ARC REVIEW! Loved this one SO MUCH! It comes out on Aug 19 - and you definitely need to read it! (Especially my fellow okies! Allison Ashley is from OK and this book is based in OKC so it was fun reading about places I was familiar with).
Carly is an accountant by day and fashion stylist on the side. Her best friend is publisher of an OKC magazine and asks her to partner up with her on a big project. She wants Carly to style OKC's hottest bachelor, and then they will send him on some dates, and try to set him up with a girlfriend...documenting and publicizing the entire thing in the magazine. The bachelor is none other than her best friend's older brother, Brooks. He is totally different than she remembers him being when they were younger. Now he is a doctor and spends all his time working, but reluctantly agreed to do this for his sister. He goes on several dates, but seems to only be thinking about his stylist...

Brooks is a doctor who has been studying and working for the last 15 years without dating much. His sisters run a local lifestyle magazine that is in some trouble, and he agrees to help them by signing up on an online dating app and documenting his dating adventures for the magazine. Enter his sister's best friend, Carly, who is a stylist and gives him a makeover. With delicious banter and a lot of sexual tension. This is a quick, fun romcom that made me laugh and cry. Brooks is so adorably shy, and his chemistry with Carly is so fun! I loved this book!

4 stars

A small(ish) town take on The Bachlelor was more believable than I expected. It was a fun premise to get someone out of a rut while also boosting a local magazine. The idea of a stylist for budget options in a town like OKC was cool too and probably does exist but having a stylist just feels like it's only for the rich. I liked the MCs energy between each other but waiting a month shouldn't have been that difficult with everything at stake imo. This author is always really good at making the romance much more emotional than typical.

My main issues were there was no warning we would have an on page death of a side character which was pretty jarring, however I did appreciate the different aspects of grief shown after. I also felt putting in the blurb that Benjamin would return and throw a wrench into the romance was incredibly misleading and happened so late in the book it felt like a major (yet incredibly unimportant) spoiler.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

This was such a sweet, swoony rom-com! I adored Brooks and Carly's banter and slow burn love story ❤️ I also thought the heavier issues were written well (but check TW if you have any). Allison Ashley has become one of my favorite romcom authors over the years. I adore the humor and heart in her books!

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. It made me smile and brought me some joy 🥰

This was such a great read and I'm so happy to have found a great new (to me) author! I laughed so many times throughout this book, and also shed quite a few tears! The way she brought these two characters together was so fun and lighthearted, but I loved how she dug deeper and showed so much growth in both of them as they faced such hard times from their past and overcame so much trauma together. The banter between Carly and Brooks was so good, and the spice was the perfect mix of angsty buildup that faded to black without explicit details, for those who prefer closed door romance. Their group of friends and family were so fun as side characters, and the epilogue had me absolutely giddy!!

After reading I looked at other reviews and realized another book I've had waiting on my TBR for months, If Tomorrow Never Comes, includes part of Carly's story prior to Falling Into Place. I had no idea this was a second interconnected book, but at no point did I feel like anything was missing. Now that I know it just makes me want to go back and read her backstory ASAP!

*ICU doctor x his personal stylist
*best friend's brother
*dual POV
*dating "show" documented through a magazine
*childhood (teen) trauma (loss of parent)
* reformed bad boy
*cats in crocheted sweaters

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Allison Ashley for the advanced copy. I absolutely loved it and all opinions are my own.

This is my new favorite Allison Ashley book! This book just has that special something that I don’t even know how to describe. The perfect combination of banter, interesting characters, drama, sweetness and spice. I am not usually a crier unless the book is really meant to be a tear jerker but I actually cried during the third act breakup because I was so invested in the characters and their happiness (my hormones may or may not be a factor in this but I will just attribute it to Ashley’s ability to make characters that feel so real and relatable). I loved the makeover scenes between Carly and Brooks because they felt like watching a 90s rom com in the best way.
If you’re a fan of Abby Jiminez or Emily Henry and haven’t read an Allison Ashley book yet she needs to be on your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

📚 Book Review: Falling Into Place by Alison Ashley

⭐ 3 stars | Contemporary Romance | ARC from NetGalley | 📅 19 August | 🏢 Montlake

Although Alison Ashley has been on my TBR for ages, Falling Into Place is the first book of hers I’ve actually read.

