Starts slow but it picks up. I forced myself to love this story which I did but it didn’t excite me as much as I wanted it to.

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒ Just My Type by Falon Ballard is a heartwarming and humorous story about a relationship-prone woman who needs to learn to be on her own. Story Recap: Lana Parker likes to be in a relationship, even when it’s not a true love match. As soon as one relationship ends, she jumps right into a new one. Now, she’s single again and she wants to stay that way for a while. Then Lana’s ex-boyfriend from High School shows up at Lana’s work as a temporary employee on assignment. They had split up on bad terms and the last person Lana wants to see is Seth. Seth has spent the last few years flying around the world doing freelance journalism and is hoping to land a more permanent position at a Los Angeles newspaper. His assignment at Lala’s Web Magazine office called Always Take Fountain is a stepping stone to a job at the LA newspaper. But, Natasha, the boss, has decided to make both of them compete for the plum journalist position at the newspaper. The competition is for Lana to stay single and Seth needs to find one woman to settle down with. My Thoughts: I love a good office romance and especially a second chance romance, and Just My Type ticked all the boxes. Lana wasn’t happy to see Seth back in her life, but it was clear they have chemistry, and they have so much in common, including a competitive spirit. I was pulled right into this story and enjoyed the competition between Lana and Seth. The competition was not realistic, however, the author did an excellent job of convincing me it was realistic by making the boss, Natasha, an ambitious woman, and Lana a people pleaser. Otherwise, I don’t think a sane employee would enter into such a competition. Overall I enjoyed this second chance, enemies to lovers, workplace romance! Recommendation: I highly recommend Just My Type to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Format - E- ARC (Netgalley) Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Spice- 🌶 🌶 🌶 Series- N/A Troupes- Second chance, workplace romance, lovers to enemies to lovers, rivalry CW- Parental abandonment This is Ballards sophomore novel, but you’d hardly know it considering the mastery with which she has woven this second chance romance about high school sweethearts turned rivals. It’s not hard to love and also in the next breath want to strangle our Heroin Lana. As told from her POV, we find that is she’s a mix of sweet and sassy and can give as good as she gets in the banter department. She’s got some lingering abandonment issues that have kept her in longterm monogamous relationships with people solely so she won’t have to be alone. So when her most recent partner breaks it off, her very first ex, Seth shows up as her new coworker and rival and she is tasked with and assignment that has her learning how to be happy in her singlehood things get very, very complicated. And she is forced to finally look long and hard at her patterns and how they have affected not just her the the ones she loves as well. Seth is my favorite kind of infuriating hero. He’s gives me Joshua from ‘The Hating Game” vibes and I was totally Here, For, It. And that’s all I’m gonna say about him cause Spoilers. The story give us great mental health rep, normalizing therapy and the need for it. As well as self recognizing patterns of behavior that might not be so healthy. Falon Delivers on the Spicy times this time around and after all the sexually charged banter between these two it is a much needed relief for everyone involved. I thoroughly enjoy this book, its and nice easy read, with lots of swoony and awww moments mixed in with the wit and laugh out loud banter. Highly recommend! Thank you Falon Ballard, Penguin Putnam and netgalley for this advanced readers E copy, all opinions are my own.

Readers are often asked what their favorite romance trope is, and for me, it’s all about second chance romances. Just My Type epitomizes all I love about the trope, and throws in a bit of enemies to lovers, too. So, what is it I love about second chance romances, and how does the author do it so well here? Lana and Seth were each other’s first loves, high school sweethearts who had broken up 12 years before this story begins. In those 12 years, they’d each been working on fulfilling their dreams. Lana had had several long-term relationships, and then she gets dumped on the night she thinks she’s about to get engaged—right before Seth reenters her life, this time as an adversary at her workplace. It is clear that there is a lot of heartache between these two, unresolved feelings, and sparks fly as they banter and compete. The question is, do they still love each other, and can they ever forgive each other enough to reunite? I loved that Lana is insightful, exploring her need to always be in a relationship, and discovering that she’s okay on her own. There was growth on the part of both characters, and I was with them through their highs and lows, their tears and laughter, and most of all, their love.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Putnam books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I LOVED this book. I flew through it. If you like reading about second-chance romances and strong female friendships, I think you'll like this one. While I enjoyed the list aspect of the competition, I don't think that was what made me like the book. The mother/daughter subplot really intrigued me and drew me in. I love how that was wrapped up! Also, as a journalist myself, I liked that the commentary on the profession was so accurate. The one thing missing from this book is chemistry. I liked both characters but I only felt the chemistry occasionally. I think the author did a good job at inserting small moments between the characters while leading up to the big moment, but I felt like those smaller moments needed to be longer. They were too quick and it didn't give me enough time to really feel it. I think if those moments were explored more then the payoff would have been much better. Oh and I liked the whole boss situation, that was definitely interesting to read about and important too! I definitely would recommend this book to rom-com readers out there!

When I read the first line of the book, “I’m having an Elle Woods moment,” I was immediately hooked! After Lana gets dumped by her boyfriend of four years, her boss challenges her to stay single for the first time in her life and focus on herself. Meanwhile, she finds out her first (and only) love will be joining her company and competing for with her for her dream job. While Lana must write about staying single, Seth must write about finding someone and settling down - may the best column win! This is such a cute romcom that gave me a mix of The Hating Game and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes - both of my favorites! There was witty banter, sexual tension, and lots of laughs. I loved the second chance, enemies to lovers, and close proximity tropes. The characters had great chemistry, and I loved all the side characters with their supportive and mischievous behavior. This isn’t just a story about finding love, but about finding yourself and following your dreams. Only things I would change is dual POV (would love to be in Seth’s head) and less miscommunication. This is my first Falon Ballard book and I can’t wait to read Lease on Love. If you are a RomCom fan, pick this one up! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!