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A review by mishale1
Lease on Love by Falon Ballard
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In Sadie and Jack’s story everything is in a different order than usual.
Sadie and Jack move in together immediately after meeting. After some time, despite Sadie being absolutely adamant that Jack was not her type, they start to fall for each other. Given that they already live together, it’s a big step to date because if it goes wrong then Sadie loses her dream house, right?
Sadie had a stable job. She had a plan to get out of debt. Then she lost the job. She knew then that the responsible thing to do would be to rent somewhere less expensive. She hasn’t quite pulled the trigger on this plan yet but must have already downloaded the app to look for rentals.
She goes out with her super supportive friend group and gets very drunk and thinks she lined up a date on a dating app. When she shows up for the date she realizes that she had actually connected with someone looking for a roommate.
The guy seems sweet, dorky and harmless to her. So she goes to check out his place and it’s love at first sight: with a brownstone.
She decides to move in. The rent is shockingly cheap and the house is amazing. This even gives her a chance to pursue her actual dream which is being a florist.
Jack and Sadie’s friends help her at every chance. Despite everyone always being there for her, Sadie always feels like she’s selfishly taking advantage of them.
She also starts falling for Jack. He’s falling for her too.
But Jack and Sadie both have major baggage. It isn’t going to be easy. Both characters probably need therapy before they can be happy together.
Jack lost his parents and he’s felt all alone in the world since then.
Sadie has a narcissist father who verbally and emotionally abused her.
I’ll be honest, I found Sadie irritating sometimes. And then I felt bad for finding her irritating because a lot of her bad choices were connected to her childhood.
I liked Jack the whole time. He was a good guy and a likable character.
I also liked the best friend characters. Sadie’s best friends could easily fill a novel of their own. I could see them with spin-off stories.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. I’d mention the verbal/emotional abuse as a content warning.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!
Sadie and Jack move in together immediately after meeting. After some time, despite Sadie being absolutely adamant that Jack was not her type, they start to fall for each other. Given that they already live together, it’s a big step to date because if it goes wrong then Sadie loses her dream house, right?
Sadie had a stable job. She had a plan to get out of debt. Then she lost the job. She knew then that the responsible thing to do would be to rent somewhere less expensive. She hasn’t quite pulled the trigger on this plan yet but must have already downloaded the app to look for rentals.
She goes out with her super supportive friend group and gets very drunk and thinks she lined up a date on a dating app. When she shows up for the date she realizes that she had actually connected with someone looking for a roommate.
The guy seems sweet, dorky and harmless to her. So she goes to check out his place and it’s love at first sight: with a brownstone.
She decides to move in. The rent is shockingly cheap and the house is amazing. This even gives her a chance to pursue her actual dream which is being a florist.
Jack and Sadie’s friends help her at every chance. Despite everyone always being there for her, Sadie always feels like she’s selfishly taking advantage of them.
She also starts falling for Jack. He’s falling for her too.
But Jack and Sadie both have major baggage. It isn’t going to be easy. Both characters probably need therapy before they can be happy together.
Jack lost his parents and he’s felt all alone in the world since then.
Sadie has a narcissist father who verbally and emotionally abused her.
I’ll be honest, I found Sadie irritating sometimes. And then I felt bad for finding her irritating because a lot of her bad choices were connected to her childhood.
I liked Jack the whole time. He was a good guy and a likable character.
I also liked the best friend characters. Sadie’s best friends could easily fill a novel of their own. I could see them with spin-off stories.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. I’d mention the verbal/emotional abuse as a content warning.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent