Julia McGrath ’23
Staff Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5 Brownstones
Warning: mild spoilers.
Mostly set in present-day New York City, Falon Ballard’s debut novel “Lease on Love” takes the reader on a rollercoaster of enjoyable, relatable, and unforgettable peaks and valleys. The story begins with protagonist Sadie Green, a millennial workaholic, getting passed over for a promotion and then fired from her lifeless finance job.
One drunk night later, she finds herself a new roommate in the mysterious Jack Thomas, who just happens to own an entire brownstone in Brooklyn. With Jack and Sadie living in such close quarters and slowly opening up to each other about their own dark pasts, it seems inevitable, in a sweet and romantic way, that they become more than friends.
The spontaneous move also pushes Sadie to start her dream business: a flower shop called Bridge and Blooms. “Lease on Love” portrays both the highs and lows of this endeavor extremely well. It demonstrates how social media plays a role and how running a business solo is physically taxing. However, watching Bridge and Blooms go from just an Instagram account to a thriving storefront over the course of the novel feels satisfying. In fact, this storyline might be enough to give the reader confidence in pursuing their own entrepreneurial dreams.
Both Jack and Sadie are fully fleshed-out characters, as well as Sadie’s friends—something rare in a genre focused on couples. Sadie’s friends Nick and Harley develop a romance that serves as a subplot. They make just as cute a couple as the main pair and add funny banter within the main cast. This subplot also leads to an entertaining bromance between Nick and Jack. Also, inspired by the main character’s spontaneity, Sadie’s other friend Gemma quits teaching to become a chef. As if the beautiful descriptions of flowers in this book weren’t enough, the details of the food Gemma creates will cause your mouth to water.
Since the book is marketed as a romance, it would be careless not to mention how well Ballard handles that aspect of the plot. This sets her apart from other romance authors in a significant way. After the typical “big fight” that happens in the middle of novels like this, in a healthy change of pace, Sadie attends therapy and works on her self-worth issues before reuniting with Jack.
This deviation from the rom-com norm is past due in a genre filled with problematic tropes, but Ballard writes this outstandingly well. Jack supports Sadie’s decision, letting her know he’s there for her when she starts to feel more healed. Of course, a person just doesn’t quit therapy cold turkey, but seeing one significant other support the other in a mental health crisis like this shows that the romance genre is in good hands with Falon Ballard.
In short, “Lease on Love” is a read that both entertains and teaches, giving the reader hope as well as making them feel warm and fuzzy inside. Ballard’s novel sports a great cast of three-dimensional characters and adds new meaning to the word “family.” Fans of romance novels will find themselves laughing, crying, and everything in between at this wonderful book. It can be found at the Lake Forest Library just off North Campus and at the bookstore in downtown Lake Forest for $16.00. While Falon Ballard has not announced her next book yet, I am already looking forward to what she does next.
