Ten years ago, Indy Bird and Cillian “Sully” Sullivan couldn't imagine a life without each other. Now, neither can imagine spending even an hour together. But when their oldest son starts asking questions, Indy panics and invites Sully to elementary school graduation day.
As Indy and the kids introduce Sully to the life they’ve made without him, disaster strikes the Bird family farm. Now Indy’s faced with two appalling crush her cousin’s dream wedding…or ask her estranged husband to stay for the summer and help.
Reconnecting with his children and using this work to atone for his mistakes is all the reason Sully needs to stay. It should be enough to protect him from Indy’s hostility–but maybe not her irresistible appeal.
After all, you can’t help the one you fall for…
Click ‘buy now’ to fall for Indy, Sully, and the whole Bird family in this sweet and funny second chance romance!
Emily started reading in kindergarten and writing right after that. She grew up in the hey-day of rom-coms and chick-lit and committed her life to continuing that good work. Currently, she has 4 books out, The Kissing Series with 3 single-POV, closed door romances, and 1 dual-POV, the first in The Bird Sisters series of interconnected standalone romcoms.
In real life, Emily stays busy with her two kids and her farmer-husband. She and her crew live in East Tennessee, run a farm, and have too many dogs.
For updates on her latest books or just to chat, follow her here, and on Instagram and Substack at @emilybriddlewrites.
"That question. How much does one colossal mistake count against an otherwise incredible human?"
The One You Fall For by @emilybriddlewrites is a contemporary, closed door romance that doesn't shy away from more difficult discussions - like how what is right can be subjective.
“I’m not going to brunch, Mom. I’m picking up my estranged husband."
Indy and Sully met and married over a decade ago in a whirlwind romance that led them to homesteading in Alaska. There they have a couple kids and life is great. Until it isn't. Emotions were high and decisions were made leading to Indy and the kids moving home to her parents farm in Tennessee and Sully has been absent from their lives the past 2 years - until now. When their oldest son is close to graduating elementary school, he starts asking questions about his dad. Indy decides to put her hatred towards Sully aside and invite him to be present for their son's graduation. When Sully arrives in town, an unrelated disaster strikes on Indy's family farm that threatens the farm's future.
Indy is faced with a difficult decision - let go of her dream for the farm and ruin her cousins impending nuptials, or she can ask Sully to stay for the summer and help. Indy isn't sure she can handle Sully being around that long, staying in their small house, but she's willing to try to try to reign in her animosity for the summer. Sully feels he needs to atone for his past mistakes, get to know his kids again, and maybe if he can work hard enough/do a good enough job that Indy might hate him just a little less. He'll just have to hide his attraction to her.
“What kind of dad has to be invited?” Dec demands. “The kind who messed up and needs to atone for his mistakes.”
📖 I loved the look into a couple who were together a decade but have now been separated for 2 years. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences in what each did during those 2 years.
How, at the root, both of them had what's best for the kids as their number one priority - even if that wasn't what they wanted. How, for one of them, their love congealed into hatred fueled by anger and animosity while another needed to take a long, hard look at themselves and the decisions they've made. While they both buried their love deep down, they can still see and appreciate some things about the other (even if they only begrudgingly admit to admiring those traits/actions in the other lol).
"Logic isn’t always the winning team."
✍🏼 Descriptively written with rich imagery and nice banter this was a quick, fun, and emotional read. Riddle does well at making you feel what the characters are feeling as she's showing you their story. Riddle takes big, important topics and presents them in different ways that many of us can relate to so she can show us different ways of looking at them.
I feel like if you aren't a parent, you may not feel the emotion in this book quite as much (for the emotions that relates to).
“Everything might be falling apart. I mean, its fine. But it might be a catastrophe.”
🗣️ Dialogue felt fitting to the characters and read as natural. I loved the banter, especially between the siblings, and the fun scheming. 🐕
“It was a real kindness, your ma reaching out to me and inviting me to come. I really, really want to be here.” His accent is so thick, I know he’s feeling stressed. “But if my being here makes any of this harder on you guys, I’ll go. Right now. No explanation needed. No questions asked. It’s totally up to you.”
I LOVE that Sully is shown to have excellent, thoughtful communication skills.
⏳Well paced I found it to be a quick read and couldn't wait to get back to it. I was wickedly curious as to what caused their falling out and feel the author did a great job using breadcrumbs to keep the reader interested and engaged.
“A terrible kind of pain, I’d think, pretending you don’t love the person you love.”
👥 I didn't always find Indy to be a likeable character, which, in this case, I feel is a sign of excellent character development. The characters have personalities and depth. I appreciate the varying opinions on the inciting event and how the characters end up voicing those.