💡 Premise

Accountant and freelance personal stylist Carly Porter has been nursing a crush on her best friend’s brother, Brooks. When she’s given the chance to revamp his e image and get him back into the dating game, she takes it—except somewhere between wardrobe fittings and pep talks, feelings start to shift. It’s a little like those historical romances where the matchmaker falls for the client, but set in a modern, friends-to-lovers package.

💖 Tropes & Tone

Best friend’s brother

Slow burn romance

Closed door

📝 My Take

The premise is sweet, the tropes are solid, and Brooks is endearing enough. But for me, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Some of the side characters felt underdeveloped, there were sections that dragged, and the writing style occasionally veered into language that felt a little juvenile. It could have used another edit to tighten the pacing.

🎯 Verdict

Cute, but not a standout for me. Still, if friends-to-lovers is your jam, this might be right up your alley.

🙏 Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake—opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you Montlake for the ARC!

I’m obsessed with all things Allison Ashley and Falling into Place is no different! This book had all the makings for a major win in my book: best friend's neither (🥵) , soft and squishy heart for the MMC, forced proximity… SAY LESS 😍😍😍

I love that Allison writes such amazing tension without going into full on explicit spice in her books. They’re safe for me to recommend to anyone and yet the tension and chemistry *feels* like it’s open door because she’s just that good of a writer.

I love all things Allison 💕

4.5 stars rounded up

This was SO GOOD! Brooks and Carly had me laughing and swooning. I was fully locked into their love story and couldn't put it down! Their flirty banter and the way they were drawn to each other was so swoony. The chemistry was off the charts, yet was totally natural.

I love the way Allison weaves humor and heart together. This book tackles tough issues and characters working through some trauma, but you don't feel weighed down by it because she balances it so well with lighthearted moments. The character growth we get to see is so good and I love when everything comes full circle.

There were a few things that I didn't love, but not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

Spice: A couple of fade to black scenes, nothing explicit; some mentions of male genitals
TW: death of a parent, addiction, death of a minor character (on-page), some medical discussions (mmc is a doctor in the ICU)

This was my favorite Allison Ashley book. I was so connected to the characters and read it twice. I am so excited for pub day I have the book preordered.

This might be my favourite of Allison's novels. Carly and Brooks. She's an accountant who loves fashion and moonlights as a stylist. He's a surgeon who needs some fashion assistance to help his sisters with their business. I love these two and how mature they are - in their thirties, both accidentally single and trying to make it work when there are various romancelandia shenanigans going against them. It's not super-angsty, and their issues are not insurmountable, which makes it a welcome low-stakes read.

Brooks has a lot of unresolved trauma in his family background, and his sisters rightly think he's low-key depressed. I love seeing how he opens up, not only because of Carly, although she's quite the catalyst.

What Allison does so well, is shine a light on those early weeks in a new relationship. We can see how these two are so into each other - it's exciting, and delicious, how they each take risks and make themselves vulnerable. They text and phone and drop in on each other, and revel in all the sparkle of a new relationship that comes with the possibility of falling in love. Of course it's not quite that simple, and there's a lot to get through to be together. Carly handles everything with such grace, she's terrific!

Thoroughly recommended as an excellent read. It's fade-to-black, and full of tension and chemistry - I didn't miss a thing! Thank you Allison Ashley and Montlake for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This is a heartfelt and uplifting romance, blending emotional depth with charm, humor, and warmth. At its core, the story explores love, healing, and self-discovery through two characters shaped by loss but still open to joy.

Brooks, an intensivist devoted to his patients, is an endearing mix of brilliance and social awkwardness—a man so immersed in his work that fashion, flirting, and dating barely register on his radar. His quiet loneliness, paired with his understated kindness, makes him an unforgettable hero. Carly, compassionate and skilled at her job, is equally compelling, bringing empathy, lightness, and gentle encouragement into Brooks’s world.

