These two gave me a mix of feelings, 'cause I could see the connection between them, but I'm still really unsure if they should be together.

I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea, unfortunately.

Thank you so much. NetGalley, and the publisher for sending me this ARC.

I found myself intrigued by the notion of a "fallback" and enjoyed exploring it within the story. However, I felt that the characters could have been more robust 💪 and perhaps a bit more communication between them wouldn't have hurt! 🗣️

Overall, I'd give it a solid three stars ⭐. While it was relatable and had its romantic moments, I couldn't help but wish for a bit more depth. It was good, but with a bit of polishing, it could have been truly great! 🌟"

This one was a struggle. The plot moved very slowly, and there was too much miscommunication for me. The characters didn't seem to have much chemistry despite knowing each other for ages, and I didn't think the MMC was all that great of a guy.

This was such a fun story and I loved the idea of the fallback and really hoped the best for them throughout the story, A lovely romantic book!

I really tried to love this and I did try, but did not succeed. Did I love the premise? absolutely. The opening did get me for a bit, but I couldn't really get into the book like I could for other books I've read this year. Maybe one day I can come back, but for the moment, this wasn't a good read for me!

This was such a cute friends to lovers!!! I'm a sucker for a good friends to lovers book and this one was perfect.
I truly loved their story and I found it so unique. This is a cute easy romance for reading on a spring day. Totally a cute rom-com book.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollin UK for the ARC for this book.

Mitch and Rosie have known each other for years and for one reason or another have been unlucky in love. After another failed relationship, Mitch decides to make extreme measures: either find their soulmates and fall in love by Christmas, or be each other’s fallback (because nothing says love story like having a deadline). There’s just a slight problem… Rosie is already in love. With Mitch. Will she finally get to have the man of her dreams, or will he be the one who got away?

The Fallback really frustrated me the more I read as the pacing was excruciatingly slow and to be honest the MMC wasn’t a very likable character. I wasn’t a fan of his grand plan -
If you’re invested or interested enough to be the persons fallback, then why not pursue something with them in the first place? I’m also working hard to be in my Meredith Grey “Pick me, Choose me, Love me”
era and the idea of Rosie accepting being Mitch’s second choice gave me the ick.

Eleanor Goymer's "The Fallback “ is a charming friends-to-lovers romcom. While I'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope, the undeniable bound between Rosie and Mitch was there at all times. Rosie's tendency to avoid confrontations and Mitch's flawed plans add depth to their characters.I love when we get to see so many more female characters that are in STEM nowadays and I’m actually excited to learn a few things about it myself. That being said, the story is a very slow burn, and their eventual connection is worth the wait.
“The Fallback" delivers a heartwarming romance, perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella.

Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own.

Rosie and Mitch met up in a bar when Rosie is looking for a flat to live in London, and Mitch has a spare room, they hit it off instantly and become flatmates. Fast forward 10 years and they are still the best of friends, but both very unlucky in love. Mitch proposes a pact, if neither of them find anyone by Christmas, they will be each other's fallback. Rosie's feelings on the pact are complicated but she agrees, but matters of love are not so easy, and neither of them realize what they got themselves into, and what it means for both of them.

There were so many aspects f this book I really enjoyed. Main female characters in STEM is always wonderful to see. The little snippets of the past to help give context for the present worked well. I do love a friends to lovers romance and I felt the chemistry between the characters. What didn't work for me was the reliance on miscommunication. I get that this trope of a "fallback pact" needs miscommunication for it to work, but I don't think the novel had anything going for it outside of the plot point. Having the story in only her POV really limited what the story could offer which is a shame cause I enjoyed the authors writing and voice.

I enjoyed this, but it wasn’t my favorite!

While I enjoyed the premise of this book, I couldn’t get attached to the characters. Rosie and Mitch are complicated, but it seems like Mitch could care less. They had a connection, but it seemed more like a friendship rather than romantic… I just wished they communicated more. Overall, this was a nice read and I loved how Rosie is in STEM!! You don’t read much about women in STEM so that was great!

As a mid-thirties single female, the concept of having a Fallback was intriguing and fun to me. Unfortunately, I did not see a romantic connection between Mitch and Rosie. Their friendship (and having secretly been in love with each other for years) just didn't have the chemistry I was hoping for to root them on. Plus, if they didn't find anyone in FOUR MONTHS, then they would have a baby together?! That timeline was a bit rushed.

