Falling into place is a sweet, heartfelt romance, that I enjoyed reading. Though it was a sweet read, it did have some discussions of difficult topics. The plot to me felt reminiscent of the early 2000s romcoms that I loved watching growing up. I loved the relationship between Carly and Brooks. One of my favorite tropes is best friends brothers. The banter between them was adorable and at times had me giggling. It was fun to read the slow burn romance between them. I was cheering when they finally got together. There was a couple of plot points, like the workplace sexual harassment, that I wish was handled differently. But other than that this was a cute read. Thanks NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Hoooo boy, Allison Ashley has done it again with another deeply emotional and wonderfully bantery romance that takes best friend’s brother in a whole new direction!

Aspiring stylist by night, accountant by day Carly needs to find an in to get a full time stylist job - and it works out very well that her best friend Sasha’s family magazine/newspaper needs some revamping to keep subscribers. The two launch a bachelor-style series following Sasha’s older brother (and resident (literally) hottie) Dr. Brooks as he explores their city in new fits styled by Carly. Of course, the one he wants to be with is closer than he expects - as he and Carly get closer than either of them expects!

For a book with such a fun light premise, this is anything but that. Brooks and Sasha (and their other sister Macy) suffered some serious family trauma that has left them all struggling on their own. Carly’s had to overcome a lot to get to where she is today. So throw in some complex situations, and emotions are bound to bubble up. At the main core, at least, is the sweet and sensitive love that holds this lil mini community together - and helps them find real love!!


Thanks so much to Allison Ashley and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was great. It was full of emotion and healing and all the things that make for a great love story. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

I've read 3 books by Allison Ashley and I've loved them all!

Her books are the perfect mix of sweet and emotional, and I'm always immediately invested in her characters. This was book was no exception: it was beautiful and a little bit heartbreaking.

In this book, you'll get: plenty of cute moments, people dealing with grief and healing, and some adorable cats! Carly (who we first meet in If Tomorrow Never Comes, though they're both stand-alones) is a stylist helping her best friend's brother get a makeover.

There's forbidden romance vibes, because although Brooks and Carly have immense chemistry from the beginning, Carly can't have a relationship with her client. I'll let you read this gem to see how this plays out!

I definitely recommend this book and this author if you haven't tried her books yet!

Falling into Place eARC review ✨

Release date: 8/19/2025

The attachment Brooks had to his jeans is literally me 😂

This was such a cute and fun book to read, set in OKC (Oklahoma City) we have the fmc Carley — an accountant and a freelance personal stylist — who wants to leave her job and follow her dream to be a full time stylist takes a gamble and teams up with her best friend Sasha, publisher of a fashion magazine, on publicizing makeover of an Oklahoma City bachelor. The bachelor in question? Her best friend’s brother Brooks, an antisocial, work obsessed physician, who is still suffering from loss.

I really enjoyed everything about this, we love force proximity and I might have to change my views of best friend’s brother 😏. While we take more notice about Brooks (and we love a king who decides to be better) and his trauma can we talk about how Carley grew up with a gambling addicted mother and how her mom came out stronger than ever. On top of that knowing what it was like growing up with a gamble she STILL took a leap of faith on the whole process of the bachelor makeover *chefs kiss*. Also where is my tall physician who gardens and can’t let go of a pair of jeans 😩

You bet if I ever go to OKC I will be making stops on every place that was mentioned in this book 🙂‍↕️

Thank you so much to @authorallisonashley , montlake , and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC

;) Falling into Place was a fun read!
I loved the main characters, Carly and Brooks!
Their chemistry is truly off the chart and just sooooooo cute!
And, the banter???? Hysterical!!
The romance was sweet and lovely….
Overall, a fun, heartfelt and touching story I enjoyed reading.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is an interconnected standalone with If Tomorrow Never Comes, where our girl Carly is flat-out robbed, TBH, in the name of fate. I enjoyed Falling into Place even more, so thank you @NetGalley for the eARC!

