Review: Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

Publication Date: January 1, 2013
Page Count: 355
Format: Hardcover
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: Library

Synopsis From Goodreads:
Rae's always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous.

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

Falling For You is definitely a dark and emotional contemporary novel. The story begins with the protagonist, Rae, in the hospital. The story then goes back 5 months to the beginning and leads up to the events that result with Rae fighting for her life.

Rae had a pretty depressing home life. (I know I would have been depressed if I had to live like that, but maybe that's just me.) Rae's stepfather is a real piece of crap, and her mother is whiny and clingy and needs a man in her life, so she puts up with his various shortcomings. As the story progresses, the step-father's asshole tendencies increase to the point where I couldn't understand why the mother would want him around, especially knowing how he was treating her daughter. A small part of me was disappointed that Rae couldn't figure out how to stand up for herself against her step-father. On the other hand, I understood that it was hard for Rae because her own mother condoned and supported the step-father's behavior. Despite her less than happy home life, Rae still tried to be positive, and I liked that about her.

When Rae meets a new boy at school, Nathan, they fall into an uneasy relationship that pretty much goes downhill from the beginning. We learn that Nathan has troubles at home also, but he deals with his problems differently than most. Rae attempts to distance herself from Nathan because she really needs to deal with her own troubles. Nathan's downward spiral into possessive and stalkerish behavior was a little over the top, and it seemed to me that it came on quite suddenly.

Rae works at a local florist, and counts her boss and co-workers as her friends. I was glad that Rae had their friendships and support when she needed them most. Leo works next door at the coffee shop, and he and Rae have budding friendship going on. Leo was a huge bright spot in this book - both for Rae and for the reader. I adored Leo and I would have loved to know more about him. He was smiley and happy and easy to be around, and Rae found herself constantly drawn to him.

Falling For You was well-written and had the perfect blend of prose and poetry. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding how Rae ended up in the hospital. I liked the way the story switched from past to present in a way that flowed and was understandable. The story comes to a climax and we see how Rae has become a victim to the actions of those around her. I couldn't help but want Rae to have a happy ending, but I wasn't sure how that was going to happen.

Overall, I really enjoyed the ups and downs I felt while reading Falling For You. It's definitely an issue book with lots of family and relationship problems, and according to the author, "themes of darkness and light".

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Challenges:
Contemporary Reading Challenge
Stand Alone Reading Challenge