Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Hardest Fall

Without a doubt, Ella Maise has become one of my all time favorite authors with her creative stories, loveable characters, and unique plot lines. When I saw, “The Hardest Fall”, was another book Ella wrote, I knew I had to get my hands on it, especially since it was centered around a sports romance (male lead playing college football trying to make it big in the NFL), sweet & shy female lead, funny moments, and of course sweet amazing romance, say no more I was hooked!

This story centered around Zoe and Dylan, and let’s just say that when I read the first page, the first sentence, I had to double check again because it was definitely a “unique” way to meet for the first time. I wouldn’t call Zoe and Dylan’s first meeting as a “meet cute”, but it was funny, awkward, and left a lasting impression on Zoe and Dylan.

Dylan and Zoe were unlike any character I had read before. Specifically Zoe, she was super quirky, shy, and a bit of a klutz sometimes haha. At times, I found Zoe’s quirkiness a bit too much, but in the end she was sweet and thoughtful, and she started to grow on me as I kept reading. I feel like some readers might not be sure about Zoe, but she is someone that will change your mind, and you’ll fall in love with her. Dylan on the other hand, I wasn’t really sure where I stood with him. Dylan seemed like a good guy, loved to tease and play around with Zoe, and I liked seeing how dedicated he was to achieving his goal (graduate from college/ get drafted into NFL).

Zoe and Dylan had an interesting dynamic in that they attempted to be friends, but you could tell they were attracted to one another. Zoe and Dylan’s friendship seemed nice like how they had a long night of talking, Dylan comforting Zoe during an earthquake, and Dylan and Zoe trying to get to know one another.

While Zoe seemed happy and her quirky self, she has someone who had dealt with some hardships in her life, by no means just because you seem fine, doesn’t always equate the same to how you’re actually feeling deep inside. On the surface, Zoe might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but reading more in the story she not only grew on me, but I actually started to enjoy her random, quirky, shy behavior. I found Zoe to be endearing and like any character written by Ella Maise, I fell in love.

I expected this book to be just sweet and cute, but it actually went beyond my expectations. This story dealt with a heavy topic, emotional issues, and it added more depth to the plot line, and I think readers will appreciate the care Ella put into that aspect of the story.

Overall, in the beginning I was a little unsure about Zoe and Dylan, but after reading through, I absolutely adore these two, and the way their story ended was beautiful and heartwarming like, “I LOVE IT” and the epilogue cemented my love for them even more.

Content Warnings

andeng's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

cosetteot's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

More...