A cute friends-to-lovers romance that draws you in and keeps you interested. I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of miscommunication, which there is a lot of in this story; otherwise, the connection between Rosie and Mitch is undeniable, and I loved them for the most part. I do think Rosie tends to avoid hard situations and runs from her problems, and Mitch, with his horrible plans on finding out Rosie's feelings towards him, I loved reading about Rosie working in a STEM field and being an inspiration for other characters in the story. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I can't wait to see what Goymer writes next.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

Mitch and Rosie are friends that decide to be each other's fallback if they aren't in a relationship with other people by Christmas. For Rosie, this is an opportunity for her to meet someone to get over Mitch or actually be with him. A funny, friends to lovers romance that makes you believe in the beauty of connection. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arch!

Unfortunately, The Fallback by Leanor Goymer was a DNF for me. I struggled to connect with the characters, and despite their long-standing friendship, there was a lack of chemistry between them.

The initial chapters were challenging to get through, and the plot seemed to drag on, which isn't my preferred style of writing. I prefer something with a faster pace, and unfortunately, this book didn't deliver in that aspect.

thank you so much for access to this book!

unfortunately it was a dnf for me. this is because i could not connect with the characters nor the writing style. i really liked the concept of this book but it fell flat from very early on.

Unfortunately this book was a dnf, I don’t not connect with the characters and I just felt like there was no chemistry between them even though they had been friends for several years.

The first few chapters were difficult to get into and the plot felt like it was dragging which isn’t the style of writing I like, I prefer something that is fast paced and this wasn’t it

Struggled to get into this book. The storyline was such a slow burn and the characters hard to connect to. Ended up DNF at around 30%.

Mitch and Rosie’s friendship spans a decade in this novel of roommates to best friends with a sprinkling of unrequited love.

When unluckily in love Mitch breaks up with his latest girlfriend, he proposes that they be each other’s fallback. If neither can find a partner, they’ll settle down together… Only, that may be exactly what Rosie wants, if she can just admit it once and for all. Add in online dating, missed opportunities and meddling friends and family and you get this charming read.

I found myself wishing for a little more spice, and perhaps a little less explanation in places, but I really did enjoy this London-based book about friendship, love and finding the courage to make yourself vulnerable.

I would have loved an epilogue or a bit more of the HEA, but this was altogether a great spring/summer read.

Rosie met Mitch in a London pub. He had a spare room, and she needed a place to live, urgently. They were going to be working together within the same department at the university. Within a few minutes of meeting, they became flatmates...!

This is a delightful friends to lovers romance spanning many years. The story begins when the protagonists' first meet in London’s worse pub. After that, the narrative jumps between then and now, as we learn the dynamics of their unique friendship.

As romances go, this is a very slow burn. The clues are constantly there but both Rosie and Mitch ignore them, presuming the other isn’t interested. Mitch is a serial dater, with each relationship fizzling out within a month or to, whilst Rosie’s focus is her job and mourning the long ended relationship she had before meeting Mitch. These are two people who choose to spend all their free time together, but somehow don’t see what everyone sees them as... a couple. That is until Mitch has a proposition for them.

I love Rosie has a STEM career and the novel is set in London. Both Rosie and Mitch are relatable and likeable characters and I enjoyed how easy their friendship is. At times I wanted to knock their heads together as they blindly ignored the signals of attraction, they both give off.

My only criticism is feeling a bit bored during a section of the book that didn’t interest me. I stayed one hundred percent invested in Rosie and Mitch, when they were together, but not so much when the focus was solely on Rosie.

Overall, I enjoyed the The Fallback. The narrative is fun, light and entertaining but not consistently enough to give it a higher rating.

4 stars

*Arc generously received courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley*

Interesting premise, although very slow burn through the beginning 50/60% of the book.

Plot did blitz through towards the end

Characters were interesting but I couldn’t quite connect to MCs as much as I would have loved to. Loved Nadia, Jasmine and my namesake Rachel (we stan you Rachel - and I bet she is a fire sign)

Loved the setting (as a London girlie myself it made me smile a lot as I could picture a lot of the places being mentioned)