The Hardest Fall

*sees another book by Ella Maise*Buys immediately!Without a doubt, Ella Maise has become one of my all time favorite authors with her creative stories, loveable characters, and unique plot lines. When I saw, “The Hardest Fall”, was another book Ella wrote, I knew I had to get my hands on it, especially since it was centered around a sports romance (male lead playing college football trying to make it big in the NFL), sweet & shy female lead, funny moments, and of course sweet amazing romance, say no more I was hooked!This story centered around Zoe and Dylan, and let’s just say that when I read the first page, the first sentence, I had to double check again because it was definitely a “unique” way to meet for the first time. I wouldn’t call Zoe and Dylan’s first meeting as a “meet cute”, but it was funny, awkward, and left a lasting impression on Zoe and Dylan.Dylan and Zoe were unlike any character I had read before. Specifically Zoe, she was super quirky, shy, and a bit of a klutz sometimes haha. At times, I found Zoe’s quirkiness a bit too much, but in the end she was sweet and thoughtful, and she started to grow on me as I kept reading. I feel like some readers might not be sure about Zoe, but she is someone that will change your mind, and you’ll fall in love with her. Dylan on the other hand, I wasn’t really sure where I stood with him. Dylan seemed like a good guy, loved to tease and play around with Zoe, and I liked seeing how dedicated he was to achieving his goal (graduate from college/ get drafted into NFL).Zoe and Dylan had an interesting dynamic in that they attempted to be friends, but you could tell they were attracted to one another. Zoe and Dylan’s friendship seemed nice like how they had a long night of talking, Dylan comforting Zoe during an earthquake, and Dylan and Zoe trying to get to know one another.While Zoe seemed happy and her quirky self, she has someone who had dealt with some hardships in her life, by no means just because you seem fine, doesn’t always equate the same to how you’re actually feeling deep inside. On the surface, Zoe might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but reading more in the story she not only grew on me, but I actually started to enjoy her random, quirky, shy behavior. I found Zoe to be endearing and like any character written by Ella Maise, I fell in love.I expected this book to be just sweet and cute, but it actually went beyond my expectations. This story dealt with a heavy topic, emotional issues, and it added more depth to the plot line, and I think readers will appreciate the care Ella put into that aspect of the story.Overall, in the beginning I was a little unsure about Zoe and Dylan, but after reading through, I absolutely adore these two, and the way their story ended was beautiful and heartwarming like, “I LOVE IT” and the epilogue cemented my love for them even more.

Oh Ella, how I've missed your words! If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for the slow-burn. I'm pleased to announce that I got that with this book, and I got it in spades. The Hardest Fall is a sweet, slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance that hit me in all the right places. There's a touch of mystery and angst added into the mix that makes this fun romance even more addicting.I was hooked from the first sentence (seriously!!!). From the moment Zoe Clarke and Dylan reed met, I knew I was going in for a ride. From strangers to accidental roommates, from friends to best friends to so much more. You can tell how much Dylan adores Zoe, and how much Zoe cares for him. I just want to wrap them in a blanket and protect them from the world.There were a lot of funny scenes—I can't even tell you how much I laughed— and even more of that swoon-worthy goodness, but there were more serious points in this book that tackled family issues and toxic relationships. There's that mystery surrounding Zoe, as wellWhat I loved the most about this book is how Dylan and Zoe's romance progressed. They were there for each other and leaned on each other the way only the best of friends do. They were falling in love right before my eyes, and I relished that gradual but consistent build-up from friendship to more. The attraction has always been there, but so was respect and adoration. It made me so happy!Fellow introverts and friends who are awkward around strangers will relate to Zoe. When faced with strangers, especially strangers who intimidate her, Zoe rambles and says and does things she'd most likely regret. I wanted to stand beside her and whisper, "You can do it.". But once the walls have been torn down, her light shines through. She's a kind, funny, and sweet girl with a pure heart.Dylan. Oh Dylan. What a sweet boy. He's a dedicated athlete with a laser-sharp focus on his career, a great love for his family, and a strong and dependable personality. There can be no doubt of his feelings for Zoe. I have to admit I wanted to shake Dylan a few moments in the story, but could understand why he did what he did, thought what he thought, given the circumstances. If I were in his position, I would have jumped to the same conclusion.The Hardest Fall is not just a romance between two people you know are meant to be together. It's about friendship, family, and growing up.This book made me laugh, giggle, curse in anger, and ache with heartbreak and sadness, and most importantly, it made me crave for pizza in the middle of the night! Prepare yourself for a lot of pizza talk, my friends. Maybe order a box or two and devour it while you read. That way when you're done with it, your stomach is as full as your heart.Tropes: College, Friends to Lovers, Roommates, Sports—American FootballPOV: First Person, Dual POVStandalone: Yes

**Slight Spoilers**This book was so stinking cute. I couldn’t put it down. The Chemistry between Dylan and Zoe was excellent. Also, let me just say, Dylan Reed, SWOON WORTHY! Usually I don’t like the miscommunication trope because it always just makes me so dang frustrated with the main Characters, But I felt Ella handled it really well. Also this is the first book in a while where the main female lead didn’t annoy the crap out of me. She was shy and quirky in a cute way and I could understand why she made the decisions that she did.Spoilers Below:The only thing that truly bugged me was how Dylan handled the situation. He hushed Zoe a couple times when she tried to tell him about Mark, and then totally made the wrong assumption, got mad and cut her off. Quite frankly I felt he owed her a massive apology, which he never actually said sorry. But I can forgive him because he made up for it in other ways 😏.All in all I really enjoyed this book. If you love a slow burn that has strong chemistry and good character development as well as plot then I totally recommend this.

I really struggled with the first half of this story and several times considered stopping. I'm fed up with ditzy, clumsy, half tongue-tied half rambling female characters who fall apart in the presence of a good looking male. The narrative is old.That said, as the story finally developed and the female lead lost most of the awkwardness, it got better.

I actually really liked this book. My only issue with it was Zoe blabbing all the time and too much, I know she’s an awkward character but I was over it after a few chapters in, and the whole story line with the coach confused me, but I loved Zoe and Dylan’s friendship to relationship!

Ok I was looking for a quick easy ready after reading a book that crushed so i thought ok football player and your typical quirky girl. Why not ? Right ? Well yes right but omg this book was amazing ! Wow jus wow. Beautifully written with the right amount of angst and drama and funny dialogue! Honestly a 10/10 would totally recommend! I think I just found another author I love !

First book I've read by Ella Maise and I want to read more. Great characters. Slow burn, gradually get to know each other and attraction built. Some misunderstandings and kept the reader was kept guessing for a while!

Honestly, I really enojoyed the story and the title of the book really did justice to the story. It couldn't have been such a better story; such little confusions that had me intrigued to find out what was next. I loved the fact that it also incorporated the point of view of the two main characters to let us know what was going on in each person's mind.