The Rules of Falling for You by Mollie Rushmeyer

The Rules of Falling for You
by Mollie Rushmeyer

ISBN-13: 9780764244421
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: Sept. 2, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The perfect match can't be far--certainly not at a Regency-themed singles retreat--or so podcaster Zoe Dufour believes. After years of creating content for her relationship podcast inspired by Regency etiquette and era-appropriate rules for romance, she knows her listeners will anticipate this retreat. But she also attends with expectations of her finding the ideal modern-day gentleman who can meet every one of the nonnegotiables on her checklist.

Harrison Lundquist, Zoe's podcast producer and best friend's brother, reluctantly agrees to attend the retreat to capture footage while seeking a career-advancing promotion. He views the retreat as ridiculous. And Zoe's methods for finding her real-life Mr. Darcy? Downright absurd! But as he films her whirlwind dates, his feelings for her are sidelined by suitors vying for her attention. When Zoe realizes her ideal checklist might be lacking something, she must decide if she's willing to rewrite her rules and take a chance on the person who has been there all along.


My Review:
The Rules of Falling for You is a Christian, contemporary romance. Harrison has known Zoe since they were kids (as Zoe is his sister's best friend) and has long been in love with her. He's steadily supported her through life's ups and downs, wanting the best for her even though she's never viewed him as more than a sort of brother. Zoe's so afraid of being abandoned when life gets hard that she sabotages her own relationships, like picking dates that are easy to reject. She's certain that having a checklist of necessary traits will ensure a good match but refused to see that Harrison had the character and values that she was really looking for.

I appreciated that the author created complex characters that had to work through their hang-ups to finally have a lasting romantic relationship. However, I wanted to give up on Zoe at times as the "I'm deliberately blind to what's in front of me" got tiring. She couldn't see that Ben was using her while at the same time rejected Harrison, who'd proven his devotion and care over many years. She swore she wanted a relationship where the couple was a team that faced hard times together, but the moment something hard happened, she assumed the worst about Harrison and refused to let him explain (nor did she investigate herself) when everyone else gave him a chance.

Worse, the conflict was based on an unrealistic setup. Harrison was filming the footage for Zoe--he worked for her--with his TV station boss interested in seeing the final product as a way for Harrison to prove his production skills. The boss shouldn't have had the ability to give access to the footage to anyone else, nor could the bad guy just steal the waivers and the footage (which everyone knew weren't his) and use them as he liked. Harrison did know this, but Zoe's been producing her own show for a while and should have known this, too, and should have acted on it.

Also, we're told that Zoe has Type 1 diabetes, yet insulin was only mentioned at the very beginning. From that point on, she's always eating to control her blood sugar levels, even a 'rescue' of eating sugary sweets. Yet "Type 1 diabetes is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease that prevents your pancreas from making insulin....People with Type 1 diabetes need to give themselves insulin doses when they consume carbohydrates." It felt like the author thought Type 1 diabetes was the same as Type 2 diabetes.

Zoe and Harrison came to rely on God for their security and approval. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I recommend this "rom com" because I enjoyed many of the characters even if the end fell apart in some ways.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.