After The Leaves Fell

by Ella Justice

For Oakley Tennen, change is harder than fishing with a broken pole.

With a job that drains her, a family held together by scars, and a reputation for being “unfeeling” at the best of times, Oakley’s only comfort is in the peace of Tennessee’s steadfast trees. But when her long-lost brother finally comes home with the same diagnosis that ruined their family once before, he brings chaos - and his closest friend, a cocky, annoyingly handsome hockey player - into her well-controlled life.

At first, Jason Westerman seems like Oakley's opposite in every way. He’s happy, she’s cold. He’s outgoing, she’s guarded. He’s defensive, she’s right. The only thing connecting them is their shared loyalty to her brother. Yet, when they’re pushed together time and again, Oakley realizes there might be more between them than their differences. They might even be alike. But when Jason becomes her anchor as they navigate family issues, friendships, fears, and dark circumstances that threaten to take away what she loves most, will Oakley find a way to embrace everything life brings to her - even after the leaves fall?

Genres: Autumn, Sports, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Sports Romance, Romance, Hockey

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[hazel (taylor’s version)🎀💗]

perfection in a book

[Tatum - nuggetybooks]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jason & Oakley
- single POV
- Fall & hockey contemporary romance with drama & some suspense
- Meetcute turned unfortunate
- L&D nurse FMC
- Hockey player MMC
- Strong village & found family
- Loving people well despite traumatic past & present circumstances
- Brother’s best friend
- One bed trope
- Built in playlist
- Moving quoting throughout book


✨ what I loved:
- the dedication 🥹
- THE ATTITUDE
- The teasing and banter
- Jason not giving up easily
- Oakley’s fierce love & loyalty to her people
- The nicknames
- Oakley’s growth and showing up for Jason even when she’s scared cause he deserves it
- The family bonding & healing
- THE DRAMA, THE SUSPENSE, THE MAKING OUT

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 1 of the As The Seasons Change Series - Oh my gosh. My fall loving, hockey loving, romance loving, and drama loving heart actually exploded reading this book. I laughed. I cried. I freaking out. I sang the songs at the top of my lungs (because Ella included some AMAZING songs through out the book, I’m looking at you “What hurts the most”😉).

This book as so much heart. We all need to find the people in our lives who take care of us even when we are the most difficult stubborn people alive. I loved Oakley so much because that girl and I are too stubborn for our own good. I adored the village that rallied around her while thing after thing went wrong and Oakley felt helpless against any of it. The book shows the importance of community, of loving people fiercely, and embracing change.

I loved Oakley & Jason for many different reasons and I’m obsessed with them together. They balance one another so well and pick up the slack when the other is struggling. When one is weak, the other comes in and cares for their person completely. I LOVE that Jason doesn’t let Oakley self sabotage and he sees past it. But I love even more that Oakley apologizes and owns up to the hurt she caused and actively tries to change.

Every side character was *chef’s kiss* and made the story 100x better. The whole community felt real as they dealt with some of the hardships we have to deal with in real life. Some aspects of the story felt rushed but overall the characters and heart of the story spoke to me.

This is a closed door contemporary romance which includes suspense, The author has left a detailed note at the beginning with content warnings and over arching themes.

**Thank you so much to Ella for letting me read this ARC via NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy. No positive review was required. All thoughts are my own.**

Songs:
Everything I wanted by Billie Eilish
Greedy by Tate McRae
Like that by Bea Miller
Where’d that girl go by Morgan Wallen
Under my skin by Nate Smith
Name storms after by Nate Smith
Strangers by Ella Langley & Kameron Marlowe
Hell of man by Ella Langley
Excuse the mess by Ella Langley
My greatest fear by Benson Boone
Stuck with u by Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber
Piece of my heart by ROSIE
I was wrong by ROSIE
I’m fakin by Sabrina Carpenter
What are you afraid of? By Jessica Baio
Everything by Alex Warren
Loved you better by Dean Lewis & Jonas Brothers
Let me be the one by Lily Williams
Princess peach by Ruth B

[Al]

“Because I can’t go on pretending I don’t feel on fire when I look at those beautiful brown eyes.”

Happy Release Day! Finished this one yesterday and what a cute fall romance! Perfect to ring in the autumn season! This is a closed door romance that was done so well! Oakley is a labor and delivery nurse who dreams of doing more with her medical career but is scared of change. Jason Westerman fell in love with hockey when it was the only consistent thing in his life, but when a run in with Oakley at the airport has them both on cloud 9, they both realize they may be in over their heads.

