✨ ALL I WANT IS YOU ✨
Rating: 5 ⭐️ - I Loved It

I’m a BIG fan of @falon and her short and sweet romances - Lease on Love & Just My Type have been big favorites of mine the last few years! So when she announced her first holiday romance, I knew this was going to be one of the first holiday reads I would pick up!

ALL I WANT IS YOU follows Jess and Nick - both writers & former lovers. When a snow storm hits the cozy winter inn they are both at for their publishers holiday party, they are forced to coincide. Before they know it, they’ve been tasked by their agents to co-write a book together.

❤️ for my LOVERS of second chance, forced proximity, one bed, dual-POV and timeline romances! With some heat and lots of banter and spice!

❤️ this one is SHORT & SWEET - the perfect holiday book to binge in a day by the fire or for me, watching football!

❤️ oh I just LOVED so much about this, both Jess and Nick, their banter and chemistry, their story, the ups and downs! This one is holiday themed but also has lots of cozy/winter vibes!

❤️ Christmas in NYC is one of my absolute favorite things, so ALL the perfect holiday scenes were perfection for me

This one just wasn’t for me. I found myself skimming 3/4 of the book. Didn’t really love either of the main characters and the plot didn’t hold my attention. I didn’t really care if the two characters got back together at all.

As someone who loves to travel and who rarely sees snow, getting snowed in at a hotel sounds like a wintry dream come true! However, everything is not coming up roses for the blizzard-bombarded characters in Falon Ballard’s new holiday-themed novel All I Want Is You.

As the story goes, there’s no room at the inn. Romance author Jessica Carrington thought that things couldn’t possibly get worse when she was asked to present a prestigious award to fellow writer and personal rival Nick Matthews … who just so happens to also be her ex. But the trouble is just getting started - when the hotel flubs Jessica’s reservation and informs her that they do not have a room for her, she finds herself sharing a room with Nick. Assuming she will be heading home the next morning, she assures herself that she can survive one night with her ex, but Jessica’s plans quickly change when she learns that they are snowed in at the inn. In an attempt toward goodwill and all, Jessica and Nick call a truce, but the one thing they did not expect was to admit that they still have feelings for each other. The weather outside might be frightful, but inside it’s looking more delightful by the minute.

All I Want Is You is a short and sweet holiday novel perfect for readers who do not want to commit a lot of time or effort into reading a long-winded romance story during the busy Christmas season. With an engaging plot and vibrant characters, All I Want Is You moves ahead at a steady clip, not mincing words as it details the origin of Jessica and Nick’s relationship and how they find themselves where they are today.

I really enjoyed Nick as the male lead, and found his thoughts about Jessica and their former relationship to be heartfelt and insightful. While Jessica could be a bitter pill to swallow at times, I still enjoyed her parts of the book, and put together, I found both her and Nick’s POVs to gel well to tell the tale of a relationship gone wrong.

Readers who have survived a bad break-up or those who have ever dreamt of giving the one who got away a second chance will enjoy this Christmas-lite novel.

Although I thought this was a cute and sweet quick Christmas romance, the miscommunication trope went way too far imo and made it unrealistic.

All I Want Is You bring holiday charm to a second chance romance between two estranged authors forced to share a space - and a bed - during a winter retreat. With a shared history and unresolved feelings, they must confront their past and decide if their story deserves a new chapter.

This was such a quick and fun holiday read! I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and I loved that the plot revolved around romance books, with both main characters being authors. The dual POV worked well for me - I especially enjoyed getting side Nick's head, even though I understand why some might prefer a single POV. Highly recommend this one, and Falon Ballard is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!

3.5⭐
Cute holiday second chance story. Story is entertaining while evoking the joys of the season with cozy lodge, peppermint mochas, ice skating at Rockefeller Center and getting snowed in. It's the equivalent of a Hallmark movie where everything is surface level and you don't risk having your heart ripped out.

SUCH A CUTE second chance, close proximity, only one bed, enemies to lovers, christmas time, workplace romance!! Two rival authors, who also happen to be ex-lovers get snowed in at a hotel after their publisher's Holiday party. Not only do they have to talk for the first time in years, they have to share a room, and co-write a new book together. Easy, right?

very cute story and I loved the characters. Even while being jampacked with tropes, the story managed not to feel far-fetched.

I must really be in my second chance era because
This book was so meta. 2 authors stuck together in a holiday romance writing about 2 authors stuck together in a holiday romance. It was a typical Fallon story with beautiful words, ultimate cozy factor, and a deep love story. I think it's wild that she had so much depth in less than 300 pages which is what a holiday book should be. It was so good.

After adoring Right On Cue earlier this year, I was so excited to read Falon Ballard's holiday second-chance romance, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Filled with incredible banter and hilarious moments of irony and shenanigans, I had so much fun reading this cosy holiday book.

I loved the dual POV following Nick and Jess while they're snowed in together at a festive inn right before the holidays. I loved Jess's infatuation with Christmas and how excited she got over all the decor and winter whimsy. I looked forward to the chapters with Nick because of how totally in love with Jess he was. Books where the male main character falls first are always my fave.

This book was perfect for getting in the holiday mood with a snowstorm, holiday shenanigans, and plenty of peppermint mocha! I had so much fun getting to know Nick and Jess through their steamy chemistry and silly arguments. Their whirlwind second-chance romance started my holiday reading season off with a bang!