This is my first book by this author but I feel like some of the minor characters are likely in her other books, or will be in the future. I love interconnected worlds like that.
I LOVE that we get some diversity and inclusion. I especially love that it doesn't feel like token diversity/inclusion merely for the sake of it.
“If only those pesky kids didn’t foil your plans,” she intones in the villainous voice of every Scooby Doo bad guy.
⛹🏼I enjoyed the smaller bits with the kids in them. I know some don't like romance books with kids, so here's your heads up.
💞 I loved the slow burn part of the reconnecting, the will they/won't they, the banter, etc. The longing and yearning and fighting of those - SO good! While the changeover to more felt realistic, I felt a little confused about that status for a short period. That could be on me, I can't say for sure. Then the way they come back together, that was beautiful.
🫑While there are no depictions of explicit spice, there are a few heavy kissing scenes. It's pretty steamy, even without explicit scenes.
"Penny for 'em?"
💭 Sully deals with anxiety and panic attacks. I feel this presented an excellent opportunity to discuss it and the struggles men face with discussing mental health. I wish we had gotten that. It hurt my heart to see Sully struggling alone.
I wish it had been given just a touch more attention by Indy (and Sully). I realize it's realistic to real life for men to feel they can't be open and honest about their mental health, but I wish he had told Indy, or that Indy had picked up on it. Love the anxiety/panic rep in a male character, just wish he wasn't left to handle it alone. As much as I love Sully's character, I so badly wanted him to be vulnerable with Indy about his mental health. Not just for him, but for readers.
"If you like seeing people in love, you might as well..." read this (I slightly altered a quote from the book).
📚 If you like books by: Lucy Score, BK Borison, and/or Claire Kingsley, then I think you would probably like this book.
Thank you to @emilybriddlewrites and @wordnerdauthorservices for the opportunity to read this eARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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frtc
What a delightful story. I'm not positive what my rating is yet but I'm thinking 4.5
As much as I love seeing a couple fall in love for the first time, there's also something really special about seeing a couple who have been through tough times find their way back to each other and fight even harder because they know what they were missing out on. Indy and Sully are a perfect example of that. These characters are imperfect ones, to say the least. They both certainly made mistakes in their past... I won't give anything away, but I'll admit that I wasn't sure how to feel about Sully at first, as we meet him coming back into his kids' lives after not seeing them for a few years. As we learn more about why he left and stayed away, I warmed up to him and found myself rooting for him in the end. The author does a great job of letting reading know that something happened, giving just enough at a time to keep reading on and seeing how it would play out. And oh boy, the chemistry... I just adored them. Indy's family dynamics also added a lot of fun to the story. I enjoyed all of their interactions as well and would love to spend some more time with the Bird family in the future.
The One You Fall For is a closed-door romance with kisses only. It does have a bit of innuendo and some minor language.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
ARC Book Review The One You Fall For A Novel Written By Emily B. Riddle Fiction Published July 2025 347 Pages ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this book. The author’s writing grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I liked the writing, the plot, and the characters.
This is a story about second chances, forgiveness, and taking responsibility for your actions.
Indiana Bird Sullivan has been estranged from her husband, Cillian “Sully”, for two years after she gave him an ultimatum. Sully hasn’t seen Indy or their three young children during this time. Their oldest son’s elementary school graduation brings Sully to Tennessee from Washington DC. Sully hopes this time together will help him mend the broken relationship he has with his wife and children.
I liked that Sully took full responsibility for the estrangement. He didn’t make excuses and admitted his mistakes. I liked that he worked hard to rebuild his relationship with Indy and their children. Both Indy and Sully showed growth and owned up to the mistakes they both made. They learned to no longer let anger and fear come between them.
The author took a family drama and added humor and southern charm.
“How much does one colossal mistake count against an otherwise incredible human?”
Okay i may be SUPER late with my ARC review but at least I'm here to review, am I? Well, i really enjoyed this book, it was a safe place for me when i got bored of fiction books. Sully yes can i marry you? Indy don't be mad ok? I really loved this couple and the fact that i haven't read a second chance trope made me appreciate that more! Thank you Emily for yet another meaningful book!
Ten years ago, Indy Bird and Cillian “Sully” Sullivan couldn't imagine a life without each other. Now, neither can imagine spending even an hour together. But when their oldest son starts asking questions, Indy panics and invites Sully to elementary school graduation day.
