A review by pikasqueaks
Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder
4.0
This book came from, then went in, a completely different direction than what I was expecting. I mean, the summary is fairly obvious. And in a way, I think I wanted it to be that sort of carbon-copy book that's out there about teenagers in abusive relationships. But the coolest thing? Like, really super cool? It's not like that at all.
Rae's a sweet girl brimming with the need to do something good. She works part-time at a flower shop and sticks her money to the side. She needs a ticket to get out of her crummy household, with a neglectful mother and emotionally (and physically) volatile step-father. Rae comes across as sort of the everygirl at first -- someone we could all relate to, someone we could all see a bit of ourselves in. With all that nervous energy, she writes poetry that's incredibly telling of her state of mind.
This is one of the first things that really sold the book for me. If you're not familiar with Lisa Schroeder, she has written a number of (really good) novels in verse. They're really great, but they obviously have a polished, streamlined quality to them that you don't expect from a teenager. So while it's fine to read about them in verse, having a teenage girl write such awesome poetry would stick out. But Rae's is true to life, not the worst I've ever read, but definitely believably juvenile. And by the way, if you haven't read Chasing Brooklyn, you should.
Anyhow, enters Nathan. Right off the bat, Rae is worried and skeptical about this kid. He's aggressive from the start, has a mouth on him -- and even she admits that she doesn't know if she should slap him or laugh with him. But it's that kind of affection and attention, where he's calling her beautiful and making her feel wanted, that gets through to her. All those nerves working through her body, the months and years of being ignored by her mother and yelled at by her step-father, take a backseat to feel even just a little good about herself.
But it doesn't last, and the doubt Rae had at first comes to a head. She sees Nathan for what he is, a stalkery, creepy, angry person who needs help that she can't provide. But when he throws out phrases suggesting he'd hurt himself if she stops being there for him, she concedes and sticks by him. And though it's hard to read and you want to push Rae in the direction she's leaning, it's true to life.
Let me make it clear, at no point are Nathan's actions made to be anything but creepy and overwhelming. Faulting Rae for her reactions to his reactions is outlandish and downright wrong. People don't always have the resources -- emotionally, physically, to get up and leave someone toxic behind. Nathan doesn't want to give up that comfort he created in his own mind, and he makes damn well sure everyone's aware. Rae has a hard time deciding what to do, and eventually gathers the courage and strength to handle it on her own terms.
Some of that strength comes from the light inside of her, some of it comes from the encouragement she gets from her friends -- especially Leo, the ridiculously caramel sweet coffee shop boy. I've never liked a book boy like I've liked Leo, both wanting to pat him on the head, and wanting to giggle at him for being silly. Leo is such a sharp, albeit slow-moving contrast to the impulsive and dangerous Nathan. Leo's earnest and cute, he's there for Rae, and most of all, he doesn't solve all of her problems. Leo is not the one who saves Rae from the cruelties of the people around her.
It's all Rae -- and it has a lot to do with what she does at work. I don't want to go into detail into that, because all of it was a pleasant surprise for me. But she delivers flowers to people, and it's actually a little inspiring how Rae takes some "random" acts of kindness and passes it on the the people she goes to school with. This isn't the story of a girl in a crappy relationship at all. This is the story of Rae's darkness, and her trying to battle it with light, just like it says in the summary. It's heartwarming and inspiring, but definitely not over-the-top or saccharine. The author takes the same care she does with her verse novels -- and although I think I do like those a little more, I absolutely enjoyed this book.
That being said, if you liked Jennifer Brown's Bitter End, you might like Falling For You. But if you liked 40 Things I Want to Tell You, take a look at Falling For You. There are some similarities between the characters and their circumstances that would make for happy readers.
Rae's a sweet girl brimming with the need to do something good. She works part-time at a flower shop and sticks her money to the side. She needs a ticket to get out of her crummy household, with a neglectful mother and emotionally (and physically) volatile step-father. Rae comes across as sort of the everygirl at first -- someone we could all relate to, someone we could all see a bit of ourselves in. With all that nervous energy, she writes poetry that's incredibly telling of her state of mind.
This is one of the first things that really sold the book for me. If you're not familiar with Lisa Schroeder, she has written a number of (really good) novels in verse. They're really great, but they obviously have a polished, streamlined quality to them that you don't expect from a teenager. So while it's fine to read about them in verse, having a teenage girl write such awesome poetry would stick out. But Rae's is true to life, not the worst I've ever read, but definitely believably juvenile. And by the way, if you haven't read Chasing Brooklyn, you should.
Anyhow, enters Nathan. Right off the bat, Rae is worried and skeptical about this kid. He's aggressive from the start, has a mouth on him -- and even she admits that she doesn't know if she should slap him or laugh with him. But it's that kind of affection and attention, where he's calling her beautiful and making her feel wanted, that gets through to her. All those nerves working through her body, the months and years of being ignored by her mother and yelled at by her step-father, take a backseat to feel even just a little good about herself.
But it doesn't last, and the doubt Rae had at first comes to a head. She sees Nathan for what he is, a stalkery, creepy, angry person who needs help that she can't provide. But when he throws out phrases suggesting he'd hurt himself if she stops being there for him, she concedes and sticks by him. And though it's hard to read and you want to push Rae in the direction she's leaning, it's true to life.
Let me make it clear, at no point are Nathan's actions made to be anything but creepy and overwhelming. Faulting Rae for her reactions to his reactions is outlandish and downright wrong. People don't always have the resources -- emotionally, physically, to get up and leave someone toxic behind. Nathan doesn't want to give up that comfort he created in his own mind, and he makes damn well sure everyone's aware. Rae has a hard time deciding what to do, and eventually gathers the courage and strength to handle it on her own terms.
Some of that strength comes from the light inside of her, some of it comes from the encouragement she gets from her friends -- especially Leo, the ridiculously caramel sweet coffee shop boy. I've never liked a book boy like I've liked Leo, both wanting to pat him on the head, and wanting to giggle at him for being silly. Leo is such a sharp, albeit slow-moving contrast to the impulsive and dangerous Nathan. Leo's earnest and cute, he's there for Rae, and most of all, he doesn't solve all of her problems. Leo is not the one who saves Rae from the cruelties of the people around her.
It's all Rae -- and it has a lot to do with what she does at work. I don't want to go into detail into that, because all of it was a pleasant surprise for me. But she delivers flowers to people, and it's actually a little inspiring how Rae takes some "random" acts of kindness and passes it on the the people she goes to school with. This isn't the story of a girl in a crappy relationship at all. This is the story of Rae's darkness, and her trying to battle it with light, just like it says in the summary. It's heartwarming and inspiring, but definitely not over-the-top or saccharine. The author takes the same care she does with her verse novels -- and although I think I do like those a little more, I absolutely enjoyed this book.
That being said, if you liked Jennifer Brown's Bitter End, you might like Falling For You. But if you liked 40 Things I Want to Tell You, take a look at Falling For You. There are some similarities between the characters and their circumstances that would make for happy readers.