I wanted to love this, but I nearly DNF twice. If I wasn't reading for review I would have DNF'd at 10%.

Once I got about 20% in, I started to get slightly interested, but there were a few more sections that I skipped pages, trying to find the next 'good bit'. Too much rambling inner monologue backstory for me,

I like the concept, and but didn't really like any of the parts between the two main characters - Mitch and Rosie. I just didnt get any chemistry, pun intended. The whole miscommunication thing was disappointing too. All those years of neither of them saying anything? Ugh. I would have preferred at least one of them fighting for the relationship, but I couldn't even tell why they liked each other. Now that I say that, I didn't really like them either.

For me, the best parts were with Rosie's friends, sister (and mother) and even some of her bad dates. And the one thing that had some traction to really make this story fun (the bosses email attachment) was a bit of a let down too.

Sorry, this one was not for me.

2.5 - rounding up to a 3.

A major thank you to the team at One More Chapter for granting me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This novel followed Mitch & Rosie, who make a ‘fallback’ plan to start a family together if they do not find ‘The One’ in a short time frame. This is a concept I have heard of before (and am quite familiar with). Mitch finds himself finding a girlfriend & it is clear that Rosie isn’t a massive fan of her. The story unravels with lots of drama (A* to the subplots).


The narrative was quite predictable & I kinda expected the ending. That being said, it was super enjoyable and I could easily get through this novel. A beaut little springtime read 💌

I finished this book a couple of days ago but I had to think through my opinion on this.

On paper, the basis are perfect, friends to lovers, unrequited love, the pact to get together if they don't find their true love.

In facts though, it failed a bit. If it had been a dual POV it would have impacted the story more positively. We just get Rosie's inner monologue and rambling while trying to do everything by herself never trusting her thoughts or feeling on someone else. If he had read about Mitch trying to get over his feelings for Rosie for a while, it would have been more interesting.

Rosie is a confident young woman, with a PhD who manages to almost lose her job in less than two weeks because her mind is occupied by thoughts of Mitch, the best friend who prosposed the plan and then went and tried to find his true love, leaving Rosie behind, sparking her jealousy.

She also does very little to fix the chaos she created, leaving everuthing to her colleague and going to lunch with her mom, which brought nothing to the story.

I tried, but the characters were not really likable in a few ways. I couldn't fall for the guy, Mitch, he just was too cringy with the way he dated in my opinion. Maybe if we'd gotten his viewpoint too I could have seen why he behaved the way he did, but it wasn't at all someone I felt attracted to. I also felt their meet-cute/first meeting was kind of forced cute, too insta-love/lust on her part. More about his dimple than really anything about him that made sense for her to like him. It also wasn't the best writing in that I felt like it was very wordy and a lot of time spent on things that didn't need to have much time spent on at that particular moment to move the story on. I didn't finish the book, so won't leave a review on websites for now.

Honestly, while I love the concept of the book, it just fell flat for me. I did not enjoy Rosie as a character and found her to be very frustrating and thick headed. Also, I did not feel any connection or chemistry between her and Mitch.

This book started really well for me. I love a good friends to lovers storyline and the idea of being each other's 'fallback' (while secretly harbouring intense feelings for each other) was a win win for me.

I loved reading about Mitch and Rosie's friendship - you could tell these two knew each other so well, their banter was funny and there was some solid love going on between the two of them.

Rosie is a great female lead and I enjoyed the STEM aspect of the storyline - can never get enough of books with females who are successful in the STEM field in my view.

However, the miscommunication in this book made me feel so frustrated and as the book progressed, it really got in the way of my enjoyment. I couldn't get my head around how these two characters who appeared to know each other so well, who had seen other at their best and worst, couldn't just be honest with each other. It lead to some really bizarre behaviour and decision making which seemed completely out of character with everything we were being told about the characters and it just got on my nerves after a while. I think maybe it dragged on too long.

