Goymer presents a classic friends with a back-up plan plot. The MMC is likable but the MFC, whose point of view we get throughout, is phenomenally self-centered which makes the plot pretty one-note and as a result, the story drags after awhile. The writing is good but this is not on my recommend list.

Scientist Rosie's life is very organized. This is thrown into disarray when her best friend Mitch proposes they become in each other's fallback to have a kid if neither of them find a serious partner by Christmas.
This was a really great, slightly angsty, very addictive read. Goymore did a great job of building the intense frustration and angst of unrequited love.

I loved the idea of two best friends creating a bit of a pact - it's something my friends and I have joked about having - so I was excited to read it. Friends to lovers has always been one of my favourite tropes.

This book didn't hit the mark for me. I found the writing style was fluid and easy to read, but there actually wasn't a lot of interaction between Mitch and Rosie in the novel. I felt like we were having the same discussion with Rosie and her family or friends and they didn't really have any distinction between them.

I also found Mitch a bit insufferable and I honestly hoped that this was going to be a surprise twist where they didn't end up together because he seemed extremely immature.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really great, slightly angsty, very addictive read. The MMC had real golden retriever energy and the FMC was so caught up in misery (of essentially her own making) that they made an unlikely but really endearing pair.

There were a few times I think I shouted out loud "one of you say something!" while I was reading so the author did a great job of building the intense frustration and angst of unrequited love.

I wish there had been a bit more once to the story once the conflict had reached its conclusion but that's only because I really enjoyed Rosie and Mitch and wanted more of them.

If you like VERY slow burn, friends to lovers, I think you'll really enjoy this.

Rosie and Mitch have been best friends for years. Now in their 30s, Mitch convinces Rosie to be each other’s fallback if neither of them finds ‘the one’ by Christmas.

For a debut novel this was great, I loved the role reversal the books offered as it examined life in your 30s; it was Rosie who was ambivalent about having children and Mitch the wide-eyed romantic who wanted to settle down. The author does a great job of exploring the societal expectations of coupling up and the hardships of dating in your 30s. I loved the pragmatic and analytical Rosie, but disliked Mitch for the most part (I actually hoped he wasn’t the main love interest) as their relationship seemed a bit toxic at times and most of their problems could be resolved by a simple conversation. All in all it was a fun read.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This was such a cute friends to lovers book! I was rooting for them the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC of this book.
This book had really good bones. I loved that the MFC was in a STEM field. I also loved the friends to lovers trope. The book was a lot of miscommunication and secret pining. I think whenever feelings develop between friends, it become a really difficult plane to navigate. The risk of losing the friendship if things go awry is a realistic concern. I thought the two main characters were very sweet together. I just had issues with each character individually. The FMC was so emotionally stunted for someone so smart. She completely shut down when things got messy or confusing. She used the silent treatment as ammo and never cared to learn the truth. She built her story based on assumptions. The MMC was demanding and frankly manipulative. The whole premise of the fall back plan was based on his wants and his needs. He doesn't really redeem himself in the end. Instead, they just brush it off and move forward. I see marital counseling in this couple's future. Overall, the push and pull of the story was enough to keep me intrigued, I just needed more growth from the characters.

I had a hard time reading The Fallback by Eleanor Goymer. While the writing was fluid, and the characters were interesting, I just really struggled to get through it. I will say that I can see a lot of my friends really enjoying reading this when it comes out, but it just wasn't for me.

An intriguing and gripping story, I loved the characters and can't wait to read more by this author.

This is a really cute, swoonworthy debut from Eleanor Goymer. Mitch and Rosie's strong friendship really helped the chemistry between them seem even more real, I loved the push and pull between them and was left feeling really satisfied at the end of the book.

The book itself is really well written and I loved the flashback scenes, I really looked forward to them.

Overall, a really great debut! I can't wait to see what else Eleanor Goymer may provide for us in the future :)

I had a friend in high school that would always joke with her best guy friend that if they were still single at 40, they would marry each other. It didn't happen, but I did always find it to be a great idea! Goymer writes The Fallback similarly to what I always viewed my friend as having. The story was enjoyable, and the characters were likeable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a cute read and I absolutely enjoyed it! I love the idea of a fallback and how the story unraveled. The characters were nice and likable!

This book delivers on what it says. Falling for the guy you want but don't really want because of all his issues but once resolved they are perfect for each other. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I loved the idea of this book and the description really piqued my interest. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me, I think that was mostly because I failed to connect with the main character's way of thinking. I went into this book hoping for a fluffy, friends-to-lovers romance but this wasn’t the case. I felt like that was a lot of unnecessary fighting, and the main characters hardly communicated in comparison to other romance books, their whole dynamic just lacked emotional maturity in my opinion. I can see why this would appeal to those who like a bit of drama and angst in their romance books, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me.

