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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Ellis is a senior in high school and she’s got it all figured out - she’s going to attend Columbia University, major in Journalism and eventually work her way up the ranks at Street Media, just like her dad. But right before the school year starts, her parents announce they’re separating and her mom is taking her to stay with Ellis’s aunt and cousin in small-town Connecticut for a few months. Once in Bramble Falls, she reconnects with her first kiss, Cooper.
The author does a great job portraying Bramble Falls as a charming town and my favorite scenes in the book were the Falling Leaves Festival events. I liked the side characters including Jake, Cooper’s friend and a potential love interest for Ellis, and Sloane, Ellis’s cousin. I enjoyed how well the story was paced - I found myself wanting to keep reading and never felt bored.
That said, I had a hard time with our main characters. Ellis is, honestly, a brat. Her elitism is made clear when she manages to insult her aunt, her cousin, their house and the town within a few pages of her arrival in Bramble Falls. She admits it’s hard for her to make friends because she blows people off and she spends most of the book angry at her mom for ruining her life. I appreciate characters who are dynamic and flawed, and obviously some of this can be chalked up to teenage angst, but Ellis had few qualities that made me root for her. With Cooper, his anger towards Ellis in the beginning of the book felt overblown and he gave her a lot of mixed signals throughout the book. And I really disliked how both the characters treated Jake.
I think the story could have benefitted from some flashback scenes in order to flesh out Ellis and Cooper’s prior relationship more and show the reader another side of her, as well as foreshadow some of the events that happen later in the novel regarding Ellis’s parents and their marriage.
Overall, I would recommend this book to YA readers looking for a quick, cozy fall novel. I hope to read other books set in Bramble Falls, just maybe with romantic leads I like a little more. Jake would be a great MMC, I’m just saying…!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advance copy
challenging
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book had all of the autumn classics encapsulated in the charming town of Bramble Falls. The setting was so cozy and warm. I love a close-knit small town. Ellis tried her best to resist the charms of Bramble Falls, but it got her in the end.
This book had plenty of teen angst and parent issues. This book would have been a great one for me to read when I was a teenager with parent issues. Even in my adulthood, I relate to Ellis’s complicated feelings toward her mom and dad. I’m glad she was able to see them as they were by the end of the book, rather than what she assumed (good or bad).
The romance was so sweet. I love that it was a childhood friends to lovers story with a splash of dislike between. That aspect was full of drama. You wanted to shake them both to just say everything they’re feeling at a certain point. It was all worth it when they finally got together, though. I highly recommend reading this book to get all of the autumn vibes with a sweet romance story!
This book had plenty of teen angst and parent issues. This book would have been a great one for me to read when I was a teenager with parent issues. Even in my adulthood, I relate to Ellis’s complicated feelings toward her mom and dad. I’m glad she was able to see them as they were by the end of the book, rather than what she assumed (good or bad).
The romance was so sweet. I love that it was a childhood friends to lovers story with a splash of dislike between. That aspect was full of drama. You wanted to shake them both to just say everything they’re feeling at a certain point. It was all worth it when they finally got together, though. I highly recommend reading this book to get all of the autumn vibes with a sweet romance story!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Thank you so much, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster, for this awesome chance to read Falling Like Leaves before the release date!
Disclaimer for other readers: I read purely for vibes, and I super vibes with this book. I hope anybody that picks up this book after me enjoys it as much as I did, if not more.
Oh me, oh my. This book really hit all the spots for me. As a reader, it had me feeling the heartbreak, hope, and confusion of the world around the FMC. I even felt unbearably uncomfortable when the FMC didn't and definitely should've, but it is what it is.
Another great palate cleanser that I would recommend to anybody looking for a change of pace. A great selling point would be the autumnal season in a small town, and all I have to do after that is reference Gilmore Girls.
One thing I wish we had more of is the epilogue. Did she pass? What about the relationship with her father? I kind of hoped to read about another fall festival in the end.
All in all, thank you so much, author, for putting everything you had into this wonderful story that made me wish I was reading a small town with a strong gossip mill.
Disclaimer for other readers: I read purely for vibes, and I super vibes with this book. I hope anybody that picks up this book after me enjoys it as much as I did, if not more.
Oh me, oh my. This book really hit all the spots for me. As a reader, it had me feeling the heartbreak, hope, and confusion of the world around the FMC. I even felt unbearably uncomfortable when the FMC didn't and definitely should've, but it is what it is.
Another great palate cleanser that I would recommend to anybody looking for a change of pace. A great selling point would be the autumnal season in a small town, and all I have to do after that is reference Gilmore Girls.
One thing I wish we had more of is the epilogue. Did she pass? What about the relationship with her father? I kind of hoped to read about another fall festival in the end.
All in all, thank you so much, author, for putting everything you had into this wonderful story that made me wish I was reading a small town with a strong gossip mill.
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ellis is a senior in high school who temporarily moves to Bramble Falls with her mother due to tension between her mother and father. Ellis had a plan though - focus on her AP classes, improve her resume, and get into Columbia so she could become a journalist so that she could be just like her dad. So when her life gets uprooted suddenly to this small town, she tries hard not to get distracted and keep to her goals. However, things are flipped upside down even further when she runs into an old friend, Cooper Barnett.
I know Ellis and Cooper are young and in high school, but I found it difficult to really connect with them. Cooper holds a grudge for at least half of the book towards Ellis. And Ellis is not kind to a lot of the characters until the end of the book when she realizes she was in the wrong the entire time. I was happy that the characters finally saw reason by the end but it was a rough journey to get there.
I do appreciate the Gilmore Girls feel about it. And I actually really liked the secondary characters such as Jake, Fern, Asher, and Sloane. I’m hoping there will more books that get into their relationships as I loved them and how much they supported both Ellis and Cooper.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for this honest review.
