, wholesome story.

I love when romance novels have a dual point of view, and with this book, it made it easy to root for both characters because we truly got to see all the emotions from them throughout the book. Although the town was super nosy, it was so sweet to see how much they looked after each other and were really just a big family.

Between the rodeo, quilt making, parades, and pie contests, this book really did just give you that beautiful small town Texas home feel. Perfect easy love story.

Falling in Line by Kasey Stockton is simultaneously sweet and lighthearted while packing an emotional punch. June and Tucker were a guaranteed thing until she up and left, breaking Tucker’s heart utterly and thoroughly. I loved how both sides of the story were explored and a deeper look at how our actions impact others and can uncover a lot of hidden feelings. What I loved most is June and Tucker. I just loved them as couple. So much history together, so much understanding, and so much love that never faded or went away. I also enjoyed all the side characters who contributed a lot of perspectives and balance.
I received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions are solely my own, freely given.

Such a cute story. I’m not normally a fan of second chance romance but this was done very well. Also loved the small town feel.

An adorable small town, second chance romance. This is one of those books that you read just to have a happy little escape for a while. Also love a dual audio book narration.

I didn't read Love on Deck before this book, and I had no issues following the characters, but will definitely be adding the first Arcadia Creek book to my TBR!

Quick Summary: A second chance at being with your first love

My Review: Falling in Line by Kasey Stockton is book #2 in the Arcadia Creek series.

About the Book: Years ago, June and Tucker had been engaged to be married. Before their happy day, however, something unfortunate happened to split them apart. Now, she's back home. Will she be able to mend the relationships that mean the most to her or will her efforts be a lost cause?

About the Narration: Cara Swingline and Evan Sibley did a masterful job with narrating this book. They communicated the story so effectively that the tension and emotions were easy to connect with.

My Final Say: This was a beautiful story about unconditional love and forgiveness. It was rich with family and community connections. Readers who enjoy romances with a first love to second chance theme will really like this novel.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Series: Yes
Status/Level: 💖
Audiobook: Yes
Narration: +

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to an audio ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up this book because it was a second chance romance, which means lots of tension…. but there wasn’t that much. There was some tension i just wish there was more, it would have made it way more fun. There were definitely moments when i was smiling over Tucker & June but other than that i didn’t really connect to their relationship and characters as much as i would have loved to. If there were flashbacks of their relationship in the past it would have made a big difference.