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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
The Friendly Fall is a heartwarming, cozy romance filled with humour, family, and small-town charm. Eliza, a kind-hearted photographer, moves to West Falls to help her beloved Granny after a tough breakup, hoping for a fresh start. She’s quickly caught—literally and figuratively—by Nick, the town’s sweet volunteer firefighter. Their chemistry sparks immediately, leading to a journey filled with humor, warmth, and swoon-worthy moments as their friendship grows into something more.
Nick is the quintessential “cinnamon roll” hero—thoughtful, caring, and supportive. Though cautious after her recent breakup, Eliza is encouraged by Granny (who often steals the show!) to open her heart again. With small-town gatherings like the Pumpkin Festival, the story is set against a perfect fall backdrop. Each interaction between Nick and Eliza is relatable and uplifting, with Nick supporting Eliza’s dream to pursue photography.
Kristine W. Joy’s writing beautifully captures West Falls and her characters’ emotional journeys. The Friendly Fall is a sweet, closed-door romance with plenty of heart and low-spice intimacy. I really enjoyed this book and the vibes for this fall season were immaculate! It’s also Part of the *Cinnamon Roll & Pumpkin Spice* series but enjoyable on its own (I haven’t read the rest and was still able to enjoy this story tons!)
This cozy, feel-good story of love and self-discovery is a must-read for fans of small-town romance and autumn vibes. Highly recommended!
Nick is the quintessential “cinnamon roll” hero—thoughtful, caring, and supportive. Though cautious after her recent breakup, Eliza is encouraged by Granny (who often steals the show!) to open her heart again. With small-town gatherings like the Pumpkin Festival, the story is set against a perfect fall backdrop. Each interaction between Nick and Eliza is relatable and uplifting, with Nick supporting Eliza’s dream to pursue photography.
Kristine W. Joy’s writing beautifully captures West Falls and her characters’ emotional journeys. The Friendly Fall is a sweet, closed-door romance with plenty of heart and low-spice intimacy. I really enjoyed this book and the vibes for this fall season were immaculate! It’s also Part of the *Cinnamon Roll & Pumpkin Spice* series but enjoyable on its own (I haven’t read the rest and was still able to enjoy this story tons!)
This cozy, feel-good story of love and self-discovery is a must-read for fans of small-town romance and autumn vibes. Highly recommended!
4.5* - Rounded up to 5...
Man, I felt SO bad for Eliza! Shewie. Talk about a ROUGH day!
That said, I absolutely LOVE her grandmother! lol... And Nick is SUCH a sweetie pie!
This story was truly uplifting, and a fun read. SO many cute moments, and an amazing story of hope, growth and love for Nick and Eliza. I loved the character growth, and the story development.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Man, I felt SO bad for Eliza! Shewie. Talk about a ROUGH day!
That said, I absolutely LOVE her grandmother! lol... And Nick is SUCH a sweetie pie!
This story was truly uplifting, and a fun read. SO many cute moments, and an amazing story of hope, growth and love for Nick and Eliza. I loved the character growth, and the story development.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4/4.25 ⭐️
THE FINAL INSTALLMENT - honestly i’m sad it’s over.
This was a joy to read - it was cute, funny and heartwarming and felt like the perfect ending to this series. You absolutely do not need to read the rest of the series to read any of the books within.
Kristine’s writing is really enjoyable! It’s bingable and the characters are quickly relatable which makes the story more entertaining as a reader.
I feel like i could see this book as a movie so easily! It had all the aspects that would keep you entertained on screen and the plot was enjoyable. I loved how the characters found themselves throughout it as well. Our FMC especially - when she told Devon where to shove it, I was cheering and the work bench & letter had me kicking my feet.
It has allll the goods: fake dating, small town romance, he falls first, cinnamon roll MMC
Absolutely recommend to my peers and would definitely read more by this author in the future.
THE FINAL INSTALLMENT - honestly i’m sad it’s over.
This was a joy to read - it was cute, funny and heartwarming and felt like the perfect ending to this series. You absolutely do not need to read the rest of the series to read any of the books within.
Kristine’s writing is really enjoyable! It’s bingable and the characters are quickly relatable which makes the story more entertaining as a reader.
