I loved this book. I thought it was just going to be fluff, a simple chick-lit book, but it was a little more. I'm surprised at the 3.5 star average, but I think I understand why. Five stars from me. ( )

Wonderful love story with a terrible ending.... ( )

Another good book by this author. Didn't guess the ending! ( )

4.5 stars.

When British ex-pat Emma Montague gets the opportunity to relocate from New York to Westport, CT she excitedly begins planning the next phase of her life. Living in a quaint, but outdated cottage next to her landlord, Dominic Di Franco and his young son, Jesse, she enjoys the slower pace of life as she gets to know her neighbors. Although attracted to the handsome bartender and carpenter, Emma is not looking for a relationship so she is surprised when her easy friendship with Dominic slowly evolves into a comfortable romance. Just as they begin looking toward building a future together, Jesse objects to the change in the status quo, a person from Dominic's past returns and parental introductions leave Emma questioning whether or not they can live happily ever after.

Although she had a successful career in banking, Emma has no qualms about leaving behind the pressure, competition and rather superficial life that went along with the high-powered, stressful job. While she only has an inkling of what comes next for her, she is enjoying some needed peace and solitude as she acclimates to living in Westport. A little uncomfortable around kids, Emma is nonetheless enchanted by Jesse and she truly enjoys spending time with the young boy. After her somewhat dismal dating experiences in New York, she is not looking for love when falls into an easygoing relationship with Dominic.

After realizing he was in danger of following in his volatile parents' footsteps, Dominic made a conscious effort to keep his life drama free. While his relationship with Jesse's mom Stacy was anything but peaceful, he was committed to trying to make things work for their son's sake. After Stacy abandoned them, Dominic turned his attention to giving Jesse the best childhood possible and despite being a little overindulgent with his son, he is an outstanding father. Completely comfortable in his skin and unreservedly happy with his life, Dominic is pretty shocked when he begins to fall for Emma.

The romance between Dominic and Emma is relatively conflict free but there are a few bumps in the road when their relationship hits a few unexpected snags. The first big surprise is Jesse's sudden antipathy towards Emma after he becomes aware of their relationship. The formerly sweet and co-operative little boy becomes stubborn and argumentative but Emma refuses to give up on winning him over. Things are a little tumultuous as he adjusts to her presence in his father's life and although his hostility eventually diminishes, Emma's once happy relationship with Jesse remains a little precarious.

The next minor obstacle the couple must contend with is Stacy's sudden reappearance in Dominic's life. Not ready for motherhood when Jesse was born, Stacy has finally gotten her life on track and she would like nothing better than to get to know the little boy she left behind. Emma totally misconstrues Dominic's reaction when he sees Stacy again and she is uncertain what this means for their fledgling relationship. Wanting only the best for Jesse, Emma is surprisingly supportive of Dominic's decision but she remains uncertain about their future together.

However, the biggest threat to their relationship occurs after Emma and Dominic meet one another's parents. Emma's social conscious mother is not at all happy with Dominic's blue collar background and Emma is shocked by Dominic's parents' dysfunctional relationship. Plagued by insecurities about whether or not two people from such divergent backgrounds can live happily ever after, Emma is uncertain about staying with Dominic.

Falling by is a wonderful opposites attract romance that is quite riveting. The characters are multi-layered and although imperfect, they are easy immensely appealing. The relationship between Emma and Dominic is incredibly sweet and even though they fall in love quickly, their feelings for one another are believable. Mostly free from drama and angst, the conflict between them is resolved fairly quickly in a realistic manner. An absolutely stunning plot twist near the story's end will leave readers reeling but Jane Green does bring the novel to a happy, albeit bittersweet, conclusion. ( )

I would give this one 4 1/2 stars. It's great chick lit for the beach with a plot twist at the end to keep things interesting. ( )