*check trigger warnings

Brothers Best Friend
One Bed
Hockey Player x Nurse
Found Family
Cozy Fall/Autumn Setting
Dislike to Lovers

Rating:4⭐️

[Madison Allshouse]

What a sweet love story🥰

This book was simultaneously cheesy and heavy - a sweet romance mingled with dealing with and working through trauma. I love a good hockey romance and the flipped grumpy x sunshine trope worked so well for Oakley and Jason🧡

[Ashlee Stec]

I think I wanted more, but the ending was too much 🏒💉

Reaction: I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I feel like some of their love connection was missing. I didn't fall in love with either character because I felt like there were too many other things going on for me to focus on their relationship solely. I liked Oakley. I felt like she was valid in the way she felt about love and feelings, considering everything that happened with her mom when she was little and with her brother leaving, but I cannot imagine going through life like that without allowing anyone to care about me. I liked that she was a nurse, but again it felt like some information that was a little unnecessary and drew away from their romance. I liked Jason, but once again, he felt like he was lacking something. In the first half, maybe even 2/3's of the book, he was this big ego, funny guy and nothing could really bother him; then he got all emotional, which I don't necessarily mind; it just felt like a big shift. I didn't like that Jack and Jason's names both started with a "J", because I read this book across so many days I confused the names so much. All the things with Mal and Hunter and then Ash's storyline and Ivy, there was just a lot going on in the book that made some things a little hard to follow. I did like this book, and I will read more when and if they come out, but I think this is a book where I do need to sit down and commit to reading it in like two or three days rather than across a week. I do hope if there's another book that we get to see the story of Jack and Ash, because I do love the idea of them together. I know they probably will never have spice, but I just felt like the relationship stayed stagnant because they never took it to the next level, but I still enjoyed it enough.