I really loved Carly and Brooks together right out of the gate, especially the way they were not able to be casual with each other one bit. Even as semi-acquaintances re-meeting in a sort of professional capacity, they couldn't help but share a little more of themselves than they wanted to. And once the ball was rolling, there was no getting out of its way. These characters have GREAT chemistry!! There are hints of spice, but this is mostly fade to black.

Allison Ashley's books reflect her own medical background, and with Brooks being an ER physician there is a lot of discussion around loss and accidents and even an on-page death, so if you're someone sensitive to that kind of content, go in informed. Nothing gory, but heart-wrenching all the same.

If you like your emotions heavy and your spice light, this might just be the book for you!

I often love to read romances in the summertime. They are a welcome escape on long, hot days or when traveling on vacation. So, I was excited when I was approved to read this ARC for Allison Ashley's latest novel. I'd never read anything by her before, but the premise sounded like something I'd enjoy. I was not disappointed. The romance in this book is slow-burn and heart melting in all the best ways.

Ashley introduces two characters who are on the surface seem like very different people with very different goals. Carly is a fashion stylist part-time while working a steady job as an accountant by day. She hopes to garner a full-time position with the company, Mode, that she works for and helping her best friend, Sasha save her family's magazine by being a stylist for Sasha's brother Brooks, so he can be featured in the magazine as Oklahoma City's local bachelor, might be just the way for Carly to land her dream job. Brooks meanwhile has been busy getting through medical school and finishing up his residency to become a full-time attending physician. He hasn't had time for dating and honestly has never been that interested in having any sort of committed relationship. But when his sisters appeal to him for help he can't resist, reluctantly agreeing to enter the dating scene publicly as their magazine's local bachelor. The author sets up the plotline and character development for both main characters and also establishes their relationships with the side characters very well before either Brooks or Carly meet in person. Thus, we are connected and invested in both before their relationship begins.

Both are familiar with the other. Though as Sasha's older brother, Brooks didn't really get to know Carly all that much when they were in high school. Their first meet cute moment starts off right away with some fun, witty and somewhat flirty banter for both characters. There is an instant attraction between the two of them, though neither thinks the other feels it. A friendship soon blossoms as Carly not only helps Brooks update his wardrobe but also helps him navigate the modern adult dating scene. As they get to know each other we come to realize how much Brooks and Carly have in common below the surface. As adults in their early thirties each has had to overcome traumas that were inflicted on them as children or young adults. Of the two, Carly is the one who has learned to handle her past trauma of childhood neglect in the healthiest way. As Brooks grows closer to her, she helps him begin to see that keeping one's emotions buried deep isn't the best solution for getting through hardship or the grief of a terrible and unexpected loss as a teen that Brooks has never fully recovered from. Other commonalities between the pair are that they both love helping people even though it is in very different ways.

Ultimately the reason for them to reconnect after all these years also becomes a huge stumbling block for their growing infatuation. One that I think Ashley develops in a very realistic and organic way while also balancing the more serious aspect of these characters' stories with lots of humor. Some of the lines between Brooks and Carly truly had me melting as I read them. I also loved that once we get to the climax of the story where events always culminate in a way that is meant to drive the couple apart, the author has each of them handle the situation in a very mature way as well. Neither Brooks or Carly act outrageously over the top when things start to fall apart for them. It isn't always easy to achieve a realistic and mature response to the dramatic moments that always come at the end of a romance novel. But Ashley does it very, very well.

If you love romances that blend humor with some more serious themes, then I highly recommend you check out Falling Into Place! Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for this honest review!

✨ Book Review ✨

Falling Into Place
By Allison Ashley
🌟🌟🌟🌟

🩷 Y’all know I love a medical-ish romance, so I’ve been a fan of the author’s for a while, so I was super excited when she sent me a copy of this one featuring an intensivist (aka ICU attending doctor)!

This wasn’t my favorite Ashley book, but it was still great! (When every book is great, it’s hard to always top the last one).

📖 Carly works as accountant by day and stylist by night. When asked to style her best friend’s brother for a bachelor type magazine story, she jumps at the chance to further her stylist career. Brooks used to be the life of the party before med school and residency made him very unfun. Now that his career is in place, can he get back out there, save his family’s magazine, and meet the one?