I know Ellis and Cooper are young and in high school, but I found it difficult to really connect with them. Cooper holds a grudge for at least half of the book towards Ellis. And Ellis is not kind to a lot of the characters until the end of the book when she realizes she was in the wrong the entire time. I was happy that the characters finally saw reason by the end but it was a rough journey to get there.
I do appreciate the Gilmore Girls feel about it. And I actually really liked the secondary characters such as Jake, Fern, Asher, and Sloane. I’m hoping there will more books that get into their relationships as I loved them and how much they supported both Ellis and Cooper.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for this honest review.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it was a good thing the fall vibes in this book were absolutely stunning, because other than that i had quite a few issues with it. for one, i didn’t love ellis as a main character. she was very selfish and never thought about how her actions would impact the people around her. there also wasn’t much chemistry between the main couple imo — we were just told that they had this amazing connection a couple summers ago and that’s it. plus, cooper was VERY mad at ellis during the third act breakup, and after some of the things he said about her i don’t see how they realistically would’ve gotten back together.
the main thing that bothered me was how everyone kept saying that ellis was better off in bramble falls, but we were never shown that we were just told it. like how cooper kept telling ellis that it wasn’t her dream to work at her dad’s company but all we got from ellis is how much she did want to work there, and how her mom said she started becoming her own person in bramble falls but we never actually saw that. i get what the message was trying to say — do what you want with your life, not what other people want you to do — but that’s literally what ellis ends up doing. there’s a line where she says “what i want is to go to school for fashion, not journalism. i want to be in bramble falls until college”. but she says that AFTER her mom and cooper tell her she wants those things when she has never thought about wanting them before. so she basically ends up doing the exact thing that they told her not to do! ugh.
thank you to netgalley and simon and schuster children’s publishing for the arc!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Toxic relationship
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ellis has a plan to get into Columbia for journalism. It is her senior year and everything must go off without a hitch but when she is told she and her mom are moving to Bramble Falls to live with her aunt because her mom and dad are taking a break all of her hard laid out plans go down the drain.
Now she is back in Bramble falls and the guy she spent some time with, Cooper, they use to be best friends and now he won’t even really look at her.
This is a second chance, small town young adult romance that was full of fall time fun and was a very fast read. It was absolutely perfect for the fall time with apple picking, pumpkin patches and even mazes. Really anything you could think of this had it.
I could totally see myself as Ellis. I was the student who was the one who had to get good grades and wanted to get into the good college and I can totally see myself in her. I really liked the crafty side of her with designing and making outfits. I really loved the growth we saw with her to from not really wanting to be in the town and being made to be there, to making friends and ended up enjoying the volunteering. I totally would love to read more in this town!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Now she is back in Bramble falls and the guy she spent some time with, Cooper, they use to be best friends and now he won’t even really look at her.
This is a second chance, small town young adult romance that was full of fall time fun and was a very fast read. It was absolutely perfect for the fall time with apple picking, pumpkin patches and even mazes. Really anything you could think of this had it.
I could totally see myself as Ellis. I was the student who was the one who had to get good grades and wanted to get into the good college and I can totally see myself in her. I really liked the crafty side of her with designing and making outfits. I really loved the growth we saw with her to from not really wanting to be in the town and being made to be there, to making friends and ended up enjoying the volunteering. I totally would love to read more in this town!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m really sad this one missed the mark for me. Maybe I’m just not the intended audience because I could see some redeeming qualities but I just found myself forcing through this book unfortunately.
I will say I absolutely love this concept of a second chance but where one of them is super upset at the other. That’s a different take than I’ve read and I enjoyed that. I also really enjoyed the same town vibes and the town making the biggest deal out of the fall season and all of the activities! I’m a HUGE sucker for some fall vibes which was why I requested the book in the first place.
I also really enjoyed all of the secondary characters and the MMC, Cooper. Where this book became unbearable for me was the FMC. And that’s why I saw I might not be the right audience. I found her immature, ungrateful, and very selfish. I understand being driven but she literally and very rudely shuts everyone out in pursuit of her studies. Literally no balance. And I get she’s a high school senior but if you’re that goal oriented then you should have the maturity to understand working hard and play time. She’s beyond rude to be mom, aunt, and cousin who all only want to help her in this transition she doesn’t want part of, and the only person she pays any lick of attention to is her dad who….ugh we won’t go there.
And there’s also poor Jake 😭 just cut the line for the poor guy.
Again, I gave it two stars because I can see where a young adult / older teen could really relate with her but it wasn’t for me so it’s not one I could personally recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will say I absolutely love this concept of a second chance but where one of them is super upset at the other. That’s a different take than I’ve read and I enjoyed that. I also really enjoyed the same town vibes and the town making the biggest deal out of the fall season and all of the activities! I’m a HUGE sucker for some fall vibes which was why I requested the book in the first place.
I also really enjoyed all of the secondary characters and the MMC, Cooper. Where this book became unbearable for me was the FMC. And that’s why I saw I might not be the right audience. I found her immature, ungrateful, and very selfish. I understand being driven but she literally and very rudely shuts everyone out in pursuit of her studies. Literally no balance. And I get she’s a high school senior but if you’re that goal oriented then you should have the maturity to understand working hard and play time. She’s beyond rude to be mom, aunt, and cousin who all only want to help her in this transition she doesn’t want part of, and the only person she pays any lick of attention to is her dad who….ugh we won’t go there.
And there’s also poor Jake 😭 just cut the line for the poor guy.
Again, I gave it two stars because I can see where a young adult / older teen could really relate with her but it wasn’t for me so it’s not one I could personally recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was delightful!!! A fun read with a MC who grew (but not too much). A good read to get you into the vibes of fall!!