Heather’s Bookshelf: Rules of Falling
Author: Leslie Tall Manning
Released: 11/15/21
Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery
“Lindsay’s eyes moved rapidly down the piece of paper. When she looked up again, her face took on a “You’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me” expression. She tossed the letters onto the dresser and came to me, throwing an arm around my waist. Tunnel vision crept in. My legs turned to mush. As she led me toward the staircase and her face grew hazy like an overexposed photo, Lindsay’s impatient voice followed me down the darkening hole: “God, Erica, your timing really sucks…”
“Rules of Falling” introduces Erica O’Donnell, a high school senior with a medical condition (syncope) which causes her to faint —often at inopportune times. Her best friend, Lindsay, has her back and helps her out at every turn. They drives to/from school and share every class together. They basically share everything together until Lindsay starts dating Adam.
Adam seems like a nice enough guy, which is why Erica is surprised when Lindsay suddenly breaks things off with him. When Lindsay reveals she’s actually smitten with a married man who seems to share her affection, Erica is torn. She wants to protect her friend, but she’s also concerned and little grossed out by the guy. Not only is he married, but he has young twins, and is a firefighter for the town. To complicate matters, Lindsay was the man’s babysitter and she has enlisted Erica and Adam to keep the twins while she and Larry escape to their “love nest”.
Meanwhile, fires keep popping up around their town. Adam works with Larry as a volunteer firefighter and has heard that there’s suspicion of arson. Adam and Erica grow closer through their mutual frustration with Lindsay and babysitting adventures. Things become way more complicated when secrets are revealed and relationships are tested. What will happen with Erica and her friends and will they figure out who’s behind the fires?
Trigger Warning: violence, animal death, adult language, discussion of sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this story. It is an easy read with pacing and language that allows for moving through the story quickly. There’s a reveal/twist which felt organic and made sense to pull the whole story together. I really liked Erica as a protagonist. She’s flawed, overly trusting, a little naïve, but a dreamer. Adam is also a great character who adds a lot of dimension and positivity to the story. I wish Lindsay and Larry’s characters were a little more developed. Larry is a super creep - absolutely hated but simply 1 note. There’s a point in the book where Lindsay’s character flips a switch. It felt abrupt but not shocking as I really didn’t feel a connection to her before that point. I also wish there would have been more to Lindsay falling for Larry. She seems like a smart and savvy girl in many ways but totally fails when it comes to Larry. The fire angle seemed a little forced and I think there may have been more ways to incorporate it into the tale overall. The ending of the story wrapped everything up nicely and felt complete.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A YA tale about friendship, young love, mistrust, and betrayal. A solid protagonist and excellent pacing pushes the story forward.
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Check out my interview with Leslie Tall Manning
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