🩷 I really loved both of these characters and loved seeing their instant chemistry turned friendship turned more. I loved watching them grow, especially Brooks who has a bit of a tragic past.

I wish we’d gotten a bit more connection to If Tomorrow Never Comes (my fav Ashley book), as Carly plays a big role in that one, but it’s never even mentioned. It left me wondering how it all fit it with her story. I think it could have really been a bonding moment for her and Brooks. 🫤

But, I still recommend this one that hits shelves TOMORROW!! 🎉👏🏻🍾

Carly is an accountant by day, but her true passion is fashion styling—and she dreams of making it her full-time career. When her best friend enlists her help with the family’s struggling online and print magazine, Carly ends up working closely with Brooks., Sasha’s older brother… and Carly’s old high school crush. Brooks is a workaholic doctor who suddenly finds himself part of a reality-dating-style feature for the magazine, and Carly is tasked with helping him prepare for it.

As Carly coaches him through the dates, the two start spending more time together outside of “work.” The more they connect, the harder it becomes to ignore their growing attraction. It doesn’t take long before sparks turn into something deeper—though they try to keep it under wraps until the competition is over.

This was an overall cute and enjoyable love story, with a sweet “meant to be” vibe. My only real drawback was how Brooks handled the proposal—it felt a bit too cheesy for me. Still, I had fun reading and enjoyed the chemistry between the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

📖 Title: Falling into Place-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Allison Ashley, I read If Tomorrow Never Comes and gave it 4*

📅Publication date: 8/19/25 | Read 8/16/25

📃 Format: e-Book 319 pgs.

Genre:
*Adult Fic
*Contemporary Romance

Tropes:
*workplace romance
*best friend's brother
*dating coach/matchmaker
*slow burn
*H/h in 30's

👆🏾POV: 3rd person dual

⚠️TW: death of parents, depression, gambling, parental abandonment and neglect

🌎 Setting: Oklahoma City

Summary: Carly is a part time employee at Mode Style as a personal shopper/stylist/image consultant but wants to become a full-time employee. She and her best friend Sasha come up with an idea for the magazine. They will feature one of OKC'S most eligible bachelors, Sasha's brother Brooke. Carly will give him a makeover and Sasha will put his experiences on his dates spotlighting local businesses. Brooke is willing to help his sister's business and reluctantly agrees to "get back out there." When Brooke and Carly connect, she knows their relationship is forbidden at Mode. Can they mend past trauma and their hearts together?

👩🏾 Heroine: Carly Porter- a freelance personal stylist @ Mode and an accountant.

👨🏾 Hero: Brooke Martin- Sasha's older brother. He's anti-social, a workaholic, dedicated physician. Carly knew him as a playboy in high school. Joins LoveIntheCity dating app.

🎭 Other Characters:

* Sasha—publisher of a fashion magazine-LiveOKC created by her mother
*Macy-Brooke's older sister, works at LiveOKC
*Benjamin Wheeler-Carly's ex-boyfriend-left for Seoul, dated 1.5 years-Carly still writes him letters
*James-Brooke's colleague @ University Hospital and his BFF
*Deborah and Paul Martin- Brooke's parents both deceased. Deborah wanted to start a local news source with a local hometown feel.
*Coach McKee-Brooke's high school basketball coach, still mentors him
*Kendall-Carly and Sasha's friend, likes Brooke
*Pets-Oreo and Pepper-Brooke and Carly's cats
*Mai and Kyle-Carly's bosses @Mode
*Madison Princeton-Brooke's date, her father falsely accused Carly of inappropriate behavior while styling him.

🤔 My Thoughts: I loved the reformed player in Brooke. From sleeping around in high school to growing cucumbers now. Carly used her mother's gambling problems as motivation to become financially stable. She was an accountant for the job security and turned buying good quality clothes with less money into a career. I loved Brooke's dating adventures but needed him to confess his attraction to Carly earlier. Carly's love life and career blew up and she had to start anew, but with Sasha and Brooke's help everything fell into place. There was a sweet engagement epilogue too.

