Book Review - 'Falling at the Barre' by Elise Kennedy

‘Falling at the Barre’ by Elise Kennedy
Series: Love in Fairwick Falls #5
Published: December 11, 2025
Genre: Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: e-book
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

Luca Bishop has one rule: no dating until his first-grader graduates high school. Period.

Between running a growing auto body shop and solo-parenting, romance isn’t just off the table—it’s somewhere in the garage under a tarp. And with his schedule, it’s time to hire a nanny.

Enter his daughter’s gorgeous new dance teacher, who’s also their next-door-neighbor. The one who smells like cinnamon.
Who makes his kid beam and who laughs like sunshine.

And who already feels like his—if only she weren’t leaving.

Ballet didn’t dump Olivia Maroo—it just stopped calling.

At 33, Olivia knows pliés won’t pay the bills forever, but she’s not ready to hang up her pointe shoes just yet.

She just needs a few months to train for auditions, regroup, and totally not fall apart. So she returns to her hometown for the fall—where the maple syrup flows, the apple pie pancake breakfasts are elite, and the existential dread is pumpkin spice–flavored.

In exchange for ballet studio space, she agrees to teach at the local dance studio. It’s temporary. Chill. Fine.

…Until she accidentally volunteers to nanny for her most adorably chaotic student—who just so happens to live next door with her extremely hot, extremely off-limits single dad.

It has to be temporary.

But with cozy movie nights, cider-fueled slow dances, and a life she’s already half in love with, she’s not prepared for the kind of fall that changes everything.

My Thoughts

If you love that small-town feeling, then the Love in Fairwick Falls series by Elise Kennedy is that series for you. Falling at the Barre is book five, and every time I get to come back to this small town, I am always excited.

This time, we are seeing more of the little girl we saw in the last book with her dad, Luca. It was great to see Luca fall head over heels for Olivia. The writing for these characters and all of the side ones is amazing. It makes you giggle and feel for all of these characters. I also enjoyed how there wasn’t a third-act breakup. It’s nice to see an author do something different when it comes to a romance book.

I really enjoyed Falling at the Barre, and I think you all will as well, since I am giving this five stars. Be warned, there is spice in this book that will make it hot and it’s getting a rating of four chili peppers.

Falling at the Barre is out now wherever you get your books, and if you are a KOBO plus member, it is included in your membership.

I would like to thank Elise Kennedy for the ARC Copy of this book. Getting the ARC Copy did not influence my thoughts on the book as they are all my own.

Get in Touch

Questions or book recommendations? I’d love to hear from you!

Email

thelostcoffeemug@gmail.com