The Way We Fell

Love at First Flight #2

by S. Sidney

Katy Keller wants to fall in love. Thirty-two and single, she's watched happily ever after happen for one of her best friends, and now she's ready for her own romance novel-worthy shot at forever. If only she can find herself a man who epitomises book boyfriend energy (bonus points if he can fill out a pair of Wranglers).

Enter Jay Bevan: an army vet with a closed-off heart. There are things Jay has seen and done in his career that he'll never be able to forget. The other thing he can't forget? Katy's golden hair, deep brown eyes and pretty smile. One look is all it takes for Jay to fall hard, but Katy Keller is strictly off-limits. Because she's his sister's best friend, and that's something that is terribly, horribly, and completely forbidden.

Is Jay just a fling, or is Katy prepared to betray her best friend's trust for a shot at forever?

This is book two in the Love At First Flight series. It can be read as a standalone story, but it is recommended that you read the books in order. It contains explicit language and scenes with sexually explicit descriptions; it is not intended for younger readers.

444 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2025

About the author

S Sidney has been writing and telling stories since the age of six. Between writing books and singing smash hit songs such as “who’s the cutest boy in the world” to her cat, she works as cabin crew. She lives in the countryside with her husband and the best cat in the world, and if she’s not doing any of the above, she’s probably eating avocado toast whilst staring at her Kindle screen.

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Reviews

[Hayley Lunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book broke my heart, and then put it back together again. S. Sidney writes about hard hitting situations in such a way that is sensitive, yet honest and real.

Katy and Jay’s relationship is so heartwarming.
From Jay juggling mental health issues due to a traumatic injury, yet being open to help (eventually) to Katy’s kind soul, they are a match made in heaven. Lord knows I’m also a sucker for a found family trope, and The Way We Fell is giving just that! (As is book number one in this series, The Best Bad Decision)

The spice is spicing 🌶️🌶️🌶️

You can tell so much hard work has gone into this book and S. Sidney should be proud of this one. (I mean, I know she is because she told me!)

3.5 ⭐️

[Jocelynn LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way We Fell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.75)

I am once again grateful I got to ARC read for S Sidney again!! This book was so beautiful. Like my heart and soul. The way both of these MCs love have my whole heart.

My heart was bursting throughout this whole read. Katy and Jay have my damn heart. I love them so much. The found family, the support and love they both gave eachother, the vibes. I love them.

Katy felt like such a safe place. If she was an IRL friend I would feel so god damn safe and loved as a friend. I liked her a lot in the glimpses that we got from her in the best bad decision and I am so glad we got her book next because I was READY for it. She is the friend and person you want in your life FOR SURE.

Jay. My heart. That man is going through so much from PTSD coming back from war but he’s still the sweetest even when he’s struggling. He’s always there for Katy, he’s so admirable as a brother too like he’s such a good sibling and I adored his relationship with his sister. I loved how he was able to just be himself with Katy and not have to worry about anything because he definitely needed that.

Katy and Jay have my heart. I just absolutely adore them. This was a beautifully written and I also was so happy to see the characters from book one pop in because I love Amie, Maisy and cam ! 🥹💗

The Way We Fell is out now on KU, paperback, and kindle !! 🫶🏻💗

[Tia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ p116 and I’m sad about it 🫠 the first book in this series was so cute and heartwarming and fun but this book is just falling so flat??? Both of the characters are such sad sacks and I don’t care about either of them

[Hopelessromanticbookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘗𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

I knew after reading the first book in the series that I had to carry it on to see everyone's happily ever after. Katie and Jay's story was beautifully written, it showed how building a friendship can also create a beautiful relationship between two people. I've always saw myself in Katie, she was happy at home in comfy clothes and a blanket while reading her books, which is something I enjoy too. She's the only curvy woman in the group and loves all the girls including little Maisy.

