So so good! The MMC just wants to be the best father he can be and not get into any serious relationships but all that changes the instant he sees the FMC. I loved the banter. The FMC was very witty. The spice was spicin'! Hope there's more in this series!

Quick Summary: A nanny +single dad, finding home romance

My Review: Falling at the Barre by Elise Kennedy is book #5 in the Love in Fairwick Falls series. It is scheduled for release on 12/11/25.

About the Book: "Luca Bishop has one rule: no dating until his first-grader graduates high school.

Enter his daughter's gorgeous new dance teacher, who's also their next-door-neighbor."

In My Own Words: A tatted dad with a heart of gold falls in love at first sight with a ballet dancer who is on a temporary hiatus. When she becomes his daughter's nanny, his interest changes, even as he tries to keep things strictly professional.


What I Liked/Loved:

🍁 I love a great single daddy story. When a girl dad situation comes into play, I love it even more. This story was all about that.

🍁 AB was the cutest! Her sweet unicorn energy was a total vibe. I didn't sleep on her feminist-in-the-making voice or her"chaotic" playfulness. She sure kept things interesting.

🍁 I loved that the author addressed food allergies and learning differences.

🍁 I loved the found family theme. All of the introduced characters played a supportive role, in some way, in AB, AP, and Luca's lives. That stood out to me.

🍁 I loved that Liv was in a transitional phase of her life. Her do I/don't I dilemma was easy to relate to, making it all the more real. I liked seeing how she wrestled with her choices. I liked that she could still see the possibilities of what could be, even if it differed from her original dream.

🍁 I liked the diverse relationships that were featured. Sibling dynamics, parent/child connections, dysfunctional familial relationships, etc. were highlighted.

🍁 I really liked the romantic elements in the story. This had nothing to do with spice. It had more to do with the heart and emotion. There were a few special snapshot moments that stood out.

🍁 I loved that the leads were so easy to like. They were good people with good hearts. They both cared about Goob. I appreciated that they thoughtfully considered her feelings and mental/emotional health over what might have been easiest for them.

🍁 The slow burn/fiery chemistry angle was sparks and fireworks, to be sure.

🍁 The supportive cast was very colorful and quite memorable, for that matter. Liv's mom, Georgia, Wells & Allison, and Reed & Pearl stood out.

🍁 The HGGC was hilarious. I loved it!

🍁 I loved the cuteness overload via the dancing leaves.


My Favorite Scenes (coded, so as to avoid spoilers):

✨ Speechless

✨ Memories in Purple

✨ The HG Experience

✨ Mama Bear

✨ Talks & Tears

✨ The Gathering

Honorable Mention - > Accidents Happen!


My Final Say: I genuinely liked this story. It was simple and sweet. Conflict and drama were low. Love and laughter were high. It was cozy, with small town domesticity as a featured angle. I believe that is what made it so charming.

*** I cannot wait to read about Wells and Allison. That final scene between them was insane. All I have to say is...yes and please. ***

Other: Readers who enjoy small town settings, close proximity working scenarios, found family connections, and insta-love relationships should like this novel.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Chemistry: 💥
Heat Factor/Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tension/Angst: 🫶
HEA: 💕
Series: Yes

Appreciation is extended to the author/publisher and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. It was a pleasure to review. I look forward to becoming better acquainted with this series of books.

First and foremost, this is a series of interconnected stand-alones which I love because it meant that I could jump into this book, having not read the others, and I wasn’t lost or confused in anyway. Secondly, 15 stars no notes because what do you mean he saw her at the Christmas party and wanted to know her immediately, saw her at the bookstore months later dancing and immediately thought “yup, I’m going to marry her”. MY DREAM! I love a single dad romance and Luca might be the sweetest slightly grumpy Daddy of them all. He might very well be one of my favorite men of this quarter with his teddy bear heart, big muscles, tattoos and beard, and the way he melts for his girls?? Santa…if you can hear me, I’ll take one just like that who’s obsessed with me please and thanks. Despite how cold and cruel the world of professional dancing can be, Olivia somehow managed to still be so kind to everyone around her. I wanted so badly for her to extend some of that kindness to herself. The way she and AB took to each other immediately? Yup the three of them were meant to be and I can’t be convinced otherwise. I was rooting for these guys from the time they saw each other in the bookstore and I’m not too proud of admit the number of time this book made me cry and swoon. The spice was top tier, with a 3.5 chili pepper rating. The community Olivia found after spending so much time feeling so alone? 15/10. There were so many aspects I loved about this story and I encourage you all to give it a chance because you can’t help but fall in love with Luca, Olivia and AB, as they find their way to each other, and back to themselves in the process.

This was my first Elise Kennedy novel, and I need more! Even if I know the couples, I need to go read their books now because I am OBSESSED! I loved every single character in this books.

Single dad x nanny romance? Grumpy x sunshine? Yes yes yes.

Luca, I love you.

Olivia has returned home after a touring for years as a ballet dancer. She has three months spare until auditions start again .
Her old ballet teacher asks her to teach for her and let's her move into her house.
Single dad Lucas as sworn of dating until his daughter has left home until Olivia moves in next door.

I freaking loved this book🥹 it was such a cute story! I loved that the main characters were in their 30s, it makes for a realistic love story. Both of these characters were lovable and the daughter was so cute. The spicy was spicinggggg as well which was great. Overall loved this book and want to go read more from the author!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

As a small town romance lover, I was super excited when I got an arc of this book. Super spicy and super cute and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Wow-this Elise Kennedy gem was exactly the steamy love story I needed. A huge fan and want to read all of them! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read!

Falling at the Barre is a cozy, sweet small-town romance about a single dad who falls first (and hard) for his daughter's ballet teacher and nanny.

Olivia is a ballerina in transition and comes back to her hometown to reset. She ends up teaching (and nannying) her next door neighbor Luca’s daughter, the absolutely adorable AB, who steals every scene. Luca is an absolute cinnamon-roll MMC and Olivia so warm and sweet. Their love story with its slow-burn chemistry, great communication and total lack of drama made for such an easy, heartwarming read.

I really enjoyed the found-family and coming home parts of the story and the way Olivia and Luca help each other see that needing support isn’t a weakness. This story is sweet, lightly spicy, full of heartwarming charm and perfect for small-town romance fans. I'll definitely be adding the other books in this series to my TBR💜

Thank you Elise Kennedy and NetGalley for a copy of *Falling at the Barre* in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐️ 2🌶️

This book was so stinkin’ cute!! Single Dad and Nanny is one of my favorite tropes and I really enjoyed this one. I loved the relationship between AB and Olivia, and Luca was such a softy for both of them! Luca and Olivia both had an insta attraction to each other and thanks to AB, she was able to secure her new ballet teacher and neighbor into being her new nanny! I loved the care Olivia took with ABs allergy and absolutely adored Luca’s mission to give AB a yelling free home.

There was no third act break up, but so much happened in the last 30% of the book, but it never felt rushed or out of place. I really enjoyed this book and look forward what I hope will be the next in the series!