Trust Fall - Review

Trust Fall

By: Lynn Painter

Publication: September 29, 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

416 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter, comes a rags-to-riches rom-com about a small-town girl whose family inherits a fortune and moves to New York City, where she meets a big-city boy hiding an explosive secret.

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.

As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?

I've had an up-and-down relationship with Lynn Painter's writing. I've really enjoyed some of her books, but the language seems to get worse and worse with each one. This book has the f-word 137 times. I just find that super discouraging. I can skim over language, but when it is this excessive, I feel like I need to comment on it. Trust Fall does contain innuendo even if no spicy scenes. Amazon has this listed for 14 years old and up, but I probably wouldn't feel great about my 14-year-old reading it.

The idea of a millionaire elderly man who moved to Nebraska, leaving his fortune to a family who has been nice to him when he has family, seems a little far-fetched. Yet I don't usually like to nitpick unless things are really out there. I can get on board with this given that Damion's parents really need no extra money, and they have terrible attitudes. 

I didn't love the stereotyping in this book. Rich people being mean, judgemental, too much cologne; the poorer people being farmers with mall haircuts. I didn't like the names of the cliques in the "Chilton-esque" school either. The Skins, the Toms. So weird. Maybe I'm getting too old for young adult fiction. 

Favorite quote:

-The brown-eyed recipient of my future.

Julia has social anxiety, and fitting into a new school in a new tax bracket is challenging to the extreme for her. But these days, I think almost everyone has social anxiety. Probably due to social media and parasocial relationships. I really got annoyed with the small-town anti-farm hate. Who do you think feeds the cities? Why does it matter? It was expected and cliche that the mean rich girls would make fun the poor, country girl. Yet Julia's twin brother doesn't have a hard time fitting in at all. Obviously, he wasn't written with social anxiety, but it frustrated me nonetheless.

Another pet peeve is in that a character is quoted "saying a prayer of thanks." To who? 

Trust Fall wasn't terrible, although I find that I have more negative to say than positive. I did like Damion. He wasn't a perfect character, but he was genuinely a good guy. I felt bad for Julia, but it felt expected at the same time. I did read this pretty quickly which always affects my enjoyment of a book positively. Trust Fall gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Trust Fall? What did you think? Let me know!

First and Forever - Review

First and Forever

By: Lynn Painter

Expected Publication: May 12, 2026 by Berkley

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A football star and a diehard fan entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—might be the right play in this new romantic comedy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter.

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring this secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

First and Forever feels like it's inspired by T. Swift and T. Kelce. I'm not a fan of either by the way. And I will say that I liked First and Forever more than what I know of the other two. For one, Duffy is just a football fan, not a celebrity. Yet she has an incident with the team mascot that makes her a viral celebrity. Connor is a football player celebrity. The two have a brief encounter on a talk show and have a flirty banter. Connor and his team's PR people push him to ask Duffy out on a date. He does. And he finds that he's enjoying himself.

Duffy is a non-celebrity, and she is intimidated by the negative attention she's gotten from the mascot incident. And so she is hesitant to accept a first date with Connor. Yet she goes and does enjoy herself as well. The two keep getting deterred from a second date. And I have to say that I never understood the point of the fake dating for her father's sake, given they were already headed in the direction of real dating. It was just an unnecessary plot point if you ask me.

First and Forever was a fun book that didn't feel high-stakes to me. Most of the spicy action was off-page, which I did appreciate. Language, however, was very much on-page. So many unnecessary f-bombs. I just don't understand why this is present.

First and Forever was a sweet read without much required from me in the form of investment. It was fine. I read it quickly. But I don't think it'll be a book I remember very well in the coming months. First and Forever gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read First and Forever? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Trust Fall

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Trust Fall

By: Lynn Painter

Expected Publication: September 29, 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

416 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter, comes a rags-to-riches rom-com about a small-town girl whose family inherits a fortune and moves to New York City, where she meets a big-city boy hiding an explosive secret.

