Fall I Want

Cozy Creek Collection #1

by Lyra Parish

Fall I Want is a feel-good, spicy small-town, romantic comedy with a billionaire who falls first and harder. Grab a pumpkin spice latte, a warm fuzzy blanket, and make your way down to Cozy Creek.

Autumn

The brokenhearted billionaire visits Cozy Creek to escape. I never expected to become his fake girlfriend or fall madly in love...but here we are.

My first impression of Zane Alexander isn't great. The second is worse, but when he uses his powers of persuasion to get me to hang out with him, I can’t say no. We quickly go from familiar strangers to flirty friends.

When my ex returns, Zane flawlessly pretends to be my boyfriend to protect me. He’s so damn good at it, I almost believe it.

I don’t know when our relationship moves from pretending to passionate, but I catch feelings. As our exes desperately crawl back into our lives like zombies, I realize there is only one man for me, and (f)all I want is him.

Zane

Everything changes the moment I see her. Autumn's enchanting gaze makes my heart race, so I push her away to protect myself. Immediately, I regret it. But when I find her standing in my haunted house, I convince her to be my friend. She begrudgingly agrees.

As the leaves transform and Cozy Creek's fall festivities come alive, our playful charade blossoms into something more.

The lines between real and pretend begin to blur, and I find myself falling under her spell.

I should keep my broken heart in check, but instead, I fight for love that feels like magic.

This woman is all I've ever needed and (f)all I want. 

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Small Town Romance, Fiction, Adult

413 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2024

About the author

Lyra Parish is a hopeless romantic obsessed with writing spicy Hallmark-like romances. When she isn’t immersed in fictional worlds, you can find her pretending to be a Vanlifer with her hubby. Lyra loves coffee, the great outdoors, authentic people, and living her best life.

To learn more, please subscribe to Lyra's newsletter: https://bit.ly/lyraparishnewsletter

Reviews

[Katelyn Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off SO strong. I absolutely loved the cozy fall vibes and the connection between Autumn and Zane. However, once they fell in love, that was it. It was basically 1,000 different ways of them saying they loved each other and it was just too much. I was literally skimming the last 4 chapters because why was it THAT long????

[veerali · Rating 2 out of 5]

— 'fall' i wish i'd never taken.

my first red flag, a glaring scarlet beacon, arrived almost immediately: the dreaded insta-love. ugh seriously? autumn and zane meet, and bam. suddenly they’re gazing into each other’s souls like they’ve known each other for a lifetime instead of five minutes.

and don't get me wrong, autumn and zane could have been adorable. individually, there were glimmers of charm. i wanted to like them. i wanted to root for them. but together, they coalesced into a sticky, syrupy mess. their entire dynamic seemed orchestrated to be as fluffy and lovey-dovey as humanly possible, bordering on a diabetic coma for the reader. every conversation was either "i love you" or "i love you too" or some variation of nauseatingly affectionate drivel. they were cute, yes, but only in small doses.

THIS BOOK DRAGGED. it meandered. i kept turning pages, waiting, begging for something, anything, to happen. a conflict, perhaps? a misunderstanding? a character development that wasn't just "they love each other more now"? nope. also, nothing made sense here. i mean, nothing. none of these things added an element to this story.

my expectations, fueled by that delightful, truly perfect cover, were cruelly dashed. i wanted a cozy autumn read, a gentle romance that made me feel warm and fuzzy.

thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

[Alyssa Nieves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnfed at 74% 😪

I really really wanted to love this but I really really didn’t.

The beginning was cute and was delivering the fall vibes but I just couldn’t stand the insta-love. The dialogue was so cringe too and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m still counting this toward my reading goal because I suffered through 300 pages 🫩

[ahmeeka · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m going to use this book to keep myself warm this winter by setting it on fire

[aislinn ౨ৎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭑.ᐟ1.5 stars
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⤷ minor spoiler review

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ┆thoughts 🥧 ⊹ ࣪ ˖

this won't be a very long review because frankly, I just don't have much to say and I don't want to waste more time thinking about how awful this was.

