I am not that woman. The one who falls for her much older, extremely handsome, and totally unavailable boss. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway.
I’ve watched the other women in the office fawn over Gavin, who just so happens to be one of Texas’ richest and most desirable bachelors.
But I’m interested in business. Totally professional.
We would be a terrible idea. And yet ... I can't seem to make myself want to stay away, despite the whole boss thing and an age gap bigger than the Grand Canyon.
When Gavin's past slams into his present, the lines between business and personal suddenly become very hazy.
Now I have to decide what I want most: my carefully planned future or a man who offers me everything I didn't know I wanted…
Falling for Your Boss is a laugh-out-loud, heartwarming romcom with office romance, an age gap (okay, boomer!), and a surprise twist. All the sizzling chemistry and great characters with closed-door romance!
Emma St. Clair is a USA Today Bestselling Author who loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. She has an MFA in Fiction and lives in Katy, Texas (go, Tigers!) with her hubby, five children, and Great Dane. Her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine. No Emmas have been hurt in the writing of these novels. (Yet.)
How did I ever think this would reach The Hating Game's level? The whole coworker dynamic was the thing that made me pick this book instantly and it was probably the biggest mistake. I'm not a person that loves to read about age gaps. If I feel like the characters actually connect mentally, I tend to forget that they can almost be father and daughter or vice versa. In this case, it was so obvious that I could not ignore it. Zoey and Gavin were so different to a point where I felt uncomfortable when seeing them dating. 20 years is too much, I'm sorry. And I shouldn't even be saying this because I gave 4 stars to a romance with a 19 years old age gap. But in that case, the characters actually clicked. These ones just felt too forced. Can we also mention the fact that Gavin, being 43, still calls his own father "daddy"? I mean, that's not my business at all but I cringed so hard. Another thing I'd like to mention in this hateful review is the insta love. Ok, they had a crush on each other for 2 whole years without each other noticing. How? I don't care. But as soon as they shared one kiss, it was end game. I love you's were spread faster than the corona. I shouldn't even be joking about this but uh it's just so annoying.
With hints of Zoey crushing on her boss, I've been itching for this story! I love a workplace romance. And I'm ok with an age-gap romance. Combined together was harder for me to swallow at times, though.
There was plenty of inner monologue addressing the dynamic of their relationship, but I wanted more open conversation between Gavin and Zoey. The flirting was truly sweet, but a few moments felt inappropriate—because once again, I had a hard time wrapping my head around Gavin being 43 AND her boss.
With that said, it was hilarious to see Gavin initially attempt to fit in with the much younger Zoey. The added twist of drama from Gavin's past was super unexpected and fun. And I loved the mid-story ranch setting ... featuring a swoony barn kiss scene!
It's not my favourite of the series, but I still adore Emma St. Clair's writing!
I LOVED this book. Don’t judge me! My main reason for knocking off a star is due to internalized misogyny… not because of the age gap.
This was pure entertainment… I had some reservations in the beginning, but I’m glad I kept reading because this was delightful. We get age-gap, boss-employee, secret kid (she’s 8), and some hilarious and ridiculous situations.
Be warned… I am going to write out my thoughts and some of these may be spoilers.
1. This is a BIG age gap; 19/20 years. The hero is 43 years old and the heroine turns 24 during the story. But… because they think about this and question themselves and each other, it didn’t completely skeeve me out. But the idea that this dude has a crush on his employee for 2 years is creepy. She was 21! It’s interesting that so many of their friends and family are okay with the age gap. I think her brother is the only one who thinks there’s an issue.
2. It’s super sketch to have the hero make the first moves on her as her boss. Even without the age gap, the power dynamic is SO OFF. But strangely, it doesn’t feel gross. I can “think” it’s off… but the way it’s written didn’t make me “feel” the sketch.
3. It’s weird in the best of times when a hero describes a heroine as “innocent”. There’s something so creepy about a man being attracted to an innocent cause it denotes childlikeness. But… when there’s a 20-year age gap, I DEFINITELY don’t want that description to come up. And the heroine describes him as “controlling”. Uh. This doesn’t seem healthy. But, once again, the way it’s done didn’t feel gross.