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.

As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Nothing Like the Movies - Review

Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 2)

By: Lynn Painter

Publication: September 24, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

448 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student.

For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.

Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.

Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.

Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

I requested Nothing Like the Movies for review without really realizing that it was the second book in a series. It took me way too long to get my hands on the first book, but I finally got it read and reviewed (Better Than the Movies). So I finally got around to reading Nothing Like the Movies.

Wes and Liz actually start Nothing Like the Movies broken up. The reader doesn't really know what happened between them. Honestly, Liz doesn't even know why Wes broke up with her. But it's been about two years since they first came to college together. We do know that Wes's dad died, and he returned home to help out for a while. But lo and behold he shows back up at UCLA and a party that Liz's roommates are hosting. Liz panics and tells him that she's dating Clark, her current best friend. Clark goes along with Liz because he has her back.

Not only is Liz still majorly into music, but she's also developed a love of photography and, more specifically, sports photography. She currently has an internship with a great mentor who has her working closely with the baseball team, for which Wes is a pitcher. This puts them in close proximity. Not to mention that Wes is determined to win Liz back, even though he likes Clark. He just doesn't see them as having chemistry, and he knows that Liz is the one for him.

Personally, I thought there was a little unnecessary drama in this book. It fits the typical book patterns that I'm used to. There's a conflict, one character decides to self-sacrifice to save the other character, but only ends up hurting themselves and the other character worse. The truth ends up coming out. I appreciated that Liz didn't just let this slide, and I liked her real-world response in wondering if this behavior would repeat itself should another conflict arise in the future. Yet, I also think that people just aren't this self-sacrificing in real life. We very often don't break up with someone else for their good. A breakup might ultimately benefit the other person, but there has to be a benefit to us as well to actually end a relationship. At least, that's been my experience in observing human nature.

Believe it or not, I didn't highlight hardly anything. This might be due to the fact that I kept switching back and forth between reading this book and listening to it on audio. Both are equally good. I will say that I was negatively impressed with the amount of cursing in Nothing Like the Movies. I don't remember there being as much of this in Better Than the Movies. Maybe that is because the characters are supposed to be older, or maybe I blocked it out in my reading of the first book. Either way, it stood out negatively to me in this book. I tend to skim over language unless it's excessive.

Nothing Like the Movies was a decent wrap-up to Wes and Liz's story. I felt like some of the conflict was forced. I mean, if there was going to be a second book, there would have to be additional conflict. But I didn't exactly find all of it to be plausible, even if I devoured the book. In the end, I'm giving Nothing Like the Movies 3.5 Stars. Have you read Nothing Like the Movies? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases Q1/Q2 2026

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases Q1/Q2 2026

1. Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O'Sullivan
2. First and Forever by Lynn Painter
3. The Last Page by Katie Holt
4. A Love Most Daring by Joanna Barker
5. Bloodsinger (The Fire That Binds, # 2) by Juliette Cross
6. A Novel Engagement (The Gentlemen's Gamble, # ?) by Anneka R Walker
7. A Fortunate Miscalculation (The Gentlemen's Gamble, # ?) by Karen Thornell
8. A Bewildered Bachelor (The Gentlemen's Gamble, # ?) by Holli Jo Monroe
9. A Foolish Porposal (The Gentlemen's Gamble, # ?) by Kasey Stockton
10. An Accidental Marriage (The Gentlemen's Gamble, # ?) by Deborah M Hathaway

Which books are you most anticiapting for the first half of 2026? Let me know!

