Lease on Love

After getting passed over for an promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. Drunk, she mixes up a dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas's gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movies instead of friends. So while he doesn't know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he's willing to offer her his spare bedroom. As the house becomes a home, the two grow closer.

“One of: The Nerd Daily 's Most Anticipated Books of 2022 Katie Couric Media 's New and Upcoming Books About Love to Read This Valentine's Day LifeSavvy 's 21 New Books to Fall in Love with in February 2022 "[A] quirky, heartwarming contemporary romance...Ballard's snappy prose and unconventional couple charm, and she gets some good chuckles out of skewering the New York City real estate market. Meanwhile, stellar supporting characters (especially Sadie's besties Gemma, Nick, and Harley) provide a solid underpinning to this enjoyable tale. This is a treat." - Publishers Weekly "Ballard's debut novel, a fantastic read for fans of The Flatshare (2019), is a sharply funny roommates-to-lovers, opposites-attract rom-com....With profound sensitivity, Ballard shows how therapy and each other's company help Jack deal with his grief and Sadie with her low self-esteem and negative self-image." - Booklist "The romantic beats and the slow-burning attraction between [Sadie and Jack] are things to savor....Ballard sweetly explores the ways they complement one another and also how they hope to reinvent themselves following catastrophic personal changes." - Kirkus Reviews "This charming story of new beginnings and emotional growth has a sassy and likable narrator in Sadie, and the novel keeps a light tone despite touching on difficult subjects like toxic families and grief....Readers who enjoy female entrepreneurs, found family, and gentle romantic leads will enjoy." - Library Journal "A hopeful, heartwarming debut. With a relatable disaster of a protagonist and an adorably nerdy hero, this opposites-attract, roommates-to-lovers romance is a true delight." -Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk "Sadie is a firecracker of a protagonist who's very aware of her flaws, and Jack is her perfect counterpart, embracing all of her rough edges with softness and understanding. Lease on Love warmly and wittily underscores that none of us are perfect, but we are all worthy, we are all enough: we all deserve to be loved, not just by others, but by ourselves too." -Sarah Hogle, author of Twice Shy and You Deserve Each Other " Lease on Love was a delight on every level. Ballard delivers a soft, sweet story with enough shadows to make the happily ever after feel that much more earned. Jack and Sadie together are real in the best ways and the cast of characters shows the unabiding love of friends and found family. This is a beautiful love story about finding something precious that seems out of reach. Lease on Love is one of my new favorite romance novels!" -Denise Williams, author of How to Fail at Flirting " Lease on Love is a crackling, compulsively readable debut about forging new career and romantic paths, finding strength in found family, and discovering what it truly means to be 'home.' I enjoyed every minute of it!" -Suzanne Park, author of Loathe at First Sight and So We Meet Again”

One of:
PopSugar’s Best New Book Releases of 2022 So Far
The Nerd Daily's Most Anticipated Books of 2022
Katie Couric Media's New and Upcoming Books About Love to Read This Valentine's Day
LifeSavvy’s 21 New Books to Fall in Love with in February 2022

"If you haven't read this author or this book yet, you need to." —Culturess

"[A] fun and light read…Ballard intersperses the book with text conversations (emojis and all) between Sadie and Jack, as well as her group conversation with her friends, that make readers feel like they’re really part of the story. When Sadie and Jack’s feelings for one another are finally realized, you can’t help but celebrate alongside the characters.” –USA Today

“Laugh-out-loud banter, smart characters, and heartfelt charm…this rom-com has it all!” –Women’s World
 
“[A] cozy romance.” –PopSugar
 
“[A] quirky, heartwarming contemporary romance…Ballard’s snappy prose and unconventional couple charm, and she gets some good chuckles out of skewering the New York City real estate market. Meanwhile, stellar supporting characters (especially Sadie’s besties Gemma, Nick, and Harley) provide a solid underpinning to this enjoyable tale. This is a treat.” –Publishers Weekly

“Ballard’s debut novel, a fantastic read for fans of The Flatshare (2019), is a sharply funny roommates-to-lovers, opposites-attract rom-com....With profound sensitivity, Ballard shows how therapy and each other’s company help Jack deal with his grief and Sadie with her low self-esteem and negative self-image.” –Booklist

“The romantic beats and the slow-burning attraction between [Sadie and Jack] are things to savor….Ballard sweetly explores the ways they complement one another and also how they hope to reinvent themselves following catastrophic personal changes.” –Kirkus Reviews
 
“This charming story of new beginnings and emotional growth has a sassy and likable narrator in Sadie, and the novel keeps a light tone despite touching on difficult subjects like toxic families and grief….Readers who enjoy female entrepreneurs, found family, and gentle romantic leads will enjoy.” –Library Journal

“A hopeful, heartwarming debut. With a relatable disaster of a protagonist and an adorably nerdy hero, this opposites-attract, roommates-to-lovers romance is a true delight.” –Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk

“Sadie is a firecracker of a protagonist who’s very aware of her flaws, and Jack is her perfect counterpart, embracing all of her rough edges with softness and understanding. Lease on Love warmly and wittily underscores that none of us are perfect, but we are all worthy, we are all enough: we all deserve to be loved, not just by others, but by ourselves too.” –Sarah Hogle, author of Twice Shy and You Deserve Each Other

“Lease on Love was a delight on every level. Ballard delivers a soft, sweet story with enough shadows to make the happily ever after feel that much more earned. Jack and Sadie together are real in the best ways and the cast of characters shows the unabiding love of friends and found family. This is a beautiful love story about finding something precious that seems out of reach. Lease on Love is one of my new favorite romance novels!” –Denise Williams, author of How to Fail at Flirting

“Lease on Love is a crackling, compulsively readable debut about forging new career and romantic paths, finding strength in found family, and discovering what it truly means to be ‘home.’ I enjoyed every minute of it!”  –Suzanne Park, author of Loathe at First Sight and So We Meet Again

Falon Ballard is the USA Today bestselling author of several rom-coms and the cohost of the Happy to Meet Cute podcast. When she's not writing a romance book, reading a romance book, or talking about romance books, you can probably find her at Disneyland. Ballard lives in the Los Angeles area.

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