Falling Out of Grief

by Nicole Thompson

This spicy romance follows Billie Carlisle and Scott Bennington, two strangers grieving the loss of very important people in their lives. They meet at a hospice center, where Billie has just admitted her father, Teddy, for inpatient care. He is in the end stages of ALS. Scott visits the hospice center with his therapy dog several days a week to endure the grief of losing his infant daughter and then his wife to breast cancer. Their meet-cute sparks a wild ride from the depths of despair to the euphoria of falling in love, with racy moments, family drama, witty jokes, second-hand embarrassment, belly laughs, and ugly cries in between. Told from Billie and Scott's perspectives, this story reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly escapades of both characters. It's a coming-of-age, millennial-style story, as Billie grew up in a strict Catholic household. Her life unfolds as her world unravels, and she begins to question everything she's ever known. Can Billie and Scott fall out of grief so they can fall in love with each other?

A portion of each book sale will be donated to ALS research.

333 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2025

Reviews

[Nicole Rimbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. I loved the symbolism throughout and all of the creative elements that took the story and details to the next level.

“…I did it. I finally made it out of the water.” 🥹❤️

Can we read about Claire and Ryan next, please?!

[Erica Poston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you the last time I actually had time (or made time) to sit down and read a book but when I learned about this book, I KNEW I HAD to read it. I was not wrong and it did NOT disappoint!!! When I picked it up yesterday afternoon to sneak a few chapters in at about the halfway point, I could not put it down and ended up finishing the entire thing!!!

The connections, the grief, the spicy, raw passion, beautiful romance, …. It strikes it all the right chords in all the best ways. I loved the ease of reading through the tough, intimate, and the everyday real-life topics because they were written in such a wonderful way. Nicole did an amazing job making the characters so relatable to real life situations. I laughed, cried, blushed and totally felt all the feels while reading. This book is a true page-turner! I cannot wait to see where life takes Billie and Scott next, and am dying to see what happens with Claire and Ryan!! October cannot get here fast enough!!

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of heart, this story doesn’t shy away from the pain of grief, and the guilt of surviving the loss. This story takes us on grief’s non-linear journey; sometimes it’s a new friend, sometimes a surprising chance at passion; sometimes it’s repairing old relationships, and sometimes it’s doing the hard work in counseling. Thompson beautifully weaves the spice of romance with truths about what healing looks like.

[Courtney Uhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I thought and more!!! The author knew exactly how to make you feel all the feelings, how to turn on the spice when necessary and left me wanting more.
If you are going through heartache, want a quick read or just want to support a new author…this is a great book to start with.
Can’t wait to see what the next one entails.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book touched on topics that we are too afraid to face. Grief is real and we all go through it and have our own way of dealing. The spice was 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ and the side characters were fun and lifted the book from being too sad. I liked the book and look forward to the second book in the series.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling out of Grief took me completely by surprise. It’s a mix of raw emotions that you can feel, a little bit of spicy, and fun all mixed together. Billie and Scott’s story is beautiful and raw in the middle of such grief.

[Gretchen Vensel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down.. I sobbed, giggled and needed a breather after some spicey moments! I will read this again!