.5 because this book actually started off amazingly. the cozy, small town vibes. the perfect amount of descriptiveness regarding the colours, clothing, scents, basically anything that corresponds with fall was mentioned and it was cute as fuck. even the characters were adorable at first. the fmc is named autumn, her sister is named winter. the mmc is named Alex Alexander or if you prefer, Zane Alexander. I was so ready to get behind the fun, goofy vibes for a cozy autumnal read 🥰

however, somewhere around the 30, 40% mark ?? (I'm not sure because it felt like this dragged tf on for AGES) my smile was wiped clean off my face when our mid 30 MMC began saying things such as "love that for me" over and over and over again 😃 um... EXCUSE ME SIR??

not to mention, they started "fake dating" very early on in the book to attend the MMC's fathers wedding so he wouldn't be bothered and they ended up ENGAGED before they even made it to the wedding 💀 like what in the motherfucking insta-lust is that?! Ashlyn and I kept saying how the speed at which they were moving made this so unrealistic because all I could think was how doomed they were in the future. like shit like this is the epitome of unsuccessful relationships. anyways.

there were also about 50 other tropes in this book and if I took the time to list them all my hands would ache to shit so I won't bother but seriously, this book was not worth it. it had potential but it was so messy, extremely cringey, way too long and felt rushed at certain parts too.

thank you Ashlyn for reading this me, I would not have survived without you. we'll find a good book someday😭🤞🏼


*ੈ✩‧₊˚--pre read ۶ৎ

first fall read of the year!! and I'm reading this one with my fave, ashlyn 🧡 I'm actually so excited to be reading this one with you my love!🤎🍂🎃☕️

[Cassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the pumpkin-spice-fuck was this shit

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

✦ My Thoughts & Rating ✦

This was a really warm and cozy romance read. It came with all the autumn themed elements I love! It made feel lighthearted, emotional, hopeful and relaxed. It even gave me some really good laughs! I loved the characters in the story and felt that even the minor characters stood out! I could really feel the chemistry between the two main characters. This novel is not just filled with pumpkins, fall festivities, and leaves falling, it also comes with spice! Looking at the cover, I would have never guessed that there would be any spicy scenes between the main characters! Fake dating to real feelings is what happens in this billionaire, small town romance comedy! This book reminded me of a hallmark movie, but with spice! I just wanted to grab a cup of warm tea, a big blanket and read this book that’s full of coziness! Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

✦ Synopsis - Spoiler Free ✦

“Fall I Want” is the first book in the “Cozy Creek Collection”. They can be read as a stand alone or in order. In this first novel, it revolves around a woman named Autumn and a billionaire guy named Zane. They both meet at Cozy Creek. Zane ends up being Autumn’s fake boyfriend, to protect Autumn, because her ex boyfriend had returned. This fake relationship starts turning into something real and a connection between Autumn and Zane develops! This small town comes with a compelling storyline and a happily ever after ending, leaving you wanting more!

✦ Who I think would enjoy this book & Content Warnings ✦

This book is perfect for readers who love great autumn romance novels that have emotional depth to it! Content warnings include emotional turbulence and sexual content.

✦ Thank You ✦

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lyra Parish and Avon and Harper Voyager for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

✦ Release Date ✦

This book’s new edition is expected to be released on August 19, 2025!

✦ Book Tropes ✦

♥️ Small Town Romance
✔️ Billionaire MMC
♥️ He Falls First
✔️ Autumn / Fall Setting
♥️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Slow Burn Romance
♥️ Spicy 🥵
✔️ Protective Love Interest

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ * 。° 。 • ˚《

❥ ୨⎯ Connie ⎯୧ ❥

ツ౨ৎ

[Christy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was like a 14 year olds version of what love is. Marriage after a month? Check. Mushy how much I love you conversations every page? Check. A psychic predicting the man of your dreams that you call Mr. Dreamy for the next ten years? Check.

Should have dnf’d but it was a train wreck and I couldn’t look away.

[lauren‎♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ (semi-ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3💫

The first half of the book was so good!!!!! But the second half…

We completely lost the plot, every interaction between zane and autumn was a love proclamation, they got married after knowing each other for a month (and the whole book was set during like a month and a half span), and the whole second half was just a mess. We lost all the fall vibes and it made me emo

I love a billionaire romance because he will just buy her whatever and i eat it up, but the second half of this book disappointed me so bad!!!