When Army Veteran Jay is trying to fit in with society again, Katie made it her mission to help him. I loved seeing this friendship build and their feelings for each other blossom. I loved how the author described how mental health can affect a solider, and how it can effect their relationships with people back home. I thought it was really sweet that Katie was trying her best to help him, even though he may not want that help. She gave him the nudge and support he needed and helped him through his tough times, trusting in the process. I found it really inspiring how Katie used her experience with Jay and found her passion on something that could become a career for her.

Just like the first book, Katie had her group of friends to fall back on. I love their friendships with each other and how they are always there when someone needs something. I think its cute how Cam is trying to fit in with girl group and is always looking loved up whenever he sees his girl. I love books that include found families showing a diverse group of people who would go the end of the earth for each other. There were hilarious moments between them all as well as little scenes between Jay and Cam...you know those guys need to stick together.

I love it when two characters have nicknames for each other, I get all giddy when Jay calls Katie Princess...it's so adorable! Especially in scene's like this...
"𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. "𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬, 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵..." 𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴. "𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴."
"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴?" 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬.
"𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴.
Katie and Jay's romance was fire throughout this book. At first I was wondering when it would happen but I enjoyed the slow pace of it, as it showed the struggles they had to face before giving into what they felt for each other.

The Way We Fell was an excellent read that I would gladly read all over again. It was fun, inspirational, moving and enjoyable that I would recommend to anyone who loves a cute friends to lovers trope as well as a cute dog thrown into the mix.

[bloomy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍺 !! arc review !! 🍺

this book was so so sweet.
i loved how it was written and just the atmosphere of the book.

the found family is such an amazing piece of the book.
how safe they feel with other is so cute to read about.
they‘re always there for one another, always know when the other needs something.
i love their friendship so much 🥹

and seeing glimpse of cam,amie and maisy again was so sweet 🥹 i missed them a LOT.
just to see how in love and happy they were 🫂

katy keller is such a sweet girl.
I loved her in the best bad decision, but her own book made me love her even more.
she is so supportive and makes you feel so safe.
you know what i think, that a hug from her would make me forget everything for a moment.
and you truly can feel how she loves her people with everything she has.
my favorite girl so far.
and what really is the sweetest thing ever was her friendship with amie 🥹 these two are just the cutest
and she is really they greatest aunt to her goddaughter.

jay bevan is truly the perfect man for katy.
he is always there for her and is just so an amazing man and brother.
how sweet he was to her ugh 🥹
this man deserves her so much after everything he went through.
he is truly so strong trying to handle everything.
but with katy he doesn’t have to be the strong tough man, he can just be jay and i loved that.
they can just be themselves with each other and I love that in books so much.
they make each other feel safe.

katy and jay are just so sweet, so supportive of each other.
they fit together so so well.
this book was truly a mix of everything but it was so so good,
and i cannot WAIT for the next one.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

After thoroughly enjoying S Sidney's First Book 'The Best Bad Decision', I knew I had to read her next book, and was very excited when I was able to do an ARC read for 'The Way We Fell'.

Immediately fell in love with Katy and Jay, and absolutely loved how Katy is immediately drawn to Jay, during their first meeting, knowing that he is struggling with the aftermath of getting seriously injured, whilst on deployment with the Army.

Soon, they become firm friends particularly over their love of craft beers and start regularly meeting up and going to pubs and festivals. It is during this time that they realise that they are beginning to have feelings towards each other, even though they shouldn't, as Jay is Katy's Best Friend Ruth's Brother, who has told Katy that he is out of bounds, particularly as he is struggling with his injuries.

But Katy is able to see beyond the pain and grief that Jay is feeling, and it is through opening up to each other that eventually they are unable to resist the feelings that have grown between them and so they give in to temptation. But this then means having to keep their relationship secret, even though Jay wants to let everybody know, but Katy doesn't, as she knows it could jeopardise her friendship with Ruth.

But too soon Ruth finds out, which puts tension between both her and Katy, to the extent it fractures their friendship. Will this fracture destroy what is happening between Katy and Jay, or are they able to weather the storm?