Over the years, Rosie and Mitch have been roommates, coworkers, and best friends. Now that they're in their thirties, they agreed to be each other's fallback. If they don't meet the right one by the end of the year, they will settle down together and have a baby.

Here's what I liked about The Fallback:
- the instant chemistry between Rosie and Mitch and the strong bond they built over the years.
- Rosie and Mitch's being temperamentally opposites and perfect for each other at the same time.
- The whole will they or won’t they situation.
- The flashbacks in which we get to see two friends slowly falling in love with each other. (I actually wish there were more flashbacks or more scenes in general in which we get to see Rosie and Mitch struggling to "keep their hands off each others", if you know what I mean).
All in all, The Fallback is a sweet and meaningful story about friendship, love, and self-assertion. I definitely recommend it.

I received a review copy of this book and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

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

I was really fascinated by the concept of a "fallback" person. I've seen it done before in TV shows/movies but had yet to come across it as the plot line for a book! This book focuses on our main FMC Rosie and MMC Mitch, who have been best friends for a long time, with Rosie secretly falling in love with Mitch for a lot of those years! Mitch, who seems to be really unlucky in love is ready to settle down and have kids, so he comes up with a plan for him and Rosie to be each others fallback... It can't go wrong.. Right?

I really liked the idea that it was Mitch who was ready to settle down and have kids, it felt like a bit of a reversal from the "normal" portrayal of this kind of plot that we often see in story's. However, it felt a bit off how pushy he was with this idea when Rosie was at a stage where she wasn't sure if she wanted kids or not. This being said, I can (after reading the ending), understand why he was so pushy, but I was also really happy that Rosie spoke up for herself (eventually) and admitted that she wasn't 100% on having children.

The reason I have given this book a three stars (and this may just be a me problem because I don't believe I've seen this pop up in other reviews) is that I just didn't love the characters in this book, specifically the FMC Rosie, but I struggled with Mitch at times as well. I just felt that Rosie and Mitch both came off a little selfish a lot throughout the book, to the point where I was almost hoping they didn't get a happy ending (this is horrible I know but they were pushing my buttons). There were a couple of smaller story lines with side characters where they were going through some pretty horrible things (reader please be warned this book does have a miscarriage story line, this is not mentioned at the start of the book), and I felt like Rosie just couldn't see passed her own stuff going on to be any sort of decent friend. It just didn't sit right with me.

This book is slow burn, no spice. I enjoyed the flash backs to previous events, but sometimes I felt they were unnecessary because Rosie had basically already told us what happens before the flashback. I would've also liked to maybe see the ex comeback story line play out a little more, it felt like it was crammed into the story to help Mitch and Rosie finally admit their feelings for each other.

I’m absolutely in love with London so I couldn’t have asked for a better setting for Rosie and Mitch to meet and fall in love. I thought Mitch was charming and appreciated the research that must have gone into giving Rosie her career in a lab, but something in the story fell flat for me.
It may have been the character’s chemistry, or insufficient background stories, I just felt that something was missing keep me invested.

I'm fascinated by the concept of a back-up person, so Eleanor Goymer's delightful debut 'The Fallback' was reading catnip for me. At its heart this book both a slow-burn romance, and an exploration of society's expectations that everyone must be partnered up and have kids.

Scientist Rosie's ordered life is thrown into disarray when her best friend Mitch proposes they become in each other's fallback to have a kid if neither of them find a serious partner by Christmas. But what if Rosie is secretly in love with him and is undecided about kids?

Rosie and Mitch are the sorts of characters you'd want to be friends with and would be tempted to lock them in a room to deal with their feelings! Rosie is a dedicated virologist who loves data. Mitch is carefree, working as a science journalist after passing his PhD by the skin of his teeth thanks to Rosie. For Rosie, Mitch is her person, but she's unwilling to risk their decades-long closeness to express how she feels given Mitch dates an assortment of women who are her antithesis.

Despite being 34 she's also ambivalent about having kids. She's not outright childfree but she's in no rush either. In a gender reversal, it's Mitch who wants a family, yet, paradoxically, breaks up with his girlfriends as soon as they get serious (wonder why). Rosie was a bit frustrating by allowing Mitch to steamroll her into the plan, so I was pleased when she finally voiced her thoughts. Given kids are a relationship dealbreaker, I had no idea how this would be resolved so I was pleasantly surprised. If I had any quibbles, I'd have liked to have seen Rosie date someone who'd be a real contender in addition to that return of a blast from her past, just to up the stakes more.

Coupled with descriptions of Rosie and Mitch's London haunts (it made me want to go back!), I was utterly charmed. I am looking forward to reading more of Eleanor Goymer's next books to see how her storytelling develops

Thanks to One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the ARC.