Happy Wednesday Guys!
I hope you're all having a great week so far, and I thank you once again for joining me today on the preppy book princess for another book review.
It's actually been quite awhile since I last reviewed a YA book on my blog, which is a tad odd for me as it's one of my favorite genres, and I definitely decided today was the day to remedy that.
I know a lot of people are familiar with Rebecca Serle's novel, Famous In Love, as not only was it a widely popular publication, it was also recently adapted into a TV show by ABC Spark.
However, her earlier books don't seem to have quite the same buzz about them, and I personally preferred the one I'm reviewing today, The Edge Of Falling, to Famous In Love, although I didn't personally love love either of them.
That being said, let's jump right into what I thought about this book!
The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle:
Source: Purchased For Myself
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 6th, 2014
Synopsis:
Growing up in privileged Manhattan social circles, Caggie's life should be perfect, and it almost was until that the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she's famous for something she didn't do, and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included. Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumors are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realizes that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she's ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life...and Caggie's as well.
My Review:
The Edge Of Falling is honestly one of those books that I had a hard time clarifying my feelings on it enough to write a coherent review. While there were many parts about it I definitely liked it, and felt myself getting dragged deeper into the story. There was honestly just as many parts I didn't like, but I guess this is probably often the case with books that deal with such serious issues.
First of all, I really loved Rebecca Serle's writing style, and I remember thinking this after I finished Famous In Love as well. She writes in a descriptive way that really makes you feel you're right there experiencing everything with the characters, and I really think this technique demonstrates just how talented an author is that can pull this off. I had read a lot of reviews of this book that stated how they didn't like the pacing, and found the first half of the novel to be boring and uneventful, but that they really enjoyed the second half. Personally, I didn't find that to be the case here at all, and I found myself really into the story right from the first couple of chapters, and I ended up finishing this one fairly soon after I first picked it up.
Part of I think what made this book so intriguing to me was the up close look into Manhattan's Upper East Side, a lifestyle that's pretty much unfamiliar to most of us picking up this book in the first place. I found myself really drawn into Caggie's world, and the privileged lifestyle that she'd never known anything but. I also love when the plot line of a book flows perfectly, and doesn't leave any gaps that have the reader wondering if they skipped a chapter somewhere, and that was definitely my opinion on the overall flow of this book. Part of what made this book flow so well though was the vibrant cast of supporting characters who definitely made up for the lackluster traits and lack of character growth exhibited in the main character, Caggie. In particular, I really enjoyed the character of Peter, Caggie's older brother, and how he seems to be the only member of her family who's even trying to hold his life and his family together still. As well, Clare was an amazing best friend, and I found myself cringing at Caggie's behavior towards her, as you could tell she'd move mountains if at all possible to help her best friend deal with the horrific events that had shaped her life into what it was. Lastly, Caggie's ex-boyfriend Trevor was that swoon worthy type of character who definitely has the reader wondering why on earth she'd ever want to push him away, and I loved reading the scenes that showcased one of these three characters attempting to show Caggie just how much she actually meant to them.
However, along with the positive, I also found lots of negative things about this book, and I'm not sure it would ever be a recommended read from me. For starters, right from the book's synopsis, it's hinted at that there's more to Caggie's story than meets the eye, and I was not prepared for this all to be revealed so early on. While I still found myself really into the story, I can understand why so many others had a problem with the pacing as I think she really should have spread the revelations out a bit farther. I also had a really tough time reading about Caggie's parents and home life situation. It was plain to see to Peter, Trevor, and Clare that this young girl was on the path to self destruction, and her parent's couldn't give up their own selfish ambitions long enough to notice, until of course when it was almost to late, and then suddenly they come to their senses. Even Astor's workaholic father knew there was something wrong with his son, and he was taking whatever steps possible to save his son from himself, and it was really frustrating seeing just how little Caggie's parents actually cared.
However, my main complaint with this novel was in Astor and Caggie's relationship in the first place. I understood the fact that Caggie was trying to grasp for whatever possible to get her out of the dark place she'd placed herself, but it was so irritating how she pushed aside the opinions of everyone that truly cared about for the sake of a guy that she literally admits she knows nothing about. I wanted to scream at her character for ignoring the danger signs flashing right in front of her eyes every time she discovers a little bit more info about this new amazing boyfriend, and while I loved the ending of this novel, and the fact that Rebecca Serle was willing to tackle such a difficult topic, it just had too many problems overall for me to truly say I loved it. I rated it three out of five stars, and while I'm definitely glad I took the time to read it, I'm not sure if it will ever inspire enough in me to ever want to reread it.
If any of you guys have read one of Rebecca Serle's novels, I'd love to hear what you thought about it!
Thanks so much for reading guys, and I'll see you all for my next bookish post!