This was such an enjoyable read, so easy to follow and flowed really well. Also love the introduction of Pupperoni. There is always a cute character in these books - who can forget Roger.

Can't wait for the third book which is due out later this year.

[Leah Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️4🌶️

One of the books I’ve looked forward to since I read the first book in the series - which you should definitely go check out (The Best Bad Decision)

I loved this so much, I absolutely loved watching Katy & Jays friendship develop into something more & then seeing their relationship become what it did just had me in all my feels.

Jays story absolutely broke my heart and seeing how Katy was just THERE for him…man I can’t! They’re just perfect for one another.

I love a good brother’s best friend trope when it’s done right and this was done RIGHT!

“Three loads of laundry and one beige plate of chicken tenders and potatoes wedges later” Katy Keller is my spirit animal😂

“For Katy, I want to do everything, be everything. I want to be better for her. To be the kind of man she deserves.!8 want to be worthy of the way I’m falling for her” JAY MOTHER EFFING BEVAN🥹

Now to wait until September for book 3😩

The Way We Fell is available for preorder now and is releasing on May 10th💕

Massive shoutout and thanks to S Sidney for sending me an ARC - love you girl!

[Emaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying this series. Amie and Cam’s book was so good, and I was excited to return to their little group.
Katy was an empath to a T. If she was a real person, I’d want to be friends with her. She was down to earth and comfortable in her own skin, and treated everyone she met with grace. Most importantly, she was helpful and compassionate when it came to Jay while treating him like a normal person.
As for Jay, I knew he was going to be a character to remember. I really felt for him and what he struggled with, and I wanted him to find his happiness and peace. The way he talked about Katy also hit different, like she was the light at the end of the tunnel for him.
My only complaint is that the book was a bit narration heavy, which made me zone out. So I admit to skimming the larger paragraphs (not all, but some) and feel like I didn’t miss much. But I have to appreciate that the author was very thorough when it came to describing Jay’s story. It gave me a whole new insight to what veterans deal with.

TW: PTSD, panic attacks

[Nina Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the lovely @ssidneywritesbooks . This is Katy and Jay's story, which follows from The Best Bad Desicion.

Jay is recovering from injuries sustained during his most recent tour serving in the army. Katy is his sister's best friend who is a bit 'stuck' in her life. They strike up a friendship and begin to help each other. Sometimes knowingly sometimes less so.

This is a beautiful, slow burn tale of hurt and healing . There's a few spicy chapters along the way, too. Cameos from our favourites from TBBD, yes including Roger 'He's magic'!

I loved it. I really enjoyed how the friendship group developed and changed, too. There's a certain reality to it, but it's not too much. All of us romance readers will find something of ourselves in Katy Keller!!

There's some difficult topics that are handled well, but please read the front of the book for content warnings.

[Annie Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way We Fell by S. Sidney was a slow burn that snuck up on me; quiet, steady, and then suddenly my whole chest was warm and I was in it. Fully. Emotionally. Irrevocably.

This one had all the magic ingredients:

Sister’s best friend

Age gap

Friends to lovers

Secret relationship
Yeah… sign me all the way up.


Jay, our MMC, is a wounded military veteran; physically, emotionally, spiritually. He carries so much pain beneath the surface, and watching him try to piece himself back together was just…beautiful. He’s thoughtful, gentle, and guarded, but when he loves, it’s with everything he has. But also dominate in all the right ways...

Our girl Katy...she was searching. Stuck in a life that doesn’t quite feel like hers anymore, she’s desperate to find something that sets her soul on fire. What she doesn’t expect is for that spark to come in the form of her best friend’s brother. Their companionship starts soft, easy conversations, quiet comfort, but grew into something electric.

The evolution of their friendship into something deeper felt so natural. It wasn’t rushed or forced; it was patient, aching, and full of tension. The way they both saw each other felt like the kind of intimacy most people spend a lifetime hoping for.

This story reminded me that sometimes the best kind of love is the one that starts with friendship, shows up quietly, and then refuses to leave...even when it’s complicated. Especially when it's complicated.

