When We Fall

by Cheyanne Johnson

Cora



Romance wasn’t really what I had in mind when I moved back to Feather Bay. My goal was to open my bakery like I’ve always wanted and keep my head down, maybe spend time with my two best friends. But fate is a fickle thing. A chance encounter with a handsome stranger at a bar ends with us getting a room for the night to blow off some steam. It turns out we're neighbors, so we're bound to run into each other. River quickly becomes a fixation, one I can’t seem to walk away from. More importantly, he’s someone I don’t want to walk away from.



River



I didn’t think settling down was in the cards for me. I have my tattoo shop and my family. That’s more than enough for me. Then she walked into the bar, leaving me breathless. I knew one night wouldn't suffice. I’m determined to prove to her she’s worth more than any demons in her past can change. No one can prepare you for the fall.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2024

Reviews

[Tishana Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a small town romance and Cheyanne did a great job with writing this particular troupe into her book. “When We Fall” was a good read, filled with the small town romance vibes with relatable characters that gave all of the swoon vibes. The storyline was really good and I loved that it was a he falls first situation & that they were neighbors that fell in love (yessssss). Cheyanne did an amazing job touching on the topic of alcoholism and it was very interesting to see the female character Cora be the one with the alcohol problem, such a unique perspective that isn’t portrayed in books. I loved Cora a lot and easily would read another book by Cheyanne in the future.

[Harley ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically a DNF at around 60%??? This book was unnecessarily long and annoying and the author was just writing things for fun. I literally just skimmed the rest of the book and nothing worthwhile happened. I was actually really enjoying it at first and tried to stick it out but it’s a no from me. There’s nothing more annoying than when authors have no cohesive plot, and are just adding things to lengthen the story. Not to mention the promise of this book was barely talked about until around 70%, which made the ending completely rushed because a whole bunch of things were just happening for no reason. Def a no from me.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so enjoyable and easy to read, that I actually read it all in one sitting. Even though there were some dark topics written about, and some scenes were heartbreaking, it was still a nice easy read. River, the main MMC, is an absolute cinnamon roll, and it was so easy to fall in love with him.

I’m very excited for Jax and Ivy’s story!

I’d also like to thank Cheyenne for allowing me to be part of her ARC team.

[Hannah May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the tough topics that this book mention and it was good to see them still have a happy ending despite everything that happened. I do love me a tattoo artist and reading about everything she was baking made me want some of them. I wish this book was longer as it would have had more time to go further into the issues that were happening. Please check trigger warning before reading this book

[Sarah Craft · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m all for spicy-ness and dirty talk but this one was a bit cringe and overall the writing was meh…

[zen_s · Rating 1 out of 5]

despite the good ratings, i wasn't impressed by the book. i think it was a slightly under development and the heroine was kind of doormat-ish towards her parents. lastly, the execution was kind of choppy somehow.

for example, the heroine found her assistant crying and curled up at her bakery, then found out that her assistant was being abused by her husband etc. etc. so it was like:
“Are you still going to call the cops?” She asks as she wipes her eyes. She winces at the pain.
“Yes. We are calling the cops. We need to get you a restraining order and then we can go back to Ryn’s.”
When the cops leave, I finally ask. “Why didn’t you tell me he was abusive? I could’ve got you out sooner.”
~~it felt kind of random that they went from "calling the cops" to the "cops leaving", where is the in between? police arriving? police taking their statement? or what the police's advice are yada yada. i thought i miss out a paragraph or something while i was reading it.

another example was the heroine's father meeting the hero, then the hero threaten her father to leave them alone and disappear with the wife and whoever etc. then the father's last words was "we'll leave" then nothing else, no mention of them thereafter.

last example was the heroine's assistant after being attacked, there wasn't any followed of what happen after filing a police report, totally nothing! the assistant simply moved back home to be with her sister. that's all. i mean the author wants to start something but doesn't want to end it properly, not even a narration. just casually end it which don't even feel like a good ending.

then the MCs was having way more sex than i would like, i practically just skipped all the sex scenes because i was bored. then the book also ended pretty abruptly too. overall, i think it's a meh...

