Just My Type

by Falon Ballard

To win the job of her dreams, a relationship-prone journalist needs to learn how to stay single in this heartwarming and hilarious new romantic comedy from the beloved author of Lease on Love.

Lana Parker is an expert girlfriend. After a disastrous breakup with her high school boyfriend, she's bounced from long-term relationship to long-term relationhip and even works as the dating and relationships columnist for one of Los Angeles's trendiest websites. But when Lana suddenly finds herself single, she's ready to take a break, both personally and professionally. 

That is, until her high school ex, Seth Carson, takes an assignment at Lana's site. Having spent years traveling the world as a freelance journalist, Seth's finally ready to put down roots. Seth and Lana's chemistry is just as combative—and undeniable—as ever and quickly leads to a competition that could shape both of their careers. Pitted against each other by Lana's boss, they are each tasked with writing an article series that goes against their usual dating type: Lana needs to write about being single and staying single, while Seth must learn to settle down and become boyfriend material. Whoever's series is most popular wins a highly coveted dream job. But when the two square off, it's not only their careers on the line—it’s also their hearts.

• ISBN10: 0593419936
• ISBN13: 9780593419939
• Publish Date: 7 February 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: G P Putnam's Sons
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593419939

Reviews

[bearley]

It’s so hard to express how good this story was. It’s definitely now one of my favorite romance novels. I read it almost entirely in one sitting cause I just had to know how it ended. Usually books in this genre follow the same model but I was honestly on the edge of my seat the whole time.
It was such a great take on the big tropes by having both friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers. There was also a lot of comedic relief throughout the novel, which solidified it as an amazing romcom like all the nostalgic movies it referenced. It mentioned How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days a few times and it really reminded me of it — not in the plot but in vibe and the joy it brought me.
I’m just absolutely in love with the story between Lana and Seth. There was just so much intensity and longing throughout the novel — it felt like I was living it! There’s a major quote in the story that just took my breath away and it hits you like a ton of bricks when it happens.
There was also so much beyond this story besides romance. It was hugely about finding yourself and really highlighted the importance of therapy and communication. Lana’s story is really touching and she’s one of the best leading ladies I’ve seen.
Highly, highly recommend this one!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. And thanks to Falon Ballard for sharing this story with the world.

[The Romantic Comedy Book Club]

Having read the description for Just My Type, I was concerned that this was going to be a reversed "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (love how Ballard even referenced that!). I was so pleasantly surprised on how fresh and original her concept was. As this was my first time reading Ballard, I enjoyed how she combined the thrill of an enemies to friends trope with the elation of a second chance romance.

What I liked about the book: Before I dive into the review, I will say I know that many believe that a journey of self discovery is something you should do on your own. To the contrary, Ballard demonstrated with Lana that it is a parallel journey. While you may travel on your own path to enlightenment, you need to have those who support it walking next to you - not interfering in any way but letting you know you are not alone.

Now on a lighter note, the humor of this book is off the charts. There are far too many laugh out loud moments to recall. The friendship between Lana and May is the type most dream about. I am also am a HUGE fan of the MCU so the references to it were right up my alley. I nearly choked when she said “Thank Loki” and made references to Odin and Thor in replacement for its biblical counterpart.

Lana’s wit, banter, and overall personality was also very refreshing. She came from money but she wasn't spoiled. She knew she was fortunate but still remained humble. Despite having the option for an easier life (being involved with her mother's philanthropy work), she chose to attend college and followed her passion to be a writer, paying her dues along the way.

The background characters are what sealed the deal for this book. Those Slack chats were priceless! I wish we could have seen more of what happened between Tessa and Rob. I am hoping that was introduced as a segue into a follow-up book as I felt like that was introduced and dropped without reason. In either case, the supporting characters were the perfect seasoning for this delicious story. I also like how she indirectly created a common enemy so that Lana and Seth could bound without realizing they were being pulled closer together.

What I disliked about the book: During the first half of this book, I constantly had a feeling of being slightly disconnected from the characters. I was able to witness the world unfolding with Lana and Seth but I felt as if I was watching it behind a plate of glass, unable to directly connect with their feelings and experiences. I believe this was because I had the nagging feeling of "why" and "what happened". With the unresolved past directly affecting the story in so many ways, I found myself growing increasing frustrated in not knowing what transpired. The initial breakup and the reunion was what fueled the divide between Lana and Seth. We only saw her reaction to it and were essentially instructed as the audience to just "trust it" and take her side without questioning. For this reason, I never felt like I could completely connect with Lana. It wasn't until the truth started to come out that I finally felt the ability to sympathize with Lana, as well as Seth, and walk with them on their quest versus feeling so many steps behind.

Again, while I wasn’t a fan of this feeling for the first half of the book, my assumption is that this was Ballard’s intent. While we had a POV from Lana, we couldn’t know more than what she was willing to revisit mentally or see beyond what she was willing to take in. We were going to be subjected to her doubts, her denials, and the way she construed a situation based on own her perspectives. It wasn't until she started her journey, growing as an individual, facing her past, and really taking the time to see situations from all sides (big shot out to the importance of taking care of your Mental Health) that we finally got a 360 view of everything. I feel that if I read this book again knowing what happened, I would be able to connect with Lana from the beginning versus towards the end.

What I consider the best part of the book: The sunflower references. Ballard creating such an psychological and emotional connection with the sunflower, entwining it throughout the story, that when Seth showed up with it at the end - I choked up!

From moments of laughter to tears to one big cheesy grin, Just My Type provides everything needed to create a wonderfully refreshing romantic comedy.