Lyra Parish is an author that’s been on my radar for a few years now, but somehow I I had never gotten around to actually reading any of her previous novels. When Fall I Want came out last year, it caught my eye right away, but once again, I managed to just never get to it on my never-ending TBR list. Now, having received an ARC ahead of its trad publication, I genuinely wish I had found the time to read it sooner, and I’m so, so glad I didn’t overlook it this time around.

Autumn and “Alex” — AKA Zane Alexander — are one of those couples, y’all. From the very beginning, the tension between them crackles like a live wire, even when they find themselves repeatedly at odds. While not every reader will enjoy the quick (and somewhat) sudden shift from would-be adversaries to cautious friends, I personally appreciated the low-angst approach this novel takes. For me, fall is one of the happiest times of year, and while this book gleefully dances right over the line of realism, it fully embraces light and fun and joy as it goes, and for me, that sort of perfectly aligns with my feelings on the season at the center of this work.

I have to admit that I was hesitant at first when I saw just how prominently the “spooky” elements would be woven into this story. PNR is not usually my bag, and while the “witchy” bits are treated with a fair bit of skepticism even amongst the central characters, I wasn’t sure I could be convinced to get on board with the supernatural connection between Autumn and Zane. While not every mystical moment landed for me, I will confess that I was much less bothered by them than I expected to be. The hints of the supernatural are there, but this is still very much a contemporary romance—just one sprinkled with a little pixie dust.

With both of the MCs navigating their own heartbreaks and grief, there are certainly elements of this book handled more seriously, but they’re no less well executed than the shenanigans and grand gestures. In fact, the growth that each of the MCs experiences (especially Zane) is heartfelt and hard-won. Watching them grow individually as they find themselves growing together was a favorite element of this often madcap rom-com.

Though it came with a bit of a slow start for me, once I got invested (somewhere around the 30% mark), I was well and truly invested. With all the sincerity and emotion packed in alongside a generous dose of fake-dating hijinks, meddlesome townsfolk, and fall festivities, this book surprised and delighted me. If you’re looking for heavy angst or a more serious treatment of the “spooky” subplot, this may not be the book for you, but if you’re in the market for some straight-up serotonin, some spicy/swoony/silly romance, and gratuitous discussion of pretentious coffee and pumpkin-themed puns, Fall I Want is a can’t-miss read. I’m already looking forward to revisiting Autumn, Zane, and Cozy Hollow when I can curl up in a comfy sweater and watch the leaves fall. Lyra Parish has blessed us with seasonal classic that will make you swoon at any time of year.

5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the chance to read this book.
This book had a lot of the ingredients of a book I would love. Set during the fall season? Check. Small cozy mountsain town? Check. Lots of coffee talk? Triple shot of espresso check. That, sadly, is all I enjoyed about this book.
The book felt awkward, not just in how people interacted with each other, but with how it was written. It felt like this really weird combination of middle grade writing with smut and spice thrown in for flavor. The flow of the writing was just clunky and jerky, like when you're learning to driving and you're too scared to keep your foot too much off the brake pedal so you just keep jerking to stops.
The way Zane/Alexander threw money around frustrated me. I get you have a lot of it and it's your money so spend it how you want. But maybe try giving back to the community? And maybe he does but I'll never know. I stopped readin at 52% because I found I was just not invested in ANY of the characters. I didn't care if the two main characters ended up together. I figure they will because they tell each other nonstop how obsessed they are with each other. I think this book just isn't for me. The billionaire boyfriend trope just doesn't do anything for me, unfortunately.

Ohhhhhh my godddddd I can’t even describe how much I ate this up!! Hello??? The banter?? I am OBSESSED with them. I’ve never loved both the mmc and the fmc more! One of the book couples i swear are actual soulmates and not just blinded by lust. Genuinely one of my fav romance books of this year!! I loved the length of this book as well, it was just the right amount and not having a whole lot of owd made this such a perfect read!

1.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

So, to be clear, this is a rerelease—this has a new cover and sprayed edges.

When I first saw the cover, I thought this would have the same vibes as a Laurie Gilmore book. While those are not literary heavy hitters by any means, they are still fairly entertaining and live up to the wholesome, small town romance novels that they are.