4. The hero has been married before (I could have done without his thoughts on that past relationship) and his ex was terrible (of course she was). His ex drops off the 8-year-old kid with him. Why would she keep it from him for 8 years? HOW could she keep it from him at all? It’s puzzling. Also, I am not a fan of his first reaction. It’s not “how could you keep me from her?”, it’s “why did you bring her?” At least his reaction to the daughter herself is better.
5. The heroine “has never wanted children” and “isn’t maternal”… but of course, she connects with the little girl. I didn’t mind it. (I really liked it even tho I know this change of mind would bother some readers). I love the interactions caused by having the little girl in the middle of things.
6. The internalized misogyny. Sadly, the author includes quite a few things that are fairly typical of the genre, but really suck. Like, the workplace founded by a woman with the idea that she would gather a lot of intelligent, driven women. But… the hero (a man) has purchased the company because it was not doing well. And the culture of the office is toxic. The women are catty and mean. It’s super competitive and cutthroat. It’s so unnecessary to make this a special type of women-dominated office if you’re just going to tear women down by saying they wouldn’t be successful and would create an awful environment.*
7. This book has a LOT of funny moments. Some of the best moments surround when Gavin gets sick and he calls Zoe in during his delirium. Frankly, this whole debacle changed the book for me from creepy to creepy-but-I’m-enjoying-the-crap-out-of-it. I chortled so hard at reading the following: “Trying to google something that doesn’t have national security banging down my door. The best thing I can think of to search is ‘how to move a dead body’” (Gavin faints while sick and Zoe wants to move him).
Safety deets - No OM/OW. The hero has been married before but hasn’t been in a relationship since. And the heroine is the first woman he’s brought home to his parents. The heroine has had boyfriends but we don’t hear much about her history. - Only kissing. No sexy times. - HEA… tho the epilogue (and their wedding) is only 2 months later and the number of events that happen in those 2 months is a little unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4☆ Este libro fue muy dulce y divertido, me gustó mucho más que el primero.
Me encantan los romances de oficina y más cuando los jefes son como Gavin, ame sus POV y como él se sentía sobre la diferencia de edad de casi veinte años que tenía con Zoey. En la parte del estacionamiento y la conversación sobre Taylor Swift. AME🤣
Los correos electrónicos de Dr. Love son una de mis cosas favoritas en estos libros aunque algunos de sus consejos son un poco excesivos🤦♀️🤣🤣🤣
I was so looking forward to reading this book. The entire premise was interesting. The “office romance” especially the “age gap”. I had such high hopes but was immensely disappointed. The H is supposed to be almost 20 years older than the h, however he is written like a hormonal teenager. It was so bizarre reading about a 43 year old man thinking and behaving like a pubescent boy. (I’ll just give you a moment to think about that)...To say it was cringey would be a massive understatement. Zoey for the most part acted her age but there were some things she did that just seemed way to impractical and immature. Maybe this should have been a YA romance...(Just a suggestion).
Also there were too many unnecessary gimmicks. These random scenes would just take place and I would be left wondering “what in the world just happened”. There were some funny bits but the majority of the comedy just seemed forced and over the top. At times I felt like I was reading a soap opera with one overly dramatic scene after another. It was overwhelming...to say the least.
I also thought that the characters were one dimensional/shallow and their attraction did not appear to go beyond the surface.
I had to try one of Emma's books! All my friends were doing it! But I'm glad I did. I enjoyed this one! Two uptight workaholics collide! 2 years, can you imagine holding yourself in check for 2 years! Geez. The first kiss was a 2 year kiss in the making:} The story was well thought out. There was no rush but it didn't feel slow either. Nice pace. Nice characters that just tugged me around the whole time I read. Nice contemporary with an adult feel but I could give it to my older teen to read.
I wanted to like this book. It started off promising, office romance, age gap ... then the middle was bad and the end was just awful.
My reaction throughout reading this book was WTF??
They flirt over text and then go minigolfing where he somehow ends up with his shirt off? Wtf? Then he gets super sick and she goes to his house and all she can do is ogle him? Wtf?? Then he has a daughter?? WTF??? Then he manages to drive for hours after being so sick he was passed out on top of her? WTF???? Then he turns out to be some cowboy-hat wearing goofball instead of a slick millionaire CEO who actually works? WTF????? And she runs away on his friend's private plane? WTF??????
