Review: Falling Into Place

Spoiler alert: this book was written by a high schooler. A high schooler. One time in high school I didn't realize I wasn't wearing a bra until lunchtime one day, and here this girl is with a published novel.

Just shoot me.

Also, I'm reviewing an ARC, so if you're interested, you'll have to hold out until September 9! (That's also my birthday, just sayin'.)

Liz Emerson is a popular, pretty, bright girl. She and her friends Kennie and Julia pretty much run their small town high school, and they take no prisoners when it comes to getting what they want.

Why, then, did Liz decide to run her car off the freeway one day?

Yes, it was definitely on purpose. Liz tried to stage it so it looked accidental, but it's stated explicitly that Liz was trying to kill herself. She'd considered doing it another way, but she thought if it looked accidental, it would at least give her loved ones some peace of mind. She's tired of being the cause of everyone's problems.

Thanks to an unconventional narrator, we learn that Liz has shouldered the blame for a lot of problems since she was a kid, and she's internalized some values that aren't really aiding her development. The parts of the novel that happen before she tries to commit suicide and falls into a coma are all told through either this mysterious narrator or Liz herself.

The parts that come after the event are from a myriad of sources. Mrs. Emerson, Kennie, Julia, and Liam (a boy who's got more of an outside perspective on Liz) all react differently to the news, and their narration is very introspective as they consider their own lives and how Liz affected them.

The ending of Falling Into Place is emotional and somewhat unexpected. It also leaves the reader with a little hope that things might get better for these people as their lives continue.

I enjoyed reading this novel, but I can't in good conscience give it a great review. First, the good parts: I liked figuring out who the narrator might be. I had a couple guesses, and as the story went on, I was able to refine them more until I was pretty close to right by the time it was revealed. It was a clever idea, and it fit well with the story as a whole without distracting from the main plotline.

I also liked how the characters were written (with one exception, but I'll get to that). Everyone was flawed, but no one was irredeemable. A lot of the mistakes and motivations were realistically teenage, due partly to the author's own age, I'm sure. Kennie's inner conflict was particularly moving, in my opinion, and I've never had the experiences she's had. That's a sign of compelling writing to me.

However, I really, really did not like the implied potential love story between Liz and Liam. It gave me some incredibly skeevy vibes, and I shudder to think about it playing out with real teenagers. Liz played some cruel pranks on Liam a couple years ago, yet he still harbors a crush on her because somehow he got one glimpse of her "yearn[ing] for beautiful things" a few months later and forgave her. While I appreciate Liam not being petty and vindictive, I would have preferred them having an actual conversation about the pranks, especially since they never actually talk to each other in this book. Instead, Liam hangs out at the hospital the whole time Liz is in a coma, even going into her room in the ICU at one point to visit her. Mrs. Emerson thinks he's Liz's boyfriend, for Pete's sake, and he doesn't bother to correct her. Seriously, this is not okay behavior, and I don't want it encouraging teenagers to creep on their crushes in a similar manner.

On a more personal preference-based note, I also didn't really get hooked by this story. I liked it, sure, and I kept reading to see if I was right about the narrator, but it was still only a mild interest. I think I'm just getting tired of Profound Books about Serious Teenage Issues, so I might be skewed, but I don't know if Falling Into Place is going to set the world on fire. It wasn't a waste of my time by any means, but I'm not eagerly awaiting a movie annoucement, either.

Overall, Falling Into Place is well-written and focuses on a lot of issues modern teenagers are dealing with. Liz, Kennie, and Julia all have their own struggles, and each of them were interesting to read about and had their relatable moments. However, the implied love interest thing isn't healthy, and I never managed to get totally ensnared by the story. Three and half stars for personal preference, four if I'm being a little more objective.