[Amber Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW 📚💕

When We Fall (ARC)
By: Cheyanne Johnson

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Spice: 3 🌶️
Pages: 267
Genre: Romance
Started: 5/9/24
Finished: 5/12/24

What happens when your one night stand turns out to be your neighbor? What if that neighbor is a super hot tattoo artists who owns his own shop? What if that artist is super supportive of you? What if that supportive guy is also there for you when you hit rock bottom while struggling with your alcoholism? What if that guy who was there for you also claims you as his? What if your man loves your baking (your creative outlet)? What if he calls you cupcake & pours batter all over you?

Well….you jump his bones of course and make his yours…..if you can set aside your own history and baggage to do so.

That is exactly the struggle that Cora & River find themselves up against. This fun, small town, one-night-stand turned more romance does an amazing job of depicting what a loving & supportive relationship looks like….with a little extra spice.

I enjoyed this book & I hope you will too!

Warning: This book covers the sensitive & complex topic of alcoholism. Please read the Content Warnings before reading. Your mental health matters.

[Kristin Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by this author, so I didn't know what to expect diving into it. All I knew is the synopsis sounded right up my alley.


The story line was perfect. River, the guy who does anything and everything, and never giving up on the woman he fell in love with. And then you have Cora who has been through hell and back. She over came a horrible relationship and became sober for over a year, only to return to her home town and things seem to go downhill. Her parents are basically emotionally abusive and don't give a damn about her. Enter River who fell in love with and helped her overcome life again. 


There were some downfalls to the book. Some parts I started getting super bored. I absolutely hated seeing "cupcake" in almost every sentence he would talk. It was used way too much. I wish we would have known how things for sure went down with her parents, like did she get closure? Did they actually leave? How did she feel when they left? This type of things. 


All in all, the book was good. I just think there may be needed to be a little more at some points. 


Thanks for allowing me to be on this arc team for this book.

[ChaoticBookoholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off similar to how those romance TV shows do and I stopped reading after a few pages, but later continued the book. Months later. I decided to give it another go, since I didn't get very far the first time and it was definitely worth it. This book was amazing, once I got into the middle parts of it. I loved the amount of plot and smut in this one! The smut scenes were unexpected, in a good way. I did not see them coming at all. There was a couple that I couldn't stop thinking about and I wanted more of those types of scenes. There was also a couple scenes that we could have done without, like this one part where I was like, that's wayyy too many flowers! It was just a couple paragraphs, I think, but it was overdone. There also was some scenes that felt like they contained too much details, but it appears to be a series, so maybe we will need those later on... I am wishing that there would have been more of the spicy stuff towards the end, rather than it feeling like it faded away.... Like, they were amazing and then it started to become almost boring... almost like every other couple, rather than the stuff that is fantastic. So, I wanted to rate it 2 stars in the beginning, then 5, and then once finished I rated it 4. Not disappointed in this one, though. Overall, I really loved the book! Perfect if you want more plot and less erotic.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had a strong small-town romance setup and an easy-to-like cast, but it didn’t quite hit all the emotional beats I was hoping for.

Cora’s return to Feather Bay and her dream of opening a bakery was a solid foundation, and I liked her independent, no-nonsense vibe. River had definite book-boyfriend potential — tattooed, loyal, and clearly all in once he fell. Their first meeting had great chemistry, and the “neighbors + one-night-stand” trope was fun and promising.

That said, the romance moved a little too quickly for me. The emotional connection felt rushed, and I wanted more depth around their pasts and the internal struggles they were both dealing with. Some moments that should’ve hit hard felt glossed over, and the conflict resolved a bit too neatly.

Overall, it’s a sweet, easy read with good vibes, small-town charm, and solid romance energy — just not quite as deep or emotionally gripping as I’d hoped. Perfect if you want something light and comforting, but don’t expect a heavy emotional punch. 💕📖

[Lore · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw the tropes for this book I was immediately sold. I applaud Cheyanne for making the bold choice in talking about alcohol abuse and healing from this addiction.

This book is written in a very casual way. This makes it a very easy read although some of the heavy topics involved. Although this way of writing is not my preference, I do think a lot of people will enjoy the pacing and style of writing.