The whole book is preposterous! I know it was a hard year and there's an appeal for fluff escape fiction with cute romance. I mean, I opened this book! I wanted to fill my brain with fluff!! And I couldn't handle it.
The writing was just bad. One example, she was going on about how he had nothing in his fridge, not even ketchup, but he had a bag of frozen peas in his freezer because that's normal, and so she could put it on her black eye. His sickness took pages and pages and pages where all Zoey did was think about how hot he was instead of giving him Tylenol. The daughter was thrown in for basically no reason. I don't think she was needed. At the end he said something about taking over the ranch but that was never resolved. He's a multi-millionaire and she's a marketing assistant and yet, they don't work much. Instead they just think about how hot the other person is.
I read in the afterword that this author is pumping out books every couple months. Which explains the writing. I wish she would have taken a bit more time to just write a decent story with a little bit of effort, instead of just blathering on with a cringe-worthy plot.
Me gustó más que el primero, es demasiado bueno el cliché del jefe.
La autora sabe llevar estos clichés sin caer en la repetición todo el tiempo. Cada personaje tiene su personalidad y las relaciones son distintas entre sí.
Me encanta que en estos libros hay un personaje llamada "Dr. love" que te va contando las historias y al final de cada capítulo hay una sección de preguntas que responde. Es súper original esta idea.
Me fascinó como en esta historia hay familia encontrada, age gasp, entre otras cosas que no menciono porque pueden ser spoilers.
No hay mucho más que decir. Los personajes son geniales, no se romantiza en ningún momento la diferencia de edad de los protagonistas, de hecho, es todo un tema para ellos.
La tensión entre ambos fue llevada muy bien, de verdad me creía toda la atracción que se tenían.
Al final te dan una pisca de lo que se viene con el tercer libro y ya estoy ansiosa por leerlo.
¿Lo recomiendo? Si no te quedó claro; recomiendo esta saga por completo (a pesar de no haberme leído aún el resto sé que me gustarán) si te gustan los clichés como a mí.
There were parts of this that I liked and parts of it that I HATED. There’s a lot of very overt and blatant misogyny in this book. Everything to do with the heroine’s workplace, her catty coworkers, and how the hero had to rescue a struggling woman-owned business was extremely off-putting. The heroine going from not wanting to be a mom to changing her mind in mere days when the hero finds out he’s got an 8 year old daughter? That was just the 🍒 on top of the 💩 sundae.
I did like some parts of the story… there was some humor and certain parts were even sweet. I was just starting to get over some of the problematic elements, and then it ended. The way this story ended really put the nail in this book’s coffin for me. They admitted feelings and decided to be together, and that’s it. There was never any on-page resolution for any of the actual issues… the ending just skipped ahead to the hero and heroine’s wedding and everything is settled! We get some quick throwaway lines about how everything went down, nothing in detail. The ending felt like a huge letdown after a book that had already let me down several times. Also, I’m really not a fan of the surprise kid trope, so this book *really* wasn’t for me, but I didn’t realize that going in.
SWE No sex Hero has been celibate and isn’t a manwhore Heroine celibate and I can’t remember if anything else is said about her No OM drama Mild OW drama from hero’s ex wife- she is mentioned quite often though OW brings hero’s 8 yr old daughter to him and drops her off without a word - he didn’t know he had a daughter before this No scenes with anyone No cheating between H&h but hero’s ex cheated on him during their marriage
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Such an awesome read. I'm not a huge fan of May/December Romances, but the author pulled this one off perfectly. I enjoyed every page of this romcom. ❤️
This is the second book in the series and we get to know more about Zoey. In the first book, she keeps on denying her love for her boss. But now we know the truth. I like this one more and it's also funny. That was hilarious when Gavin was in the car debating on what to do with his shirt when Zoey, Zane and Abby saw him. I like this. There is definitely an age gap but Gavin is a good man. I like how Zoey handled some problems and was true to her love to Gavin. 4 stars
Zoe and Gavin have two major hurdles working against them - he is her boss and 19 years older. Oh, and neither knows the other has a crush.
The rest is just getting them to open up, admit to the possibility of a relationship, have a relationship, overcome problems and voila - happy ending.
