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dogoodwithbooks's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I would like to thank NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Parker Douglas is in for a complete surprise when her brother’s former best friend and long-time crush, Logan Barnes, returns to Harvest Hollow to play for the town’s minor league hockey team. Despite being out of touch for almost a decade, Parker convinces Logan to be her fake boyfriend for a family event. Yet, when word gets out about their “relationship”, Parker has to conquer her past insecurities if she wants to have a chance at a future with Logan.
Just Don’t Fall, the first book in the multi-author Sweater Weather series, is a cute, fall rom-com for all the sports romance readers looking for a closed door read. I know there’s not as many closed-door hockey romances out in the market, but Just Don’t Fall is a really nice read that hones in on the emotional connection between Logan and Parker and I find that to be refreshing in the sports romance genre.
Though, my main critique of Just Don’t Fall was St. Clair’s writing style. While I thought St. Clair’s writing was good for the most part, I felt that it could be improved with the help of a professional editor or proofreader for several reasons.
One, throughout the book, I thought there was an overuse of words in all caps, sentences that end in exclamation points, and italicized words that didn’t need to be italicized. Add that to the same idea being expressed in twenty different written sentences and character thoughts (i.e. we get it, Parker’s brother hates Logan), and you end up with repetitive writing with a tendency to distract readers from the story at hand.
Second, the dialogue felt a bit unnatural for the characters. Partly because I feel that this goes back to the repetitive writing style St. Clair had a habit of using in this book, but also because you got these two great characters in their own right yet they end up with too wordy dialogue that’s used in some scenes for the purpose of conveying information and consequently this effect also trickled into the plot actions for the last 10% of the book.
With that being said, I didn’t hate this title and I’m interested in looking into the rest of the Sweater Weather series. I think that St. Clair proves a solid plot that’s executed nicely as well as close up any lingering plot holes. I also think that St. Clair’s development for Logan and Parker is very well done and I think that’s a large reason why I enjoyed reading Just Don’t Fall. I think that there’s room for improvement in the writing style.
Nevertheless, I would encourage anyone who prefers closed door romances to read Just Don’t Fall and decide for themselves if this book is for you. If you’re looking for a book similar to Desire or Defense that’s set in a small town and gives off that cozy autumn aesthetic, you might enjoy Just Don’t Fall.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Misogyny, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
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