Trust Fall by Lynn PainterInitial Remarks

Going in I didn’t realize this would be YA. I don’t know why I didn’t realize. Lynn Painter books sometimes are. But I didn’t know. Now I know.

I don’t mind a YA here and there. In fact I usually enjoy them. But I’m not especially happy going in if I think it’s not YA and it ends up being YA.

I’m rambling, y’all. This comment means nothing. I’m really fine.

Also Reading

Obscene Gestures for Women by Janet Kauffman.

Janet Kauffman used to be one of my favorite authors. I don’t think she writes much anymore, but I remember finding her short fiction stunning. So I’ve been wanting to read her again lately and couldn’t find her books anywhere (I think I had one around here somewhere but couldn’t find it). Anyway I was in Portland over the summer and my family and I found as disjointed a bookstore as you’ll ever want to see. I don’t remember the name of it but it popped into my mind that if I was going to find Janet Kauffman anywhere it was going to be in a bookstore like this, so I aligned myself with the alphabet and went directly to the three books of hers that they had on the shelf (yes, I had already looked at Powell’s but they had none of them) and snatched them down and purchased them so now I will re-devour them and see how they hold up.

Finished Reading

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter

Book Release Date: September 29, 2026Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young ReadersBegan Reading: November 3, 2026Finished Reading: November 7, 2026

Brief Reaction

A bit on the light side, but that’s fine. I don’t think I was expecting it to be much more. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the “he’s keeping a big secret from her and that will be the thing that separates them in the third act” of it all, but I can also appreciate how comforting this is sometimes. In my estimation Lynn Painter is a solid writer is making some of the most charming romance books in the business, both YA and not YA, and there’s something very comforting to be said about charming romance books.

One Word Review

Charming.

Formats

If you make purchases by following links, I may receive some remuneration from that purchase. You are neither encouraged nor discouraged from doing so.

Hardcover, 416 pages

ISBN-13: 9798347100217
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/546/9798347100217
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GPNMBRHV?tag=terrybain

Audiobook, 11 hours 37 minutes

Narrator(s): Saylor Bell Curda, Aidan Bissett
ISBN-13: 9781668184967
Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781668184967-trust-fall

Summary

“Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?”

From Simon & Schuster’s page for the book

Key Details

Characters: Julia Lowell (small-town Nebraska teen whose family inherits a fortune), Damion Rutledge (wealthy Gardenwood student and Julia's math tutor, secretly Remi's great-nephew), Liam Lowell (Julia's twin brother), Remington "Lou"/"Remi" (the late benefactor, present through the quotes that open each chapter) Setting: A small town in Nebraska; Remi's brownstone on Manhattan's Upper West Side; Gardenwood Academy, an elite New York City private school Genres: Young adult, contemporary romance, romantic comedy

Tropes (from reviews): Rags to riches, enemies to lovers, slow burn, fish out of water, tutor and student, hidden agenda/secret identity, opposites attract, alternating points of view, a ball

Content Warnings (reader-reported, from The StoryGraph): Bullying, Grief, Cursing

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews: "While the story follows a predictable path and resolution, the central relationship feels earned and heartfelt. A classic rags-to-riches romantic comedy with irresistible chemistry and heart."

School Library Journal, starred review (via publisher's page): "Painter's many devoted readers will be eagerly awaiting this newest novel, but it is perfect for any fans of enemies-to-lovers romances."

One Book More: "I went into this book thinking it would be a quick contemporary romance, but it ended up being so much more than that."

Always be reading.

This story was drafted on  TK .

[image error]

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter: Reading Notes was originally published in The Pour Over on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.