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caledonia's review against another edition
3.0
The ending felt rushed and the twist that wasn't really a twist but was built up like one frustrated me because I was okay with a boy being a murderer but making him be like ahaha maybe not and then being like jk, gave me whiplash, I only liked that it helped build the younger sisters arc.
bookwormbetty's review
4.0
This book was so good, it was intense and angsty, just the way I like them. There were so many emotions running the gamut through me when I was reading this. I felt really bad for both Brooke and Heath. Both put in a horrible place put there by circumstances they could not control. All in all this was a fantastic read.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Even If I Fall by Abigal Johnson focuses on the after of a tragedy. Brooke's brother Jason is in jail for murdering his best friend Cal. This obviously rocks his family unit and the community. Brooke is left to figure out her new normal as her family is broken and struggling, her friends have disassociated with her, and the things that bring her joy no longer do. In the midst of this, Brooke connects with Heath - Cal's brother. Yup, talk about complex situation. Through the story, Brooke and Health's relationship grows, but they must keep it a secret from their families and the whole community. The story centers on how the family emotionally navigates visiting Jason - or not visiting. There is also the emotion that Heath and Cal's family feel as they continue to grieve and process. This book is also about Brooke's want to understand the truth of what happened that fateful night. That truth is ultimately revealed, and the secrets that are uncovered add a whole different dimension. This is another one I read thanks to NetGalley. Thanks to them I was able to go on this emotional journey. The story is a complicated one which is what makes it worth reading.
katiekat's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It’s a really good book and not boring at all
kookie9200's review
4.0
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest opinion.
Brooke's family is dealing with the fallout of her brother's murder conviction. Everything in their world has changed. The book focuses on Brooke's new life, and how she navigates it. On top of losing friends, jobs, and respectability, Brooke's world is turned upside down by a chance meeting with Heath Gaines, the brother of her brother's victim.
Full of complex situations, interesting characters, and a unique story line, this book is engaging and a great read.
Brooke's family is dealing with the fallout of her brother's murder conviction. Everything in their world has changed. The book focuses on Brooke's new life, and how she navigates it. On top of losing friends, jobs, and respectability, Brooke's world is turned upside down by a chance meeting with Heath Gaines, the brother of her brother's victim.
Full of complex situations, interesting characters, and a unique story line, this book is engaging and a great read.
randomly_kait's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know, I have conflicting emotions about this book. On one hand I liked how this story was about healing, and growing, and loving someone even if you also kind of hate them because they've done something terrible.
But also, this book hurt my soul. I felt so terrible for Laura and Brooke and her whole family because they're being treated terribly because of something Jason did. It was so unfair that they were treated the way they were, because they didn't do anything wrong. I get that those things happen in real life, but dude. I hurt so bad for them.
I'm not sold on the relationship between Heath and Brooke, to be honest. Yes, they can talk about everything and understand (kind of) what the other one is going through. But Heath was still kind of a jerk to Brooke. She has to be careful what she says and does because it will set him off and he'll get angry at her. I just... I don't know if I support their relationship yet.
I think that they all should have gone to counseling, they could have driven somewhere far enough away from their judge-y little small town to talk to someone, because I think that would have helped with a lot of the issues that were happening.
I have torn feeling about this book you guys, and I don't know what to do about it.
But also, this book hurt my soul. I felt so terrible for Laura and Brooke and her whole family because they're being treated terribly because of something Jason did. It was so unfair that they were treated the way they were, because they didn't do anything wrong. I get that those things happen in real life, but dude. I hurt so bad for them.
I'm not sold on the relationship between Heath and Brooke, to be honest. Yes, they can talk about everything and understand (kind of) what the other one is going through. But Heath was still kind of a jerk to Brooke. She has to be careful what she says and does because it will set him off and he'll get angry at her. I just... I don't know if I support their relationship yet.
I think that they all should have gone to counseling, they could have driven somewhere far enough away from their judge-y little small town to talk to someone, because I think that would have helped with a lot of the issues that were happening.
I have torn feeling about this book you guys, and I don't know what to do about it.
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting concept but the execution was clumsy and often convoluted.
bestdressedbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
So here is the deal with this book. The story was full of emotion with this deep underlying angst that just never seems to go away which was amazing I loved that about it. I loved the realistic world that Brooke had to deal with being the sibling of a murderer, the way she was treated, the need to keep things a secret etc this was all done really well. But (personal reading taste) I hate over used prose and this book had a lot of them which stopped it being a 5 star read for me.
katkinney's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this is one of the very best books I’ve read so far this year! What a tearjerker. Brooke’s brother is “gone.” Heath’s brother is “gone.” But we find out as the book progresses that “gone” has very different meanings, and that one was responsible for the other’s death. Brooke is now the town pariah. Her mother runs obsessively, cries in closets, and relies on Brooke to keep the house functioning. Her dad doesn’t leave the basement and talks in grunts. Little sister has gone nearly catatonic. No one goes into town anymore but Brooke, where everyone in their small, West Texas community shuns her for what her brother did.
Here’s where things get interesting. Brooke and Heath meet and start to talk. There’s a lot of anger. Brooke is sure there is more to what happened that night than what her brother told the police. He can’t be a killer. Heath’s brother was his best friend. And as she goes searching for the truth and bits and pieces start to unfold, this goes in lots of directions I wasn’t expecting! So good, and takes a very sensitive, heartfelt look at all the sides of what it means to have a loved one in the prison system, and what it is to lose someone in a horrible senseless way. Very thought-provoking.
Here’s where things get interesting. Brooke and Heath meet and start to talk. There’s a lot of anger. Brooke is sure there is more to what happened that night than what her brother told the police. He can’t be a killer. Heath’s brother was his best friend. And as she goes searching for the truth and bits and pieces start to unfold, this goes in lots of directions I wasn’t expecting! So good, and takes a very sensitive, heartfelt look at all the sides of what it means to have a loved one in the prison system, and what it is to lose someone in a horrible senseless way. Very thought-provoking.