The relationship unfolds with genuine sincerity, sharp yet affectionate banter, and playful teasing, making their transition from attraction to something deeper feel both natural and emotionally satisfying. Secondary characters—siblings, family members, and a few memorable cats—add warmth and texture without overshadowing the central romance.

This book balances moments of poignancy with humor, crafting a story that’s simultaneously tender and uplifting. The result is a romance that celebrates vulnerability, connection, and finding joy again after hardship.

This was the third book I’ve read by Allison Ashley and I’ve enjoyed them all. I really loved some parts of this book. Other parts I was a little lukewarm about, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I really loved Carly. I thought she was a great character, and I loved the way she loved fashion and the reason for it. She had a lot of depth to her, and I admired her confidence and spirit. She brought so much to the table for the story in a really great way.

Brooks was a bit of a conundrum. He was very layered and, boy, were those layers tough to crack. I had a bit a hard time believing he went from a playboy teen to an awkward adult when it came to women. I told myself that grief impacts everyone differently, but it just seemed a bit of a reach. The reclusive isolation part was easy to understand and made sense to me. Forgetting how to talk to women, not so much.

All that said, the interactions between Carly and Brooks were great. I loved their banter and their whole dynamic. Allison Ashley writes great flirting and snappy dialogue and I always have a great time reading it. She also creates great tension and attraction in closed door romance. This one was a bit more “cracked door” fade-to-black than I remember from other two, which didn’t affect me one way or another since I read all spice levels. However she writes, she brings the heat.

Thank you to Montlake via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While the ending may be predictable, the journey to get there—filled with heartwarming subplots and authentic character relationships—is what makes Falling Into Place a truly rewarding read.

What I Liked About Falling Into Place:

This is a feel-good book, but it was more than that for me. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters, Carly and Brooks. Ashley created two characters that were relatable in today's world. Carly, an accoutant who does personal styling on the side, fantasized about her best friend's brother, Brooks, while in high school. Brooks was popular in high school, however, he has changed his ways while becoming a doctor. Now, he would rather tend to his garden and play with his cat in his spare time. When Carly starts styling Brooks in order to get a date, things change for both of them. The idea of getting Brooks ready for his dates on a "Bachelor" adventure around Oklahoma was fun to read.

The most compelling part, though, was the relationship between Brooks and his coach from high school. After Brooks' mom passed away while he was in school, Coach kept pushing him to toughen up and purse his dreams. I think it's sweet how Coach was always there for him. I also resonated with the relationship that Brooks has with his two older sisters. It was these relationships that made me want to keep reading.

"But with love, it's not as much about what you win if you hedge your bets just right. It's about what you stand to lose if you don't."

While the ending may be predictable, the journey to get there, filled with heartwarming subplots and authentic character relationships, is what makes Falling Into Place a truly rewarding read. This is why I gave it four stars.

Sweet, sweet, no spice romance between two people who have known each other most of their lives but only on the periphery. They are brought together on a project to help promote his families business and end up spending lots of time talking and getting to know each other. While getting involved with each other during the project is forbidden, sometimes true love has a different time frame. With laugh out loud moments, as well as candid talks and heart wrenching conversations your emotions will run the gamut while reading Falling Into Place. Set to fall in love with Carly and Brooks, as well as all the minor characters (especially Oreo and Pepper).

I received an eARC of #FallingIntoPlace from #NetGalley in lieu of my honest review.

I'm on a roll with five star romances right now! And also crying at said books.

The vibes:
Hot doctor and his personal stylist
Fade to black and mild language 🌶️
Best friend's brother
Dual POV
Reformed bad boy x glow up girly
Cats
Building a friendship

This book is about Brooks, a reclusive doctor, and Carly, his sister's best friend. Sasha is the sister and she runs a lifestyle magazine in Oklahoma City. She needs Brooks to date publicly and write about his experiences for the magazine so it can stay out of financial trouble. She enlists her best friend Carly to be his personal stylist and IT IS SO CUTE.

I definitely connected with both the FMC and MMC. Their back stories were compelling and the way the trauma they experienced made them who they are was realistic, if not extreme. Best friend Sasha was a great character and I would love to see her in a future book.