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

✩ 1 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Grumpy x Sunshine
➼ Very Cheesy
➼ Fake Dating
➼ Small Town
➼ He Falls First
➼ Insta Love
➼ Hidden Identity
➼ Billionaire Romance
➼ He calls her “pumpkin”
➼ Dual Narration by Stephen Dexter & Emma Wilder
➼ Dual First Person POV

Sad to report that this was the WORST romance I have ever finished. It was over the top cheesy and insta lovey while also being extremely smutty and chock full of cursing. Every detail about them was over emphasized to try to prove that they were a perfect match and destined to be together to the point where the author even tried to make them both liking tequila seem romantic. The male narrator was the same narrator as the Clecanian series and so many of the lines he had to utter in this book were even more over the top than all the lines written for a female worshiping alien race. Not going to lie, I love that series, but this was too much even for me! 😆

I also just need to admit to myself that billionaire romance is simply not for me. Perhaps there are a few out there that are alright, but I really don’t enjoy reading about characters who are throwing around money and talking about how they could never spend it all. Frankly, yes he could, and he could help a lot of people doing it. Sure, the author was trying to show that he didn’t care about the money, but there were a lot of elitist sounding lines that detracted from her efforts.

This isn’t exactly money related, but at one point he’s talking about an older man who’s like a second father to him who he clearly adores and he says “A few years ago he divorced and traded in his old wife for a new one. A model”and it totally gave me the ick. I’m supposed to believe this guy is the perfect man when he says things like that? As if anyone who uses the nickname “pumpkin” non-ironically could be in the running anyway. That’s a cute nickname for a chubby baby, but not for your girlfriend. Please skip this one! I definitely should have.

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: Welp… based on reviews it looks like this one might not be great, but I bought it, so I’m still going to give it a shot. Here goes!

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Connect with me on Instagram

[shelby · Rating 1 out of 5]

if you were to put random words in a generator and have it make a 500 page story about the stupidest shit you could ever imagine, it would still probably be better than this.
literally nothing in this book was developed and everything was so out of pocket it was horrible to follow. like painstakingly horrible.

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS WAS CRINGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like, honestly, one of the worst romance books I have read. I hate that I read this.

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 1 out of 5]

what in the pumpkin spice fuck was this.

[lauren ౨ৎ]

dnf @ 22%

i lied, i don’t think i will return to this book. i really disliked the writing and didn’t feel connected to any of the characters.

[Jen ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If readers are into small-town romance that has witchy vibes, magic-inspired stuff, fated mates, and fairytale-esque stories, then this might be the book for them. Granted, it's a contemporary romance, but most of the locals and side characters believe in fate, talk about love spells and potions, and think magic is everywhere. 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, as for me, it was too insta, too cheesy, and too smooth-sailing, thus making it underwhelming. Nothing much was really happening in the story; there's no real conflict because the moment Zane (38) and Autumn (33/34) met, they both knew they were it for each other. Some sort of prophecy or connection led by an invisible string. They didn't fight it off, and they immediately embraced it, and the rest of the story was about them being disgustingly adorable and cutesy.

It was sweet in the beginning because it really seemed like a fairytale come true. The MCs were perfectly made for each other, and everyone around them sees the chemistry as well.

But to read about freaking fluffy stuff for almost 400+ pages is not going to do it for me. I eventually got bored with all the sweet things, cheesefest, and f*ckfest. It got so repetitive that I lost interest and even contemplated skimming through it. Yet I still managed to push through, and I'm going to say that it didn't get better. This was sappy, cringey, and full of lovey-dovey moments from start to finish. 🙃

Again, if that's what readers' cup of tea is, then they might end up loving this book. 🤷‍♀️ It's just not for me.