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
I hope you're all having a great week so far, and I thank you once again for joining me today on the preppy book princess for another book review.
It's actually been quite awhile since I last reviewed a YA book on my blog, which is a tad odd for me as it's one of my favorite genres, and I definitely decided today was the day to remedy that.
I know a lot of people are familiar with Rebecca Serle's novel, Famous In Love, as not only was it a widely popular publication, it was also recently adapted into a TV show by ABC Spark.
However, her earlier books don't seem to have quite the same buzz about them, and I personally preferred the one I'm reviewing today, The Edge Of Falling, to Famous In Love, although I didn't personally love love either of them.
That being said, let's jump right into what I thought about this book!
The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle:
Source: Purchased For Myself
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 6th, 2014
Synopsis:
Growing up in privileged Manhattan social circles, Caggie's life should be perfect, and it almost was until that the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she's famous for something she didn't do, and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included. Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumors are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realizes that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she's ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life...and Caggie's as well.
My Review:
The Edge Of Falling is honestly one of those books that I had a hard time clarifying my feelings on it enough to write a coherent review. While there were many parts about it I definitely liked it, and felt myself getting dragged deeper into the story. There was honestly just as many parts I didn't like, but I guess this is probably often the case with books that deal with such serious issues.
First of all, I really loved Rebecca Serle's writing style, and I remember thinking this after I finished Famous In Love as well. She writes in a descriptive way that really makes you feel you're right there experiencing everything with the characters, and I really think this technique demonstrates just how talented an author is that can pull this off. I had read a lot of reviews of this book that stated how they didn't like the pacing, and found the first half of the novel to be boring and uneventful, but that they really enjoyed the second half. Personally, I didn't find that to be the case here at all, and I found myself really into the story right from the first couple of chapters, and I ended up finishing this one fairly soon after I first picked it up.
Part of I think what made this book so intriguing to me was the up close look into Manhattan's Upper East Side, a lifestyle that's pretty much unfamiliar to most of us picking up this book in the first place. I found myself really drawn into Caggie's world, and the privileged lifestyle that she'd never known anything but. I also love when the plot line of a book flows perfectly, and doesn't leave any gaps that have the reader wondering if they skipped a chapter somewhere, and that was definitely my opinion on the overall flow of this book. Part of what made this book flow so well though was the vibrant cast of supporting characters who definitely made up for the lackluster traits and lack of character growth exhibited in the main character, Caggie. In particular, I really enjoyed the character of Peter, Caggie's older brother, and how he seems to be the only member of her family who's even trying to hold his life and his family together still. As well, Clare was an amazing best friend, and I found myself cringing at Caggie's behavior towards her, as you could tell she'd move mountains if at all possible to help her best friend deal with the horrific events that had shaped her life into what it was. Lastly, Caggie's ex-boyfriend Trevor was that swoon worthy type of character who definitely has the reader wondering why on earth she'd ever want to push him away, and I loved reading the scenes that showcased one of these three characters attempting to show Caggie just how much she actually meant to them.
However, along with the positive, I also found lots of negative things about this book, and I'm not sure it would ever be a recommended read from me. For starters, right from the book's synopsis, it's hinted at that there's more to Caggie's story than meets the eye, and I was not prepared for this all to be revealed so early on. While I still found myself really into the story, I can understand why so many others had a problem with the pacing as I think she really should have spread the revelations out a bit farther. I also had a really tough time reading about Caggie's parents and home life situation. It was plain to see to Peter, Trevor, and Clare that this young girl was on the path to self destruction, and her parent's couldn't give up their own selfish ambitions long enough to notice, until of course when it was almost to late, and then suddenly they come to their senses. Even Astor's workaholic father knew there was something wrong with his son, and he was taking whatever steps possible to save his son from himself, and it was really frustrating seeing just how little Caggie's parents actually cared.
However, my main complaint with this novel was in Astor and Caggie's relationship in the first place. I understood the fact that Caggie was trying to grasp for whatever possible to get her out of the dark place she'd placed herself, but it was so irritating how she pushed aside the opinions of everyone that truly cared about for the sake of a guy that she literally admits she knows nothing about. I wanted to scream at her character for ignoring the danger signs flashing right in front of her eyes every time she discovers a little bit more info about this new amazing boyfriend, and while I loved the ending of this novel, and the fact that Rebecca Serle was willing to tackle such a difficult topic, it just had too many problems overall for me to truly say I loved it. I rated it three out of five stars, and while I'm definitely glad I took the time to read it, I'm not sure if it will ever inspire enough in me to ever want to reread it.
If any of you guys have read one of Rebecca Serle's novels, I'd love to hear what you thought about it!
Thanks so much for reading guys, and I'll see you all for my next bookish post!
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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