Holiday enemies-to-lovers romance with dual POVs, all the feels, and a nice amount of spice! Jess and Nick are both published romance authors and exes who haven’t gotten over each other. They’re thrown together in various fun forced proximity situations, including one of my favorites, the one bed at the inn!

The dual POVs in this one are an extra treat that enhances the storyline of the two writers even more. I enjoyed seeing each of their perspectives as they navigated their mixed-up feelings and miscommunications while having flashbacks to past Christmases.

I did get a bit frustrated with Nick at times, especially as the reason for the original breakup became so drawn out - I just wanted to know what happened already! - but I also liked reading how he viewed Jess, and ultimately, I found him to be really likable. He definitely made up ground with that ending! The grand gesture was everything I could have hoped for and more with two bookish lovers, and it left me feeling so satisfied and dreaming of my own fantasy HEA.

This one is perfect for anyone looking to snuggle up with a sweet, spicy contemporary holiday romance! It’s not an over-the-top holiday cheese fest, but there are fun montages of Christmas activities in NYC and lots of cozy holiday vibes tossed in throughout that keep it festive.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing for sending this DRC for review consideration.

This was such a cute and Christmassy book and I love a second chance romance! Two rivals are stuck together, and they also happen to be ex'es. This was such a easy fun read and I know I now need to find more of Ballards books!

Such a good book to read when the holiday is approaching. Jess and Nick are exes, and she hates his guts because he broke up without giving an explanation five years ago. They are both romance writers (although he only writes books without an HEA and it annoys her so much).

He is getting an award from the publishing house they both are a part of, and she happens to be the one having to present it to him. Nick is thrilled by the thought of seeing Jess again since he never really got over her. She cannot say the same.

They are trapped in the hotel because of a snowstorm lasting days, and are forced to crash at his room since the bookings were not done for her. And things slowly heats up!

Quick read that dragged me in quite quickly. I love books that have dual POV and are written in first person, so this checked all my markers. Lovely reading it!

Tropes:
# Dual POV
# Second-chance romance
# Forced proximity
# One bed

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this book. All opinions are my own.

All I Want Is You is a very cute and swoony Christmas romance that mixes second chances, professional rivalry, and forced proximity. The festive setting and the snowstorm trap make for a cozy, romantic backdrop that pulls you into the holiday spirit. Jessica and Nick, two romance writers with very different views on love, are brought together in the most awkward way, and it’s fun to see how their history and frustrations play out.

I’m not usually a fan of the second chance trope, but it was really well done here. The slow burn between the characters keeps you on edge, but since it’s a quick read, you don’t have to wait too long for them to come together, which I appreciated. The forced proximity with the snowstorm adds a lot of excitement to the story, making it even more satisfying when they finally get together.

The characters were mostly well developed, though I found Nick to be a bit frustrating at times. He can come across as an idiot in some moments, mostly when he breaks up with Jessica in the beginning, but it fits with the tension between him and Jessica. In general, this book was a charming holiday romance with just the right amount of drama and festive warmth. A perfect read for anyone who loves Christmas and a heartwarming love story.

I am a sucker for a second chance romance and this one is very high on my list of favourites, Jessica is a romance writers who always loves writing a happy ending and Nick is her ex who is also a writer only he likes to stay away from happy endings!
They have now been split for 5 years and Jessica is asked to present an award to Nick, she isn't best pleased at this but to make matters worse when she arrives the hotel had a mix up with her reservation and she ends up having to share a room with Nick (tee hee!)

This is such a cute slow burn that left me feeling so festive, can i just mention that i adore the cover? so cute!

In this fun holiday rom-com, romance writer Jessica Carrington is stuck with her ex, Nick Matthews—her biggest rival—after they get snowed in at a remote inn before Christmas. While Jess writes happy endings, Nick’s made a career out of stories without them. Forced to share a room, their unresolved tension turns into inspiration for their writing. As old sparks reignite, Jess wonders if Nick might be exactly what she wants for Christmas after all. With sharp banter and festive charm, this enemies-to-lovers tale is a perfect holiday read!

A cosy, Christmassy second-chance, forced proximity, slow burn perfect for winter reading. The book is easy to read through and has you looking forward to winter. While I do love a slow-burn, this may have been slightly too slow for me at points but that’s not to say others will feel the same! I’d definitely recommend giving it a go

Thank you NetGalley and Headline Eternal for the ARC!

I've only read one book by Falon Ballard and it wasn't my favourite. But when I saw that she had another book set on Christmas romance with a second chance and a one-bed trope (where it actually makes sense!), I was excited. I really loved the banter between the characters. The chemistry was OOF!

'All I Want is You' is a cute and short cozy Christmas romance with likeable characters and funny moments.

Nick is a romance writer, very successful even though he doesn’t write happy endings. Jessica is a romance writer, less successful but making it work. Their publisher sets them up and here we go - snowed in - only one bed - holiday season - what’s going to happen?