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice: 3/5🌶️ nothing explicit, kissing, off page

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake, and Allison Ashley for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Carly lives for fashion but must hold onto her day job for the steady paycheck. An opportunity to be part of a bachelor profile for LiveOKC arises, and Carly believes this could be the exposure that gets her a full-time position at the stylist company she freelances for. When she discovers the bachelor is her teen crush and best friend's brother, Carly may put her fashion dreams at risk as she considers crossing the line and following her heart.

I feel like I made this sound so serious, but this was actually a fun and sweet romance. The whole job thing was definitely the "drama" part of the story, but spending time with Brooks and Carly was wonderful.

Both Carly and Brooks experienced things early in their lives that left a mark. For Brookes, it was the death of his mother and its effect on his father. It was as if he lost both his parents in that accident with the way his father withdrew, leaving Brookes and his sisters to fend for themselves and with no emotional support. It also left Brooks thinking that falling in love and finding your other half was a bad idea. Carly lived her life in a no risk way. Growing up with a gambling addict, she knew what it was like to have no money or food, and Carly was determined to live a secure life.

Carly and Brooks had an undeniable spark and bantered like pros. The shared love for their cats made me smile, but I also felt they shared something that people without their history would not understand. It was easy to see why they fell for each other, and I was rooting for them. The whole LiveOKC bachelor thing was a lot of fun, too. The makeover, the dates, the group outings - I had a great time doing it all and loved how it helped Carly and Brooks find their way to each other.

Honestly, it was the job conflict that kept me from loving this book. I understand its role in encouraging Carly's personal growth, but I didn't care for it. I was happy with the outcome though, so that counts for something.

Overall, it was a delight watching Carly and Brooks fall in love. Fun interactions and fantastic banter highlighted this best-friend's-brother-friends-to-lovers romance for me.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers, forbidden romance that saw a social media saavy stylist helping an introverted doctor try to find love. This had great banter, lots of emotional depth and was great on audio. While I don't think it was my favorite by the author it was still very enjoyable. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

In an effort to save their family’s local magazine, sisters Sasha and Macy enlist the help of their brother Brooks to do a new feature about dating in OKC. What starts as using Brooks as a test subject and asking Carly, Sasha’s best friend, to help style him turns into a friendship between the two and eventually into real feelings.

Sasha remembers Brooks from his younger and wilder days but ever since he left for college and she moved away they haven't had any contact. When they meet up, the conversation is effortless and they fall into a pseudo friendship. As they chat and become more comfortable with each other and as Brooks dates other women he always is comparing the women to her. He soon realizes that she might be the one he actually wants to date.

This was sweet and cute. The premise was good and the writing was solid but it did lack some anticipation for me personally. I enjoyed their banter and how they grew close but then they both expressed their feelings and suddenly were together. I wish there was a little more build up or charged shared moments.

The cute snippets at the beginning of each chapter were an added bonus to help understand how the characters were perceived and some of their thoughts and emotions.

Huge thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

5 star read! This book made me both cry and laugh out loud, which is a combo I love. The characters were interesting and relatable.

Carly Porter is an accountant by day and a part-time fashion stylist by night. When her best friend, Sasha, comes up with a plan to help her magazine she enlists Carly’s stylist services. Sasha’s plan is to feature her older brother, Brooks, in a bachelor-type gimmick. He will go out on dates using an online dating service for four months, Carly will style him and he will report back to Sasha.

Brooks’ two sisters are worried about him. He hasn’t been the same since they lost their parents. They think he’s lonely and/or depressed. He agrees to do it for his sister.

Along the way, though, he hits it off with Carly. Soon, they are both having feelings about the other, but know that he still has to continue with what he signed up for.

Read this if you like:
Third person dual POV
Best friend’s older brother
Fun banter
Fade to black spicy scenes
Grumpy/sunshine
Friends to lovers
Cinnamon Roll Hero

This is a sweet, yet emotional romance. It has some heavy undertones, but Carly and Brooks’s banter offsets this-especially regarding the garden he is growing in his backyard.

Thank you to Montlake Romance and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carly & Brooks were adorable. I love how they helped each other heal from their past and found this amazing connection neither of them saw coming.

