FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Denise Williams’ How to Fail at Flirting was one of my favorite reads from last year so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of her latest novel, The Fastest Way to Fall.  Williams has a knack for creating wonderful protagonists that you just find yourself wanting to be bffs with, and Britta Colby, the protagonist of The Fastest Way to Fall is no exception.

Britta works as an editorial assistant for a popular lifestyle website.  She likes her job well enough, but her passion is actually to write so she would love to be promoted to the writing staff.  At a staff meeting, Britta goes out on a limb and pitches an idea for a story and is thrilled when the bosses actually give her a chance to write it.  Her task is to join a hot new body fitness app that includes a virtual personal coach and to write about her experience with it. Although Britta’s primary reason for joining the app is to secure that promotion, she does like the idea that the program focuses on overall fitness rather than weight loss.  She likes it even more when she starts chatting with Wes, her virtual coach, and they quickly become friends.

I immediately liked Britta. She’s warm and funny, and I also loved her determination to make something happen with her career.  We get to read some of Britta’s posts as she goes through this fitness journey and I loved how authentic and real she comes across and I also loved the focus on body positivity.  Even though she’s clearly the underdog here, she shines like a star and I was excited to see the number of comments on her posts grow as more and more people became invested in her journey.

Wes Lawson is actually the CEO of the Fit Me app Britta is reviewing.  Even though he has enjoyed tremendous success with the app, he’s feeling out of sorts these days and is dealing with a lot of family issues. He decides he needs to clear his head and the best way to do that is to get back to what he really loves, the coaching.  He selects one of the app’s new clients to coach; that client of course turns out to be Britta. Britta’s sense of humor wins him over from the start and he finds himself wanting to interact with her more and more, and not just to talk fitness.

I really enjoyed watching their friendship grow. I loved how Wes gently challenges Britta to up her fitness game, and I loved that Britta helps him escape everything that is weighing him down. My heart truly broke for Wes when it’s revealed exactly what kind of family issues he is dealing with, so I was all the more glad he had someone like Britta to talk to.  Their chemistry is so intense that when an accident leads to them meeting in person, I was immediately rooting for them to get together even though it would clearly lead to some sticky situations at work for them both.  Britta dating the CEO of the app she’s reviewing is not a good look for either of them even if the relationship started innocently enough.  Each of them has some tough decisions to make, both personally and professionally, and I thought Williams did a wonderful job realistically portraying how such a situation would play out.

The Fastest Way to Fall is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys warm and engaging characters with personal journeys you can’t help but become invested in, along with a healthy serving of both romance and family drama.