I would have liked to see more of their inner battles. I want to understand Cora more, feel the struggle with her addiction. And same goes for River. It must not be easy to see Cora going down that road over and over again with the past that he has.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cheyanne for letting me be part of her arc team. Very curious and excited to see what other books she will write!

Tropes:
Neighbours to lovers
Insta lust (one night stand)
He falls first

Content warnings:
Alcohol abuse (on page)

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I will say about this book is make sure you read the warning about the topics mentioned in the story. Although I must say I personally feel that the story covers the issues very compassionately. Cora has returned to her hometown to be close to her two best friend's. Although not really filling them in totally on how her life has changed in the past few years, she's very good at hiding herself behind how people actually see her. River runs his own tattoo parlour and is very close to his parents and younger sister. Although he lives with his best friend/brother (from another mother) he enjoys his life and happy to just have hook ups instead of relationships. That is until he sees Cora in the local bar and everything changes. Can they help each other, will Cora finally meet someone to be herself with. Or will it all prove to much and her past catch up with her. Even though in places it's difficult I found myself sympathising with Cora and was pleased she found River

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gripping from the start. It deals with a common everyday problem, alcoholism, and the way in which we deal with it (or try to NOT deal with it).

Cora has struggled with her demons for years and it escalated when she went off to college. But now she is home, she has been handling things well. She is good at keeping her problem a secret....until she isn't.

River doesn't do relationships. He's a hit it and quit it guy, no room for feelings. But a one night stand, that leads to a chance second encounter could potentially up end this!!

This book brings emotions to the surface. It deals with alcoholism, hospitilisation, trauma, shit parents, self-hate, loss, love, wanting, domestic violence, lust. It made me laugh, it made me so angry, it made me cry...

If I ever fall, I hope there's a River close by to catch me

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Katelynne Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying this book has triggers so please read up on them before reading this book as it is not fair to you or the author if those triggers are something you can’t handle.

Cheyanne you did the damn thing with this book! I was immediately drawn in with the characters Cora and River just from the first 4 chapters and omg the smut in this book is fantastic I’m not a smut reader but for what i’m willing to read for smut this was great!

Throughout the book you get hooked on each characters story on how they overcame challenges in their life and by the end of the book you will be completely in love with them!

Once again great job Cheyanne you have a lifelong fan!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Meg V Reads ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

When We Fall is a contemporary romance with a lot of popular tropes. I would say this story happens really quickly. You get a quick introduction to Cora’s life and background and next thing you know, she’s having her one night stand with River. I think the fast pace was a bit off putting to me at first because I felt like I needed more of a story or more details before we jumped all in.
I enjoyed the dual POV because it helped give insight into how each River and Cora were feeling and dealing with situations and I think it really opens a conversation on the perspective others have when someone is going through a hard time.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this first-time author’s book as an ARC reader and really loved the story. The FMC is a woman struggling with alcohol, and I feel like in most books I’ve read it’s the male who has a hard time with addiction and it’s nice to see that portrayed differently. I also loved that there’s a super cute cat in the book!

There were some typos and a few times where it wasn’t clear time had passed, but not enough to distract me from the story.

Overall, I felt like the author’s writing style developed a lot throughout the book and I started to really get into the characters more and more, particularly the side characters. I can’t wait to read Jax’s story next!

[cad · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐½ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ | *Sometimes love means falling into the person right next door*

Cora’s journey back to Feather Bay hit differently—Cheyanne’s portrayal of her struggling with alcohol felt refreshingly honest and necessary. River’s unwavering devotion was beautifully written, the kind of patience that made my heart ache in the best way.

The small town atmosphere delivered exactly what I craved, though the pacing stumbled occasionally. Still, there’s something tender about two neighbors becoming each other’s safe place to land.

Vibes We Are Tracking:
🏡 Small Town Romance
💪 He Falls First
🖤 FMC Addiction Recovery
👫 Neighbors to Lovers
🌟 Ginger MMC​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[Sommer Passmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot but when she fell off the boat it was hard to read. She seemed so strong but you just never know what circumstances can tip you over. River is such a steady character with a strong love for Cora. It really is heart warming the love and friendships that surround Cora during her time of need. I was pleased with the ending, especially since she really seems to be a good person who just had some crappy hardships throughout her life.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelsey Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so good!