Five out of five stars.

A steamy and light holiday romance that was quick to read! I will say I have never hated a male “hero’” more.

I really enjoyed Falon Ballard's first two books, but I have no idea what's happened since then, as her last two books were Not It. I love a good second chance romance but there was no reason for these people to ever get back together, and there was every reason for her to never speak to him again. This man is TRASH.

I quickly realized I wasn't enjoying this book, because the pacing felt really off. Our MC went from antagonizing her ex to sharing his room and sleeping in one bed and even cuddling really really fast, when there was no incentive for her to think he'd changed since their break-up, and when she still didn't know why he broke up with her. This made them reconnecting very hard to understand, considering their circumstances hadn't changed. But it got just SO much worse from there.

At about 70% in we still don't know the reason for the break-up, and there's this exact quote: "Nick has made it clear he has no intention of explaining what went wrong between us five years ago. But I'm honestly starting to not really care." And umm... I actually DID care! I cared VERY MUCH. What do you mean, you're starting to not care?? What makes you think anything has changed?

So yeah, that sealed the deal on me absolutely hating this book. AND THEN. We get the actual reason for the break-up, which is a deeply selfish, fucked-up reason, which boils down to him choosing his career over her. And she forgives him so easily? What do you mean?? If he loved his career more than you, he should marry that instead! It was completely wild how easily she accepted this beyond fucked up reason and took him back, and I'm actually angry.

Not to mention that Nick's books are being published as romance novels even though they don't have a HEA. That in itself was reason enough for me to dislike him but he was so much worse than that.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Falon Ballard is an auto-read author for me, and All I Want Is You is a great holiday novella, especially if you're trying to hit your annual reading goals. If you like forced proximity, only one bed, second chance romance, writers as main characters, and some on page spicy times, then this is for you. Also if you like flashbacks during the holidays to give additional context for a previous relationship, it's in here too. Both main characters were believable and well developed. There is a bit of repetitive inner monologue of "will this person accept me once they know the truth?", but other than that a solid, cute, holiday romance.

My favorite holiday read of the season!

This book is everything you want in a romance. A solid plot, sexual tension, great side-characters and a HEA. I will definitely be reading more of Falon Ballard's books! I'm only sorry it's taken me this long to discover them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Two authors with a complicated past find themselves snowed in together for several days after a publisher event. This delightful second-chance romance features two romance writers navigating classic tropes like forced proximity, one bed, and even a suggestion to fake date. I loved how the story they were co-writing mirrored their own lives, adding depth to the plot. The witty banter—both between her author friends and the main characters—was a highlight, making this book both adorable and swoon-worthy!

Christmas is here and I couldn’t be happier. A second chance writers romance at christmas?! Yes, please. Thank you. Big fan here, loved everything about Nick and Jess. I found their love to be so sweet and fun with their banter and spice.

4.25 stars

Second chance, enemy to lovers, one bed tropes?!?! Sign.Me.Up.

I am not normally drawn to books about authors but Falon Ballard can do no wrong and that includes All I Want Is You. So cute, I could not put it down!

A big big thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, NetGalley, and Falon Ballard for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Short & sweet holiday romance! I enjoyed this story way more than I expected. The workplace rivals, forced proximity, and second-chance romance made for some genuinely fun dialogue. The flashbacks added the depth and context the story needed, but the real lesson here? Men give terrible dating advice. To all the guys out there looking for romance tips, just put on “How You Get the Girl” by Taylor Swift and take notes. Simple as that.

I waited to read this one until I was in the Christmas spirit and I’m glad that I did because something about reading it by the Christmas tree just hit different.

Falon never disappoints. There is YEARNING. There is DEVASTATION. There is TROPE USAGE TO PERFECTION. This book is a string of rainbow Christmas lights brought to life.

Jess is so relatable - desperate for success at her dreams, defensive of herself, soft but with a shield built up around her heart.

And Nick, though an idiot, is so down bad for her that he is willing to do the groveling necessary, willing to take the loss a second time around if it means he also has a chance at it not being a loss.

I LOVED that they forced honesty from each other. That they refused to accept dishonesty for the sake of spared feelings - because once Nick realized that his refusal to be honest with himself hurt them both, he folded like a lawn chair. As he should.

I just loved this. I also cried but that’s not new. crying is good.

I saved this one for December and I’m glad I did. It puts me in the Christmas spirit. I loved so many things about this. The book within a book, second chance at love. Uh! So delightful. I’m not a huge Rom com lover, I’m a Falon Ballard lover.

All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard is an entertaining and charming holiday-themed rom-com about second chances.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Falon Ballard and I’m a big fan of her writing style. She’s quite talented, and both the main characters felt real and distinct. She has several fun romance tropes: second chance romance, enemies-to-lovers, etc., but it never feels like a cliche or a repeat of what I’ve read before.

Coupled that with taking place over the holidays, and featuring two romance writers, I just thought this was such a fun and ideal read for this time of year.

All I Want Is You is a wonderful pick for the holiday season. You have festive holiday vibes, a well-done romance, and a look at the career of professional authors. The two main characters initial romance, and second-chance romance, made sense and rang true. Lovely story all around!