nylee's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
suspensethrill's review
3.0
I would like to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Stars
I was intrigued to read this book when I found out that the author also wrote the script for the movie "The Wedding Planner". This is her debut novel and while it wasn't the greatest, it was still pretty good.
This novel alternates between "Then" and "Now" chapters which are short snippets of the past (which explains Ellie and Robs backstory) and the present (which is where we get into the real crime thriller elements.
Overall, I enjoyed the thriller aspect of the plot. It was a fun read but not anything exceptionally memorable. I also found myself wanting to skim through Ellie and Rob's backstory. It seemed a little fluffy and unnecessary padding at times to the book.
3.5 Stars
I was intrigued to read this book when I found out that the author also wrote the script for the movie "The Wedding Planner". This is her debut novel and while it wasn't the greatest, it was still pretty good.
This novel alternates between "Then" and "Now" chapters which are short snippets of the past (which explains Ellie and Robs backstory) and the present (which is where we get into the real crime thriller elements.
Overall, I enjoyed the thriller aspect of the plot. It was a fun read but not anything exceptionally memorable. I also found myself wanting to skim through Ellie and Rob's backstory. It seemed a little fluffy and unnecessary padding at times to the book.
hellalibrary's review
3.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an unbiased review.
Just Fall is a debut novel from Nina Sadowsky, a Hollywood producer and screenplay writer and it shows. This book *feels* like a movie when you’re reading it. Some of the descriptions are very “cinematic” so-to-speak.
“At the window of the room in question, a woman watches the men play.”
You see what I mean? I almost felt like I was reading a screenplay or a play.
A lot of it was written this way, especially when the author was describing certain scenes, so it was a bit distracting at first, but the actual plot totally made up for it.
The story begins with Rob and Ellie, two people very deeply in love, on their wedding day. But it’s not all cake and champagne, because Rob has just revealed some crazy shit to Ellie and it’s about to go down.
The novel switches back and forth each chapter from “Then” to “Now” and we get a backstory of Rob’s and Ellie’s characters leading up to their wedding, as well as what has happened after Rob has made his revelations to Ellie.
But Rob isn’t the only one with secrets, because Ellie def has some stuff buried deep that will come out and you’ll just have to read to find out what it is!
I actually wish their character’s would have been developed more because it was def interesting to read how their past selves shaped the people they had become.
Also, some parts felt very much like the movies “True Lies” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” at times, but not in a comedy way, which is not surprising since the author is in the film industry.
This was def more of a crime novel complete with gangsters and whodunit’s and twists that will keep you guessing until the end.
Just Fall is a debut novel from Nina Sadowsky, a Hollywood producer and screenplay writer and it shows. This book *feels* like a movie when you’re reading it. Some of the descriptions are very “cinematic” so-to-speak.
“At the window of the room in question, a woman watches the men play.”
You see what I mean? I almost felt like I was reading a screenplay or a play.
A lot of it was written this way, especially when the author was describing certain scenes, so it was a bit distracting at first, but the actual plot totally made up for it.
The story begins with Rob and Ellie, two people very deeply in love, on their wedding day. But it’s not all cake and champagne, because Rob has just revealed some crazy shit to Ellie and it’s about to go down.
The novel switches back and forth each chapter from “Then” to “Now” and we get a backstory of Rob’s and Ellie’s characters leading up to their wedding, as well as what has happened after Rob has made his revelations to Ellie.
But Rob isn’t the only one with secrets, because Ellie def has some stuff buried deep that will come out and you’ll just have to read to find out what it is!
I actually wish their character’s would have been developed more because it was def interesting to read how their past selves shaped the people they had become.
Also, some parts felt very much like the movies “True Lies” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” at times, but not in a comedy way, which is not surprising since the author is in the film industry.
This was def more of a crime novel complete with gangsters and whodunit’s and twists that will keep you guessing until the end.
justacatandabook's review
3.0
Ellie seems to have the picture perfect life - and now, the picture perfect wedding. She's finally marrying Rob, seemingly the man of her dreams. But at her wedding, Ellie's world collapses, as she finds out Rob is not what he seems. She is quickly swept up into his world of lies and yes, murder. Rob is counting on Ellie to free them from the constrictive life he's been leading, but that may mean she has to kill someone. Is Ellie prepared to do this? Is Rob what he seems? What has happened to Ellie's perfect life?
This was an interesting thriller, to say the least. It starts out a little slow (seems like a conventional he said/she said back and forth point-of-view tale) but quickly turned into an actual, compelling mystery. The book is told in a "Then" and "Now" format, but with a couple of twists: first, you hear not only from Ellie and Rob, but also a detective, Lucien, who is investigating several cases that have ensnared the pair, and second, the "Then" portions aren't chronological, so you are really skipping around in time. It is confusing at times, but certainly adds to the page-turning aspect. A good 3/4 of the book passes by in a flash.
I was wary most of the book - who is telling the truth? Rob? Ellie? No one? This one reminded me a bit of another excellent book I read recently - J.T. Ellison's "No One Knows" (which I preferred), where you just don't know which spouse to trust, or if you even like either of them! They are both flawed, but not really in a way you could sympathize with. Lucien was certainly the only character who seemed to have any redemptive qualities to him at times, and his inclusion was intriguing and enjoyable.
Overall, this book left me feeling confused and a little wanting. It seemed to fall apart a little with the ending - I was almost not quite sure exactly what transpired. It left me a little wanting. Still, as I write my review 24 hours later, the book is still haunting me, and I imagine it will for quite some time-- which is certainly a feat in itself. I'm glad I read it; it was a strange and interesting experience to say the least.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley (thank you!); it is available for publication on 3/22. You can check out a review of this novel and many others on my blog.
