shelimarie's review against another edition
5.0
Read this in one sitting. Might have cried. Definitely swooned. So many feels.
chantal_readingwithcat's review against another edition
5.0
Corey liebt das Eishockeyspielen, doch ein Unfall ändert ihr Leben von einen auf den anderen Tag. Ab sofort ist sie auf einen Rollstuhl angewiesen, doch davon lässt sie sich nicht runterziehen. Sie geht an das gleiche College wie ihr Bruder und trifft am ersten Tag auf Adam Hartley, einen Eishockeyspieler, der sich ein Bein gebrochen hat und ihr gegenüber wohnt. Zwischen den beiden entwickelt sich eine Freundschaft, denn mehr wird zwischen den beiden nicht sein, denn Adam hat eine Freundin.
Corey Callahan ist eine unglaublich starke und sympathische Protagonistin, die kämpft und nicht einfach aufgibt. Trotz des Unfalls und der Tatsache, dass sie nie wieder laufen kann, lässt sie sich nicht unterkriegen und hat auch ihren Humor nicht verloren.
Adam Hartley hat sich betrunken das Bein gebrochen und muss das nächste Semester beim Eishockey aussetzen. Er ist beeindruckt von Corey, was ich absolut nachvollziehen konnte, da sie wirklich beeindruckend war. Er war witzig, schlau und interessant, denn man erfährt nicht alles über ihn und würde gerne seine Geheimnisse erfahren. Zwischendurch wirkte er etwas unsicher, aber dadurch wirkte er nur umso authentischer und wie ein ganz normaler junger Mann.
Insgesamt wirkten die Charaktere echt und real und man hat sofort mit ihnen mitgefiebert. Der Schreibstil war fließend und ich habe die Geschichte in einem durchgelesen, da ich einfach nicht aufhören konnte.
Ich habe schon einige Bücher von Sarina Bowen gelesen und bisher wurde ich immer überzeugt, aber dieses hier hat mich komplett geflasht. Von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite war ich absolut begeistert von der Geschichte um Corey und Adam. Emotional, romantisch und fesselnd sind nur drei Worte, die mir zu dieser wunderbaren Geschichte einfallen. Es gab auch eine Prise Drama und etwas Humor, aber vorallem viel Gefühl.
Mit diesem Buch hat Sarina Bowen ein Highlight geschaffen, dass mich absolut begeistern konnte. Ich freue mich jetzt nur umso mehr auf die weiter Bücher der The Ivy Years Reihe und allgemein auf Bücher der Autorin.
Corey Callahan ist eine unglaublich starke und sympathische Protagonistin, die kämpft und nicht einfach aufgibt. Trotz des Unfalls und der Tatsache, dass sie nie wieder laufen kann, lässt sie sich nicht unterkriegen und hat auch ihren Humor nicht verloren.
Adam Hartley hat sich betrunken das Bein gebrochen und muss das nächste Semester beim Eishockey aussetzen. Er ist beeindruckt von Corey, was ich absolut nachvollziehen konnte, da sie wirklich beeindruckend war. Er war witzig, schlau und interessant, denn man erfährt nicht alles über ihn und würde gerne seine Geheimnisse erfahren. Zwischendurch wirkte er etwas unsicher, aber dadurch wirkte er nur umso authentischer und wie ein ganz normaler junger Mann.
Insgesamt wirkten die Charaktere echt und real und man hat sofort mit ihnen mitgefiebert. Der Schreibstil war fließend und ich habe die Geschichte in einem durchgelesen, da ich einfach nicht aufhören konnte.
Ich habe schon einige Bücher von Sarina Bowen gelesen und bisher wurde ich immer überzeugt, aber dieses hier hat mich komplett geflasht. Von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite war ich absolut begeistert von der Geschichte um Corey und Adam. Emotional, romantisch und fesselnd sind nur drei Worte, die mir zu dieser wunderbaren Geschichte einfallen. Es gab auch eine Prise Drama und etwas Humor, aber vorallem viel Gefühl.
Mit diesem Buch hat Sarina Bowen ein Highlight geschaffen, dass mich absolut begeistern konnte. Ich freue mich jetzt nur umso mehr auf die weiter Bücher der The Ivy Years Reihe und allgemein auf Bücher der Autorin.
whatcha_listening_to's review against another edition
5.0
5 The Year We Fell Down
HOLD The PHONE… Way did it take me so long to read this book or to even start this series???
