Book Club February 2026: He Falls First

Jill Shalvis has a new series set in Star Falls, California, where local legend says those who see three falling stars will soon meet the love of their life. In He Falls First, the three Colburn brothers scoff at the legend right up until all three of them see the astrological phenomenom. From then on, they are concerned. Because, as his younger brothers point out, eldest brother, Ryder, has met a woman named Penny, and he is hooked.

Penny has a twelve year old brother and an absent mom, so she uproots her life to move into her grandmother's house to help raise Wyatt. She arrives in Star Falls with a dream of owning her own bakery (unrealized), a restraining order against her abusive ex, and a decision to avoid all men. The fact that her grandmother has become the caregiver for Ryder Colburn's father, she is employed by Ryder's sister, and he is drop-dead gorgeous complicates that plan.

This book is appropriately called He Falls First because Ryder literally falls for Penny before she falls for him. This is a definite role reversal from most romance novels. Also, He Falls First is written in first person rather than Shalvis' usual third person. And, of course, it is the first in the series.

There are a lot of things I like about this book. I like Penny's family. I like Ryder's family. I like what Shalvis was trying to do by creating a heroine with demons created from past abuse. I believed that Ryder really was as good looking and great as Penny believed him to be. I just... didn't love the book.

I think there are several reasons for this. First, I'm just not convinced that Shalvis quite pulled off the first person point of view. Or... something. Maybe it just wasn't the best pov for this particular story. Second, I think because Penny was hesitant to commit and Ryder let her set a very slow pace in order to heal and learn to trust him, there just weren't a lot of firework moments.

I mean there were some sexy moments, but even those didn't really make the book work. Well, except for the one where Penny and Ryder are steaming up the interior of his truck and get caught by a cop. That was cute. The couple, though, didn't really vibe with the moment. If it had been me, there would have been hysterical laughter and some real bonding from a moment like that one. For them, it really only amounted to coitus interuptus.

There is a growth arc for Penny in this story where she comes to trust Ryder -- and more importantly, herself -- but the entire topic of her dream bakery is completely ignored until the very end of the story. At that point, Ryder suppiles her with a location for her business. In real life, that would likely be very sexy, but in a romance novel it felt like a man solved her problem instead of her developing enough to solve it for herself.

Most of all, this book feels like nothing really happens. There is no tension between the characters because Ryder is the most superhuman man who never gets angry at Penny blowing hot and cold, and Penny's own life is just a series of missed opportunities.

She's moved back to take care of her brother, but the interaction between them is very minor. There are a few nice moments. He does confront Ryder to demand he not hurt Penny. She does give him a hug he feels awkward about, and that feels real and sort of sweet. Still, we don't ever see Wyatt in any setting other than moping around the house wanting food. Taking care of a teen involves teachers, and hobbies, and his friends, but Wyatt has none of that in his life. She isn't really caring for him so much as she is working long hours to provide for the family.

Another miss is with Penny's grandmother. She is a feisty old lady who speaks about finding her own man. Yet, we don't ever see her even interact with anyone other than the family and the Colburns. Grandma just could have been developed much more, and that would have made this read a lot more fun.

That leads me to what may be the final issue with this story. This book, and I suspect this series, focuses on the men more than the women. I mean, the series is named after the men. It's the men who see the stars falling. The men are the established family in the town. Yet, Ryder really doesn't change at all in this story. I think it is maybe inferred that he has let go of his sadness around the death of his best friend, but again, that is the sub of all subplots. It's just really not explored, and is treated more as a plot device where his life has room for a woman in it because he is missing his friend and at the same time, he doesn't feel ready for a woman, because he's still missing his friend.

So, for me, this book is just a miss. I do have a favourite moment, and it is when Ryder goes to visit his best friend's grave on what would have been his friend's birthday. Both of Ryder's brothers join him at the gravesite, and they bring pizza, so the group 'has pizza' with the dead friend on his birthday. That, to me, is the best moment in the book.

It's too bad that I didn't love this book, because I do love Jill Shalvis' writing. Hopefully, after this series is complete, she will go back to writing in the third person, where she excells. It's also too bad because I honestly liked Ryder's brothers, and I'd be way more interested in reading their stories than I was captivated by Ryder's book. I'm just not sure, with all the books out there waiting to be read, that I would bother reading the next in this series.

So, let me know what you think about this book. Was your experience of it the same as mine? Do you think I was too harsh? Did you have a favourite moment? And, if you want something to compare, I highly recommend Jill Shalvis' Wilder Series. That series is also based around three brothers, but where I simply can't recommend He Falls First, the Wilder Series (Instant Attraction, Instant Gratification, Instant Temptation) is one of my favourite romance novel series of all time.