Four and a half stars! I loved this first book in the series. As someone who fell in love with Jill’s previous small town series, I had high hopes and this met expectations. It was an extremely slow burn but the payoff was lovely. I can’t wait for the next in the series!

The love story of Ryder Colburn and Penelope Rose: is it fate, being in the right place at the right time, or the Legend of Star Falls?
Book One of the Colburn Brothers Trilogy. “A trilogy of three unruly brothers, where adventures and shenanigans abound, as well as guaranteed, heart-stopping, heart-melting happily-ever-afters”

🤍Small Town
🤍Found Family
🤍Grumpy x Sunshine
🤍He Falls First (hah!)

He Falls First, book one of the ‘Colburn Brothers’ trilogy, will absolutely be your next favorite small-town romance. Penny, a spunky, independent, aspiring chef, moves home to take care of her grandmother and brother. She’s carrying the weight of an absent mother, abusive ex, and the role as “head of the household”. Sparks and wicked-banter fly when Ryder Colburn continues showing up in Penny’s life. While the two have been avoiding relationships, they can’t help but fall in love as they bond and heal over their traumatic pasts.

Hooked from the first chapter! The opening chapters completely set the tone for Penny and Ryder’s relationship; their stories were introduced and mapped out so well that I could clearly picture where the novel was headed. I, personally, find such comfort in being able to slightly “predict” small-town, happily ever after romances.
Jill Shalvis also did a wonderful job introducing all of the side characters; I fell in love with SO many of the supporting characters and am keeping my fingers crossed we’ll see more of them as the trilogy unfolded. I adored Grandma Nell and couldn’t help but chuckle every time Pika-Boo entered the conversation.

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He Falls First was my first Jill Shalvis novel and it’s safe to say it won’t be my last! Thank you to Jill Shalvis, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review an ARC of this novel.
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Penny Rose and Ryder Colburn both have deep bonds with their families, strong work ethics, and drama/tragedy to overcome. Escaping an abusive relationship, Penny comes home to her grandmother and young brother and takes a job with a catering company. Ryder runs his family's business and takes care of his elderly father - part of Ryder's own abusive childhood. Penny's and Ryder's paths cross as her grandmother is a caregiver for Ryder's father, and Ryder's business is one of Penny's clients with the catering company.

The sparks were definitely evident between Penny and Ryder, and the relationship is believable and emotional. The strong points were the romance/friendship between Penny and Ryder and the characters of the Colburn brothers and Penny's grandmother. The side plots and other characters could benefit from more development. I felt questions were left unanswered, and I wondered when they would be addressed - especially when I saw how few pages I had left to read. This is the first in a series so perhaps those points will be resolved in the next book.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Jill Shalvis and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was an excellent start to a brand new series. Jill Shalvis is an automatic buy for me. Her books are the gold standard for humor, heart and deep emotion. Whenever I start reading one of her books, I just can't stop.

I love when an alpha hero falls first-especially when it takes even him by surprise. Penny and Ryder were a very special couple. Penny was dealing with the heartache of her mom not being around and leaving her to shoulder the responsibility of her little brother. She was also dealing with a bad past relationship that literally left scars. I have to give a shout out to Penny's Gran and the bird Pikaboo. They were wonderful secondary characters.

Ryder shoulders a lot of guilt and struggles to run his very successful business after the loss of his business partner. He's also juggling a lot of family responsibilities. This book had a very tangled web of deep emotion and conflict mixed with some belly laughs, love and spicy times. All things I absolutely love in my romances. It was well written and captivated me from start to finish.

Jill changed it up on this book by writing both the hero and heroine in first person instead of her usual third person. It didn't change anything for me. If anything I got to know the characters at a deeper level. Also, let's face it, Jill does an amazing job of torturing her male main character. Making him fall first was just icing on the cake. I loved the family dynamics. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next books in this series. I received this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Oh Jill Shalvis, I clearly want to keep reading the series and everything you have to tell us.

"He Fall First" caught my attention because of the title. Do I want to read a novel where he falls in love first? Yes, always. That's why I wanted to read it, and luckily I was given the chance.

I'm going to start with my big (untrue) problem. Ryder Colburn is too perfect. So much so that we already know there will NEVER be someone like that in real life. Does it affect me? Not at all, because I'm already resigned to it (yes, at 29). I think he made him so perfect that it's truly unreal. Don't expect to find someone like that; he doesn't exist. Say what you will, a Ryder in real life DOES NOT exist.

I loved Penny, her family (the ones we know), and Ryder's family too (except for a certain someone). I loved how the bond between them developed little by little, how THEY TALKED! Because there are a lot of conversations here, and I loved that. I also loved that not all the conversations between the main characters and supporting characters were about her, but rather about work, life, feelings, and fears. The conversations between Penny and Ryder were funny and daring, and I wanted more and more!

It was truly a beautiful read, and I clearly want to continue reading the author.

Thank you so much, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for the ARC I read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for this arc!

He Falls First as it implies a he falls first plot which I always like. Both of the main characters have great personalities, both of them together cause great banter while also having their own baggage. Good start to this series!