Book info:
- Small town romance
- Witchy and magical vibes
- Fated mates (???)
- Insta-love
- Billionaire romance
- Loss of loved one (past)
- Cheesefest galore
- No cheating, separation
- OPD (Their exes showed up and made some minor dramas, but the MCs weren't interested)
- No V (h - 2 yrs, H - 6 mos??)
- HEA (Married)

[Lyra Parish]

Wow, thank you all so much for giving Fall I Want a chance! I'm so excited about this book. I've been obsessed with autumn since I was a little kid and my obsession has followed me through adulthood. When I was asked to take part in this shared world it was an automatic YES!

If you're searching for an autumn-inspired SPICY series, look no further! The Cozy Creek authors have got you this crunchy leaf season!

More about Fall I Want:

Fall I Want is a small-town, billionaire romance. It's also a complete stand-alone and is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.

Grab it here: ONE-CLICK FALL I WANT

Tropes:
🍂brokenhearted billionaire
🍂 fated mates
🍂 fake dating
🍂 love prophecies
🍂 he falls first
🍂 grumpy/sunshine
🍂 opposites attract
🍂 small town romance
🍂 autumn vibes
🍂 love that feels like magic
🍂 standalone with HEA

The books in the Cozy Creek collection can be read in any order!

PS. even if this book isn't a "win" for you, I'm so appreciative that you've given me and my words a chance.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!!!!!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own. 📕

☕ Blurb ☕
“The brokenhearted billionaire visits Cozy Creek to escape. I never expected to become his fake girlfriend or fall madly in love...but here we are.

My first impression of Zane Alexander isn't great. The second is worse, but when he uses his powers of persuasion to get me to hang out with him, I can’t say no. We quickly go from familiar strangers to flirty friends.

When my ex returns, Zane flawlessly pretends to be my boyfriend to protect me. He’s so damn good at it, I almost believe it.

I don’t know when our relationship moves from pretending to passionate, but I catch feelings. As our exes desperately crawl back into our lives like zombies, I realize there is only one man for me, and (f)all I want is him.

Zane
Everything changes the moment I see her. Autumn's enchanting gaze makes my heart race, so I push her away to protect myself. Immediately, I regret it. But when I find her standing in my haunted house, I convince her to be my friend. She begrudgingly agrees.

As the leaves transform and Cozy Creek's fall festivities come alive, our playful charade blossoms into something more.

The lines between real and pretend begin to blur, and I find myself falling under her spell.

I should keep my broken heart in check, but instead, I fight for love that feels like magic.

This woman is all I've ever needed and (f)all I want.”

🎃 My Thoughts 🎃
Well, that was interesting.

I was so ready for the cute and cozy fall vibes that were screaming at me on the cover. The pumpkin lattes, pumpkin treats, and the cool, crisp autumn sweater-weather. And I got that…for the first half of the book. Once Autumn and Zane started falling for each other, that’s all that mattered. The fall vibes were set to the side and forgotten for a hot and spicy time with these two love-birds. 😭

And now that we’re on the topic of the happy couple, can I just say that everything between them escalated way too quickly? As we are all aware, I am not a fan of insta-love, but this story was promising. You think it’s going to be an enemies-to-lovers type situation that turns into their fake dating scheme. Zane did say, after all, that Autumn’s coffee tastes like, and I quote, “shit.” That’s a great start! Yes. I love that. Offend the girl and she’ll hate your guts until…wait. What’s that? There’s an immediate attraction and an undeniable force or energy between the two that makes sparks fly and clothes fall to the ground. Nooo! 😅 I will admit that the two were cute together, but it was too fast for me. I’m too realistic and practical for these kinds of stories. I was intrigued, however, by the whole billionaire romance thing going on. I haven’t read that trope, so finally experiencing that was exactly that: an experience. 😂 But hey! I liked it, and I would definitely read more in the future.