Summary: Oakley worked as a nurse and was known for being cold and unfeeling, but this was only after being raised in a relatively poor family with a mom with bone cancer and her older brother having to take care of everyone till he up and left after graduating high school. Oakley came home after her night shift were she experienced a variety of emotions before crashing in her bed only to be awaken by a phone call from her older brother who she hasn’t seen in at least 4 years. He explained he got injured while in the army and then got diagnosed with the same bone cancer his mother had; she flew out to Arizona to bring him back to Nashville. At the airport, she had run into and flirted with the guy, but he flipped out when he saw she was a fan of his hockey team, and then she ended up in his apartment with her brother in Nashville because they were college friends and staying with each other. That night they went to their parents' house where Jack explained he had cancer and they all looked to Oakley to make everything better, and she somehow ended up leaning on Jason, the hockey player she really doesn’t want to like. She is getting ready to go out with her friends and is sort of fighting with her one friend about her situation-ship, but they make it out of the house. Not long after getting into the bar, she gets a call from Jason that Jack’s chemo starts tomorrow, so she shows up the next morning at his apartment to drive Jack to chemo. She and Jason spend the day in a park, actually getting along before she drops both of them off, gets asked on a date, denies, and goes home. The next few weeks go by like this: she tries to form her work schedule around his chemo, but she picks up a shift for extra money and then tries to bring him. Instead, she gets hit by a bike and is saved by Jason, who cleans up her scrapes and lets her sleep on the couch while he brings Jack to chemo, then goes to hockey practice. Then there is Sunday dinner with more flirting between the two of them, but Oakley still won’t admit she likes him, and this is just then arguing. The rest of dinner went well, but Oakley was grumpy, and her dad had to pull out her laughter song; it made Oakley realize that Jason doesn’t really have family as she does. They did their back porch hang out before they both headed out for the night. She was sitting on her phone another night, talking to Hunter, when Ash came out and showed her a video of Jason, and both Hunter and Ash realized she likes him, so she needs to do something big to show him. The next Monday, she made a big Thanksgiving dinner for the Canadian Thanksgiving; the dinner went well, and the shameless flirted again before parting ways. The day before she was due to drive up to Tennessee to see Hunter play, her mom convinced her to drive with Jason. She worked her shift, had a meeting about music therapy, then met him at the rink where she saw just how attractive he is. When they were walking to her car to start driving, she got a threatening text; she avoided it, but it definitely concerned her. They started the drive to Knoxville, but halfway there, her car stopped working. They got it towed and bought a hotel room for the night, where they shared more about their pasts than ever before. They went to bed that night holding hands and knowing they actually kind of like each other. They went to the game, which was going well. Hunter scored a touchdown, but as they stood up to celebrate, she realized Jack couldn’t, and that shocked her. She ran to the bathroom and sat there until Jason came to pull her out, and she then avoided him, even past that weekend. She went a whole week avoiding him and being grumpy until her friends pulled her out for an emergency girls' night. Daniel showed up and started to talk to her, but then Jason walked in and staked his claim. He tried to talk to her, but she stormed off, and he followed her outside, getting to the point where he kissed her and she let him. Their date day rolled around, and he planned the perfect evening. He brought her favorite flowers, took her to her favorite friend chicken place, then they went skating. They spent the next few weeks until November seeing each other every chance they got, and with Oakley starting at the research facility, that decreased a little. On her first day, he called after because something had happened to his Grams, and he wanted to tell her, and when he went to visit Grams, she would come. They didn’t see each other that night because it was girls' night, which included Ivy. They discussed Ash’s breakup but didn’t get much further because Ivy went into labor. They headed back to Jason’s after she met the whole team and the baby hadn’t been born yet. The next morning, they woke up early in bed next to each other with time to watch the sunrise for his game-day tradition. She returned home later and found Jack sitting in her living room ready to talk. He leaned on Ash a lot through the conversation, but he made amends and started to ask about her life before falling asleep. Then Jason showed up; they ate and napped before she sent him off to work. They showed up to the game early to see him warm up and get a few photos before watching an intense game. She met him at his apartment, where they realized they were alone. The next weekend they went to Alberta to visit his Grams. They moved her into an assisted living facility, and she told Jason that he should tell Oakley he loves her and that Oakley should only say she loves him if she is all in, even with the change that comes with his job. Once they landed back in Nashville, they actually said I love you after fighting in another parking garage, like they love to do. Then Jason left for a road trip; they wanted to call, but he was busy, and this was an important series, so they just said they would do their best. Oakley was working while he was away, struggling with workers trying to sabotage her and getting more and more threatening messages. It wasn’t until the first game that they all decided to watch together (the roommates, Jack, and Ivy), and she called Jason after a hard hit, that Jack saw all the messages she was getting. He went into the kitchen to confront her, but he started seizing. They rushed him to the hospital, and Oakley spent all night with him before leaving the next morning to pick Mal up from a friend’s house. Once they got back to the hospital, they realized something was really wrong: Mal was being held at gunpoint by Joy, and Oakley was being held at gunpoint by her boyfriend, Rob. When a security guard came out, Rob shot him, and then they were on the run. Oakley worked out a plan that got her and Mal out safely, but with everything that happened, she shut down again, unfeeling. Once they made it back inside and everything settled down, it just got worse again when Jack’s heart stopped. Oakley really shut down, and she pushed Jason away. Two weeks later, things had finally slowed down. She still hadn’t really talked to him even though he bought her a daisy, brought food over, and bought her a new car; she couldn’t open up yet. Then she went fishing with her Pa and Mal, and they gave her a reality check, and she ran out that night to him. They reconciled and said they would figure things out as they went. One month later, Jack was doing better, and she and Jason had spent the holidays together. They had plans to go see his Grams for New Year's, and everything was well in the world.

[Tanya]

Oakley is a nurse with a sharp edge and zero patience for nonsense—and honestly, I loved her for it. Her no-nonsense attitude fits perfectly against the stunning Tennessee backdrop the author paints. The autumn scenery, the small-town charm, and the quick “blast from the past” moment pulled me straight in, even as the deeper details unfolded slowly.

Jack, Oakley’s estranged brother, brings some heavy, very real-life issues into the story, and some readers may need to tread carefully. Still, I appreciated how fate—and a little karma—played into the way their paths collided. And then there’s Jason: the hotshot NFL star with a reputation and an attitude that could absolutely use a timeout. Of course, he’s connected to Jack through an old college friendship, which only makes things messier.

While Oakley and Jason take center stage, the family trauma and past wounds sit heavily in the background. Oakley carries unresolved issues—commitment, stress, avoidance, and that heartbreaking tendency to run from anything real. Jason may act tough, but underneath the swagger is a man shaped by his own trauma, soft and gooey where it counts. Their forced proximity gives him every chance to chip at Oakley’s walls, and watching her defenses crumble (slowly, stubbornly) is addictive.

