Can't Help Falling in Love

English language

Published 2024 by St. Martin's Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-91061-5

(1 review)

A struggling waitress and the heir to a major Seattle company stumble into a high-profile fake engagement while simultaneously trying to keep up with their own love lives in this flirty fall rom-com!

Lexi Danby is looking for some no-strings, fall fun. Once a college track star, she was forced to drop out when her father passed away. Now she’s trying to make ends meet while putting herself through school and caring for her grieving mother. When her comically bad waitressing lands her directly in the path of a handsome, charming stranger named Will, Lexi may just have found the distraction she’s been looking for. Their first date looks promising until a misunderstanding at a party thrusts Lexi and Will into a fake engagement they can’t talk themselves out of. And Will turns out to be a member of Seattle royalty.

Will Grand is heir to a major company, and …

A struggling waitress and the heir to a major Seattle company stumble into a high-profile fake engagement while simultaneously trying to keep up with their own love lives in this flirty fall rom-com!

Lexi Danby is looking for some no-strings, fall fun. Once a college track star, she was forced to drop out when her father passed away. Now she’s trying to make ends meet while putting herself through school and caring for her grieving mother. When her comically bad waitressing lands her directly in the path of a handsome, charming stranger named Will, Lexi may just have found the distraction she’s been looking for. Their first date looks promising until a misunderstanding at a party thrusts Lexi and Will into a fake engagement they can’t talk themselves out of. And Will turns out to be a member of Seattle royalty.

Will Grand is heir to a major company, and Seattle’s most eligible bachelor. But he’s been placed in charge of an important merger with a company that values family above all else, and needs to show them that he’s settled down. While a fake engagement is advantageous from a business standpoint, it’s not so great for a budding relationship with a woman who’s wary of commitment. With a woman who Will is beginning to care about much more than he could have anticipated.

As Lexi gets a taste of Will’s glamorous world and the pair keeps up the pretense of their fake engagement for the press, they decide to see where a more casual relationship takes them out of the spotlight. And amid apple picking in comfy flannels, outdoor breweries in the crisp air, and fun Halloween preparations, Lexi starts to realize the scariest part of the season might just be taking a chance on love.

2 editions

WhiskeyintheJar reviewed Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan

Sweet chemistry

4 stars

3.7 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

“And as far as second dates go, getting engaged is unique.”

Ever since her father died three years ago, Lexi has felt like her life has been on hold and she's been trying to catch her breath. A high-school track star who got a full ride to college, she had to drop out a while to help her grieving mother. Working two jobs and selling her dad's business has finally got her caught up on the bills, leaving her just enough to pay tuition on the three classes she needs to graduate at twenty-five years old. Life is starting to settle until she runs into some old high-school friends and doesn't want them to know Alexandria The Great is waitressing. Lexie suddenly finds herself “dating” the cute …

3.7 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

“And as far as second dates go, getting engaged is unique.”

Ever since her father died three years ago, Lexi has felt like her life has been on hold and she's been trying to catch her breath. A high-school track star who got a full ride to college, she had to drop out a while to help her grieving mother. Working two jobs and selling her dad's business has finally got her caught up on the bills, leaving her just enough to pay tuition on the three classes she needs to graduate at twenty-five years old. Life is starting to settle until she runs into some old high-school friends and doesn't want them to know Alexandria The Great is waitressing. Lexie suddenly finds herself “dating” the cute and flirty customer who turns out to be Will, Seattle's most eligible bachelor and the man who just might be able to get her to risk her heart.

No strings. Just a break from regularly scheduled programming.

This turned out to be a super cute and sweet “fake engagement” but not dating romance. I'm an angst monster but I appreciated how, even though Lexi's mother and herself to a certain extent, were still dealing with grief, it's more towards them finally being able to breathe through the loss. The majority of this was getting to watch Lexi and Will sweetly fall in love and it was so enjoyable. Will grew up rich, with his grandfather's business but he's sick of his mother pushing society women on him, he finds Lexi's realness refreshing and I thought their chemistry was evident in how they played off of each other. The first half of this had me grinning and getting that warm feeling in my heart as Will tries not to push Lexi too hard, she wants to keep things casual as she thinks her life is too busy for her to take time for herself, thinks she's not good enough for Will, and after seeing how her father's death wrecked her mother, is afraid to let herself love. Will, for his part is instantly charmed by Lexi and is trying to keep the outside forces, his family, gossip papers, at bay so that he can get to know Lexi. They were pretty much together from the beginning with Lexi's reluctance having her drag her feet a bit.

Will’s gaze was locked on Lexi. “Lexi.” Despite the chaos swirling in her head and her gut, she took a moment to drink him in. She hadn’t imagined those gorgeous, intense eyes or the wide set of his shoulders. He looked like GQ personified in his dark suit, lightly pin-striped tie. His hair was a little mussed from the wind and she had vivid images of mussing it another way.

I loved the first half of this but the second started to pop in too many tangents, this was at it's best when Lexi and Will were together. Will had some family business drama (the merger with the bad reputation son felt useless after it fizzled out so much) and family relationship drama that helped flush out his character but I still don't know if I felt he was a completely filled out. He was the sweet and perfect prince for Lexi, which usually feels cardboard cutout but he worked for me in this story. Lexi got a bit too stretching out for page count sake mulish in the second half and I could feel the story pace losing me a little. I wish we could have seen these two be more physical in the bedroom, the scenes are fade-to-black-ish, as I think it would have heat things up but this was steady in it's sweet vibe.

Maybe that’s what was missing from his life: something real.

The later second half gives us a quick third act breakup with Lexi deciding that telling the truth is the only way she'll be able to move on and give the romance a real chance and has her and her mother finally talking things out. Will also has a moment with his family (his mom and dad did a little too unbelievable 180 for me) and creates a romantic moment to fight for Lexi. The secondary characters were all great in this, Lexi's mom, friends, and sisters, I wouldn't be surprised if this was turned into a series. A little too filled with tangents second half but a Cinderella-ish story that was sweet and had me loving how the romance simply felt good to read about. Lexi and Will had chemistry, they genuinely liked and enjoyed each other, gave us fun scenes, Fall seasonal vibes, squee feelings, and delivered a happily ever after epilogue.