In Trust Fall by Lynn Painter, Sometimes life takes you by surprise and sends you in a direction you never expected. That’s exactly what happened to Julia Lowell. A high 
school senior in Nebraska, she had no idea that the local elderly gentleman she and her family adored and considered one of their own would unexpectedly pass away. Or that “Lou” was secretly a millionaire who would leave tons of money and a brownstone in Manhattan to them. Following the stipulations to gain the inheritance was only the first step for Julia, her brother Liam, and their parents. Fitting in is a whole other story. And while the autumn vibes in NYC have her feeling like she’s in a movie, the snobby classmates at Gardenwood Academy dampen her spirits on day one. Not to mention how Julia is told she needs a tutor. Damion Rutledge is everything she will never be: charming, socially confident, worldly. And it doesn’t help that their attraction is enough to render her speechless at times. But she learned the hard way that guys can’t be trusted with her heart. So why would she be foolish enough to give it to someone like Damion who not only is carrying around secrets, but who is her total opposite?
“What was your name again?”
…His eyes were very nearly twinkling behind those *stupid-hot* glasses as he looked down at me and said, “It’s Damion, honey, and it looks like I’m going to have to make some serious moves to ensure you never forget it again.”
Damion doesn’t trust Julia and her supposedly friendly family at all. But even he has to acknowledge his parents’ claims that there’s something not quite right with his beloved great uncle Remi handing over millions and a historic home to the Lowells. Damion isn’t sure how he’ll figure out the truth. At first. Then opportunity knocks: he’s asked to tutor Julia in math. Meaning he’ll have an excuse to visit Riverside Manor and see what she and her family are truly up to. But Damion is surprised to realize that outward appearances are accurate. The Lowells appear to be on the up-and-up. And as he gets tidbits about Remi’s life in Nebraska, adding to the grief he still hasn’t dealt with, Damion also loses a bit of his heart to Julia herself. Something that he knows will come back to bite him. But there’s no way around it. Julia has worked her way into his life until there is no hope of moving on from the beautiful Nebraskan.
‘I looked down at that pretty face, at the soft warmth radiating from her, and I felt like I *knew* her, all of her.
And that she somehow knew exactly who I was.
The good and the bad.
The *real* me, not the Rutledge.’
TRUST FALL was a fish-out-of-water YA rom-com filled with the delicious banter and multilayered characters I’ve come to expect from Lynn Painter. But Julia and Damion’s story was something very special. Told from dual POV, the way their lives intersected was unique, intense, heartbreaking, and extremely touching. And the person who connected them? Well, even though Julia’s family had no idea who their wealthy benefactor truly was before he passed on, he left an indelible mark on their lives as well as that of his great nephew, Damion. And honestly, now on my (literary) life too.
“Sometimes we make the wrong decisions with the right heart.”
Painter is one of a handful of YA authors who writes such compelling, entertaining stories that as I get older, the age range doesn’t bother me in the least. Not to say that her teenage characters don’t act their age. Because boy do they! The angst, melodrama, confusion and discovery, as well as young love. It’s real and it’s messy. And I’m there for every tumultuous moment.
But with Damion and Julia, this was also a study in disparity. Julia was a down-to-earth high school senior from Nebraska who loved her home state and her family’s cozy life there but struggled with social anxiety. Damion was uber rich, from Manhattan–also a high school senior–and attended elite Gardenwood Academy. He had a rebellious streak a mile wide which could be a source of frustration not only to his pretentious parents but also to Julia once she moved into Damion’s neighborhood after inheriting his great uncle Remi’s brownstone and money. And especially after their hilarious meet cute set them off on the wrong foot.
TROPES/VIBES:
💸 Rags-to-riches YA rom-com
⚔️ Enemies to lovers
💕 He falls first
🏙️ Small-town girl, big-city world
💘 Memorable meet-cute
🍁 Gorgeous autumn in NYC
🎓 Elite prep school
📚 Tutor x student
🔥 Romantic tension
🤫 Hidden agenda
CW: View Spoiler »
I won’t lie about how tough it was at times to like Damion. He leaned into his rich boy persona a bit much at first. But as he let go of some of his doubts on whether Julia (and her family) was lying about the inheritance, Damion’s true nature began to show. And once Painter explored his grief over the loss of his amazing Uncle Remi, pointed out how dismal parts of his home life were and the pressure he was under, I wanted to give Damion a hug. (lol) Thankfully Julia was smart enough to see through some of Damion’s actions and knew he “contained multitudes” even though she was still recovering from a broken heart from back in Nebraska.
Trust was a huge theme for nearly everyone in this story. Especially for Julia–who I loved from page one. I appreciated that she realistically waffled on whether she would be safe getting close to a couple of her female classmates after being bullied by other elites and if Damion would end up hurting her if she gave in to her insane chemistry with him. Theirs wasn’t an easy relationship given all the subterfuge and secrets. But it ended in the most nostalgic, celebratory way that will likely require readers to keep some tissues nearby.
QOTD: Julia (and Damion) was in love with autumn in NYC. What is your favorite season where you live?
Book Info:
Publication: Published: September 29th, 2026 | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
From the 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?
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