“I like you, too,” he said, grin widening. He gripped his chin with his thumb on one side and fingers on the other, and slid them down as he nodded slowly. “I also have feelings. Lots of them.”

Side note, when I met my husband we were co-workers and he had two pairs of pants that were tragically too short and mysteriously disappeared. I loved the jeans. ☺️

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and the author Allison Ashley for the advanced reading copy, all my opinions are my own.

4 stars!

This is such a gorgeous read! A fun, charming, sweet and emotional brother’s-best-friend love story that made me laugh and swoon, I really enjoyed this book.

Carly is an accountant who freelances as a personal stylist. She’s determined to make it a permanent career change and she gets the opportunity of a lifetime with her best friend, Sasha, asks her to work on an upcoming Bachelor-style series for her fashion magazine. She jumps at the chance, and then learns that the bachelor she’ll be styling is Sasha’s brother, Brooks.

Brooks is an introverted and antisocial doctor wrestling with demons from his past. He is dragged into helping his sister and has no idea what he’s in for, but it all starts with an online dating profile and being forced out of his scrubs and comfy jeans by Carly.

Carly remembers Brooks as the high school party boy who all the girls were a little bit in love with, but he never really gave her the time of day. He couldn’t be more different now, and when it becomes clear that he is clueless on how to interact with women, she offers to help him regain his confidence in talking to women. So as Brooks commences his series of dates, styled by Carly, they talk, text and start hanging out. As they become friends, Carly drags Brooks out of his self-imposed isolation, and the banter, teasing and flirting is just fantastic!

You can feel that there is more brewing between them, and it’s a slow burn as they slowly come to realise what they’re feeling for each other. The reveal is awesome, and their coming together is so much fun, but they’re in a really difficult spot with Brooks under agreement to finish his dates for the magazine, and Carly under contract not to get involved with a client. But they just can’t keep away.

“How was the date?” she asked, standing.
“She wasn’t you.”

In addition to the forbidden-ish element, there is drama and emotion for these two. They’ve both had hard times in the past and they’re struggling with the reality of a relationship and love. They’ve got a lot to figure out, and it’s such a gorgeous journey for them as we watch them work through it all to get their HEA.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s sweet, fun, romantic, and so very heartfelt, I loved Brooks and Carly, and their interactions were so entertaining. It was so gorgeous watching them come together, and I loved their love story.

Such a great read - 4 stars.

Allison Ashley is the master of tenderness, banter - and text messages. Falling Into Place had plenty of all three, and so much more - reading this book brought so much joy into my life and I absolutely adored it! But that's the way it is with this fave writer of mine - all hits, no misses.

If you've read Allison Ashley's previous novel, If Tomorrow Never Comes, you’ve already met Carly - and if you haven't, I highly recommend doing so! - and I'm so happy she got her own book. The relationships in this book are real and relatable and the journey from friends to lovers is full of all the feelings. And I couldn't have loved it more.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

This was really sweet and really, really fun! I had a great time reading and completely devoured it.

In order to help his family’s failing magazine, Brooks agrees to have a recurring feature about dating in the city. He will go on several dates over the next few months and his sister, via the magazine, will document it all. The only problem? Brooks is a a doctor who spends all of his time at work, and has a terrible fashion sense to boot.

Enter Carly, a fashion stylist who happens to be his sister’s best friend. Their paths crossed briefly as teenagers but they ran in different circles, Carly being shy and to herself and Brooks being the wild party boy. In present day, the roles are basically reversed, Carly is outgoing and fun, and Brooks has no social life to be seen. When she agrees to help style him for his dates (she has stake in this too, as if she’s successful, she’ll be able to get a full-time job as a stylist), what happens is what neither of them expects- a whole lot of chemistry.

I LOVED these two together. Carly is someone I would love to be friends with in real life, and Brooks is so earnest and well-meaning, you can’t help but to root for him. And together, they’re absolute magic.

This is so well-written, and what I’ve come to expect from Allison Ashley after reading many of her other novels. The best way to describe it is that it was like a really warm hug on a cold day. Pick this one up- you won’t regret it!