This however, did not have that same vibe. For this to be a rerelease, this reads as a very ROUGH draft of someone’s book. I do think the first 10% of the book started out good, but from there, it was a poorly written, disjointed reading experience. At about 30%, I wanted to stop reading, but continued to see if it somehow got better. It didn’t. There was no real plot to this story and it was so repetitive that it was beyond annoying.

I wanted more for this one, especially because given the cover, I think it looks like it would be a great cozy, fall read.

2+? It was ok, I definitely loved the amount dialogue this book had because I am such a firm believer of being able to read dialogue and getting a feel for the MC's feelings towards one another. The dialogue in this was rather cringe, the MC's are in their thirties and the way they were speaking seemed very childish to me.

This was kind of an insta-love situation, which can be a hit or miss if not written well. Eh, it fell kind of short. The storyline was a little lack luster, this just wasn't the read for me.

Don't let the cover fool you though, because there was some spice in this that just kept burning.

Thank you netgalley, Lyra for a copy of new designed cover e-arc!

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Were you a fan of Beauty and the Beast enemies to lovers? Grumpy MMC?
Did you enjoy Fifty Shades of Grey for the billionaire level of pampering and confidence? Obsessed for her?

You’ll enjoy this! The author absolutely makes you want to drop the summer drinks and run for the mountains in this cozy fall romance. I love how the drama is real. It’s not insanely over exaggerated, these things do happen in real life. Parents pass in horrible ways. People do cheat. Pain is real.

This book definitely leaves no loose ends either. All of the MMC & FMC insecurities or problems are faced. She has left nothing left unsaid. It does make it a little long for a cozy read but each part of the story has a purpose and I enjoyed that.

Worth the read. Wonder if we can request to get a Cozy Creek recipe book?

I loved it! It gave such cozy hallmark vibes, then sexy orgasmic vibes, then back again to cozy. I loved the back stories of the characters, how their lives were always meshed together, and the witchy moments. I’ll definitely be looking into more by this author just because it was an excellent book and just what I needed.

This book was everything I love about fall wrapped into one cozy, heartwarming story. The small-town vibes were perfection and exactly how it would feel stepping into an adult version of Halloween Town, where magic is subtle but the feelings are big.

I adored Zane and Autumn. Watching a billionaire trying to find his way back to himself and stumbling into this fierce, creative barista with dreams of becoming a writer? Swoony. Their chemistry was off the charts (literally too hot to handle) the kind of spark that feels a little like fate and a little like magic.

Lighthearted, romantic, and cozy. Every chapter felt like a warm drink on a crisp fall day. I couldn’t stop smiling or rooting for them. This book was such an easy, feel-good read, and exactly what I needed to get into the fall spirit during these hot summer days!

I adored Autumn and Zane. Their characters had great chemistry. Autumn lives in a small, kitchy town with charming fall vibes and and neighbors that are not only busybodies but magical as well- and they are so, so ready to brew up a love potion for their favorite barista. Zane is... rediculous. Half the time I was over the over-the-top spending until he explained his reasoning. I loved his reactions to Autumn, though. Plus, vulnerable Zane is probably the sweetest, most adorable thing in the world. The fact that he let her in, first as a friend and then as someone he loved, made me smile. I feel like both characters saw a good bit of personal growth. As for the side characters, I would love for Harper to get a story. I am also pretty invested in Jules and Nicholas.

This book was just fun. It was cute, and sweet and gave me fall vibes (absolutely necessary when I am melting in 100 degree weather). The physical chemistry between these two was fire- absolutely wonderful- but I feel like I loved their teasing interactions more. I am interested in how the other books in the series will link together as they are written by different authors.

I do have a few complaints. For one, I feel like it was leading up to some great blow up between the exes... that fizzled to absolutely nothing. Also, I feel like this could have been a novella and yet we have nearly 500 pages. Were all the scenes completely necessary? The first half was definitely more interesting, but the rest was good. There is some chatter about people disliking the frenzied speed of their relationship, and yes, marriage after less than a month would be insane in real life... but we aren't living in real life. We are living in a cozy town with love potions, prophet sisters and wet dreams starring men we haven't met. Don't look into it too hard, just enjoy the ride. For me, this is a three star book.