Last Ten Books I Added to My TBR List (December 2025)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Last Ten Books I Added to My TBR List

1. Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth
2. The Bible in 52 Weeks Devotional for Boys: A Year of Growing in Faith by Lord Badu
3. The Bible in 52 Weeks Devotional for Girls: A Year of Growing in Faith by Jaseña S'vani
4. A Novel Engagement by Anneka Walker
5. First and Forever by Lynn Painter
6. The Escape Room by Marissa Meyer
7. The Proposition of the Season (Fairfax Sisters, # 3) by Michelle Kenney
8. Spellcast (A Fire in the Sky, # 3) by Sophie Jordan
9. An Unconventional Lady by Sarah E Ladd
10. Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns, # 1) by Marion Blackwood

Have you read any of these? Or are these on your TBR list? Which books have you added to your TBR list? Let me know!

Can't Wait for First and Forever

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

First adn Forever

By: Lynn Painter

Expected Publication: May 12, 2026 by Berkley

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A football star and a diehard fan entangled in a PR stunt—that only one side knows is fake—might be the right play in this new romantic comedy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter.

Duffy Distefano loves three things: her dad, the family cat, and Minneapolis Coyotes football. So when she gets booed out of a game and becomes the internet’s villain, she is distraught—and disgruntled. All she did was shove Coyote Carl away when he made a move on her, but everyone else just saw a woman attacking their team’s beloved mascot. Eager to clear the air, Duffy agrees to an interview on a hit morning show. She doesn’t expect a co-guest to join her—especially not the Coyotes’ star tight end.

When MVP Connor Cunningham gets tasked with damage control to help his team out of their PR nightmare, he thought that meant saying a few words on the team’s behalf. Instead, he finds himself in a highly amusing verbal sparring match with a recently wronged fan on live TV. Duffy pelts him with fiery jabs but is also clearly diehard about the Coyotes—color him intrigued…and attracted.

The interview instantly goes viral, and the public is obsessed with them. A strong push from the Coyotes’ PR team to ride the wave results in Connor asking Duffy out. Despite his distaste for PR stunts, he’s surprised to discover being with Duffy is much easier than he thought, and somehow it doesn’t feel fake to him. Harboring this secret can only blow up, but all he knows is that if he messes things up with Duffy, it’ll be the greatest fumble of his life.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Better Than the Movies - Review

Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 1)

By: Lynn Painter

Publication: May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

356 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.

Liz's mother died when she was in thr 5th grade. Her mother loved rom-com and shared that love with Liz. Liz dresses in the same way her mother used to. She loves music, specifically she creates soundtracks in her head. She loves finding the perfect song to match what's happening in her life. She's been looking for "the one" but she's only in high school. And to make matters worse, she is grieving her mother's absence with all of the senior events of the year. To be honest, Liz was a struggle for me in the beginning of the book. I find it hard to believe in all her vast movie knowledge that she wouldn't be familiar with the idea that forcing the perfect man is unrealistic and likely not going to work out in her favor. But, she romanticizes Michael who used to live down the street but moved to TX and has recently returned even though she doesnt exactly know him well anymore.

Wes was easy to adore. He's been pulling pranks on Liz and fighting with her over the parking spot in front of their houses as they are neighbors. His pranks were pretty epic. Liz recruits him to help her have a chance with their mutual friend Michael. Wes will talk her up to Michael and Wes will get the parking spot. Through their agreement the two begin to interact more frequently. They go to some events together and talk on the phone, etc. Through these interactions Liz begins to see that Wes isn't the evil bully she always believed him to be.

The amount of interruptions these kids constantly faced was comical in an annoying way. Just about any action that was about to happen or the story was going to progress, someone was getting vomited on, smacked in the face with a basketball, or some random person like a waiter or stepmom was going to interrupt.

Liz is also terrible at communication. For one, she keeps way too much to herself. For two, she was lying constantly throughout the book to many different characters, and her lies weren't even good or well thought out. For three, she waited for everyone else to open up to her before she addressed any conflict or her own desires. Thankfully, Wes is pretty good at reading her. And thankfully Joss (her best friend) and Helena (her stepmom) were not content to avoid conflict or all of Liz's relationships would have gone down the drain.

