The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams (ARC Review)

Title: The Fastest Way to Fall
Author: Denise Williams
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary,
Romance
Publisher: Berkley
(Penguin Random House)
Date published: November 2, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Britta Colby works for a lifestyle website, and when tasked to write about her experience with a hot new body-positive fitness app that includes personal coaching, she knows it’s a major opportunity to prove she should write for the site full-time.

As CEO of the FitMe app, Wes Lawson finally has the financial security he grew up without, but despite his success, his floundering love life and complicated family situation leaves him feeling isolated and unfulfilled. He decides to get back to what he loves—coaching. Britta’s his first new client and they click immediately.

As weeks pass, she’s surprised at how much she enjoys experimenting with her exercise routine. He’s surprised at how much he looks forward to talking to her every day. They convince themselves their attraction is harmless, but when they start working out in person, Wes and Britta find it increasingly challenging to deny their chemistry and maintain a professional distance.

Wes isn’t supposed to be training clients, much less meeting with them, and Britta’s credibility will be sunk if the lifestyle site finds out she’s practically dating the fitness coach she’s reviewing. Walking away from each other is the smartest thing to do, but running side by side feels like the start of something big.

⤖ My Review ⬻

For some reason, the synopsis for The Fastest Way to Fall didn’t catch my attention right away. It was only after I saw britreadsbooks tease it and sing its praises on TikTok that I felt a very strong and sudden urge to read it. Of course, the book wasn’t released yet, and I then had a really hard time getting a hold of an advanced e-galley…

But once I was approved for one on Edelweiss, I celebrated and dove right in. And I can say with full confidence that The Fastest Way to Fall was worth the wait! I was instantly hooked and read a quarter of the book in one sitting–which says a lot coming from me because I struggle with attention span and generally read in very short bursts here and there.

If I had to pick one favourite thing about The Fastest Way to Fall it would have to be Wes. It’s been a long time since a male lead left this sort of impression on me. But yeah, I really really liked him. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Wes and Britta, as well as the slightly unconventional way in which they met.

And for those of you wondering, there was definitely spice in this one! And it was good. I did find that I struggled a bit with reading those parts though just because of my own body image issues. This has nothing to do with how it was written or the characters or anything to do with the book though. This is 100% personal. I really enjoyed The Fastest Way to Fall and I’m excited for more bookish friends to read it now that it’s out!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Denise Williams wrote her first book in the 2nd grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a PhD. After growing up a military brat around the world and across the country, Denise now lives in Iowa with her husband, son, and two ornery shih-tzus who think they own the house. How to Fail at Flirting was her debut novel and she can usually be found reading, writing, or thinking about love stories.