I love Fallon’s other books, especially Just My Type, and this is great fun - a quick easy festive steamy read, but it didn’t completely work for me, much as I liked Jessica. I couldn’t get past how weak Nick’s reasoning was and how it took him five years - five years! - to reconnect with Jessica. And even then, it wasn't his initiative 🤯

That said, everything else is just fabulous. Enjoy the setting, Christmas cheer, plenty of banter, wonderful friends, spicy steam, delicious meta-ness about romance writing and yes, an HEA.

Thank you Falon Ballard, NetGalley, and Headline Eternal for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I can’t believe I’ve just read a Christmas romance in September but it sounded so good and it managed to exceed my expectations so I'm really glad I did. This was so much fun!!

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. Add in forced proximity and great chemistry, and you’ve got this incredible book! Jess and Nick were so cute together and it was very clear from the beginning that they were meant to be together. I really liked the Nick was very clear about this from the start as well - he was so in love with Jess he was desperate to get her back.

I enjoyed seeing them open up to each other and communicate about what happened when they broke up. It was also nice to see Nick fight for her and eventually win her back. I really loved them together.

Another thing I really liked were Jess’s friends. I loved the way all of these characters were romance writers and lovers and her dynamic with her friends was so much fun!

Overall, this was an adorable short Christmas read and I couldn’t recommend it more, especially to lovers of second chance romances and the forced proximity trope!

A huge thank you to Headline Eternal and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review 💛

‘All I Want Is You’ by Falon Ballard is a wonderful festive romance featuring so many of my favourite tropes - second-chance-romance, stranded by the snow with only one bed and a publishing industry setting! Told in dual POV by rival authors Jessica and Nick, reunited at an awards ceremony five years after Nick broke up with Jessica just after their third Christmas together, this novel is as sweet and spicy as nutmeg cookies.

I adored:
- The alternating narrators which made me love both characters and relate to some of their feelings
- The supporting characters which included Jessica’s fellow romance authors and members of her publisher’s marketing team
- The way that flashbacks allowed a good sprinkling of spicy scenes across the book while maintaining the slow burn tension between the couple in the present
- The super meta book-within-a-book concept which allowed the leads to explore the reasons for their break-up
- The perfect grand gesture!

This was an absolute five star read for me - I love Christmassy books and getting into the heads of relatable, flawed, interesting characters and this novel was a perfect example!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Headline via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Jess and Nick are both romance authors... who used to be in love. ever since Nick broke her heart, Jess has been writing happily ever afters for her small group of dedicated fans. Nick, on the other hand, has made a fortune by writing bestselling romance books that all have one thing in common: unhappy endings. When an event for their shared publishers lands on the same week as an intense snow storm, they find themsleves face to face for the first time in five years AND forced to share a hotel room. What’s even more surprising is just how inspiring being trapped with your ex can really be when you’re in a writing slump. Can Nick and Jess work through their past or will it be a blue christmas for both of them?

I loved this!!! You can tell that this book was written by an author who loves and reads a lot of romance themselves. It was a quick, fast-paced, highly enjoyable read that I truly couldn't put down. The list of tropes in this book speaks for itself: second chance, one bed, forced proximity, enemies to lovers. And, they way these tropes were utilised in the first person, dual POV narrative was masterful. One particular element that stands out is how the characters used writing as a form of communication — such a fresh take on romance. Falon Ballard just became an autobuy author for me. The perfect festive read. five stars! Also, major points for the New Girl reference!!!

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy which publishes on the 24th September, 2024!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in All I Want Is You and relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

Thank you so much for the arc, I was so excited to read this book even though it’s on September 🙈 the Christmas vibes were immaculate and I loved Jess and nick as characters. It’s clear from the start that they are meant to be together and although you could call the book predictable it’s exactly what I needed it to be 🥰. This book was so heartwarming and cozy which is what you want for a Christmas themed book, it actually had me fully tearing up. I think this just might be my favourite Christmas book. I can’t wait to see other people’s thoughts on this one because it was amazing!

This book is short and sweet. Falon Ballard never misses, and I love the Christmas vibe of it, it’s just the perfect amount of holiday cheer.

The story is about Jess and Nick (love the New Girl shoutout) two writers who used to date and then one Christmas they break up. After spending years apart, he’s grown into a huge success for romance novels with no happy endings, and her career is still kind of stuck, even though she has published, she still couldn’t do it full time. They reconnect because she is expected to hand him an award and then they have to unravel and go through their relationship after being apart for so long.

It’s a second chance romance, with all the perfect tropes in it - not a fan of miscommunication trope but it works for this story, since it’s not totally in the way and it makes sense.

Anyway, loved the book, and if I could, I’d give a 4.5 star. Cutesy and funny. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Great and fun holiday romance!

I liked this book! I am a big lover of second chance romance, and if there is closed proximity and only one bed added to the mix... sign me up! All I Want is You was easy to read, with a quick pace and fun story, and I finished it in two sittings. I would give it 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the first 70% of the book, I connected to the characters (I was so happy it was dual POV!) and the pace of the story was good, although I am a bit sceptical of the fact a book was written within 2/3 days, but I guess it could be possible... I also enjoyed the friendship and support between Jess and the other authors!

Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit rushed and weak for me. Throughout the book, I was expecting a bit explanation for why Jess and Nick broke up in the first place, and there was so much mystery about it that I expected a good reason or something very dramatic, but I found it to be a bit weak and I felt slightly disappointed. I get that they are still in love, but they were broken up for five years, and then got back together within a week of reconnecting... I would have liked for it to have dragged on for longer, it would have made sense to need more time to think through everything. I did love the "grand gesture", it fit so well with the characters story and perfectly romantic.

This was my first book by Falon Ballard and I really enjoyed her writing and voice, so I will definitely check out some of her other books too!

Overall, All I Want is You is a fun and fast-paced holiday romance, and I recommend you add it to your Christmas TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley, Headline, and Falon Ballard for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All I Want is You is the latest novel from Falon Ballard, and you’ll be wanting to put it on your winter TBR for sure.

I’m already a big fan of Ballard’s and was looking forward to this one as soon as it was announced. It’s a short but very sweet read that is perfect for the festive season. In it we have a second chance, lovers to rivals to lovers situation, with snowed in forced proximity, oh and there’s only one bed! Add to this that our MCs are both romance writers and you’ve got a winner on your hands.

Jess has always wanted her own happily ever after, but until that happens she’ll continue to write them in the hope of soothing her own heartache. Heartache caused by her ex Nick, who left her broken hearted at Christmas. The same ex who is now a household name author who writes romances that don’t have happy endings! When professional obligations find them snowed in, and forced to share a room!, at the same remote inn before Christmas Jess is fuming! Can the friction they both feel be just the spark they need to get them out their own writing slumps? But if that spark ignites will Jess be able to give Nick the second chance he’s coming to realise he desperately wants?

I love how Ballard gifts us with such brilliant and knowing contemporary romances. In Right in Cue we had a romance writer acting in her own rom com and in All I Want is You we have a pair of authors who are trying to write their next book, whilst snowed in with their publishers. I loved all the nods to different tropes, and the characters literally living them out, and the arguments over whether romances must have HEAs and why the MCs approached their stories in the way they do.

This was a perfect story for duel POV and allowed us to get closer to each MC. I also enjoyed the inclusion of their first 3 Christmas as a couple which helped to chart the rise and fall of their prior relationship.

This was such a fun read and one I’d definitely recommend.

This was cute! I really enjoyed the story, the second chance romance forced proximity is one of my favourite tropes. A very cute Christmas read and really quick to get through. The third act conflict was a bit weak but the grand gesture was so adorable and made up for it.

Jess & Nick ❤️

🏆When Jess’ publisher asks her to hand out the Romance Author of the Year award to their star author Nick, she’s reluctant but resigned to the fact that she really doesn’t have much choice.

💻As previous critique partners, the pair supported each other’s work and became so much more to each other. That was until Nick broke up with Jess, breaking both of their hearts.

🛌He would love the chance to get back together, but even just being able to speak to Jess would make him happy. Can the year end party at the cozy inn be just what is needed for a second chance romance?

📚I adored Falon Ballard’s Lease on Love debut, and this latest, holiday themed story from her felt some of the same, set in Brooklyn, vibe. The dual POV gives great insight into what our couple are thinking and feeling. Mostly though I loved how the pages of the stories both Jess and Nick are writing reflected their thoughts and needs, their separation, their proximity. It’s clever and so sweet, kind of like the peppermint mocha in the backdrop 😉

Read an eARC copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher
My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️💫
Pub Date 24 Sep 2024

This was so adorable and it's being added to my very official, world renowned 'Favourite Christmas Books of All Time' list.

The trope-ificiation of books is a hot topic on booktok at the moment and the next time it inevitably comes around I'm going to wave this book in front of them as proof on how to do tropes PROPERLY. The blurb of this book uses tropes to advertise the book and said tropes are named in conversation throughout the book in a very tongue-in-cheek way because these characters are romance authors and it makes sense. It IS one bed trope! it IS second chance romance! it DOES have a HEA! And those tropes don't feel thrown in for marketability, they're seamless and they make sense for the story. It's been a pet peeve of mine recently to see publishers and authors truly reach to put meaningless tropes on their graphics to entice readers, only to pick up the book and have them not be accurate, so this made me really happy.

The magic of Christmas is in full effect during the book - snowstorms, cozy sweaters and Christmas trees galore. Having Jessica be a Christmas lover while Nick is a grinch is a great contrast. Their character development throughout the story was so interesting to read about. Their reunion felt authentic because they'd both had the time to think about what went wrong previously between them. Their reconciliation was earned. The grand gesture was also a nice touch that I think a lot of writers and readers can appreciate.

My one critique is that the reason for their original breakup seemed a little contrived. His reason for breaking things off with her didn't seem entirely reasonable or genuine so it brought me out of the story a little but it was easy to breeze through because everything else was so delightful.

Quick, cozy and full of Christmas spirit, I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for a romance over the holiday period!