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way We Fell is book 2 in S. Sidney’s Love at First Flight series and it is the sweetest story! See author’s note at the beginning of the book for content warnings.

Katy and Jay have the BEST chemistry! It’s apparent from their first meeting and I loved watching them develop a friendship and then fall in love. Katy is the best auntie to Maisy and she never treats Jay like a porcelain doll because of his PTS and I love how Jay fit seamlessly into the friend group with the girls and Cam.

If anyone was going to steal the show from Katy and Jay (and let’s be honest, Miss Maisy Pop too), it was Pupperoni! He’s exactly what Jay needed in this stage of his recovery. If you want to learn more about service dogs like Pup and how they help veterans, check out veteranswithdogs.org.uk.

Thank you to the author for the eARC! I’m excited for Ruth and Paloma’s stories!

[bookedbysasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

just like i did with amie and cam in "the best bad decision", i fell in love with katy and jay right from the beginning. this was such a sweet book, and i loved every moment.

katy and jay are so perfect together, complementing and balancing each other so well. seeing them go from friends to lovers was truly so comforting, seeing how deeply they care for each other and want to help each other grow. 🥹

this book was a rollercoaster of emotions for sure, but i quite simply could not put it down, and read it in two sittings (only stopping to sleep!).

plus, seeing amie, cam and maisy back again (!!!!) was so much fun, i love the lil' peaks that s sidney gives us into their story following the end of their book. 🤭

the found family vibes are so incredible, and as one of my favourite tropes, you bet i'm eagerly awaiting the next book!!

thank you so so much for the arc, s 🫶🏼

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

🪖Found family
📖Grumpy x sunshine
🪖PTSD/ Grief rep
📖Age gap
🪖Best friend’s brother
📖Army vet X Romance reader

After reading S Sidney’s debut book ‘The Best Bad Decision’ I knew I would need to read the second in the series.

This book is about romance reader Katy and army vet Jay. It was a beautiful story from start to finish, with a cute couple who start off as friends. The found family feeling was amazing and Jay’s PTSD story was really inspiring.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

[Becks O · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story about an injured soldier battling PTSD and panic attacks—and the woman with a heart of gold (and his sister’s best friend!) who stands by him through recovery and his return to civilian life. It’s emotional, tender, and full of healing. And let’s be honest—you’re also here for the dirty talk. If you love a man who worships his woman and has a mouth that’s downright filthy, this one will have you blushing and begging for more.

[Michelle Fereday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katy and Jay are my favourite couple from this series! They were so cute but I loved the tougher aspects of PTSD, recovering from an injury, returning to civilian life after service were handled well. I think Katy's lack of career direction is something that so many face and it was inspiring to see how she thrived once she decided to pursue her passion for helping others. A great cute, cozy and spicy romance - with one of my fave found family group of friends.

[Krisztina B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 beautiful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️it was so lovely and heartwarming.low angst,beautiful relationship build up. I just wish Ruth didn’t react how she did when she heard about their relationship.i felt that was out of her character.but otherwise a very enjoyable read. And definitely a re-read book 📖 when I need a cozy comfort read.

[Kim Swizz]

This was a beta read, but I am so excited to read the final story once it’s released. <3

[lu_betweenthecovers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but not as good as the first book in the series. Just like the first one it was too long for my liking and I think it could have been a little shorter. I was intrigued by the story because I love reading about veterans or army's men, but this one didn't do it for me. There were some good things, like the friendships and banter and how their relationship developed with time and from friendship first. I can't wait for Ruth's story.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 🌟

[Snow Eaton · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 78% I loved the first part of this book. But eventually it just fell flat to me and I didn’t feel excited to finish it.

[Kayla Explains It All · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another sweet and low-angst love story that was fun to read between all the dystopian things I’ve been devouring. Excited for the third in September!!

[antri౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75!
their love is so pure

[Efrain Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. The Ruth character was such a control freak. Yikes!