I think this is a me thing. It's a trope I really don't love and find frustrating to read, particularly in such a slow burn romance. I know lots of other readers who would really enjoy this romance and would lap it up, it just wasn't the best for me.

Overall it's a solid storyline, it's well written, good characters, I loved the ending, I just felt the miscommunication was dragged out for too long in the middle - it made me want to throw my book across the room in frustration!

If slow burn, suspenseful romance is your thing - this could well be the book for you, pick it up!

DNF at 16%. I was intrigued by the outline for this story but having met our main characters, I knew I wouldn't be able to root for Mitch at all. He seems self-absorbed and gives off more friend energy (though seemingly not a great friend since he's disinterested in what Rosie wants and who she is. It also seemed like I was going to feel more sad for Rosie than rooting for her, too. The writing itself is good, and the concept, I just didn't gel with how it was being executed but I'm sure this will be a hit for other people

I enjoyed parts of this, but the female protagonist, Rosie, started to get on my nerves. For a scientist, she spends most of her time emoting. Either that, or getting drunk or being hungover. The author signals ahead of time what’s going to happen when she ignores messages or gets an email she shouldn’t forward. As a reader, it was irritating.

It wasn’t really clear why the male protagonist, Mitch, would fall in love with her. Maybe I needed to see more of their friendship. There are some times when I just wish the characters would talk, really talk, with each other. And I don’t get why Mitch would propose this bargain with her that would push her to date more.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

this is such a cute romance book! i love friends to lovers always and the characters are super likable and amazing. also the plot is very interesting. i also adore the cover, i think the colors are super cute. more detailed review to come!

This was a cute quick read following 2 friends that decide to be each others fallback plans if they don’t find a partner by Christmas. I really liked the idea of this book but some things just didn’t click for me. I didn’t really like either of the main characters. I thought Mitch wasn’t a very good friend or love interest for Rosie. I know things were explained toward the end of the book and not everything was his fault but I didn’t like how he treated Rosie. I also thought his declaration of love towards her just came out of nowhere. I never got the feeling that he liked her more than friends.There was a lot of miscommunication between both Rosie and Mitch which I didn’t love.

Overall the book was good I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC

The premise of the book was probably sound but elongated in its delivery. Rosie was a well rounded character and the author portrayed her as a woman with promise and ambition. Mitch , the apple of Rosie’s eye left a lot to be desired. I enjoyed the fact that Rosie had an excellent support system to see her through the arrangement.
The book unfortunately left me a little underwhelmed.

Rosie and Mitch have been best friends for years, and Rosie has secretly been in love with Mitch for almost the same amount of time. So when Mitch suggests they become each other’s fallback if they haven’t met ‘the one’ by Christmas, Rosie is definitely conflicted.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very typical friends to lovers romance, but it was a good easy read and I really liked Rosie as a main character (Mitch not so much). I also really liked Rosie’s friendships with Nadia and Jasmine, however I feel there could have been more made of these. Hopefully it just means we’ll get a book about them too!

Thank you Eleanor Goymer, Netgalley and One More Chapter for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The Fallback comes out on April 11th!

This book fell flat for me. I loved the premise so much, but it unfortunately didn’t deliver for me. I thought Mitch was kind of a tool and didn’t care for Rosie as much as he claimed to. I also really REALLY don’t like books in third person. Overall, this didn’t do it for me.

"The Fallback" by Eleanor Goymer presents an engaging narrative centred around the complexities of friendship, love, and self-discovery. While the initial pacing may require some patience from readers, Goymer's skillful writing ultimately captivates, making it a worthwhile read. The portrayal of Rosie as a female scientist is commendable, echoing the empowerment of women in STEM fields akin to Ali Hazelwood's work.

The dynamic between Rosie and Mitch forms the heart of the story, with Rosie's unrequited love for her best friend adding depth to their relationship. The incorporation of flashbacks enriches the narrative, offering insights into their history and motivations.

The concept of a "fallback" arrangement proposed by Mitch injects an intriguing twist, setting the stage for both internal conflict and external drama. Rosie's contemplation of motherhood and eventual agreement to Mitch's unconventional proposition add layers to her character, allowing readers to empathise with her uncertainty and desires.