There are quite a few triggers like death of a parent, other trauma in regards to parental neglect and grief, and also several hospital scenes. I brutally cried near the end. Again, I don't cry a ton in books but this week they are making me emotional!

But mostly it was so fun! I loved the setting being in OKC because I used to live near there. Seeing Carly dress up Doctor Ken Doll was so cute.

Thank you to Allison Ashley, Montlake and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. I've read a few books by this author and they are always about medical professionals, because she is one herself!

This is out on August 19th so get your library hold or preorder it now!! I'm yelling but I feel very passionately about the romance girlies loving this one!

Brooks has always been on the outer part of Carly's consciousness because he's her BBF Sasha's brother but now they're getting to know one another as adults and well, it's a romance. This has all the good tropes- friends to lovers, opposites attract and so on-and it's got two good characters. Carly is a fashion stylist, outgoing and bubbly. Brooks is a physician and he's quiet, preferring his garden to parties. They've both got darkness in their background but they find happiness with one another. Or do they? Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a lazy day.

Carly's dream is fashion. so when she gets the chance to put her thoughts down on paper(or person) she grabs the chance to do just that. shes been put in place to be Brooks stylist.
Brooks is a man that knows the fashions...okay hes knows the fashion of scrubs. and thats about it. its all hes really cares about after all, work. hes over worked though and has spent much of his time making time for nothing and no one else. hes been avoiding life.
Brooks younger sister is also Carly's best friend so there is automatically more to care about and more at stake for both our pair. and it also means they have a slight past. because this time Brook really needs their help her own job needs them to bring more readers to the magazine she runs. and so they pitch and then plan for Brook to be a bachelor on a dating series who will show off his dates and local places for each one. a dating series if you will. ha what could possibly go wrong!?
but both our pair have grown up since they last came across each other all those years ago. and on sight there is something there. something more.
as their time together increases it becomes clear to both their is more than professional feelings here.
what a great read. it felt true. it felt real and i loved rooting for our characters all the way through. i couldn't wait to sit down and get back involved and soon didn't want to put it down.
top read for me and i cant wait to find more from this author. her writing style as sharp, fun, clever but also has that depth we all need when we truly want to immerse ourselves into these books. we end up caring for the plot and characters and that for me is tick tick tick and enjoyment from each read.
with this book we have that lightness i needed for this read. that witty banter and clever scenes to imagine and smile at. and smile i did.
great read.

Falling into place is a small town, cozy forbidden romance.

I really enjoyed the premise of a romance blooming from styling the town's ‘bachelor’. The romance is slow but consistent, and although at moments a little messy, it felt organic and made sense for the situation we find our main characters in.


I loved that the string pulling the story along was drenched in support for a community and a family business. Sometimes within the landscape of ‘small town romances’ it can almost feel like the trope just more simply just the setting, but with ‘Falling into Place’ the small town trope is engrained in the essence of all motivations and actions by every character, and personally it made me love it just that much more.

This is a wonderful read, I look forward to reading more of Allison’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the digital review copy in advance. This one hits shelves on August 19th.

I remember picking up Would You Rather by Allison Ashley back in 2022 and laughing on page one. I also remember how refreshing it was to read a romance that was funny, emotional, and swoon-worthy that managed to keep all the bedroom scenes, well, behind the bedroom door. Falling Into Place is the same.

Loosely connected to her earlier release this year, If Tomorrow Never Comes, this rom-com follows Carly Porter who has moved back to Oklahoma City to pursue her dreams in fashion. She’s working part-time as a personal stylist while keeping her dependable day job as an accountant. Carly’s best friend, Sasha, runs a local style and entertainment publication/guide to the city. As its numbers decrease, Sasha comes up with to get her handsome doctor brother, Brooks, to get back out there with online dating while visiting OKC’s hot spots and writing about them to save the magazine. Who should get him styled and ready for the adventure? Of course, Carly. The problem? Carly and Brooks have chemistry they can’t deny.

Read this if you love: banter, lighthearted romance with a serious side, subtly strong personalities, 2 quiet, but not shy main characters, and heartfelt sibling interactions.