I mean really why!? This book was NOT what I was expecting when I thought New Adult.. Let me tell you this is not your normal college age’d book. It was BETTER.
Yep I said it. I loved that both our characters were going through a life long journey. And they ended up at the same place. They helped each other through something no one else could understand.
I want more.. I neeeeeed more thank god there is more to this series. I am going to shut up now and get to listening.. Oh yeah narrations spot freaking on!!
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
HOLD The PHONE… Way did it take me so long to read this book or to even start this series???
I mean really why!? This book was NOT what I was expecting when I thought New Adult.. Let me tell you this is not your normal college age’d book. It was BETTER.
Yep I said it. I loved that both our characters were going through a life long journey. And they ended up at the same place. They helped each other through something no one else could understand.
I want more.. I neeeeeed more thank god there is more to this series. I am going to shut up now and get to listening.. Oh yeah narrations spot freaking on!!
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
claudia_fosca's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful story to start a beautiful series!
Sarina Bowen writes with so much heart and soul. It’s her trademark. Her stories are heartfelt and witty. I seriously adore her sense of humor. She is a genius. Her writing shines because of its simplicity and beauty, it flows. And to top it all, her characters are real people, relatable people. It’s the real deal. Basically, great literature.
I love this book. The Year We Fell Down is everything I love about romance. It is perfection. You have a very interesting collection of secondary characters, a beautiful and very detailed setting, a heartwarming slash heartbreaking story, and a very likable set of main characters.
Adam Hartley is a very hot, popular, sweet, and clueless Hockey player. He has a broken leg and therefore is reassigned to a different dorm building. There he meets Corey Callahan and her roommate Dana, and they become friends.
Corey Callahan is a freshman and is trying to move on with her life after an accident that left her on a wheelchair. She is dealing with the changes normal college students face, but also with plenty of feelings regarding the changes that being partially paralyzed have brought her.
Hartley and Corey bond over their disability and a mutual love for Hockey, but for Corey, soon friendship turns into something more. The bad news, Hartley has a girlfriend. The good news, she’s going on an exchange program for a few months abroad. Time will tell if their connection can grow into something more for both of them.
I love Corey. She is so strong and at the same time so unsure of herself regarding Hartley. And he is so clueless at first. Then he pretends not to be aware of Corey as a woman, but the attraction runs both ways. It is sweet, really. I love the way their relationship grows and how we get to know them through their thoughts and feelings. The story is very well written, the characters are well developed, and is an artful combination of painful and hilarious situations, making you laugh and cry in equal measure. You won’t be able to put it down.
Sarina Bowen writes with so much heart and soul. It’s her trademark. Her stories are heartfelt and witty. I seriously adore her sense of humor. She is a genius. Her writing shines because of its simplicity and beauty, it flows. And to top it all, her characters are real people, relatable people. It’s the real deal. Basically, great literature.
I love this book. The Year We Fell Down is everything I love about romance. It is perfection. You have a very interesting collection of secondary characters, a beautiful and very detailed setting, a heartwarming slash heartbreaking story, and a very likable set of main characters.
Adam Hartley is a very hot, popular, sweet, and clueless Hockey player. He has a broken leg and therefore is reassigned to a different dorm building. There he meets Corey Callahan and her roommate Dana, and they become friends.
Corey Callahan is a freshman and is trying to move on with her life after an accident that left her on a wheelchair. She is dealing with the changes normal college students face, but also with plenty of feelings regarding the changes that being partially paralyzed have brought her.
Hartley and Corey bond over their disability and a mutual love for Hockey, but for Corey, soon friendship turns into something more. The bad news, Hartley has a girlfriend. The good news, she’s going on an exchange program for a few months abroad. Time will tell if their connection can grow into something more for both of them.