This was the 2nd book of the series that I've listened to now and they have both been a PG-rated romance. I haven't read them in order, so they could be read as standalone books. They would also be good for a YA audience as there are no graphic or explicit scenes.
I gave this 3.5- 4⭐️ mostly because I liked the FMC Zoey. She made me laugh. The MMC Gavin was okay. I am not a fan of insta family or boss and employee relationships or big age gaps in contemporary romance books. This book has all 3, I knew that going in and I figured since i like Emma St. Clair’s writing and it was part of a new to me series I’d give it a shot. I’m not sorry I picked up the series but hope the next book will be more my thing.
Another amazing audiobook from Emma St. Clair! Falling for your Boss is a funny, cute, clean romance with very human moments that are easily relatable. Loved Falling for your Best Friend’s Twin which is Zane’s story and it leads nicely into this book which is his twin Zoey’s story.
Zoey is straight-laced, smart, and beautiful. She’s had a crush on her boss Gavin since she started working at his company. He’s almost twice her age, but is everything Zoey wants: a handsome, mature, grounded man. Zoey desperately admires him to the point that it’s painful to work with him because she would like there to be more to their relationship than boss and employee. Secretly, Gavin feels the same way.
Zoey has a hard time letting her guard down, but Gavin sees past the front she puts up and wants to discover Zoey’s hidden depths. He realizes Zoey could be his daughter and he’s her boss, but after a painful marriage and divorce, he’s finally ready to open his heart again. When the opportunity to go on a birthday date with Zoey arises, Gavin jumps at the opportunity and decides to put it all on the line to win her. However, there are definite surprises in store for both Zoey and Gavin that will test their fragile new relationship.
With baby goats, manure, sickness, and a boomer t-shirt debacle, this romcom will have you laughing and smiling all while listening. The narrators for the audiobook do such a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. I enjoyed listening to Kevin Eiger and Lorana Hoopes. They narrated the previous book and it was fantastic. This book is just as enjoyable. Looking forward to the next book in the series! I received a copy of this audiobook from the author for my honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
I felt charmed by the end my read. I liked this one much better than the first. Took out some of the uncessary hoopla and added it a lot more tension. Yesssssss.
I gotta say, age gap is usually not my trope. I love the way this was written! It was romantic and endearing. I wanted Zoey and Gavin to be together. I felt it. All the chemistry. All the vibes. What I was worried might make me cringe was incredibly well developed that I through any initial issues out the window. You find love at any age, whatever works…works.
This was easy to fly through and kept my attention. I was reading a second book at the time but kept coming back to this because I wanted to know what would happen next. I am soft for taking care of a love interest when they’re sick. And Zoey and Gavin hit those scenes perfectly. I love the adaptable nature of Zoey (and Gavin now that I’m considering the scenario). There was a lot to take on and move forward with and they handled it pretty well.
I didn’t love a particular moment nearing the end, but I am so glad it didn’t last long so my opinion of the overall book wasn’t wholly affected. I wish the ending wasn’t wrapped up so quickly because I wanted more of them after the inital on fire kissing scenes. There’s a really cute epiloge though which I am always here for!
Overall audience notes: - Contemporary romance - Language: very little - Romance: kisses/make-outs - Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce (cheating spouse), remembrance of a loss of a parent
This isn't the usual match up for a love story. Yes, he's her boss but he's also almost 20 years older. Did you just cringe? 😂 This author did a great job of developing these characters, their history and their attraction. It was interesting and I liked that it was slightly off norm. There's a bit of drama lama to keep things entertaining. It was fun and I enjoyed it. I'll be watching for the next book in this series.
This one stressed/weirded me a bit, mainly because of the 19 year age gap. However, I ended up loving Zoey and Gavin! I loved how they chose to fight for love no matter what. It ended up being a really cute read and the epilogue was 👌🏻
4.5/5
Update: Listened to the audiobook and it's still a 4-4.5 book!
Loved the story, but felt like the ending was rushed. I even turned back a page to be sure I hadn't skipped something. Still I loved the mix of heat and sweet. Definitely a fun rom-com read.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only) Trigger Warning: abandonment, loss of a parent
Zoey has been attracted to her boss, Gavin, ever since he took over the company two years ago. As if their work relationship wasn't a big enough roadblock, they also have an age gap of 19 years. Now Zoey is ready to quit her job and find out if being with Gavin is possible. But before she can submit her letter of resignation, she finds herself being offered a new job within the company, flirting with Gavin via text, and then inviting him on a double date with her twin brother and his girlfriend. Soon Zoey will find herself thrown into the deep end with Gavin as their date leads to the most unexpected weekend ever at his house and his parents' farm. Is she truly ready to take the next step with a much older man or will it all prove to be too much?
