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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
*I received this copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I thought that this story had an interesting take on a character with amnesia. It wasn't what I thought that it would be. Normally, in books with this plot line a girl falls in love with a random guy but finds out that she had this whole other life complete with another guy. Thankfully, this book did not having any cheating in it and it also ended up having more depth than other books I have read. The author did such a great job of making Clementine such an approachable character. I felt as if I could feel her pain and frustration of not knowing who she was while I was reading. My heart was breaking for her throughout the book. She suffered so much heartbreak for someone so young and then to go through so many setbacks....she radiated so much strength in trying to remember regardless of her progress. I'm still not completely sure how I feel about Kieran. He seemed okay during parts of the book but during others he was a bit of a jerk. He was hot and cold. Then he seemed to blame Clementine for his behavior. I think that he was my main issue with the book. I didn't like him as the love interest. I preferred Clive over him even though Clive clearly had the hots for someone else. Even though this book is a romance, the most appealing part if this book for me was Clementine's journey of self discovery. I enjoyed learning about her alongside of her during the book. There were successes and failures which she bore beautifully. I also appreciated the secondary characters and the connections that were made between all of the characters. The author was able to set everything up in this book beautifully without spending too much time on any one thing. There was a subtleness to her writing that I appreciated.
https://fictionedtodeath.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-upside-of-falling-down-by-rebekah.html
I thought that this story had an interesting take on a character with amnesia. It wasn't what I thought that it would be. Normally, in books with this plot line a girl falls in love with a random guy but finds out that she had this whole other life complete with another guy. Thankfully, this book did not having any cheating in it and it also ended up having more depth than other books I have read. The author did such a great job of making Clementine such an approachable character. I felt as if I could feel her pain and frustration of not knowing who she was while I was reading. My heart was breaking for her throughout the book. She suffered so much heartbreak for someone so young and then to go through so many setbacks....she radiated so much strength in trying to remember regardless of her progress. I'm still not completely sure how I feel about Kieran. He seemed okay during parts of the book but during others he was a bit of a jerk. He was hot and cold. Then he seemed to blame Clementine for his behavior. I think that he was my main issue with the book. I didn't like him as the love interest. I preferred Clive over him even though Clive clearly had the hots for someone else. Even though this book is a romance, the most appealing part if this book for me was Clementine's journey of self discovery. I enjoyed learning about her alongside of her during the book. There were successes and failures which she bore beautifully. I also appreciated the secondary characters and the connections that were made between all of the characters. The author was able to set everything up in this book beautifully without spending too much time on any one thing. There was a subtleness to her writing that I appreciated.
https://fictionedtodeath.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-upside-of-falling-down-by-rebekah.html
I had heard good things about this book, so I made sure I made some time for it during my summer break. I’m pleased I read it, but I don’t think it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
The Upside Of Falling Down centres around Clementine who is the only survivor of a horrific plane crash. When she wakes up, she has no memory of her life before and who she really is. Clementine panics and after meeting an Irish stranger at the hospital, she escapes the hospital, ready to start a new life. Clementine goes to Ireland with Kieran and meets his sister Siobhan. In Ireland, Clementine starts to build a new life. However, her lies start to become harder and harder to conceal. The truth eventually reveals itself…but would it affect her relationship with Kieran?
I liked Clementine as a character, although I did feel like she was much older than her 18/19 years. I loved her interactions with her nurse, Stephen. Stephen was a fabulous secondary character, I wish we had seen more from him.
I thought this book was a quick read and the plot was certainly original. I did have some issues with it. I thought the romance was going to be super cute but it didn’t end up being that way for me. I felt like it was quite contrived and totally based on manipulation and lies. How can that be a healthy relationship? Perhaps I’m just reading too much into it, but I wasn’t impressed. I also felt that the ending was a little rushed which was a shame. I’d still recommend it, especially if you’re into the genre because it is an enjoyable read.
The Upside Of Falling Down centres around Clementine who is the only survivor of a horrific plane crash. When she wakes up, she has no memory of her life before and who she really is. Clementine panics and after meeting an Irish stranger at the hospital, she escapes the hospital, ready to start a new life. Clementine goes to Ireland with Kieran and meets his sister Siobhan. In Ireland, Clementine starts to build a new life. However, her lies start to become harder and harder to conceal. The truth eventually reveals itself…but would it affect her relationship with Kieran?
I liked Clementine as a character, although I did feel like she was much older than her 18/19 years. I loved her interactions with her nurse, Stephen. Stephen was a fabulous secondary character, I wish we had seen more from him.
I thought this book was a quick read and the plot was certainly original. I did have some issues with it. I thought the romance was going to be super cute but it didn’t end up being that way for me. I felt like it was quite contrived and totally based on manipulation and lies. How can that be a healthy relationship? Perhaps I’m just reading too much into it, but I wasn’t impressed. I also felt that the ending was a little rushed which was a shame. I’d still recommend it, especially if you’re into the genre because it is an enjoyable read.
that third act… that's some telenovela shit right there
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I want to read this again right now!!! I loved the lyrical way she wrote and the story was heartbreaking and joyful and had all the feels!!!!
Clementine is the only survivor in a plane crash. Every one tells her how lucky she is, which would be great, if she could remember. With her father on her way from America, Clem is terrified that she may not remember her dad, or be the person he expects her to be. So she does the only thing she can think of. She runs away to find herself, or maybe not her old self, but a new one.
It's been a while since I completed an ARC, but this one was fun, and interesting. Even though I figured out the secrets before they were revealed, I enjoyed the storyline, and getting to know Clementine and Keiran.
Clementine is strong willed, and focused on learning about herself. Instead of hoping for triggers to remember parts of her old self, she'd rather discover who she really is. After sneaking out of the hospital, she gets a tour of Ireland, and learns more than she had bargained for.
The book was enjoyable and easy to read. I enjoyed the characters, and story more than I thought I would. What seemed like an ordinary contemporary romance had a lot of twists and turns along the way.
It's been a while since I completed an ARC, but this one was fun, and interesting. Even though I figured out the secrets before they were revealed, I enjoyed the storyline, and getting to know Clementine and Keiran.
Clementine is strong willed, and focused on learning about herself. Instead of hoping for triggers to remember parts of her old self, she'd rather discover who she really is. After sneaking out of the hospital, she gets a tour of Ireland, and learns more than she had bargained for.
The book was enjoyable and easy to read. I enjoyed the characters, and story more than I thought I would. What seemed like an ordinary contemporary romance had a lot of twists and turns along the way.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One moment I was enjoying this, then the next i wasn’t. Then I was again, and the cycle continued for the entire book. I had a hard time connecting with “Jane.” She ran away from everything that could have helped her get her memory back, when it probably would have helped her get her memory back sooner. The reveal at the end partially surprised me and partially didn’t. I loved Clive lol. But yeah, overall, didn’t love it.
It's nice to see a piece of YA travel fiction that isn't all about the obvious landmarks—for example, Clementine is in Ireland, but she doesn't, I don't know, get drunk with a red-haired leprechaun in Temple Bar and then rhapsodize about Ireland's forty(ish) shades of green en route to kiss the Blarney Stone.* Better, she doesn't limit her interactions to other Americans; almost all the characters in the book are Irish.
However...there was a little too much YA-magic for my tastes here. A lot too much, actually. What is YA magic, you ask? Well. YA magic is when the first person the amnesiac heroine (magically) meets is the Nicest Boy Ever™ who will go out of his way to help her (and everyone else he meets). It's when, since she has no money, said Nicest Boy Ever™ leaves €100 by her bedside every morning so she'll have pocket money. It's when Nicest Boy Ever™ and his Not As Nice Sister™ (Bitter Bitch Sister? Salty Sister?) both work long hours for no pay because they can. It's when none of the characters around her, all strangers, mind that she tells them virtually nothing about her past or why she's unwilling to go home; instead they tell her she's the bravest person they've ever met and the strongest person they've ever met and altogether kind of amazing. Never mind that nobody, including the heroine, is telling the whole truth. It's when the amnesia is instantly (magically) cured by the heroine hearing her father's voice, and her father doesn't mind that she ran away from the hospital and has been officially missing for three weeks. It's when the Big Reveal at the end is only possible because of a series of highly unlikely coincidences. It's when characters brush aside major fucking breaches of trust with a wave of awand hand.
I don't know. There's some good fun to it, but it seems like Clementine spends 90% of the book running away from the truth, or from her reality...so there's barely time to acknowledge the things she's facing, let along work on them, at the end of the book. I'd have preferred to see a bit less fluffy romance and a bit more grit.
*I just looked this up. Conclusion: nope. Nope nope nope.
However...there was a little too much YA-magic for my tastes here. A lot too much, actually. What is YA magic, you ask? Well. YA magic is when the first person the amnesiac heroine (magically) meets is the Nicest Boy Ever™ who will go out of his way to help her (and everyone else he meets). It's when, since she has no money, said Nicest Boy Ever™ leaves €100 by her bedside every morning so she'll have pocket money. It's when Nicest Boy Ever™ and his Not As Nice Sister™ (Bitter Bitch Sister? Salty Sister?) both work long hours for no pay because they can. It's when none of the characters around her, all strangers, mind that she tells them virtually nothing about her past or why she's unwilling to go home; instead they tell her she's the bravest person they've ever met and the strongest person they've ever met and altogether kind of amazing. Never mind that nobody, including the heroine, is telling the whole truth. It's when the amnesia is instantly (magically) cured by the heroine hearing her father's voice, and her father doesn't mind that she ran away from the hospital and has been officially missing for three weeks. It's when the Big Reveal at the end is only possible because of a series of highly unlikely coincidences. It's when characters brush aside major fucking breaches of trust with a wave of a
I don't know. There's some good fun to it, but it seems like Clementine spends 90% of the book running away from the truth, or from her reality...so there's barely time to acknowledge the things she's facing, let along work on them, at the end of the book. I'd have preferred to see a bit less fluffy romance and a bit more grit.
*I just looked this up. Conclusion: nope. Nope nope nope.