I loved reading a story that the woman is the one struggling & the man supports them through it. River is the man every woman wants. Cora deserves happiness. The spice between the two is top tier and definitely worth the read! The love & support in this story from the main & supporting characters is amazing!

4.25 🌟 3.5 🌶

Thanks, Cheyanne, for the ARC. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for Ivy & Jax's story.

[Sheila Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading When WeFall by Cheyanne Johnson and I really enjoyed this book. This is the author’s first debut book and I really got into the characters. She has a way of writing that keeps you entertained as well as making you really fall in love with the characters. I am looking forward to reading her next book because I am already wanting to find out more about the characters in the book. Anyway great job and a must read!!!

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done for a first novel from an author. I would have liked the story to dig deeper into the characters. I thought it jumped around a lot, and could have dug a bit deeper into each situation the characters found themselves in. The ideas were there, I just felt they weren’t completely developed. It was a quick read for me, and although the book deals with some heavy subjects, they were handled well.

[iesha Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
this book was beautifully written. i loved how no matter what river still loved cora
cora struggling with alcohol goes back to her home town where she runs into this ginger haired god.
he slowly creeps his way into her heart.
small town romance
spicy
hallmark vibes
def recommend

[Mychia Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book more than I did. I felt like there was really no plot and not sure where the book was going the whole time. The story happens rather quickly and was pretty fast paced that I didn't really have the time to get to know the characters and form a connection. So with that, it felt short and rushed and wished there was more time to explain Cora on a deeper level. She was a struggling alcoholic but I never really felt like she was struggling until towards the end and then it all just happened so fast and then ended so quickly. Overall, it was a wonderful story I just wanted more from the characters.

[Amanda O'Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check your trigger warnings it does Touch some subjects that may bother some . Cheyanne does an amazing job of writing these characters and the story it pulls you in and has you feeling everything with them ! What is supposed to be just a one night stand ends up being so much more ! This is a must read❤️.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I did enjoy this story, and these characters. It was a sweet, and sometimes heartbreaking story. I believe this is the authors debut story, and for a first book, she did great. I’ll definitely check out other books when they come.

[Sabelle C · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars from me!
This books hits different!
I absolutely love how the author was able to bring the reality of those suffering from addiction into perspective! She gives insight into recognizing triggers that can often be often be overlooked and focuses the importance of finding help and learning to accept the help of those who love and respect you.

Main Female Character: Cora
23 yr old female who suffers from alcoholism and is forced to move back to her hometown.
She’s been sober for a little over a year now and feels good about herself. Moving back to her home town she plans to open her own bakery. Her first night back in town, she’s out with her 2 childhood best friends and is approached by a sexy man

Main Male Character: River
A local tattoo artist who owns his own shop and has lived in town for a while. Out with a friend at a local bar and see’s Cora across the bar. Since he’s never seen her before he just has to go say hi. It’s been a while since he’s been with anyone and Cora is checking all the boxes

A one night stand was all River wanted, but one night wasn’t enough. River can’t seem to get Cora out of his mind. She’s beautiful and has sass! She knows what she’s wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it. He needs to find her.
Cora and River cross paths yet again and the spice just skyrockets from that point on. Neither can get enough of the other.
All seems to be going wonderful until Cora falls off the wagon and plummets back into alcoholism.
River wants to do everything he can to save her from herself.

I just love how devoted River is to Cora and how his love will not allow any doubt to overshadow what they have together.

Between both of their determination to make their relationship work, River helps her overcome her addiction with the help of her best friends.

[Shaunie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pain love story

Cora goes home to try to clean up after being humiliated by her boyfriend while in a drunk stupor. She meets Ryker who offers her a one night stand. She excepts. Read how two out cast turn each other around and find some happiness.

[Latasha Woodral · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good, I loved her writing and all the characters, wanting to read more of her books

[Lisa Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read from a new author really enjoyed this book

[Melissa Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I’ve read so I ordered this book off TikTok I think shes a very good author