Although Lyra Parish is not a terrible writer, I wasn’t exactly sold on it. I’m so sorry! I’m usually so accepting and forgiving of writing, especially in this day and age, where we like to keep things short and simple, but I just didn’t like the writing. It was too simple for me. Give me some prose, some long sentences with depth and more figurative language. 😭🙏🏼

Besides the amount of spice in the middle and end (I knew what I was getting myself into, so it’s my fault 😅), I was also a little thrown off by the lack of conflict in here. And that’s coming from someone who cringes when crap hits the fan because I'm no good with conflict or confrontations. But as I waited for things to go downhill, they didn’t. Thank God, there wasn’t a third-act breakup, but there was literally nothing to put pressure on these characters to be better versions of themselves. They grew, yeah, but just because of each other? Is that how life works? If so, sign me up because that sounds a heck of a lot better than whatever hand God dealt me. 😂

Anyway, even though I had some issues with the book, I still did like it. Am I going to read it again? No. Do I think you should read it? Yes, and I hope you love it and it becomes your next favorite book. 🥰

❗ Content Warnings ❗
Loss of a parent & grief

#FallIWant #NetGalley

[ellie youngs · Rating 3 out of 5]

insane things that actually happened in this book:
she called him “mr. dreamy”,
he called her “pumpkin”,
there were brothers named easton and weston,
they got married after like a week of knowing each other without having said the at they love each other,
everybody was fine with them getting married,
there were weird somehow supernatural elements that felt so forced like the sister being psychic or the ghost at the manor,
the dad’s heart attack actually just being gas from him eating beans.
nothing really made sense.

[⋆⭒˚.⋆ Eloise⋆⭒˚.⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟
Ok soooo I’m actually mad because glitchreads just glitched (surprise i know) while typing out this review and now I’m actually crashing out but anyway here’s the gist. I did enjoy this and have fun, but the reviews DO NOT lie, it is VERY insta-love 😖 like they get together 70% through the book and the rest is them just…doing it and saying “I love you” a million times 😭 like at this point I’d take a third act breakup just to get som drama.
I didn’t mind the characters except for how the mmc would always get her the most ridiculous things because he had money…like WHAT DO YOU MEAN he got her a pumpkin carriage for her birthday LIKE SIR PLEASE 🙏 The one thing I did like though is he called her pumpkin and I thought it was cute.
Like I said in one of my updates, this book genuinely gave me whiplash. Like at the start he says something mean and then he wants to be friends and then they fake date and then they get married barely halfway through the book 💀 and then there’s another wedding?? All very confusing, but overall I do enjoy this book and it’s really cute for a good fall filler book! 🍂🎃

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
- This book was a lot more magical than I thought it would be. I feel like the perfect title would have been Love Spell or something like that because this gave more of a cozy fantasy to me than a true rom com.
- Wish there had been a little less spice and more story because I was really itching for that fall feeling. Sometimes the spice takes away from that for me.
- Parts of this book have hallmark but I wish that it had been fleshed out a little more.

[Luiza Nuriakhmetova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Regrets. 475 pages of misery.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This quite possibly is the worst book I’ve ever read.

I thought it was going to just be a nice Basic Fall book, the main character is literally named Autumn. But wow was it NOT!

It started off cute and fall-y, but then they went to New York and it went soooo far down hill! Honestly the shift was so bad that I wouldn’t be surprised if the first and last parts of the book were written by two different people.

I especially hated their wedding! They’ve known each other for like a week? (***correction I found out it was 3 weeks…BUT STILL!) And I can’t get over Zane pulling his phone out mid-ceremony so he could start taking selfies?! Plus one of the first things Autumn said after they got married was, “What else don’t I know about you?” Uhhh yeah! YOU DON’T KNOW EACH OTHER!

And knowing this author has more books with the New York City side characters is terrifying! You mean there’s more horrible stories with these people?!

[⋆˙⟡ ashley marie ⟡˙⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

✿˖˚ ༘𐙚 ~ 𝚍𝚗𝚏 @ 𝟻𝟽% .ᐟ

╰┈➤ 𝟚.𝟚𝟝 ★ , rounded down.

Did I have high expectations for this book? No, not at all - I knew what I was signing up for.

Honestly, this started off SO promising. I was really enjoying the cozy fall rom-com vibes, especially this time of year. I picked this book up for exactly this reason! I also really loved that the main characters were in their 30’s because it makes it more relatable for me.

