What if the person you love the most is the one you can’t have?
Grace has loved Jackson since she was fifteen – when they spent every childhood summer exploring France’s breathtaking Ardèche region together. They were best friends, until life took its course and Jackson married someone else.
Years later, Jackson re-enters Grace’s life with an irresistible offer: her dream job in the very town where their story began. And he’s newly single.
As memories from those idyllic summers flood back, Grace encounters an old friend Étienne, who proposes a plan to help make Jackson jealous. But as their scheme unfolds, Grace finds herself questioning if the sparks between them might not be so pretend after all…
Unbeknownst to Grace, Étienne is harbouring a secret that could shatter her world.
Will learning the truth finally set her heart free?
Or is this the beginning of a love story bigger than she ever imagined?
Don’t Fall in Love with Me by Paige Toon is published by Cornerstone (A Penguin Random House company) on 23 April 2026 and you can find out more about the book on Amazon, Goodreads and Storygraph
With thanks to Penguin, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
Paige Toon
Paige Toon grew up between England, Australia and America and has been writing books set in sun-drenched locations around the world since 2007. She has written sixteen women’s fiction novels, a three-part spin-off series for young adults and a collection of short stories. Her novels have sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
Website paigetoon.com
Facebook @PaigeToonAuthor
Instagram @paigetoonauthor
my Review
A Beautifully Immersive Story About Love, Timing, and the Past We Carry
There’s something so effortlessly captivating about the way Paige Toon writes. This story feels real, lived-in, and full of heart. From the very start, I was transported to the sun-drenched Ardèche region of France — feeling the warmth on my skin, hearing the rush of the river, and wandering those quiet streets tucked away from the world. The setting isn’t just a backdrop; it becomes part of the story itself, shaping every emotion and memory that lingers long after the final page.
What stayed with me most is the way the story moves between past and present. There’s a quiet, bittersweet ache woven through it. A sense of nostalgia that makes you reflect on how much of who we are is shaped by the people we’ve loved, the choices we didn’t make, and those fleeting, endless summers of youth. The emotions are handled with such subtlety and care that you don’t just read them, you feel them.
The romance is tender, charged, and completely believable. There’s humour and warmth, but also a gentle tension that never feels overdone. I found myself smiling, sighing, and at times holding my breath, caught up in the quiet intensity of it all. It’s in the unspoken moments and the smallest gestures where this story truly shines. The added threads of secrets and schemes bring just enough intrigue, but it’s the emotional honesty — the longing, the hope, and the journey of self-discovery – that really stays with you.
Reading Don’t Fall in Love With Me felt like stepping into a story that truly understands how complicated love can be — how the past never fully lets us go, and how even the smallest decisions can ripple through our lives in ways we never expect.
Heartfelt, immersive, and quietly powerful, this is Paige Toon at her very best.
#DontFallInLoveWithMe #PaigeToon
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See About My Reviews and Review FAQ for full star rating explanations and review guidelines. This review may also appear on my social media channels and selected book platforms. All links were correct at the time of publication. DISCLOSURE: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. As always, my thoughts are honest and my own. This review is original content. Please credit and link back if you wish to quote.
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