When I read the teaser for this at the end of book 1 in the Love Cliches series, I was so excited for Gavin and Zoey's story. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed after finishing this book! Now, I might be a little biased considering the fact that I can relate to some of the things Zoey was facing. First, my husband is 43 just like Gavin, and I happen to believe that men are like fine wine and only get better with age. So, I can understand the appeal of an older man. Second, my husband and I also have an age gap (only 7 years, which I realize has nothing on Gavin and Zoey), so I too struggled with our ages and had my own disapproving sibling when we first began dating. Seeing Zoey deal with these issues brought back those memories, and I was eager to see her go for it and not hold back out of fear. In addition to the relatability of the story, I thought Gavin and Zoey's chemistry was HOT! I could cut that tension with a knife at times. The smoldering looks, Gavin's bossiness, and that barn kiss?!? Excuse me while I fan myself. We even got the single parent trope, and I am always here for that kind of content. I know that some people have trouble with both the age gap trope and boss/employee trope, but I just loved this so much. Gavin can get it any day of the week. And I can't write a review without mentioning that initial meeting between Thayden and Delilah. I really wanted to break up this series instead of binge reading it all, but that teaser for book 3 is wearing me down in a major way. I can't wait to see what happens next!
I'm not a fan of the age gap trope or the wealthy man trope, but somehow St. Clair managed to make them both work in a realistic way, leaving me rooting for these characters
Zoey was mature far beyond her 24 years, but let down her walls and felt like a real person by the end of this story. Gavin is extremely wealthy as heir to an oil farm, but was written very down to earth. There were parts of this that felt like the story was about to go off the rails, but it all ended up working well. The growth of Zoey and Gavin, both as individuals and as a couple, was a delight to read!
There was set up for the next couple in the series, so I'm on to the next book!
I feel like I would have felt differently about the age gap romance if they knew anything about each other past the superficial after 2 years of being in love with each other from afar.
This is my fourth book I've read in this series that I won't even pretend to be reading in any sane order. I started it a few months ago and have to say that the age gap was deterring, so I set it aside and read three others in this series. Those three convinced me to return and guess what? It's quirky and funny and sweet and believable in the way that only a rom-com can be. Zoey works for Gavin but not because she really wants to. Her resignation notice has been ready to go for too many days but she has yet to hand it in. Her excuses are many but mostly revolve around her monster crush on her boss. The thing I think I liked best about this cliche is how Emma acknowledges the age difference on both character's behalf. They both find it hard to wrap their minds around it just like this reader. The largest age difference I have personal experience with is ten years. Is this my favorite trope? No. BUT Emma does such a great job that I don't even care. If she decides to write about a secret baby billionaire (my least favorite combo), I'd probably binge it and crack up throughout. It just goes to show that an author I enjoy can practically get away with murder. Thank you to the author for the #gifted copy and the alc. The narrators, Kevin Eiger and Lorana Hoopes, are both fantastic. All thoughts in this review are my own.
This story really went directions I didn’t imagine it would take me. I like stories that are like that, full of twists and surprises. It keeps me hooked to the story. This story was not a cut and dry fall for your boss like I assumed it would be. One of the major issues was the big age difference. Like old enough to be your dad kind of difference. Not usually my type of book boyfriend, but it didn’t feel forced or like there was this huge difference because their personalities were so in sync. I really enjoyed the story, very different from the last one. Much more mature issues here. It was funny but not in the same way as the last one. I think it’s because Zoey is so serious. Plus the teaser for the next one in the series after this has me all happy and anxiously waiting. Rating: PG, clean
I’ve written a review about the third book in this series - Falling For My Fake Fiancé. I genuinely could not get into this book because the characters do not behave in any way that normal people would behave. It’s incredibly distracting. And everyone seems to be in high school? Why does it feel like everyone is high school - the male lead is on his forties! But... acts like he is in high school. So strange.