A Charming YA Rom Com Set in NYC during the Fall

Goodreads | Trust Fall

Release date: September 29, 2026

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: YA Romance

Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter, comes a rags-to-riches rom-com about a small-town girl whose family inherits a fortune and moves to New York City, where she meets a big-city boy hiding an explosive secret.

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.

As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?

Review:

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter is exactly the kind of YA rom com that leaves me feeling completely giddy—and somehow like a teenager myself. Lynn Painter has a way of writing young love, witty banter, and all those delicious do they like each other or do they not? moments that make it impossible not to get swept up in the story, and this one was no exception. In fact, while I genuinely love everything Lynn Painter writes, I think her YA books might be where she shines brightest. There is just something about the combination of awkward first true love energy, hilarious dialogue, swoony tension, and characters who are trying to figure out their feelings that works so incredibly well for me.

And then there is the setting. New York City in the fall? Absolute perfection. The elite private school, historic brownstones, autumn atmosphere, and larger than life NYC backdrop created exactly the kind of setting I want in a fall read. NYC in the fall is already magic, but Painter captures that particular cozy, romantic feeling so well that I wanted to crawl directly into the pages.

Julia was easily my favorite part of the book. She is awkward, relatable, and absolutely adorable, and I was completely obsessed with her. Watching this small town girl suddenly find herself dropped into a world of wealth, private schools, and New York City could have easily become predictable, but Julia’s personality made the whole experience feel fresh and charming. I couldn’t help but root for her as she tried to figure out where she belonged.

Damion, admittedly, wasn’t quite love at first sight for me. But this is Lynn Painter we’re talking about, so naturally, he grew on me. Her heroes have a habit of doing that, and Damion was no exception. As his relationship with Julia developed, so did my feelings for him, and eventually I was fully invested in the two of them.

But underneath all of that fun and romance is a thread of grief that gives the story more emotional depth. I really appreciated how authentically it was handled. It never felt like grief was simply being used as a plot device; instead, it felt like an honest part of these characters’ experiences and their journeys toward figuring out who they are and where they belong.

Between the banter, the tension, the romance, the emotional moments, and NYC in the fall, Trust Fall delivered pretty much everything I want from a Lynn Painter YA rom com. It was witty, charming, funny, swoony, and completely addictive, with characters I genuinely cared about.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

• YA rom coms
• NYC in the fall
• Elite private school settings
• Witty banter
• Slow burn romantic tension
• Awkward, adorable heroines
• Swoony romance
• Secrets and unexpected inheritances
• Grief woven into a romance
• Lynn Painter’s signature humor and charm

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Novelgossip!