Behind Oakley’s snark and grumpy exterior is a bleeding heart she tries desperately to hide. This book hits so many tropes I love—sports romance, brother’s best friend, emotional realism—with themes like anxiety, isolation, grief, and cancer woven in thoughtfully.
Oakley is surviving more than living, and the story never lets you forget it. Jason genuinely cares, but nothing between them is easy. The book references and movie quotes sprinkled throughout? Absolute chef’s kiss.

This is full-on enemies to lovers, complete with banter, tension, and just the right amount of “I can’t stand you… but also I can’t stop thinking about you.” Jason and Oakley connect deeply because of their shared damage, and it makes their bond feel earned.

Overall, I really enjoyed their push-and-pull dynamic and the charm of the Tennessee setting. The family involvement adds heart without overshadowing the romance, and the friend group is the perfect complement to all the internal emotional work happening. It’s a story built on pain, healing, and slow rebuilding—and it lands beautifully.

Omg just as tho story starts to get swoony and maybe more then just kissing the author surprises you in the worst way. Yup getting teary eyed.
This ends as expected happy for now but not that romantic swoony bit I was hoping for . It is more introspective with our female mc staying true to her nature and analyzing everything and how it has changed.

I love the playlist at the end of the book.

[Ariel]

After the Leaves Fell is a closed-door contemporary romance that focuses on the FMC's emotional journey of working to get past her abandonment issues after finding out about her older brother's recent diagnosis that threatens to tear her family apart again. As Oakley's family had been affected by the same diagnosis in the past, she is now struggling to process this new information and let down her guard. The MMC, Jason, is Oakley's brother's best friend from college. A professional hockey player who has felt alone most of his life and has been mistreated in the past due to his fame, and after a disastrous first meeting with her, he is determined to break past Oakley's self-constructed walls to show her that people can stay. In addition to all of this, there was an added element of suspense when Oakley began to receive threatening messages related to Jason.

A big part of Oakley and her family's life is music, and the power that it has. Throughout this book there seemed to be a theme song for every scene, feeling, memory, or significant moment. As someone who also has a playlist for every occasion, music definitely has the ability to describe what words sometimes are unable to. This made it easier for me to connect with the characters, especially with all the self-growth, family trauma, and themes of grief. Besides the impactful music, there was banter that had me giggling, swoon-worthy moments that made me smile like an idiot while alone in my own house, and meaningful quotes that made me tear up.

Oakley's emotional growth in this book was incredible. I was able to see when she was struggling to communicate or cope, or starting to spiral in addition to when she was actively trying to change and take responsibility for her actions and treatment of others. The side characters were all relatable and memorable, and stood out to me in different ways. Although I adored every second of this book, I would have liked more moments related to Jason's personal life such as his life in Canada, his grandmother, etc. However, because this book was written from only Oakley's POV, the story featured mostly her journey and how Jason affected it instead of his background.

In summary, this is the perfect book for those who are looking for a closed door romance that gives fall vibes, emotional depth, and is well written. I look forward to the rest of this series, and any future work that Ella Justice writes.

Thank you to Ella, Netgalley, and Azala Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[☆Laura☆]

Oakley Tennen es una enfermera que ha aprendido a sobrevivir manteniendo la distancia emocional con todo el mundo. Entre turnos en la sala de partos, compañeras entrometidas y una vida que parece exigirle más de lo que puede dar, Oakley cree que lo tiene todo bajo control. Pero la llamada inesperada de su hermano Jack, quien regresa después de años de ausencia y con un diagnóstico de cáncer; sacude sus cimientos, obligándola a enfrentarse a un pasado de abandono y a un presente lleno de responsabilidades.

Mientras lidia con la fragilidad de su familia y con la reaparición de viejas heridas, Oakley cruza caminos con Jason Westerman, un jugador de hockey que irrumpe en su vida de manera caótica y que parece ser lo último que ella necesita… o tal vez lo que le hacía falta.


___

Por momentos me desesperó Oakley,

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Veeka]

4.5⭐️
I wasn't prepared for the emotional ride this book took me on but I loved every minute of it. This story explores some heavier topics like grief, trauma, family, and healing in a way that was both raw but also super comforting to read. The emotional growth of the FMC Oakley was sooo beautiful to read. She went through so much and carried a lot of it by herself and was just trying to keep things together. Then there’s her brother’s best friend Jason who was so patient and kind with her. I absolutely loved their banter and chemistry and how they just felt so real with how they made sure to be there for one another and their overall growth. This book did take me a little bit to get into in the beginning but after a few chapters in, I absolutely devoured this. This is an absolutely beautiful story about second chances, love, and learning to open your heart again.

