Going into the her second year of high school in the rural
town of Laton, Reese was ready to come out of her shell, experience life with
her best friends and find a way to tell Titus she wanted to be more than
friends. When Josh, the new student, shows up on the first day and a whirlwind
relationship starts between him and Reese, she was in her own world and barely
noticed her friend spiraling downhill. The night Josh pushed her to far her
best friend died, causing her own world to spiral.
Trying to move on from losing her best friend and ignore what Josh did to her, Reese pulls away from everyone. She had to overcome her fears and face her demons to be able to move forward.
Trying to move on from losing her best friend and ignore what Josh did to her, Reese pulls away from everyone. She had to overcome her fears and face her demons to be able to move forward.
I normally try to keep my reviews to the
light side, but today I’m putting on my “Let’s have a serious chat, Internet”
pants and will be keeping it somber. This book deserves that.
The intense subject matter of Falling
Behind left me a bit taken aback. Because I’m older (decades past High School)
I didn’t see myself in the main characters as much as I saw myself in the
parents. I plan on holding on to this book for a decade or more, until my
daughters are old enough to read it. This isn’t something I’ve ever considered
doing with a book before, but never before had I read such a strong and vital
message for teenage girls. (Honestly, dear Internet, I normally just read
smut.)
During college I had a childhood friend
confess that she had been abused by her boyfriend. Not really knowing what to
do, I tried to get her to leave him and move in with me. She didn’t. She
wouldn’t. Saying that he loved her, it was only the one time, it was really her
fault. I didn’t know what to do or if it was really any of my business. I can’t imagine my daughters (or other girls
close to our family) having the same helpless feelings. Here we are, years later, and she’s still with
him and still being abused.
Reading (for me anyway) can provide a
thorough way of looking at a subject or issue.
Falling Behind allows the message
to be felt, rather than heard, and gives a different perception with the
character’s experiences. I hope that
this book will give my daughters a glimpse into that other view and allow them
another tool in recognizing abuse. I hope it will give them more than just my
words telling them that they should NEVER stand for being abused. I hope it
gives us another avenue to discuss a difficult topic.
I’m not certain what the author wanted me to
feel, but I can tell you I was left with love, sadness… and still hope.
~ Review by Jennifer
I'm a wife and mother
of four. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I use to write
fairy tales when I was in grade school, but now I love writing about those
tough high school years and how one decision can change the course of your
life. Friendships, first loves and over coming the odds all interest me.
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