Just My Type by Falon Ballard
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Publisher : Putnam Books
Publication date : February 7th, 2023
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.
I love romcoms so when I'd gotten an ARC of Just My Type by Fallon Ballard which gave some How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days vibes, I was very excited especially because I'd loved the author's first book - Lease On Love. And I'd say I did really like this one but I have some things to nitpick about too(I feel like I'm in the minority).
Lana Parker was expecting a proposal from her long-term boyfriend, but what she gets is a breakup. And as if waking up hungover the next day wasn't enough, she goes to work and finds a surprise waiting for her - her high school ex - Seth Carson who will now be working there for a while. Lana is very passionate about pop culture and wants to work on something related to that but she's been mainly running a dating column at ATF for years. So when her boss proposes a competition between her and Seth where they'll have to do the exact opposite of what they usually do when it comes to dating, she agrees to it as it might give her a chance to become a columnist at the Chronicle. So she will have to give up her serial monogamist ways and be single for a while as she works on the tasks that Seth presents her. And Seth needs to settle down and give serious dating a try. But would this competition between them turn into something more when they find out that they still have unresolved feelings for each other?
I loved the author's writing and the witty banter between the characters which added a lot of fun. Lana is somewhat of a people pleaser and has mommy issues as well, which makes her instinctively search for relationships where she can find a new family. Her friends are pretty honest when they say that she can't be alone. So it was nice to see her try to overcome that while discovering the fact that she has been independent in many aspects all along. Seth is somewhat unfamiliar for a while as all we know is what Lana tells us(since it's from her POV) and she makes him sound like a player. But honestly, I didn't get those vibes from him. They have many misunderstandings between them but he does seem like a genuine guy who cares for her.
At first, she has a lot of anger and unresolved issues which sparks the animosity between them - and that had me hooked for the first half. When Lana kept stressing about how he hurt her twice and had broken up with her outta nowhere, I was very curious about their story. I'm gonna be honest and say I was explaining a delicious second-chance romance but it didn't meet my expectations completely, especially when the reason for their breakup came up. I don't want to give any spoilers away but god I hate it when stuff happens and one person thinks that they know what's better for the other person 🙄 But, actually that was a minor point, what fell flat for me was the sexual tension between them. Like there's a lot of bickering and banter between them but I didn't feel that romantic push-pull for a major part. I felt like Lana was hung up over Seth just because he was her first love and not because of some things that she truly still liked about him. And I know that we're seeing things in first person pov and Lana might be oblivious to some of it, but if Seth has still been in love with her for so many years, I need to see some ✨pining✨ okay? That was missing.
Also, I thought it was a given for second-chance romance books to have flashbacks? I love seeing the past and present versions of their relationship as it makes it more adorable. But here we just have Lana narrating some of the incidents to her friends or just some thoughts about the things/experiences that they'd both shared - which brought it down a notch.
On the other hand, I loved Lana's bff and her coworkers(we all need friends like these!) as they were all so great and very supportive! Her boss was a bit weird - like the whole competition thing crosses a lot of work and personal boundaries - and I'm glad Lana realizes that and stands up for herself. Her self-discovery journey is one of the highlights and something that I enjoyed, though I do think that she could've spent more time alone before she got back together with Seth again. I also loved seeing her finally have an honest conversation with her mom and it was realistic too - as there's not a huge change in their relationship, but with baby steps, Lana might be letting go of some of the resentment that she holds.
“Oh, honey, you’ve been standing on your own two feet for almost your entire life.”
It’s a simple statement, but the truth of it punches me in the gut. She’s right. I’ve been taking care of myself for a really long time, and whatever my relationship status is doesn’t change that fact. I had to learn how to fend for myself and how to be alone long before I ever sought constant companionship from whoever was willing to hand it to me.
In the end, this was a cute read that many would enjoy (especially if you're a rom-com lover). Though I didn't love this as much as I did with Lease On Love(and I think that might be due to some personal preferences) I'm still looking forward to reading more from this author.
I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest
review
Falon Ballard loves to write about love! She also has an undying affection for exclamation points and isn’t ashamed to admit it! When she’s not writing fictional love stories, she’s helping real-life couples celebrate, working as a wedding planner in Southern California. She has a deep appreciation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a Disneyland devotee, and is a reality TV aficionado. If she’s not busy wrangling her seven-year-old, you can probably find her drinking wine and posting a picture on Instagram while simultaneously snarking on Twitter, because multitasking!
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