Just My Type

by Falon Ballard

[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.