ARC Book Review: Just My Type by Falon Ballard

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Falon Ballard
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: February 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To win the job of her dreams, a relationship-prone journalist needs to learn how to stay single in this heartwarming and hilarious new romantic comedy from the beloved author of Lease on Love.

Lana Parker has never been single for long. After a disastrous break-up with her high school boyfriend, Seth Carson, Lana’s bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationship. She’s an expert girlfriend, even acting as the resident dating and relationship columnist for one of Los Angeles’s trendiest websites. But now, at the age of thirty, Lana suddenly finds herself single again, and she’s determined to stay that way, no matter how challenging.

That is, until her high school ex, Seth, now a journalist in his own right, takes an assignment at Lana’s site. Ready to put down roots after years of traveling and freelancing, Seth becomes not only Lana’s colleague but also her competitor. With their combative relationship history–and undeniable chemistry–they quickly find themselves pitted against each other in a battle of wits: writing an article series that goes against dating type. For Lana, that means writing about staying single and embracing it. For Seth, it’s learning to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever’s is most popular wins a highly coveted columnist spot that either could only dream of. But when the two square off against one another, it’s not only their careers on the line–it’s also their hearts.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

NOT MY FAVORITE.

Audiobook review notes: I had no issue with the audiobook! I liked the narrator and thought it was well paced. I was able to keep up with the story easily.

After enjoying this author’s first book, I was hoping to like this one too. Aaaand I did not.

This was a poor execution of both enemies to lovers and second chance romance. I thought both Lana and Seth acted pretty childish for most of the book and I hardly saw any growth. I don’t mind a hot mess type of character to start with, but Lana needed a lot more change by the end for me to like her. And I never found that moment.

Themes of positive therapy and mental health were the high points here. There were multiple therapy conversations and working through past trauma that allowed the relationship to at least develop by the end. This also helped the weird boss situation that I’m not sure was ever truly resolved??

I wish at some point I felt like cheering on this couple. I’m feeling all sorts of disappointment over this let down. Lack of true chemistry, lack of character arcs and that competition just didn’t do it for me.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: two open door
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: emotionally unavailable parent, sexual harassment, parental abandonment, alcohol consumption