Thank you NetGalley and the Author for this eARC!

[Sam]

I … I need a minute. I’ll be back with words after I recover.

Okay I’m back. Lord help me. I am absolutely “right as rain” right now Ella 🙄🙄 This book is a masterpiece. Holy shit. I laughed. I cried. I threw my kindle. I disassociated. I verbally swooned. The drama is thicker than Jason’s geared up shoulders and I’m telling ya what … it was so good - so well so written, so raw, so real. There were a few corny moments that will have you rolling your eyes in a good way. I am so wholly invested in more of Oaks x Jase.

Tropes: Tension x banter. He yearns. Mental health rep. He falls first. One bed/forced proximity. Zero spice. Nurse x NHL. Grumpy x sunshine. Brother’s best friend.

TW: Stalker. Threats. Familial death (parents, sibling). Cancer. Held at gunpoint. Abandonment.

[Heather]

This was such a beautiful love story. I loved the characters’ growth, the way they fought for, and with!, each other, the side characters, the family dynamics, the honesty of the characters. I loved how Jason called Oakley out when she got in her head and how he pursued her. Every time I had to put the book down, I couldn’t wait to come back to it.

As always, I love seeing Canada, Canadian characters or Canadian-isms (except the ham at Thanksgiving! Who has ham instead of turkey at Thanksgiving?!)

Content: kisses only, mild swearing

[tonicha Pugh]

gosh, this book had all the emotional feelings in it, I was laughing, I was crying, heartbroken, and enjoyful.
love hockey romance and love a book that makes you have a good cry. this is definitely one you need to read!

I did take a while to get into this book at the start, but as we started to get through it, it was way more addictive and emotional.
perfect book to start the autumn season off with

[Lisa Crandall]

this isn't the genre of book I typically read, However I really enjoyed this read. I felt transformed into a Nashville fall day seeing the leaves fall. while enjoying the hockey games and the feeling of a Nashville night out. I fell in love with Oaksley and her family. watching a family member fight cancer is one of the most horrifying experiences 💔. the lovestory between Oaks and her beloved brothers best friend made this read well worth it. Thank you, @netgalley for the ARC copy.

[she.readseverything]

Beautiful, and heartwarming, but also suspenseful, and exciting. Truly a wonderful book full of growth and plot twists. I absolutely LOVE the way Ella writes her characters flawed, but realistic. I really appreciated that it wasn’t dual POV and we really got to see the internal growth with the fmc. I really loved this book & cannot wait to see all the characters as the series evolves! I would highly recommend this to all readers!

[ches ☻]

“Just because something appears to be a bad fit doesn’t mean it’s not exactly what you need”

— ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From the pride & prejudice references, to connecting to Oakley as a nurse… I really liked this book! Some stuff was a little up in the air, but it was pretty good. A nice little hockey combo too, since I can’t stop thinking about “Off Campus” hahahaha!

[Taylor]

I like that this book didn't wait until the last act for the romance to begin. I also like how it showed the FMC's progress, which was sometimes one step forward and then two steps backwards. The family aspect was also interesting. This book had a lot going on, but it all tied together.

[K. Sinko]

Ella has done it once again!! This book is the perfect mix of light hearted and deeply emotional, with a jaw dropping ending that had me in tears. So well done. I cannot wait for the rest of the series! 😍

[Ruba Abu Ali]

‘After the Leaves Fell’ by Ella Justice is sweet and heartfelt.

I particularly appreciated the character growth throughout the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the e-ARC.

[Summer]

I CRIED. Like ugly cried. This book was so emotional! Oh my word I'm gonna need therapy. This isn't a bad 'need therapy' book, this is a 'changed my life' book! I literally want to scream it was so good! detinitely need to get a physical copy immediately as a trophy and to reread whenever I want 🤭

[emma mcguinness]

What a heartwarming book following the characters going through a difficult time and not being able to trust or to fall in love , learning to heal their pasts and present and coming together very strong it was an emotional rollercoaster for me

[Kaytea Burt]

I received this book via NetGalley ! And I’m so glad I did ! The story line was adorable , the characters just got to me ! It was cool to see a mini grumpy /sunshine and it being opposite. The twist I was not expecting at all !!! And near the end broke my heart and put it back again !! Amazing read

[Abs]

5 STARS FOR ELLA JUSTICE!!! the PERFECT hockey romance for the hockey girlies!!!!!😍🥰🥳✨

[Ciara Rooney]

⭐️4.5