As far as adult content goes, there's language, drinking, sexual content with level six spice, and discussion of past cheating. It's definitely geared towards adults.

I was lucky enough to recieve an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

The premise of this book had my name written all over it.

While the premise was all me, this book was not. I did like the idea of the whimsy of this book and the two main characters. But everything seemed rush and was told not shown.

while this was enjoyable, this book was just not for me.

Fall I Want by Lyra Parish is a must read cozy fall contemporary romance. I ate this book up like it was a pumpkin loaf (iykyk). 🍽️

Autumn has a serious case of writers block after things ended horribly with her ex and is living in her hometown working at her local coffee shop. But no worries she’s got Mr. Dreamy to keep her company, except he’s not real. Or is he? 💭

Zane is a scorned man fleeing from his life in the spotlight. Except that means coming face to face with what he’s been avoiding. Until he meets her. With his sister’s prophecy in the back of his mind he has some decisions to make. ☕️

I did expect a little more ex drama than we got but it ended beautifully so I can’t complain! The spice was spicing, I was expected a little more domination type spice with some of their interactions but I was not disappointed with the level of spice we got! 🔥

🍂 Tropes 🍂
🎃 Small town romance
🎃 Billionaire romance
🎃 Hidden identity
🎃 Fake dating
🎃 Not a one bed trope but an “I’m scared
and don’t want to be alone” trope

Ratings:
⭐️ 4/5
🌶️ 3/5

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, NetGalley and Lyra Parish for this ARC.

A typical fake-dating trope following Autumn, a small town barista and aspiring writer and Zane, a billionaire. The fake dating starts when Autumn runs into her ex. As with most fake dating, we know that their love and passion will develop.

This book is perfect for the Fall. An atomospheric setting full of coffee shops, pumpkin patches, and crisp leaves. This is definitely a spicy romance, don't be fooled by the cozy cover.

The only parts that were hard was the middle/end which dragged whereas the beginning had great pacing. As with most fake dating, there was an element of insta-love that I didn't love.

This book is still good, it's like a Hallmark romance in a book.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.

Fall I Want by Lyra Parish had all the right ingredients for a cozy read: a small-town setting, a cute coffee shop, a girl name Autumn, a billionaire, and a fake dating trope. Unfortunately, despite its charming premise, this one fell a little flat for me.

The town, Cozy Creek, felt like my fall Pinterest board come to life. The “he falls first” setup between Zane and Autumn had its moments, and the soft thread of magical realism—especially with the dreams and Zane’s psychic sister—added a whimsy touch without going full fantasy. But once the fake dating started (which is my FAVORITE trope), the story lost steam. It was not a great execution.

I can see why this book works for people looking for a low-stakes, spice-heavy, fall-themed escape. But for me, it just didn’t land.

There are so many emotions I felt while reading this book and I have so much to share with you about it. To start, this book was cozy and comfortable and like a giant hug. Complete with a pumpkin patch, pumpkin bread, lots of coffee and of course a pumpkin king and queen. The town itself is called Cozy Hollow and I felt completely transported there and I didn’t want to leave. The description of the town, events, its people, the tourists, the ski resort and more was so well thought out that I felt like I was there and didn’t want to leave.

Autumn is still healing from a previous breakup but she has the best friends. Briar and Julie are great side characters and I loved all their interactions. The commentary and history with them felt so natural that I wanted to know more about each one of them. They all work the morning shift at the local coffee shop and one morning Zane walks in and changes everything.

Zane is escaping to Cozy Hollow to focus on what he wants in life and to heal from some past trauma. When he sets his eyes upon Autumn, it was like magic. Instalove. He knew he was in trouble so the best thing for him to do was to tell her the coffee she made was terrible and set it on the counter and left the store immediately.

I completely fell in love with this story. Every ounce of it. I wanted to know more about them, more about their family, friends, the town, everything. However, the last few chapters lacked a little something. It kept building and building and sucked me in, but then kinda fell a little flat towards the end. I really wish there was just a little more but overall I loved it and I hope we get some more from them because I felt like I need more.

3.75 ⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️

“My mother once told me to be known is to be loved. You know me. I love you like I’ve known you for a lifetime.”

Do you believe in magic? Fate? Destiny? Because this book made me believe in all of it. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason.

