What do you think?
Downhill From Here
Not yet published
Expected 24 Sep 26310 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 24, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 6, 2026
I got an ARC for this book, and I really liked the concept of the story (even though it’s mid summer right now). I always love a fake dating story, and this one was very cute indeed.
Noelle is a pretty normal girl, she’s relatable and funny. However sometimes she did some questionable things or made stupid decisions, what made me like her a bit less.
Jake is obviously a perfect book boyfriend, and I really liked that he really understood Noelle and talked about problems.
I did feel like some parts of the book didn’t really connect. Like some parts were really fun and necessary for the story, but others not really, and sometimes I felt like I missed a part of the plot.
At last I wanted to say something about the sentence structure, because although it was pretty well written, some sentences just didn’t make sense to me. And maybe that’s because English isn’t my native language, but often I felt like words were missing at the end of sentences.
I did overall like the book and the story
3 ⭐️
xF
Noelle is a pretty normal girl, she’s relatable and funny. However sometimes she did some questionable things or made stupid decisions, what made me like her a bit less.
Jake is obviously a perfect book boyfriend, and I really liked that he really understood Noelle and talked about problems.
I did feel like some parts of the book didn’t really connect. Like some parts were really fun and necessary for the story, but others not really, and sometimes I felt like I missed a part of the plot.
At last I wanted to say something about the sentence structure, because although it was pretty well written, some sentences just didn’t make sense to me. And maybe that’s because English isn’t my native language, but often I felt like words were missing at the end of sentences.
I did overall like the book and the story
3 ⭐️
xF
Read
August 27, 2026Downhill From Here is a fun read if you're a fan of the winter Olympics and like teenage drama. The romance element was cute, even though the pacing was as quick and the characters could have had more depth. Overall, I enjoyed it and read it in three days!
Review of advance copy
I picked up an ARC of Downhill From Here from BookSirens.
As someone who lives in a mountain town I was immediately drawn in by the premise of the main character, Noelle, being a high level skier.
The Glows:
- I loved Jake as a male lead. I think he showed the right balance of sensitivity and care, and thought this relationship was very positively modeled.
- I loved how the author handled stress and pressure of being a high level athlete, not just from coaches, family, etc but also the personal pressures athletes place on themselves. I think there is some good messaging that young readers will relate to.
The Grows:
- I found the pacing a bit off for me. I wanted more dialogue and interaction between Jake and Noelle in the beginning to show why the fake dating made sense. I also felt there were a lot of scenes (mostly the training ones) that were mundane and didn't drive the plot forward.
- I struggled with the Rob/Rosaline subplot. I didn't understand how it wasn't obvious to Drew as the roommate. I also don't think it added anything to the story.
Tropes:
Fake dating
Elite athletes
Skier/hockey romance
I recommend Downhill From Here for young adult audiences who love a blend of sports and romance.
As someone who lives in a mountain town I was immediately drawn in by the premise of the main character, Noelle, being a high level skier.
The Glows:
- I loved Jake as a male lead. I think he showed the right balance of sensitivity and care, and thought this relationship was very positively modeled.
- I loved how the author handled stress and pressure of being a high level athlete, not just from coaches, family, etc but also the personal pressures athletes place on themselves. I think there is some good messaging that young readers will relate to.
The Grows:
- I found the pacing a bit off for me. I wanted more dialogue and interaction between Jake and Noelle in the beginning to show why the fake dating made sense. I also felt there were a lot of scenes (mostly the training ones) that were mundane and didn't drive the plot forward.
- I struggled with the Rob/Rosaline subplot. I didn't understand how it wasn't obvious to Drew as the roommate. I also don't think it added anything to the story.
Tropes:
Fake dating
Elite athletes
Skier/hockey romance
I recommend Downhill From Here for young adult audiences who love a blend of sports and romance.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Going into this, I was genuinely excited. It’s been awhile where I read a book where the FMC was a determined athlete, like the MMC. While it took awhile for the book to pickup I enjoyed it.
Good parts of the book was all of the in-depth details on the skills needed to be a racers in the ski world. Along with her panic attacks, I think that area of the book was extremely well written. The scene where they go over to Jake’s grandma’s for lunch after his college declaration day was amazing too.
The plot its self was a little hard to follow, but once I got past the couple issues I had it was great. Overall, I think the miscommunication was my biggest issue. Normally, I don’t this trope but during this book it started to become overdone. Again, this is just my opinion and experience with the book. I think if there was a little bit more dialogue between Noelle and Jack or even Noelle and her friends it would have been a 4 star read. Finally, I think the way the book ended could have also used a little work. It just felt very unfinished.
Going into this, I was genuinely excited. It’s been awhile where I read a book where the FMC was a determined athlete, like the MMC. While it took awhile for the book to pickup I enjoyed it.
Good parts of the book was all of the in-depth details on the skills needed to be a racers in the ski world. Along with her panic attacks, I think that area of the book was extremely well written. The scene where they go over to Jake’s grandma’s for lunch after his college declaration day was amazing too.
The plot its self was a little hard to follow, but once I got past the couple issues I had it was great. Overall, I think the miscommunication was my biggest issue. Normally, I don’t this trope but during this book it started to become overdone. Again, this is just my opinion and experience with the book. I think if there was a little bit more dialogue between Noelle and Jack or even Noelle and her friends it would have been a 4 star read. Finally, I think the way the book ended could have also used a little work. It just felt very unfinished.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Jake & Noelle
⭐⭐⭐.75
I enjoyed this one! It was a little messy at the start, but once I got into it, it became quite good.
It’s a high school romance featuring an elite ski racer and the captain of the local hockey team. I haven’t really read many skiing books, so I can’t say how accurate the skiing side of things was, but it was definitely interesting and enjoyable to read.
I liked the fake-dating setup, the slow-burn romance, and watching Noelle gradually let Jake through the walls she’d built around herself. Their relationship also felt like a good balance between her intense focus on skiing and his own worries about the future.
There are a few setups for potential future stories, so I’m curious to see where those might go. The ending is also fairly open, so it definitely feels like there could be more to come.
Overall, a fun YA sports romance with plenty of potential for the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
⭐⭐⭐.75
I enjoyed this one! It was a little messy at the start, but once I got into it, it became quite good.
It’s a high school romance featuring an elite ski racer and the captain of the local hockey team. I haven’t really read many skiing books, so I can’t say how accurate the skiing side of things was, but it was definitely interesting and enjoyable to read.
I liked the fake-dating setup, the slow-burn romance, and watching Noelle gradually let Jake through the walls she’d built around herself. Their relationship also felt like a good balance between her intense focus on skiing and his own worries about the future.
There are a few setups for potential future stories, so I’m curious to see where those might go. The ending is also fairly open, so it definitely feels like there could be more to come.
Overall, a fun YA sports romance with plenty of potential for the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
This book is so cute!!!
I love a good fake dating trope sm
Noelle is a high-performing athlete with a lot on her plate
and Jake is just the sweetest guy ever!
Would definitely recommend for a short and sweet little romance read!
xox
Rhali
P.S thankyou sm grace for this ARC copy!
I love a good fake dating trope sm
Noelle is a high-performing athlete with a lot on her plate
and Jake is just the sweetest guy ever!
Would definitely recommend for a short and sweet little romance read!
xox
Rhali
P.S thankyou sm grace for this ARC copy!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews