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taishacasimir's review against another edition
5.0
Even If I Fall was a heart felt reading about family and pain. I had s lot of mixed feeling while reading this book. I migth recommend this book to someone. Glad I read this book. :)
z_brarian's review against another edition
5.0
The question that stuck in my head while reading this book was " how do you move on from this tragedy?" Brooke's brother's crime had a domino effect that has obliterated the family. When she meets Heath, the brother of the young man her brother murdered, the connection between them is not blame, but the struggle to move on to a "new normal". They didn't cause the murder to happen; they aren't at fault. Heath said it best "we didn't cause the crime...we are just as much victims". They learn to heal together, even though they are on "opposite sides of the fence". The story made me take a better look and helped me to understand how there are some people able to forgive others who have destroyed their families. I never understood how some people were able to forgive the killers/murderers. This book took a look at both sides and showed how it is possible to move on.
grgnp's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
booklovewithmelanie's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for my honest review.
This book definitely pulls at your heart strings, especially the second half. The first 25% honestly didn't rope me in however from there on was great. Once Brooke and Heath actually start talking about what happened and bond I was totally invested. My heart pulled and broke for Laura especially.
This book definitely pulls at your heart strings, especially the second half. The first 25% honestly didn't rope me in however from there on was great. Once Brooke and Heath actually start talking about what happened and bond I was totally invested. My heart pulled and broke for Laura especially.
reflowering's review against another edition
3.0
ah gosh. this book.
to be completely honest, i was expecting a lot more from this. in terms of writing style, the mystery element and most of all the romance. this is one of my favourite tropes but the way in which it was handled was not the best, unfortunately. it also didn’t help that everything else was standard too. like t wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good enough to keep my attention, or to keep my feelings for the characters going. everything kind of died down pretty quickly and well yeah. this could have been a solid 4 stars if everything wasn’t so mediocre, i guess.
to be completely honest, i was expecting a lot more from this. in terms of writing style, the mystery element and most of all the romance. this is one of my favourite tropes but the way in which it was handled was not the best, unfortunately. it also didn’t help that everything else was standard too. like t wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good enough to keep my attention, or to keep my feelings for the characters going. everything kind of died down pretty quickly and well yeah. this could have been a solid 4 stars if everything wasn’t so mediocre, i guess.
booksandbark's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was a really sweet book about family in a time of crisis. I honestly thought that this book would be more murder mystery and less romance and friendship, but I was wrong. For most of this book, nothing really happens. Brooke, the protagonist, is struggling with family issues in the wake of her brother's murder conviction, and has given up on her lifelong dream of becoming a professional ice skater. When her family won't talk to her about everything that's been going on with her brother, she ends up talking to Heath Gaines, the brother of the boy Brooke's brother murdered. While the premise is promising, the execution could have been better done. There were a lot of scenes of Brooke just doing everyday things, but I didn't connect to her or any of the other characters and didn't really care as a result. Brooke, her sister Laura, her father, her mother, and even Heath were cookie-cutter YA characters.
The romance between Heath and Brooke also seemed kind of forced. There was nothing that they really liked about each other, or any interests they shared--I don't even think they would have been friends if the murder hadn't happened. There was a lot of potential for conflict with the Gaineses and the Covington's (Brooke's family) not getting along, and not forgiving each other, but much of the conflict happened in snippets, towards the end, and was easily resolved. Even Brooke's big fight with her best friend, Maggie, ended easily. This book was simultaneously overdramatic and underwhelming, and I debated between giving this book 2.5 and 3 stars. I settled on three stars because it's Christmas and life's short.
Overall, a book with a lot of potential, but which ultimately fell flat.
This was a really sweet book about family in a time of crisis. I honestly thought that this book would be more murder mystery and less romance and friendship, but I was wrong. For most of this book, nothing really happens. Brooke, the protagonist, is struggling with family issues in the wake of her brother's murder conviction, and has given up on her lifelong dream of becoming a professional ice skater. When her family won't talk to her about everything that's been going on with her brother, she ends up talking to Heath Gaines, the brother of the boy Brooke's brother murdered. While the premise is promising, the execution could have been better done. There were a lot of scenes of Brooke just doing everyday things, but I didn't connect to her or any of the other characters and didn't really care as a result. Brooke, her sister Laura, her father, her mother, and even Heath were cookie-cutter YA characters.
The romance between Heath and Brooke also seemed kind of forced. There was nothing that they really liked about each other, or any interests they shared--I don't even think they would have been friends if the murder hadn't happened. There was a lot of potential for conflict with the Gaineses and the Covington's (Brooke's family) not getting along, and not forgiving each other, but much of the conflict happened in snippets, towards the end, and was easily resolved. Even Brooke's big fight with her best friend, Maggie, ended easily. This book was simultaneously overdramatic and underwhelming, and I debated between giving this book 2.5 and 3 stars. I settled on three stars because it's Christmas and life's short.
Overall, a book with a lot of potential, but which ultimately fell flat.
caledonia's review against another edition
3.0
The ending felt rushed and the twist that wasn't really a twist but was built up like one frustrated me because I was okay with a boy being a murderer but making him be like ahaha maybe not and then being like jk, gave me whiplash, I only liked that it helped build the younger sisters arc.
normalchey's review against another edition
5.0
Wow.. A stunning novel. Review coming soon. I need time to digest this book!
darcijo's review against another edition
4.0
3½ I'm going to rate up because I know my students will really like it.
jbrooxd's review
4.0
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4.5 stars. Stunning! This was terrific. I loved the characters and the raw, emotionally complicated story. All of the emotions and angst, the families' coping strategies - all of it felt believable. The story is wrapped up in a satisfying way, but without any cheesy happily-ever-after. The ending was true to the complexity of the story and the characters and the tone of the story. Highly recommend!
4.5 stars. Stunning! This was terrific. I loved the characters and the raw, emotionally complicated story. All of the emotions and angst, the families' coping strategies - all of it felt believable. The story is wrapped up in a satisfying way, but without any cheesy happily-ever-after. The ending was true to the complexity of the story and the characters and the tone of the story. Highly recommend!