I liked the idea of the setting, the town was called Cozy Hollow and all the names of the shops were super cute! The relationship between the fmc and her friends was realistic and quite funny. Honestly even the predictably cringy start to the main characters’ relationship started off okay. I mean, breaking into someone’s house? Who does that? But I overlooked that. The banter was good. Then he started throwing money around and again, cringe. I get he’s rich but would you really spend millions on someone you barely know??

But around the 40% mark (when they actually started to like each other.. it just continuously got worse). As soon as the first 🌶️ scene started I had to dnf. It was the last straw for me. I feel like that’s the way the rest of the book was going to go and I was just not into it.

Also, this is a cozy fall romance.. why would you include a wedding in a tropical location? I didn’t get to that part but that also bothered me. I don’t want bikini summer vibes. FALL IS WHAT I WANT. 😂

Usually a dnf would be a 1-2 rating for me but because I enjoyed the beginning it got bonus stars.

[Lora :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no reason for a romance book to be 470 pages, insta-love, some witchy destined to be together soulmate shit. Why on earth were they in love within the first 40 pages, and why on earth did it continue FOR SO LONG. its like i lost years of my life reading this

[chroniclesofmariana ~ mariana nunes · Rating 3 out of 5]

achei o livro super cozy, as vibes outonais estão sem dúvida cá!! desde o nome dela, Autumn, até a toda a cidade, comidas, e paisagens.
gostei muito desta pitada de realismo mágico, muito vibes de Ashley Poston <3
o romance tem toda uma profecia e obra do destino muito gira, achei mega fofo
a única razão para não ter amado o livro foi o facto de haver demasiadas cenas de smut, não esperava tbh, pensei que ia para um romance cozy e chegou a haver vários momento seguidos de smut, e nunca me tinha acontecido ficar tão aborrecida que passei as cenas de smut à frente porque senti que não me estavam a acrescentar nada, de todo
overall gostei muito do romance, é perfeito para o outono <3
leiam <3

[vanessa ⋆.☕︎ [semiᝰia]]

✩°｡🧸𓏲⋆. ₊˚ So umm yeah… this one is giving cozy fall romance vibes, and I’m not mad about it at all. Small town, autumn atmosphere, fake dating, billionaire with issues?? Say less. I’m already picturing sweaters, falling leaves, soft chaos, and me pretending I’m not a sucker for this exact setup.

I’m going in with low but hopeful expectations because lately romance has been playing in my face, but something about this feels like it might be comforting, fun, and easy to binge. I just want cute moments, good banter, a little yearning (please), and vibes that make me wanna curl up and read nonstop.

Is this going to change my life? Probably not.

But will it give me cozy fall feelings and a good time? I’m really hoping yes. <𝟑 .ᐟ

[Theresa Lansberry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why can’t you do zero stars on here? WHY CAN’T I GIVE NEGATIVE STARS?! This may actually be the worst book I’ve ever read. I started this hoping for a cozy, fall romance and instead got a cringe-y pile of shit.

[Alli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Going into this book I was fully aware that it would be insta-lovey, which isn't usually my thing but I was cautiously optimistic seeing as it's a silly little fall romance and that's pretty common in these types of books. Oh boy, can I tell you that my optimism was misplaced.

The first half of this book HAD me. The fall vibes were perfect, the dynamic between the characters was cute (despite the insta-love), the banter was on point, and I overall enjoyed where the story was going. Yes, the writing was quite clunky and a little uninspiring, but not to the point that it was bothering me.

I wish I could say that my experience remained this way for the rest of the book.