This was an interesting thriller, to say the least. It starts out a little slow (seems like a conventional he said/she said back and forth point-of-view tale) but quickly turned into an actual, compelling mystery. The book is told in a "Then" and "Now" format, but with a couple of twists: first, you hear not only from Ellie and Rob, but also a detective, Lucien, who is investigating several cases that have ensnared the pair, and second, the "Then" portions aren't chronological, so you are really skipping around in time. It is confusing at times, but certainly adds to the page-turning aspect. A good 3/4 of the book passes by in a flash.
I was wary most of the book - who is telling the truth? Rob? Ellie? No one? This one reminded me a bit of another excellent book I read recently - J.T. Ellison's "No One Knows" (which I preferred), where you just don't know which spouse to trust, or if you even like either of them! They are both flawed, but not really in a way you could sympathize with. Lucien was certainly the only character who seemed to have any redemptive qualities to him at times, and his inclusion was intriguing and enjoyable.
Overall, this book left me feeling confused and a little wanting. It seemed to fall apart a little with the ending - I was almost not quite sure exactly what transpired. It left me a little wanting. Still, as I write my review 24 hours later, the book is still haunting me, and I imagine it will for quite some time-- which is certainly a feat in itself. I'm glad I read it; it was a strange and interesting experience to say the least.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley (thank you!); it is available for publication on 3/22. You can check out a review of this novel and many others on my blog.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Just Fall is a dark, mysterious psychological thriller where the characters go to extreme lengths to hide what horrors they are capable of.
Just Fall is a well done psychological thriller where the layers of the story, and the layers of the characters are slowly unpeeled, until only the dark, ugly horror is left for the world to see. Told in several different points of views, and from both the past and the present, the story unfolds in a way that makes it hard to put the book down. At the beginning, it read as something between a love story and a horror story, where one of the main characters, Ellie, is observed by an external narrator who is speculating about what she is doing, and who she is with at a very dark moment.
I loved that there were several sub-plots that happened parallel to the main plot, and there were more than one story-line as well. I was immediately drawn in by Ellie, and her new relationship with Rob. They seemed to be such a normal couple in the beginning, but as their layers were slowly taken away, there was so much more to them than what met the eyes. Just Fall is the kind of mystery and suspense where the dark deeds of the characters are told with a certain detachment, and this detachment makes their actions seem both distant and somehow more gruesome at the same time.
More time was spent with Ellie and her inner thoughts than with the other characters, and that worked really well for me! While Ellie wasn't necessarily the kind of main character I usually fall for, there was something about her that made me want to know her story, understand the reasons behind what she was doing, and her want for love and understanding. As the story unfolded, it became more and more complex, but never to the point of not making sense, and I enjoyed everything that transpired on the beautiful island of St. Lucia.
If you are looking for a slightly muted horror story, where the characters move everything, and where you will be left wondering what is truly going on until the very end, you should pick up Just Fall and see just where it takes you.
The next five years were absorbed by Mary Ann's illness, like a sponge soaking up a rancid spill. Ellie's parents were always at the hospital or seeking out some experimental cure. Ellie's failures, her triumphs, her strivings and dilemmas, went unnoticed because Mary Ann took everything.
Stealth had stuck as a nickname. Ellie liked being called Stealth. It completely suited who she wanted to be in college, a departure from the inherited notoriety that had surrounded her when she was 'the girl whose sister died.' She was seen in her own right and had a cool nickname, one that also spoke to being unseen, which felt like a private little irony.
Just Fall is a dark, mysterious psychological thriller where the characters go to extreme lengths to hide what horrors they are capable of.
Just Fall is a well done psychological thriller where the layers of the story, and the layers of the characters are slowly unpeeled, until only the dark, ugly horror is left for the world to see. Told in several different points of views, and from both the past and the present, the story unfolds in a way that makes it hard to put the book down. At the beginning, it read as something between a love story and a horror story, where one of the main characters, Ellie, is observed by an external narrator who is speculating about what she is doing, and who she is with at a very dark moment.
I loved that there were several sub-plots that happened parallel to the main plot, and there were more than one story-line as well. I was immediately drawn in by Ellie, and her new relationship with Rob. They seemed to be such a normal couple in the beginning, but as their layers were slowly taken away, there was so much more to them than what met the eyes. Just Fall is the kind of mystery and suspense where the dark deeds of the characters are told with a certain detachment, and this detachment makes their actions seem both distant and somehow more gruesome at the same time.
More time was spent with Ellie and her inner thoughts than with the other characters, and that worked really well for me! While Ellie wasn't necessarily the kind of main character I usually fall for, there was something about her that made me want to know her story, understand the reasons behind what she was doing, and her want for love and understanding. As the story unfolded, it became more and more complex, but never to the point of not making sense, and I enjoyed everything that transpired on the beautiful island of St. Lucia.
If you are looking for a slightly muted horror story, where the characters move everything, and where you will be left wondering what is truly going on until the very end, you should pick up Just Fall and see just where it takes you.
The next five years were absorbed by Mary Ann's illness, like a sponge soaking up a rancid spill. Ellie's parents were always at the hospital or seeking out some experimental cure. Ellie's failures, her triumphs, her strivings and dilemmas, went unnoticed because Mary Ann took everything.
Stealth had stuck as a nickname. Ellie liked being called Stealth. It completely suited who she wanted to be in college, a departure from the inherited notoriety that had surrounded her when she was 'the girl whose sister died.' She was seen in her own right and had a cool nickname, one that also spoke to being unseen, which felt like a private little irony.
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