It is good, just not Jill Shalvis good. As always, the animals in her books are a highlight, in this case Pika-boo. *whispers* Did you poop? 🤣

This was a sweet love story with dynamic characters, a good he falls first plot and in need of healing FMC. It started out super strong and I was hooked, but unfortunately it lost me and I couldn’t stay super intrigued throughout the rest. I did love Ry and his sweet, tender personality that cared for everyone around him. You could just see the constant good in him. Penny is vulnerable with a lot of wounds in her past, a good wall up and Ry is so patient with it all! I enjoyed their story overall, not a bad read just not one of my favorites!

4.5 stars. This was a great book. Penny and Ryder are not looking for a relationship. They are both care takers and either are too closed off for love or too scared. I loved how similar their personalities are and how they eventually opened up to each other . This is a great read and can’t wait to read the other stories in this series.

I was doing well until the first F-Bomb and I gave up! I don’t know why anyone wants to use that word! Jill Shalvis has never spoken like that when I’ve heard her talk so I don’t know why she writes it in her books! I think her books are funny so I tried it.

Penny and Ryder have had so many similar things happen in their lives, they have sealed up their hearts and thrown away the key., but when they meet, things start to change. They are both stubborn and determined, but when they are together, there were so many moments that I just laughed. I am still laughing as I write this. Their family members were part of their story, and they are quite unique.
There is just something special about this book. Jill Shalvis shared with us, all that they had been through, but also how they found things that made them laugh and me too. If I could give this book a 10 I would.
I received an ARC from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley.

Tears, tears and…more tears. I am an angsty queen but this book definitely managed to surprise me! The plot is full of meaningful momenta, deep emotions and lead by characters that will stay with you forever!

Cute, unusual, endearing!
Loved the chemistry and histories of both protagonists. The romance is well paced, the emotions come on strong and even the minor characters are interesting. Will definitely read more in this series.

I've loved Jill Shalvis since I first discovered her Lucky Harbor series, so I was excited to receive an ARC through Netgalley. She's one of my go-to authors for swoon-worthy, witty, and funny characters, and this book completely met my expectations. I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series!

He Falls First launches her new Colburn Brothers series, introducing the Legend of Stars Fall—a town myth where people watch the sky for three lucky stars to fall, promising you’ll meet your soulmate. It’s just a silly legend....right?

Ryder is hardworking, funny, sweet, and sexy, making him a perfect match for Penny’s similar personality. Both have built walls around their hearts due to past ghosts, but together, can they break those walls and open themselves up to something incredible?

This book was full of funny scenes, loveable characters and swoon-worthy romance.

This was a good beach read. Funny, emotional, sexy with some spicy scenes! 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Ry and Penny’s romance story keeps the pages turning!
They are both super likeable characters.


Thanks netgalley for this eArc!

oh does Jill Shalvis know how to write books that sit on a little shelf in my heart and give it a big hug? yes, yes she does.
and this book took my heart and ran around with it, did all sorts of tugging, and then slotted it back in with another hug.
Ryder. oh Ryder if only you could be real. hes the oldest and is indeed the protective big brother figure. all he wants is for the people he cares about to be ok. hes just one of the good guys and actually one of the good ones.
Penny is living with her grandmother and her young brother. but shes not been doing so well. shes got wounds to heal and walls built to stop anything else penetrating her already weak state. shes built a roof over herself to stop anything else falling on her. but as we all know, these things dont leave unless you look to YOU. and love can be one of the greatest healers, along with care and support.
shes determined though, and cant let her notice of Ryder go any further. can she?
but when they are together, even hen there is no active healing its just so right, and the wounds start to feel less painful all on their own. what they bring to each other is gorgeous. and how Jill writes this is just stunning.
the side characters are all so great and add those little notches of brilliance to books like this. and its about those around our main couple that you even know who they are. good people with good people.
i loved this book. it was just perfection.
and he falls first. what sweeter title than that?
i could happily sit amongst this book and its characters for a long time to come.

The chemistry between the main characters is off the charts. Their banter feels natural and fun, and I loved watching their relationship slowly shift from playful sparks to something much deeper. Both characters have their own baggage and vulnerabilities, but that just made their connection all the more satisfying. There are some wonderfully tender moments alongside plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes.

I will read any and all Jill Shalvis writes. I was SO excited to be given the opportunity to read this ARC. I was immediately drawn in to the characters in this book. The complexity of each person in the book was very well written and continued to evolve through it's entirety.

Ryder and Penny's connection is felt from the very beginning...and the emotions pulled from each one is felt on every page. The way that Ryder was with his feelings for Penny, pretty quickly, was SWOON worthy. Jill did an amazing job of writing all of the characters in this book and I cannot wait for Caleb and Tucker's stories!

I usually love Jill Shalvis's books, but this one was a bit .. meh. All of it has been done before, and I was expecting something new.
Not that it was bad per se, so you can look forward to a typical small town romance, an MMC who is down bad, both characters with their own issues, but who manage to find their way to their happiness. Loved the Colburn siblings!

DNF at 60%.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and given freely.

This one started out so great. Their first interaction made me giddy for more. But then it fall apart for me bit by bit. The pieces of this story just didn’t seem to connect and flow well. There was so much repetition the further I read, circling round and round again. It just made me lose interest unfortunately.