Mr. Dreamy has been visiting Autumn in her dreams for years. So when a mysterious man appears in Cozy Hollow, she’s convinced he’s the one she’s been dreaming about. Autumn & Zane’s initial encounters aren’t exactly smooth, but when her ex-boyfriend suddenly returns to town, Autumn comes up with the perfect plan to keep him away: fake dating Zane.

Zane’s mother always said, “the mountain air can cure anything.” After a nasty breakup, he heads back to Cozy Hollow to escape his chaotic life. He isn’t expecting to make any connections—but after meeting Autumn, he realizes everything his sister, Harper, predicted might actually be coming true.

If you love:
✨ Fake dating
✨ Billionaire romance
✨ Small town romance
✨ He falls first (& hard)
✨ Fall magic
✨ Prophecies
✨ Sweet but spicy

Then I think you’ll love Fall I Want! While the plots developed very quickly and felt rushed in certain scenes, I still really enjoy it! This book got me really excited for Fall and all the activities surrounding the season! Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PERFECT FALL ROMANCE

This book had me laughing, giggling, and even tearing up—sometimes all in the same chapter. The chemistry between the characters was instant and electric, but what really set it apart was the touch of magic woven into the story. Harper being clairvoyant added such a unique and whimsical layer that made the romance feel even more fated and special.

The steamy scenes? Absolute perfection—just the right amount of heat without overpowering the heart of the story. And those wedding scenes? Total swoon-fest. They were written so beautifully I found myself re-reading them just to soak in the emotion again.

I loved every moment with these characters and honestly didn’t want it to end. Lyra Parish gave us something magical, romantic, and emotionally rich. I need more!

This was a really warm and cozy romance read. It came with all the autumn themed elements I love! It made feel lighthearted, emotional, hopeful and relaxed. It even gave me some really good laughs! I loved the characters in the story and felt that even the minor characters stood out! I could really feel the chemistry between the two main characters. This novel is not just filled with pumpkins, fall festivities, and leaves falling, it also comes with spice! Looking at the cover, I would have never guessed that there would be any spicy scenes between the main characters! Fake dating to real feelings is what happens in this billionaire, small town romance comedy! This book reminded me of a hallmark movie, but with spice! I just wanted to grab a cup of warm tea, a big blanket and read this book that’s full of coziness! Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

“Fall I Want” is the first book in the “Cozy Creek Collection”. They can be read as a stand alone or in order. In this first novel, it revolves around a woman named Autumn and a billionaire guy named Zane. They both meet at Cozy Creek. Zane ends up being Autumn’s fake boyfriend, to protect Autumn, because her ex boyfriend had returned. This fake relationship starts turning into something real and a connection between Autumn and Zane develops! This small town comes with a compelling storyline and a happily ever after ending, leaving you wanting more!

This book is perfect for readers who love great autumn romance novels that have emotional depth to it! Content warnings include emotional turbulence and sexual content.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lyra Parish and Avon and Harper Voyager for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book’s new edition is expected to be released on August 19, 2025!

I have such mixed feelings.

1. Relief. I saw a couple reviews mentioning the end going weird and I was so worried it was going to be a dream or just her book being written. So when that didn’t happen, relief. Loathe that trope.

2. Aww. The incredibly hopeless romantic in me had a couple giggly, feet kicking moments. Probably more than I’d want to admit 😅

3. Okay that’s enough. Like the instalove instaloved too hard and too fast and then it just was. Forever. Without any conflict. I kept waiting for literally anything to raise the stakes at least a time bit, but conflict was nowhere. Almost every single character redeemed themselves to everyone and skipped off into the sunset.

4. Magic? It’s contemporary but also fairy taleesque with everyone having some belief in the witchy and no one doubting it ever? Like not even one naysayer? Wild behavior.

5. “Show, don’t tell.” This was drilled into me so hard in college and I didn’t aleast excel but this book told every single thing. We are in a beautiful cozy town and the main character is a writer. I’d love to have a little more visualization instead of being explicitly told every thing.

It’s got positive aspects. The idea was there - the execution wasn’t. It could have been a great as a novella, maybe?

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this!

I am so excited to buy this because 1) the cover and edges?? are you kidding?? and 2) I ate this up so so much!!