* * * * *
First, I had to remember how to breathe. Then, I had to
learn how to survive. Two years, three months and sixteen days had passed since
I was the Rowe Stanton from before, since tragedy stole my youth and my heart
went along with it.
When I left for college, I put a thousand miles between my
future and my past. I’d made a choice—I was going to cross back to the other
side, to live with the living. I just didn’t know how.
And then I met Nate Preeter.
An All-American baseball player, Nate wasn’t supposed to
notice a ghost-of-a-girl like me. But he did. He shouldn’t want to know my
name. But he did. And when he learned my secret and saw the scars it left
behind, he was supposed to run. But he didn’t.
My heart was dead, and I was never supposed to belong to
anyone. But Nate Preeter had me feeling, and he made me want to be his. He
showed me everything I was missing.
And then he showed me how to fall.
People, I am completely enamored with this book. This Is
Falling is one of the best written, heartfelt stories I’ve read and I wish I
could experience it for the first time all over again because it’s just that
sweet and thought-provoking.
Rowe arrives at college feeling slightly overwhelmed. It’s
a bit of a culture shock for her since she’s been homeschooled for the last two
years by her mother. So when it came time to pick a college, even she was
surprised that she chose to move away far from home.
There are a few things about
Rowe that you’ll recognize in yourself – the enormity of being away from home,
getting used to new people, trying to fit in. You’re not told immediately what
exactly makes Rowe function differently from everyone else. If anything, you
sense a vulnerable young woman who’s trying so very slowly to step out of her shell.
When she and Nate meet, the attraction is mutual. Rowe however doesn’t want a
relationship and Nate perceives that she’s different and wants to take his time
to get to know her. Their friendship that develops - perhaps the best part of the book - is a mix of flirty and “let’s
just be buddies”.
When Rowe finally feels comfortable enough to reveal her
past, all the pieces fall together and you feel both sympathy for and impressed by
this young woman. I have to hand it to Scott. I didn’t even come close to
guessing what it was and even then, I was amazed as to how delicately she
handled it all. I think Scott’s years as a journalist covering various events
gave her the valuable insight and compassion needed in writing Rowe's experience.
Aside from Scott’s treatment of the plot, I also really
liked Nate. Yeah, he’s a hot jock who’s wanted by all the girls but he only has
eyes for Rowe. He is so attuned to Rowe’s
tells – her body language, what her limits are. Most importantly, he’s sensitive to what she’s
been through. He is so not the alpha male type in most NA novels. No, that's left to his older brother Ty. Nate’s got just
enough cockiness without being obnoxious. He’s all about making her
comfortable, going at her pace, letting her know and feel that she's beautiful and safe. She’s been made aware that he wants her and
she appreciates that he has no elaborate schemes when it comes to her:
“I don’t play games Rowe. I will wait but I won’t wait forever.”
This straightforwardness is refreshing. I just wish that they could be
this honest more often as they unfortunately end up having a few misunderstandings
because they’re too afraid to say something that will scare the other one off.
It seems this happens whenever their relationship is at a tipping point. All this struggle makes it that much more gratifying
when they finally manage to shed whatever
apprehension that remains.
This Is Falling is phenomenal and though categorized as NA and romance, it’s
more than just about pining after each other and wanting to get in the other’s
pants. As much as I have gushed over Nate, I admire Rowe equally as much. Even as she's coming to terms with all her feelings and realizing all she has to gain, Nate being a huge part of that change in her, it's Rowe who's determined to become better for herself. Scott has done great things here by creating characters with emotional depth, complexity and maturity. The surrounding players in this story also hint that there's more to them than what we've been privy to so far. This sweet, hilarious and moving story is about the healing power of
friendship, the gift of patience and the importance of communication.
As I said before, I wish I could experience this for the first time over and over. Since I can’t, I’ll happily settle in with my own copy and revisit this beautiful story as many times as I want.
As I said before, I wish I could experience this for the first time over and over. Since I can’t, I’ll happily settle in with my own copy and revisit this beautiful story as many times as I want.
~ Bel
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