I always like reading an author's debut novel. It's like christmastime. You know, sitting round the tree christmas morning wondering which to open first. However this was not the computer I asked for. It was socks.

I had every intention to like this book but it just didn't do it for me.

Sometimes I felt the story was out of order. I also felt the author could have developed the characters more. Maybe then it would have flowed better. Also some parts of the novel felt forced and other parts over done.
I hope this is all making sense? Because that is how I felt reading it.

Read maybe you will fair better.

Liked this story quite a bit. Have never read anything by this author before but enjoyed this very much.

I really felt the characters come off of the page in this book. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book. It was a!so very arousing. I want to know what happens next. Completely captivating.

After the death of her husband of many years, Pam now works at an upscale boutique selling aromatherapy products. Successful movie critic Kathryn walks into the shop one day and feels sparks fly while buying a gift. Ignoring her bad history with straight women, Kathryn takes a chance and gives Pam her phone number. Pam decides to text her for coffee and, despite some initial hiccups, they agree to be friends. Although they seem to fail rather spectacularly at being “just friends”, the two of them face quite a few bumps on the road to being together.

Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to love this book. I’m always a bit apprehensive of the falling-in-love-with-a-straight-woman plot, but that aspect of the story I felt was handled very well. I truly enjoyed following Pam’s journey through realizing her attraction to Kathryn. Pam’s evolving understanding of her sexuality was really wonderfully written. Both Pam and Kathryn were very likeable and I felt highly invested in their happiness.

Although the first part of the story is really fantastic, to me it took a tumble a bit before the halfway mark. My biggest issue was a certain person-shaped wrench that kept getting thrown into the works. There felt like there were just a few too many conflicts popping up on the road and it started to feel a bit more like a rollercoaster. All in all, Falling Into Her is quite enjoyable and adeptly maneuvers the topic of discovering your sexuality later in life, I just wish the ride was a bit smoother.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with this book, considering the fact that the author is new, so to say, that this is her first book. I loved this book and I loved the chemistry between Pam and Kathryn. I enjoyed the buildup and the scenes. There are flaws but for me they’re minor ones and nothing the author won’t do better with the next books. I’d gladly recommend this book!

First let me start with I hope Erin Zak works on her craft and gives us more books. There was a lot of refreshing positives to this FF story in a genre that can fall really flat.

Pros - refreshing characters, mixes of secondary characters who aren't all LGBT, humor, and a good storyline

Cons - it lacks a bit of well-executed drama / angst. By the end you are wishing for something, however minor, to just ramp it up and give you that push.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from the author. While I enjoyed the characters the plot just falls a little short.

I’m sorry, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I liked the idea of the story, but I could not feel any chemistry between the characters, and the writing is a little amateurish. Ok if borrowing for a quick read, but I cannot recommend to use hard earned cash to buy.

A different kind of story because of the three main characters and their relationship and interaction with each other. Judy is the best friend of Pam Phillips and she provides an interesting dynamic to the story. Pam is 40 years old and recently widowed. She is focused on moving on with her life and maybe finding a new love. Kathryn Hawthorne is 32 years old and recovering from a crushing heart break. She is leery but finds herself interested in being part of another relationship. I thought the secondary characters were as much if not more interesting than the main characters. The chemistry is nice yet hot between Kathryn and Pam as they date and get to know each other. I enjoyed the slow build up and romance.

This story had great premise, a vessel to explore whether we are truly aware of what's in our heart and have the confidence to follow it or do we let coincidence, self-doubt, insecurity and the view of others get in the way instead? And it mostly delivered on just that but I just wanted more. And for the writing to be more smoother and the main characters to share chemistry and for the pace of the story to be more consistent. I wanted to care and be involved in their story so much more but in the end everything just fell short.
For a debut book it was good and I'll be looking out for more from this author in the future.
2.5 Stars

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a honest review.

The story is not very original but it was very enjoyable to read. I like Erin Zak’s take on this kind of story and her writing style pulled me in immediately. It covers a few hard topics like death and dealing with the death of hour spouse, coming to terms of your sexuality later in live, having your heart broken and with all of those come come the problems that get in the way of love like their insecurities, self doubt and their pulling back and forth.

They both have a history that makes it hard for them to trust and let themselves fall in love again. Against all odds they give themselves a chance at love. The twist, that caused problems in their new found love, was a bit predictable but the solution and the way it was handled was entertaining and realistic.

All in all I would definitely recommend this book!

A thoroughly enjoyable read from an author I’m unfamiliar with. There were a couple of times the American vocabulary didn’t sit well with me “calling someone a spastic lunatic” is really quite offensive. However i didn’t let it ruin the book for me as I’m sure it wasn’t meant to be offensive and I really did enjoy the book and would read this author again.

