Becca doesn’t believe in love, her dad left, and for her romance only exists between the pages of a book. Brett is the star of the football team, and he doesn’t see the point in having a relationship right now, he wants to focus on school and football, even if it would thrill his parents if he brought a girl home. When Brett overhears Becca tell a former friend that she has a secret boyfriend, he swoops in and becomes her fake boyfriend. It’s the perfect arrangement everyone will leave them alone, what’s the worst that could happen?

I absolutely adored this book, and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I love books with fake dating, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Becca and Brett’s fake relationship and watching them go from basically strangers, to friends, to being in an actual relationship. I also loved that this book also dealt with things like friendship and processing family issues.

Unsurprisingly, my favourite thing about this book was the characters. I loved how bookish Becca was, and I found her to be incredibly relatable. I liked how caring she was, and I liked that she was able to use her experiences to help Brett process what was going on with his family. Speaking of Brett, I thought he was a cinnamon roll and a sweetheart, and it hurt me to see him hurting. I thought that Becca and Brett made a great pair, I thought they complimented each other well, and I was very invested in their relationship.

I also liked the subplots in this book. I enjoyed reading about their broken friendship between Becca and Jenny, and I’m glad that they had an opportunity to talk about everything. I also enjoyed reading about Becca and Brett dealing with their fractured families. I especially liked the story with Brett’s family and watching him go through the cycle of processing and dealing with everything that was unfolding in front of him. Finally, I loved Becca’s mom’s bakery, and I think that all books should have a storyline that involves cupcakes.

Overall, I highly recommend The Upside of Falling. The two main characters are amazing, and Brett is a cinnamon roll. This book does deal with some serious issues like divorce and infidelity, and I really enjoyed reading about the characters processing these issues. I thought the romance was super cute, even if it was predictable. I recommend this book if you like fake dating, cinnamon roll characters, and are looking for something quick to read.