All of that said, once I got passed my initial frustrations with Liz, I really got sucked into the story. I read until 1 am one night which is so rare. It isn't unheard of for me, and I did regret it after my son woke up at 2 am, and then my brain wouldn't shut off to be able to sleep. But I stopped right about the time of the plot climax. I knew there wasnt enough time for me to wrap up all of the conflicts and get enough sleep to not be a crazy person the next day. So I forced myself to put it down.

Favorite quotes:

-“And you think that plotting and planning and trickery is no big deal if it’s done to spark some sort of true love?”

I mean really. It amazes me how many people think they can build solid relationships upon a foundation of deceit.

-But there I was, scant feet away from Wes and his knuckles, and I almost found his habit to be… endearing? Like, he kind of looked adorable when he smiled and cracked?

I liked this because it's true. Things that might have been annoying in others or even in our partners can become cute and endearing when we are in love.

-I couldn’t take it anymore. Prom is painful. You can either stand around with your friends and talk while wearing uncomfortable tuxedos, or you can dance to [crappy] music while your friends talk about you and think they’re funny. And so much planning and money goes into this one night, but there is no way the joy derived equals the effort. Absolutely no way.”

I never went to prom. But I agree with the statement. It seems like such a waste of money for many people to only be let down by the experience. I'm sure a lot of people do have good memories of their prom experiences.

-"I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you.”

Better Than the Movies is a young adult book so there were no spicy scenes. Only on page kissing. Language was present, but no f-words that I can remember.

I really enjoyed the story and the growth. Of course, the end result made the beginning frustrations worth it. I cant wait to dive into the next book in the series. Better Than the Movies gets 4 Stars. Have you read Better Than the Movies ? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Summer 2025 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Summer 2025 TBR List

1. The Folklore of Forever (Moonville, # 2) by Sarah Hogle - I enjoyed book 1 in this series more than I expected, but I've been putting this one off for some reason.
2. Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao - I actually forgot that I had this book for review. I need to knock it out soon.
3. Rules for Ruin (The Chrinoline Academy, # 1) by Mimi Matthews - I have loved Mimi Matthews, but this one has been one that I've struggled to get into. I'll read it eventually, but I'm struggling a little with the beginning.
4. Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher - A newly acquired book.
5. The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar - I never read Holes, but I'm familiar with the author. I thought I would check this one out.
6. A Kingdom to Claim by Sian Ann Bessey - Eesh, I've had this book way too long. I feel sure I'll enjoy it, but I've just not been in the mood for this yet.
7. Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 2) by Lynn Painter - Ok, so I didn't research enough to figure out that this was book 2 in a series and I haven't read book 1 yet.
8. Til Heist Do Us Part (Simi Chopra, # 2) by Sara Desai - Same as the previous. I knew this was the 2nd in the series for this one, but I still haven't read book 1, so I keep putting this off.
9. A Touch of Shadows (The Lost Queen, # 1) by Jessica Thorne - I need to get around to this one. I keep seeing book 2 available for review request, but I feel unsure about requesting it since I've been putting this book off as well.
10. The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, # 1 ) by Alwyn Hamilton - I really enjoyed Alwyn Hamilton's previous series, and this one was on my radar for a long time. I need to knock this out.

Which books are on your summer TBR list? Let me know!

Ten Books Released in 2024 That I Didn't Get To

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Books Released in 2024 That Didn't Get To

1. Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao
2. Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 4) by Nisha J Tuli
3. A Drop of Venom (Venom, # 1) by Sajni Patel
4. A Kingdom to Claim by Sian Ann Bessey
5. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
6. I Want to Trust You But I Don't by Lysa TerKuerst
7. A Touch of Shadows (The Lost Queen, # 1) by Jessica Thorne
8. Midnights With You by Clare Osongco
9. Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 1) by Lynn Painter
10. Til Heist Do Us Part (Simi Chopra, # 2) by Sara Desai

Which new releases of 2024 have you still not gotten around to yet? Let me know!