As soon as our characters set off to New York (about the 50% mark), the story went down hill FAST. So much so that the second half of the story felt like I was reading a COMPLETELY different book. The fall vibes were totally and completely gone, and the insta-love kicked into OVERDRIVE. I'm not talking in a cute way either. Within two chapters after getting to New York, our characters decided to get engaged and MARRIED in Vegas of all places. All I have to say is: WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? The book's explanation for this seems to be because supposedly our MMC's sister is a psychic and predicted the marriage (yea, I know 🙄). Up until this point this marriage prediction was treated as cute little banter between our two characters, NOT A REASON TO THROW THE PLOT OUT THE WINDOW AND GET ENGAGED AND MARRIED IN TWO DAYS, like...I'm sorry what? This part of the book honestly felt like whiplash and made no sense. It felt like a 12-year-old wrote this with their perception of how marriage happens. Also, can I just add that, on top of all this, seriously, every other sentence out of one of our main characters' mouths was about: "how can this be real?" and "this is like a dream" because of the sister's predictions. We get it, you do not need to keep reminding us. Usually a little magical realism aspect of a book like this wouldn't bother me (if anything I'd quite enjoy it) but in this case it just made everything that happened so convenient, eye-roll enducing, and down-right cringey. The ending of this book wasn't much better. Everything got tied up very quickly yet dragged on for like 80 extra pages for some reason. There was also the usage of the "hubby" and "wifey" nicknames which almost made me gag. So...yea...not great.

Honesty, the best way I can explain this was that I felt like I was reading some Wattpad trash. Which is SO unfortunate, considered how much this book had going for it, and how excited I was. If I could rate the parts of this book separately I'd say the first half would get an easy 4-stars, but that second half was honestly a train wreck and deserves nothing more than a 1-star rating, which is what has me so heated.

I ALSO just NEED to add here (because I didn't know where else to include it), that there was multiple usages of the word "titties" in spice scenes, which I think in the BIGGEST, WORST, ick I've experienced in a book. Period. I tend to be pretty resilient when it comes to different words and phrases used in spice scenes but TITTIES? REALLY? God. I hope I never have to read that word again in the context of a romance book.

All of this to say, I know the re-done cover is tempting now that this book has been traditionally published (it's beautiful and the artist deserves all the praise) but I strongly suggest steering clear of this book if you're reading this review and haven't read the book yet. I'm so hoping the other books in this series are better, seeing as they're all written by different authors. Fingers crossed!

[Natalie Merrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to start this review by saying I didn't HATE this book. I thought it had a lot of potential. I really liked the cozy fall vibes (especially as the place I live currently descends into fall.) and I liked the main premise. But there are some things that really dragged the rating down for me.

1. It was insanely insta lovey for me. I have a really hard time with insta-love because it makes the story insanely unrealistic. Especially when the book is set in our real world (hello pop culture references from 2023). Not only that, it makes things so much less dramatic. The main characters literally fall in love with each other based on a single interaction. And then spend the next three hundred pages saying "I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS WORTH THE RISK BUT I LOVE YOU." It just started to get really repetitive.

2. Which brings me to my next point. This book was insanely repetitive. After they basically fall in love after one meeting, the main plot of the book is just them going at it at every chance they get and then saying they love each other in a million different ways. WHERE WAS THE DRAMA? Even the fake dating was blah because WE ALL KNEW IT WASNT FAKE right off the bat. The reason they start fake dating is because of drama with their respective exes, OKAY. SO WHERE ARE THE EXES? WHERE IS THE DRAMATIC BLOW UP? WHERE IS THE TENSION IN THE FAKE DATING RELATIONSHIP? it doesn't exist. And to me that made the story really drag.

3. If you want a book with virtually no plot, fall vibes, and a whole lot of spice this might be up your alley. I prefer a little more plot and a little less spice. But not only that the spicy scenes started to get really... cringy. I'll leave it there.

4. This book was STUPID long. Why was it almost 500 pages, when the story literally could have been told in less than 200 (especially because there was no tension, no third act breakup and no drama in the plot.)

Overall, this book wasn't a win for me. But that being said, I did stick it out until the end and I can't say that I'm entirely glad or not glad that I did. Overall it was just kind of a meh experience. But once again, if you want a book that has spice, no plot, and fall vibes check this one out.

[audrey ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to love this SO bad, but I really did not like it. It started off so cute and fall-themed and it just went downhill from there. The fake dating made no sense, what the hell was this prophecy nonsense, why is his sister psychic?? I feel like there was no plot and I was so confused through the entire thing.
I usually don’t have an issue with insta-love but this was too much. The spice also just didn’t do it for me and made no sense, and not in the fun way. This was a personal thing for me but the writing was also very rudimentary and choppy, especially at the beginning. 10/10 cute book on my shelf, but the insides need work.