First time I've read Erin Zak and hoping it won't be the last. Katheryn Hawthorne isn't looking for love and doesn't want to find it. She a local celebrity making a living by reviewing movies, even though she really doesn't have to. She comes from money but likes the idea of making it on her own. Pam Phillips just lost her husband of 21years and finds herself working in a high-end boutique where she meets Kathryn and for the first time ever finds herself falling in love with another woman. Ms Zak while giving us a story that seems familiar, she makes it fresh and new. Very enjoyable read. Looking forward to her next book already.

An exploration of what gets in the way of love – insecurity, self-doubt, others, coincidence. Are we truly aware of what is in our own heart? The characters solve the questions of the push-pull -- is it me, is it you, do we even know? A well written story with well-developed characters and interesting plot twists.

A debut novel with many of the detractions that one might expect from an author just finding her feet. There were several points in the text when the dialogue between the characters assumed a somewhat stilted, awkward tone, the romantic themes between Kathryn and Pam left much to be desired and the plot line which was intended to produce the most drama was fairly apparent early on. While I completed the volume, I would hope that in the future the author might steer away from genre standards that have become tropes for a reason-the straight, formerly married woman who finds her inner queer person awoken by the lesbian that she encounters suddenly in the course of daily life has been done too many times. I wanted greater originality. Further, sufficient dramatic potential existed in the tale that the character of Judy could have been omitted. As I am always seeking new authors, I will await Ms. Zak's next work with greater expectations.

Pam has recently buried her husband of 21 years when she meets Kathryn, a local television celebrity. Pam isn't looking for love, much less with a woman. Katheryn isn't looking to get her heart broken. Again. But what both women are looking for is a friend. What happens when friendship awakens something neither woman is looking for?

I really liked this book, it was fun and it was sweet. I loved the holiday vibe it had going through it, it was mostly just a happy little romance, but with a super healthy dose of angst and drama mixed in. I didn't like so much of the repetition at the beginning where the two women insisted they were friends. They kept saying it over and over again, but I never saw that friendship and there wasn't much development in that area. They were just boom in love, which I'm happy with because it's a romance after all, but it was frustrating still the emphasis the author put on repeating the word friendship over and over and there wasn't much of that, not even a romantic friendship. They just were. I was also surprised how much they repeated how old Pam (only 40) was and how crazy young Kathryn was (32). This was used as a major shocker throughout the book, and I guess I didn't see this as an age gap.

This was a feel-good book for me. The lovely ladies had excellent chemistry, really excellent. They were so soft and sweet and adorable together. Pam's family was awesome, I loved the description of their home in Michigan - it really just felt like home. Totally.

I am looking forward to reading more from this author, that's for sure!

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although the approach of the story was quite promising the final result of the book has not been entirely satisfactory for me. There are many inconsistencies throughout the story and I have had the feeling that some scenes did not follow a logical order. The characters behave strangely and some are simply odd. By moments it is as if the author had lost the thread or simply did not know how to develop it. Overall the story has seemed to me between incredible and surreal, no to mention full of contradictions.

This was an extremely grounded book, with mature, flawed characters. If you are looking for a fantasy novel, or an LGBT love story with a fast plot and unpredictable characters, this is not the book for you. The characters are older (32 and 40) and well past their crazy 20s, and looking for lasting romance. I would say this is more a slice of life novel that looks at a realistic scenario and how fictional characters react to it.
Pam is a recent widow who is glad to be given some freedom, while Kathryn is looking to get past the woman who broke her heart and fills her bed with enough women to try to do so. The interactions between the characters are sweet, and filled with emotion. This is a book written by a woman for women and it shows. There is no male gaze here! Kathryn's friends also include a gay male, a straight married woman, and another lesbian. There are also closeted women, and discussion that characters may be bi, so many people are represented. The straight characters are written well, and the husband shown is kind, and opens his home and heart to his wife's friends. No one is a stereotype here and best of all, no biphobia!
There is a hint of a love triangle, but it is handled responsibly with no crazy drama. Reading this kind of felt like chatting with a friend going through a crazy time. Highly recommend.

Meh. I enjoyed the beginning and then it somehow went downhill. Characters' motivation isn't always clear, behavior seems erratic. The writing overall didn't thrill me. Also not really what the blurb advertised.

Falling Into Her is a wonderful lesbian romance that begin out slowly but you can see where it is going. Do not let the fact that she was married to a man sway you from reading this book. It is far from predicable. In fact, when the shocking point in the book happened, I was stunned! The characters are very likeable and I thoroughly enjoyed this book to the final page. I would highly recommend this book.