The central theme of miscommunication, while typically irksome, is deftly handled, and kept me invested in the unfolding drama. However, Rosie's self-absorption during her turmoil detracts from her likability, leading to missed opportunities for emotional connection with other characters.

The resolution, though satisfying in its reconciliation between Rosie and Mitch, feels somewhat rushed, and left me craving more closure and insight into their future together. An epilogue could have provided a glimpse into their evolving relationship, enhancing the overall satisfaction of the conclusion.

In summary, "The Fallback" offers a compelling narrative despite its flaws, with Goymer's adept storytelling and character development making it a compelling read. While the reliance on miscommunication may test patience, the endearing portrayal of Rosie and Mitch's bond keeps readers rooting for their eventual happiness. A solid 3.5-star rating acknowledges its strengths while acknowledging room for improvement in pacing and resolution.

It took me a while to warm up to this story because it took me a while to warm up to Rosie as a narrator and even longer to get on board with Mitch as the love interest. However it was pretty easy to figure out why Mitch was acting the way he was acting and dating the kind of girls he was dating and I did enjoy seeing how this story all played out. I ended up enjoying this book although I feel like there were a couple of loose ends and I could have done with a couple extra chapters as the ending felt quite abrupt.

When Rosie's best friend Mitch decides they should be each other's "if we're still single by ____" she couldn't very well say no since she's been in love with him for forever, right?

This is such a fun premise, but unfortunately that's the extent of things I enjoyed about this book. It had such fun promise, but ultimately fell very flat. The reader doesn't really get to see why she fell for him in the first place, they're fighting for most of the book (because, shocked they're dating other people prior to "the fallback" deadline, and they're both unable to admit their jealous), there's a high number of side stories that take away from getting to see the two MCs interact much, and there is literally no romance (like not even angst or pining, which given the plot, it should have been present) until 85%. In addition, there was a friend break up and a 3rd act conflict and to top it off, a verrrrry abrupt resolution and ending. While I was looking forward to this story, there wasn't really anything to root for as far as the main characters went and I think that's what ultimately left me disappointed in this one. Others may enjoy it, again promising premise, but it just wasn't for me.


Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I’m sad to say that this book missed the mark for me. The blurb, the title and the setup is what really got me interested - but the writing and both MC’s personalities is what made put me off.

I appreciated Rosie’s background (woman in STEM) and that there was a role reversal - SHE was the one that was unsure about a relationship, I didn’t feel a connection to her and felt like she wasn’t someone who could stand on her own.
Mitch just made me angry - I felt like he made Rosie feel less than she was, and expected her to mold to his view and his wants on some occasions. Maybe a POV from him might have helped.

Plot line- Good friends Mitch and Rosie make a pact - if they haven’t found their soulmates by Christmas, they’ll get together and plan a future. Nothing can do wrong with something planned right?

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the idea of this book more than the actual book itself unfortunately. the two main characters were not particularly pleasant and the fact that the story was set across ten years made it fairly unbelievable. I finished it to see what happened at the end but did end up skimming the final few chapters as I got a bit bored with the backwards and forwards aspect of it.

The Fallback is a cute romance read and perfect for the fans of the friends-to-lovers books and if you're interested about the idea of being someone's "fallback".

I was really curious by the concept of a "fallback" person and it was interesting to read it but I think it needed two stronger characters and maybe there should have been more communication between the two characters!

For me it was a 3 star read overall because it was relatable and at times romantic with great themes but I needed more it was good but it could have been a great read!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollin UK and One more chapter for providing me with an eARC of The Fallback in return for my honest opinion.

This was such a frustrating read for me. Two main characters who don't tell how they feel for many years. I didn't like how Mich and Rosie interacted. Their relationship didn't feel healthy, since all seemed to be focussed on Mitch. I didn't enjoy this book and only finished it because I was reviewing it for NetGalley.