A review by charmaineac
The Fall of Butterflies by Andrea Portes

4.0

This takes the classic Great Gatsby-style tragedy and flips it on its head. I loved how Willa adapted and responded to the world of blue bloods. I loved her snark and cynical outlook on life. At times, she was definitely a bit jaded, but I also found myself nodding along in agreement.

She handles peer pressure, relationships, and friendships in a completely relatable way. Her fear of ghosts is cute. I loved her father and Ms. Ingall. For all intents and purposes, Willa came from a pretty great place with strong adult figures. They taught her values and helped prevent her from selling herself short.

I never expected to feel sorry for Remy, but that's how things ended up. And I thought the Milo plotline would get tied up neatly, but it ended up being a loose thread (severed short).

What's odd is that I started this book with an impending sense of doom. Willa was in such a dark place, and I truly thought this was going to be one of those "suicide-and-the-aftermath" books. I didn't really understand why she was in that frame of mind, or how it magically evaporated. I didn't appreciate the way she described her old classmates, but I came to like her by the end of it. And maybe Remy really did save her, even though she wasn't able to return the favour.