As Indy and the kids introduce Sully to the life they’ve made without him, disaster strikes the Bird family farm. Now Indy’s faced with two appalling options: crush her cousin’s dream wedding…or ask her estranged husband to stay for the summer and help.
Reconnecting with his children and using this work to atone for his mistakes is all the reason Sully needs to stay. It should be enough to protect him from Indy’s hostility–but maybe not her irresistible appeal.
After all, you can’t help the one you fall for…
Slowly fell in love with this book and it's characters😍 I absolutely loved the realistic pacing and the feelings portrayed by the main characters.
One of the things that I disagreed with is that the blame was shoved onto one party for so many years and to have it addressed and rectified towards the end of the book was really great and a true show of how people are never too old for character growth.
One of my favourite parts of the book was the ends, had me kicking my feet... Second chance romances may be one of my new top tropes this year 🤭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ah Emily, you’ve done it again. Emily writes delightful and relatable sweet romances. I have read all her books now, and get excited when the next one comes out. Second chance romance is a, you have to get all the pieces just right, type of read for me. But of course Emily got all the pieces right! For me the absolute must, and I mean must, in a second chance romance is that both characters have shown growth and development since the breakup, and both Indy and Sully did in this book. I actually related more to Sully in this one than I did Indy. Sully was so guarded and protective, it just resonated with me in an unexpected way. I did love Indy as well, she was great and the dynamic between her and Sully was next level. This book made me smile ear to ear, and devouring the pages until the very last one.
If you are looking for a delightful second chance romance, that highlights sometimes forgiveness isn’t the easiest path, but the best one, then you need to pick this up.
Thank you to @emilyriddlewrites for sending me an arc copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
5/5 stars all around for this gem. The One You Fall For is a charming second chance romance set in the hills of East Tennessee. But the couple aren’t childhood friends or old neighbors. They’re already… Married?! With three kids?!
You read that right. Estranged couple Sully and Indy’s lives collide after two years apart, and they’re forced to spend time together while loathing seethes underneath the put on indifference they show in front of their kids. But the passion behind loathing can quickly transform into something else.
The East Tennessee setting had me tracking Emily down at the Farmer’s Market to pick up this book. I started reading it same day and it went EVERYWHERE with me throughout the week (even the sauna)! As someone born and raised here, the background of place felt like a familiar family member. But the characters shine just as bright. I’m begging for this to turn into a series!
Content guide: this is perfect for my no spice girlies. There’s some passionate kissing, but that’s as far as it goes. If you’re in the mood for some lighthearted romance, this is the perfect novel to pick up. I’ve already recommended it to several friends!
Ten years ago, Indy and Sully fell in love. Kids came along and they fell apart. Indy moved back to her family's farm with the kids. When their oldest son wants his dad to attend a school event, Indy reluctantly invites Sully to the farm and the event. Needless to say, this results in a fun, second chance sweet romance story between them as they never really fell out of love.
Emily B. Riddle is a new author to me and this story was so sweet that I'm looking forward to reading more from her.
This was a sweet second chance romance about a married couple finding their way back to each other. I got a little lost initially in learning all the characters but once I settled in it was a lovely story about rekindling love, affection, trust, and partnership. I traveled to Knoxville last Fall with my husband for his work and loved the East Tennessee area, so it was a bonus to be able to visualize the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Thank you Emily for letting me be apart of your ARC team! ❤️
This was my first novel by Emily Riddle and I enjoyed it! Here is what I loved: -small town, big family -woman in her 30s -man in his early 40s -love at any age -rekindled love ❤️ -kids! Especially 3! -Single Mom showing everyone she's an independent queen. 👑💪
This was a cute, alternating POV between Indy and Sully. It was a fun read.
Please tell me we get a book two that features Raleigh and Danny!! 😍
I really enjoyed this story! Great characters, dual pov. Loved the kids and Indy’s sisters, too. I thought the author handled the tenderness and emotion really well, especially Sully. Indy seemed a little confusing at times, but not bad enough pull me out of the story. I hope she makes this into a series, the pieces are all there!
I love this author, but a man leaving his family because he made some financial mistakes and they’re “better off without him” is just not something I can get into unless there is some serious drug or alcohol abuse or mental illness involved. Like, is your young family better off without you or are you just a coward?
Maybe Sully redeems himself sufficiently… I dunno.
Indy and Sully … wow! So so so much love and history there. This story was a beautiful way to show that sometimes we do the hardest things in the world for the people we love. ❤️
This was a sweet romance set in East Tennessee! there’s a nice slow burn of the couple reconnecting Someone from my church wrote and self published which I loooove a courageous baddie going after her dreams 💪 and I’m going to support that every single day! 🫡