I feel like i could see this book as a movie so easily! It had all the aspects that would keep you entertained on screen and the plot was enjoyable. I loved how the characters found themselves throughout it as well. Our FMC especially - when she told Devon where to shove it, I was cheering and the work bench & letter had me kicking my feet.
It has allll the goods: fake dating, small town romance, he falls first, cinnamon roll MMC
Absolutely recommend to my peers and would definitely read more by this author in the future.
4.5 stars for this one!! The last book in the Cinnamon Roll and Pumpkin Spice Series and I am sad to see it end. I actually read this in one sitting because it was such an enjoyable read. The story developed the characters well and moved quickly. Eliza is sweet but slightly jaded from her 8 year relationship with really a jerky guy so she is understandably a little leery of the incredibly sweet and too good to be true Nick. Nick is not sure if love is going to happen for him since everyone else around him seems to have found it and moved on to the next phase of their lives. Thankfully, with the help of Granny and some other colorful characters they find their happily ever after. This read just like a GAC movie and I am totally here for it!
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
This is a super fun grandparent meddling book complete with fake dating and grnd gestures. I loved the journey that both min characters go through discovering their feelings for the other and winning each other over. A fun last book in the cinnamon rolls and pumpkin spice multiauthor series of stand alones, Nick is a truly sweet cinnamon roll main male character. Check out all 8 books on KU now!
The dedication hit me with all the right feels and set such a great tone for this book. Due to unforeseen and unfortunate life events, Eliza goes to live with her grandmother. After the sweetest of meet-cutes, she develops feelings for Nick, the local handyman with quite the cinnamon roll personality. A sweet, closed-door romance told in dual, first person PoV with nods to rebuilding confidence, resiliency and finding love in the midst of miscommunication. This book is the eighth and final standalone story in the Cinnamon Rolls & Pumpkin Spice Series. Thanks to the author for an advanced copy.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a great meet-cute that starts this novel. Following a break up, Eliza retreats to West Falls to stay with her grandmother. As she’s bringing her luggage into the house, she falls through the old accessibility ramp and gets stuck. Enter Nick, a volunteer fireman who pulls her free. You couldn’t get a cuter start to a relationship.
Nick is instantly enamoured with Eliza but she’s been burnt badly by her ex Devon and therefore
puts Nick firmly in the friend zone. Nick is such a nice guy and won’t risk their blossoming friendship by revealing to Eliza exactly how he feels about her. Despite Eliza’s granny conspiring with Nick’s mother to engineer casual ‘dates’ together, Eliza remains firm that Nick is just a friend and Nick confirms he is happy to stay that way.
I loved the rapport between Nick and Eliza. They were obviously so right for each other, Nick was just the nicest guy ever, always willing to help people out and never expecting anything in return. He genuinely cares about Eliza and wants her to be happy, even risking his own happiness when Devon comes calling to try and get Eliza back. I loved how he embraced the fake dating idea over Thanksgiving, using it as a chance to show Eliza how good a boyfriend he could really be and is devastated when she doesn’t see it, and still considers him a friend, at least so she says.
Eliza is so sweet but so wary. I loved watching her confidence in herself begin to blossom, her photography and her friendships with not only Nick, but Vanessa too. She needs a friend to sound her ideas on and Vanessa proves to be just the right person to help her see her true feelings for Nick.
Nick is instantly enamoured with Eliza but she’s been burnt badly by her ex Devon and therefore
puts Nick firmly in the friend zone. Nick is such a nice guy and won’t risk their blossoming friendship by revealing to Eliza exactly how he feels about her. Despite Eliza’s granny conspiring with Nick’s mother to engineer casual ‘dates’ together, Eliza remains firm that Nick is just a friend and Nick confirms he is happy to stay that way.
I loved the rapport between Nick and Eliza. They were obviously so right for each other, Nick was just the nicest guy ever, always willing to help people out and never expecting anything in return. He genuinely cares about Eliza and wants her to be happy, even risking his own happiness when Devon comes calling to try and get Eliza back. I loved how he embraced the fake dating idea over Thanksgiving, using it as a chance to show Eliza how good a boyfriend he could really be and is devastated when she doesn’t see it, and still considers him a friend, at least so she says.
Eliza is so sweet but so wary. I loved watching her confidence in herself begin to blossom, her photography and her friendships with not only Nick, but Vanessa too. She needs a friend to sound her ideas on and Vanessa proves to be just the right person to help her see her true feelings for Nick.