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A review by julinino19
Just My Type by Falon Ballard
4.0
4.5 || If you have been looking for a romance novel to scratch that Emily Henry itch (because I certainly have), then look no further! I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this; I find that I am hard to please when it comes to rom-coms, and not to mention this book features my least favorite trope: exes-to-lovers. Well, Miss Falon Ballard made me eat my words. I was wrong, exes-to-lovers can be done well. Lesson learned.
Lana Parker is thirty years old and has been writing at Always Take Fountain, an online magazine, for eight years. She is the writer behind their successful dating advice column. She is also a serial monogamist. That's right, homegirl goes from serious relationship to serious relationship like its nothing. And did I mention that she has always been the dumpee? Yep. Four times, to be exact. All of that changes after her current boyfriend of four years dumps Lana and tells her that she has extreme mommy issues. Ouch. This revelation is soon confirmed by all of her dear friends, forcing Lana to accept the truth: she cannot stay single. Does her relationship with her estranged mother have anything to do with it? Oh, yeah, no doubt about it. Lana is incapable of being alone, and she should probably figure that out.
Enter Seth Carson—Lana's first love, first boyfriend, and the first to completely shatter her heart. Oh, and he didn't just break her heart once, homeboy broke it all over again two years ago at their high school reunion. So why on earth is he at the ATF offices the morning after Lana got dumped? Well, because this is a rom-com, so outlandish things are allowed to happen. Sethy-boy has been offered a job at the Chronicle, who recently bought ATF.
Enter Natasha—Lana's boss at ATF. She wants Seth and Lana to compete for an open position at the Chronicle, which is the opportunity Lana has been waiting for. She doesn't want to write dating advice forever. Lana yearns to write about art, literature, and pop culture. So, what's the catch? Seth has been on the road for years as a freelance writer, never having the time for a serious relationship. And Lana needs to chill out with the relationships. Each has to follow a list of tasks and write about their experiences. The end goal? Seth needs to take steps to settle down and find someone to be in a relationship with, and Lana must grapple with her fear of being alone and learn to enjoy her time as a single woman. Their competition will be followed by ATF's readers and there will be one winner at the end of it.
You get the gist, right?
As Lana and Seth complete their challenges, they are forced to open up old wounds and confront what neither has been able to let go of since they were teenagers.
Our good ole friend Mr. Miscommunication has a big role in this novel. Things that were miscommunicated years ago, as well as just a complete lack of communication between Lana and Seth while they reconnect. This, of course, is super annoying. But I am beginning to make my peace with it, because it would all be over too quickly if every romantic pairing in every romance novel ever just sat down and cleared the air. Heaven forbid they ask the right questions and answer with clarity. *sigh*
My other gripe with the novel is that I found Seth to be rather bland for the majority of the book. I read this in a day, so perhaps that has affected my perception, but homeboy said more in the last third of the book than in the first two. When he did speak, I was intrigued and enjoyed hearing his side of things, but I still think there could have been more from the time him and Lana spent together. I felt a lack in witty banter, which is probably my favorite staple/cliché in romances.
Other than that, I had a good time with this. Ballard did a good job with the whole exes-to-lovers/second-chance-romance premise. I even got teary-eyed at some of Lana's introspective moments.
Just My Type delivered what I look for in romances:
- A protagonist I can root for
- A love interest that doesn't make me roll my eyes
- Delving into deeper topics
- Fun side characters
- Female friendships
- Slow burn
- Interesting atmosphere/setting/career (especially if it has to do with writing)
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Lana Parker is thirty years old and has been writing at Always Take Fountain, an online magazine, for eight years. She is the writer behind their successful dating advice column. She is also a serial monogamist. That's right, homegirl goes from serious relationship to serious relationship like its nothing. And did I mention that she has always been the dumpee? Yep. Four times, to be exact. All of that changes after her current boyfriend of four years dumps Lana and tells her that she has extreme mommy issues. Ouch. This revelation is soon confirmed by all of her dear friends, forcing Lana to accept the truth: she cannot stay single. Does her relationship with her estranged mother have anything to do with it? Oh, yeah, no doubt about it. Lana is incapable of being alone, and she should probably figure that out.
Enter Seth Carson—Lana's first love, first boyfriend, and the first to completely shatter her heart. Oh, and he didn't just break her heart once, homeboy broke it all over again two years ago at their high school reunion. So why on earth is he at the ATF offices the morning after Lana got dumped? Well, because this is a rom-com, so outlandish things are allowed to happen. Sethy-boy has been offered a job at the Chronicle, who recently bought ATF.
Enter Natasha—Lana's boss at ATF. She wants Seth and Lana to compete for an open position at the Chronicle, which is the opportunity Lana has been waiting for. She doesn't want to write dating advice forever. Lana yearns to write about art, literature, and pop culture. So, what's the catch? Seth has been on the road for years as a freelance writer, never having the time for a serious relationship. And Lana needs to chill out with the relationships. Each has to follow a list of tasks and write about their experiences. The end goal? Seth needs to take steps to settle down and find someone to be in a relationship with, and Lana must grapple with her fear of being alone and learn to enjoy her time as a single woman. Their competition will be followed by ATF's readers and there will be one winner at the end of it.
You get the gist, right?
As Lana and Seth complete their challenges, they are forced to open up old wounds and confront what neither has been able to let go of since they were teenagers.
Our good ole friend Mr. Miscommunication has a big role in this novel. Things that were miscommunicated years ago, as well as just a complete lack of communication between Lana and Seth while they reconnect. This, of course, is super annoying. But I am beginning to make my peace with it, because it would all be over too quickly if every romantic pairing in every romance novel ever just sat down and cleared the air. Heaven forbid they ask the right questions and answer with clarity. *sigh*
My other gripe with the novel is that I found Seth to be rather bland for the majority of the book. I read this in a day, so perhaps that has affected my perception, but homeboy said more in the last third of the book than in the first two. When he did speak, I was intrigued and enjoyed hearing his side of things, but I still think there could have been more from the time him and Lana spent together. I felt a lack in witty banter, which is probably my favorite staple/cliché in romances.
Other than that, I had a good time with this. Ballard did a good job with the whole exes-to-lovers/second-chance-romance premise. I even got teary-eyed at some of Lana's introspective moments.
Just My Type delivered what I look for in romances:
- A protagonist I can root for
- A love interest that doesn't make me roll my eyes
- Delving into deeper topics
- Fun side characters
- Female friendships
- Slow burn
- Interesting atmosphere/setting/career (especially if it has to do with writing)
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.