I love Corey. She is so strong and at the same time so unsure of herself regarding Hartley. And he is so clueless at first. Then he pretends not to be aware of Corey as a woman, but the attraction runs both ways. It is sweet, really. I love the way their relationship grows and how we get to know them through their thoughts and feelings. The story is very well written, the characters are well developed, and is an artful combination of painful and hilarious situations, making you laugh and cry in equal measure. You won’t be able to put it down.
gracieellen's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
booklovinmamas's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Year We Fell Down is the first book in Sarina Bowen’s The Ivy Years series. I’ve had this book on my TBR since its release in 2014. Thankful to the Romanceopoly challenge hosted by Under the Covers Book Blog, I finally read the book, and it fulfilled the Campus Corner Challenge. I love Sarina Bowen’s MM Romance books with Elle Kennedy, so this was my first MF from the author.
Storyline/My Thoughts: I will immediately admit that I loved the FMC over the MMC in this book. Corey Callahan is downright the sweetest and down-to-earth FMC who grew up loving and playing hockey. She had her life all planned after she graduated high school and got accepted into Harkness College to play college hockey. Unfortunately, she is in a severe accident where she can no longer play the sport. After everything, though, she won’t let it affect her life at college. The college sets her up in the handicapped-accessible dorm rooms, and right across the hall is a cute guy who is also injured and ready to get back on the rink to play hockey for the college team after he is healed. She immediately befriends Adam Hartley, especially since he knows her brother. The issue is that she has a crush on the guy, but he’s way out of her league and has a girlfriend so nothing can come between the two.
I love the stories where a girl and a guy become instant friends and have much in common. The issue is that one doesn’t do relationships or is already hooked up with someone. In this case, the MMC has a long-term steady girlfriend he loves. It’s hard when the guy starts doing things that make the FMC question his intentions, which is when she starts having to guard her heart and push away from him, so she doesn’t get hurt. I felt for Corey’s character because she lost the sport she loved to play and was watching a guy she liked to be with his girlfriend. She handled it well, so she was an instant favorite for me. I probably wouldn’t have finished reading the book if it wasn’t for her.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Hartley but didn’t love him. He was sweet and caring toward Corey and was always there for her, but he had a girlfriend. There was a scene when he was with his girlfriend, and he was thinking about Corey. There’s also a scene where he hooks up with Corey when he’s with his girlfriend. I’m not okay with cheating in real life, so I’m not too fond of it in books, either. Some readers may like it in the books since it adds to the drama but not this reader. I didn’t understand why he was still with his girlfriend when he had obvious feelings for the FMC. A reason does come later in the story, and it may be a decent reason, but at this point, the damage was already done, and I didn’t like his character.
The ending didn’t feel like a HEA, too. It felt more like an HFN since it was rushed with the characters coming together. I was rooting for Corey to find someone better.
Overall, this book was an okay read. I give it three stars. If you are okay with an MMC with someone else for most of the book but have feelings for the FMC, then the book may be for you. I will continue reading this series and also read ALL of Sarina Bowen’s backlist since I made it my mission to do so. Here’s hoping I can make time this year with every other book being released, especially with Sarina’s latest release(s).
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of The Ivy Years series, but each can be read as a standalone.
Steam/Spice: 🌶 🌶
Genre(s)/Trope(s)/Element(s): New Adult & College Romance. Hockey Romance. Sports Romance. Friends to Lovers. Hurt/Comfort. Slow Burn Romance.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend this book to readers who love the Friends to Lovers and Slow Burn tropes. This book does have cheating in it for readers who do or do not like that in their books. This book wasn’t my cup of tea due to cheating, and I wasn’t fond of the MMC. The FMC won me over, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Ableism, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Infidelity
bookaddict1975's review against another edition
4.0
🎧 Audio Review 🎧
I loved this book! This book was very different from all the other books I've been reading. I have read so many "injured athlete" books in the past but never where the girl is the athlete. This book made me think about so many things I haven't really considered before. It was so sweet and romantic and had so many real life problems. I am dying to start book 2.
The narration is great! Nick Podehl is great but I don't love his female voices and Saskia Maarleveld was perfect all around!
I loved this book! This book was very different from all the other books I've been reading. I have read so many "injured athlete" books in the past but never where the girl is the athlete. This book made me think about so many things I haven't really considered before. It was so sweet and romantic and had so many real life problems. I am dying to start book 2.
The narration is great! Nick Podehl is great but I don't love his female voices and Saskia Maarleveld was perfect all around!
4eyedlobster's review against another edition
I will no longer review (1) Ruby Dixon, or (2) hockey romances. This is a firm policy.